The Signpost Inn Podcast

"By any human measure, Jesus' life was an abject failure." If he ever dreamed of a successful career in ministry, or of being hailed as king. That dream died.  What about you? Which of your dreams have died? Brandon, Liv, and Matt explore a hard but hopeful truth: God is in the habit of making good things come out of death. This episode digs into Brandon's article of the same name, wrestling with what it means when God doesn't stop the death of our dreams. We talk about the importance of grieving, how to sit with people in their pain without trying to fix it, and why the pattern of Jesus' life, from failure to cross to resurrection, is the pattern for ours too. If your life feels like a failure, if you're stuck in a season that doesn't make sense, this one's for you. God's not done yet. Links: Read the article: "The Dream That Died and the God Who Didn't Stop It" https://www.signpostinn.org/blog/the-dream-that-died-and-the-god-who-didnt-stop-it  Free Webinar — Reading the Gospels with Your Imagination (March 21st): https://www.signpostinn.org/events  Brandon's Book — Changing the Conversation: Learning to Dance Instead of Fight: https://amzn.to/3PfFLkd  Donate to Signpost Inn: https://www.signpostinn.org/donate Connect with us: Email us at podcast@signpostinn.org Facebook www.facebook.com/SignpostInn Instagram www.instagram.com/signpostinn Check out our website www.signpostinn.org for more resources! Thanks to Rex Daugherty for creating the original theme music for this podcast. He's an award-winning artist and you can check out more of his work at rex-daugherty.com

"The God of the Old Testament is a monster." If your teen or adult child has said something like this, you know how it feels. And if you're honest, part of you might wonder the same thing. Today Brandon sits down with Old Testament scholar Adam Hensley to tackle the hardest questions head-on. How can the God who commands "utterly destroy" be the same God who says "love your enemies"? What do we do with passages like the Canaanite conquest or Jephthah's daughter? Is the OT really about law and judgment while Jesus is about love and grace? This isn't about winning an argument with your kid. It's about understanding what they're wrestling with, and finding real answers you can hold onto yourself. Honest. Compassionate. Hopeful. Your child's hard questions might be an invitation for both of you. Links: Called to be God’s People by Andrew Steinmann Join us for an event: https://www.signpostinn.org/events Donate to Signpost Inn: https://www.signpostinn.org/donate ——————— Follow us on Facebook www.facebook.com/SignpostInn and Instagram www.instagram.com/signpostinn/. Check out our website www.signpostinn.org for more resources! Thanks to Rex Daugherty for creating the original theme music for this podcast. He's an award-winning artist and you can check out more of his work at rex-daugherty.com

Why do disagreements with my kids, or anyone I love, feel like the end of the world?        When my kid comes at me with 'Dad, you CAN'T believe that!' It feels like everything is on the line. Like if we can't agree, we're done. Have you felt that way recently? Brandon and Liv explore the concept of a "relational home"—that safe emotional space where we can hold pain without being destroyed by it. The problem? We often make our kids that home. Their approval becomes our anchor. And when they challenge our faith, our politics, our identity, it feels like an existential threat. The solution isn't better arguments. It's a better anchor. Drawing from 2 Timothy 1:12, Liv shares how when God is your relational home, you can hold space for conflict without it threatening your existence. You're free to stay in the room, stay curious, stay loving—because your security isn't on the line. Links: FREE Download — The Surrendering Prayer: https://u.pcloud.link/publink/show?code=XZm9vd5ZymrayTkfJ5JbEWqkm6KI4bwa41zV Spiritual Direction with Brandon: https://www.signpostinn.org/spiritual-direction FREE Webinar — Heal & Deepen Your Relationship with Your Kids: https://www.signpostinn.org/webinar In Prayer by CPH https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.cph.indevotion.android Free Lectionary readings (Complementary) https://www.biblegateway.com/reading-plans/revised-common-lectionary-complementary/next?version=CSB  Readers bible 10 minute consultation calls Join us for an event: https://www.signpostinn.org/events Donate to Signpost Inn: https://www.signpostinn.org/donate Connect with us: Email us at podcast@signpostinn.org Facebook www.facebook.com/SignpostInn Instagram www.instagram.com/signpostinn Check out our website www.signpostinn.org for more resources! Thanks to Rex Daugherty for creating the original theme music for this podcast. He's an award-winning artist and you can check out more of his work at rex-daugherty.com

