Good Books Big Questions

Why Some Books Stay With Us Forever | Caitlyn Carlson, Olivia Eldredge

In our last episode of Season 2, we take you to the 2026 Festival of Faith and Writing at Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Michigan. In amongst the book tables and hubbub, host Karen Stiller sat down with NavPress editors Caitlyn Carlson and Olivia Eldredge to talk about how book ideas are selected (Spoiler: it’s not about platform); why NavPress leans into the harder questions of faith; and what makes a book successful. And the answer to that question might surprise you. 
Caitlyn Carlson is a senior acquisitions editor at NavPress. Olivia Eldredge is the editor for Eugene H. Peterson’s Message Bible line at NavPress.
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The views and opinions expressed in this recording do not necessarily reflect the positions of NavPress or The Navigators.

You Can’t Just ‘Move On’ From Trauma | Mary DeMuth

“An untold story never heals. It just festers.” That’s one of the big motivations Mary DeMuth offers us for reexamining and then sharing our life stories with each other. In her 2026 book Restory Your Life: How Jesus Reframes Your Past, Rewrites Your Present, and Redefines Your Future, DeMuth invites readers to use storytelling techniques, such as conflict, climax, and denouement – a fancy word for conclusion – to help us sort through the past and find God in the midst of it all. In sharing our stories, she says, we end up helping each other and deepening our friendships.
Mary DeMuth is the author of more than 50 books. She is a literary agent, international speaker, and host of the Pray Every Day podcast.
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Please let us know what you think of the show. Our email address is goodbooksbigquestions@gmail.com And don’t forget to follow, rate and review the show.
The views and opinions expressed in this recording do not necessarily reflect the positions of NavPress or The Navigators.
 

Can You Question Your Faith Without Losing It? | Marty Solomon

There are all kinds of negative terms to describe the process of re-examining what it means to be a Christian: Deconstruction. Exvangelical. A crisis of faith. What if we approached this more positively? Marty Solomon says deconstruction can be a vibrant, beautiful, and compelling reconstruction process. Solomon and Reed Dent’s 2026 book The Gospel of Being Human: How Asking Better Questions of the Bible Reveals Who We Are invites readers on a journey of curiosity. In this conversation, host Karen Stiller and Solomon discuss things like how curiosity makes us better; what the Bible says about life before death and not just life after death; why Jesus had to die; and, of course, how to respond to the deconstructors we know and love.
Marty Solomon is the President of Impact Campus Ministries and the host of the BEMA podcast.
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Please let us know what you think of the show. Our email address is goodbooksbigquestions@gmail.com And don’t forget to follow, rate and review the show.
The views and opinions expressed in this recording do not necessarily reflect the positions of NavPress or The Navigators.

Christian Burnout Is Real—Now What? | Ben Espinoza

Self-care sometimes gets a bad rap. It sounds entitled. But seriously bad things can happen when we don’t take care of ourselves. Ben Espinoza’s new book Good News about Self-Care: How Nurturing Your Soul, Your Self and Your Sanity Honors God is meant for a general audience. Everyone can benefit. But this is a conversation about what happens when pastors ignore self-care. The consequences can be devastating, not just for pastors and their families, but for congregations and the wider Church.
Ben Espinoza is the Lead Pastor of Riverstone Church in western New York.
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The views and opinions expressed in this recording do not necessarily reflect the positions of NavPress or The Navigators.

The Secret to Better Conflict Conversations | Heather Thompson Day

If you’ve ever been bullied you know how crippling it can be. After it happened to her daughter London, Heather Thompson Day and London wrote a children’s book called Can I Sit Here? They wanted to give other kids the words to name bullying for what it is and encourage adults to take it more seriously. But this conversation quickly moves into how to identify and respond to bullying whether you’re a child or an adult; how to communicate with people who may hate you; and how to truly pray for our enemies.
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The views and opinions expressed in this recording do not necessarily reflect the positions of NavPress or The Navigators.

