Shows / The Shock Absorber
Episodes
- The Shock Absorber
Connecting generations when culture changes every 5 years
Culture shifts every five years, and the church often gets left behind. Joel, Stu and Tim unpack what it looks like for churches to navigate generational…
- The Shock Absorber
The bait & switch - Jesus isn’t the boring bit
What does it look like when youth ministry uses fun as a hook to get kids to sit through the Jesus bit, and is there a better way? Joel and Tim dig into a…
- The Shock Absorber
Not safe, but good: Aslan, Jesus and the true myth
The trailer for Greta Gerwig’s Magician’s Nephew just dropped. They dig into what C.S. Lewis was really doing in Narnia, why Tolkien’s “true myth” argument was…
- The Shock Absorber
Are podcasts good for the church?
We make a podcast. Are podcasts actually good for the church? Joel and Tim are joined by Ryan, a theology student whose college project has taken him and his…
- The Shock Absorber
Not 1976, Not 1826: Faithful discipleship for 2026
The books on the podcast studio shelf sparked a wide-ranging conversations on the Shock Absorber this week. John Stott's Issues Facing Christians Today (the…
- The Shock Absorber
Custodians of culture: Why deep loyalty makes church better
What's the difference between someone who turns up to church and someone who is genuinely committed to it? And how do you build a community where the deeply…
- The Shock Absorber
Strength and beauty: Francis Schaeffer and the church that captivates
Francis Schaeffer hoped the church would be a thing of strength and beauty. Stu isn't sure his friends would have used those words to describe the churches…
- The Shock Absorber
The sound of rebellion: Rock 'n' roll, the gospel and the movement the church needs
Rock and roll didn't come from nowhere. It came from the blues, which came from the gospel songs sung in the fields during slavery. It crossed the Atlantic…
- The Shock Absorber
New wine, old wineskins: How movements change everything
Total Football didn't come from nowhere. It came from a culture in revolt: Dutch teenagers with nowhere to go, smoke bombs at a royal wedding, a movement that…
- The Shock Absorber
From Consumer to contributor: What a third place church actually asks
Most people experience church the way they experience a concert. Someone produces the event. You turn up, participate passively, evaluate the quality, go home…
- The Shock Absorber
Subversive spaces: Why the church needs more than a service
What if the most countercultural thing a church could do was have a lounge? Joel, Stu and Tim are into theme four of Stu's PhD - alternative Christian shared…
- The Shock Absorber
Friendship is an ecclesial category
Jesus didn't call his disciples servants. He called them friends. And Stu thinks that matters more for how we do church than most ecclesiology conversations…
- The Shock Absorber
Deeper than just community
People came to Soul Revival because of relationships. But relationships weren't enough to keep them. Something deeper had to happen. Joel, Stu and Tim continue…
- The Shock Absorber
Enhanced Christianity
Joel, Stu and Tim open with the cultural curiosity of the Enhanced Games, and what it reveals about why manufactured greatness never quite works, before…
- The Shock Absorber
What we've lost
Every technology gives you something. Every technology takes something away. The problem is we're usually so focused on what we gain that we don't notice what…
- The Shock Absorber
The thick relational ecosystem - why we need youth ministry more than ever
Seth Kaplan's article on the After Babel Substack reads like a secular argument for why youth ministry matters. Joel and Tim trace the arc from 1950s street…
- The Shock Absorber
Relational and responsive
Last episode was the intangibles. This is the tangibles. Joel, Stu and Tim open with the Met Gala, a $1 bill across Sarah Paulson's eyes, and whether…
- The Shock Absorber
Organised messiness - An element of grace beats efficiency every time
Is efficiency a godly value? And if the Good Shepherd leaves 99 sheep to find the one, what does that say about how we should be running our churches? The guys…
- The Shock Absorber
Jesus is the synthesiser
Tony Abbott wrote a history of Australia called, wait for it, Australia. Tim has been reading it, which sent him down a rabbit hole about celebratory versus…
- The Shock Absorber
School, church and the home: Who's actually responsible for your kids' faith?
Every Christian parent has felt the tension. Do you send your kids to a Christian school? They're plugged into kids church right? The faith formation is…
- The Shock Absorber
Is it all a laugh?
