Doable Discipleship

“The act of confessing our sins to one another is a graced invitation to practice the way of faith, hope, and love. The soul tempted to despair will be particularly allergic to ecclesial confession, but it is here that they will find great remedy for their agonizing condition. For in confessing their sins to one another, they are heard with the faith of fellow saints, they are encouraged by the hope of fellow pilgrims, and they are loved with the charity of brothers and sisters.” - Pastoral Confessions
Confession is not an easy topic - but it is a healthy topic. Oftentimes when the topic of confession is brought up, it’s met with one of two responses: 1. "My walls are now up and I’m tuning out what is being talked about." 2. "This is so true and important and a lot of other people have things to confess." But like I said, confession is healthy. And even more than that, confession is necessary. Now I may be biased, but one of the best books on confession releases one week from today - Pastoral Confessions written by my friend Jamin Goggin. Jamin has been on this podcast a few times in the past. He’s an associate professor at Talbot School of Theology, Director of the Healthy Pastor Initiative for Finishing the Task, and one of the most thoughtful theologians I know. In today’s conversation Jamin and I talk about what led him to write about confession, the real human struggles with sin and confession, some ways we can more normalize confession, and much more. You can find a link to order Pastoral Confession in the show notes. I should point out, and we talk about this in the conversation, Pastoral Confessions is a book primarily written to Pastors, but its deep thoughts and themes of confession are important for all of us. 
Doable Discipleship is a podcast produced and hosted by Jason Wieland. 
Resources Related to This Episode:
https://store.pastors.com/products/pastoral-confessions-the-healing-path-to-faith-ministry-hardcover-book
Subscribe to the Doable Discipleship podcast at Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/doable-discipleship/id1240966935) or Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/1Zc9nuwQZOLadbFCZCmZ1V)
Intro Music:
Royalty Free Music from Tunetank.com
Track: Escape From The Town by SHANTI
https://tunetank.com/track/267-escape-from-the-town/
Outro Music:
Royalty Free Music from Tunetank.com
Track: Peace by VictorWayne
https://tunetank.com/track/5040-peace/
Episode Originally Published October 2025

“Why do some of us experience Christianity as a burden and others as a refuge? The answer, I am convinced, has to do with grace. Grace is the Big Relief at the heart of Christianity. When grace is down-played or qualified, faith turns into a project and then a burden. Project religion - the ancient human enterprise of proving ourselves morally and spiritually worthy of God’s love - is everywhere. When anchored to grace, however, Christianity remains good news. More than that, faith becomes a source of energy rather than a drain.” - an excerpt from The Big Relief
Today I’m excited to talk about one of my favorite books of the year. As I’ve mentioned a few times on this podcast, I’ve been on a bit of a grace kick lately. Grace was something I knew about, but honestly hadn’t spent a whole ton of time considering. It’s just the last few months though that I’ve really been sitting with grace and seeing just how beautiful, how important it is. So imagine my excitement when I saw a book about the urgency of grace in a worn-out world - right up my alley! And imagine how happy I was to start reading this book and seeing how good and funny it was. So today I’m thrilled to have on David Zahl, author of many books including The Big Relief. In this conversation, David and I talk about what makes grace stand out, the vertical and horizontal nature of grace, the difference between grace and mercy, how the church can be better beacons of grace, how to start living a grace first life today, and much more. 
Doable Discipleship is a podcast produced and hosted by Jason Wieland. 
Resources Related to This Episode:
https://www.amazon.com/Big-Relief-Urgency-Grace-Worn-Out/dp/1587435578
Subscribe to the Doable Discipleship podcast at Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/doable-discipleship/id1240966935) or Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/1Zc9nuwQZOLadbFCZCmZ1V)
Episode first released August 2025

