Transformed & Transformational

TeachBeyond
  • 5.0 (32)
  • CHRISTIANITY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

What does it look like to "be transformed by the renewing of our minds"? How do we live intentionally for Kingdom impact? Join co-hosts Heather Brown and Keane Fine every Friday to learn from our guests about how we can grow in Christ and impact the world. This show is brought to you by TeachBeyond, an international Christian mission organization focused on transformational Christ-centered education serving individuals and communities.

  1. 3D AGO

    When God Uses Every Chapter | Calling Story with Alan McIlhenny (Ep. 204)

    Alan McIlhenny shares the story of following the Lord to the Seychelles, Nepal, and all over the world to bring quality education and the hope of the gospel. Through twists and turns, God was faithful to direct their steps and provide for their needs in miraculous ways. "I grew up reading stories of missionaries. I never thought I could be a missionary [...] I didn't think I was good enough or holy enough." "I've accepted a job in the Seychelles. Can you find out where we are going?" "I really need to take what I know about education and change it to work for a different situation, rather than just assuming that what has always worked continues to work in a new place." "We often questioned what was going on, but the Lord's timing was right." "We always prayed that we would do what the Lord wanted us to do." Tune in next week for part two of the story! Weekly Spotlight: Open Schools Worldwide We'd love to hear from you! podcast@teachbeyond.org Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/

    41 min

  2. JAN 9

    Faith and Disability: 10 Dimensions of Belonging | Teacher's Desk with Erik Carter (Ep. 203)

    Dr. Erik Carter shares from his research and personal experience about how Christian faith informs perspectives on disability. He unpacks 10 dimensions of belonging in community spaces, including schools and churches, along with actionable next steps. Baylor Center for Disability and Flourishing "Disability is among us, and when we think about our schools and our congregations, we want to make sure that kids with disabilities are also with us as well." "Every single person is created in the image of God with dignity and worth and gifts to share." "Disability doesn't diminish faith; it can often deepen faith." "As a Christian, our faith shapes how we see people with disabilities, not as people who are broken or challenged or who have deficits or deficiencies, or all those things that come to mind when the world thinks about disability, but as people who are gifted and image bearers and wonderfully made and beloved." "Our faith calls us to respond differently, to be barrier breakers and diminishers of stigma." "One in three families has at least one member that identifies as having a disability." "Disability is a natural part of the human experience, and if we're not encountering people with disabilities, we might want to think about broadening who we think about as our neighbor and with whom we pursue relationships." The 10 Dimensions of Belonging: Present, invited, welcomed, known, accepted, supported, heard, befriended, needed, loved Access additional resources for the church about the 10 Dimensions here "Who do I know is in my community but isn't part of this program or activity or school, and what is it that is standing in the way of that happening?" "That sense of 'I don't want to do it poorly' leads us to not do anything at all." "You can't learn to do this well from a distance; you have to step into it and experience this and wrestle through it." Reflection Questions: What are we doing really well? What could we do better to open up the experience of belonging? What should we prioritize next? "Those who the world so often overlooks are the ones who lead us back to what matters most." "This sense of experience of belonging is a mutual benefit; we all flourish when those whom we presume are less capable and less valuable are actually centered in our communities." What's changing our lives: Keane: New software for website management Heather: Writing on mirror with chalk markers Erik: Learning to slow his pace Weekly Spotlight: Grace International School We'd love to hear from you! podcast@teachbeyond.org Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/

