The Man in the Pew Show with Phil Mershon

Do you find it easy or hard to laugh at life? The bible says laughter can be like medicine to the soul.

A study conducted by the University of Maryland found that laughter reduces stress, pain, and conflict. It literally makes the heart function better.

The Bible references laughter nearly 50 times. Laughter makes the heart cheerful and helps us cope with the unexpected., In Genesis 18, Sarah laughed when God promised somethin...

If I looked at your bookshelves, who would I presume has had the biggest influence on your life?

Thankfully the number of books you own by an author doesn’t necessarily translate to impact—otherwise, you might think John Grisham is my mentor. I do love a good fast-moving legal thriller, but I don’t plan to go into law or to write novels.

Outside of fiction and bible commentaries, you would find more books by Dr. Larry Crabb on ...

Do you think it’s wrong to make money? Have you been taught that those who prosper financially must have done something wrong or evil?

Ray Edwards believes that we were all meant to prosper. For some our prosperity is a spiritual abundance that is accompanied by a vow of poverty. Most of us are called to greater prosperity than we’ve dreamed, but we’re afraid to pursue it because of faulty beliefs.

Introducing Ray Edwards

While...

Are you afraid of your imagination? Do you imagine you’ll get yourself into trouble if you dream too much?

The church and imagination

The Church has historically discouraged imagination out of a fear that we will violate the second commandment, “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below” (Exodus 20:4 NIV).

This fear is somewhat merited. Many t...

You’ve heard the phrase, “Fake it ‘til you make it.” Does that apply to gratitude? Does that feel inauthentic to you? Maybe even like you’re lying?

Raised as a Christian, I was taught to never lie. So to suggest that I fake gratitude feels counter to my moral fabric. 

But researchers suggest that faking it may actually be a good strategy.

Dr. Alex Korb is a neuroscientist at UCLA and the author of The Upward Spiral. He expla...

Did you grow up singing the Doxology every Sunday in church? If you did, what associations do you have? If you didn’t, how do you feel when you hear it?

In many liturgical churches, the Doxology is sung immediately prior to the offertory. In essence, we remind ourselves to “Praise God, from whom all blessings flow” before we return our gifts to him.

Whether the singing of the Doxology feels natural or arcane to you doesn’t real...

How easy is it for you to keep your thoughts thankful, positive, and joyful? When Paul challenges us to “take captive every thought,” does that feel hard or easy?

If you’re like me, that feels impossible. My mind feels like that commercial with the cat-herding cowboy. As soon as I take one thought captive, all the other thoughts go scattering in all directions.

Of course, it’s not like that all the time. On good days I can sust...

What’s the longest range goal you’ve ever set? Did you accomplish your goal? Most of us lose the battle for gratitude because we don’t have the right plan.

Long-term battle plans

In England, they estimate it takes 250 to 300 years to build a cathedral. That’s a lot of planning and preparation.

At New College, Oxford beetles infested the oak beams in the dining hall. Trying to find replacement beams seemed impossible, except t...

Have you ever started a project only to find it feels pointless or a waste of time? Have you ever quit something just because it became too hard?

I have a confession to make. I almost quit this 90-Day Gratitude Challenge on day 80.

Why I almost quit the 90-Day Gratitude Challenge

On Day 72 my wife woke me in the middle of the night with some very troubling news. But I couldn’t comprehend what she was saying because I had taken ...

Do you feel appreciated at work? Do you know how to show appreciation to your co-workers?

Dr. Paul White and Dr. Gary Chapman did research to understand how the way we speak to one another at work makes a difference in the workplace culture. The result was a new work called The Five Languages of Appreciation.

In this episode, I walk through some of the things Dr. White learned and how we can help our companies become more grat...

Have you ever received inauthentic gratitude or praise? How does that contrast with receiving authentic thanks?

We raise our children to say please and thank you, but it’s obvious when they don’t mean it. As they mature they learn to play the part and it becomes harder to tell if they mean it or not.

Dr. Paul White recently told me a story about a seminar he led for business leaders. The discussion turned to the importance of ...

When you approach God, how do you think about Him? Do you find it easy to thank him or does it feel like something you’re supposed to do?

When I was younger I saw God like a cosmic Santa who doled out gifts at his discretion. I wasn’t sure how Jesus and salvation fit into the equation, but I knew I wanted all the good stuff God promised.

As I grew older and saw God perform miracles, I grew in amazement at his power, his mercy, ...

Do you know how to worship God? Sounds like a silly question, especially in a series on gratitude. But this is a vital question, “Do you really know how to worship?”

Seventy years ago A.W. Tozer lamented that Christians had more resources for knowing about God than ever in the history of the Church. Yet, worship had become a ritualistic program. Twenty-five years ago, James Boice lamented that the problem had become even worse.

Do you ever find it hard to focus and think clearly? Does it feel like your brain is a chaotic mess?

On day 31 we discussed the power of thankful thinking and how to make that a habit. Today I want to look at how our minds become chaotic and how we can use deep thinking to become more thankful.

This issue became very personal for me recently. My family received some news that triggered a spark of chaotic thinking that quickly ...

Do you spend time thinking about your mortality? If you do, does it fill you with gratitude?

If you’re like most modern Christians, you spend as little time as possible thinking about death. Unless you’re an estate planner, pastor, doctor, or mortician, you likely don’t spend a lot of time even thinking about mortality. Our youth-driven culture keeps us in the constant pursuit of life through technology and science.

Todd Billin...

Do you ever find yourself ruminating over poor decisions you’ve made? Perhaps you become anxious over what might happen or what could have happened, and it makes you fearful.

I’ve experienced this recently. It feels like a fog envelops your mind and you can’t escape the negative thought cycles. A friend described it as a huge snowball that keeps gaining momentum as it rolls downhill—like an avalanche of thoughts. The only way to ...

Do you appreciate your life? What if you had a heart attack?

In this episode, I talk to Jackie Bledsoe about his near-death experience with a heart attack. We explore the profound role that gratitude plays in the recovery process.

The heart attack

At the age of 43, Jackie had a massive heart attack, known as a “Widowmaker.” He thought he could be dying and saw God orchestrate the lives of seven people to be at the right place ...

Does it sometimes feel like God is severely punishing you? How do you respond when you are under duress?

Psalm 118 shows us that the way forward begins with thanksgiving. As we gratefully remember God’s past deliverance, we can pray for God to save us today and look forward to our final day of salvation.

But let’s be honest, singing songs of thanksgiving when you’re under duress or when it feels like you’re being disciplined do...

Do you know how the compound effect works? How about compounding gratefulness?

Investment strategies based on wishful thinking usually end in greater debt and disappointment. For example, purchasing a daily lottery ticket will rarely result in enough winnings to even pay for that decision. But that doesn’t stop millions of dreaming of picking the “big one.”

Likewise, a diet strategy based on periodic fasts and challenges will u...