Monday Morning Phone Call Podcast

We first aired this episode in October 2020 and it is surprisingly still very applicable to our current political environment. We live in a country where our Gospel-identity is challenged by our political system. With heightened cultural stress about an election we find ourselves being weighed down by fear or misplacing our hope in a political candidate. How do we navigate this tension and remain true to our identity in Christ? Paul Joslin, Teaching Pastor at Waterstone Church, and Dr. Mark Young, President of Denver Seminary, take on this important conversation.

To conclude our season on deconstruction we invited licensed counselor, Mark LaFleur, to join the conversation. Mark has walked this path with many of his clients and is able to give a little insight on how we can meet someone in their journey of deconstruction and offer a safe place to process. Guest: Mark LaFleur, for contact information, visit www.marklafleur.com

Deconstruction around suffering often happens because our theology and lived experience do not match up. Why would a loving and good God allow so many terrible things to happen in the world? Paul, Alyssa and Larry take on this challenging topic and talk about their own experiences. Sources: This Too Shall Last, by KJ Ramsey “There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark.” - Stephen Hawking, Stephen Hawking Was an Atheist. Here’s What He Said About God, Heaven, and His Own Death, com Summary of Job, The Message Bible, by Eugene Peterson Peace is a Practice, by Morgan Harper Nichols A Grace Disguised, by Jerry Sittser Where is God Where it Hurts? by Philip Yancey Community Groups: GriefShare, Divorce Care, Overcome – org

In this episode Paul, Alyssa, and Larry discuss and deconstruct the cultural system of patriarchy and look to see how this hierarchy of power has been reinforced by mainstream Christianity. As followers of Jesus what does the Bible say about gender? And are there expectations of our roles within society? Listen and join the conversation today! Notes: Google Dictionary: Patriarchy The Biblical Narrative, by Robert Alter The Making of Biblical Womanhood, by Beth Allison Barr Paul and Gender, by Cynthia Westfall “Holding your power and using your resources in service of others.” John Dickson, Humilitas

What is the meaning behind Jesus’ death and resurrection? Christians believe that Jesus’ sacrifice reconciled the relationship between humankind and our creator, God. However, it is not quite that simple. Over thousands of years, theologians and followers of Jesus have tried to articulate this nuance through metaphors, emphasizing some aspects of Jesus’ sacrifice over others. In this conversation, we aim to dissect the different theories of atonement and bring clarity to the larger picture of the gospel. Notes: “Toxic forms of substitutionary atonement” in Love Wins, by Rob Bell Amazing Grace, Kathleen Norris The Bible Project podcast Movie: Ransom (1996) Chronicles of Narnia, by C.S. Lewis Cur Deus Homo - Why God became man A Community Called Atonement, by Scott McKnight Atonement Theories Penal Substitutionary Atonement Moral Influence Theory, Augustine Ransom Theory Satisfaction Theory of Atonement, Saint Anselm of Canterbury Christus Victor Kaleidoscopic Perspective, by Joel B. Green in The Nature of Atonement Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis The Crucifixion, by Fleming Rutledge Passion of the Cross, by Ronald Rolheiser The Cross of Christ, by John Stott

If you grew up in the church in the ‘90s, you probably experienced purity culture—it was the church’s response to the increasing promiscuity in society. Unintentionally, purity culture caused significant harm and didn't fully capture God’s heart towards sex and individual value. In this episode, we share what we believe to be a more biblical view of sex and relationships. We hope you enjoy the conversation. Notes: I Kissed Dating Goodbye, by Joshua Harris BarlowGirl True Love Waits WayMaker, by Ann Voskamp "However well-intentioned purity culture might have been, it was also guilty of gross errors. It made Christian purity a function of sexual history and behavior, not spiritual rebirth. It saddled women with the responsibility for male lust and failed the victims of sexual abuse. Further, it made unqualified promises of marriage, children, and great sex to everyone who pledged to wait." Jen Pollock Michel in Don’t Overstate the Rewards of Sexual Faithfulness. Don’t Understate Them Either. Christianity Today Live No Lies, by John Mark Comer Rethinking Sex: A Provocation, by Christine Emba The Joe Rogan Experience, Guest Russell Brand "What if women are fully human divine image-bearers who should be treated as persons with eternal dignity, rather than sex objects who exist primarily to tempt men and/or satiate men’s appetites? And what if we treated them as such? And didn’t tolerate anyone who does otherwise?" - Emily Hunter McGowin, Theologian, Twitter God of All Things: Rediscovering the Sacred in an Everyday World, by Andrew Wilson The Intentional Father, by Jon Tyson The Great Sex Rescue, by Sheila Wray Gregoire and Rebecca Gregoire Lindenbach Waterstone's Counselor Referral Network

