Inside Out/Blog
TOPIC: Gifts that Point to the Giver
Broadcast/podcast date: December 17, 2025
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Elmhurst, IL, pastor and writer Brandon Cooper believes that what and how we give at Christmas can point children to the very “giver of good gifts” we celebrate.
Because we want Christmas to be God-focused, “the question we want to be asking ourselves as parents is how exactly are we training our kids? Are we training them to love gifts or are we training them to love the giver of the gifts?” Cooper says. “And are we training them to love especially the greatest gift ever given, Jesus himself?”
Brandon Cooper is the author of the 2024 Gospel Coalition article “Give Your Kids Lasting Joy for Christmas.”
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We want mass shootings to end. So what stands in the way of the American Church taking the lead in a conversation about guns and gun deaths?
Gospel Coalition writer, podcaster, and Canadian Pastor Paul Carter believes that the conversation is difficult for Americans because, unlike in other countries, gun ownership is woven into American identity. And the conversation about guns and gun deaths may be additionally hard, Carter suggests, because some American Christians seem to place the authority of the US Constitution on the same level as Scripture. That means conversations about Constitutionally protected rights run into conflict with Jesus’ call to love our enemies and turn the other cheek.
But when American Christians engage with believers from other countries, Carter believes, we can benefit from hearing fully Christian, but often very different, perspectives on the importance of gun ownership.
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As more people appear to be “cutting off” their parents when the relationship grows difficult, Martha Manikas-Foster talks with Vancouver, Washington counseling director—and Rochester native—Dr. Beth Claes about how Christians might negotiate dysfunctional relationships while still honoring their faither and mother.
Claes is counseling director for Vancouver, Washington’s New Heights Church, and author of the Gospel Coalition article "Before You Cut Off Your Parents: 3 Principles to Consider."
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Inside Out/Summary
In this Family Life Inside Out conversation, evangelist and Christian apologist Abdu Murray and host Martha Manikas-Foster discuss reasons for mass shootings, ways Christians can reach across divides, and benefits of both prayer and good thoughts in the wake of tragedy. Murray is the founder of the organization Embrace the Truth and author of numerous books including Grand Central Question, More Than a White Man’s Religion, and Saving Truth.
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Inside Out/Blog
TOPIC: Shootings: The Value of Thoughts and Prayers
Air Date: November 5, 2025
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A lot’s been said about the “thoughts and prayers” reaction to school shootings and mass violence in America.
In this Family Life Inside Out conversation, evangelist and Christian apologist Abdu Murray and host Martha Manikas-Foster discuss reasons for mass shootings, ways Christians can reach across divides, and benefits of both prayer and good thoughts in the wake of tragedy. Murray is the founder of the organization Embrace the Truth and author of numerous books including Grand Central Question, More Than a White Man’s Religion, and Saving Truth.
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God can and does use strangers and even enemies to teach us, says professor and pastor Dr. AJ Swoboda, and he encourages us to grow as believers who are teachable. Swoboda’s new book is titled A Teachable Spirit: The Virtue of Learning from Strangers, Enemies, and Absolutely Anyone.
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Inside Out/Blog
TOPIC: Learning from Enemies
Broadcast date: October 22, 2025
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God can and does use strangers and even enemies to teach us, says professor and pastor Dr. A.J. Swoboda, who encourages us to grow as believers who are teachable.
“The question is: why would we want to learn from our enemies?” Swoboda asks in this Inside Out podcast. “Because Jesus loves to use surprising people to form us into His image.”
Swoboda is a former campus staff worker and current pastor, professor, and urban farmer. His new book is titled A Teachable Spirit: The Virtue of Learning from Strangers, Enemies, and Absolutely Anyone.
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On this edition of Family Life’s Inside Out, Martha Manikas-Foster talks with author Michelle Van Loon who suggests that it’s time to downsize the Evangelical Church so that it more closely resembles the Body Jesus called it to be.
Van Loon’s newest book is titled Downsizing: Letting Go of Evangelicalism’s Nonessentials.
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Inside Out/Blog
TOPIC: Time to Downsize the Church?
Broadcast date: October 1, 2025
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Nothing--nothing--is strong enough to defeat God’s Church. Jesus said so. But what parts of how we “do church” are essential, and what parts have we added on, burdening, burning out, or hurting brothers and sisters with things that are not essential to Jesus’ call on His people in the world?
On this edition of Inside Out, Manikas-Foster talks with author Michelle Van Loon, who suggests it’s time to downsize so that the Evangelical Church again resembles the Body Jesus called it to be.
Michelle Van Loon’s newest book is titled Downsizing: Letting Go of Evangelicalism’s Nonessentials.
On this edition of Inside Out, Martha Manikas Foster talks with author Michelle Van Loon who suggests that it's time to downsize the evangelical church so it more closely resembles the Body Jesus called it to be.
We live in a contentious culture. Author Alexandra Hudson believes it’s up to each of us to reclaim Christian civility by treating each other with the respect we owe and are owed as creations in God’s image. Hudson’s call is to something deeper than being polite--she’s calling us to acknowledge each other’s value even when we disagree.
Hudson worked for the Department of Education during President Trump’s first term and is the founder of Civic Renaissance. Her 2023 book is titled The Soul of Civility. In January 2025 Christianity Today published her article "It's Time for a New Era of Christian Civility."
Read her Christianity Today article here.
Learn about her book, The Soul of Civility, here.
When we’re lonely, we not only feel terrible, but our health suffers. Loneliness has been connected with a greater risk of heart disease, dementia, stroke, depression, anxiety, and premature death. In 2023 the former Surgeon General of the United States compared the health impact of loneliness to the physical impact of smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day.
We spoke with Glenn Lutjens (Lutch-ens), a licensed family therapist and 29-year veteran on the Focus on the Family counseling team.
Church scandals and political infighting are rocking the American Church. Theologian, pastor, musician, and author Glenn Packiam believes we can find unity and correction the same way the early church did—by using the Nicene Creed as a guide. Packiam’s new book is What’s a Christian, Anyway? Finding Our Way in an Age of Confusion and Corruption.
