Podcasts about Ministry

What does the gospel of peace have to do with spiritual warfare?In Episode 11 of "The Good Fight," Duane Sheriff teaches on spiritual warfare by focusing on the third piece of armor described in Ephesians 6. Believers are to have their feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. This peace is very different from the counterfeit peace the world offers. It does not mean avoiding conflict, ignoring evil, or compromising truth to keep the peace.The gospel of peace is the good news that God has made peace with us through the blood of Jesus Christ. The enemy wants people to believe that God is angry with them, against them, or unwilling to forgive them. But believers cannot fight an effective spiritual battle while believing God is their enemy. Knowing that God is for us, not against us, gives us confidence to stand against guilt, condemnation, and the enemy's lies.As believers, we are called to carry this message of reconciliation into a world held captive by lies about God. Discover how the gospel of peace becomes both a foundation for standing firm in spiritual warfare and a powerful message that helps bring others out of darkness and back into relationship with God.

How do you know if God is calling you into ministry? Ray, E.Z., Mark, and Oscar, along with John Harris, explore the weight of handling God's Word and the distinction between being called to serve and being called to vocational ministry. The guys begin by challenging the sacredsecular divide, reminding listeners that faithfulness is not limited to pastors, missionaries, or employees of Christian organizations. Every believer is called to glorify God in the work already before them. Rather than waiting for a title or position, Christians should begin by faithfully serving where God has placed them and allow any future ministry role to grow out of that obedience.The conversation then turns to how a calling often becomes evident through faithful service. The guys share that their paths into ministry began with preaching, discipling, evangelizing, and serving long before a formal position came along. A desire for ministry should be accompanied by a genuine love for God's people, a burden for the lost, and gifts already being exercised within the local church. They encourage listeners to start small and seek counsel from mature believers. A calling should first be tested locally, where character, service, and spiritual fruit can be seen.From there, the guys address both the dangers and rewards of ministry. Pride, money, and the desire for recognition can easily distort a person's motives. At the same time, opposition and hardship are unavoidable for those who faithfully serve Christ. Ministry is service, not a platform, and those who pursue it should expect their faith to be tested. Yet few privileges are greater than preaching God's Word, building up His people, and proclaiming the gospel. The guys encourage those considering ministry to remain rooted in a local church, depend deeply on prayer, and honestly examine whether the burden to serve Christ endures even when the work is difficult and unseen. Finally, the conversation offers a framework for discerning vocational ministry through calling, capacity, competency, character, and affirmation from the local church. Giftedness alone is not enough if spiritual fruit and godly character do not grow alongside it. The guys warn against rushing into ministry for identity, reminding listeners that their identity is already secure in Christ. Whether or not a formal position ever comes, believers can continue serving God in their homes, churches, neighborhoods, and workplaces. Faithfulness in small things is never insignificant, and true ministry begins long before anyone receives a title.Send us Fan MailThanks for listening! If you've been helped by this podcast, we'd be grateful if you'd consider subscribing, sharing, and leaving us a comment and 5-star rating! Visit the Living Waters website to learn more and to access helpful resources!You can find helpful counseling resources at biblicalcounseling.com.Check out The Evidence Study Bible and the Basic Training Course.You can connect with us at podcast@livingwaters.com. We're thankful for your input!Learn more about the hosts of this podcast.Ray ComfortEmeal (“E.Z.”) ZwayneMark SpenceOscar Navarro

New Gospel Bracelet – You can change people's lives by sharing the Good News of Jesus. These bracelets are a simple and clear way to do that. They've been used as an evangelism tool for nearly 200 years! For this bracelet, each of the 5 colors stand for a single word which gives a starting point to tell part of the Gospel story. Red is for blood – the blood of Jesus's death on that cross takes away our sin. White is for purification – Jesus did not stay dead. And just like Jesus came back to life, God can make us new people without sin. Green is for growth – just like you grow up as a human, you grow in your new spiritual life in Jesus. And last, but certainly not least, gold is for heaven – Jesus's people will be with Him forever. In heaven, there will be no more pain, no more sadness, and no more sin. Thank you for stepping out in faith to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Each bracelet comes with a description card and check out the video below for deeper explanations behind each color. Get one for you and a friend!    Use the coupon code: RADIOGIFT for free shipping! *Limit two per person* Click here to receive today's free gift on the Radio Page --------Thank you for listening! Your support of Joni and Friends helps make this show possible. Joni and Friends envisions a world where every person with a disability finds hope, dignity, and their place in the body of Christ. Become part of the global movement today at www.joniandfriends.org. Find more encouragement on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube.

Have you ever wondered if God really hears the prayers of His people when the world seems to be falling apart? Or how the strange imagery of Revelation 8 would have been understood by the first Christians who knew the Old Testament Scriptures? On this week's episode of Real Talk Christian Podcast, Chris Fuller walks through Revelation 8, exploring the seven trumpets, the prayers of the saints, and the powerful connections to the Exodus, the prophets, and the Day of the Lord. Grab your favorite hot beverage and join us as we dive in.   //Resources Used In This Episode// Revelation 8, Revelation 5, Revelation 6, Revelation 7, Revelation 4, Revelation 8:1, Habakkuk 2:20, Zephaniah 1:7, Revelation 8:2, Luke 1:19, Matthew 18:10, 1 Kings 22:19, Isaiah 6, Exodus 19:16, Joshua 6:20, Joel 2:1, Revelation 8:3–5, Psalm 141:2, Luke 1:10, Revelation 6:9–10, Ezekiel 10, Ezekiel 1, Psalm 18, Mark 1:14–15, Colossians 2:15, Revelation 8:6, Revelation 8:7, Exodus 9:23–25, Exodus 7:14–25, Exodus 7:20–21, Joel 2, Genesis 1, Romans 8:19–22, Ezekiel 38–39, Revelation 8:8–9, Jeremiah 51:24–25, Exodus 7, Daniel 7, Revelation 18, Revelation 8:10–11, Revelation 1:20, Jeremiah 9:15, Jeremiah 23:15, Exodus 15:22–25, Revelation 8:12, Isaiah 13:9–10, Joel 2:10, Matthew 24:29, Exodus 10, Ezekiel 32:7–8, Joel 3:15, Amos 8:9, Revelation 8:13, Deuteronomy 28:49, Hosea 8:1, Isaiah 5:8, Isaiah 5:11, Isaiah 10:1, Matthew 23:13, Matthew 23:14, Matthew 23:15, Matthew 23:16, Matthew 23:23, Matthew 23:25, Matthew 23:27, Matthew 23:29   //Other Episode You Might Enjoy// https://realtalkchristianpodcast.com/episodes/298-revelation-6-the-opening-of-the-seals/ https://realtalkchristianpodcast.com/episodes/297-revelation-the-lamb-and-the-scroll/ https://realtalkchristianpodcast.com/episodes/296-revelation-7-hearts-of-7-churches/ https://realtalkchristianpodcast.com/episodes/295-revelation-think-again/ https://realtalkchristianpodcast.com/episodes/142impending-evil-how-do-we-handle-the-last-days-a-look-at-2-timothy-31-5-part-1/   // Helpful Links // https://www.youtube.com/@realtalkchristianpodcast The Christian Standard Bible: https://csbible.com Lifeway Christian Resources: www.lifeway.com Got Questions?: www.gotquestions.org Dwell Bible App: https://dwellapp.io Cross Formed Kids from Ryan Coatney: https://www.crossformedkids.com RTC Quick Links: https://linktr.ee/realtalkchristianpodcast RTC Online: www.realtalkchristianpodcast.com Twin Valley Coffee:  https://www.coffeehelpingmissions.com Revive festival : Music Festival | En Gedi Music Fest | Leonidas, MI (myrevivefest.com) Let Them Live: https://letthemlive.org South Side Baptist Church - https://www.southsidesbc.org/ Hope Coffee - https://hopecoffee.com/ Isaiah 6 Ministry - https://linktr.ee/isaiahsix?utm_source=qr_code

Your Past Is Not Your Future—STEP INTO WHAT'S NEXT | Blessed Morning Prayer To Start Your Day SUBSCRIBE to catch all the latest prayers uploaded to the Daily Effective Prayer Podcast! For more powerful daily prayers and to connect with the ministry visit: https://www.dailyeffectiveprayer.org © Copyright DailyEffectivePrayer.com  SUPPORT THE MINISTRY: (We are listener-supported)https://www.dailyeffectiveprayer.org/donate/ DO YOU NEED PRAYER? Send us a prayer request right now:https://www.dailyeffectiveprayer.org/prayer-request-online/ CONNECT WITH US:https://www.dailyeffectiveprayer.org/connectYouTube (1M+ SUBSCRIBERS)X / TwitterInstagram ThreadsInstagramFacebookTikTok Daily Effective Prayer™

The most powerful weapon available to us in spiritual warfare is one we already possess. In Episode 9 of "The Good Fight," Duane Sheriff exposes the spiritual conflict between truth and lies. Satan traffics in darkness, deception, and fraud, using lies to ensnare people and lead them further into bondage. But the truth of God's Word has the power to break deception, expose darkness, and set people free.The enemy can only promote a lie by suppressing the truth. When believers remain silent, self-censor, or refuse to speak because they fear rejection, persecution, or being misunderstood, deception is allowed to spread unchecked. Yet Christians are called to stand firm, proclaim the truth in love, and refuse to surrender their most powerful spiritual weapon.Discover how embracing God's Word as the final authority equips us to win the battles we face. Truth separates light from darkness, freedom from bondage, and righteousness from deception. Satan's primary strategy is to deceive and suppress the truth, but when we speak it, live it, and stand firmly upon it, we push back the darkness. Truth is a nuclear force against the lies of the enemy. 

The single greatest weapon we have against the enemy in this spiritual battle is simply knowing who we are before God.Satan comes against us with guilt, shame, and condemnation, whispering that our failures have disqualified us. But Romans 5:17 declares that those who receive the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness will reign in life through Jesus Christ. Righteousness is not something that is earned or maintained through perfect behavior. It is a gift of righteousness through Jesus, received by faith.In Episode 10 of "The Good Fight," Duane Sheriff reveals why the breastplate of righteousness is essential in spiritual warfare. When believers are established in their righteousness in Christ, the enemy loses one of his most effective weapons. Instead of allowing condemnation to push us down and away from God, we can run boldly toward Him, resist the devil, and stand confidently in the authority Christ has given us.Discover the difference between condemnation that drives us from God and conviction that draws us closer to Him. When we truly know who we are in Christ, guilt and shame lose their power, our failures no longer define us, and we can fight the good fight of faith with confidence. The righteous are as bold as a lion.

