You Need to Hear This. I Promise.

When I first started my radio show, back in 2011, I had never worked for a company that worked on Good Friday. I decided if I had to work on Good Friday, I would do a show about Good Friday. Regardless of one’s belief in the resurrection, even secular historians note the death of Jesus of Nazareth is a turning point in human history. It is regularly listed as the most or one of the most important events in human history.

So I did the show, and senior management was not thrilled. In fact, they were pretty upset I would spend three hours on a news/talk show on the most listened to news/talk station in the nation doing a gospel presentation. My direct boss got called. They suggested he suggest to me that I keep Jesus out of it.

But by Monday, when people got to the office, there were so many requests for copies of the show that I now have to do a Christmas one too.

A few years ago, I started interviewing pastors. From Tim Keller to Ligon Duncan and more, I’ve talked to theologians and pastors about Easter and Christmas.

This year, I am interviewing, among others, Bart Barber. He is the new President of the Southern Baptist Convention. I pre-recorded my interview with him because it is terribly inconvenient for a pastor to participate in a radio show on December 23rd. I will take a few days off next week, but I’m coming back to do my Christmas show on the 23rd.

You’ll hear the interview in its entirety on December 23, 2022, but I was so profoundly moved by this part of our conversation that I did not want to wait to share it with you.

I asked Bart Barber what he’d say to people who are depressed or in despair during this holiday season. So many people get that way because they don’t have the perfect Christmas. They don’t have the perfect present, meal, tree, or family situation. They get depressed. They get alienated.

So what would he, the President of the Southern Baptist Convention, tell them?

It turns out Pastor Barber’s family is going through something like that right now. His mom, who did the cooking and entertaining for years for the family at Christmas, is struggling with an advanced stage of Alzheimer’s. I hope you might be as moved and encouraged as I was by what he told me. Please listen.

Set a reminder to tune in next Friday, December 23, 2022, at 12pm ET to hear the whole conversation and a lot more.