Recovering Hypocrite: Recent Episodes
Noel Jesse Heikkinen
Listen in while Noel talks about how to handle people's disproportionate reactions, which are typically rooted in wounds or idols.
Noel talks with Alex Strauch about conflict in the church, what we are allowing ourselves to be discipled by, and why tuning in to Christ is essential.
Here are a few links from the episode:
- If You Bite & Devour One Another
- Biblical Eldership: An Urgent Call to Restore Biblical Church Leadership
- Glenwood Springs, Colorado
- Brother Indeed: The Life of Robert Cleaver Chapman
- Fool's Talk: Recovering the Art of Christian Persuasion
Noel and Doug Bursch about why social media divides us and how followers of Jesus can show the world a better way.
Here are a few links from this episode:
- Douglas Bursch
- Posting Peace: Why Social Media Divides Us and What We Can Do About It
- Fairly Spiritual
- Fool's Talk: Recovering the Art of Christian Persuasion
- The Benedict Option: A Strategy for Christians in a Post-Christian Nation
Noel talks with David Zach about his faith amidst the unique challenges of frontline work to end human trafficking.
Here are a few links from the episode:
- Remedy Drive
- The Exodus Road
- David Zach - Instagram
- remedydrive.com/action
- Culture Care: Reconnecting with Beauty for Our Common Life
- Sunlight on Her Face - Remedy Drive
Noel talks with Jeff Medders about why doctrine and theology should drive us toward humility and away from pride.
Here are a few links from this episode:
- Humble Calvinism: And if I Know the Five Points, But Have Not Love ...
- J.A. Medders - Twitter
- The Acts 29 Podcast
- Acts 29
Noel talks with Barnabas Piper about deconstruction, whether it's worth trying to define it, and how the church can show the love of Jesus to those deconstructing.
Here are a few links to things talked about in this episode:
- The Happy Rant
- The Happy Rant: Wandering To and Fro Through Some Things That Don't Matter All That Much (and a Few That Really Do)
- Deconstruction, Destruction, and Faith
- Barnabas Piper - Twitter
- Immanuel Church of Nashville
Noel talks with Dr. Tammy Smith about why everyone is triggered, people in ministry are targeted, so many are deconstructing, and how the tide is turning toward deeper spiritual health.
Here are a few links to things they talked about:
- Dr. Tammy Smith - On the Threshold Speaking and Counseling
- Dr. Tammy Smith - Facebook
- drtammysmith - Instagram
Noel talks with Pastor Adam Ramsey about his new book, Truth on Fire, and why it is so imperative that Christians learn to disagree "with a Christian accent." They talk about how pride is at the root of not just our disagreeable tone, but also our prayerlessness and impatience.
Here are a few links to things they talked about:
- Truth on Fire by Adam Ramsey
- How Then Should We Live by Francis Schaeffer
- Fool's Talk by Os Guinness
- Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
If you liked this episode, check out this one where Noel and Adam talk about Joy.
I've noticed there are really important issues bubbling up in our culture and people just seem to want to yell at each other about them instead of cutting each other a little bit of slack. That's why I'm relaunching the Recovering Hypocrite podcast. This season, we'll look at some of these issues with a posture of grace and seek to pair biblical truth with a pursuit for common ground.
Noel talks with Pastor Kurt Hannah about developing rhythms of rest to avoid emotional burnout.
Here are some links to some of the stuff they talked about:
- Missio Dei
- Maker's Mark
- Woodford Reserve
- A Long Obedience in the Same Direction: Discipleship in an Instant Society
- Emotionally Healthy Spirituality: It's Impossible to be Spiritually Mature, While Remaining Emotionally Immature
Noel talks with pastor Timothy Peng of Lansing Chinese Christian Church about making it through difficult seasons and the life-giving practices of walking, napping, and even playing video games. Here are some links to some of the stuff they talked about:
- Lansing Chinese Christian Church
- Pig Brain Soup (only click if you dare)
- Eugene Peterson's Contemplative Pastor
- Cedar Classical Academy
- Bruce Miller's Your Life In Rhythm
- Frog and Toad are Friends
- Super Smash Bros
Noel talks with columnist Jason Aten about the impact of technology on our spiritual lives and why it may be wise to add a little friction to our tech. Here's links to some of the stuff they talked about:
- Steve Jobs Never Turned Off His iPhone Except For This One Reason. You Should Too
- The 29 Steps Podcast
- Zoom Is Now Worth $130 Billion. The Reason Why Is Simple
- Meet Generation Z: Understanding and Reaching The New Post-Christian World
- Inbox Pause
- Social Media Fast
- YouVersion Bible App
- Echo Prayer App
- Dwell Bible App
On this episode, Noel talks with Young Yi, MSU Venue Director at Riverview Church. They talk about the unique experience of leading in a predominantly white evangelical church as an Asian-American and the subtle ways our culture often makes the AAPI community feel like perpetual foreigners in their own country.
