In the first message of our new series, The Divine Place, Pastor Jeffrey explores how the Church is not a building or a weekly service, but a divine mystery revealed through Christ. Discover how God’s purpose has always been to create a people for Himself—set apart to reflect His wisdom, not just to the world, but to the spiritual realm as well. Jo…

How do you navigate a career path when the future of work is uncertain? How important is mentorship versus immediate impact? Is it better to focus on your strengths or on the world’s most pressing problems? Should you specialise deeply or develop a unique combination of skills? From embracing failure to finding unlikely allies, we bring you 16 dive…

Easter isn’t just a story to be remembered—it’s a reality that calls for a response. In the final message of our series, The Philosophy of Life, Pastor Jeffrey shares how the risen Christ extends His nail-scarred hands—not just as symbols of sacrifice, but as a powerful invitation to transformation. How will you respond?…

Throughout history, technological revolutions have fundamentally shifted the balance of power in society. The Industrial Revolution created conditions where democracies could flourish for the first time — as nations needed educated, informed, and empowered citizens to deploy advanced technologies and remain competitive. Unfortunately there’s every …

In the latest message of The Philosophy of Life, Pastor Jeffrey shares how a strong prayer life is not a suggestion for the spiritually elite, nor the ones who find themselves in the mire. Instead, a life of incessant prayer is a necessity for all – and truly for the spiritually alive!By Jeffrey Dean Smith

"We are aiming for a place where we can decouple the scorecard from our worthiness. It’s of course the case that in trying to optimise the good, we will always be falling short. The question is how much, and in what ways are we not there yet? And if we then extrapolate that to how much and in what ways am I not enough, that’s where we run into trou…

The Christian who has surrendered to a life philosophy of true allegiance to God, whether or not attaining worldly success, is called to assume a posture of humility and descend into a life of devoted servanthood. In this powerful message, Pastor Jeffrey unpacks three profound ways to live with humility and dives deep into four truths that reveal i…

Most AI safety conversations centre on alignment: ensuring AI systems share our values and goals. But despite progress, we’re unlikely to know we’ve solved the problem before the arrival of human-level and superhuman systems in as little as three years. So some are developing a backup plan to safely deploy models we fear are actively scheming to ha…

How can compassion shape your life philosophy in a way that transforms your life and the lives around you? Scripture is filled with examples of compassion, but Jesus lived it at every turn. In this message, we’ll explore powerful moments that reveal His heart for the broken, the messy, and the hurting—and how embracing His way of compassion can cha…

"There’s almost no story of the future going well that doesn’t have a part that’s like '…and no evil person steals the AI weights and goes and does evil stuff.' So it has highlighted the importance of information security: 'You’re training a powerful AI system; you should make it hard for someone to steal' has popped out to me as a thing that just …

In our latest message of The Philosophy of Life, Pastor Jeffrey explores what it truly means to experience a depth of intimacy with the Lord that transcends the surface-level faith of which many settle. Discover how sin distorts this divine closeness and how we can walk back into the sacred nearness that God desires for us.…

The 20th century saw unprecedented change: nuclear weapons, satellites, the rise and fall of communism, third-wave feminism, the internet, postmodernism, game theory, genetic engineering, the Big Bang theory, quantum mechanics, birth control, and more. Now imagine all of it compressed into just 10 years. That’s the future Will MacAskill — philosoph…

In the latest message of The Philosophy of Life, Pastor Jeffrey discusses how holiness is a divine calling that reaches beyond mere behavior for all who belong to Christ. As we reflect on God’s character, we explore what it means to actively pursue holiness, through reverence for Christ and surrender of worldly attachments, in every aspect of our l…

When OpenAI announced plans to convert from nonprofit to for-profit control last October, it likely didn’t anticipate the legal labyrinth it now faces. A recent court order in Elon Musk’s lawsuit against the company suggests OpenAI’s restructuring faces serious legal threats, which will complicate its efforts to raise tens of billions in investment…

In this powerful sermon, Pastor Jeffrey teaches on the divine act of forgiveness and shares the profound impact of Jesus' ultimate act of forgiveness on the Cross—an act of love, grace, and mercy that bridges the gap between a broken world and a holy God. Through this message, we learn not only the importance of embracing forgiveness but also the c…

A casino offers you a game. A coin will be tossed. If it comes up heads on the first flip you win $2. If it comes up on the second flip you win $4. If it comes up on the third you win $8, the fourth you win $16, and so on. How much should you be willing to pay to play? The standard way of analysing gambling problems, ‘expected value’ — in which you…