Here's an uncomfortable reality: we parents can easily idolize our kids. When your teen or adult child is distant, critical, or just doesn't seem to like you, it cuts deep. You want their approval, their friendship, their gratitude. That's not wrong—it comes from love! But what happens when their opinion of you becomes the measure of your worth? Brandon, Liv, and Matt explore the common trap of needing our kids' validation—and why it always backfires. When your child's approval becomes the sun in your identity solar system, you become grasping, controlling, or bitter. The very thing you're doing to win their love pushes them away. The solution isn't trying harder. It's letting God be your source of validation so you're finally free to love your kids without needing anything back. That's when you can give them what they actually need: compassion, patience, and a parent who isn't desperate. Practical. Honest. Hopeful. Links: How to Read the Gospels with Your Imagination Workshop: https://www.signpostinn.org/events/gospel-imagination-mar-21 Free Webinar — Heal & Deepen Your Relationship with Your Kids: https://www.signpostinn.org/webinar Brandon's Book — Changing the Conversation: Learning to Dance Instead of Fight: https://www.signpostinn.org/book Join us for an event: https://www.signpostinn.org/events Donate to Signpost Inn: https://www.signpostinn.org/donate Connect with us: Facebook www.facebook.com/SignpostInn Instagram www.instagram.com/signpostinn Check out our website www.signpostinn.org for more resources! Thanks to Rex Daugherty for creating the original theme music for this podcast. He's an award-winning artist and you can check out more of his work at rex-daugherty.com

Your kid doesn't want to go to church. Before you panic or strategize, take a breath. This episode isn't about fixing your kid. It's about looking in the mirror first. Brandon, Liv, and Matt explore why kids resist church (some reasons are healthy, some are legitimate critiques, some are heart resistance) and then ask the harder question: What implicit theology are you modeling at home? Your kids notice the gap between what you say about God and what you show them. The good news? You can become what your teen actually needs: a "safe haven" where doubts are welcomed and a "secure base" that encourages exploration and offers forgiveness when they stumble. That's how God relates to you. And it's what you can offer your kids. Practical. Honest. Hopeful. It's not too late. Links: Join us for for an event: https://www.signpostinn.org/events Donate to Signpost Inn: https://www.signpostinn.org/donate   ——————— Follow us o nFacebook www.facebook.com/SignpostInn and Instagram www.instagram.com/signpostinn/. Check out our website www.signpostinn.org for more resources! Thanks to Rex Daugherty for creating the original theme music for this podcast. He's an award-winning artist and you can check out more of his work at rex-daugherty.com

Have you ever stood in your kitchen, listening to your kids scream at each other, and thought: "A good parent wouldn't have kids like this. Did I screw them up?" How about the holidays with family? Was it like a Hallmark movie, or were there disagreements and fights? Did you feel a little helpless and wonder if you failed your family? Today we're going to talk about this feeling, because if you've ever asked it, you're not alone. Somewhere along the way, most of us started believing a lie: our kids are our report card. If they turn out well, we pass. If they struggle, fight, or walk away, we failed. Links: Not Home Yet: Audio book link Changing the Conversation Book link Join us for for an event: https://www.signpostinn.org/events Review the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-signpost-inn-podcast/id1583479686     Donate to Signpost Inn: https://www.signpostinn.org/donate   ——————— Follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Check out our website for more resources! Thanks to Rex Daugherty for creating the original theme music for this podcast. He's an award-winning artist and you can check out more of his work at rex-daugherty.com

