In continuation of last week’s episode, director of the Edmiston Center in Atlanta, Karen Ellis, shares ways Christians are to be a completely different community to the world, belonging to a God who renders diverse people as the same by the blood of Christ. Stephanie, Eric, and Joel chat with Karen regarding her concerns for the current church in America. If it’s not about Christian nationalism, not about social justice, what is the church to be about? In a world hostile towards Christianity, Ellis discusses a need for the basics: how to pray under pressure for kingdom advance, moving forward on your knees; not your will, but His be done. Listen as Karen offers hope for a divided church in despair.

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Before he died, Jesus prayed for us. He prayed for our display of Christian unity. In a polarizing culture, even the church can find itself on opposite sides of a divide. In this episode, the Stoop squad calls up Isaac Adams, an associate pastor at Capitol Hill Baptist in D.C., to talks about unity and prayer. Prayer is as simple as it is powerful, but when it is lacking, we are led by our pride. Divisions flourish. What is Christian unity and how does prayer play a role? Listen in as we discuss concerning divisions. Be reminded of the vision for the church as be a powerful witness in the world. It begins with prayer.

Why pray? For some Christians, prayer seems unnecessary. In some churches, prayer has become a mere transition between the songs and ceremonies of the service. In contrast, prayer should be our natural habitat, as water is to a fish. Is prayer absent in today’s church? Does prayer feel too holy, mystifying, boring, or awkward? In this episode, Joel, Eric, and Stephanie discuss public prayer, what holds us back from it, and why it’s vital for our spiritual well being and growth.

Burnout is not simply being tired, but a state of physical, emotional, social, and spiritual exhaustion. Burnout can stem from a wrong perspective, measuring worth in what we produce, and measuring ourselves against others. When our eyes are set on outward performance, our ego can work us like slaves. Eric, Joel, and Stephanie discuss the signs of approaching burnout, and how we can avoid or recover from it, even when our lives are “crazy busy”.