In our latest message of The Philosophy of Life, Pastor Jeffrey unpacks the profound difference between the peace the world offers and the peace Jesus gives. While worldly peace is dependent on ever-changing circumstances, the peace of Christ is enduring. Through Scripture, Pastor Jeffrey reveals the two key actions we must take repeatedly to exper…

America aims to avoid nuclear war by relying on the principle of 'mutually assured destruction,' right? Wrong. Or at least... not officially. As today's guest — Jeffrey Lewis, founder of Arms Control Wonk and professor at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies — explains, in its official 'OPLANs' (military operation plans), the US is com…

In part 7 of "The Philosophy of Life”, Pastor Jeffrey unpacks why so many Christians are unhappy despite the promise of joy — the emotion of salvation — and shares how it is necessary to possess true joy as a reflection of the Christian’s eternal perspective.By Jeffrey Dean Smith

Technology doesn’t force us to do anything — it merely opens doors. But military and economic competition pushes us through. That’s how today’s guest Allan Dafoe — director of frontier safety and governance at Google DeepMind — explains one of the deepest patterns in technological history: once a powerful new capability becomes available, societies…

On Monday Musk made the OpenAI nonprofit foundation an offer they want to refuse, but might have trouble doing so: $97.4 billion for its stake in the for-profit company, plus the freedom to stick with its current charitable mission. For a normal company takeover bid, this would already be spicy. But OpenAI’s unique structure — a nonprofit foundatio…

To know Scripture is to know God. And while many Christians recognize the power of the Bible, a majority of Christians never read it outside of church. Discover how spending consistent, intentional time in Scripture shapes your life philosophy and receive three practical takeaways from Pastor Jeffrey to enhance your personal time in the Word.…

Will LLMs soon be made into autonomous agents? Will they lead to job losses? Is AI misinformation overblown? Will it prove easy or hard to create AGI? And how likely is it that it will feel like something to be a superhuman AGI? With AGI back in the headlines, we bring you 15 opinionated highlights from the show addressing those and other questions…

If someone said a global health and development programme was sustainable, participatory, and holistic, you'd have to guess that they were saying something positive. But according to today's guest Karen Levy — deworming pioneer and veteran of Innovations for Poverty Action, Evidence Action, and Y Combinator — each of those three concepts has become…

“I want everyone to understand that I am, in fact, a person.” Those words were produced by the AI model LaMDA as a reply to Blake Lemoine in 2022. Based on the Google engineer’s interactions with the model as it was under development, Lemoine became convinced it was sentient and worthy of moral consideration — and decided to tell the world. Few exp…

In the latest message of The Philosophy of Life, Pastor Jeffrey teaches us that, while family is important, the ultimate goal is to honor God both within and through your family by placing Him first. Pastor Jeffrey shares practical ways to live this out, from loving and encouraging each other to praying together, as part of a lifelong pursuit of gl…

If a business has spent $100 million developing a product, it’s a fair bet that they don’t want it stolen in two seconds and uploaded to the web where anyone can use it for free. This problem exists in extreme form for AI companies. These days, the electricity and equipment required to train cutting-edge machine learning models that generate uncann…

In this episode of The Philosophy of Life, we explore Attribute #4: Call—a decision so unique and essential that without it, all other habits and attributes discussed in this series lose their eternal significance. Through Romans 10:13, we uncover the transformative power of calling on the name of the Lord. Join us as we unpack this life-altering t…

What in the world is intrinsically good — good in itself even if it has no other effects? Over the millennia, people have offered many answers: joy, justice, equality, accomplishment, loving god, wisdom, and plenty more. The question is a classic that makes for great dorm-room philosophy discussion. But it’s hardly just of academic interest. The is…

In the latest message of our series, “The Philosophy of Life", Pastor Jeffrey focuses on purpose as we explore two of life’s biggest questions: Why am I here? and What am I supposed to do with my life? While they may seem similar, understanding the difference between the “why” (your mission) and the “what” (how you fulfill that mission) is the key …

Wind back 1,000 years and the moral landscape looks very different to today. Most farming societies thought slavery was natural and unobjectionable, premarital sex was an abomination, women should obey their husbands, and commoners should obey their monarchs. Wind back 10,000 years and things look very different again. Most hunter-gatherer groups t…

In Part 2 of Pastor Jeffrey's sermon series "The Philosophy of Life", we explore one of the most significant responsibilities of a Christ follower: stewarding time well. Time is a precious and fleeting gift, and the life of a believer should reflect intentionality and purpose. Take a listen to discover how to become a proficient manager of time and…

Is war in long-term decline? Steven Pinker's The Better Angels of Our Nature brought this previously obscure academic question to the centre of public debate, and pointed to rates of death in war to argue energetically that war is on the way out. But that idea divides war scholars and statisticians, and so Better Angels has prompted a spirited deba…

