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Join us as we talk with Jay Payleitner about dads, daughters and building lasting relationships. How can dads stay close to their daughters and let them go at the same time?

Jay is the best-selling author of 52 Things Daughters Need from Their Dads. He's also one of the top freelance radio producers in the country and a popular speaker at men's events. Connect with Jay at Fathers52.com.

And now, I submit for your listening pleasure, the Father's Day edition of SBE.

It's when life falls apart that we realize God's unconditional love has always been ours.

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Join Kimm Crandall on SBE as we talk about finding Christ in the chaos and how weary moms can receive rest for their souls.

Kimm is the author of Christ in the Chaos: How the Gospel Changes Motherhood. She's a mother of four who is on a mission to set women free from the joy-stealing pressure to try harder and do better for God. Connect with Kimm at ChristInTheChaos.com.

Kimm is also a regular blogger at Dropping Keys.

Even so, how we answer the question of hell in the face of belief in an unconditionally loving God obviously has major implications for how we live, love, die… and beyond. So, let's talk.

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Join Kevin Miller on SBE as we discuss his latest documentary, Hellbound?. Then, get your copy today!

The first 20 Steve Brown Etc. listeners to purchase Hellbound? here will get a 20% discount when they enter the promo code "free sins."

Kevin Miller is an award-winning screenwriter, director and producer. He has numerous documentaries, feature films and shorts to his credit including Expelled with Ben Stein. Watch the trailer for Hellbound? and more at HellboundTheMovie.com.

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Join New York Times #1 best-selling author, Eric Metaxas, on SBE as we talk with him about his new book, Seven Men: And the Secret of Their Greatness.

You just may realize you have already achieved greatness without even noticing. If not, we'll give you something to shoot for.

Eric Metaxas is the author of the best-sellers Bonhoeffer and Amazing Grace. He was the keynote speaker for the 2012 National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C. and is currently the host of the popular BreakPoint radio commentaries.

Connect with Eric at EricMetaxas.com.

Why in the world would he give it all up to go serve the poor? Yup, you guessed it, God hijacked his life.

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Join Richard Strearns on Steve Brown Etc. as we talk about how the Kingdom of God invades our hearts and changes lives.

Richard is the President of World Vision, an international Christian relief and development organization dedicated to tackling the causes of poverty. His new book is titled Unfinished: Believing Is Only the Beginning.

Find out how you can get involved at WorldVision.org.

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Join New York Times best-selling author Stephen Mansfield on Steve Brown Etc. for a discussion of his new book, Killing Jesus: The Unknown Conspiracy Behind the World's Most Notorious Execution..

Stephen is a writer, speaker and commentator at the intersection of religion, politics and culture. He appears frequently on CNN Newsroom, MSNBC News Live, Fox and Friends and more. He's the author of The Faith of Barack Obama, The Faith of George W. Bush, The Search for God and Guinness and Lincoln's Battle with God.

Connect with Stephen at MansfieldGroup.com.

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Join Frank Viola on this special mid-week edition of Steve Brown Etc. as I talk with him about his new book, God's Favorite Place on Earth. What can we learn about receiving Jesus as we look at his favorite hangout?

***Today is the last day to get your 25 FREE eBooks and audio books when you purchase God's Favorite Place on Earth! Go to GodsFavoritePlace.com for details.***

Frank Viola is also the author of Pagan Christianity, From Eternity to Here, A Jesus Manifesto, and Jesus: A Theography.

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Join Boz Tchividjian on Steve Brown Etc. for a discussion of what it takes to recognize, investigate and respond to child sexual abuse in religious institutions.

Find out more about G.R.A.C.E. at netgrace.org. The site is designed to get you the resources you need to help your organization prevent and investigate child abuse.

Boz is co-author of Invitation: Billy Graham and the Lives God Touched, and he is currently a law professor at Liberty University School of Law.

If so, it may be time to take the leap. If not, it may be time to take a nap… not that there's anything wrong with that.

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Join Lon Garber on Steve Brown Etc. as he talks with us about how Africa satisfied his yearning for adventure.

Lon is executive director of Leadership Outreach Namibia and the author of The Leap: Living the Life You Dream About.

LonGarberAuthor.Blogspot.com is the place to go for all things Lon Garber.