Is banter just harmless fun — or is something deeper going on beneath the surface? Joel, Stu and Tim open with Easter reflections, including JoelChristian…
- The Shock Absorber
Stop making church more like the world. Build this instead...
Most churches have spent the last sixty years trying to lower the cultural barriers to Christianity. Clean car parks. Professional music. Seeker-sensitive…
- The Shock Absorber
Is boring people with the Bible a sin?
Jim Rayburn, the father of modern youth ministry, said it was a sin to bore a kid with the gospel. Joel, Tim and Stu work through a sharp distinction from a…
- The Shock Absorber
Don't let them hate Jesus because of you
Half of kids surveyed say their parents should be worried about their screen time. Jonathan Haidt thinks he missed something big in his own book. And Meta…
- The Shock Absorber
A new movement: Re-launching The Shock Absorber network
Joel, Stu and Tim are relaunching the Shock Absorber Network, and this episode explains what it is, why it matters and how you can be part of it. Ministry was…
- The Shock Absorber
With or against the grain of God's design
Everyone's chasing the algorithm. More clicks, better thumbnails, optimised titles, short-form funnels. So what does a Christian do with all of that? Joel and…
- The Shock Absorber
Life and loyalty with Jesus
Richard Dawkins likes Christmas carols. Tom Holland calls himself a Christian. Robert Greene thinks religion is great for transcending the banality of social…
- The Shock Absorber
Have we forgotten about friendship?
Most churches have got the small group and the Sunday service figured out. But there's a whole layer of community that's gone missing, and it might be why…
- The Shock Absorber
He has the right to tell me how to live
Tim and Joel are back for 2026 with a conversation about authority, hierarchy, and authentic relationship with Jesus. It starts with parenting, authoritarian…
- The Shock Absorber
Peace guards our hearts
Recorded five days after the Bondi terrorist attack, Tim reflects on the strange providence of preaching about peace the morning before the attack. His sermon…
- The Shock Absorber
Movements always happen and Christians are always in the middle of them
With Stu traveling and Tim unwell, Joel brings in the super-subs, Ethan and Brayden, to tackle the 6-7 meme and what it tells us about internet culture, and…
- The Shock Absorber
God is not a God of efficiency
Joel reclaims the hosting chair from Tim (who did a great job, but still...). They start off by debating favourite movies, why Tim can't finish The Godfather…
- The Shock Absorber
What we want to be
In this Joel-free episode (don't worry, he's just away), Tim, Stu, and Ethan dive deep into what makes Soul Revival's approach to church distinctive—and why it…
- The Shock Absorber
Jesus frees us to experiment in ministry
If you woke up in a third-world jail cell with one phone call, who would you ring to get you out? That person has high agency—the ability to get things done…
- The Shock Absorber
Are churches giving tacit approval to be exclusive?
Are our churches unintentionally approving exclusivity? Stu, Tim and Joel dive deep into the research behind Stu's PhD on the Shock Absorber, youth ministry…
- The Shock Absorber
Infringing on our individuality is good for us
Our culture tells us that independence is everything — but what if true flourishing happens when we give some of it up? Joel and Tim explore how commitment to…
- The Shock Absorber
We’re not struggling with over-commitment to church
Joel and Tim explore what it means to live and raise children as elect exiles in a world with different values. They reflect on social media, culture, and the…
- The Shock Absorber
Preparing for God to grow us, and be ready if He does
Joel and Tim explore Soul Revival Church’s 2025 Planning Day — and how the church can prepare for God to grow them, being ready if He chooses to do that. They…
- The Shock Absorber
Are we still exiles?