Zoom cut out after 1 hour Josh Monday Christian and Conspiracy Podcast Ep. 405Go fund me for Punta Arenas Trip Flat Earth Experiment Go fund me link: https://gofund.me/21ca67d84How to Support the ministry: $5.99 a monthpatreon.com/JoshMondayChristianandConspiracyPodcastJoin the Patreon here: Linktree: https://linktr.ee/Joshmonday_podcastIf you want to donate to the Ministry CashAPP:https://cash.app/$JoshmondaymusicPaul and Crystals links: https://thetinfoilhatfactory.com/Youtube: ⁠@joshmondaymusicandpodcast ⁠ Tips for the show to Support our Ministry: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/joshmondayCoffee Mug Is Available email me your mailing address Joshmonday⁠@rocketmail.com ⁠ Please subscribe to our Spotify and You Tube Channel @joshmonday and Podcast and help us grow so we can keep on spreading the good news. To all of our current and future subscribers thank you for your time,we appreciate you. Please do us a favor subscribe to our You Tube Channel, hit that bell, share, like and comment below on our You tube. Please leave us a 5-Star review on Apple and Spotify.Check out my new show Sunday Service and Wednesday Brought to you by Cult of Conspiracy Podcast. On Cult of Conspiracy Spotify, Patreon and Apple Podcast Channel.Join the study as I go deep into the Bible. Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Romans 10:17.#christiancontentcreator #biblestudyBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/josh-monday-christian-and-conspiracy-podcast--6611118/support.

Looking for Student Leadership Curriculum?  We've just launched our own called "Student Leadership Journey!"  Grab yours here: Student Leadership Journey.  *** If your youth ministry is small, “student leadership team” can sound like something for bigger churches with bigger budgets and a bigger youth group. We see it the opposite way. A small youth group is the perfect opportunity for building a healthy core of students who serve, grow, and set the tone the second a new kid walks through the door. When the culture is concentrated, it is instantly noticeable, for better or worse, and that is why a student leadership team can become your biggest lever for youth ministry health.We get practical about the fear almost every youth pastor has: “What if everyone applies?” We also talk about how to keep leadership from becoming a carbon copy of youth group by making it a different tempo with a clear focus on biblical leadership, character, and real responsibility. Along the way, we share hands-on coaching ideas, from assigning roles that fit students' gifts to giving simple weekly challenges that train students to notice and include first time visitors.Then we dig into the “close vs closed” tension that shows up fast in smaller ministries. We lay out how to build a core that is genuinely close without feeling cliquey, and we give concrete ways to train students to welcome first-time visitors. You will also walk away with a list of serving roles inside the church and service projects outside the church that work especially well with a small, mobile student leadership team.This Fall, we are teaming up with Onward Leadership for a Fall Cohort!!!  If you are interested in joining or simply looking for more information, please visit: www.onwardleader.comIf you are ready to build a student leadership team that fuels real discipleship and sustainable growth, listen now, then subscribe, share this with another youth pastor, and leave a quick ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review so more leaders can find it. =======You may also enjoy these episodes:(#040) How to Start a Student Leadership Team in Youth Ministry(#254) 5 Secrets to Creating a Strong Student Leadership Team in Youth Ministry!(#253) 3 Ways to Encourage Your Youth Group to Join Your Student Leadership Team(#203) Create a Student Leadership Team that Your Youth Group WANTS to Be a Part Of!(#304) 5 Mistakes that Youth Pastors Make With Student Leadership TeamsNavigating the Cliques in Youth Ministry Student Leadership Teams=======We love hearing from you all and we do our best to provide powerful and insightful youth ministry content on a weekly basis to be that coach and mentor you may not have, but desperately need.If you have an episode idea, please E-Mail us at MinistryCoachPodcast@gmail.com!If you have it on your heart to support this ministry, please consider going to our Patreon page at: www.patreon.com/ministrycoach=========

Church Planting, Discipleship & the Grace to Be Holy | Ken Fish, Jimmy Seibert & Joel Taylor Ken Fish and Joel Taylor welcome back Jimmy Seibert—leader of Antioch Waco and the Antioch Movement, one of the most effective church-planting movements in the Western world, and a speaker at the upcoming Luminosity conference (Nashville, Oct 1–3, 2026). Register: https://kingdomluminosity.org/Jimmy shares how the movement grew out of a full surrender as a young believer and a conviction that the local church is meant to both house and multiply the glory of God. The conversation ranges across world evangelization, why believers buy the lie that they aren't needed, and how partnering with God to reach every people group helps prepare the way for Christ's return. At its heart, it's about intimacy with God as the source of everything—"it takes God to do the work of God"—and why consecration and holiness are themselves a grace: power over sin, not just forgiveness of it.In this conversation:How the Antioch church-planting movement grew out of full surrender"A church for every 1,000 people"—and why the US is underservedWhy the enemy's great lie is that you're not neededPartnering with God to "hasten" Christ's return (Matthew 24:14)Reaching the next generation through heart, home, and shared missionDiscipleship that empowers rather than creates dependenceMaturity as taking responsibility for your own walk with GodConsecration and holiness as grace—power over sin, not just forgivenessWhy you can't set others free until you've been set freeRegister for Luminosity

Sharon shares candidly about growing up in a scheme (Scottish term for council estate), making bad choices in her teens, working with the homeless and vulnerable, discipling very broken people, living with chronic fatigue, forgiving marital infidelity, and more. She has packed a huge amount into her life so far, and her passion remains to equip and disciple women, which only happens through costly, long-term, incarnational and intentional journeying with them. Her life is both a testimony and a challenge to be all in for Jesus.▶️ Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/VSb9WirMuw4I recommend her two books: Unconventional: Practical Guide to Women's Ministry in the Local Church and Unexceptional: Ordinary women doing extraordinary things through GodCheck out www.20schemes.com for what she is involved in and to be in touch with her. Sharon's boss, Mez McConnell, was on the podcast a few months back and can be listened to here Part 1 and Part 2.---

On today's program: Given that this is the 250th birthday of America, there's been a lot written about what the “American Experiment” is all about. As well as a lot of speculation about what it means to live in a Christian nation, and whether we are now or ever have been a Christian nation. Paul Miller, a contributing writer for The Dispatch, has written an excellent essay on the topic. You can find it here.  Warren interviewed Miller in 2022 for his WORLD Magazine podcast “Listening In.” You can listen to that conversation here. Also, new data regarding Christian higher education. We've written here at MinistryWatch that Christian higher education is in trouble, but a new article by Perry Glanzer at Christian Scholar's Review tells a different story. Glanzer writes, “Rumors of Christian higher education's (CHE's) demise have been greatly exaggerated.”  We'll examine that claim. Finally, Joshua Torrey has written a helpful article about the limitations of artificial intelligence in ministry. He concludes: “Spiritless things will eventually leave us empty. But our Christian promise is different. We have been given pastors and teachers so that we may not be tossed to and fro (Eph. 4:11–14). We are being built up into the image of the invisible (Col. 1:15; Gal. 3:27). We need the “solid food” (Heb. 5:14) that the Bible and human ministers provide. Those aims and needs cannot be satisfied by 24-7 access to a machine.” MinistryWatch on YouTube. If you have not discovered our YouTube channel, check it out here. We now have 200 videos there (including my conversation with Justin Murff), and they have attracted tens of thousands of views. Subscribe, like, and share to spread the word about our work. Readers in Nashville. I am in Nashville next week. If you live there, reach out to me. I would love to share a meal or a cup of coffee with you. My email is wsmith@ministrywatch.com.  Until next time, may God bless you.

In this episode of TFB's Behind the Gun Podcast, I'm happy to welcome Evan Murdoch, founder of Murdoch & Co, the first company producing a fully stamped, one-to-one semi-auto version of Britain's L85/SA80 in the United States. Evan grew up in England wanting to own an SA80 of his own, and when he couldn't buy one, he built one instead, founding Murdoch & Co in 2022 and working with Jonathan Ferguson, Keeper of Firearms and Artillery at the Royal Armouries Museum, to verify the EM-85 against original service rifles. We dig into the EM-85's use of genuine Ministry of Defence and Enfield-made parts, why that scarcity caps the Collector Series at 100 rifles for $12,000 apiece against a $4,500 base EM85A3, the engineering fixes addressing the SA80's early reliability problems, the A1, A2, and A3 configurations tracing the rifle's real service history, and where Murdoch & Co is headed next with Cadet and Light Support Weapon variants in development. Murdoch & Co website: https://murdochandco.com Murdoch & Co on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/murdochandco  