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Join Bill Delvaux on Steve Brown Etc. as we talk about what it's like to die, find your true self, and then rise from the dead to breathe new life into the world (not bad work if you can get it).

Bill is a failed church planter who spent 20 years in high school. After that he went on to head up Landmark Journey Ministries and write Landmarks: Turning Points on Your Journey Toward God.

It’s April 18 and, as you know, our country has had a very bad week. It started with the bombing in Boston—which had some existential implications for me, given my many years in Boston and friends who live there. Then yesterday, our president, a senator and an official in Mississippi received letters that tested positive for the poison ricin. Then as I drove in this morning, I heard the horrible news of an explosion at a fertilizer plant in West, Texas with up to 15 people killed.

How does one deal with those kinds of tragedies? What does one think? And more important, how does a Christian deal with tragedy and think about it differently than those who are not believers?

Our reaction isn't that different from anybody else who is human and normal. We are horrified, confused, afraid, angry and compassionate just like everybody else. It’s really dishonoring to Christ and our witness when we pretend to be “outsiders of the human race” walking on a level different than that of others. Stick a Christian with a pin and he or she will bleed just like everybody else.

But there is a difference. First, it is the fact that we aren't surprised.

Once we have calmed down and had an attack of sanity, we know that evil exists and that we live in a fallen world. Contrary to so many in our culture, we know that evil is real and scary. Jesus said that in the world we would have an abundance of tribulations and Peter said that we shouldn't be “surprised.” The Bible is crystal clear about the implications of human sin (their sin and ours) and the dark is sometimes very dark. We aren't Home yet and anybody who pretends that we are (“tiptoeing through the tulips with Jesus”) deserves the derision that we receive from unbelievers.

But there is more than that, of course. We also know and worship a God who is good and who is in charge of this mess. We don’t know the details, but everything is under his benevolent and sovereign control. We’re frightened, but feel better when we notice that there isn't any perspiration on God’s upper lip. “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever.”

There is also one other thing that is different and isn't just the realism and the knowledge of the truth. That’s cerebral and propositional. And no matter how true the propositions and how accurate the perception, that won’t “keep us warm at night.”

The most important thing is to run to Jesus who accepts and understands our fears, who gets our confusion, and who understands our pain. It is there and only there that we have a gift—it is him and his Spirit. People who aren't believers run away from the explosion and we do too…but we run to him and that makes all the difference in the world. There is in the quiet calm of his presence the experience of rest and peace that Jesus promised and the world can’t give.

So let’s pray for those who have been so devastated and hurt. Let’s also remember to tell our friends about the only One who can lead us through the dark. Maybe they will listen because “when it’s dark enough, you can see the stars.”

Cyprian, the Bishop of Carthage in the third century, wrote great wisdom to his young friend, Donatus:

“This is a cheerful world as I see it from my garden under the shadows of my vines. But if I were to ascend some high mountain and looked out over the wide lands, you know very well what I should see: brigands on the highways, pirates on the sea, armies fighting, cities burning; in the amphitheaters men murdered to please applauding crowds; selfishness and cruelty and misery and despair under all roofs. It is a bad world, Donatus, an incredibly bad world. But I have discovered in the midst of it a quiet and holy people who have learned a great secret…They have found a joy which is a thousand times better than any pleasure of our sinful life…These people, Donatus, are Christians and I am one of them.”

He asked me to remind you.

Bless,
Steve

In India, the Dalit people are considered sub-human. They are outside the caste system and their children are often enslaved in India's thriving sex trade.

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A new movie in theaters this weekend, Not Today, hopes to open eyes to the plight of the Dalits and help fund 200 schools for their children.

Join producer Brent Martz on SBE as we talk with him about the Dalits and the work Friends Church in Yorba Linda, California is doing to help them.

Brent is creative ministries pastor at Friends Church. He has produced four award-winning films including Day of Reckoning and Deletes.

Go to NotTodayTheMovie.com for theaters and tickets. As Brent says, "Your ticket in is their ticket out."

If you think your work is insignificant because you're not working full time to change the world and usher in the Kingdom, we have some good news for you.

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Hugh Whelchel is our guest this week on Steve Brown Etc. Join us as we talk with him about his new book, How then Should We Work?: Rediscovering the Biblical Doctrine of Work.

