We live in a time that is dominated by cynicism and suspicion...and joy is sometimes in short supply. Today, I speak with artist and poet Corey Frey about the role curiosity and imagination have in cultivating a life of joy - and why we in the modern West have lost so much of our capacity for wonder. We talk about the power of paradox, the mystery of a dynamic and incarnate God, and the way the holidays habituate delight.

How do we define peace? Is it a feeling? A disposition of the heart? A state of being? To help answer these questions as we meditate on the theme of week two of Advent, I talk with Pastor Rich Villodas about what Jesus has to say about peace in the Sermon on the Mount. Pastor Rich unpacks the difference between peacemaking and peace keeping, and he also talks about his new book The Narrow Path: How the Subversive Path of Jesus Satisfies Our Souls.

Week 1 of Advent is focused on the theme of hope, so for this conversation I wanted to speak with someone who knows what it's like when doubt and shifting faith threaten to steal your hope. Ian Harber is the author of the forthcoming book Walking Through Deconstruction, a gentle guide for anyone who wants to be a companion to those who are struggling in their faith. Ian's voice is a trusted one, as his own journey of deconstruction and reconstruction was forged in the fires of grief and loss. And because Advent is a season of waiting and longing, I hope this episode offers some light and grace for those who are longing for a return of confident faith and seeking to rebuild a hope that once felt lost.