Welcome back to another episode of the unSeminary podcast. Today we're joined by Sam Hamstra, Lead Pastor of Anthem Church, a fast-growing, multi-ethnic and multi-generational church serving Northwest Indiana and Chicagoland. Anthem became an independent church in March 2020—the same week the world shut down—and has since grown to multiple locations and thousands of people. In this conversation, Sam shares how clarity around mission, values, discipleship, and vision has helped Anthem develop a distinct ministry culture and sustain healthy growth. Does your church know exactly who it is and how it does ministry? Are your leaders aligned around a shared playbook—or are you borrowing someone else's model without adapting it to your context? Sam offers practical lessons on creating organizational clarity that shapes everything from calendars to leadership development. Move from imitation to innovation. // Sam is quick to acknowledge how much Anthem learned from churches and networks that came before them. But even before Anthem launched, he began recognizing that another church's model could not simply be copied and pasted into Northwest Indiana. The local culture, demographics, ministry environment, and people were different. Healthy leaders learn from others while also doing the harder work of discerning what God is uniquely calling their church to become. Clarity takes courage. // Copying an established model feels safe because leaders can see evidence that it works somewhere else. Developing your own approach requires greater faith because the outcome is less predictable. Sam believes churches must have the courage to move into that uncertainty. Rather than endlessly chasing the next successful strategy, leaders should prayerfully identify the unique blueprint God has given their church and commit to it. Define your “way.” // Inspired by Patrick Lencioni's The Advantage, Sam and his leadership team spent roughly nine months working through five foundational questions: Why do we exist? How do we behave? What do we do? How do we live? Where are we going? Their answers eventually became what they call “The Anthem Way”—a framework that brings clarity to mission, values, discipleship, spiritual formation, and long-term vision. Mission and vision are not the same thing. // Anthem's mission is to lead people to know Christ and make Him known. That mission remains constant because it flows from the Great Commission. Vision answers a different question: where is God taking this particular church? Separating those ideas has helped Anthem distinguish between the timeless calling of the church and the specific future they believe God is leading them toward. Let your discipleship pathway drive the calendar. // One of the biggest benefits of clarity has been simplifying Anthem's yearly ministry calendar. Instead of allowing every ministry to bring new ideas and events to the table, leaders evaluate opportunities through their defined discipleship pathway. The result is greater focus and consistency. Sam says their annual rhythm has remained largely the same for years, helping both staff and attenders understand what comes next. Boring can be a strength. // Churches often feel pressure to constantly create something new, but Sam has learned that repetition can be one of the greatest drivers of health. Anthem maintains a weekly prayer gathering, predictable discipleship rhythms, and recurring ministry events rather than continually reinventing the calendar. The goal is not novelty. It is consistency around the few things the church believes matter most. Create intentional invite moments. // Anthem builds four major invite opportunities into its annual rhythm: Easter, a Summer Kickoff, Homecoming, and Christmas. These predictable moments give the congregation specific opportunities to invite friends and family. Sam has seen the church grow following these events because people know when the church is intentionally creating space for them to bring someone who may not normally attend. Values have to become behaviors. // Anthem's core values include “We Love People,” “We Choose Joy,” and “We Bleed Passion.” But Sam emphasizes that values only matter when people can see them lived out. Loving people means creating a culture where people can belong before they behave. Choosing joy means approaching ministry with gratitude rather than obligation. Bleeding passion means refusing to settle for the status quo and remaining willing to change as God leads. Use clarity to protect multisite culture. // As Anthem expands to additional locations, the Anthem Way provides clear boundaries for what must remain consistent. Sam is not claiming Anthem's approach is the only way to do church, but he does believe it is important for every one of their locations to understand and embody Anthem's distinct way of doing ministry. That documented clarity gives leaders freedom while protecting the culture across campuses. Check out Anthem Church’s About page to see how their story, mission, values, and discipleship pathway fit together. You can also follow @SamHamstra and @ThisIsAnthemChurch on Instagram. Thank You for Tuning In! There are a lot of podcasts you could be tuning into today, but you chose unSeminary, and I'm grateful for that. If you enjoyed today's show, please share it by using the social media buttons you see at the left hand side of this page. Also, kindly consider taking the 60-seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes, they're extremely helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and you can bet that I read every single one of them personally! Episode Transcript Rich Birch — Hey friends, welcome to the unSeminary podcast. Really looking forward to today’s conversation. This is a funny one because literally yesterday I was talking to a church in a coaching call. We were talking about this exact issue that we’re going to unpack today. They’re wrestling with these things. I know that this is going to help you. So you’ve tuned in for a great conversation today with Sam Hamstra. Super excited to have him. He and his wife, Taylor, they founded Anthem Church in March 2020 with a vision and heart to lead people to know Christ and make them know known. Rich Birch — Over the past few years they have seen this mission become a reality, continues to grow. It’s a multi-ethnic, multi-generational family made up of thousands of people from all walks of life in Northwestern Indiana, Chicagoland, and beyond. It’s one of the fastest growing churches in the country. So honored that you’re with us today, Sam. Welcome.Sam Hamstra — Rich, so honored to be with you. This is a full circle moment for me. I’ve been following you for quite some time. So super honored to be on your on your show.Rich Birch — Oh, come on. That’s I’m glad you’re here. We, we’ve got a lot to learn from you today. So March, 2020, it’s one of those dates that sticks in all of our brains. Cause like, we all know, what were you doing? March 15th, 2020. We all can say exactly what we’re, where we were. That’s a wild month to, to launch.Rich Birch — It’s funny because I keep bumping into people who are telling a similar story. They’re like, we started during the pandemic, right at the beginning, right after that sort of thing. Give us a picture today and kind of from that moment all the way on to today, kind of bring the story, bring us, tell us a little bit about Anthem. Give us a flavor of the church.Sam Hamstra — Yeah, so we currently today we’re headquartered in Hammond, Indiana, which when we say Indiana, different people have different thoughts. But we’re we’re actually butting up to Chicago.Rich Birch — Yep.Sam Hamstra — Joking around right now, we’re going to be the future home of the Chicago Bears soon.Rich Birch — Nice.Sam Hamstra — Yeah. But um yeah, so we’re headquartered in Hammond. Our second location is in Merrillville, Indiana, about 30 minutes from here. So currently um our family’s grown to about 2,500 people in English. And we also have a Spanish service as well. And God’s done a phenomenal work over a six-year time frame.Sam Hamstra — Yeah, so we did launch in March of 2020. Our first Sunday was the same Sunday the world shut down.Rich Birch — Wow.Sam Hamstra — And so the third week of March was our first service on the internet.Rich Birch — Dude, that’s amazing.Sam Hamstra — Yeah.Rich Birch — That’s incredible.Sam Hamstra — Yes. So in God’s divine plan, kind of underneath our origin story, we we were actually a part of a church in Tinley Park, Illinois. We were a location of that church called Christian Life Center.Sam Hamstra — And our senior pastor and I, Pastor Jerry McQuay, we had been having an ongoing conversation about him making us independent, which is a whole long story. And he decided to really lean into what he believed God was doing in our lives and in this region and made us independent in God’s divine plan. That started in March of 2020. Rich Birch — Wow.Sam Hamstra — And so we transitioned from being a multi part of a multi site church a location up to being independent in March. And yeah, we started with nothing. We didn’t have any cameras, didn’t have anything. I called our media guy and said, do you have anything at your house? And he brought it. Yeah.Rich Birch — What gear you got in your basement? Yeah, that’s amazing.Sam Hamstra — Yeah and he he brought a camera from his house. And yeah, that’s how we started. One continuous shot streaming online. And that was the start of Anthem Church in March of 2020.Rich Birch — Wow. Yeah, that’s amazing.Sam Hamstra — So God’s done a great work.Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s amazing. That’s incredible. That’s cool to hear and fun to see where it’s come, you know, since then. When you look back on that experience, you know, a lot of what you’re trying to define in those early days of a church, you’re trying to bring clarity to like, what is our approach? And part of what we do is you know, we there’s ah there’s, I think, some good copying and pasting. You’re like, hey, here’s the way they do it over here. Maybe we could try a little bit that. But then eventually you start kind of coming up with your own way. You kind of birth your own a approach, playbook, you might call it. Rich Birch — When did you start to feel… ah the kind of transition from, hey, I just want to do it like in this case, either CLC or another church over there. And you started to realize, hey, there’s something unique here at Anthem. And we got to try to define some of that. Talk us through maybe from um a timeline point of view or from a revelation point of view, like, oh, this is kind of things I started to see. Talk us through what that looked like.Sam Hamstra — Yeah, so about two years before we launched Anthem, God started to really kind of do a work in our heart just on unique DNA. And we were coming out of like heavily influenced by ARC, Church of the Highlands, and learned so much from there.Sam Hamstra — And we’re seeing just how like clarity really was so important on where we’re going.Sam Hamstra — And so we were coming in there and I just was really praying and seeking the Lord on, okay, this is great. But in our context here, there’s some some differences, there’s some nuances.Sam Hamstra — This is, um we’re over here. what What does this look like here? And so really took the foundation of that and started looking at what does this look like? So when we started Anthem, it was with the thought of, we really want to lean into this unique blueprint of how God designed us and what God has called us to here. Sam Hamstra — So it really started from the jump from from day one. And so but it was a couple years ahead of time to say, OK, this is great. Let’s let’s use this. Let’s we’ve been imitating. Let’s imitate now move to a little bit of innovation and what the Lord would have for us.Rich Birch — Yeah, and there’s obviously there’s like an art and science to that, right? There’s like the, the yeah, insert whatever church, Church of the Highlands is fantastic. They’re doing a great thing, but you’re not Birmingham, Alabama. And you know and so there’s cultural differences, there’s community differences, there’s different resources and all that. That’s like the kind of science-y part of it. Rich Birch — But then there’s the art part of it, which is a little bit more… like intuitives, it’s like vibes, that kind of thing. How did you discern, okay, what are those things that we should be thinking about that are different that you start, or maybe things you started to see, evidence you started to see like, oh, maybe this isn’t working, just importing. Was there evidence of that that you saw?Sam Hamstra — Yeah, so like, and it was like small things, you know, just on approach to Sunday service. Rich Birch — Right.Sam Hamstra — You know, like, hey, this is open door, we don’t do this on Sunday. And we had just been starting to see like pretty early on, we’re we’re reaching lost people through like a hard approach to the gospel.Sam Hamstra — And it was just like, it wasn’t really seeker sensitive. Rich Birch — Sure.Sam Hamstra — It wasn’t, not saying they are, but just, it was just a little bit different in in our context where people were coming from. On the multi-ethnic side, it was just some approaches being super intentional with sounds, sights, all of that in in our context. And so, and even on the discipleship model, you know, groups, what kind of groups are we doing? How are we setting these up?Sam Hamstra — And so it was definitely like these nuances in the different categories, I would say, of discipleship that we started to pay attention to. That that was really the start, I think, of innovating what we have now.Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s cool. Why do you think so many of us just reach for someone else’s model rather than doing the longer, harder, deeper, like it’s more annoying work to try to define you know our own thing and and then ultimately to document it which we’re going to get to here. what What did you actually do to kind of try to codify that? But why do you think we avoid that as leaders?Sam Hamstra — Yeah, so I think on one end, what’s established, you can see that the model works. And so um there’s great success you’re seeing. I mean, it’s working everywhere. And so I think it’s safe. And so deep down, it’s like this is established. I see it work. And so I can kind of press play on this. And and I know to a level that this this works. Sam Hamstra — And so it takes courage to do something that you haven’t seen before. Rich Birch — Right.Sam Hamstra — And deep, deep down, i think in our hearts, to me, that’s probably foundational thing. It’s like, man, I haven’t really seen this so his is going to require some courage, require some faith to press into the unknown.Rich Birch — Right. Right. Sam Hamstra — And so I do think that unknown word leads to some different decisions sometimes.Rich Birch — Well, and your church is an interesting um example just because it’s grown so quickly. I, you know, even in the… the lead up to it, I was thinking about, you know, the word, the term church plant.Rich Birch — Like, I don’t know when that term, you know, I was talking with a church that had been around for 30 years and they’re a big church. They’re like 20,000 people. And they, the lead pastor was like, well, we still think of ourselves as a church plant. And I’m like, yeah, I don’t at some point you stop being a church plant and just be, you start being a church. Rich Birch — And I think actually this is one of those, one of those differentiations is when you start saying, okay, like we’re going to, we believe that kind of God’s called us to this unique thing. There’s something in there. You built something that I think you call the Anthem Way. Sam Hamstra — Yeah. Rich Birch — Walk us through what that is. How does it function? What is the Anthem Way? Help us understand that.Sam Hamstra — Yeah, so this was actually birthed in an odd place. I was reading “The Advantage” by Patrick Lencioni,…Rich Birch — Yeah. Sam Hamstra — …and he was talking about organizational health, and one of the keys is clarity. Rich Birch — Yes.Sam Hamstra — And I had I have kind of, I’m somewhat of a mutt in church in my upbringing. Rich Birch — Love it.Sam Hamstra — So I’ve been in a lot of different environments and seen to a lot of different things. And so it was really just kind of like looking like, how can we just be crystal clear on who we are, where we’re going and different things. And so I read that book and in that book, he actually laid out these questions that he was like kind of pointing to every successful organization needs to answer.Sam Hamstra — And Iwas kind of seeing that with some of the stuff I’ve been hearing. And I’m like, and there’s a couple of missing pieces for me that he pointed to that I thought was so important in church world that I would actually point to that have been some of the biggest things I think that have been what I would call probably the secret sauce of what we’ve seen as far as clarity. Sam Hamstra — Just the separation of something simple, but the difference between mission and vision, you know, why we exist compared to where we’re going. And so, yeah, I read that book and in there he laid out questions that you need to answer. I took that to our leadership team and we wrestled with these probably for about nine months. Sam Hamstra — I’m just going back and forth on wording, how we say things. question by question in five different questions. We answered those and we gave it a name called the Anthem Way. And so that was the foundation, but I want to give credit where credit is due. It came through the book, The Advantage by Patrick Lencioni. Yeah.Rich Birch — Yeah, no, that’s great. That’s fantastic. And I, you know, one of the things I love that you’ve hit on here is I’ve talked in other contexts that our vision, well, this is the problem with with vision, mission stuff is it’s like, first you have to have a conversation. How do you define vision? How do you define mission?Sam Hamstra — Yeah.Rich Birch — But the big thing that we’re called to, the big idea, it comes from Jesus, right? We’re supposed to reach people and grow them up in in in relationship with him. All churches should have that as their core. That is at the core of what we do. Sam Hamstra — Yeah. Rich Birch — But getting clear on how we do that, you know, these other questions I’m assuming has helped give you a bit of a more of an edge, something that’s a little bit different. Do you want to rattle through the five questions… Sam Hamstra — Yeah. Rich Birch — …and maybe some high level, I know we can’t get into all the detail, but kind of high level how you’ve answered it. And then the follow-up I’m going ask you is, which are those couple that have given you what you think are the biggest distinctives around Anthem… Sam Hamstra — Yeah. Okay. Rich Birch — …that kind of that that kind of, um you know, that provide that edge that’s a little different, you think.Sam Hamstra — Yeah. So five questions and I’ll rattle them off quick. But so first one is why do we exist? Mission – the mission question, um which you just said it, I 100% agree, you know, every church really is called to the same thing. Let’s make disciples who make disciples, the Great Commission is still our first priority.Sam Hamstra — And so the way we say that is to lead people to know Christ and make them known. That was something we just prayed into language. We want to share language that people could really rally around. Sam Hamstra — Next question is how do we behave? The values question. We wanted to boil down in our culture those not aspirational values like truly who we are. So we boil those down to three things and wrestle with the language a lot. We wanted them actionable, but we choose joy. We love people and we believe passion. Sam Hamstra — And those all have disclaimers and really feed into our culture of what we call multi-everything. We love people from all walks of life, belong before you behave, and all that falls in there.Sam Hamstra — What do we do? Patrick Lencioni was talking about how that’s really your your business definition, so to speak, not for external use, but internal. We answered that with, we provide defined discipleship pathway.Sam Hamstra — It’s what we do day in and day out. It’s why we wake up in the morning. We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel. We’re not a country club. We’re not here to make money, we’re a church and and this is this is how we do, like what we do to ah to reach our why.Sam Hamstra — How we live is the spiritual question for us. We wanna make disciples. So we wanted to be able to weigh spiritually what a disciple is. And so we looked at Acts 2:42, which we felt like was a really good, definition of these handles on a disciple. And so we have five kind of disclaimers on what we want to see in our people at our church. And we offer resources on those, but from daily devotion to prayer to we share our Jesus story. How do you testify? How do we share? How do we make Christ known?Sam Hamstra — And then the last one is where are we going, which is the vision question. And we’ve we’re wrestling with the timing right now. We currently have a 10 year vision statement, which is just kind of pointers on like, this is where we believe God is taking us as a people.Sam Hamstra — And so those five questions are give us the framework for what we call the Anthem Way. What I’ve seen, as basic as it sounds and in our context. And I don’t know if this resonates with anybody. One of the most frustrating meetings I had in church context was the yearly calendar meeting.Rich Birch — Yeah, so true.Sam Hamstra — And I just felt like everybody was coming every year with their own ideas. Some of them had to do with our mission, some didn’t. And these are just in past experiences. And so it just felt like everybody was trying to, and some, you know, just different reasons, good, bad, indifferent.Sam Hamstra — And what what gave me great clarity was to look at our defined discipleship pathway and say, this is how we create