Hugh has more than 25 years of experience as a businessman and a degree in religion from Reformed Theological Seminary. He is also the director of the Institute for Faith, Work & Economics, a think tank in Washington, D.C. Jump into their virtual think tank at TIFWE.org.

- First Amendment to the US Constitution

Obamacare's contraceptive mandate is threatening to put the First Amendment under the knife by forcing employers to act contrary to their religious convictions.

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Join Jamie Dean from WORLD Magazine as we talk with her about her recent article "Here they stand." The government plans to shut down businesses run by evangelicals and Catholics because they won't provide the morning-after and week-after pill to their employees. Listen to hear how these employers aren't going down without a fight.

Jamie Dean is news editor at WORLD Magazine. She covers the national political beat. Look for her work at WORLDMag.com.

Well, it wasn't entirely uninhabited. God was there.

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Join Jack Perkins on Steve Brown Etc. as we talk with him about his new book, Finding Moosewood, Finding God: What Happened When a TV Newsman Abandoned His Career for Life on an Island.

For 25 years, millions of Americans watched Jack Perkins on NBC News. You may be familiar with him from A&E's award-winning series Biography.

Get the latest at JackPerkins.com.

Many cobble together an identity and get by. Some suffocate under identities forced on them. Some have their identities stolen. Some of us are who we believe we are.

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Join Mark Driscoll on Steve Brown Etc. as we talk about his new book, Who Do You Think You Are?: Finding Your True Identity in Christ.

Mark Driscoll is the founding pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle. He's the author of a bunch of books including the New York Times #1 bestseller, Real Marriage. Find out more at PastorMark.tv.

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Join us as Jonathan Bernis shares his insights on Israel and the end of the world as we talk about his book, A Rabbi Looks at the Last Days.

Rabbi Bernis is the president and CEO of Jewish Voice Ministries International and host of the weekly television show Jewish Voice with Jonathan Bernis.

Questioning everything you believe can actually make you a better believer.

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Join us as we talk with Jay Bakker about his struggle with the Christian faith and the light of grace that got him through a dark night of the soul.

Jay is the author of Son of a Preacher Man and Fall to Grace. His new book is titled Faith, Doubt, and Other Lines I've Crossed: Walking with the Unknown God.

Jay is also co-pastor of Revolution NYC and the 2012 winner of the PFLAG Straight for Equality in Faith Communities award.

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Join Michael Card on Steve Brown Etc. as we talk about his book, A Violent Grace: Meeting Christ at the Cross. Our sins are free, but they didn't come cheap.

Michael Card is a humble guy with amazing insights about Jesus. On top of that, he has recorded over 31 albums and authored or co-authored over 24 books. He has written over 19 number one hits and sold more than 4 million albums. Not bad for a guy who wanted to quietly and simply teach the Bible.

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Justin Holcomb mainlines grace and he joins us on this week's Steve Brown Etc. to give us a shot of the good stuff. Listen as we talk about Justin's soon-to-be released book, On the Grace of God.

Justin is a pastor at Mars Hill Church and Executive Director of The Resurgence. He and his wife are the authors of Rid of My Disgrace: Hope and Healing for Victims of Sexual Assault and founders of Mosaic, a non-profit that initiates projects to alleviate suffering in southern Sudan and Uganda.

Do we want something out of our relationships they simply can't give?

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Join Sharon Hersh on Steve Brown Etc. as we jump into the Valentine's Day hype and talk about love, relationships and sex. What does it really take to make love last?

Sharon is an author, counselor and speaker. Her books include Bravehearts, The Last Addiction and Begin Again, Believe Again: Embracing the Courage to Love with Abandon.

Connect with Sharon at SharonHersh.com.

Would it be a relief?

Is it even possible?

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John Eldredge is our guest this week, here to talk about his new book, The Utter Relief of Holiness: How God's Goodness Frees Us from Everything that Plagues Us. Join us as we talk about freedom and the healing of our humanity.

John Eldredge is the New York Times bestselling author of Wild at Heart, Beautiful Outlaw, Sacred Romance and more. He's also a counselor, teacher and the Director of Ransomed Heart. Find out more at RansomedHeart.com.

