PODCAST · religion
The Common Good Podcast
by Brian From
The idea of “the common good” has a rich history within the Christian church. It’s the notion that, as we pursue Jesus in our lives and in the lives of others, we are fulfilling God’s purposes for His creation. This pursuit can be messy. It means rolling up our sleeves and creating space for hard conversations about real issues that impact our lives. Things like parenting, marriage, finances, politics, art, and culture. On The Common Good, Brian From creates space to have these conversations, to sit with the big questions that we all have, to sometimes disagree, but to always look for the chance to create common good, by following after Jesus. Brian welcome listeners to join them in these conversations, to bring their own questions, hopes, and struggles, and to ultimately share in a journey to see God’s design for all of us fulfilled.
Episodes
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Elections Matter, but They Aren’t Ultimate, and Jesus Isn’t on the Ballot
Brian From starts the weekend glad to have his son home from college for fall break, remembering his own first trip home from Wheaton. With the midterms weeks away, he urges listeners on both sides of the aisle to remember that elections are important but not ultimate, because Christ remains on…
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Plugged In’s Adam Holz Returns from a Health Scare to Review a Movie Set Inside a Sperm Whale
Adam Holz of Plugged In rejoins Brian From after several weeks away. He shares that a kidney tumor removed in surgery turned out to be benign despite a 90 percent chance it was malignant, but a septic infection put him back in the hospital. He reflects on how suffering can deepen our compassion…
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A Daily Walk Can Help Your Mental Health, and Delight in Someone Else’s Misfortune Reveals Something About Your Heart
Brian From opens with a study linking walking to better mental health in teens, a good reminder for all of us. In a vulnerable moment, he admits that hearing about a hardship faced by someone who hurt him brought him a flash of satisfaction, and he reflects on what that reveals about unfinished...
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Impact Latin America Is Equipping Ordinary Believers to Plant ‘Houses of Peace’ Across the Region
Brian From sits down with Susana Sharp of Impact Latin America, an interdenominational ministry that partners with more than 35 denominations in about 20 nations to train ordinary men and women to share the gospel outside church walls. Susana explains the ministry’s model of prayer-led outreach…
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Ben and Stacy Reaoch Finish the Family Devotional Ben’s Late Mother Began
Brian From catches up with his former college roommate Ben Reaoch and Ben’s wife, Stacy, about their new book, The Word in Our Home: A Family Plan for Exploring Every Book in the Bible. The project began as a vision of Ben’s mother, Barb, a Bible Study Fellowship children’s curriculum writer who...
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Nearly 100,000 Churches Could Close in the Next Decade, the Answer Is the Gospel.
Brian From comes off a beautiful homecoming weekend reflecting on his church’s Bible reading class, where the cycle of judgment and hope in Isaiah pointed him to the grace of Ephesians 2 and a God who doesn’t give up on us. He encourages married couples never to stop dating each other. He…
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A 157-Year-Old Palatine Church Is Still Reaching Its Community, One Family at a Time
Brian From talks with Pastors Warren Schilf and Donald Antor of Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Palatine. Warren shares how he grew up in the church and its school, spent 20 years in business, and then answered a call to ministry. He returned as associate pastor before becoming senior pastor. He...
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Halloween Candy Is the Latest Thing Priced Out of Reach, and Greed Is About More Than Money
Brian From kicks off the weekend with a report that Halloween candy prices have jumped 71 percent in five years, along with near-$5 gas, and reminds listeners that contentment is found in Christ, not a bank account. He shares a study finding that sleeping with a dog doesn’t disrupt owners’ sleep,...
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New Senior Pastor Tre Moore Shares How Lakeland Church Moves People from Consuming to Contributing
Brian From talks with Tre Moore, who became senior pastor of Lakeland Church in Gurney, Illinois, a few months ago after years as a member and elder there. Tre tells how his predecessor asked him three times to consider succeeding him before he felt God’s call into ministry. He describes the best...
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Dr. Deana Thayer Explains Why Resilient Kids Don’t Just Bounce Back, They Move Through
Brian From talks with Dr. Deana Thayer, parenting and marriage specialist at Focus on the Family, about raising resilient kids. Deana argues that resilience isn’t bouncing back right away. It’s the ability to work through big feelings and come out more mature, even when that takes time. She...
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Bobbie Schaeperkoetter Offers a Flexible, Guilt-Free Way to Spend Time with God Every Day
Brian From talks with pastor, nonprofit leader, and spiritual director Bobbie Schaeperkoetter about her new book, With God Every Day: A Flexible Framework for Spiritual Practice. Bobbie explains what a spiritual director actually does: less a counselor or problem-solver than a spiritual companion...