our calendar. And um that’s been one thing that has simplified everything for us.Sam Hamstra — So every year in the last six years, our our yearly calendar flow has been the same. And our people are starting to understand it. The next steps fall within it when we even, you know, baptisms, we’re doing it this time. And So that’s been one thing is basically that sounds like what do we do?Rich Birch — No, no, that’s good. I like it.Sam Hamstra — I found a lot of confusion on that in the past, on like, how do we do groups? How do we have services? To define everything within that in the discipleship pathway, to me has been life-giving, not only for us as a team, but as as our church as well.Rich Birch — Yeah. Pull that apart a little bit more. I think, because I think this is where we fall down on this type of work is, you know, and, and I know it’s none of the people that are listening in, but there are churches that like, they do a retreat and we’re like, we’re going away. We’re going we’re reading Lencioni. We’re going to define the five questions. We even make a snappy poster and we put it up on the wall. And then we go back to business as usual. It’s the same thing we’ve always done. But you’ve been able to make the connection there, particularly with the calendar.Rich Birch — Maybe talk us through, give us some examples of how this work is shaping, how you’re actually defining, you know, how you operate as a church.Sam Hamstra — Yeah, so one example I would say is prayer. I had somebody call me and I like to think our prayer culture is strong. And they said, how did you get your prayer culture strong? And I said, well, this is really mind blowing. We have a weekly prayer meeting.Rich Birch — Right. Right.Sam Hamstra — And so because of that, and and still as the lead pastor still today, I take responsibility for leading that because I believe it’s it’s a high value for the church. Rich Birch — Right.Sam Hamstra — So it’s on the calendar. We you know And we’re not adding to it. It’s just 6 p.m. to 7 every Thursday. And we support it, which I think is the secondary layer behind that because it’s important. Now we have staff support. We have worship team support. We’re, we’re like staying very focused, on a few things rather than getting broad and going to a retreat and saying, this is a silver bullet. I don’t think there, I think the whole thing is a silver bullet, the whole pathway.Rich Birch — Right. Sure.Sam Hamstra — And so we always say, you know, I took this from somebody, but, you know, we want to be Ruth’s Chris, not Ponderosa. We want a one page menu and we really want to just do that.Rich Birch — Yep.Sam Hamstra — And it might even get boring. And we we’re trying to learn that boring is good.Rich Birch — Yeah, yeah. Boring stuff grows churches. I love it.Sam Hamstra — Yeah.Rich Birch — One of those five is sharing Jesus. Every disciple has one mission, to make Christ known. We don’t keep the gospel to ourselves. We share it through our words, our actions, our lives, wherever we go. We carry the hope of Jesus to a world that needs him.Rich Birch — Unpack some ways that that value drives behavior at the church, that actually drives calendaring and and you know what you’re talking about, that sort of thing.Sam Hamstra — Yeah, so deep, you know, we always want to empower everybody to be inviters and not just share. I think the key word in that is share your Jesus story. You know, we have to be people who understand how to share a testimony outside the four walls with it, you know, with a pretty quick invite to be like, hey, come be part of this community if you don’t have a community.Rich Birch — Right.Sam Hamstra — And so that is really through calendaring. We that’s really probably intrinsically baked into what we’re doing. So anytime I bring a guest to church, I’m saying it from the pulpit. And this is my friend. They’re here. I invited celebrating those through baptisms.Sam Hamstra — We let people testify of so you’re hearing stories of that. And then really resourcing people to make Christ known by sharing their story, teaching them how to do that.Sam Hamstra — So In the context of the calendar, um you know I took this from your playbook, sir, so thank you. We wanted to create four big events in our flywheel… Rich Birch — Yep. Love it. Sam Hamstra — …that are big invite events, that these are the moments where you need to bring 10 people. Rich Birch — Right. Sam Hamstra — We have found in our calendar since day one that we are seeing people respond to that and our church grows after every single time we do a big event. Rich Birch — That’s great.Sam Hamstra — And so we’re we’re doing four quarterly things.Rich Birch — Are those are those four the same every year? Are they, are they, yeah.Sam Hamstra — Yeah, yes.Rich Birch — So what are they? What are those four? If you don’t want me asking.Sam Hamstra — So, you know, Easter, of course… Rich Birch — Yep. Sam Hamstra — …summer kickoff was something we just created… Rich Birch — Yeah, great. Sam Hamstra — …to start the first Sunday of June. We rented a football field and we just say, bring everybody. We don’t… Rich Birch — That’s great. Sam Hamstra — …in our culture here, this is one thing, like, we’re like, we don’t shrink in the summer. This is a great time to grow.Rich Birch — Keep going forward. Yep. Love it.Sam Hamstra — Yeah. And then we created something years ago called Homecoming, just, you know, it was really show up Sunday, invite day. Rich Birch — Yeah. Yep. Sam Hamstra — And then Christmas. Rich Birch — Love it.Sam Hamstra — So those are our four homecomings in November on the calendar. It just kind of flows quarterly for us that way.Rich Birch — That’s great. I love it. Well, I love what we’ve seen in fastest growing church in the country, friends that are listening in, is, you know, lots of churches will get, they have two big days, Christmas and Easter. But what we see is the behavior that you’re doing, which is you kind of end up having to make up a couple other days where you’re kind of injecting energy. We’re recording this in the summertime. You know, lots of churches have pulled a page out of Life Church’s book around At the Movies. And they, at the movies is one of their biggest attended days of the year on the the front end of that.Rich Birch — It’s just made up. There’s no reason for you to come the first week of August… Sam Hamstra — Yeah, absolutely. Rich Birch — …but they’ve decided, hey, we’re going to do that. That’s great. So we’re going to link to your about page where a lot of this is on that that page.Sam Hamstra — Yeah.Rich Birch — On the how our core values, how we behave: We love people. We bleed passion. We choose joy. There’s some unique stuff in there. So talk me through. We love people, I think could be universally true of lots of churches… Sam Hamstra — Yeah. Rich Birch — …but I’m not sure that every church would say we bleed passion. We choose joy. Talk me through those as how those are kind of a unique thing that is helping you define what it means to be Anthem.Sam Hamstra — Yeah, so you know on the love people thing, is you do hear that a lot. And I found there’s a difference between hearing it than living it out. And in religious environments sometimes, you know, I think we all pray we wanna reach the lost until you reach the lost. Rich Birch — True.Sam Hamstra — And our first service, our first Easter Sunday here, we only had one door into our auditorium. And I still remember we had the whole back of the auditorium smelled like weed.Rich Birch — Oh, wow. Okay. Love it.Sam Hamstra — And it was like this tense moment, you know, like of like, okay, this is what we pray for.Rich Birch — Yes.Sam Hamstra — And kind of diving deep into that. So we really own that language within that of we belong before we behave. And so we’re, you know, you can come from all walks of life and we believe Jesus died for all people. So we love all people.Sam Hamstra — And then the we choose joy…Rich Birch — I love that. Before we move on, the thing I love about that… Sam Hamstra — Yeah. Rich Birch — …that you’re calling out, that I do think is a nuance that we miss in too many churches, which is oftentimes we say we want to reach people. But what that comes with is messy pastoral care, hard conversations, stuff that doesn’t make sense, and long nights. Like, it’s just hard. Rich Birch — And, um you know, if you’re, it’s easy to reach Christians from the other church across town. It’s hard to reach people who don’t normally journey in this stuff.Sam Hamstra — Yeah. Yeah.Rich Birch — And I love I love that story, even of your opening weekend with the the smell of weed in the back of the room.Sam Hamstra — Yeah.Rich Birch — I love it.Sam Hamstra — Yeah. Definitely messy.Rich Birch — That’s great. Yes, yes, love it.Sam Hamstra — Yeah. You know, the “We choose joy” has just been, um i think one of the greatest testimonies we had was from somebody that just, it was their first time guest. So like, man, everybody feels like they’re the same here. Everybody’s so happy. And we just wanted to build in just this, we believe that, you know, joy should be a badge that every believer wears. It’s just been, you know, you go into the different environments and some people just, it seems like a chore to be alive.Sam Hamstra — And so we just wanted to drive in. This is a privilege to be part of what God is doing in the earth in this hour, even if it doesn’t look perfect. Rich Birch — That’s great. Sam Hamstra — And then with “We bleed passion”, um that’s really our way to say here, you know, if you’re looking for a place that’s content with status quo, you’re probably not going to like it here. We’re always going to be changing. We’re always going to be moving. We’re always going to be shifting. We always want to go with where the Lord is leading. And so we’re a sending church. Don’t get comfortable. There’s always going to be more services. There’s always going to be new churches. Sam Hamstra — So we tried to to really get that in the DNA from the front side.Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s so good. I love it.Rich Birch — I love that “we choose joy”. When I was at Liquid Church, are one of our three in this in this coupling was “Church is fun”. And you know the way we would talk about that is we would say, you know we we we say good news or we say gospel. We’re like, we should be gospel people or we should be good news people. Rich Birch — But what that actually means, how that actually should work itself out in our culture is when people interact with us, those people are a lot of fun to be around. Sam Hamstra — Yeah. Rich Birch — Because they’re redeemed people who have figured out, man, we’re following a God who loves us dearly. So what that should actually like, I love the way you’ve said it, we choose joy. Joy should be the natural outcome of our churches… Sam Hamstra — Yes. Rich Birch — …which is, again, that should not be rocket science, but it’s amazing how much that is a cultural difference or can be a huge cultural difference in many churches.Sam Hamstra — Yes. 100%. Yep.Rich Birch — That’s cool. So um you’ve been using this really throughout your how you develop leaders, how you onboard people, how you, you know, how do you come back to this time and time again? What are you using? How are you using these tools in your leadership development, in your raising up of volunteers, that sort of thing?Sam Hamstra — Yeah, so foundationally, I got to give credit where credit is due once again on this. I heard University of Kentucky’s baseball coach say this about culture, and it was like the best thing I’ve ever heard. He totally transformed his program, and he said it was culture at at the root of it. He said culture is every day. Culture is what you accept, and culture is what you reinforce.Rich Birch — It’s good.Sam Hamstra — And so we try to keep that in front of us as much as we can. It’s you know not something we just say we want to lead the way every day. So within these three, we actually just came out with 10 leadership values that all fit within those three…Rich Birch — Oh, that’s cool.Sam Hamstra — …that give a little more language to our leadership, like, you know, we love people, so we park in back. And so really speaking to the culture of, you know, we put other people first, we serve. Rich Birch — Oh, that’s good.Sam Hamstra — And so, you know, we try to outdo each other. You know, I park about a half mile away from church on Sundays. We don’t we don’t do pastor parking, you know, or anything like that. umAnd so just, it’s every day.Rich Birch — Yes.Sam Hamstra — We do a value at every single one of our pre-service huddles on Sunday. So we’re taking those three values every Sunday, one, here’s what we’re doing.Sam Hamstra — And then Leadership Pipeline, we implemented this two years ago and we’re teaching our Anthem way across the board to a new set of leaders three times a year. And so we really zone in on culture a lot. We’ve just realized people coming from a lot of different places and what makes our culture, our culture are these distinctives. And so we’re teaching those and then really trying to walk them out. And the best testimony we’ve been hearing is people say, yeah, we see that in the leadership of the church. So that’s been really cool to hear.Rich Birch — That’s really cool. I love it. And friends, this just reminds me of the like such a foundational thing we’ve all got to get right and work on and then repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat.Rich Birch — We’ve got to keep on top of this language and and just come back to it time and time again. So you’re multi-site, you’re you’re going to launch more campuses down the road. Sam Hamstra — Yeah.Rich Birch — How does this tie into that conversation around, you know, there can be in you know, some multi-site churches, there’s like this tension of uniformity, you know, versus autonomy. And like, how how does that how does how does your thinking work out with the Anthem Way in multiple locations?Sam Hamstra — Yeah. So I want to preface this with I’m new, so I am figuring this out in real time. Rich Birch — Sure. Yeah, yeah, yeah.Sam Hamstra — I’m coming from from being a campus pastor to now being in the position I’m in. We’re two years into our first ah plant location campus. So and we’ve seen it be successful.Sam Hamstra — But what we’ve agreed on is we are going to be uniform in the Anthem Way. So we’re choosing uniformity and everything that falls within that box of the Anthem Way. Um, and so that has been like the running lanes for us to define what we’re doing, how we’re doing it, the way we talk, the way we move, our style of church, um, and all of that. So that’s been, you know, we’ve been really struggling with, with, with what you just said, that uniformity versus unity versus, you know, autonomy. Sam Hamstra — And so, the Anthem Way is to become our framework on how we’re starting locations. And we feel like as long as everybody’s in sync with all, and it and it entails a lot, right? I mean, how we do church, our approach to a lot of things.Sam Hamstra — And so that’s been that’s been our overarching theme is we want to be uniform in this. Rich Birch — yeah that’s good. Sam Hamstra — And so that’s what we’ve been trying to make sure it’s documented, ready to go.Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s good. Yeah, that’s an interesting, that’s like a, we could have a whole other half an hour just on on on that issue.Sam Hamstra — Yeah.Rich Birch — But one of the things we have seen over the long arc of the multi-site movement is churches that are choosing clarity and um and more, yeah, an understanding of, in your case, what is Anthem and how do we do what we do, those churches are the churches that, from my perspective, and not just statistically, are actually benefiting more from the multi-site movement. Rich Birch — The churches where they’re like, hey, let’s spend a lot of time. It can actually be the worst model because it’s like, we have a lot of people thinking about all the different ways you could potentially do church. As opposed to saying, no, no, like this is the way we’re not, we’re not saying this is the best way. We’re just saying it’s our way. We’re not saying that this is the only way to do it.Sam Hamstra — Yeah.Rich Birch — We’re just saying this is the way we do it. And, um and we’re okay with that. We’re settled on on that as an issue.Sam Hamstra — Yeah. That’s good. That’s good.Rich Birch — That’s interesting. Is there anything that changed or that has changed as you, I realize you’ve influenced ben to this from the beginning, but like, has there been anything that has kind of changed as you got clearer on the Anthem Way over the over the years? You know, something you cut or improved or, you know, is there anything that jumps to mind on that front?Sam Hamstra — Yeah, we’re would I might use the word refined rather than changed. Rich Birch — Sure. Yep, that’s good. Sam Hamstra — I was just talking to our discipleship director this morning just on, you know, is there is there a small group model? So like our three kind of handles in our discipleship pathway are know Christ, grow in Christ, and and make Christ known.Sam Hamstra — And, you know, our small group model isn’t working. We added what we call the Mosaic School of Ministry, which is is another thing in Grow. And we’ve actually seen way more interest and success in that. And so, you know, we have a way higher percentage right now going through what we call a School of Ministry, which is classes and and discipleship then we’re getting in small groups. Sam Hamstra — And so we’ve been just kind of wrestling with that a little bit. Like, is that culture, is it good, is it bad? And so I think those those refining moments have have really changed. We started off, though, I feel soft saying this, but it worked in our context. But we would start every year with 21 days of prayer and fasting in the beginning. And do 21 days again in the fall.Rich Birch — Love it.Sam Hamstra — We’ve actually gone down to seven days to start the year. There’s seven days in the fall. We just feel like we’re seeing actually better results with more people getting involved just with those minor tweaks, just to say this…Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s good.Sam Hamstra — …his is we’re we’re seeing bigger impact there. Rich Birch — Sure. Sam Hamstra — But so I think those refining things have been really good.Rich Birch — Has there been any of that refining that has come not from you, but from a member of your team? Like, has anyone called you out or called the church out on like, hey, like on prayer or on any of these where, you know, like when that’s happened in my life, I kind of like that. Sam Hamstra — Yeah.Rich Birch — I’m like, oh, well, that’s a pleasant thing that just happened there, even though it feels weird to be the person being called out.Sam Hamstra — Yeah.Rich Birch — Have you had any experiences like that?Sam Hamstra — Yeah. Yes. I’m laughing because, yeah, I’ve had quite a few. I could point to the one with prayer fasting. Rich Birch — Yes. So somebody on our team was like, hey, pastor, you know that there’s really no a place in the Bible where there’s a three week corporate fast. Rich Birch — Sure. Sam Hamstra — Yeah like where the whole church is coming together for three weeks and I’m like well I got a challenge, I’m gonna look. And I’m like sure enough you know, I’m maybe somebody could find it, but it was like these times and seasons where people come together for specific things of like, oh man you’re right. Rich Birch — Yeah. Yeah, love it. Sam Hamstra — So and so that was like one of those um yeah it’s it’s definitely happened quite quite a bit and so which I love that too and so it’s been such a blessing of solid team that feels free to speak when when they need to.Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s great. Well, this has been a good conversation, just as we’re kind of coming to land. If you think about a church out there that feels like okay they’ve listened to this and they’re like okay, we maybe they’ve opened up your website. And they’re like, hey, we’re not as clear on this that as we could be, we need to get much clearer on that.Rich Birch — What’s kind of one first step that you would encourage people to take? What would be kind of the best first step towards getting clarity on this front?Sam Hamstra — Write the vision, make it plain so that he that reads it may run.Rich Birch — Dude, I love it. And with that, we end the episode. That’s fantastic. No, that’s great. Unpack that a little bit.Sam Hamstra — Um, you know, I for so much of my life, I was always looking to be so unique and so different. Rich Birch — Right.Sam Hamstra — And I felt like I just needed the next best thing. And it was wasn’t until I just locked into this is what the Lord has for us. And it might sound like somebody else it might look and that’s OK, but this going to be very unique to us. And this is what we’re doing. And just to be very clear on that and then just this is for me, but I get bored so easily. And to just, just not get bored and just keep doing the same thing in the same direction day after day.Rich Birch — Right.Sam Hamstra — And in that that flywheel, to use your words, it does work. And just to see that go and to to get very clear and and simple and and let people know where you’re going and just keep saying the same thing over and over is so life-giving.Rich Birch — That’s so good. So good.Rich Birch — Well, I really appreciate you being here today. If we want to send people anywhere online to track with you or to track with the church, where do we want to send them?Sam Hamstra — So first name, last name would be all my personal stuff. So @samhamstra, last name H-A-M-S-T-R-A.Sam Hamstra — And all church stuff is weareanthemchurch.com. And then weareanthemchurch on social as well.Rich Birch — Love it. So good. Appreciate that, Sam. Thanks so much for being here. Honored that you take some time to be with us today.Sam Hamstra — Yeah, thanks so much, Rich, my honor.