Why does pain feel like "reality" and joy feel like a vacation?  It is December 26th. The wrapping paper is in the trash, and for many of us, that "magical" feeling—if it was there at all—is starting to fade into the gray reality of winter. When the Christmas lights come down and we discard the tree we often feel like we are "homeless" in a broken world again.  Join Matt and Brandon as they discuss how sorrow sometimes feels more real than joy. The boys think we have it backwards. They think the incarnation means that God has made this world his home, and that his presence is actually the most real thing of all! Join us for a workshop on trusting God, or for one of our 4 week intensives here: https://www.signpostinn.org/events Links/References That Thing Liv Wrote - Liv’s Substack (https://livbooth.substack.com/) Take our audience survey! (https://myformflow.io/signpost-inn-ministries/survey) Matt’s recommended song: God With Us by We Are Messengers.(https://open.spotify.com/track/4iaksnylPofkl5A1MpEsnS?si=g8ODsV1xRi27KmapweP6tg) The Mystery of Christ & Why We Don’t Get It by Robert Farrar Capon (https://amzn.to/3NchwCi) Review the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-signpost-inn-podcast/id1583479686     Follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Check out our website for more resources! Thanks to Rex Daugherty for creating the original theme music for this podcast. He's an award-winning artist and you can check out more of his work at rex-daugherty.com

We tend to believe that trials and times of fear or grief, mean we've done something wrong. We feel that if we just prayed more, were more faithful with our spiritual disciplines, etc, we would feel fine, even through the worst! But Scripture offers a different picture. Feeling our grief, fear, and pain, while lifting it all to God is prayer. Feeling bad is NOT a sign that I am bad. It’s an honest experience and expressing it to God is a powerful and intimate connection with God.  And more than that, our deep longings point to a deeper, more real reality that is waiting for us in the resurrection! Join us for a workshop on trusting God, or for one of our 4 week intensives here: https://www.signpostinn.org/events Links/References Mockingbird Ministries - https://mbird.com/ Brandon’s Advent Music Playlist - https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2RjWQlIIUrXi0vcCTwfzZp?si=Qn_ENutRTjqEE84cODKxBg That Thing Liv Wrote - Liv’s Substack - https://livbooth.substack.com/ Review the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-signpost-inn-podcast/id1583479686     Follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Check out our website (http://www.signpostinn.org) for more resources! Thanks to Rex Daugherty for creating the original theme music for this podcast. He's an award-winning artist and you can check out more of his work at rex-daugherty.com

🥳 Donate to our matching fund drive! https://www.signpostinn.org/donate Happy "National Pie for Breakfast Day." Or as most people call it... the day after Thanksgiving! How is your soul doing this morning? Maybe you woke up a little cringe? Maybe you’re wondering "Why did I bring that up?" "Why was I so awkward?"  Psychologist Brené Brown calls this a "Vulnerability Hangover." That regret we feel after we’ve been seen, or after we’ve tried to connect with family and it felt messy.  We often mistake this emotional exhaustion for spiritual failure. We think because we feel bad today, we must be bad! Today the Signpost Inn gang is is going to help you with that hangover with a little theology… and a slice of pie. 📌Join us for a workshop on trusting God, or for one of our 4 week intensives here: https://www.signpostinn.org/events Links/References Download the Navigating Emotions Toolbox: https://www.signpostinn.org/emotions-toolbox Check out SmartHerNews: https://smarthernews.com See Liv’s Picture on our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/signpostinnpodcast Please give us a 5 star review!: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-signpost-inn-podcast/id1583479686     Follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Check out our website for more resources! Thanks to Rex Daugherty for creating the original theme music for this podcast. He's an award-winning artist and you can check out more of his work at rex-daugherty.com

