Ministry Minded Bradley Gray

In this episode, I am joined by Pastor Kris Estep to talk about the state of preaching in the modern church and why preaching expositionally through the Bible is so important for the good and the health of the local church.
Kris Estep pastors Barberville Baptist Church in Waynesville, North Carolina, where he lives and serves with his wife Becky, and their three children. You can follow him on Facebook and Instagram.
Resources.
The Imperfect Pastor: Discovering Joy in Our Limitations through a Daily Apprenticeship with Jesus, Zack Eswine
What Is Biblical Theology? A Guide to the Bible’s Story, Symbolism, and Patterns, James M. Hamilton Jr.
Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God, J. I. Packer
Lectures to My Students, Charles Spurgeon
Preaching and Preachers, D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Finding God in the Darkness: Hopeful Reflections from the Pits of Depression, Despair, and Disappointment, Bradley Gray
Grace: So Much More Than You Know and So Much Better Than You Think, Bradley Gray
Sponsor.
Ministry Minded is sponsored by Fresh Roasted Coffee, a locally owned and operated coffee house in the heart of Central Pennsylvania that produces the freshest coffee and delivers it at peak drinkability. Use offer code “GRACE10” at checkout to get a discount on your next order. Buy some coffee!
Credits.
Intro music: “Explorers (Instrumental Version)” by The Midnight, The Midnight Music LLC, 2018.
Ad music: “Coffee Stains” by Finley, licensed under CC BY 4.0.


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.graceupongrace.net

In this episode, I share some thoughts on what ought to undergird every sermon and why the good news of the gospel can be likened to a thunderstorm of grace.
Resources.
“God Goes Belonging,” Sam Bush
“Preaching That Connects,” Todd Brewer
“Rainstorms and Reformations,” Sam Schuldheisz
Grace: So Much More Than You Know and So Much Better Than You Think, Brad J. Gray
Sponsor.
Ministry Minded is sponsored by Fresh Roasted Coffee, a locally owned and operated coffee house in the heart of Central Pennsylvania that produces the freshest coffee and delivers it at peak drinkability. Use offer code “GRACE10” at checkout to get a discount off your next order. Buy some coffee!
Credits.
Intro music: “Explorers (Instrumental Version)” by The Midnight, The Midnight Music LLC, 2018.
Ad music: “Coffee Stains” by Finley, licensed under CC BY 4.0.


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.graceupongrace.net

In this episode of the Ministry Minded podcast, I share a helpful way to make heads-or-tails of the timing of Holy Week, along with some thoughts on the remarkably subversive story of Easter.
Resources.
“Raised for Our Justification,” Michael Bird
“Something to This Story,” David Clay
“The Hero Dies in This One,” Sam Bush
“Was Jesus in the Grave for Three Days and Three Nights?,” Chad Bird
“Did Jesus Rise on the Third Day?,” Andreas Köstenberger
Theology Is for Proclamation, Gerhard Forde
Grace: So Much More Than You Know and So Much Better Than You Think, Brad J. Gray
Sponsor.
Ministry Minded is sponsored by Fresh Roasted Coffee, a locally owned and operated coffee house in the heart of Central Pennsylvania that produces the freshest coffee and delivers it at peak drinkability. Use offer code “GRACE10” at checkout to get a discount off your next order. Buy some coffee!
Credits.
Intro music: “Explorers (Instrumental Version)” by The Midnight, The Midnight Music LLC, 2018.
Ad music: “Coffee Stains” by Finley, licensed under CC BY 4.0.


