The RISE Leadership Podcast

What do you do with a book of the Bible that raises more questions than it answers? 
Cross Church is days away from starting a Sunday series on Job, and many of our small groups will be walking through it together. So Dr. Jeremy Dixon and Phil McMichael sat down with two professors from Cross Theological Seminary: Dr. Rob Futral, Professor of Biblical Studies and Leadership, and Matt Stewart, Vice President of Academic Affairs and Professor of Historical and Theological Studies. 
They cover who wrote Job and when, why the book is wisdom literature and not a blueprint for why we suffer, and what to do with Job’s friends, who say so many true things and still get rebuked by God. They also share how Job has met them personally in hard seasons of ministry. 
If you’re leading a group, parenting, or walking alongside someone who’s suffering this fall, this episode will help you read Job with more confidence and lead those conversations with more grace. 
Resources mentioned in this episode 
ESV Study Bible 
Douglas Sean O’Donnell, Job (ESV Expository Commentary) 
Charles Swindoll, Great Lives: Job — A Man of Heroic Endurance 
Skip Heitzig, The Bible from 30,000 Feet 
Ligon Duncan, When Pain Is Real and God Seems Silent 
D.A. Carson, How Long, O Lord? 
Samuel Whitaker, Job Explained 
Cross Church resources: Family Discussion and Small Groups / Group Guides in the Cross Church app 
Learn more about Cross Theological Seminary: crossseminary.com 
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Most of the Bible teaching at Cross Church doesn’t happen from a stage. It happens in small groups, kids’ classrooms, and student ministry rooms — led by Dream Team volunteers who have probably asked themselves, “Who am I to teach this?” 
Dr. Jeremy Dixon and Phil McMichael sit down with Dr. Chris Deitsch — Campus Pastor at Cross Church Pinnacle Hills and Professor of Biblical Exposition at Cross Theological Seminary — to talk about what it actually takes for ordinary people to handle God’s Word well.  
They talk about the three ditches lay teachers fall into (fear, casualness, and pride), what James 3:1 really means for volunteers, how much training you need, and a step-by-step way to prepare any passage. Chris also takes rapid-fire questions on what to say when you don’t know the answer, how to correct someone without shutting them down, how to teach hard passages, and how AI should — and shouldn’t — shape your preparation. 
Resources mentioned: BestCommentaries.com, Logos Bible Software, Bible Gateway, and BibleProject. 
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Luke Humphrey showed up at the University of Arkansas as a "good Christian kid" and was at his first college party within 48 hours. A few months later, sitting in a strip mall on Weddington at C3, he realized he knew about Jesus but had never surrendered his life to Him. 
Today Luke is the Discipleship Pastor at Cross Church Fayetteville. He's also one of the easiest people on our team to develop. In this episode, Jeremy and Phil talk with Luke about what it looks like to receive feedback without getting defensive, why humility has to come before growth, and how he defines discipleship in two phases: transformation and multiplication. Luke also gives practical next steps for anyone who wants to become more like Jesus, whether you're brand new to serving or have led a small group for 30 years. 
Whether you're on the Dream Team, a seminary resident, on staff, or leading at a network church, this one will help you take a hard look at how you grow and who you're pouring into. 
Want to start serving at Cross Church? Text SERVE to 479-343-8777. 
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Eleven years ago, Pablo Daut and his wife Flor moved from Spain to Northwest Arkansas to start a Spanish-speaking ministry inside Cross Church beginning with one couple and a cup of coffee. Cross Church Español has since grown to 1,000+ on a Sunday, and now a second campus is launching. Pablo, the Espanol Teaching Pastor, talks with Jeremy and Phil about the early years with no model to follow, losing five years of momentum to COVID, and the mentor in Argentina who taught him small-group multiplication. He also shares the tools behind the growth (Casas de Paz, Grupos de Vida, Invasion of God's Love), what leading bilingually has taught him about love and humility, and the Rogers launch.
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Buster Pray has served at Cross Church for almost 33 years — as worship pastor, as campus pastor at Pinnacle Hills, and now leading our Legacy Ministry. Along the way, he buried his father at 20, lost his son Andrew in a cycling accident the day before Thanksgiving 2012, and survived a heart attack seven years ago, all while leading at a high level.  
This episode isn't about frameworks or five-step plans. It's a conversation about what actually holds a leader together when life falls apart — how to grieve without faking it, how to show up for someone else's pain, and how real hope in heaven changes the way you lead on an ordinary Tuesday. 
Dr. Jeremy Dixon, Fayetteville Campus Pastor, and Phil McMichael, Executive Pastor, sit down with Buster to talk revival, tragedy, the "God factor," and 33 years of Cross Church and choosing to keep leading, keep following, and keep hoping. 
Mentioned in this episode: Courtney Pray Duke's book, And She Got Up: Shattered by Loss, Restored by Jesus — and Cross Church's Call to Lead Conference. 
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