“For the beauty of a journey is that it doesn’t need to be just one thing but can be many things spread out over time and over the many legs of the adventure . . . The Christian story may have already played out with robed people in a bygone past, but I believe it also continues to move, roll on, slosh, and rise in me each morning and moon.” - The Journey of God
All of history has a central theme: God wants a family. This is why the universe was made - so God could make people. This is the story of the Israelites through the Old Testament. This is redemption story, Jesus living on earth and dying on the cross to make it possible for God’s family to live with him forever. This is the story of the church - spreading the Good News that God wants a family and that family learning how to live together. This is the story of the end, God’s family finally living with Him in perfect relationship forever. This may be a central theme, but there is so much in it to unpack and J.D. Lyonhart does just that in his new book, The Journey of God. 
J.D. is a professor of religion and philosophy at University of Jamestown and co-host of the Spiritually Incorrect Podcast. In this episode, J.D. and I talk about why it’s okay to have fun when talking about the Bible, the central theme of Jesus’ presence, how we should think about sin and redemption, current issues facing the church, and much more. 
Doable Discipleship is a podcast produced and hosted by Jason Wieland. 
Resources Related to This Episode: https://www.amazon.com/Journey-God-Christianity-Six-Movements/dp/1514009242
Subscribe to the Doable Discipleship podcast at Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/doable-discipleship/id1240966935) or Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/1Zc9nuwQZOLadbFCZCmZ1V)
Episode first released July 2025

“And to this the voice bellowed: ‘I AM WHO I AM.’” . . . “At first, I thought maybe this was just God’s way of saying, ‘Hey, I exist. I AM real. Notice me!’ Or maybe it was God’s way of avoiding the question. I ask, ‘Who are you?’ and he says, ‘I AM WHAT I AM.’ In other words, it’s none of your business who I am, Moses. But the more I’ve thought about it, the more the whole ‘I AM’ thing has begun to strike a chord. You see, I keep asking which one of the gods ‘is’ real. But that question already assumes I know what the meaning of ‘is’ is. What is is-ness? What does it mean to exist - to be something that is rather than isn’t? . . . If the gods are just other beings that exist, then they must derive their existence from something else, and that source would be the true God, wouldn’t it?” - Zeus Was An Atheist, pg. 11
I’m on a mission to make learning the Bible, and talking about God, fun. And to show that we can do so in a worshipful, honoring, reverent way. When I first met author and professor J.D. Lyonhart last year to talk about his book The Journey of God, I knew I met a fellow compatriot in this mission. His books are incredibly fun and funny, while wrestling with deep philosophical, Biblical issues. His latest book is called Zeus was an Atheist: An Odd Retelling of the Moses Story. Even the title elicits a chuckle. The book puts you in the mind of Moses, not from a “this is surely what he was thinking” standpoint, but, yes, an odd retelling standpoint. We walk with Moses through all of the Exodus events you know, but listen as Moses wrestles with, meditates on, and acknowledges who God is - Being, Beauty, Goodness, Truth, Justice. J.D. Lyonhart is Associate Professor of Religion and Philosophy at the University of Jamestown a Fellow at the Cambridge Centre for the Study of Platonism at Cambridge University, and cohost of the Spiritually Incorrect Podcast.  This conversation today, much like the book itself we’re talking about, is both fun and thought-provoking and I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. 
Doable Discipleship is a podcast produced and hosted by Jason Wieland.
Subscribe to the Doable Discipleship podcast at Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/doable-discipleship/id1240966935) or Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/1Zc9nuwQZOLadbFCZCmZ1V)
Resources Related to This Episode: https://www.amazon.com/Zeus-Was-Atheist-Retelling-Moses/dp/1666758957
Intro Music: Royalty Free Music from Tunetank.com
Track: Escape From The Town by SHANTI
https://tunetank.com/track/267-escape-from-the-town/
Outro Music: Royalty Free Music from Tunetank.com
Track: Peace by VictorWayne
https://tunetank.com/track/5040-peace/

