Culture Matters

We’re joined (again!) by our friend, former host, and published author, Elizabeth Woodson, to celebrate the release of her new book, Habits of Resistance: Seven Ways You’re Being Formed by Culture and Gospel Practices to Help You Push Back.
In this conversation, we explore the question
If we’re all being discipled, who—or what—is shaping us?
Elizabeth argues that the issue isn’t if we’re being formed, but by whom. In an age of expressive individualism, algorithm-driven identity, and spiritual confusion, many of us are chasing peace, control, belonging, and justice in ways that quietly deform us.
But there is a better way.
Through historic Christian practices—prayer, fasting, gathering, service, confession, and more—Liz invites us to resist cultural formation and recover the path to shalom: wholeness and delight in communion with God.

Key Takeaways
You Are Already Being Formed
Shalom Is the Goal
Better Doesn’t Mean Easier
Resistance Is Active, Not Passive

Questions for Reflection
Where am I being shaped more by cultural narratives (identity, success, control, visibility) than by the way of Jesus?
When I long for peace, belonging, or control, where do I instinctively turn first?
Which spiritual habit feels most neglected in my life right now—and what might that reveal about my formation?
Do I define “better” as easier and more visible, or deeper and more faithful?
What would it look like this week to practice one concrete act of resistance—intentionally choosing the way of Jesus over the way of the culture?

Resources Mentioned
Habits of Resistance — Elizabeth Woodson
Connect with Elizabeth
Instagram: @elizabethwoodson
Website: www.thewoodsoninstitute.org/

Thanks to our Sponsor
In A Compelling Faith in a Compromising Culture, pastor and longtime NBA chaplain Mike Tatlock invites believers to cultivate a faith that isn’t loud or trendy—but holy, steady, and unmistakably different.
To learn more about A Compelling Faith in a Compromising Culture, visit moodypublishers.com or find it wherever books are sold.
Follow Us!
Instagram
Youtube
-- 
Editing and support by The Good Podcast Co. If you would like to sponsor this show, email [email protected]

We’re kicking off a new season by asking a timely and necessary question: How do Christians navigate a world that feels increasingly chaotic, divided, and unstable?
From political outrage cycles and media manipulation to cultural flashpoints and global conflict, it seems like everything is accelerating. Opinions form instantly. Narratives shift constantly. And Christians often find themselves pressured to pick a side before they’ve had time to pray.
In this episode, Adam, Chelsea, and Tymarcus wrestle honestly with what it means to remain faithful—not reactive. Rather than offering hot takes, this conversation points us back to something sturdier: King Jesus. The Church has endured hostile empires, political instability, and cultural upheaval before—and flourished. Not by grasping for control, but by walking in peace, holiness, humility, and wide invitation.
The world may be loud. But clarity still lives in what God has already made clear.

Key Takeaways
The shifting “Overton window” of what’s culturally acceptable
The exhausting pace of information in the digital age
The temptation toward control, outrage, or apathy
The subtle ways cultural categories can replace biblical ones
And the radical call to embody Christlikeness in the middle of it all

Questions for Reflection
Are my political and cultural reactions shaped more by Scripture or by my preferred media stream?
Where have I allowed outrage to replace prayer?
Who is one actual person in my life I can love more intentionally this week?
What might it look like to embody peace in a room full of anxiety?
What “money bag” do I need to leave behind to follow Jesus more fully?

Resources Mentioned
The Pour Over News

Follow Us!
Instagram
Youtube
-- 
Editing and support by The Good Podcast Co. If you would like to sponsor this show, email [email protected]

In the last of our Advent conversations, Adam Hawkins welcomes back Elizabeth Woodson and Tymarcus to unpack the biblical concept of peace (shalom)—especially what it means in a season that’s often chaotic, overwhelming, and culturally mischaracterized. Merry Christmas. We will see you in the new year.
In This Episode
01:00 — Life Lately with Elizabeth
02:00 — Starting the Discussion: What Is Peace?
03:55 — Peace in a Broken World
04:42 — Ty’s Reflection on Isaiah & Peace
07:00 — Relational Tension & True Peace
09:00 — Peace Now vs. Peace Then
12:00 — Peace Beyond “Be Nice”
14:00 — The Reality of Brokenness
18:00 — How to Cultivate Peace Today
22:00 — Final Reflections
28:00 — Close & Christmas Blessing

Key Takeaways
True peace (shalom) is not just absence of conflict—but wholeness and restoration found only through life with God.
We can experience real peace now through obedience, worship, and trust—even as we wait for its full realization in Christ.
Peace confronts brokenness at the root—requiring more than proximity or niceness, but the transformative work of Jesus.

