Tell Me More: a 12Stone Church Podcast

As a church, we're kicking off 2020 with a commitment to prayer--something we're calling 21 Days of Prayer.  And while we continue to prep for season 2, we felt this conversation with Chris Morgan from August of 2019 is a perfect kickoff to this new season.  So if you're looking for a new start, or just a reminder of the power and relationship we have at our disposal, this is the perfect episode for you!  For more information on 21 Days of Prayer and to join with us daily, head to www.12stone.com/21days.  We'll be gathering in person and online for prayer from January 11th to January 31st.  Weekdays you can join us from 6-7am, and Saturdays we'll gather from 8-9am.   Jeff and Travis invite in Chris Morgan as they discuss his journey of growth, his college interaction with a “cult,” and explore how we don’t need to be scared of the Holy Spirit. On a scale of 1-10, the spiritual intensity of this episode is a 9, and the silliness is a 2. (Just an FYI) Tell us what you think!Travis.billman@12stone.comChris.morgan@12stone.com

In this final episode of Season One of Tell Me More, Travis travels back to his hometown in Indiana for a conversation with Pastor Phil Byars (Lead Pastor at First Baptist Church of Elkhart, IN). Phil and his wife Robin experienced a life-changing tragedy 4 years ago, when their daughter, Amanda Blackburn, was murdered in her home.  Travis sits down with Phil to talk about the past 4 years of grief, including how Phil’s conversations with God have changed,  how he and Robin have adjusted to the new normal and the ‘never agains,’ and how it took him 3 ½ years to realize he never really told God how he felt. We’ll be taking a break for the holidays to rest and plan for the future, but we plan on being back for a second season in 2020!  We’re so privileged to have all of you along for the ride, and we’re so grateful for all of you that listen!  Feel free to email us with suggestions of where you’d like us to go next year! Let us know what you think!Travis.billman@12stone.comJeff.semple@12stone.com

No pillow talk this week!  We dive right in as Michael Leahy is back with Travis and Jeff to discuss how parents can lead a conversation about sexuality and pornography with their kids. They discuss a generational change in the view of pornography, being safe people, and how it’s never too early to start talking about God’s plan for our lives.   https://setfreesummit.org/resources-and-tools/ is a great resource to find additional book on this topic.  Visit www.bravehearts.org for more information about the resources Michael referred to.  Or email Michael directly at: mleahy@bravehearts.org Email us and see if we still have free books left over!Travis.billman@12stone.comJeff.semple@12stone.com 

As you probably gathered from the title, this episode has some adult content that may not be appropriate for younger ears, as Travis and Jeff sit down with Michael Leahy fromwww.bravehearts.org, a ministry dedicated to helping individuals and families dealing with sexual addiction and sexual struggles. In this episode they talk about addicts versus strugglers, “betrayal trauma,” pillow talk, and a whole lot more.  If you or someone you love has been wrapped up in pornography or sexual addiction, we would HIGHLY suggest you check out www.bravehearts.org, and check out their Masterclasses and Virtual Summit coming in December.  Also, we’re planning on continuing the conversation in the next episode, so if you have questions you’d like answered, send them our way. All information will be kept confidential.  We know this is a sensitive topic, but we want to talk about things that are helpful to you! Send us your feedback!Travis.billman@12stone.comJeff.semple@12stone.com 

In this episode, Travis and Jeff went LIVE on Facebook and YouTube for a streaming conversation with family counselor Greg Smith from Still Water Counseling Center in Gainesville, GA.  They wrap up our parenting mini-series by talking about parenting rebellious kids, training versus controlling, and freaking out when your kids start dating. Find out more information about Greg and Still Water at:www.stillwatercounselingcenter.org Let us know what you think!Travis.billman@12stone.comJeff.semple@12stone.com

In this episode, Travis and Jeff sit down with the man himself, Senior Pastor Kevin Myers!! He wanted to sit down and continue some of the conversation from the October 27th teaching; so for this episode, we sit down for a discussion about authenticity vs transparency, generational values, and how Travis will be his boss one day. Settle in, because it’s a long conversation, but it could be a gamechanger for you! Let us know what you think!travis.billman@12stone.comjeff.semple@12stone.com 

For week 4 of our series on parenting we chat with young empty-nesters Miles and Jennie Welch for a parenting conversation ranging from having kids while still in college to establishing high love/high limits to how to manipulate your adult children. Seriously.  It’s really clever. We wrap up our parenting series with our very first live episode online coming up Sunday, October 27th at 3pm!  We’re talking with licensed family counselor Greg Smith from Still Water Counseling Center in Gainesville, GA; and we want your input!!  We’ll be taking your questions live on Facebook and YouTube, so connect with 12Stone on Social Media to join us! www.Facebook.com/12stonechurchwww.youtube.com/12stonechurch Let us know what you think!Travis.billman@12stone.comJeff.semple@12stone.comMiles.welch@12stone.comJennie.welch@12stone.com