A technical glitch becomes a beautiful opportunity. This week, Brandon and Liv pull back the curtain and invite you to the back porch for a special, from-the-heart conversation. In celebration of Signpost Inn's 5th birthday, they share the real story of the ministry's journey: the unexpected joys, the raw and honest struggles, and the passionate vision that fuels it all.  It's also a chance to partner with us. Through December 31, 2025, every gift to our ministry will be doubled thanks to a generous $12,500 matching grant. Your support helps us raise the $25,000 we need to continue providing resources like this podcast, workshops, and spiritual direction. Listen in for the full story, and find out how you can pray for us, give to the matching fund, and share the message of grace. Give today: www.signpostinn.org/donate  Links/References Buy Brandon’s book: Changing the Conversation: How to Dance Instead of Fight in Everyday Conversation. Get Brandon and Liv’s book as an audio book! Get email summaries for the show on PodSnacks! (https://www.podsnacks.org/show?id=37a58158cbc54f779d5d2bad01306947) Review the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-signpost-inn-podcast/id1583479686     Follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Check out our website for more resources! Thanks to Rex Daugherty for creating the original theme music for this podcast. He's an award-winning artist and you can check out more of his work at rex-daugherty.com

On this special Halloween episode, hosts Liv and Brandon ask why creating AI avatars of the dead seems so alluring. What does it say about our deepest soul questions and longing for the permanent approval of the dead? And what does God have to say about all of this? Liv and Brandon wrap it up with lots of hope as we talk about the real promise of resurrection life in Christ that we celebrate on All Saints Day.  IT’S SIGNPOST INN’S 5TH ANNIVERSARY! And generous donors have given us $12,500 for our matching fund drive. From now until December 31, 2025 all your gifts will be doubled! Help us keep going strong for another 5 years, donate today: https://www.signpostinn.org/donate. Join us for a workshop on trusting God, or for one of our 4 week intensives here: https://www.signpostinn.org/events Links/References Get email summaries for the show on PodSnacks! (https://www.podsnacks.org/show?id=37a58158cbc54f779d5d2bad01306947) Review the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-signpost-inn-podcast/id1583479686       Follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Check out our website for more resources! Thanks to Rex Daugherty for creating the original theme music for this podcast. He's an award-winning artist and you can check out more of his work at rex-daugherty.com

What do you do when you know you need to make things right with someone, but you have no idea where to start? We've all been there - stuck in a conflict where we know something needs to happen, but we're paralyzed. Maybe you're the one who got hurt and people keep telling you to "just forgive," but you don't even know what that means. Or maybe you're the one who messed up and you want to apologize, but you're terrified of making it worse. You're caught between wanting peace and not knowing how to get there without either pretending everything's fine or making yourself a doormat. Last episode we talked about what to do when someone you love won't talk to you. But what about when they WILL talk – and now you have to figure out what to actually say?  Join us for a workshop on trusting God, or for one of our 4 week intensives here: https://www.signpostinn.org/events Links/References Get email summaries for the show on PodSnacks! (https://www.podsnacks.org/show?id=37a58158cbc54f779d5d2bad01306947) Review the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-signpost-inn-podcast/id1583479686     Follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Check out our website for more resources! Thanks to Rex Daugherty for creating the original theme music for this podcast. He's an award-winning artist and you can check out more of his work at rex-daugherty.com

In our polarized world, we're facing an epidemic of relational silence. Maybe it's your child who's pulled away. Your spouse who's emotionally checked out. A friend who's gone cold after a disagreement. A sister who won't return your calls. The silence is deafening, and it hits us at the deepest level because we're wired for connection. When those we love most won't engage, we long for restoration, and it makes us feel worthless, unlovable, and much much more. Join Brandon, Liv, and Matt for an emotional and powerful exploration of loneliness and finding connection in Christ. Join us for a workshop on trusting God, or for one of our 4 week intensives here: https://www.signpostinn.org/events   Links/References Explore.org Register for a Workshop or Intensive Not Home Yet Audio Book Get email summaries for the show on PodSnacks! (https://www.podsnacks.org/show?id=37a58158cbc54f779d5d2bad01306947) Review the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-signpost-inn-podcast/id1583479686     Follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Check out our website for more resources! Thanks to Rex Daugherty for creating the original theme music for this podcast. He's an award-winning artist and you can check out more of his work at rex-daugherty.com