In this powerful interview with Dr. Adolphus Sims, Dr. Self and Dr. Sims discuss the need for reconciliation and how debates, pride, and the need to be right run counter to the fundamentals of Scripture. Reconciliation is not optional; it's Christ's ministry and the ministry we have been called to. This show covers relationships, marriage, forgiveness, and much more.  2 Cor 5:18 Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation,   Help Dr. Self continue this show - partner at www.icmcollege.org/donate  Answer your call by enrolling with the International College of Ministry at www.icmcollege.org/enroll  Purchase Dr. Ray's latest book, "The Call." God called you, and you answered: this is what you need to know! Click Here  Follow and subscribe to Self Talk with Dr. Ray Self on our podcast website: https://www.icmcollege.org/selftalk.   Click here to purchase Dr. Self's book – Hear His Voice, Be His Voice, or visit Amazon.com. Click here to purchase Dr. Self's book – Redeem Your Past and Find Your Promised Land, or visit Amazon.com. Or our new podcast website at https://www.buzzsprout.com/2249804   For show topic suggestions, email Dr. Ray Self at drrayself@gmail.com Enjoy free courses offered by the International College of Ministry Free Courses Show host bio - Dr. Ray Self founded Spirit Wind Ministries Inc. and the International College of Ministry. He holds a Doctorate in Christian Psychology and a Doctorate in Theology. He currently resides in Winter Park, Florida. He is married to Dr. Christie Self and has three sons and a daughter.