For week 3 of our series on parenting we sit down for a conversation with Darryl and Kim Fussell, owners of Fussell Cake Company (www.fussellcakecompany.com), and parent of 6 (!) children.  This week we laugh. A lot.  We talk about fedoras, family gang signs, and establishing a family identity. Apologies ahead of time if we get a little loud and talk over each other! We have our first live episode online coming up Sunday, October 27th at 3pm!  We’ll be closing out the parenting series by taking your questions live on Facebook and YouTube, so connect with 12Stone on Social Media to join us!www.Facebook.com/12stonechurchwww.youtube.com/12stonechurch Let us know what you think!Travis.billman@12stone.comJeff.semple@12stone.com

For week 2 of our series on parenting we sit down for a conversation with Hasani and Danielle Pettiford, founders of Couples Academy.  This week we discuss empty-nesting, the “Book of Danielle,” coming back from the brink of divorce, and how great parenting is founded on a great marriage.  It might be handy to have a pen and paper ready for this one.  This couple drops some serious wisdom! If you’d like more information on Hasani and Danielle’s ministry, head to www.couplesacademy.org, where you can learn more about their group coaching and resources (like their book “The Audacity of Marriage”); or interact with them at www.facebook.com/couplesacademy. Another great resource for re-building or just enriching your marriage is a program called Re-Engage.  We have workshops at our locations at 12Stone Church, but you can find a workshop near you by heading to www.marriagehelp.org. Let us know what you think!Travis.billman@12stone.comJeff.semple@12stone.cominfo@couplesacademy.org

This is the start of a multi-week look into the art of how to not kill your kids (or your own marriage) before getting them to adulthood.  We kick things off with a discussion with self-proclaimed disciplinarians Ryan and Courtney Haworth; discussing things like balancing love and discipline; creating family identity, and crazy early bed-times. Let us know what you’d like to cover in the coming weeks!Travis.billman@12stone.comJeff.semple@12stone.comRyan.haworth@12stone.comCourtney.haworth@12stone.com

In this episode, Travis and Jeff have the privilege of taking a deep dive into the life and journey of sports commentator Ernie Johnson Jr., covering topics from meeting Cheryl and adopting kids with special needs, to trusting God equally through success and hurt, to learning to be still and watch the squirrels.  Do yourself a favor and listen to ‘Highlands (Song of Ascent)’ by Hillsong UNITED here: https://open.spotify.com/track/78bUGqKRoXN8kJY1AeWhzt?si=C2MBzGpSSFW4br1OvT0-yAhttps://music.apple.com/us/album/highlands-song-of-ascent-live/1469084743?i=1469084850 Find Ernie’s book ‘Unscripted: The Unpredictable Moments That Make Life Extraordinary’ wherever you purchase your books. (Honestly, the Amazon link was just crazy long, so go to Amazon and search for the title) Here’s our 4-week series involving Ernie Johnson Jr. including multiple clips of Ernie sharing more personal stories: https://12stone.com/watch/unscripted Connect with Ernie on Twitter:@TurnerSportsEJ Email us your thoughts!Travis.billman@12stone.comJeff.semple@12stone.com If you’ve enjoyed this episode, feel free to rate or review us!

Travis and Jeff sit down with Worship Pastor Cameron Glasper to talk about growing up a disenfranchised pastor’s kid, giving up on dreams, and being unorthodox.  Let us know what you think!Cameron.glasper@12stone.comTravis.billman@12stone.comJeff.semple@12stone.com

Travis and Jeff welcome in Steven and Natalie Melin for a conversation about 5th grade violinists, love without expectations, and the heart of a foster parent. If you’re interested in learning more about supporting those involved in foster care, connect with Promise 686 at www.promise686.org. If you’d like to learn more about the journey to becoming a foster parent, and live in the North Georgia area, head to www.families4families.cc, or head to www.childwelfare.gov/nfcad nationwide. Also, feel free to check out Steven’s podcast to hear more of his music and process!  Just search “The Steven Melin Audio Experience” wherever you listen to podcasts. We’d love for you to connect with us! Travis.billman@12stone.comJeff.semple@12stone.comSteven@stevenmelin.comNatalie.melin@12stone.com  

In this episode, Travis and Jeff sit down with Former Law Student-turned-Pastor/Entrepreneur Brian Bradford to chat about trying crazy stuff, building diverse relationships, and what his police administration class can teach us about the stages of faith. Let us know what you think!brianbradford@hotmail.comtravis.billman@12stone.comjeff.semple@12stone.com 

Renaissance-man Scott Mawdesley joins Travis and Jeff as they explore how mentoring, therapy and accountability helped Scott work through abandonment issues, insecurity and a lack of self-awareness.  Don’t worry, he also mixes it up with some good leather stories!  If you’re interested in learning more about the art of journaling, head to Scott’s website: www.writeoneline.com, where you can also find some of his luxurious hand-crafted leather journals!  They’re legit. We’d love to hear your feedback!Travis.billman@12stone.comJeff.semple@12stone.comScott.mawdesley@12stone.com 