Is the Bible trustworthy? Is the Bible true? Scripture has been misused and abused, so deconstruction of the Bible often centers around these two questions. In this episode, we discuss what the Bible is, and how it might apply to our life today. Notes: "The faithful testimony of the faithful." - J.I. Packer, Knowing God Judah & Tamar, March 27, 2022, Paul Joslin How to Read the Bible, The Bible Project How (Not) to Read the Bible, by Dan Kimball The Reason for God, by Tim Keller Alpha Course at Waterstone

This season Paul Joslin, Larry Renoe, and Alyssa Frisbie are pulling apart Christian beliefs and talking about the process of deconstruction. They're covering the most questioned topics within Christianity (atonement, purity culture, patriarchy, suffering, etc.) and dissecting Scripture, in hopes that it will help all of us better understand what we believe. Notes: Jacques Derrida: the father of the idea that language is derivative Stages of Faith: The Psychology of Human Development and the Quest for Meaning, by James Fowler The Critical Journey, Stages in the Life of Faith, by Janet Hagberg and Robert Guelich Faith After Doubt, by Brian McLaren

Today, we're having the uncomfortable conversation about living our life in pursuit of comfort. It seems that our culture has bought into the idea that an easy life is a fulfilling life. When we dig a little deeper we have some questions and wonder...

In this episode we're exploring our tendency to obtain or keep power. Whether this power is within our jobs, relationships, or socio-economic status we are hard-wired to strive for it. Then, once we have it, we tend to approach life out of fear of...

In this episode we're exploring the big “C” Church and our emphasis on marriage and families. It seems that we've defined the ultimate fulfillment of the Christian life as getting married and having a family rather than advancing God's kingdom and...

This season of the Monday Morning Phone Call podcast we're exploring the effects of having too much of a good thing. Here in the U.S. we live in a culture that pulls our attention by encouraging us to be independent, strive for personal success...

Today, our final episode of this season based on fear, we're discussing an epidemic – not of Covid necessarily, but of loneliness. It's known that more and more Americans are feeling lonely and that was before we were told to social-distance and...

In today's episode we’re discussing a fear that wreaks havoc in our society and prevents us from achieving unity and peace with one another. The fear of other is generally being afraid of someone who is different than us or is part of a group...

The first two episodes of this season we addressed fear of death and fear of government corruption –- two types of fear that stem from being afraid. In this episode we’re pivoting and discussing the fear of God. The type of fear that is displayed...

According to Chapman University’s survey of American Fears, this one has topped the list for several years in a row. As a culture we have been increasingly skeptical of the information provided to us from the White House and mainstream media, and...

Today on this episode we are beginning a new season. A season all about fear. We live in a fear-driven society and it is the motivation to so many of our decisions. Why is that? As people of faith we are told 365 times – a time for each day of the...

In this episode Waterstone pastors, Larry Renoe and Paul Joslin, discuss the recent presidential election with hopes to provide a pastoral voice and space to process the past two weeks.

Waterstone’s Lead Pastor, Larry Renoe, interviews Dr. Scott Klingsmith, who is the Assistant Professor of Intercultural Studies at Denver Seminary and also has over 35 years of missions experience overseas. Scott brings a global perspective to our...

Today we hear from Waterstone's Lead Pastor, Larry Renoe, and Teaching Pastor, Paul Joslin. Their conversation doesn't tell you WHO to vote for but HOW, and recognizes the tension that we encounter when filling out our ballots.

We live in a country where our Gospel-identity is challenged by our political system. With heightened cultural stress about an election we find ourselves being weighed down by fear or misplacing our hope in a political candidate. How do we navigate...

What is justice and how is it described in the Bible? In this last episode of Season 1, Paul is joined by Nick Lillo, the founding pastor of Waterstone Community Church.There's a lot of conversation about this topic in our culture today about...

The spiritual world is oftentimes described in very vague terms. Perhaps it’s that God’s presence and spiritual beings such as angels and demons cannot be seen that the belief and understanding of their existence is rarely discussed and often...

It’s hard to listen to a sermon or even share a prayer request with a friend without hearing some phrase that exists within Christian circles, but does not really exist in the world outside of Christianity. Have you ever experienced one of these...

This week, host Paul Joslin is joined by Elliot Campbell and Madison Campbell. Elliot serves as Waterstone's Student Ministry Director and Madison is Waterstone's Connections Pastor. Today, we cover a topic that most people would rather...

Host, Paul Joslin is joined by Nick Lillo, founding pastor of Waterstone. Today they cover a topic of faith that just does not seem to go away and has been a lightning rod in our churches and our culture for almost 100 years: Origins and the Bible.