WHY IS IT SO DANG HARD TO TRUST GOD? I know I should trust him, but more often than not I don’t and hang on to my fear, my anger, my sin. What’s going on here? This week we getting a real and talking about our own struggles with trusting God and how getting to know Jesus for who he really is has helped! Join us for a workshop on trusting God, or for one of our 4 week intensives here: https://www.signpostinn.org/events Links/References Get email summaries for the show on PodSnacks! (https://www.podsnacks.org/show?id=37a58158cbc54f779d5d2bad01306947) Review the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-signpost-inn-podcast/id1583479686     Follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Check out our website for more resources! Thanks to Rex Daugherty for creating the original theme music for this podcast. He's an award-winning artist and you can check out more of his work at rex-daugherty.com

This week the Signpost Inn Podcast goes off the trail and into the uncharted wilderness with an unscripted and unfiltered episode! We're missing Matt, saying “goodby” to Peter, and wrangling technology… but then the conversation took “a leap” into the deep end and we talked about how our souls’ have a longing for adventure — real risk — and how God doesn’t only provide security and comfort but also calls us to take real risks and real responsibility.  Join us as we toss out the script, and the BS, and get real about our fears and faith.   Links/References Get email summaries for the show on PodSnacks! (https://www.podsnacks.org/show?id=37a58158cbc54f779d5d2bad01306947) Review the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-signpost-inn-podcast/id1583479686       Follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Check out our website for more resources! Thanks to Rex Daugherty for creating the original theme music for this podcast. He's an award-winning artist and you can check out more of his work at rex-daugherty.com

Do you wake up in the morning with the vague sense that you’re already falling behind?    In today’s episode, the group talks about how each of us have deep questions of the soul that we need God to answer or else we’ll spend our lives demanding answers from everyone and everything else. Questions like, “Am I capable?” “Am I enough?” and especially, “Am I lovable?” We are often completely unaware of these soul questions, but they subconsciously drive most everything we do. To top it all off, we’re often terrified of bringing these questions to God, the only one who can truly answer them! So tune in for our conversation as we compassionately unpack this dilemma and explore answers from Henri Nouwen’s book, The Return of the Prodigal Son.    We pray this episode changes the way you understand how God relates to you :)   Links/References Matt’s sermon on Psalm 16 Get email summaries for the show on PodSnacks!  Review the podcast!    Follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Check out our website for more resources! Thanks to Rex Daugherty for creating the original theme music for this podcast. He's an award-winning artist and you can check out more of his work at rex-daugherty.com

Have you ever felt childish for believing in beauty — in meaning — in Jesus? Like, the really “grown up” way to think is that faith is a cutesy, meaningless fairytale?   If so, we want you to know you’re not alone! Also, you’re not naive, you’re just remembering home. In this conversation we talk about The Chronicles of Narnia and how they teach us childlike faith in goodness, truth, and beauty. We share our experiences with Narnia and some of our favorite passages too. Come along for the ride and learn to let God be God and watch his story unfold around you.    Links/References Not Home Yet, by Brandon and Liv Booth: https://www.signpostinn.org/product/not-home-yet Get email summaries for the show on PodSnacks! (https://www.podsnacks.org/show?id=37a58158cbc54f779d5d2bad01306947) Review the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-signpost-inn-podcast/id1583479686       Follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Check out our website for more resources! Thanks to Rex Daugherty for creating the original theme music for this podcast. He's an award-winning artist and you can check out more of his work at rex-daugherty.com

