The 'Digging Deeper' Podcast goes All-In on Christian Endurance

Dig with us and find the gems.

Recently, my husband Carl and I joined Jeff Norris and Laura Story Elvington on Perimeter Church’s Digging Deeper podcast to talk about Christian endurance - the main theme of this Substack.

It was incredibly refreshing to talk with these two saints about the value of connecting with the global church under fire. I’m always willing to talk about Christians - past and present - who have to apply their biblical theology and ethics on the fly and in faith. Having the time to think through Christian endurance is a luxury that Christians in the freer world often take for granted!

We had a rich conversation that traced through the training we’re offering to the pews through the Ellis Global Research Project (EGroup), and at the seminary level at the Edmiston Center for Christian Endurance Studies through RTS Atlanta. Jeff focused in on something that’s always forefront in my mind and heart, the deeper call for believers—especially those of us in Western contexts—to engage with the global body of Christ in meaningful, soul-shaping ways.

We talked about how the Church, in every age and place, is called to reflect the heart of God by living on mission—even when that mission leads through hardship, persecution, or cultural obscurity. My last Substack article shared the idea that endurance isn’t just a survival mechanism; it’s a witness. The faithfulness of believers under pressure speaks volumes about the truth of the gospel and the sufficiency of Christ. And yet, in the U.S., we often miss this. We’ve been formed in a context where faith has long enjoyed cultural favor, and because of that, our theology of suffering—if we’ve developed one at all—can be thin. The erosion of that cultural favor, however, is exposing this gap. It’s time to recover a theology robust enough to carry us through.

One of the key questions we explored on the podcast was how we—American believers in particular—can begin to see the global Church not as an object of charity or fascination, but as our teachers. Our siblings in Christ across the world, many of whom live under threat or marginalization, are not only enduring—they’re flourishing in ways that challenge and stretch us. Their stories, their theological depth, their resilience in Christ, even their mistakes and missteps under pressure (hey, none of us is perfect except Jesus, right?) - all of their experiences are gifts to the whole body. And yet, we often overlook them because they don’t always fit the narratives or categories we’re accustomed to. But when we slow down to listen, we hear the heartbeat of the same Spirit who is shaping and sustaining them—and calling us to deeper faith in the process.

Around the podcast’s the 37:00 mark, you’ll hear me talk about a kind of ‘spiritual analgesia’ in parts of the Western Church that I want to see beaten—we’ve grown numb to any suffering that isn’t ours, or isn’t defined as ‘the fellowship of Christ’s suffering.” But prayer can restore that sensitivity. Not just “thoughts and prayers,” but informed, specific, consistent prayer that brings nations and communities before the throne of grace. Start by picking a country. Pray for the believers there. Read about what they’re facing. Let it change your view of the Church.

We also spent time rethinking what it means to be the Church in culture. Are we merely countercultural, pushing back against the excesses of society? Or are we something altogether other—a new creation shaped by the kingdom of God, not the political or ideological winds of our age? The difference matters. If our identity is anchored in Christ, then our engagement with culture, mission, and endurance flows from that foundation—not from fear or tribalism.

With the EGroup training and in the Edmiston Center courses, we’re asking how theologies of endurance have been shaped historically—how believers have made sense of suffering and how they’ve responded, whether under Roman oppression, Communist regimes, or today’s subtle and overt pressures that bring us into the fellowship of Christ’s suffering - specifically for his name’s sake. We believe this is a conversation the Church needs now more than ever, and we want to invite you into it.

So I hope you’ll take a listen to the podcast. Reflect. Ask questions. Then let’s keep talking. What does it mean to endure well? What would shift in your own theology if it were shaped by those who sing and suffer with joy? These aren’t abstract ideas—they’re deeply relevant, and they’re meant to shape how we live, love, and labor in Christ’s name.

Let’s keep walking this out together.

Underground Rising is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.