The Boundless Show
Focus on the Family
- 59 minutes 24 secondsGive This Up for Lent: Episode 892
A challenge to ditch your screens, plus a conversation on sexuality and the church, and when your friend says she’s bisexual and a Christian.
Featured musical artist: Je’kob
Roundtable: Join Our Screen Fast
In anticipation of Lent, our friends at Plugged In have teed up a screen fast. Wanna join? If taking a break from digital devices including your smartphone, tablet, TV and gaming console sounds challenging (work exceptions are OK), then this fast may be for you. Two Plugged In team members plus our friend Georgia join us for an honest assessment of our own screen usage and what it might look like to pause for a week and prioritize the real world.
Take The Technology Addiction Assessment
Link to Bring Your Bible’s Instagram Page
Culture: Discussing Sex in Church
Sex is a difficult topic to talk about — especially at church. But the Bible has a lot to say about it, and sadly, sexual sin doesn’t stay outside the church walls. Ellen Dykas is single and part of a ministry dedicated to conversations and restoration around sex, including addiction. She talks with us about how the church can champion a healthy and biblical framework for sexuality and how it can offer healing to the sexually broken.
Rethinking Sexuality: God’s Design and Why It Matters
Inbox: When a Christian Friend Says She’s Bisexual
If your friend is dating the same gender but still claims to be a Christian, how do you respond? Jeff Johnston weighs in.
6 March 2025, 7:00 am - 57 minutes 12 secondsWedding Planning Hacks: Episode 891
Plan your wedding like a boss, plus Ellen Dykas on navigating lifelong singleness, and how to see God at work in a culture of negativity.
Featured musical artist: Darlene Zschech
Roundtable: How to Plan a Wedding
Weddings are big business, and the pressure to have a “perfect” day is real. To make it all happen, many couples invest thousands of dollars and months of preparation. Is the effort worth it? According to experts, what deserves your time and money, and what doesn’t? What are some things to have in mind as you sort out the details? What parts of the planning should the groom-to-be have a say in or take over altogether? How can you make the day meaningful and God-honoring? Our panel of two professional wedding planners plus one engaged (and overwhelmed) guy shares first-hand experience in making your day memorable and manageable on all fronts.
Ready to Wed: 12 Ways to Start a Marriage You’ll Love
Culture: Fruitful Singleness
Ellen Dykas has been in ministry most of her life, first in international missions and now in leadership for an organization devoted to sexual wholeness. Oh, and she’s in her late 50s and single. She details her journey in singleness, including the pressure to be married, how she finds purpose every day, what’s tough and what’s great about being single, what it’s like to be a leader alongside men in ministry — and much more. Next week she’ll be back to talk about sexuality and the church!
Inbox: Fighting Negativity
When you’re surrounded by negativity and darkness in today’s world, where can you look to see God at work? Counselor Jerry Jones weighs in.
27 February 2025, 7:00 am - 57 minutes 1 secondGen Z and Dating Apps: Episode 890
Overcommitment on church activities, plus Suzanne Gosselin on Gen Z’s apathy toward dating apps, and what if your date has mental health issues?
Featured musical artist: Jeremy Rosado
Roundtable: Church Involvement Overload
Sunday services. Volunteering. Helping others throughout the week. Not to mention Bible study, small group, committee meetings and discipleship. If you aren’t careful, doing good and even “godly” activities out of guilt can lead to burnout. Besides, if you’re always at church, what do you do about your neighbor and others who don’t know Christ? To help us find equilibrium, our guests share how they’re learning to pause, prioritize and even cut back on their commitments to find joy in what God actually wants from them and for them.
Culture: A Young Adult Exodus From Online Dating
In the early 2000s online dating sites were brand new, and heading into the 2010s and beyond, increasing numbers of couples credited digital connections for helping them find their spouse. But the latest statistics indicate Gen Z is ditching online dating apps. Boundless friend and contributor Suzanne Gosselin shares insight on why young adults aren’t as prone to swipe right as older generations.
True Love Dates: Your Indispensable Guide to Finding the Love of Your Life
Dating Apps Lose Popularity Among Gen Z
Inbox: Dating and Mental Health Issues
Is it possible to have a good dating relationship if you or your significant other struggles with depression, anxiety, or other forms of mental illness? Counselor Joannie DeBrito joins us to answer.
20 February 2025, 7:00 am - 55 minutes 20 secondsBest Rom-Coms and Romantic Movies: Episode 889
Our favorite romantic films, plus the history of St. Valentine and Valentine’s Day, and attending the wedding of someone you used to date.
Featured musical artist: Daniel Bashta
Roundtable: Best Movies for Valentine’s Day
Do you have a go-to film for Valentine’s Day? Do you prefer a rom-com or an epic romance or period drama? To help you celebrate February 14th, our panelists duke it out over the all-time best movies about love and romance. Listen in to see if your favorite makes the list and hear our opinions on what makes for a great love-centric storyline.
Culture: Will the Real St. Valentine Please Stand Up?
