Craft & Character Steve Carter

The modern world is a relentless waterfall of information一sound bytes and images flood our minds and trouble our hearts. Enter Jeanne Stevens, whose recent book, What’s Here Now?, unpacks the power of presence and how it offers peace so many ache for in our frenzied age.
Steve Carter asks Jeanne to unpack her book’s punchy tagline: How to stop rehashing the past, and rehearsing the future, and start receiving the present. Presence begins with an awareness of your body, emotions, and thoughts一aspects of our God-created existence that have been neglected in the church.
Jeanne also shares some preparation hacks she’s honed through the years: the vital role of eliminating content, how to speak to the soul, the urgency to touch on tension in the first five minutes of a talk, and how to share stories that showcase her humanity rather than airbrush it. 

EPISODE LINKS
Jeanne’s book: What’s Here Now?
Website: jeannestevens.com
Church: soulcitychurch.com
@jeannestevens
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Nick Hall’s mission is to raise up the next generation of evangelists. In our anxiety-filled age, Nick boldly models how the gospel offers the exact hope and comfort the world craves. His voice is prophetically challenging一pointing out the ease with which apathy creeps into the church. But he’s also relentlessly hopeful that God is stirring the next generation to share Jesus and transform the world.
Steve Carter talks with Nick about the upcoming Together ‘22 conference, which seeks to empower the next generation of Christians to make Jesus known. Significantly, it will take place on the 50th anniversary of Explo ‘72一a historic evangelistic conference that transformed the lives of many people in Nick’s life, including his dad.
Nick’s call to evangelism is bursting with zeal, yet rooted in reality. He says the goal is not arrival, but growth: all of us can take the next step in obedience. By God’s grace, the character of our lives will open people’s hearts to the gospel on our lips.

EPISODE LINKS
Hall’s book: Reset: Jesus Changes Everything
Website: https://pulse.org/
Register for Together ‘22 here.
@nickhallpulse
@pulse.movement
@steveryancarter
@craft_character
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In this episode, Steve Carter interviews Nancy Beach and her daughter Samantha Beach Kiley一two women humbly modeling what it looks like to lead the church in a skeptical age. They are both pastors, leaders, and champions of the local church.
Steve unpacks a recent sermon Samantha delivered at Church on Morgan in Raleigh, NC and the way she writes her messages with such verbal precision.
Nancy and Samantha love the local church and they spend time unpacking how they would debrief moments in a service or sermon around the kitchen island most weekends.
Their forthcoming book, which they co-authored, looks honestly at issues plaguing the church: racism, patriarchy, exclusivity, abuse, and unchecked power. In light of these sobering realities, Nancy and Samantha are hopeful about the future of the church and fiercely committed to seeing it thrive.
This conversation showcases the beautiful dynamic of a mother and daughter partnering in life and ministry一and also what it looks like when a veteran leader champions the next generation.

EPISODE LINKS
Nancy and Samantha’s book: Next Sunday: An Honest Dialogue About the Future of the Church
Website: nancylbeach.com
@NancyLBeach
@SamanthaBeachk
@steveryancarter
@craft_character
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Annie F. Downs hosts a podcast called That Sounds Fun一a title which captures the contagious joy emanating from everything she does. Her content travels the globe through speaking tours, books, and podcasts, but her most cherished role is serving on the teaching team at Cross Point Church in Nashville. Her rootedness in this local community keeps her grounded, accountable, and reflects her heart to prioritize people over platform. 

For any communicator who struggles against the time clock, or who gets overwhelmed by everything they want to say, Annie helpfully explains her process of elimination when crafting a talk. As a traveling speaker challenged to meet fluctuating time limits, she prepares 30, 45, and 60-minute versions for all her major messages. She also practices out loud, often in front of a football or baseball game on her TV. 
 
Steve Carter and Annie also reflect on the important voice of women in the church, and how she winsomely navigates the tensions facing female preachers today. They end with a discussion on the four Gospels and how they’ve been transformative in Annie’s life in the past few years. 
 
EPISODE LINKS
 
Annie’s books: That Sounds Fun, Remember God, 100 Days to Brave, Looking for Lovely
Cross Point Church: crosspoint.tv
www.anniefdowns.com
@anniefdowns
@steveryancarter
@craft_character
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Ever deliver a message—from the pulpit or in a meeting—that excited some but bored others? Why is the response in the room a mixed bag? Sean Palmer, teaching pastor at Ecclesia in Houston, TX, shares an Enneagram-informed strategy that helps him answer the one question plaguing communicators: How do I reach my entire audience?
Sean explains to Steve Carter, how every person has three intelligence centers: thinking, feeling, and doing. We need to understand the demographic of our people to transform the effectiveness of our pulpits. While statistics are helpful, Sean doesn’t reduce effective communication to crunching numbers. As he says, spending time with people, and listening to them deeply, is indispensable to crafting a powerful message.
EPISODE LINKS
Sean’s books: Forty Days On Being a Three, Speaking By the Numbers, Unarmed Empire
Ecclesia Church
www.seanisaacpalmer.com
@seanisaacpalmer
@steveryancarter
@craft_character
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Jonathan Pokluda believes that good teachers are exceptional listeners. As the lead pastor of Harris Creek Baptist Church in Waco, TX, he’s intentional about checking the pulse of his people. Every Friday he hosts a Q&A session on Instagram Live, often with his wife and kids in the car. Of the 2,000-ish questions that pour in weekly, he tackles 50-100 of them. Inquiries come from people of all ages一boomers to Gen Z, and span all topics: sex, marriage, faith, divorce, friendship, you name it. At 3 pm every Thursday, a small group of people from his church listen to his full sermon, then offer honest feedback.
Jonathan’s humility to listen fuels his courage to speak on raw issues, like his recent series: The 7 Deadly Sins of Suburbia. Underneath his creative teaching approach to framing a talk is a 7-part outline, which he unpacks with Steve Carter in this episode:

Image

Subject

Need

Preview

Text

Summary

Conclusion


EPISODE LINKS
Jonathan’s books: Outdated, Welcome to Adulting, Welcoming the Future Church
Harris Creek Baptist Church: www.harriscreek.org
jonathanpokluda.com
@jpokluda
@harriscreek
@steveryancarter
@craft_character
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