Did you know that distraction has serious implications for your mental and spiritual health? In this episode, Scott and Shawn continue their discussion about learning to think like Jesus in a digital age. They unpack and discuss both the physical and spiritual cost of the constant distractions facing us in our digital environment.

📖 Resources mentioned in this episode:

• The Anxious Generation, by Jonathan Haidt
• “Speaking of Psychology: Why our attention spans are shrinking, with Gloria Mark, PhD”
• The Screwtape Letters, by C.S. Lewis
• Our episodes on social isolation and sleep deprivation

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Meet the entire team as we recap the many ways we’ve seen God at work through the ministries of Prepared to Answer, Doubters Welcome, and Youth Pastor Theologian in 2025. And, to give you a small taste of what you can expect to see coming in 2026.

📖 Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Doubters Welcome website
• Youth Pastor Theologian Website
• YPT Curriculum
• Matt’s video on spiritual abuse
• Doubters Welcome Implementa Course - Welcoming Doubters: Pastoral Ministry in an Age of Deconstruction

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Have you ever had doubts about the trustworthiness of the gospels or if the Christmas story is really historical?

In this episode from the archives, Scott and Shawn discuss why we can have confidence that the Christmas story is true. They answer questions about supposed contradictions between the gospel accounts, the differences in genealogies between Matthew and Luke, the dating of the gospels, and the supernatural aspects of each gospel.

📖 Resources mentioned in this episode:

• “Is The Christmas Story Historical?” article
• The Historical Reliability of the New Testament, by Craig Blomberg
• Doubters Welcome YouTube channel (previously Truth Snack)

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Excessive cell phone use and poor sleep patterns often go hand in hand. But aside from the physiological and mental health impact, Christians must also become aware of the spiritual significance of sleep.

In this episode, Scott and Shawn continue the journey of learning to think like Jesus by looking at the problem of sleep deprivation in our digital age from the standpoint of what God tells us about the importance of sleep. They uncover that, beyond just meeting our daily need for rest, sleep is a gift from God that teaches us important truths about who he is and what his ultimate desire is for us as his children.

📖 Resources mentioned in this episode:

• The Anxious Generation, by Jonathan Haidt

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Current research is revealing the connection between the amount of time people spend online and our present mental health crisis. But what can we really do about it when smartphones have become virtually indispensable?

In this episode, Scott and Shawn consider how Jesus would think about life in a digital age and uncover some important insights from the Bible’s Grand Story concerning the danger and impact of doing life online. And in light of God’s ultimate purpose for us, they discuss some ways we may need to change our digital habits.

📖 Resources mentioned in this episode:

• The Anxious Generation, by Jonathan Haidt
• “Teens Used to Be Happier: What Changed?” by Jean Twenge
• Can Online Church Replace Meeting In Person? (related podcast episode)

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Anxiety is often associated with worry. But there is another side to anxiety that is not restricted to the level of our conscious thinking — and it isn’t solved by simply thinking it away or having “more faith”.

In this episode, Scott and Shawn take a look at anxiety through the lens of science and the Bible to understand its relationship to the human body — and, they consider how Jesus and other biblical characters dealt with the very real, physical aspects of anxiety.

📖 Resources mentioned in this episode:

• “If Anxiety is in my Brain, why is my Heart Pounding?”, an article by the Anxiety and Depression Association of America
• “Protect your brain from stress”, by Harvard Health Publishing
• Our episode about The Grand Story of the Bible

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Jesus had a lot of different things he could have been anxious about, but he did not seem to live in constant worry. And, he didn’t focus his energy on trying to control his circumstances. How could this be?

In this podcast episode, Scott and Shawn consider what shaped Jesus’ thinking about anxiety and how thinking like Jesus can help Christians deal with worry and anxiety today.

📖 Resources mentioned in this episode:

• “Talk to God About Your Anxiety”, by Jon Bloom
• The Ready Answers Conference website

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Our culture tends to consider good self-esteem as the foundation for having good mental health. But is self-esteem really the right place to ground our mental wellness?

Scott and Shawn uncover how Jesus’ thinking runs against the grain of much of today’s conventional “self-help” wisdom — most notably, in what Jesus saw as the ultimate foundation or starting point for good mental health.

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