Where did the Valentine’s Day traditions of flowers, romantic cards and heart-shaped candies come from? It started with St. Valentine, a real person with a fascinating story. To help separate truth from legend, historian Bill Petro shares facts, fiction and legacy around the Roman priest and the holiday that shares his name.
Turning Points: Decisive Moments in the History of Christianity
Inbox: Attending the Wedding of Someone You Dated
What if you’re invited to the wedding of someone you used to have feelings for? What if it was someone you actually dated? A counselor offers advice.
13 February 2025, 7:00 am - 52 minutes 2 secondsIs Purity Dead?: Episode 888
Encouragement when your home life isn’t ideal, plus hope for single parents, and are Christians still committed to God’s standard for sex?
Featured musical artist: David Dunn
Roundtable: Love Where You Live
What’s your current living situation and how do you feel about it? You may live by yourself, with roommates, your parents, or a married couple or family. Whatever the circumstances, each situation has pros and cons. Our panelists have lived in a variety of settings and with different types of people. They discuss lessons they’ve learned along the way as well as tips for staying encouraged and making the most of where God has you right now, even if it’s not ideal.
Culture: The Single Parent Path
Tez Brooks got the news nobody wants when his first wife left him. His divorce was both an emotional low and a spiritual wake-up call. In the years following, he navigated life as a single dad — raising two kids, adjusting to a new normal, embracing church and community in a new way, and healing relational wounds. Now remarried, Tez shares encouragement and strategies for single parents who feel overwhelmed, plus advice for trusting God when your life is turned upside down.
The Single Dad Detour: Directions for Fathering After Divorce
Inbox: What Happened to Sexual Integrity?
Our listener is frustrated that almost none of his friends are obeying God’s Word when it comes to sex. What are the implications, and is it right to care? Counselor Geremy Keeton weighs in.
6 February 2025, 7:00 am - 57 minutes 37 secondsClear Communication: Episode 887
How to communicate to others with honesty and clarity, plus tips for adulting well, and addressing a struggle with OCD.
Featured musical artist: Nathan Tasker
Roundtable: Say What You Mean
You’re trying to plan an event, but you can’t get anyone to RSVP. You know you have to turn someone down, but you don’t want to hurt their feelings. You started a text trail with a friend, and now they’ve gone MIA. Sound familiar? Why is it so hard to initiate, commit, respond, be honest — all the things that are hallmarks of mature communication? Our guests discuss the importance of following up, showing up, and speaking up honestly in our relationships. There’s a reason the Bible says, “Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil (Matt. 5:37). Together we can learn how to do better, starting with this conversation.
Culture: How to Be an Adult
At 19, Tez Brooks took a leap of faith and moved 1,000 miles away from home. He soon had a rude awakening that being an adult is no easy task; he couldn’t even do his own laundry. Now the author of “Adult-o-Nomics,” a fun yet practical guide to mastering life skills, Tez addresses our need to take responsibility, master necessary tasks, relate to the opposite sex, and more.
Adult-o-Nomics: How to Nail It On Your Own
Inbox: A Christian Approach to OCD
Our listener admittedly wrestles with OCD and is looking for help from a Christian perspective. Counselor Tim Sanford weighs in.
30 January 2025, 7:00 am - 58 minutes 12 secondsBeware of Ghosts: Episode 886
The perils of ghosting, plus a fitness coach’s God-centered approach to health, and should you get married if you’re poor?
Featured musical artist: Aaron Shust
Roundtable: Alternatives to Ghosting
“I’ve been ghosted!” It’s a common complaint among daters, but it happens in friendships and other contexts as well. Whether you’re guilty of ghosting or have been on the receiving end of this annoyingly passive “dump,” we’d all agree there are better, kinder, and healthier ways to end a relationship, say no, and move on. Our guests disclose their own confessions and frustrations around ghosting, and offer alternative solutions for these awkward junctures in relationships.
Culture: Putting God in Your Fitness
If your January fitness goals have already been jettisoned, maybe it’s time to take a different approach. Professional fitness coach Kim Dolan Leto thinks one of our biggest diet and exercise mistakes as Christians is not inviting God into the process. But does God care about workouts and weigh-ins? What can Kim possibly be talking about? Far from a shame-based, effort-intensive plan, Kim’s approach to getting healthy is grounded in Scripture and a holistic view of how God designed our bodies to work. If you’re tired of white-knuckling your fitness goals only to fail yet again, this conversation deserves a listen.
Fit God’s Way: Your Bible-Based Guide to Food, Fitness, and Wholeness
Inbox: Can I Get Married if I’m Poor?
Culture tells us we need to be financially secure before adding marriage to the mix. Is that true, or can you get married even if you’re poor? Counselor Joannie DeBrito weighs in.
23 January 2025, 7:00 am - 57 minutes 53 secondsBuild Your Confidence: Episode 885
What confidence looks like, plus a young adult’s journey with chronic pain, and how to honor God in everyday life.
