Candid Conversations with Dr. Jonathan Youssef

Do you ever feel like you’re doing all the right things, but you still feel tired, anxious, and spiritually stretched thin? Jonathan sits down with Justin Whitmel Earley for part 2 of an insightful conversation on why the habits of your body may be the missing piece in your walk with Christ. Justin shares how a season of panic attacks and sleepless nights exposed deeper spiritual needs and how rediscovering God’s design for rest transformed his life. Together they take on our culture’s obsession with control, the illusion of self-sufficiency, and the freedom that comes when we finally admit, “I am not God and praise God for that.” This episode is an invitation to slow down, breathe deeply, and allow the Gospel to shape the way you live every single day.

What do your everyday habits—your screen time, your schedule, your workload—have to do with your spiritual life? In this two-part conversation, Jonathan sits down with Justin Whitmel Earley author of The Common Rule, Habits of the Household, and his newest book, The Body Teaches the Soul. In Part 1, Justin shares how a season of crippling anxiety and mental collapse as a young lawyer forced him to reconsider everything he thought he knew about discipleship, the body, and the habits that quietly shape our lives. Justin tells the story of moving from missionary work in China to corporate law in the United States and how, even with solid theology and a half-finished seminary degree, he found himself preaching a gospel of peace while his body was a wreck of anxiety. That crisis became the doorway into discovering how God uses ordinary, physical habits to form us spiritually. Together, Jonathan and Justin explore why what you repeatedly do, often without thinking, matters more than you realize, and how the “liturgies” of our phones, work lives, and cultural moment either draw us toward Christ or away from Him.

Every Sunday, the preaching and singing of the Word work together as a powerful discipleship tool for the church. In this special Thanksgiving week episode of Candid Conversations, Jonathan Youssef sits down with four members of the Apostles Worship team—Jeremy Ezell, Sean Crawford, Amy Miller, and Seth Rice—to talk about the heart behind their ministry, the theology that shapes their songwriting, and the release of their new EP Psalms. This is a rich, joyful, deeply encouraging conversation for worship leaders, pastors, musicians, and anyone who loves the ministry of music in the local church.

What if the biggest obstacle to raising grateful kids… is our own entitlement? In this episode, Jonathan sits down with author and Mercy House Global founder Kristen Welch, whose journey from “comfortable Christian mom” to global nonprofit leader started with a single, terrifying yes and a life-altering moment in the largest slum in Nairobi. What she discovered there forced her to confront a hard truth: gratitude isn’t something you can manufacture in your kids until it takes root in you first. If you’ve ever felt crushed by comparison, overwhelmed by parenting pressures, or frustrated by the entitlement creeping into your home, Kristen’s story will remind you that the path back to gratitude begins with a changed heart, a slowed pace, and a renewed center on Christ.

In a world where spiritual claims come from every direction—podcasts, platforms, pulpits, and social feeds—it’s becoming harder to discern what’s truly biblical. Many ideas sound close to Christianity yet miss the mark in ways that quietly reshape what we believe about Jesus. If you’ve ever heard something that didn’t sit right with you, you’re not alone—and your instincts matter. And believe it or not… Christians were fighting these same battles 1,700 years ago. In this Candid reflection, Dr. Jonathan Youssef takes us back to one of the most defining moments in church history: the Council of Nicaea (A.D. 325). As the Council marks its 1,700th anniversary, Jonathan invites you into the story behind the Nicene Creed —a confession that has anchored generations of believers in the truth as heresy spread like wildfire. Learn how a single false idea about Jesus sparked a worldwide crisis, why the early Church gathered to defend the truth, and how the creed they forged continues to safeguard our faith today. This isn’t dusty theology or ancient trivia. It’s the foundation on which your understanding of Jesus' divinity, incarnation, resurrection, and His return still rests. Jonathan also guides you through the creed itself, and together, you’ll rediscover why these ancient words still matter today.