As we kick off the new year, we're diving into The Philosophy of Life, a series that explores 15 habits that sets the Christian apart from the world. In part 1 of this series, Pastor Jeffrey challenges us to act urgently, obey loyally, and surrender completely to God's will as we live today. Take a listen to study what it means to, through the lens…

"A shameless recycling of existing content to drive additional audience engagement on the cheap… or the single best, most valuable, and most insight-dense episode we put out in the entire year, depending on how you want to look at it." — Rob Wiblin It’s that magical time of year once again — highlightapalooza! Stick around for one top bit from each…

In our fourth message of It’s Christmas, Y’all, Pastor Jeffrey dives into the significance of God sending His Son at the perfect moment in history—born of a woman, under the law, to redeem humanity. Take a listen as we study and celebrate this spectacular moment in history and the events surrounding the birth of the Christ-child.…

Rich countries seem to find it harder and harder to do anything that creates some losers. People who don’t want houses, offices, power stations, trains, subway stations (or whatever) built in their area can usually find some way to block them, even if the benefits to society outweigh the costs 10 or 100 times over. The result of this ‘vetocracy’ ha…

In our latest message of, “It’s Christmas, Y’all!”, Pastor Jeffrey leads us in a study of the supernatural, unexplainable, and awe-inspiring story of a star hung in the sky, guiding a convoy of wise men on a voyage to see the newborn Savior.By Jeffrey Dean Smith

In Pastor Jeffrey’s latest message, we explore four powerful moments in Scripture where angels interact with humans. While not all of these encounters take place during the events surrounding the birth of Jesus, they each point to the heart of Christmas and the hope we celebrate during this season. As you listen, expect to hear how each angelic enc…

It's Christmas, Y'all! As we kick off our Christmas series, we turn to Psalm 46:10, a powerful reminder for us all as we enter this season of Advent. In a world that often feels chaotic and uncertain, this verse invites us to pause, reflect, and find peace in God’s presence. Join us as we explore how this timeless scripture speaks to our hearts and…

"I really don’t want to give the impression that I think it is easy to make predictable, controlled, safe interventions in wild systems where there are many species interacting. I don’t think it’s easy, but I don’t see any reason to think that it’s impossible. And I think we have been making progress. I think there’s every reason to think that if w…

One OpenAI critic calls it “the theft of at least the millennium and quite possibly all of human history.” Are they right? Back in 2015 OpenAI was but a humble nonprofit. That nonprofit started a for-profit, OpenAI LLC, but made sure to retain ownership and control. But that for-profit, having become a tech giant with vast staffing and investment, …

As Pastor Jeffrey brings to a close what has been a most remarkable journey From Fear To Freedom, we study Moses’ final moments on earth and unpack scripture to truly understand how he shall be remembered.By Jeffrey Dean Smith

"I think stories are the way we shift the Overton window — so widen the range of things that are acceptable for policy and palatable to the public. Almost by definition, a lot of things that are going to be really important and shape the future are not in the Overton window, because they sound weird and off-putting and very futuristic. But I think …

In all the disappointments Moses faces in his journey, we see that none are as heart-wrenching as the moment when Moses forfeits being able to take this final step out of the wilderness and into the land promised to the people of God. Listen as we reflect on the weight of this pivotal moment and see that, with God, it is never too late to become th…

"I think one of the reasons I took [shutting down my charity] so hard is because entrepreneurship is all about this bets-based mindset. So you say, “I’m going to take a bunch of bets. I’m going to take some risky bets that have really high upside.” And this is a winning strategy in life, but maybe it’s not a winning strategy for any given hand. So …

Everyone has a “thing”. And those who eventually admit their “thing” are those who find freedom on the other side of surrender. After eleven months in our From Fear To Freedom series, we unpack Moses’ “thing” that is the veracity that prohibits him from ever stepping foot into the land God promised to Abraham under the stars so very many years ago.…

With kids very much on the team's mind we thought it would be fun to review some comments about parenting featured on the show over the years, then have hosts Luisa Rodriguez and Rob Wiblin react to them. Links to learn more and full transcript. After hearing 8 former guests’ insights, Luisa and Rob chat about: Which of these resonate the most with…

As we studied the tenth and final Commandment, we see it is conceivably the most instructive and, too, the most devastating of all the Commandments God spoke to the nation of Israel, because this Commandment, above all other nine Commandments, addresses the most intimate and inner manner of the heart.…

"In that famous example of the dress, half of the people in the world saw [blue and black], half saw [white and gold]. It turns out there’s individual differences in how brains take into account ambient light. Colour is one example where it’s pretty clear that what we experience is a kind of inference: it’s the brain’s best guess about what’s going…