Send us a message!We read Colossians 1–2 and sit with Paul's big vision of Jesus as the head of the church and the center of everything that holds together. I also wrestle with Paul's goals and ask whether my everyday goals actually support helping people grow mature in Christ. • the church as Christ's body continuing his work on earth • Paul's gratitude for a growing faith he did not personally plant • a prayer for wisdom, endurance, joy, and a life that pleases God • Jesus as the image of the invisible God and the one who reconciles through the cross • “Christ in you, the hope of glory” as the revealed mystery for Gentiles • ministry defined as teaching toward maturity in Christ • warning against empty philosophy rooted in human tradition rather than Christ • freedom from legalism and shadow rules because Christ is the reality • adopting Paul's goals for our relationships: encouragement, assurance, and maturity • sharing Scripture as a practical way maturity compounds over time At outloudbible.com, you can find free resources to help you study the Bible. And while you're there, send us a message to say hi, or start a conversation about having us at your church or event. If Outloud Bible has been a valuable part of your understanding of the Bible, please consider supporting the ministry by visiting outloudbible.com.Support the showCheck out outloudbible.com for helpful study resources, and to discover how to bring the public reading of God's word to your church, conference, retreat, or other event.

Learn what a Mulligan is in this short lesson that Joni tells about golf. -------- Thank you for listening! Your support of Joni and Friends helps make this show possible. Joni and Friends envisions a world where every person with a disability finds hope, dignity, and their place in the body of Christ. Become part of the global movement today at www.joniandfriends.org Find more encouragement on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube.

First Lady Nora BoldinNehemiah 12Worship through the Ministry of Teaching the Word!Need Prayer or Want to Give your Life to Christ?email: prayer.request@strivinghome.org.We will pray with you or for you!Get Involved: www.strivinghome.org

Episode 56: You Are Anointed With Power to Complete Your AssignmentIn this Kingdom Conversation, you'll discover:* Why anointing us more than a title* How preparation positions you for your assignment * Why stewardship matters as much as prayer * How to walk confidently in what God has already entrusted to youWe are McCoy Solutions University™ (MSU),---- a community for digital creators, business owners, entrepreneurs, and students learning to connect faith, education, and strategy in real life.Our mission is to help you align your personal and professional life so you can walk in Ministry in the Marketplace.

Join Pastor Kent Christmas as he delves into the profound role of intercession in the Christian faith. In this insightful session, Pastor Christmas explains what it means to be an intercessor, the responsibilities it carries, and how powerful intercessory prayer can be in changing lives and even altering divine plans. Through biblical examples such as Moses and Abraham, and the teachings of Jesus, learn about the compassion and spiritual integrity required to stand in the gap for others. This session encourages believers to embrace intercession as a vital ministry for individuals, the church, and the nation.

The Ministry of Water Resources says China will continue to share emergency hydrological monitoring information with Nepal, covering barrier and glacial lake risks, to aid rescue and disaster relief efforts.

Why is healthcare so broken and what does the Catholic faith have to say about it? Gomer and Dave wrap up their series on healthcare by exploring what happens when we lose sight of the human person. With a focus on suffering, human flourishing, financial incentives, and bureaucracy, Gomer and Dave explore why Catholics are needed in healthcare and in every profession. What would it look like to approach our work, and the people we serve, through a truly Catholic vision? We want to hear from you! Email us at eksb@ascensionpress.com with your questions/comments Don't forget to text “EKSB” to 33-777 to get the shownotes right to your inbox! You can also find the full shownotes at www.ascensionpress.com/EveryKneeShallBow

This week, Paul highlights how God's grace transforms and empowers unlikely people to boldly proclaim Christ.Join us for a weekly narration of Paul Tripp's popular devotional. You can subscribe to our email list to receive this devotional straight to your inbox each week, or read online at PaulTripp.com/Wednesday or on Facebook, Instagram, and the Paul Tripp App.Paul Tripp's 5-Minute Bible Study on the book of Acts.If you've been enjoying the Wednesday's Word podcast, please leave us a review! Each review helps us reach more people with the transforming power of Jesus Christ.

We would love to pray for you! Please send us your requests here. --------Thank you for listening! Your support of Joni and Friends helps make this show possible. Joni and Friends envisions a world where every person with a disability finds hope, dignity, and their place in the body of Christ. Become part of the global movement today at www.joniandfriends.org. Find more encouragement on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube.

  Pastor Jeremy Dunn of Kingdom Culture Church joins Landon Schott for a raw conversation about rushing into ministry too soon — and why speed is never your friend, obedience is. Jeremy opens up about starting full-time ministry at 16, getting licensed as a pastor at 18, and launching his first church at just 28 — and looks back with honesty about how young that really was. He shares hard-won lessons on staying submitted to spiritual covering, what it cost him to plant early, and a gripping story about a staff member who couldn't wait for God's timing. Landon and Jeremy also get vulnerable about moral failure, the danger of "professional hiding," and a defining prayer Jeremy prayed the night his church exploded in growth. If you're a young leader feeling the pressure to move fast, this conversation is a warning and a covering: don't rush your development — wait to be sent.

You already have access to the single most powerful spiritual weapon available. In Episode 8 of "The Good Fight," Duane Sheriff reveals why truth is the first piece of God's armor and the foundation that connects every other spiritual weapon. The battle believers face ultimately comes down to truth against lies. God works through truth, while Satan's primary weapon is deception. We must believe a lie before we can become ensnared by it.The fight of faith is the daily decision to believe God, trust His Word, and make it our final authority rather than accepting the philosophies and fraudulent narratives of the world. God's Word is truth, and when we continue in His Word, that truth sanctifies us, separates us from darkness, exposes deception, and brings freedom into every area of our lives.Believers are called to become pursuers, lovers, and courageous messengers of truth. Although we cannot confront every lie in our culture, when we focus on the truth and speak it in love, lies are exposed, and strongholds are broken. Satan cannot stand in the truth. Stand firmly on God's Word to withstand every assault of the enemy and fight the good fight of faith.

//The Wire//2100Z September 2, 2026// //ROUTINE// //BLUF: SABOTAGE ATTACK TARGETS SECOND GERMAN ELECTRICAL SUBSTATION. SHOOTING REPORTED BETWEEN GOVERNMENT AGENCIES IN UKRAINE. IRANIAN ATTACKS CONTINUE OVERNIGHT, TARGETING AMERICAN BASES.// -----BEGIN TEARLINE-----  -International Events-Middle East: Last night's attacks by Iran were somewhat successful, with strikes being reported at the airport in Erbil. An Iranian Shahed-type drone also took out the Persistent Threat Detection System (PTDS) balloon at this location, in addition to striking the fuel point. In Bahrain, several Shahed-type drones targeted the former headquarters of 5th Fleet in Manama and Sheikh Isa Airbase to the south. Several locations were also targeted in Kuwait, with unknown success. As of this report, the United States has not yet responded to the round of Iranian targeting conducted overnight.Ukraine: Overnight a small arms skirmish was reported in Kiev, which reportedly involved two different Ukrainian governmental agencies engaging each other in the street. Allegedly, the Security Service of Ukraine (the SBU, which is like a uniformed and militarized version of the FBI) detained Stepan Kaplunov who was the deputy commander of the Russian Volunteer Corps, a unit of ethnic Russians fighting on Ukraine's side during the war. Kaplunov was staying at a residential building in Kiev for Independence Day celebrations last week, when he was reportedly abducted for unknown reasons. After this kidnapping, the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine (the GUR, or the main military intelligence unit) launched an investigation into why the SBU took him, which resulted in a scuffle and subsequent shootout at the scene of the earlier abduction. One GUR officer is dead, and several others were wounded during the initial engagement.Analyst Comment: As one might expect, Ukrainian sources are downplaying this incident, and Russian sources are trying to amplify it, so determining the truth is challenging. However the incident did take place, and the small arms engagement in the street between these two agencies was captured on film.As it stands, video evidence from the time of the shooting indicates that tensions were high between the SBU and the GUR right before shots were fired. Both agencies were arguing with each other, with the SBU refusing to allow the GUR into the crime scene, and a standoff situation emerged. As the agencies continued arguing and fighting with each other, eventually the altercation became physical, and devolved into a shooting. After the shooting, the standoff situation continued throughout the night and the next morning. Eventually, the SBU ended up releasing Kaplunov, ending the incident. Several prominent Ukrainian leaders have called for an investigation into what happened, and for more details to be made public.Germany: Yesterday afternoon, another electrical substation was targeted by malign actors conducting sabotage operations. Locals observed an explosion and arcing at the Bergheim Power Station in western Germany, shortly before the power went out. Local authorities state that 6x rocket launch sites were located in a field near the second substation that was attacked, continuing the same attack vector as witnessed at a different power station yesterday.-----END TEARLINE-----Analyst Comments: In Germany, the attacks on electrical substations over the past two days have been substantial. In short, these attacks were probably not carried out by amateurs. Locals report that upwards of twenty separate rockets were launched over the top of the substation near Berlin. These rockets were not fireworks, but specifically constructed devices built for the task. These rockets were also trailing thin copper wire, which was intended to cause electrical shorts.This is not entirely a new tactic, after all the United States pioneered this tactic of taking out enemy substations with "blackout bombs" that operate very similarly. Cruise missiles were used to deploy such devices over Baghdad during the initial invasion of Iraq in 2003, with thin graphite wires being trailed over the top of exposed substation transformers and electrical connectors. More recently, an unidentified malign actor also attempted to target an electrical substation in Pennsylvania back in 2020, which resulted in widespread media coverage at the time.Malign actors using almost thirty rockets to achieve the same effect in Germany is a substantial escalation that is not likely to have been undertaken by non-state actors. Germany is infamous for having some of the more serious ecoterrorists around the world, who have conducted IED attacks, train derailings, and other similar attacks on electrical infrastructure. However, since no ecoterrorist organization has claimed credit yet, right now the leading theory is that these sabotage operations could be sleeper cells conducting attacks around the German countryside.Analyst: S2A1 Research: https://publish.obsidian.md/s2underground NomadNet: 5fa68c88be727a0e1a250a75e5e79269 Disclaimer: No LLMs were used in the writing of this report. //END REPORT//