Featured musical artist: Mosaic MSC
Roundtable: Confident Relationships, Work and Identity
What is confidence, and how do you get it? It’s probably more than Julie Andrews dancing around a Salzburg fountain and chirping, “I have confidence!” Yet it seems that some elements of confidence can be learned, if not merely wished into existence. Our guests share tips for being more confident on the job, in relationships, and in understanding who you are.
Culture: Young Adults and Chronic Pain
Olivia Feller started having weird symptoms in her teens. Doctor after doctor failed to provide a diagnosis, cure, or even relief, and eventually Olivia’s pain became debilitating. College was a blur of medical appointments, skipped classes and missed milestones and events. Olivia, still on her journey, learned to face pain and chronic illness head-on as she turned to the only one with the answers — God himself. She shares what worked, what didn’t work, and how God, friends and others were her strength when she had none.
Hold Hope: Encouragement for Christians with Chronic Pain
Inbox: How Do I Honor God?
What does it mean to “honor God” and others in the life we live and the choices we make? It’s a big question that one of our counselors sheds some light on.
16 January 2025, 7:00 am - 54 minutes 24 secondsRethinking Alcohol: Episode 884
The difference between rest and procrastination, plus a challenge to go 40 days alcohol-free, and do girlfriends need to submit to their boyfriends?
Featured musical artist: Danen Kane
Roundtable: Are You Resting or Procrastinating?
When you’re working hard to reach new goals, it’s important to pace yourself and not burn yourself out. But can you tell the difference between true rest and straight-up procrastination? Our guests share their best insights on when it’s time to take a break versus when it’s time to get off the couch and get busy.
Culture: The Case for Sobriety
Christy Osborne had long been a casual drinker, but when her mother died, she became alcohol-dependent. Her downtime, social time and vacation time revolved around booze. Although Scripture isn’t absolute on the issue of drinking in moderation, Christy knew that alcohol had become central to her life. She explored what sobriety might look like: how it would affect her health, relationships and mindset. Now a sobriety coach, Christy joins us to share her journey and suggestions for making an objective assessment of our relationship with alcohol.
Inbox: Should a Woman Submit to Her Boyfriend?
Scripture tells wives to submit to their husbands. In dating, does that same principle apply between women and their boyfriends? Counselor Brenda Huerta weighs in.
9 January 2025, 7:00 am - 55 minutes 55 secondsNew Year Transitions: Episode 883
Embracing changes in a new year, plus what grief looks like, and do you hate responsibility?
Featured musical artist: Ginny Owens
Roundtable: New Year, New Opportunities
A new job. An engagement. Starting a dating relationship. Moving to a new place. One of the beauties of life is the chance to grow, try new things, and step into adventure. But with change comes a whole new set of challenges. To share wisdom on getting through adjustments you’ll make this year, our guests discuss what lessons they’ve learned through life’s transitions.
Culture: The Process of Grief
Grief comes in many forms. Whether death, injury, disappointment or betrayal, grief often arrives unannounced and without an instruction manual. Rather than progressing in a straight line or on a specific timetable, grief moves in cycles. At least that’s what counselor and educator Dr. Ray Mitsch says. The victim of a serious accident that has him in constant pain, Dr. Mitsch walks us through how to navigate the different components of grief, how to comfort the grieving, and when to know it’s time to get professional help in processing loss.
The Seasons of Our Grief: Embracing the Journey
Inbox: I Don’t Like Responsibility
Being a grownup means taking responsibility for everything from life skills to decisions to how we treat others. That doesn’t mean it’s easy, though. If you’re responsibility-averse, you’ll be encouraged by the words of counselor Jeff Brown.
Article: Adult Before 30?
2 January 2025, 7:00 am - 51 minutes 10 secondsThe Nightmare After Christmas: Episode 882
Intentional relationships with non-Christians, plus what happened after Jesus’ birth, and when friends deconstruct their faith.
Featured musical artist: James Peden
Roundtable: Out of the Christian Bubble
Many of us have at least one friend, family member or coworker who’s not a Christian. But if we’re honest, we tend to spend most of our time with other believers; between family, church, ministry opportunities and small group, it’s easy to stay in a faith-filled comfort zone. What are intentional ways to mix it up, branch out, and get out of the Christian “bubble”? Our guests discuss ways they’ve learned to step out of their routines, build community, and be a light for Christ.
Culture: First Christmas, Then Herod
If you were part of our Advent text experience, you heard regularly from John Greco. This week he reflects on lessons he’s learned from his extensive study of Advent, and why it’s good for Christians to think of the Christmas story in the bigger context of history. To that end, he’ll read a short excerpt from his book “Rediscovering Christmas” titled “The Nightmare After Christmas.”
Rediscovering Christmas: A Twelve-Day Journey to the Manger
Inbox: When Friends Leave the Faith
How do you respond when a friend announces, “I’m done being a Christian”? One of our counselors weighs in.
Article: When a Pastor Like Josh Harris Abandons Christianity
26 December 2024, 7:00 am - More Episodes? Get the App