🎙️ In this episode of The Stark Difference, we talk with Dr. Beth Allison Barr—James Vardaman Professor of History at Baylor University and best-selling author of Becoming the Pastor’s Wife.

Dr. Barr shares candid reflections on her calling to ministry and academia, the unspoken pressures on pastors’ wives, and how women in the church can—and should—set healthy boundaries.

🕓 Highlights

• 5:35 – Dr. Barr's call to ministry and graduate education

• 13:11 – Stories from life as a pastor’s wife

• 17:52 – A sneak peek into Becoming the Pastor’s Wife and how the role is historically recent

• 30:53 – Boundaries in ministry and how pastors' wives can (and must) say “no"

• 50:55 – A word to male pastors on how empowering women also lightens their load

• 53:02 – Why church history isn’t optional—and why your ministry depends on understanding it
  

In this episode of The Stark Difference, Cheryl Temple and Dr. Andres Garcia sit down with Darin Griffiths, Vice President of Counseling Ministries at South Texas Children’s Home (STCH) Ministries.

With humor, humility, and spiritual depth, Darin shares how God called him away from farming and into counseling—and how that call sustains him in the emotionally intense world of mental health ministry.

Key Moments:

• [9:14] – The moment God interrupted his farming plans and called him into ministry.

• [19:14] – Realizing clients aren’t “crazy”—they’re just like us, and they sit in our pews.

• [27:20] – When pastors should refer to counselors: protecting both the shepherd and the flock.

• [40:35] – What to do when you don’t know what to do.

• • [52:45] – How to discern a genuine call to counseling—and why not everyone is meant for it.

  
  

  To learn more about STCH Ministries, visit https://www.stchm.org/

In this episode of The Stark Difference, we sit down with Dr. Carmen Joy Imes, Associate Professor of Old Testament at Biola University's Talbot School of Theology.

Dr. Imes traces her journey from a missions-focused college student to her current role as an Old Testament professor and scholar. She also offers thoughtful guidance on engaging difficult Old Testament passages and reflects on the church’s call to live as a family.

Highlights:

• [7:00] Unexpected path from missionary work to Old Testament scholarship.

• [14:00] Wrestling with women’s roles in ministry and what changed her understanding of the topic.

• [30:00] How to engage hard biblical texts like Canaanite violence and divine justice.

• [46:00] Sneak peek into her upcoming book Becoming God’s Family: Why the Church Still Matters and why community is central to Christian identity.