Past Guests of the Men in the Arena Podcast

Kyle Idleman is the senior pastor at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky, one of the largest churches in America. On a normal weekend, he speaks to more than 30,000 people spread across 14 campuses.More than anything else, Kyle enjoys unearthing the teachings of Jesus and making them relevant in people’s lives. He is a frequent speaker for national conventions and influential churches across the country.Kyle and his wife, DesiRae, have been married for over 25 years. They have four children, two sons-in-law, and recently welcomed their third grandchild. They live on a farm in Kentucky, where he doesn’t do any actual farming.

Lee Strobel, former award-winning legal editor of the Chicago Tribune, is a New YorkTimes bestselling author whose books have sold millions of copies worldwide. Leeearned a journalism degree at the University of Missouri and was awarded a FordFoundation fellowship to study at Yale Law School, where he received a Master ofStudies in Law degree. He was a journalist for fourteen years at the Chicago Tribune andother newspapers, winning Illinois’ top honors for investigative reporting (which heshared with a team he led) and public service journalism from United PressInternational. Lee also taught First Amendment Law at Roosevelt University. A formeratheist, he served as a teaching pastor at three of America’s largest churches. Lee andhis wife, Leslie, have been married for more than fifty years and live in Texas. Theirdaughter, Alison, and son, Kyle, are also authors.

With more than 150 million products in print, Max Lucado is known for combining poetic storytelling and homespun humor with the heart of a pastor. His trade books all begin as sermon series at Oak Hills Church, and his sermons all start with Max asking himself this question: “What can I say on Sunday that will still matter on Monday?” He’s been dubbed “America’s Pastor” by Christianity Today, “The Best Preacher in America” by Reader’s Digest, and the “Ted Lasso of Pastors” by the Dallas Morning News. Max Lucado has penned more than 40 works of adult nonfiction, standing alongside dozens and dozens of bestselling children's books, gift books, Bible studies, commentaries, and collections. His books have been published in 56 languages worldwide and regularly appear on bestseller lists, including The New York Times, Publishers Weekly, and USA Today.