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Two Adopted Sisters Found Each Other on a Softball Field, and Brian From Weighs the Death Penalty
Brian From opens with a real-life Parent Trap: two Montana teens, adopted as babies by different families, discovered they were biological sisters when a teammate noticed how much they looked alike on opposing softball teams. Brian connects their story to our adoption into God’s family. After a...
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A Padres Pitcher Chose His Newborn over the Playoffs, and That Was the Right Call
Brian From starts midweek with an embarrassing story about taking a volleyball to the face while looking at his phone, and a reminder to stop living distracted. He applauds Padres closer Mason Miller for leaving the playoffs for the birth of his first child, despite criticism from fans. Brian...
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Why AM Radio is Disappearing From Cars (And How to Save It) with Troy Miller
Are automakers quietly phasing out AM radio to control what you listen to? In this episode of The Common Good, host Brian From sits down with Troy Miller, CEO of the National Religious Broadcasters (NRB), to uncover the real story behind the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act. While car manufacturers...
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Christians Can Vote Differently and Still Worship Together
With the midterms approaching, Brian From asks whether Christians can vote differently and still worship side by side. He highlights Pastor Robert Jeffress telling David French that a church member who votes their conscience in the Texas Senate race is still welcome in church on Sunday, and later...
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Bishop Dr. Michael Love Shares How a 13-Person Bible Study Grew into a Thriving Church and a Jail Ministry
Brian From welcomes back Bishop Dr. Michael Love, founding senior pastor of Trinity Baptist Community Church in Crystal Lake. Michael tells how a corporate transfer brought him and his wife to Chicagoland 36 years ago, where a small Bible study of 13 people, children included, grew into an...
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Yes, Jesus Loves You, and Yes, You Need to Rest
Brian From opens the week by calling a perfect Midwest fall day a reminder of the Creator's goodness. He shares how the podcast Ctrl+Z: Rewritten got him thinking about regret and the fresh start we have in Christ. He reads from Russell Moore's Christianity Today column "Yes, Jesus Loves You,"...
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Sports Betting Is a Predatory Industry, and Young Men Are Its Prime Target
Brian From talks with Emily Washburn, issues analyst and writer at Focus on the Family's Daily Citizen, about the rapid growth of sports gambling. Emily explains how the 2018 Supreme Court decision letting states legalize sports betting, followed by online and mobile betting, created an industry...
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Should We Be Held Accountable for What We Said as Teenagers?
Brian From starts the weekend with a reminder about the work it takes to build adult friendships once the kids leave home, and why we need people who point us to Jesus. He takes on the Portland Trail Blazers' firing of new broadcaster Braden Bell over posts he made at 13 to 15 years old, asks…
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There's Not Much Family-Friendly Fare at the Box Office This Week, but Plugged In Has Some Alternatives
With Adam Holz out, Brian From welcomes fellow Plugged In reviewer Bret Eckelberry for the weekly entertainment check-in. Bret warns families that this week's biggest releases aren't kid-friendly. One is Digger, an absurdist political satire starring Tom Cruise as a megalomaniacal oil tycoon. The...
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Angel Tree Brings Christmas, and Christ, to Children Whose Parents Are in Prison
Brian From talks with John Brennan, national recruiting coordinator for Angel Tree, a Prison Fellowship ministry that works through local churches to deliver Christmas gifts to children of incarcerated parents on their parents' behalf. John shares how his family got involved in 2001, when a…
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Four Hundred to Go with Michael Woolworth and Bible League
Brian From welcomes back Michael Woolworth of Bible League International for the final push of their month-long campaign to put Bibles in the hands of believers who have never owned one. Michael explains how a study with Voice of the Martyrs, Open Doors, and other Bible agencies found 125 million...
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Reminded, Not Instructed
Brian From opens October with an attempted mid-air attack on a commercial flight and the passengers and off-duty pilots who stopped it. He then recaps his church's first book club, on C.S. Lewis's Mere Christianity, and reflects on Lewis's point that people need reminding more than instruction....
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Every Table an Altar: Ian Simkins on Reclaiming Connection
Brian welcomes back former co-host Ian Simkins, now lead pastor of The Bridge in Tennessee, to discuss his new book, Every Table and Altar: Reclaiming Connection in a World of Division, Distraction, and Loneliness. Ian shares how the book grew out of his church's own journey — after moving to…
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Jews.com: A Bold New Tool to Share Messiah with the Jewish Community
Brian talks with Rabbi Kirt Schneider, host of Discovering the Jewish Jesus, about a remarkable ministry development. Rabbi Schneider shares an unusual nighttime experience in September 2023 pointing him to Acts 22:2, which he felt called him to confront the Jewish community more directly with…
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Embodying God's Multiethnic Kingdom: Living Diversity Beyond Sunday
Brian talks with Nathan Walton about his new book, Embodying God's Multiethnic Kingdom: Live Out the Diversity of Heaven Every Day. Nathan shares the story behind the book — a conference attendee's observation that even in diverse churches, congregants often retreat to segregated daily lives…
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Why We Worship: Recovering Reverence and Awe in a Declining Church Culture
Brian talks with Adriel Sanchez, senior minister at North Park Presbyterian Church in San Diego and author of the new book Why We Worship: Experiencing Heaven on Earth at Church. Adriel addresses declining church attendance — with regular attenders now averaging just one to two Sundays a month —...
