31 Dec Pastor’s Podcast kicks off new year with conversation about AI

I started a new podcast in April of last year and called it “Elisha’s Bears: Exploring Faith, Baptists, and the Bible. I didn’t exactly know what I was getting into, but it’s been a lot of fun and turned into a discipline for me.

The name of the podcast comes from a story found in 2 Kings 2 when Elisha is mocked by a group of youths for his baldness. Elisha responds by cursing them, resulting in two female bears coming out of the woods and mauling 42 of them! It was divine judgment for their disrespect of the prophet of God.

So, if you’ve seen me, then you can understand the appeal of that title! I had someone say how much he enjoyed how creative the podcast name is and asked how I came up with it. I simply said, “It was there!”

More to the point, I’ve enjoyed doing the podcast and appreciate those who are listening in and following it. I’ve had some interesting interviews and appreciate all the guests I’ve had on thus far. We’ve covered topics relating to Christian Nationalism, clergy burnout, church music, food insecurity in East TN, women in ministry, and church health–just to name a few. The first podcast episode of 2026 deals with AI and chatbots; it goes live on January 5th.

You can find the podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and iHeart Radio. Thanks for all who are following and I look forward to more conversations heading into the new year!–DC