    43 min

  3. JAN 2 · BONUS

    What's Your Story? | From the Archives with Tosca Nathan

    Kicking off 2026, we're bringing back a favorite from the archives! Enjoy this 2024 conversation exploring how to connect with your own personal story. What's your story, and why does that matter? Long-time educator Tosca Nathan shares about the significance of knowing your story and connecting to God's bigger story, especially as teachers. "Like any story, our life stories have a path, they have a trajectory, and it's full of meaningful events, defining moments, key relationships, trials and disappointments, dreams and aspirations, passions and discoveries." "How coherent your life story is and how coherently you can talk about your life story has been seen as a factor in well-being." Coherence of time, thematic coherence, and contextual coherence "Your life story never exists in a vacuum. It is always part and parcel of a bigger story." "In the telling itself, every time you tell it, there's more meaning making that happens, so it's important to tell your story." "If teachers are not fully aware of who they are and have exercised all of the areas of coherence, they will not be as effective in their teaching." "The teacher, with what they do or how they relate, helps the student understand how their story connects to bigger things." "You can't give what you don't have." "To realize that scholarship is part of that grand story completely changes why I even engage in research or why I engage in teaching and learning, and then on top of that, it elevates it to the level of worship." What's changing our lives: Keane: Playing the board game, Sorry Heather: Reaction buttons on emails  Tosca: Reading the Bible through the lens of the grand story and watercolor painting Weekly Spotlight: Lingo We'd love to hear from you! podcast@teachbeyond.org Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/

    39 min

  4. 12/26/2025

    The Myth of Fleece Guidance | Spiritual Formation with Brian Delamont (Episode 202)

    Have you ever found yourself laying out a fleece like Gideon, hoping God will make the way clear? Brian Delamont returns to the podcast for a thoughtful conversation about how God speaks to us and how we can posture ourselves to listen. Judges 6 "The problem isn't with God, it's that we're not listening to what He has already told us, and we're asking Him the wrong questions because of that." Psalm 89:46-51 Prayer by Tim Keller Isaiah 30:21 "I think everyone longs for this – for God to just tell us." "My heart has to want to listen to God. There is a waiting posture. And then, my heart also has to have the courage to respond to what I hear, even if what I hear is not what I wanted to hear." Divine Direction by Craig Groeschel Luke 22:42 "One of the most powerful ways that God speaks to us is when we listen together." Acts 13:1-3 "Sometimes there are seasons where He is silent." "The challenge is not that we miss His direction or miss His voice or miss His guidance, but oftentimes the challenge is that I'm not ready for what He wants to say to me as the answer or as the challenge to that prayer or question." "God loves us too much to leave us the way that we are right now. He wants to change us to be more and more like Him." Psalm 23 "The desert has a purpose." "When I come to God, I come to the One who knows me better than anybody else." December Reflection: What am I genuinely anticipating when I engage in conversation with God? What's changing our lives: Keane: Taking little adventures and outings Heather:  Advent music with the Worship Initiative, praying for the unreached with The Name of Jesus devotional by David Platt, and burning a numbered candle Brian: Rewatching The Chosen TV series Weekly Spotlight: Ukarumpa International School We'd love to hear from you! podcast@teachbeyond.org Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/

    51 min

  5. 12/19/2025

    Moving the Family to Togo | A Calling Story with Chrischona and Koudjo Sodji (Ep. 201)

    Hear the story of how a missionary kid from Austria met someone from a village in Togo, what it has been like to move their family from Chicago to Togo, and how God has given them a vision for transformational education in West Africa. "Once we got married, we sensed that we had been called to serve but at the same time, we didn't really know what role we would be playing." - Koudjo "I could have never dreamed up this job myself and the perfect fit, but God knows this." - Chrischona "It was during those years of working with TeachBeyond that the vision for starting TeachBeyond Togo really was born." - Chrischona "I just heard story after story about how powerfully God was using education." - Chrischona "There's just something really special when there's the family of God that comes together, focusing on God and letting Him work through what He's given us, which is the tool of education." - Chrischona "Maybe some of those practical things [that take a long time] are just reminders of having to wait on God." - Chrischona "Depending on God is one of the things that is happening here." - Koudjo "I pray He will continue to use our family here for His service, and that He will help us to trust Him and depend on Him and let Him lead us in every moment of our ministry here." - Koudjo "We don't have to have it all figured out [...] before we can actually be part of making that happen in other countries." - Chrischona "My prayer is that God will continue to give us the space that we will be able to continue to do this sports ministry to be able to reach more kids in the community." - Koudjo Read the Profile of Transformation story from one of their teachers! What's changing our lives: Keane: Large monthly wall calendar for the kitchen Heather: Hosting a plaid-themed party  Chrischona: Having two teachers at the school this year Koudjo: Changes to sports ministry Weekly Spotlight: International Christian School of Togo We'd love to hear from you! podcast@teachbeyond.org Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/

    53 min

  6. 12/12/2025

    Christmas Around the World and in the Classroom | Our 200th Episode!