Can Christians Become More Loving Again? | Derwin Gray

Where has Derwin Gray had conversations about Jesus? A coffee shop. A golf course. An NFL dressing room. But many Christians don’t do that. This pastor and former NFL defensive back wrote a  book called Lit up with Love: Becoming Good News People to a Gospel Starved World. It’s not so much about evangelism, as about becoming a person who overflows with good news. If you don’t always feel you’re overflowing with love or if you cringe at the thought of talking about your faith, this conversation might be especially for you. 
Derwin L. Gray is an author, speaker, Lead Pastor at Transformation Church, podcaster and former NFL player.
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Let us know what you think of the show. Our email address is goodbooksbigquestions@gmail.com And don’t forget to follow, rate and review the show.
The views and opinions expressed in this recording do not necessarily reflect the positions of NavPress or The Navigators.

How Do You Read the Bible When Faith Feels Complicated? | Olivia Eldredge

Why does the world need another Bible marketed at women? That’s a question Olivia Eldredge, the Editor of The Message Women’s Devotional Bible asked herself. She grew up in the era of “purity culture” and was deeply dissatisfied with much of the Christian content created for women. “It ignores questions I had about Scripture,” she says, “hard questions about how women are mistreated and portrayed.” The introduction to this new devotional Bible bravely declares: “This would be a no-holds-barred project. No question silenced. No difficult topic given shallow treatment. We would name hard things.” And it does. This is a Bible that includes content warnings before stories of rape and abuse. The devotionals by women, like this conversation with Olivia, wrestle with hard questions and come away with hopeful answers. 
Olivia Eldredge is the Editor for The Message Bible from NavPress.
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Where Is God When Life Falls Apart? | Dominique Young

Why is it that in life’s worst moments God can feel so distant? That’s where this conversation with author Dominique Young begins. She knows what it’s like to feel forgotten by God. But Dominique has also discovered that if we look for God’s character, we may be surprised where we find it. Her book, God, Where are you? invites readers to honestly wrestle with our deepest hurts and failures, and live a more transparent and authentic life before God and with each other.
Dominique Young is an author, speaker and Bible teacher.
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Let us know what you think of the show. Our email address is goodbooksbigquestions@gmail.com And don’t forget to follow, rate and review the show.
The views and opinions expressed in this recording do not necessarily reflect the positions of NavPress or The Navigators.

Can Christians Survive Political Polarization? | Mark DeYmaz

If you follow the news, it’s hard not to become outraged by one group or another. Perhaps most discouraging for Christians is how they themselves are sometimes viewed as hateful. How did the world’s greatest love story become associated with hate? That’s where Mark DeYmaz starts his new book Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace. Using St. Francis’ Peace Prayer as a framework, he describes practical ways to respond to the polarization happening in our society and in our churches. 
Mark DeYmaz is a pastor at Mosaic Church of Central Arkansas. If you’d like him to lead a book study or seminar on peacemaking, contact Alison at alison@mosaix.info
Visit GoodBooksBigQuestions.com to catch up on all episodes.
Let us know what you think of the show. Our email address is goodbooksbigquestions@gmail.com And don’t forget to follow, rate and review the show.The views and opinions expressed in this recording do not necessarily reflect the positions of NavPress or The Navigators.

Season 2 Trailer

Season 2’s ad-free episodes are full of bold, loving and sensible conversations about faith. Fifteen episodes drop weekly on Mondays in March and April 2026.
Good Books Big Questions is a NavPress podcast where conversations about books open the door to bigger conversations about life and faith. 
Hosted by Karen Stiller—author of Holiness Here: Finding God in the Ordinary Events of Everyday Life (NavPress, 2024) and The Minister’s Wife: A Memoir of Faith, Doubt, Friendship, Loneliness, Forgiveness and More (Tyndale House, 2020, and an author known for her transparency.
We'd love to hear your feedback. Email us at goodbooksbigquestions@gmail.com
The views and opinions expressed in these recordings do not necessarily reflect the positions of NavPress or The Navigators.