Back in the day, NHL player Jacques Plante wrote letters to a kid in Canada, giving him tips on the game. That kid grew up to be Sue Irwin’s husband. When she learned about this collection of letters, Sue decided to write a book about hockey safety. “Safety Stars” led to another sports book (this time about soccer) and now Sue has her first board book.

Hey There, Blue Bird, Why do you Chirp? Is a delightful story inspired by Psalm 145:10 which says, “All your works praise you, Lord; your faithful people extol you.” Brenda and I got to talk to Sue about her new book, her writing journey, what Time2Write is, and how important critique groups are.

They say never meet your heroes. But I made an exception. Bob Smiley has been making me laugh since I was a kid reading the Clubhouse Magazine. I’ve seen almost every standup special he’s made. But when I read Average Boy’s Above Average Year, I became an even bigger fan. Bob Smiley and Focus on the Family have created a brand that has exploded recently. Average Boy books, articles, and an award-winning podcast. Bob has seen a gradual change, as more families come to his comedy shows because they are Average Boy fans. In this episode, Brenda and I ask Bob questions about comedy, the writing process, and his super-secret trick to get into the mind of a 12-year-old boy. If you find my laugh annoying, I apologize. It’s in this episode a lot!

As a fourth-generation author, Daniel Blackaby knows a thing or two about legacy. His grandfather wrote the impactful book “Experiencing God.” Every Christmas break, Daniel re-reads the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Legacy and cultural impact are always on Daniel’s mind. Which is why he launched his website “The Collision.org” which features articles and podcast episodes about how to engage with pop culture from a Biblical perspective.

On this month's episode, Brenda and I got to sit down with Daniel and talk about his books, why Christians struggle to embrace fantasy, and why we must do more than just criticize culture: we must contribute. If you want to check out other episodes, just click here. You can listen to the whole conversation here, or on Spotify, Apple, or Amazon Music.