Joel and Tim return from a short break to wrestle with a timeless question — are Christians today still exiles? Drawing from 1 Peter, they explore what it…
- The Shock Absorber
If you’ve got good news, you want to share it
MINI-SERIES: World — Mission Is for Everyone Mission doesn’t just belong to a few — it’s everyone’s call. Joel, Tim, and Jai continue the service team…
- The Shock Absorber
Don't expect people to know the culture of your church
MINI-SERIES: Welcoming — Don’t Expect Them to Know Welcoming doesn't just happen on accident. ---------------- Joel, Tim, and Jai continue our mini-series on…
- The Shock Absorber
The missing piece in your digital ministry | Joel's talk at VCA Conference
The Missing Piece in Digital Ministry: Churches Skip Strategy Between Theology and Practice In the final episode of our mini-series on Communications, Joel…
- The Shock Absorber
Tech is a tool drawing people into community
Incarnate church is the main thing — digital ministry is second, and it should always intentionally draw people into gathering together. In this episode of our…
- The Shock Absorber
It's not a mistake: God made us to be incarnate beings
MINI-SERIES: Communications Service Team — Strategy Stu, Tim, and Joel discuss why church communications need strategy. Drawing on Andy Crouch and Jay Kim…
- The Shock Absorber
If we were meant to fully grasp God, we wouldn't need Him
“If we were meant to fully grasp God, we wouldn’t need Him—exploring faith, wonder, and dependence.” With Stu out sick, Tim and Joel take a break from their…
- The Shock Absorber
The Gospel is controversial in a media saturated world
Stu, Tim, and Joel explore the theology of communication, from the Sydney Sweeney ad controversy to how Christians can share the gospel wisely in a…
- The Shock Absorber
Making lasting memories together
Why Soul Revival go away for a whole week as a church. Joel, Ethan and Jai share why Soul Revival Church spends five whole days away together each year at Week…
- The Shock Absorber
God's word simplifies things
MINI-SERIES: Part 5 on the Practice of Arts: Word ministry In this episode, Stu, Joel and Brayden why God's word remains central to everything Soul Revival…
- The Shock Absorber
BONUS: Tim's trip to Intergenerational Ministry Conference
In a short break from our Arts service team series, we hear about Tim's trip to Kentucky to present and be part of the Intergenerational Ministry Conference…
- The Shock Absorber
Servant minded tech ministry
Brayden and Joel are joined by Jamie who makes his first appearance on the podcast as they continue our mini-series on the Arts Service Team at Soul Revival…
- The Shock Absorber
Pointing to God's word
SERVICE TEAM MINI-SERIES: Practice of Arts (Music) Brayden and Joel continue our mini-series on the Arts Service Team by diving into the practice of music…
- The Shock Absorber
How we serve together in Arts
SERVICE TEAM MINI-SERIES: Strategy of Arts Joel, Stu and Brayden begin with a light-hearted yet thoughtful conversation about how music listening has changed…
- The Shock Absorber
Arts is about serving
SERVICE TEAM MINI-SERIES: Theology of Arts Stu, Joel, and guest co-host Brayden (Soul Revival’s Arts pastor) explore the significance of the Arts service the…
- The Shock Absorber
Cultural memory in a forgetful age
Starting with a quick take on “Italian brain rot” (yes, it’s a real AI meme phenomenon), Joel and Tim quickly shift into a deeper critique of internet culture…
- The Shock Absorber
Christianity is a movement, not a machine
Stu, Tim and Joel hosts dive into a discussion sparked by Stu's recent visit to Texas, where he observed the strong sense of identity, friendliness, and open…
- The Shock Absorber
The gap between practice and identity
Is Christianity really in decline — or is something deeper happening beneath the surface? In this episode, the guys take a break from their recent mini-series'…
- The Shock Absorber
How to "Small Groups"
MINI-SERIES: The Practice of Community Groups The episode opens with a quick sidestep into Fantastic Four before diving into Joel’s latest read, The Death and…
- The Shock Absorber
The power and purpose of small groups
MINI-SERIES: The Strategy of Community Groups Joel, Tim, and Joey take a deep dive into the strategy of community groups, exploring how different churches…
- The Shock Absorber
Better at growing when we're with others
MINI-SERIES: The Theology of Community Groups. While Stu is away, Joey joins Joel and Tim to chat about the Theology-Strategy-Practice of Community Groups…
- The Shock Absorber
What is your go to authority? - Live Berea tutorial (Part 2)
MINI-SERIES: Part 2 of our sneak peek of Berea as Stu continues the first tutorial from the Berea Internship. Churches may share the same faith, but their…