- Young's Blog
- Young's Sermons at Riverview Church
- Generations Christian Fellowship
- All of the Above Hip Hop Academy
- Michigan Council of Korean Churches
- Dr. Daniel Lee
On this episode Noel talks with Pastor Ronnie Martin about his book The Best Gift Ever Given: A 25-Day Journey Through Advent from God's Good Gifts to God's Great Son and Pastor Pete Ziolkowski about his book Fart Dad: The Case of the Toynado. While these books are wildly different from each other, they both bring an important gospel message for young readers.
- Substance Church
- Imago Dei Church
On this episode Noel talks with Pastor RJ Grunewald about his book Reading Romans with Luther. You'll find out how your imperfections lead to death, and God's grace brings a life in eternity.
- Recovering Hypocrite Merch
- Faith Lutheran Church
- Commentary on Romans
- Reading Romans with Eastern Eyes: Honor and Shame in Paul's Message and Mission
On this episode, Noel and Pastor Greg Surratt talk about a few things every pastor wishes their congregation knew.
Seacoast Church
Association of Related Churches
On this episode, Noel and Pastor Marvin Williams talk about God's soveriegn plan for you to bless and serve those around you even when you don't love where you live and work.
- Twitter - Marvin Williams
- Trinity Church
Noel and New York Times best-selling author Karen Ehman talk about what Biblical hospitality is and what it looks during this COVID season.
- Pre-order Karen's new book Reach Out Gather In and get some free stuff
- Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World
- Timeular
In this short episode, Noel talks about how prayer is one of the most active things a Christian can do and why you don't have to feel guilty if your prayer life sucks.
A rogue comment on a tweet about contentment led to this episode featuring Pastor Ronnie Martin. He and Noel talk about why it's so hard to be content, if contentment is more difficult now than ever, and the role of so-called "holy discontentment" in the life of a follower of Jesus.
Here's some links from the episode you can click away on to your heart's content.
- Ronnie's Twitter
- Substance Church
- The Happy Rant Podcast (it's way better than this one)
- Noel's Books (Shameless Plug Alert)
It's been a couple weeks since I returned from my annual social media fast and I have some thoughts about the online world I found when I returned.
July is a key month in my personal spiritual rhythms because it's the month I fast from social media and try to live a more analog life. But because of everything happening in the world, it almost seems wrong to disappear for a month. As I reflected on that, I realized that is exactly why I need to unplug for the month. In this episode, I explain why.
In this episode, Noel talks with his friend Adam Ramsey, pastor of Liberti Church in Gold Coast, Australia and network director of Australia & New Zealand for Acts 29. They talk about why joy is a necessary and commanded attribute of a follower of Jesus, how COVID19 is impacting our joy, and why we desperately need technology sabbaths.
In this episode, Noel talks with Joseph Harris, Coordinator of the Center of Diversity and Inclusion at DePauw University in Indiana and Ph.D. student in urban education literacy at Michigan State University. They talk about ways Christians and Pastors in predominantly white churches can practically think and talk about race issues, during times of crisis and in between.
Here's some links to a few things they talked about:
- “The Gospel Is Our Only Hope”: A Now Unhelpful And Useless Phrase by Young Yi
- The Myth of White Ignorance
- Joseph's Facebook Page
In this episode, Noel talks with Acts 29 church planters Tim and Patty Kimberley. They share about their journey from the Northwest to the Midwest and how they experienced the grace of God through some difficult pain.
Show notes:
https://www.sacredmission.church/
In this episode, Noel talks to author Dr. Nate Collins (founder of Revoice). They discuss Collins’ book, All But Invisible: Exploring Identity Questions at the Intersection of Faith, Gender, and Sexuality.
“For many years the intersection of gay identity and Christian identity in the United States was a virtual no-man’s land. In All But Invisible, author Nate Collins explores the cultural background of this claim and outlines a vision for Christian community in which straight and nonstraight people might be reconciled so they can flourish together in full awareness of their shared humanity.”
Here are some links from their discussion.
revoice.us
All but Invisible
Revoice 2020 conference
On this edition of the Quarantined Hypocrite Podcast, Noel talks about civil disobedience from a biblical perspective and how it applies to churches today.
