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We start this hour by looking at some stories making headlines before we turn our hearts toward Hollywood and learn how to pray for the entertainment industry by seeing Tinseltown as Ninevah rather than Sodom and Gomorrah. We then look East and hear some powerful stories coming from Palestinian Christians who are turning to Jesus in times of conflict, and learn why some Orthodox Jews are reaching out to a Christian ministry. Get out your prayer list because it’s sure to be lengthened after today’s broadcast.
What we expect from our future has tremendous power over our experience in the meantime―that’s why the Bible places the hope of heaven at the center of the Christian life. But even if we affirm the reality of our heavenly future, we often struggle to long for heaven, much less to connect the promises of the world to come to the concrete details of life in this world as it is. If and when we think about heaven at all, it’s easy to think of it like an insurance policy that will be there when we need it. But the Bible defines our future hope as an inheritance - a trust fund that is certain, inexhaustible, and freely accessible here and now. Our guest, Matthew McCullough, will offer a series of meditations that model how to draw on the hope of heaven for everyday life in the meantime.
As Founding Director of Hollywood Prayer Network, Karen speaks and teaches around the country on how people of faith can pray for the people in the entertainment industry. She is also a published co-author of two books: How to Talk About Jesus Without Freaking Out and The Day I Met God. Aside from her leadership at HPN, Karen is Co-Founder and Producer for JC Productions, an independent TV and music production company. She has had extensive experience producing TV specials, documentaries and children's programming. Karen is a member of the Producers Guild of America, a founding member of PREMISE, and a board member of the Biola University Entertainment Task Force. She is a graduate of USC with a BA in Producing.
Tom Doyle fell in love with the Middle East on his first Biblical tour of the Holy Land. In 1995, he became an official tour guide for the state of Israel and developed a passion for ministering to the Israeli people, Arabs and Jews alike. Tom felt called into full-time ministry there in 2001. Tom and his wife JoAnn began working in the heart of the Islamic world shortly after the terrorist attacks of September 11. His ministry to pastors in this region has opened many valuable doors for him to build key relationships in places like Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Syria and Palestinian territories of Israel. In 2017 he launched Uncharted Ministries. Tom is a master storyteller with several books highlighting God’s miraculous work among the Muslim people. His best known books include Dreams and Visions (2012), Killing Christians (2015), and Standing in the Fire (2017).
Matt McCullough serves as a pastor of Edgefield Church in Nashville, TN. Before joining with Edgefield, he helped to plant Trinity Church near Vanderbilt University and served as pastor for ten years. He and his wife Lindsey first moved to Nashville for graduate school at Vanderbilt, where he completed a PhD in American religious history. He's the author of three books, including Remember Death: The Surprising Path to Living Hope and Remember Heaven: Meditations on the World to Come for Life in the Meantime. Matt also writes on occasion for 9Marks and the Gospel Coalition.
Janet Parshall has been broadcasting from the nation's capital for over thee decades. Her passion is to "equip the saints" through intelligent conversation based on biblical truth. When she is not behind her microphone, Janet is speaking across the country on issues impacting Christians. She has authored several books. Parshall and her husband, Craig, live in Virginia and have four children and six grandchildren.