Travis goes solo in this episode interviewing Mike and Jessie Martin, founders of Revival Hall Taproom (www.revivalhall.com).  They discuss the Martin’s journey of responding to God’s call to reach a city, while exploring topics like depression, trusting God’s calling, and selling the sofa when it doesn’t spark joy (which is a terrible idea). Connect with us on Instagram!@12stonechurch@travisbillman@jeffsemple@revivalhall 

Despite some technical issues, Travis and Jeff have a great conversation with their first 2-time guest, Donna Whitten, for an honest follow-up conversation on what spiritual endurance looks like through the lens being a single mom, experiencing the Big C, and dealing authentically with the grief of a lost spouse.Thanks for all the ratings and reviews! And sorry for the sound issues. We’re new to this. Connect with us on Instagram!@travisbillman@jeffsemple

Jeff and Travis invite in Chris Morgan as they discuss his journey of growth, his college interaction with a “cult,” and explore how we don’t need to be scared of the Holy Spirit. On a scale of 1-10, the spiritual intensity of this episode is a 9, and the silliness is a 2. (Just an FYI) Tell us what you think!Jeff.semple@12stone.comTravis.billman@12stone.comChris.morgan@12stone.com

Jeff’s back and we got big news!  Since it’s the end of Summer, we decided to pull a conversation from the vault, and let you in on our very first “dress rehearsal” conversation with Jonathan Maloney (@jonathanmaloney).  In this episode we talk adolescent awkwardness, The Last Samurai, and forgiving deep-seeded wounds. Let us know what you think!!Travis.billman@12stone.comJeff.semple@12stone.com 

Jeff is on vacation, so we decided to mix things up a bit!  Travis (@travisbillman) sits down for a conversation with Miles Welch about some of the unexplored seasons of faith.  Sometimes the church paints a very narrow picture of what growth and maturity looks like, and in this episode Miles shares a broader perspective on “Seasons of the Soul.” We talk about how we miss Jeff, stories of college heartbreak, how to worship in Winter.

Jeff and Travis welcome in Worship Pastor Lee Baker to talk about Louisiana customs, debating God’s nature and advice for when you don’t feel like worshiping. (With bonus footage of our thoughts on Hallmark Christmas movies!!) Share your thoughts with us on Twitter!Travis Billman: @travisbillmanJeff Semple: @jeffsemple Lee Baker: (He doesn’t use twitter because he’s actually cool)

Jeff and Travis welcome in the beautiful and talented Matt Mangum to give his perspective on 2 star reviews, being an actor, and how to love people who believe differently than you. You can catch the interview teaching with Doug Jones that Matt mentioned here:https://12stone.com/watch/do-something/week-3-doug-jonesAnd if you’d like to see the award winning “Dr. Bird Brain” you can view it here:https://vimeo.com/49196433. Share your thoughts with us on Twitter!Matt Mangum: @mattmangum2Travis Billman: @travisbillmanJeff Semple: @jeffsemple

Jeff (@jeffsemple) and Travis (@travisbillman) welcome in Donna Whitten to explore our worst jobs, failing vs being a failure, and how to persevere.  You can view the Put-Pocketing video that Donna referenced here: https://vimeo.com/76875947. Catch last weekend’s teaching atwww.12stone.com/watch. Thank you to all of you who have given us a rating or written a review!  You guys are so gracious!!

Travis and Jeff sit down with Madhur Dey for thoughts on authenticity, BBQ, and jacked up parenting.  Share your thoughts with us on Twitter:@travisbillman@jeffsemple@madhurdey Catch last week’s teaching at www.12stone.com/watch

Travis and Jeff invite in Heather Semple and Heather Mangum for female thoughts on masculinity, femininity and why boxes are annoying. Find Jeff and Heather’s marriage podcast atwww.jeffandheatherpodcast.com Share your thoughts with us on Twitter:@travisbillman@jeffsemple@hksemple@heathermangum Catch last week’s teaching at www.12stone.com/watch

An impromptu conversation with additional thoughts on the philosophy of masculinity. Share your thoughts with us on Twitter:@travisbillman@jeffsemple@jeremyepps Catch last week’s teaching at www.12stone.com/watch 

Travis and Jeff invite in Jeremy Epps for a discussion on getting into fights, raising sons, and their absurd obsession with being from Texas. Share your thought with us on Twitter:@travisbillman@jeffsemple@jeremyepps Catch last week’s teaching at www.12stone.com/watch

Jeff (@jeffsemple) and Travis (@travisbillman) kick off episode 1 with guest Jason Berry (@jdb8282), and talk about relationships, daddy issues, prayer and how bad Jeff is at giving gifts. Catch last week’s weekend teaching at www.12stone.com/watch

Welcome to Tell Me More: A 12Stone Church Podcast where Pastors Jeff Semple and Travis Billman tackle life and faith topics through casual, relaxed conversations with a new guest every week. We laugh a lot while exploring personal stories and hopefully providing a few illuminating moments along the way!