On this episode, Noel sits down with Daniel Yang, Director of the Send Institute, a think tank that focuses on evangelism and church planting. They have a wide ranging conversation how the church can, will, and must change during the present crisis. They also talk about how to help small businesses survive and the alarming increase of racism toward Asians because of the coronavirus.
Here’s a list of the websites and resources they talked about.
http://coronavirusandthechurch.com
https://realityla.com/jesuschangedmylife
http://launchingdigitalchurches.com
https://www.reparationsinc.org
https://asianamericanchristiancollaborative.com
As we quarantine (or shelter in place), it is inevitable that we will begin to drive the people we love crazy. How do we survive this season without killing each other?
When things seem out of our control, it's probably because they are. So what do we do about it?
In this short bonus episode, Noel talks through the gift God gives us when our plans are suddenly subverted.
In this episode, Noel talks to church planter, professor, author, (and fellow self-quarantined pastor) Tony Merida about his church planting journey, the theological importance of church planting, the current church climate surrounding COVID-19, and the unique opportunity the church has to be counter-cultural during this crisis.
In this bonus episode, Noel talks about the recent "quarantining of the body of Christ" as many churches have cancelled services or moved them online temporarily. He talks about his personal experience with self-quarantining and gives two biblical reasons why it is entirely appropriate and Christ exalting for local churches to not gather in person for a season.
You can read more about Riverview Church's Coronavirus response here.
On this unusual episode, Noel chats with his fitness coach Dan Romigh (owner of Redemption Fitness) about a healthy Christian view of physical health. This episode will also be crossposted on Dan's podcast Redemption Fitness and Beyond. Oh, and if you listen to the whole thing, you'll get a chance to win some free stuff from Noel and Dan. So at least there's that.
You can find Dan on Twitter and Instagram.
This conversation starts with Noel reading some "Mic Drop" quotes from Help My Unbelief to the book's author Barnabas Piper and then it wanders to parenthood, open theism, publishing, and the tension of living with faith in a God that reveals Himself in a way that often offers more questions than answers.
- Happy Rant Podcast
- Help My Unbelief: Why Doubt Is Not the Enemy of Faith
- The Pastor's Kid
In this episode, Noel Jesse Heikkinen (author of two OK selling books, Unchained and Wretched Saints) gives four tips to aspiring authors. If you are so inclined, you can grab a copy of either one or get a fancy Wretched Saint sticker for only $1 by clicking here by February 7, 2020.
As a young follower of Jesus, Matt Ferris (a classically trained musician and IT guy by trade) noticed that many Christians talked about the Mosaic Law in the Bible in a decidedly unbiblical way. This drove him further into the Scriptures and further into his conviction that we mishandle this critical pat of the Word of God. Ultimately, this led to him writing one of the simplest and easiest to understand books on the topic: If One Uses It Lawfully: The Law of Moses and the Christian Life. In this episode, Noel chats with Matt about his book and about what a Christian's posture ought to be toward the Law.
In this episode, Noel talks with his acquaintance 😬 Dr. Scott Keith about friendship and what we can learn from the likes of C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkein, and the Inklings about the dangerous nature of those we hold most close.
On the one year anniversary of the Recovering Hypocrite podcast, Noel chats with his friend Trike about Halloween and the biggest reformation truth churches are missing today.
Noel talks about his recent injury and what God has been teaching him as he recovers. He also worries that the whole public reflection exercise is a tad narcissistic .
Noel hangs out with a couple of his favorite Lutherans (Daniel Emery Price and Erick Sorensen) to chat about grace and law in the Parables of Jesus. Here's a few links to stuff they talked about:
- Christ Hold Fast
- 1517
- 30 Minutes in the New Testament Podcast
- Scandalous Stories: A Sort of Commentary on Parables
- Mockingbird Ministries
- Daniel Emery Price on Twitter
- Erick Sorensen on Twitter
Noel sits down with Karen Swallow Prior (English Professor at Liberty University) for a wide-ranging conversation about reading, preaching, tweeting, and the common tonal qualities of Twitter and 18th Century England. Here's a few links to some of the stuff they talked about:
- The Dunciad by Alexander Pope
- On Reading Well by Karen Swallow Prior
- Understanding Media by Marshall McLuhan
- Martin Luther's Tips for Preachers
- The Atlantic
- The Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu
- Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman
- Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
- Karen Swallow Prior on Twitter
Oh, and don't forget to send your mailing address to podcast [at] recoveringhypocrite [dot com] by the end of September 2019 for a couple free Wretched Saint stickers.