Has a book ever jumped off the shelf, interrupted your life and left you forever changed?    On today’s show the gang shares the books that have ambushed them and left them with a new view of life, themselves and God. These books have opened our eyes to beauty, truth, and goodness and we’re eternally grateful! Be warned, Listener, after this episode you will walk away with a “dangerous” reading list of books that are waiting to disrupt your life for good!   We hope you enjoy today’s show. Jesus thinks you’re the bee’s knees (aka, he likes you)   Links/References Interior Freedom, by Jacques Philippe: https://amzn.to/3IMEihX The Lightbringer Series, by Brent Weeks: https://amzn.to/45gjBUt Hind’s Feed on High Places, by Hannah Hurnard: https://amzn.to/41dBnFp The Screwtape Letters, by C.S. Lewis: https://amzn.to/4kZn5iF Hamlet, by William Shakespeare: https://amzn.to/452D2yF The Snow Queen, by Hans Christian Andersen: https://amzn.to/3IJ4xpE Abel’s Island, by Williams Steig: https://amzn.to/3UuxjNi Practice in Christianity, by Søren Kierkegaard: https://amzn.to/4kUctBC The Abolition of Man, by C.S. Lewis: https://amzn.to/40B3AWv On the Freedom of a Christian, by Martin Luther: https://amzn.to/454fJV8 Into your hands Father, by Wilfrid Stinissen: https://amzn.to/3IJ5bU6    Get email summaries for the show on PodSnacks! (https://www.podsnacks.org/show?id=37a58158cbc54f779d5d2bad01306947) Review the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-signpost-inn-podcast/id1583479686     Follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Check out our website for more resources! Thanks to Rex Daugherty for creating the original theme music for this podcast. He's an award-winning artist and you can check out more of his work at rex-daugherty.com

Do you know a lot about God, but still sometimes feel disconnected from him? What does it mean to love the Lord with your heart, soul, mind, and strength?    Today’s guest, Dr. Reverend Alan Johnson shares about spiritual formation and his journey from knowing information about God to experiencing him relationally. As a pastor, Dr. Alan sheds some light on the unique challenges that ministry leaders face in cultivating their relationship with God. Anyone facing questions or trials can find it easier and safer to retreat into the realm of knowledge about God rather than wrestle relationally with these questions. Throughout the show Dr. Alan talks about his experience of spiritual formation and the practices that helped him relate to God and see himself more and more as a beloved child of God.    So, come join us for a great conversation as we learn to let Jesus pull his weight and form us into who he made us to be, children of God.    Links/References Try out Spiritual Direction with Pastor Alan Check out Pastor Alan’s sermons Get email summaries for the show on PodSnacks!  Review the podcast   Follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Check out our website for more resources! Thanks to Rex Daugherty for creating the original theme music for this podcast. He's an award-winning artist and you can check out more of his work at rex-daugherty.com

Does your everyday life feel boring and disconnected from a sense of meaning and purpose? What if your boring life is way more holy than you think?   On today’s show the gang tackles the topic of vocation and our desire for meaning and purpose. The question of vocation often feels like trying to find a needle in a haystack, if we miss God’s calling on our lives everything else is pointless! What if that’s not how vocation works? Looking to Martin Luther, the group discusses his idea of “The masks of God” and how it relates to vocation. God delights to work through ordinary means. Police officers, government officials, and grocers are used by God to meet our needs for safety, peace, and daily sustenance. This perspective is larger than the category of occupation, helping us understand how the embrace of a friend and our honest conversation with a loved one is God at work to meet our hearts’ need for acceptance and belonging. The group closes the conversation with a rubric for making decisions about life and vocation.    We pray this conversation blesses you and opens your eyes to God at work for you, in the world around you.    Links/References “God at Work” by Gene Veith Explore your relationship with God through spiritual direction Get email summaries for the show on PodSnacks! Review the podcast!   Follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Check out our website for more resources! Thanks to Rex Daugherty for creating the original theme music for this podcast. He's an award-winning artist and you can check out more of his work at rex-daugherty.com