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Ugly Headlines, Checklist Sanctification, and Why We've Stopped Hosting
Brian processes two disturbing stories of Christian public figures — authors Heather and Seth Day and a Project Rescue director — facing serious abuse and prostitution allegations, wrestling with discouragement before turning to Alan Noble's case for why he hasn't abandoned the label…
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From Rehab to the Pulpit: Pastor Jeremiah Stingl on 10 Years at Living Water
Brian talks with Pastor Jeremiah Stingl of Living Water Community Church in Bolingbrook, Illinois, as the church approaches its 10-year anniversary with him as lead pastor and 53 years of ministry in the community. Jeremiah shares his testimony of being arrested for drug charges as a teenager and...
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Justin Verlander's Emotional Retirement, and Should Churches Sing Bethel or Hillsong?
Brian shares the emotional moment of pitcher Justin Verlander's final game with the Detroit Tigers, when his daughter ran onto the field as he was pulled from the mound, reflecting on how a parent's priorities shift from personal ambition to family. He digs into a Gospel Coalition piece on "looks...
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Bringing Hope: Providing Bibles to Believers Worldwide with Bible League International
In a world filled with headlines that can often weigh heavy on our hearts, it’s refreshing to focus on the light of hope and faith. This episode features a heartfelt conversation with Michael Woolworth from Bible League International, who passionately shares how we can help bring the Word of God…
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Press Freedom Restored, the Loneliness Epidemic, and Should Christians Delete Social Media?
Brian discusses a federal judge's ruling that President Trump's ban of CNN, MS Now, and Politico from the White House was likely unconstitutional, arguing press freedom must be protected regardless of political affiliation. He reflects on a poll showing young voters increasingly favorable toward...
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Getting Older, Living with Financial Stress, and Learning to Forgive
Brian reflects candidly on the small signs of getting older as he approaches 50, and pivots to processing his disappointment over New York Giants quarterback Jackson Dart's season-ending knee injury as a window into how we handle life's bigger disappointments — encouraging listeners to run toward...
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A Rogue Leaf Floods the Basement, and the Ministry of Presence
Brian shares a comically frustrating weekend story — a single leaf clogging his garage drain and flooding his basement despite recent drainage work — and draws out the spiritual lesson that we're never as in control as we think, and the small "leaves" in our lives can throw everything off course....
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Living in God's Presence Daily, and Should the Church Speak Out on Sports Gambling?
Brian opens with a rich theological reflection on living coram Deo — before the face of God — arguing that God's presence isn't confined to two hours of Sunday worship but fills the other 166 hours of ordinary work and life. He calls out the cruelty he witnessed in Christian social media…
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Shaun the Sheep's Halloween Horror Spoof, and a New Daniel Movie
Brian catches up with Adam Holz of Plugged In for a lighter Friday roundup. They discuss Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom, a Halloween-themed stop-motion comedy spoofing classic horror tropes when a hair-growth tonic turns a bald farmer into a mistaken "monster," with a same-gender…
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The Lindsey Clancy Trial and a Culture of Moral Confusion
Brian talks with Paul Batura, VP of communications and chief editor of the Daily Citizen at Focus on the Family, about the disturbing public sympathy that emerged during the trial of Lindsey Clancy, who admitted to killing her children. Paul argues the case reveals a broader cultural inability to...
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Happiness Isn't the Enemy of Holiness: A Biblical Case for Joy
Brian talks with British pastor and Christianity Today columnist Andrew Wilson about his new book, Happiness: What It Is, Where to Find It, and How to Make It Last Forever. Andrew pushes back on the common church teaching that pits "holiness over happiness," arguing Scripture consistently uses…
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When 'America's Pastor' Hid His Struggle, and Why Marriages Go Cold
Brian reflects on the recently resurfaced story of Max Lucado secretly battling alcohol at the height of his ministry success, drawing out lessons on the danger of hidden shame and the healing power of confession within real community. He processes the tragic deaths of three people, including a...
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Radical Generosity Doesn't Need to Be Extreme
Brian talks with Blair Korschun, CEO of Adelphi Christian Banking, about his article "Radical Generosity Doesn't Need to Be Extreme." Blair makes the case that generosity isn't about giving everything away or waiting until you make more money — it's a daily mindset of giving whatever you have…
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Bible League International: Providing Scripture to the Bibleless
In this special broadcast, Brian partners with Michael Woolworth of Bible League International for the ministry's annual fall fundraising drive, aiming to provide 2,000 Bibles to believers around the world who lack Scripture in their own language. Michael shares powerful stories from across the...