What happens when you say yes to something God is asking you to do that seems completely crazy? Molly's story is proof that God can use the most unexpected things to open doors, start conversations, bring hope, and point people to Jesus. What began with a backpack full of cheese balls eventually became a unique ministry that has reached people across the United States and even around the world. Molly shares how an unconventional idea became a powerful conversation starter—and how she learned that obedience matters far more than whether something looks impressive to other people. But this conversation goes far beyond cheese balls. Molly opens up about her family's journey into American Ninja Warrior, how a simple geocaching discovery changed the direction of her family's life, and how God has continued to lead her through unexpected valleys and victories. She also shares about surviving open-heart surgery and her upcoming devotional, Surrender to the Surgeon, a deeply personal collection of 90 honest, hopeful, and humorous devotionals drawn from her journey. This episode is a powerful reminder that your platform may not look like someone else's—and that's okay. God can use your story, your personality, your family, your passions, and even the things other people don't understand to accomplish His purposes. As Molly says, the heart of it all is found in 1 Corinthians 10:31: “Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” In this episode, you'll hear about: How Molly's cheese-ball ministry began Why she started wearing cheese balls in public How God can use unusual ideas to start spiritual conversations The incredible story of how geocaching led her family to American Ninja Warrior Learning to recognize God's direction in the seemingly insignificant moments What obedience looks like when you don't understand the bigger picture Molly's journey through open-heart surgery Her new book, Surrender to the Surgeon Why your testimony may be your greatest platform How God can use your ordinary life for extraordinary purposes The takeaway: You don't have to have a traditional platform for God to use you. Sometimes the thing that looks the most foolish to everyone else is exactly where God wants to demonstrate His power. If God is calling you to something unexpected, don't be afraid to say yes. You never know what He might do with your obedience. Find more from Revelations Podcast hosted by Reagan Kramer: Website | Instagram | Apple Podcast | Youtube Find more on Molly Sanborn: Instagram: Instagram | Website | Book Cheeseballs for Jesus Become Part of Our Mission! Support The Revelations Podcast: Your support fuels our mission to share transformative messages of hope and faith. Click here to learn how you can contribute and be part of this growing community! This Episode is brought to you by Advanced Medicine Alternatives Get back to the active life you love through natural & regenerative musculoskeletal healing: https://www.georgekramermd.com/ Chapters: 00:00 – Introduction: When God Uses the Unexpected03:50 – The Crazy Idea Behind “Cheese Balls for Jesus”05:20 – How Cheese Balls Became a Conversation Starter for Jesus06:50 – “Whatever You Do, Do It for the Glory of God”08:05 – Following God When You Don't Know Where It's Going19:55 – The Unexpected Beginning of the Ninja Warrior Journey21:20 – A Geocache, a Ninja Gym & a God-Ordained Opportunity22:40 – From Watching Her Kids to Competing Herself26:00 – When God Turns Your Passion Into a Platform31:00 – Faith Through the Valley38:00 – Open-Heart Surgery & Trusting God Through the Unknown44:00 – What God Does With Your Testimony51:55 – “Surrender to the Surgeon”: Molly's New Book53:40 – When God Is Writing a Story Bigger Than You Imagined55:00 – What's Next: A Book, a Screenplay & More Unexpected Doors59:15 – The Power of Your Testimony01:01:00 – Prayer & Blessing Over Molly

Sometimes saying yes to God costs you the biggest bill in your wallet. Joanne Hickox spent 15 years as a feature film accountant for the major studios before founding a ministry that has served hundreds of older adults. This episode shows you what it looks like to hear the Holy Spirit, say yes, and trust God with the cost. Key Discussion Points Joanne describes 15 years as a film accountant for the major studios, where her faith got trampled on before she found protection in the Billy Graham Organization's film division. She recounts a late-night prompting to call a friend, a director of photography in the middle of taking his own life, and how that one phone call led to his salvation. Joanne explains the moment a senior asked what she could do for her, revealing how society makes older adults needy instead of needed. She shares how a simple tithe of her time, writing cards to sick church members while working in Paris, grew into a full seniors ministry waiting for her when she got home. Joanne unpacks G3 Village, a 20 to 35 acre homestead where about 40 older adults will live together, each giving at least 10 hours of service a week and helping grow the food they eat. She gives her one piece of advice, stay in your lane, and why the job you already have is usually the lane God has already placed you in. About the Guest Joanne Hickox is the founder and executive director of Seniors on a Mission and the G3 Foundation, an ordained missionary, and the author of G3 and Me and the God Timer series. A Canadian farm girl and former feature film accountant of 15 years for the major studios, she has spent nearly three decades nurturing the lives of older adults, through day-long mission trips and now G3 Village, a housing community where independent seniors live and serve the Lord with purpose. Learn More Visit seniorsonamission.org to learn more about Joanne and her work with older adults. Find her book G3 and Me on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/G3-Purposeful-Living-Giving-Glory-ebook/dp/B0GY2C6KTC Learn more about the G3 Foundation and G3 Village: https://g3.foundation/ Connect with her on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joanne-hickox-50900624 ==== Connect With Follower Of One Join us over in our Online Community(http://community.followerofone.org) Get social with us https://www.facebook.com/followerofone https://instagram.com/followerofone1 https://twitter.com/followerofone1 https://www.linkedin.com/company/follower-of-one https://plinkhq.com/i/1482955686

Ready to beat event planning stress? In this episode, Cyndee Ownbey shares practical wisdom to help women's ministry leaders master event timelines. You'll discover why giving volunteers more time leads to better events, the key steps for mapping out your planning calendar, and a proven sample timeline you can tweak for retreats or conferences. Whether you're facing a short planning runway or dreaming up your next big event, you'll find encouragement and actionable tools for every step. Your volunteers will thank you!Show notes available at https://womensministrytoolbox.com/the-ultimate-womens-ministry-event-timeline-when-to-book-plan-and-prepare/Thank you for listening to the Women's Ministry Toolbox Podcast. You'll find additional women's ministry resources below.Women's Ministry Toolbox Resources: Sign Up for My Email List - https://bit.ly/wmtbemail Website – https://womensministrytoolbox.com/ Online Store – https://womensministrytoolboxshop.com/ Online Training – https://womensministrytoolbox.teachable.com/ Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/womensministrytoolbox/ Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/womensministrytoolboxcommunity/ Women's Ministry Essentials on Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/shop/wmtoolboxYou can connect with Cyndee via Facebook, Instagram (@womensministrytoolbox), and email (cyndee@womensministrytoolbox.com).

What does it really mean to be the light of the world, and whose light are you actually shining? In this episode, Dot and Cara sit with Jesus' words in Matthew 5:14-16 and ask the harder question underneath them, are we living to be seen by God, or to be seen by people? It's an honest, sometimes uncomfortable conversation about motivation, influence, and who you're actually representing every time you walk into a room. Pull up a chair, grab your Bible, and lean in with us.Got a question about today's episode or something else you'd like to hear us talk about on the show? Let us know! Episode RecapIntro (00:00)Write this down: Matthew 5:14-16, you are the light of the world (00:00)Cara opens with this week's question, what light are we shining and who's influencing it (00:39)Dot admits this is a hard conversation to have without sounding judgmental (01:09)Keeping the why nearby, and the difference between existing and actually living (01:47)What Jesus really meant by being the light of the world, and checking whether it reflects him or us (03:27)You're representing someone everywhere you go, even when you don't realize it (06:39)Resting in the Lord lets his light shine through without you having to force it (09:26)Peter rebuking Jesus about the cross, and what it reveals about chasing our own agenda over God's (12:50)Closing challenge, ask God who you're influencing and who's influencing you, then write it down (17:54)Are you interested in having Dot come and speak to your community? Email us at hello@dotbowen.com.Watch Write this Down! on YouTubeFind Dot Bowen on Instagram and Facebook This Episode's Scripture VerseMatthew 5:14-16 (ESV) — "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."

Attendance, Metrics, and Health: Measuring Discipleship in Small Group MinistryPastor Steve Gladen and host Derek open the fall season of SG Squared by discussing how small group leaders should think about attendance, metrics, and health without letting numbers define their identity. Steve argues that numbers are not bad but are indicators connected to souls and stories, and that quality and quantity are not enemies. He cautions that attendance alone can be a false positive and emphasizes measuring discipleship through individual and group health assessments. Drawing from Saddleback's approach, he describes an individual health assessment (35 questions) and a shorter group assessment (10 questions) built around worship, fellowship, discipleship, serving, and evangelism, with follow-through steps involving goals, partners, curriculum, and activities. He notes that early assessments showed over 85% self-identified weakness in evangelism and points listeners to his books and Small Group Network resources.00:00 Welcome to SG Squared00:26 Fall Football Banter01:58 Culture Shock in Mississippi03:30 Episode Setup Souls and Identity07:52 Why Numbers Matter10:29 Data as Ministry Indicator11:59 Measuring Discipleship Success15:43 Attendance Versus Health17:53 Building Health Assessments25:01 Books Membership and Wrap Up ★ Support this podcast ★

Kurt Deimer joins Nasty Neal to discuss his terrifying new indie horror film, HELLBILLY HOLLOW!Filmed inside the real Hellbilly Hollow haunted attraction in Vincent, Alabama, the movie unleashes a nightmarish carnival filled with elaborate practical set pieces—including Wack-a-Troll, High Striker, Acid Darts and a wild Car Dunk sequence engineered by executive producer and production designer Mike Denard.Kurt discusses producing and starring in the film, bringing its deadly carnival attractions to life, and contributing eight original songs to the soundtrack. The movie also features an original score composed by Roy Mayorga of Ministry and sound design by Tom Boykin, whose credits include John Wick: Chapter 4 and The Last of Us.Directed by Kevin Wayne and written by Bernadette Chapman, Hellbilly Hollow stars Kurt Deimer, Kevin Wayne, Danny Vinson, Sandra Ellis Lafferty, Megan Alexandrea Weaver, Hallie Shepherd, Trey Miller and Keller Fornes.Enter the Hollow—where the carnage comes to town!Subscribe to Without Your Head Horror Podcast for more interviews with the filmmakers, actors and creators behind independent horror.Join this channel to get access to perks:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOmwH7xVAhD-OOAqFWyTYTA/join#HellbillyHollow #KurtDeimer #HorrorMovie #IndieHorror #HorrorInterview #WithoutYourHead #NastyNeal #PracticalEffects #CarnivalHorror #NewHorrorMovie