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.graceupongrace.net

In this episode, I’m joined pastor and writer Randy Greenwald to talk about his newsletter, “Greatheart’s Table,” and why pastoral efficiency is a bad thing, along with a host of other topics relating to ministry in the local church.
Randy Greenwald is the pastor of Covenant Presbyterian Church in Oviedo, Florida, where he lives and serves with his wife Barb. Along with serving the church, Randy is a visiting lecturer at the Orlando campus of Reformed Theological Seminary, as well as the author of the pastoral-helps newsletter Greatheart’s Table.
Resources.
Something Worth Living For: God, the World, Yourself, and the Shorter Catechism, Randall Greenwald
“Mr. Greatheart and This Metaphorical Table,” Randall Greenwald
“The Inefficiency of God,” Randall Greenwald
“Neurotics for the Kingdom of God,” Randall Greenwald
“On Breathing Deeply,” Randall Greenwald
“Futility Is Resistible,” Randall Greenwald
“Pastors Share Top Reasons They’ve Considered Quitting Ministry in the Past Year,” Barna Group
“The Pastors Aren’t All Right: 38% Consider Leaving Ministry,” Kate Shellnutt
Grace: So Much More Than You Know and So Much Better Than You Think, Brad J. Gray
Sponsor.
Ministry Minded is sponsored by Fresh Roasted Coffee, a locally owned and operated coffee house in the heart of Central Pennsylvania that produces the freshest coffee and delivers it at peak drinkability. Use offer code “GRACE10” at checkout to get a discount off your next order. Buy some coffee!
Credits.
Intro music: “Explorers (Instrumental Version)” by The Midnight, The Midnight Music LLC, 2018.
Ad music: “Coffee Stains” by Finley, licensed under CC BY 4.0.


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.graceupongrace.net

In this episode, I talk about the recent proliferation of articles and essays that speak to the negative side-effects of social media, and how this negativity can be discerned just by examining the ways in which social media has changed since ts inception. I also talk about the good news of God’s rest as found in Christ and why Thomas Jefferson’s “version” of the Bible was a complete and utter failure. 
Resources. 
“How Connectivity Made Us Miserable,” Samuel D. James
“Another Week Ends: Social Media’s End and the Cost of Love,” Bryan Jarrell
“The Age of Social Media is Ending,” Ian Bogost
“Doubting Thomas: On Peter Manseau’s ‘The Jefferson Bible’,” Ed Simon
“Thomas Jefferson on Jesus,” Colin Brown and Craig A. Evans
Christless Christianity: The Alternative Gospel of the American Church, Michael Horton
Grace: So Much More Than You Know and So Much Better Than You Think, Brad J. Gray
Sponsor.
Ministry Minded is sponsored by Fresh Roasted Coffee, a locally owned and operated coffee house in the heart of Central Pennsylvania that produces the freshest coffee and delivers it at peak drinkability. Use offer code “GRACE10” at checkout to get a discount off your next order. Buy some coffee!
Credits.
Intro music: “Explorers (Instrumental Version)” by The Midnight, The Midnight Music LLC, 2018.
Ad music: “Coffee Stains” by Finley, licensed under CC BY 4.0.


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.graceupongrace.net

In this episode, I reflect on some articles that talk about the emergence of the “therapeutic gospel” which, in effect, leads congregants into functional atheism. I also reflect on Bono’s Christian testimony and what falls within a pastor’s remit.
Resources.
“A therapeutic church is an atheist church,” Brad East
“Sin, preaching, and the therapeutic gospel,” Brad East
“Bono’s Punk-Rock Rebellion Was a Cry of Hopeful Lament,” Mike Cosper
“U2 @ 46,” Brian Mattson
“Abuse, Burnout, and the Pastoral Remit,” Harrison Perkins
Grace: So Much More Than You Know and So Much Better Than You Think, Brad J. Gray
Sponsor.
Ministry Minded is sponsored by Fresh Roasted Coffee, a locally owned and operated coffee house in the heart of Central Pennsylvania that produces the freshest coffee and delivers it at peak drinkability. Use offer code “GRACE10” at checkout to get a discount off your next order. Buy some coffee!
Credits.
Intro music: “Explorers (Instrumental Version)” by The Midnight, The Midnight Music LLC, 2018.
Ad music: “Coffee Stains” by Finley, licensed under CC BY 4.0.


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.graceupongrace.net