Guest Resources
Liz's new Podcast: Shalomies

Follow Us!
Instagram
Youtube
-- 
Editing and support by The Good Podcast Co. If you would like to sponsor this show, email [email protected]

We continue our conversation with Caroline Smiley for a moving meditation on Love through the lens of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Tymarcus and Caroline reflect on Mary’s embodiment of sacrificial love at the manger and at the cross. This episode explores how Mary models a risky, selfless, participatory love—one that mirrors God's invitation for us to love as sons and daughters, not merely as servants.
The conversation weaves from Hebrews to the manger, from John's Gospel to the Prodigal Son, connecting the bloodied straw of the birth with the suffering of the cross. Through Mary’s obedience and Christ’s incarnation, listeners are invited into the family of God—called to love deeply, suffer faithfully, and hope fiercely.
In This Episode
00:00 – Introduction: Mary, Love, and Advent
03:00 – The Love of a Mother and the Love of God
10:00 – Mary’s Participation in Redemption
17:00 – Grieving the Cross: Mary and the Suffering of Love
23:00 – From Servanthood to Sonship
30:00 – Prodigal Sons and the Invitation to Come Home
34:00 – Closing Reflections: Love that Bleeds, Love that Welcomes

Key Takeaways
Love Begins with Incarnation, Not Just the Cross
Mary Models Risky, Participatory Love
We’re Invited into God’s Family, Not Just His Service
Suffering and Love Are Intertwined

Follow Us!
Instagram
Youtube
-- 
Editing and support by The Good Podcast Co. If you would like to sponsor this show, email [email protected]

In this second Advent episode, Tymarcus and guest Caroline Smiley explore what it means to experience true joy during Advent — not the manufactured “cheer” of the holiday‑season spectacle, but a deep, scripturally rooted joy anchored in the arrival of Jesus Christ. They walk through how Mary’s song (the Magnificat) in the Gospel of Gospel of Luke isn’t just a moment of personal celebration, but a fulfillment of centuries of longing, pain, exile, and promise from the Old Testament. Through that lens, Advent becomes a sacred space for honest reflection, recognition of brokenness, and hope for what God has done — and is doing — in and through us.
In This Episode
02:00 – Holidays & Hardship: Joy in the Midst of Pain
05:00 – The Power of Mary’s Story in Advent
10:50 – Where Mary’s Song Sits in Luke’s Narrative
11:10 – Daughter Zion: The Honest Backdrop to Mary’s Joy
17:00 – Past Tense Praise: Why Mary Says “He Has Done”
21:00 – The Magnificat: Mary’s Song Read Aloud
23:00 – Defining “Good Things” Through God’s Eyes
30:00 – Incarnation and Human Longing
34:00 – Final Reflections & A Blessing for the Listener

Key Takeaways
Advent isn’t about manufactured cheer. It’s about honest reflection — acknowledging our brokenness, recognizing the world’s pain, and yet hoping because God is entering that story.
Mary connects us to the deep longing of God’s people. By framing Mary as “Daughter Zion,” we see that her joy isn’t merely personal or sentimental — it’s cosmic, spanning generations of suffering, exile, and promise.
Joy precedes fulfillment. Mary sings in past tense because true joy is rooted not in what we see, but what God has already done and promised to do — God dwelling with us.
Good things are deeper than comfort. For Christians, the “good” God promises isn’t just material blessing or comfort — it is Himself, righteousness, mercy, presence, and ultimate restoration.
Incarnation anchors hope. The fact that Jesus became human assures us: God knows suffering, grief, exile, waiting — and in Him, even the most painful reality can be redeemed.
Follow Us!
Instagram
Youtube
-- 
Editing and support by The Good Podcast Co. If you would like to sponsor this show, email [email protected]