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From the Marines to the Pulpit: Pastor Andrew Fetzer's Journey at Alpha Baptist Church
Brian talks with Pastor Andrew Fetzer of Alpha Baptist Church in Livonia, Michigan, about his path from conversion at 18 through four years in the United States Marine Corps before entering pastoral ministry, training under faithful churches in the Detroit area and continuing his education at…
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A Weekend with My Son, the 'No Contact' Movement, and What It Means to Not Be Lukewarm
Brian recaps a whirlwind weekend driving to visit his college freshman son, watching Sunday Night Football together, and reflects on how family time reorders priorities better than anything else in life. He digs into a Christianity Today piece pushing back on the popular but misattributed C.S....
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Rescuing Christian Leadership from Burnout and Self-Reliance
Brian talks with Dr. Margaret Diddams, former provost at Wheaton College and co-author with Shirley Mullen of the new book Tried and True: The Countercultural Virtues of Christian Leadership. Drawing on her background in organizational psychology and years consulting with senior pastors, Margaret...
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25 Years After 9/11: A Personal Story, the Problem of Evil, and Tim Keller's Sermon of Comfort
On the 25th anniversary of September 11th, Brian shares a deeply personal memory of Jerry Paskins, a kind, ordinary man from his home church in New Jersey who was killed in the North Tower while on a business trip, putting a face to the tragedy's staggering scale. He wrestles with Colin Hansen's...
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Grandparents' Day: Building a Legacy of Faith Across Generations
Ahead of Grandparents' Day on September 13, Brian talks with Dr. Joannie DeBrito, licensed marriage and family therapist with Focus on the Family, about the unique role grandparents play in discipling the next generation. Joannie describes grandparents as "secondary parents" whose greatest gift…
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Remembering 9/11 Through Film, and The Passion of the Christ Returns to Theaters with Adam Holz
On the 25th anniversary of 9/11, Brian catches up with Adam Holz of Plugged In to discuss the best films for remembering that day and passing its history on to a generation too young to have lived it, recommending Flight 93, World Trade Center, and Zero Dark Thirty. They reflect on how…
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25 Years After 9/11, and the Danger of Trivializing Violence
On the eve of the 25th anniversary of 9/11, Brian reflects on that day's lasting impact and shares the inspiring story of Wells Crowther, "the man in the red bandana," who saved up to 18 lives in the South Tower before losing his own. On the one-year anniversary of Charlie Kirk's assassination,...
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Responding to the Colombia Earthquakes: How You Can Help
Brian partners with Daniel Patino of Food for the Poor to raise awareness and support for families devastated by recent earthquakes in Colombia. Daniel, who is Colombian himself, describes the scale of the disaster — families living in tents beside piles of rubble, losing homes and belongings in...
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Hunting for God: How the Outdoors Points to Scripture
Brian talks with twin brothers Chad and James Hampton, pastors and co-founders of Hunt the Truth Ministries, about their new devotional, 100 Days of Strength for Hunters: Lessons from the Hunt That Lead to God's Greatest Harvest. They unpack the connection between hunting and the Christian life,...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
The idea of “the common good” has a rich history within the Christian church. It’s the notion that, as we pursue Jesus in our lives and in the lives of others, we are fulfilling God’s purposes for His creation. This pursuit can be messy. It means rolling up our sleeves and creating space for hard conversations about real issues that impact our lives. Things like parenting, marriage, finances, politics, art, and culture. On The Common Good, Brian From creates space to have these conversations, to sit with the big questions that we all have, to sometimes disagree, but to always look for the chance to create common good, by following after Jesus. Brian welcome listeners to join them in these conversations, to bring their own questions, hopes, and struggles, and to ultimately share in a journey to see God’s design for all of us fulfilled.
HOSTED BY
Brian From
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does The Common Good Podcast have?
The Common Good Podcast currently has 1000 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The Common Good Podcast about?
The idea of “the common good” has a rich history within the Christian church. It’s the notion that, as we pursue Jesus in our lives and in the lives of others, we are fulfilling God’s purposes for His creation. This pursuit can be messy. It means rolling up our sleeves and creating space for hard...
How often does The Common Good Podcast release new episodes?
The Common Good Podcast releases new episodes frequently with a large back catalog of 1000 episodes. Check the episode list for recent publication dates.
Where can I listen to The Common Good Podcast?
You can listen to The Common Good Podcast on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts The Common Good Podcast?
The Common Good Podcast is created and hosted by Brian From.
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