CCEF Podcast: Where Life & Scripture Meet

What does it mean to mentor someone well? In this episode, Gunner Gundersen sits down with CCEF faculty member Todd Stryd to explore mentoring as a long-term, relational investment that shapes both the mentee and the mentor. Together, they discuss how mentoring provides clarity, fosters growth through both encouragement and critique, and ultimately becomes a place of deep dependence on God.

Mentioned in this episode: Registration for our June courses is now open! One key course that features opportunities to grow in mentoring skills is Helping Relationships by Ed Welch. You can learn more and register at ccef.org/school.

- Why Do You Think You Can Do Better? | Blog by Esther Liu

"We're excited to announce Jonathan Holmes as our new Executive Director! In this episode, Gunner interviews Jonathan about his journey into biblical counseling, his background, and his vision for CCEF. They discuss the importance of counseling in the church, the founding of Fieldstone Counseling, and the future direction of CCEF.
Read the latest announcement from CCEF's Board of Trustees regarding Jonathan Holmes's recent appointment to the role of Executive Director.
Mentioned in this episode: Becoming a Refuge is an on-demand teaching series that helps churches respond to domestic abuse. Learn more here.
In this episode, Jonathan mentions an article by David Powlison, "What Is Your Calling?" Journal of Biblical Counseling 28, no. 3 (2014). Find it here.

In this episode of Where Life and Scripture Meet, host Gunner Gundersen continues his conversation with CCEF faculty member Mike Emlet about caring for aging parents. Building on the previous episode, Mike reflects on the blessings and burdens of caring for his mother during her final season of life.

Mike shares how he and his wife navigated difficult caregiving decisions, wrestled with their own limitations, and sought wisdom as his mother's needs increased. Along the way, he reflects on anxiety, fatigue, grief, and the steady presence of God's grace in the midst of weakness.

This conversation offers encouragement for anyone currently caring for aging loved ones, considering future caregiving responsibilities, or processing the grief that often accompanies these journeys. Mike describes how the Lord met his family through Scripture, prayer, and the support of the church, in a demanding season and reminded them that grace and weakness often coexist.

In this episode of Where Life and Scripture Meet, host Gunner Gundersen sits down with Dr. Mike Emlet to reflect on his recent experience caring for his aging mother during the final years of her life.

Mike shares about his mom, "Mim" — her vibrant faith, her lifelong commitment to the local church, her sense of humor, and her remarkable ministry of handwritten letters. He also opens up about the gradual onset of cognitive decline, the impact of dementia and stroke, and the practical and emotional realities of caregiving.

Mike and Gunner discuss the weight and the sweetness of walking closely with a loved one through suffering and decline. There is beauty and cost, and Jesus is in the midst of it.

Mentioned in this episode: sign up to receive 6 conference sessions on conflict and unity. Sign up here: ccef.org/free-audio-for-conflict-and-unity/

Books by Dr. Mike Emlet:
CrossTalk: Where Life and Scripture Meet
Descriptions and Prescriptions: A Biblical Perspective on Psychiatric Diagnoses & Medications
Saints, Sufferers, and Sinners: Loving Others as God Loves Us

What does it mean to be united to Christ—and how does that shape the way we relate to others?

In this episode, Gunner Gundersen, Esther Liu, and Darby Strickland explore the doctrine of union with Christ and its deeply practical impact on everyday relationships. If our truest relationship is already secure in Jesus, how might that free us to love others differently?

Together, they discuss how union with Christ
grounds us in unshakable security,
frees us from defensiveness,
gives courage to apologize and forgive,
reorients transactional views of relationships, and
helps us make sense of church hurt.
Because we are united to Christ, we are also united to one another. That shared belonging reshapes how we approach conflict, difference, and even the pain of broken community. Join us as we consider what it looks like to live life together in Christ.
Community: A Struggle to Fit | Blog by Darby Strickland
"How can I avoid the temptation to isolate myself in suffering?" | Video by Cecelia Bernhardt
Make Every Effort: Paul Urges Unity in the Church | Conference Session by Aaron Sironi