In this episode (after a brief introduction with Katie), David speaks to author Sam Black about his new book, “The Healing Church: What Churches Get Wrong about Pornography and How to Fix It.”

Sam shares about his work as the Director of Recovery Education at CovenantEyes and his years of experience helping those who struggle with addiction to pornography within the church, and his observations from seeing other ministries that do this work well.

This book is a helpful resource for our churches, and we hope today’s podcast episode encourages you to pick up a copy, or at least to check out some of the other resources mentioned in our talk.

Timestamps:

0:00 - Katie and David talk about the Texas Baptists new Resolution On the Pervasive Harm of Pornography in the Digital Age.

10:12 - Sam Black shares about his work and ministry with CovenantEyes.

16:11 - Sam and David discuss the unique needs that Sam’s book meets, to equip pastors to address this topic well in their churches.

21:46 - Why are pastors reluctant to discuss this topic in a church setting?

28:10 - Why is accountability essential to recovering from addiction to pornography?.

30:50 - What are the characteristics of a healthy accountability group?

40:20 - What other resources does CovenantEyes provide beyond their accountability software?

49:28 - What online accountability groups are available for those seeking help but do not feel they can find it, primarily, within their home church just yet?

55:35 - What is Good?

59:03 - Outtakes

For more information on the Christian Life Commission visit our webpage (texasclc.org), and follow us on Facebook (@TexasCLC) and Instagram (@txclc).

In this episode, the whole team is here to discuss the importance of religious liberty, which is one of our four public policy priorities. John Litzler leads us, as we talk about the current state of religious freedoms in America, recent court cases related to this issue, the importance of preserving religious liberty for all for the sake of the gospel, and examples of religious freedom violations abroad.

Timestamps:

1:38 - Introduction: What is Religious Liberty/Freedom and where do we get the phrase “Separation of church and state”?

8:21 - Will religious freedoms in America increase or decrease in the next 5-10 years?

17:35 - The CLC weighed in on a religious liberty case in Texas (Perez v. City of San Antonio).

28:16 - Examples of and thoughts on RFRA (Federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act) proposed "carveouts" by both the right and left.

36:36 - How is the quest for political power contrary to religious liberty?

42:35 - How can getting religious liberty right help us against trends of hyperpolarization?

49:50 - International examples of religious freedom violations we heard about from the Global Religious Freedom Gathering at DBU (October 20-21, 2025).

57:32 - What is Good?

1:06:00 - Outtakes

For more information on the Christian Life Commission visit our webpage (texasclc.org), and follow us on Facebook (@TexasCLC) and Instagram (@txclc).

This episode is a little different — we’re taking you to the border. In October, the CLC hosted a small group of pastors in El Paso for a pilot experience we hope will grow into a series of immersive ministry trips across the state. Our goal was simple: to see, listen, and pray with those serving along the border, and to better understand what God is already doing through ministries like River Ministry, ISAAC, and the Texas Baptist Hunger Offering.

TIMESTAMPS:

3:00 - When has a trip you took impacted how you see the world?

11:10 - How the CLC ministry ISAAC serves our churches

15:05 - How is the Hunger Offering helping in El Paso?

25:25 - Hearing from border patrol agents

31:50 - Immigration policy and the local church.

37:12 - Hearing from Exequiel San Miguel, Pastor of Iglesia Bautista El Camino in El Paso

40:15 - Visiting the border and the wall

46:00 - A debrief dinner

49:55 - Thoughts on Day 2,

54:40 - Visit to Juarez, Mexico

1:01:30 - What is Good

1:06:10 - Outtakes

For more information on the Christian Life Commission visit our webpage (texasclc.org), and follow us on Facebook (@TexasCLC) and Instagram (@txclc).