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Join our new favorite heretic, Peter Rollins, on this edition of Steve Brown Etc. as we talk about his new book, The Idolatry of God: Breaking Our Addiction to Certainty and Satisfaction. What's so great about simply accepting that your life is broken and you're gonna die? Listen to find out.

Dr. Peter Rollins is a widely sought after writer, lecturer and storyteller. He has enough degrees to make your head spin (some would say his too) and he's also the author of How (Not) to Speak of God and Insurrection. Connect with Peter at PeterRollins.net.

Have you given up on getting better? Is getting our lives together even possible? If we could get better, would we even know we pulled it off?

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Join Nate Larkin on Steve Brown Etc. as we talk about how getting better is completely unrelated to God's acceptance of us. As we move into 2013, this program is a great reminder that the only people who get any better are those who know that if they don't get any better, God will still love them anyway.

Nate is the author of Samson and the Pirate Monks and the founder of the The Samson Society.

Hear more of Nate's story on his previous appearance on Steve Brown Etc., "From Reputation to Freedom."

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Join founder and editor of GetReligion.org, Terry Mattingly, on Steve Brown Etc. for a thoughtful (and fun) look at the top religion stories of last year. Plus, we'll get Terry's pick for the religion story to watch in 2013.

Terry Mattingly writes the weekly "On Religion" column for Scripps Howard News Service. He's also Director of the Washington Journalism Center at the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities.

Links: GetReligion Podcast, Terry's Top Ten, RNA Top Ten, Liberate 2013 with Steve

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Join Dr. Larry Crabb on Steve Brown Etc. as we discuss his new book, The Pressure's Off: Breaking Free from Rules and Performance. Listen to hear the good news that the only people who really get any better are those who know that if they don't get any better, God will still love them anyway.

Dr. Larry Crabb is a well-known psychologist, speaker, teacher, author and director of New Way Ministries. He's also scholar in residence at Colorado Christian University, visiting professor at Richmont University and spiritual director for the American Association of Christian Counselors. His books include, Shattered Dreams, The PAPA Prayer, SoulTalk, Inside Out, Connecting and 66 Love Letters.

(Geesh, this guy sounds like he could use a good book on breaking free from performance issues.)

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Join Max Lucado on Steve Brown Etc. as we talk about his new book Grace: More Than We Deserve, Greater Than We Imagine. If you're at the end of your rope, listen and learn that it's okay to let go and fall to grace.

In his 25-year publishing career, Max's books have appeared on every major national bestseller list and his writings have been shaped into more than 100 million products printed in 41 languages. Go to MaxLucado.com to connect with Max and find out more about his 40 days of prayer for the USA.

But how did a fourth century bishop from Turkey end up becoming such a big part of celebrating Jesus' birth?

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Join religion historian Adam English on Steve Brown Etc. as we talk about his book The Saint Who Would Be Santa Claus: The True Life and Trials of Nicholas of Myra. You'll have fun learning little-known facts, and if you're a Christian, you won't feel as guilty about letting old St. Nick crash Jesus' birthday party.

Adam English is Associate Professor of Religion at Campbell University. (He has actually studied the bones of Santa Claus.) Find out more about Adam and the book at SaintWhoWouldBeSanta.com.

Ho ho-hum, right?

If Christmas has become less than mind-blowing for you, don't miss this edition of Steve Brown Etc.

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Join us as we talk with Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola about their new theological biography Jesus: A Theography. You'll never look at Christmas or Jesus the same way again.

Leonard Sweet is the E. Stanley Jones Professor of Evangelism at Drew University and a visiting professor at George Fox University. He's a weekly contributor to Sermons.com and the podcast “Napkin Scribbles," and he’s written almost 50 books.

Frank is a popular speaker and author of a bunch of books too. Connect with him at FrankViola.org.

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Join Rachel Held Evans on Steve Brown Etc. as we talk with her about her new book, A Year of Biblical Womanhood: How a Liberated Woman Found Herself Sitting on Her Roof, Covering Her Head, and Calling Her Husband "Master". If nobody, men or women, can follow all the rules in the Bible, then what's it all about?

Rachel is a popular blogger, speaker and author of Evolving in Monkey Town. Christianity Today named her one of their top 50 women you should know, so get to know her at RachelHeldEvans.com.