In August of 2024 I started a series called Navigating the Bible with the goal of talking about every book of the Bible. I didn’t know at the time how long it would take. I didn’t know who would say yes to coming on with me to talk about these books. But now, just about two years later, this is the final episode of the series. I may do some additional episodes down the line about to add things here or there, but today’s episode is a bit of a capstone for the Navigating the Bible series.
The New Testament is, rightfully so, all about Jesus. The Gospels are the accounts of Jesus’ life and ministry on earth. The epistles are about the living out the reality of Jesus. As we’ve looked at each book of the New Testament we’ve answered questions like what are the major themes of this book, what does this book teach us about God, what does this book teach us about ourselves, and so on. Today we’re going to pose these questions about the whole of the New Testament so why not have somebody on who has written about every book of the New Testament. My guest today is Dr. Ben Witherington III, Amos Professor of New Testament for Doctoral Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary and author of over sixty books. 
Doable Discipleship is a podcast produced and hosted by Jason Wieland.
Subscribe to the Doable Discipleship podcast at Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/doable-discipleship/id1240966935) or Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/1Zc9nuwQZOLadbFCZCmZ1V)
Resources Related to This Episode: https://www.benw3.com
Related Doable Discipleship Episodes:
Navigating the Bible: Revelation - https://youtu.be/5RNbOa4ItJ8
Navigating the Bible: 2 Peter/Jude - https://youtu.be/I39t_DHGwjw
Navigating the Bible: 1 Peter - https://youtu.be/cMaL8uM0BIc
Navigating the Bible: James - https://youtu.be/JVKfJqMj0Zk
Navigating the Bible: Hebrews - https://youtu.be/8SUE_AUqYVs
Navigating the Bible: Philemon - https://youtu.be/Bpx-1CVxfLw
Navigating the Bible: Pastoral Epistles - https://youtu.be/4FHKBg9HHxc
Navigating the Bible: 1 & 2 Thessalonians - https://youtu.be/d1X-noxGo4g
Navigating the Bible: Colossians - https://youtu.be/-V_E8eSyJ54
Navigating the Bible: Philippians - https://youtu.be/WOzz_E-F8Ao
Navigating the Bible: Ephesians - https://youtu.be/1HMX5ACIDUE
Navigating the Bible: Galatians - https://youtu.be/WV2Cu_wTe_g
Navigating the Bible: 2 Corinthians - https://youtu.be/ZwaCL0Njfs4
Navigating the Bible: 1 Corinthians - https://youtu.be/qqja13uz6BA
Navigating the Bible: Romans - https://youtu.be/KLh2yjIT7IM
Navigating the Bible: Acts - https://youtu.be/p9ovQQUuX2A
Navigating the Bible: John - https://youtu.be/VBovsFhP0i8
Navigating the Bible: Luke - https://youtu.be/GqEnToBadPk
Navigating the Bible: Mark - https://youtu.be/h1Hy9t1rbQk
Navigating the Bible: Matthew - https://youtu.be/nZMtZXWx4lI
Navigating the Bible: Knowing God Through the Old Testament - https://youtu.be/UwWEadWpG-c
Navigating the Bible: Nahum - https://youtu.be/PE96s4ra6qM
Navigating the Bible: Micah - https://youtu.be/sq32a24vGpk
Navigating the Bible: Jonah - https://youtu.be/Vh4VjS7RdhU
Navigating the Bible: Daniel - https://youtu.be/v_F7CadyUUg
Navigating the Bible: Ezekiel - https://youtu.be/Q0u4td1tYWA
Navigating the Bible: Ecclesiastes - https://youtu.be/226hY2qOr08
Navigating the Bible: Proverbs - https://youtu.be/-5NJNmBc3bg
Navigating the Bible: Psalms - https://youtu.be/sSB6thFWk2w
Navigating the Bible: Job - https://youtu.be/AA1Q6cVWoqo
Navigating the Bible: Esther - https://youtu.be/TkQtX8wtmbQ
Navigating the Bible: Nehemiah - https://youtu.be/zWR-5pSzk1c
Navigating the Bible: 1 Kings - https://youtu.be/EQjzZ0lvLjo
Navigating the Bible: 2 Samuel - https://youtu.be/9UOoIvfwXy0
Navigating the Bible: 1 Samuel - https://youtu.be/kWKqWlB8pkE
Navigating the Bible: Joshua - https://youtu.be/5gldD5FM-wk
Navigating the Bible: Deuteronomy - https://youtu.be/JidwMnYL51k
Navigating the Bible: Numbers - https://youtu.be/V60gGr-9pHw
Navigating the Bible: Leviticus - https://youtu.be/1-I-QdjB700
Navigating the Bible: Exodus - https://youtu.be/1ELkgAlWFGg
Navigating the Bible: Genesis - https://youtu.be/5zXHObysL6g
Inspiring Dreams by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/
Creative Commons CC BY 4.0
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/