    Tune in to hear about Christmas celebrations in different cultures and classrooms around the globe!  What's changing our lives: Keane: Playing board games Heather: Volunteering with Foster Love Project Weekly Spotlight: Go Beyond We'd love to hear from you! podcast@teachbeyond.org Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/

    21 min

  7. 12/05/2025

    Spiritual Conversations at Christmastime | Zoom In with Kevin King (Ep. 199)

    Why do I always feel awkward sharing my faith? What could it look like to have intentional spiritual conversations? Author Kevin King shares about the power of living authentically and letting the Lord lead. Living Out Loud by Kevin King Deuteronomy 6 Luke 10 "Living out loud is not living obnoxiously." "If you're not awkward about your spirituality, they won't feel awkward about it." Matthew 10:19 "This is not about a strategy for how to get to the Gospel. It will get to the Gospel for people who are interested. It's just about feeling comfortable in our own spiritual skin, dismantling all of this false narrative and false belief that we have built up. Become comfortable, live out loud, and you will actually find out that the harvest is plentiful." "It's not even about evangelism; it's really just about being genuine spiritual people, and then the result is that Gospel conversations happen." "Be who you are without an agenda."   Access Living Out Loud resources for churches here! What's changing our lives: Keane: Having an opinionated 2-year-old Heather: Celebrating 15 years with TeachBeyond Kevin: Verses app and getting more done with a new team member Weekly Spotlight: ESL/TEFL Teaching Positions We'd love to hear from you! podcast@teachbeyond.org Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/

    45 min

  8. 11/28/2025

    The Myth of Being Perfect | Spiritual Formation with Brian Delamont (Ep. 198)

    Are we really called to "be perfect"? Brian Delamont unpacks the meaning of "teleios" and how God's own completeness becomes our refuge and righteousness. Matthew 5:48 Greek: teleios Colossians 1:28-29 "It's the work of God Himself in Jesus on the cross and in His resurrection power, which enables us to be complete and filled with His Holy Spirit." 2 Samuel 22:31 "God uses His perfection as a shield for those of us who come and take refuge in Him." Deuteronomy 32:4 Hebrew: tāmîm "A perfect spotless lamb in the Old Testament points toward the perfect Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world in the New Testament." "Perfection is not something God has to work at; it's something He is. It's His nature." "We come to take refuge in Him because we're not perfect, and so it's His righteousness, His completeness, His perfection that is applied to you and me by the complete work of Christ, and we are empowered to live in this completeness by the Holy Spirit." Matthew 19:16-22 Lead by Paul David Tripp "The perfection that Jesus is asking [for] isn't perfect behavior. That's not what God ever demands from us because He knows we can't deliver on it. The perfection Jesus is hoping to see is the perfection of complete commitment, to be fully devoted, to be all in." 2 Corinthians 12:8-10 Psalm 19 "The perfect God who made the universe and more, the One who reveals Himself in the Law and the Prophets, is the One who is so complete that He can be trusted all of the time. That's perfection." Hebrews 10:14 Romans 12:2 November Reflection: When you think about God and yourself in relationship with Him, do you see Him accepting or rejecting you? Is it based on who you are or what you can do for Him? What's changing our lives: Keane: His kids enjoying swinging Heather: The launch of Go Beyond Brian: New pages in his refillable journal Weekly Spotlight: Art and Music Positions We'd love to hear from you! podcast@teachbeyond.org Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/

    34 min
See All (100)

5
out of 5
32 Ratings

About

What does it look like to "be transformed by the renewing of our minds"? How do we live intentionally for Kingdom impact? Join co-hosts Heather Brown and Keane Fine every Friday to learn from our guests about how we can grow in Christ and impact the world. This show is brought to you by TeachBeyond, an international Christian mission organization focused on transformational Christ-centered education serving individuals and communities.

Information

You Might Also Like