In this short preview episode, Noel talks about why he started the podcast and what's to come for this new season (which includes doing away with seasons).
On this episode, Noel talks with Scott Sauls, author of Irresistible Faith, about how you can't become more Christlike by trying to be like Christ.
In this episode, Noel takes a stroll through the few weeks leading up to Easter in the Gospel accounts, highlighting specific acts of grace in Jesus's actions and words.
Here are some links to stuff talked about on this episode:
The NIV Harmony of the Gospels
Noel's Facebook Live version of this episode
On this episode, Noel talks about grace with his friend Elyse Fitzpatrick. They cover a lot of ground from the source of true strength in the Christian faith (spoiler alert: it's joy) to the steel-toed boot of sanctification. It's hard to explain this rambling conversation; you just have to listen to it.
Here's a bunch of stuff they talked about:
Front Porch with the Fitzes Podcast
Elyse's book Give Them Grace
Noel's book Wretched Saints
1517
Christ Hold Fast
David Zahl episode
Steve Brown at Riverview
On this episode, Noel talks with his friend Joel Muddamalle, the Director of Theology for Proverbs 31 Ministries about the touchy topic of race. They talk about how there is not enough grace in a lot of racial conversations, why there is a desperate need to lay down our tiredness and (justified) frustrations for the sake of unity in the body of Christ, and the pervasive shame that hitchhikes alongside good intentions.
Here's links to some of the stuff they talked about:
- Proverbs 31 Ministries
- Transformation Church
- Almost Indian Family Podcast
- The Curious Christian by Barnabas Piper
Riverview (the church where I serve as one of the pastors) has its roots at Michigan State University. Because of this, we get a steady stream of college students, including student athletes. This vantage point has given me the opportunity to watch first-hand as many of these young people ride the ups and downs of living in the sudden spotlight as Christians. In this episode, I sit down with Brian Lewerke, the quarterback for MSU's football team. We talk about football, how he handles the inevitable criticism of someone in his position, and living out a public faith when social media turns on you.
Karen Ehman is a New York Times Bestselling author who was told her marriage was doomed before it even began. More than two decades later, God has transformed her marriage (to her husband Todd) into a gloriously ordinary marriage filled with arguments that stem from starkly different personalities, boring and humdrum days, and tons of Gospel opportunities.
In this episode, Noel sits down to talk with her about her new book Keep Showing Up, a refreshingly transparent and honest look at marriage born from the crucible of Scripture and experience.
This episode is a live recording of a Q&A Noel hosted for people who preordered his new book Wretched Saints. He talks about his writing process, why he wrote this particular book, and why people so desperately need to grapple with their own wretchedness to truly appreciate God's relentless grace.
Noel's new book Wretched Saints releases on February 1, 2019. In this short bonus episode, Noel talks about the process of writing this book during a uniquely challenging season in his life.
Thomas Terry (Odd Thomas from Beautiful Eulogy) and Ryan Lister (Associate Professor of Theology at Western Seminary) join Noel to discuss the unique challenges of discipling artists in the church and how to help Creatives think more theologically and Theologians think more creatively.
In this episode, Noel picks up a conversation he started with his friend Joel Virgo in an English pub a couple months ago. They talk about how the fear of God and the enjoyment of Him as Father go hand in hand, how God is never more awesome than he is in his mercy, and how our freedom in Christ can sometimes make us beat ourselves up when we inevitably sin.
Noel sits down with the sparkly female version of himself, his 21 year old daughter Emma. Emma is a children's curriculum writer, a professional writing major at Michigan State University (anyone hiring?), and a lover of kids (especially middle school girls). Noel and Emma talk about how middle school sucks for everyone, law and gospel in parenting, and the crazy and beautiful example of the gospel shown by teenage girls who show their parents grace (yeah, you read that right).
Noel sits down with David Zahl, director of Mockingbird (mbird.com) for a wide ranging conversation about grace. They discuss the less than biblical (but paradoxically biblical) term "fallen from grace," guilty pleasure music (like Meat Loaf and Barry Manilow), and the gospel according to Rachael Denhollander.
Harvey Turner, pastor of Living Stones Church in Reno, Nevada and author of Friend of Sinners joins Noel on the debut episode to nerd out on Martin Luther, low anthropology, and talking to people about Jesus without being a weirdo.
On this preview episode you'll meet the Chief Recovering Hypocrite (host Noel Jesse Heikkinen) as he shares the big idea behind this new podcast. A big shout out to EMSRY (https://soundcloud.com/emsryofficial/) for the theme music and Josh Michels (http://joshuamichels.com) for the graphic design.