Scott Lessing shares the remarkable story of planting a church inside Lorain Correctional Institution and how prison ministry can become true disciple-making and church planting. Through consistent relationships, weekly worship, leadership development, and reentry ministry, Scott and Grace Church are seeing God transform lives both inside and outside the prison. Scott serves at Grace Church, a Christian and Missionary Alliance church near Cleveland, Ohio. What began when the warden asked for something more than traditional prison ministry has grown into a church community with weekly services, dozens of volunteers, Bible studies, Alpha, Rooted, recovery ministry, baptisms, a School of Ministry, and intentional discipleship. Greg and Scott also explore the biblical foundation for this work through Luke 4:18 and Matthew 25, discussing Jesus' call to proclaim good news to the poor, freedom for prisoners, and to care for those who are incarcerated. Scott explains why the goal isn't simply to bring a church service into a prison but to build relationships and make disciples who can eventually disciple and lead others. One of the most powerful stories is of a man who spent 47 years incarcerated, completed Grace Church's School of Ministry, was released, joined the church's staff, and was preparing to return to the prison—this time to preach. The church also walks alongside people after release through employment connections, housing support, community, and continued discipleship. Scott's story challenges every church leader to reconsider what it means to go to people instead of simply expecting people to come to church. As he explains, their prison ministry has changed Grace Church itself, creating a congregation that looks more diverse, more broken, and, in his words, more like the first-century church. Resources: True Freedom Ministries — the Ohio prison ministry discussed in the episode; its current site describes ministry at Lorain Correctional Institution. True Freedom Ministries Leadership / Michael Swiger — learn more about Michael Swiger, whom Scott discusses in the episode. Scripture mentioned: Luke 4:18, Isaiah 61, Matthew 25 Table of Contents:  00:00 – Meet Scott Lessing and the prison church story 03:27 – Why prison ministry matters for church planting 06:18 – How the prison church began 11:16 – Luke 4, Matthew 25 & the biblical foundation 13:43 – Reentry ministry and discipleship after prison 14:33 – What a weekly prison church service looks like 16:07 – Developing leaders inside the prison 18:27 – Baptisms, Bible questions & life transformation 21:37 – Going to people instead of waiting for them to come

Joshua Noel and TJ, Tiberius Juan, Blackwell interview Pastor Ryan Green about the intricate process of preparing and orchestrating a weekly Children's Church service, emphasizing the paramount importance of intentionality and creativity in engaging young minds. He articulates that the foundation of effective ministry lies in the preparation, which not only includes meticulous planning but also the cultivation of a heartfelt connection with the children. This episode further explores how the church community can foster a supportive environment that encourages children to form meaningful relationships with God and one another. Through anecdotes and insights, Pastor Green shares his experiences in children's ministry, highlighting the impact of thoughtful, spirit-led programming on the spiritual development of children. As we delve into this conversation, we grasp the significance of nurturing a vibrant, dynamic church experience for our youngest congregants. The dialogue further advances into the practicalities of children's ministry within ecclesiastical settings, wherein the speakers dissect the intricate processes involved in creating engaging and spiritually enriching environments for youth. Pastor Ryan Green, drawing upon his extensive experience, articulates the necessity for intentionality in programming, emphasizing that the foundation of effective children's ministry lies in the preparation and execution of thoughtfully designed activities that resonate with the youthful audience. The speakers illuminate the importance of cultivating an atmosphere that not only imparts theological knowledge but also fosters relational connections among children, thereby enhancing their experiential understanding of faith. This segment culminates in a discussion regarding the transformative power of shared experiences in faith formation, asserting that the memories forged through engaging ministry activities can have a lasting impact on children's spiritual journeys, thereby reinforcing the notion that effective ministry transcends mere instruction, evolving into a holistic developmental experience for the younger generation.Takeaways:Pastor Ryan Green emphasizes the necessity of preparation and direction when teaching children, ensuring they are guided correctly from the beginning.The podcast highlights the significance of making children's ministry engaging and fun, while simultaneously instilling spiritual values and teachings.Pastor Green discusses the importance of fostering genuine relationships with children, encouraging them to express their thoughts and feelings in a safe environment.The episode underscores the value of silence and solitude in children's ministry, allowing kids to reflect and listen, which can lead to meaningful spiritual insights.Ryan shares how the planning of children's services involves a balance between structured lessons and the flexibility to adapt based on the children's needs.The conversation reveals the deep impact that a well-structured children's ministry can have on a child's relationship with faith and community..You can leave a donation, buy podcast merchandise, check out previous series that we've done, or become an official member of The Whole Church Podcast on our website:https://the-whole-church-podcast-shop.fourthwall.com/.Check out all of the other shows in the Anazao Podcast Network and find merch to support some of your favorite podcasts on the network's website:https://anazao-podcasts-shop.fourthwall.com/.Listen to all of our Holy Logistics series here:https://player.captivate.fm/collection/0baf30ad-3ecd-47a9-bbb4-d67e61e1919e.Listen to more of TJ on Systematic Geekology:https://player.captivate.fm/collection/f4c32709-d8ff-4cef-8dfd-5775275c3c5e.Hear more from Joshua on his other podcast, Be Living Water:https://be-living-water.captivate.fm/listen.Be sure to come out and meet Joshua at Theology Beer Camp 2026 in Kansas City:https://theologybeer.camp/

In this The CIRS Group Podcast episode, hosts Jacie and Barbara interview Max McCord, an indoor environmental professional and president of the Stonecrest Team, about why mold remediation projects can fail even after visible mold is removed. Max explains that the biggest misses are often hidden, hard-to-see species like whitish Aspergillus, and that relying on basic air sampling can wrongly suggest a home is “clear,” while PCR-based testing, such as ERMI dust tests, can reveal what was missed.  He describes using detailed building history, CIRS-focused building science, macro photography, and advanced thermography to identify microclimates, insulation and vapor issues, and other hidden sources. The conversation also covers common containment and demolition mistakes that spread contamination, why coordination among IEPs, remediators, HVAC and insulation contractors matters, and how post-remediation “clearance” can be undone during remodeling by contaminated tools and materials. Max shares his personal CIRS diagnosis and his work with Christian Medical Ministries. Check out https://www.stonecrest.team and https://www.christianmedicalministries.org to learn more. TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Intro - meet Max McCord 03:20 Why remediation fails 07:46 Tools to detect hidden mold 13:09 Teamwork between IEPs, remediators and contractors 16:28 Containment done right 20:22 Tips to make sure things are done correctly 26:52 Max shares his own CIRS diagnosis 31:02 Ministry and Resources 34:15 Wrap Up and Next Steps For more information and support, join us at https://thecirsgroup.com HELPFUL LINKS: Work with Max McCord: https://www.stonecrest.team/ Christian Medical Ministries: https://www.christianmedicalministries.org/our-board Order Jacie's book! The 30 Day Carnivore Bootcamp: https://a.co/d/7MgHrRs The CIRS Group: Support Community: https://thecirsgroup.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecirsgroup/ Find Jacie for carnivore, lifestyle and limbic resources: Jacie's book on the Carnivore diet!  https://a.co/d/8ZKCqz0 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ladycarnivory YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LadyCarnivory Blog: https://www.ladycarnivory.com/ Find Barbara for business/finance tips and coaching: Website: https://www.actlikebarbara.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actlikebarbara/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@actlikebarbara Jacie is a Shoemaker certified Proficiency Partner, NASM certified nutrition coach, author, and carnivore recipe developer determined to share the life changing information of carnivore and CIRS to anyone who will listen. Barbara is a business and fitness coach, CIRS and ADHD advocate, writer, speaker, and a big fan of health and freedom. Together, they co-founded The CIRS Group, an online support community to help people that are struggling with their CIRS diagnosis and treatment.

If you want to live a life filled with the Spirit, then give Him more room in your heart. -------- Thank you for listening! Your support of Joni and Friends helps make this show possible. Joni and Friends envisions a world where every person with a disability finds hope, dignity, and their place in the body of Christ. Become part of the global movement today at www.joniandfriends.org Find more encouragement on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube.

Recorded live at eTail Boston, August 10 through 12, 2026.Aman Advani is the co-founder and CEO of Ministry of Supply, the performance-fabric clothing brand he started with two engineers he met in school. Fourteen years in, the company runs direct to consumer on a hub of Shopify, Klaviyo, and a homegrown forecasting and purchasing engine called the Ministry Production System.In this conversation: why every product starts from a problem statement (sweat stains, stiff fabric, dry cleaning), the email that told him it was 97 degrees in Atlanta and his jacket would arrive Tuesday, why he answers five customer emails a day himself, and his rule for AI in content: amplify the message, never manipulate it. First in class is the secret sauce and stays human. Best in class is everything else, and that is where the AI goes.What is next: after fourteen years of clothing, Ministry of Supply is moving into bags.Learn more about our at-event interviews at talk-commerce.com/events.

Join us for this week's message: Holy Spirit | New Depths At Union Church, we exist to lead people into a growing relationship with Jesus. Our messages are rooted in the Bible, relevant to everyday life, and focused on helping you walk out your faith with confidence. No matter where you are on your journey, you belong here. Plan a Visit: https://unionchurchonline.org/plan-a-visit Connect With Us: https://unionchurchonline.org/staff Support the Ministry: https://unionchurchonline.org/give

What if someone else is still going because you haven't quit? Leadership, ministry, parenting, mentoring, and simply caring for people can become exhausting—especially when you're giving everything you have and can't see whether it's making a difference. In this episode of Youth Worker On Fire, Doug Edwards explores perseverance, discouragement, faith, and the power of continuing to show up. Through Gideon's impossible odds, Galatians 6:9, Hebrews 10:24, and nearly three decades of Doug's own ministry experience, this episode challenges us to trust God with the results and remember the people standing beside us. In this episode: Why your impact may be bigger than what you can currently see What to do when you're exhausted and tempted to quit Gideon and trusting God when the odds make no sense Galatians 6:9 and not growing tired of doing good Why perseverance isn't meant to happen alone Encouraging youth ministry volunteers and fellow leaders Why someone else may keep going because you did Staying faithful when the harvest isn't visible yet Protecting your family and closest relationships while serving others Trusting God to accomplish what you cannot Whether you're a youth pastor, youth ministry volunteer, teacher, coach, parent, mentor, Christian leader, or someone trying to faithfully invest in the next generation, this conversation is for you. Sometimes your greatest story isn't that you stayed in the fight. It's who stayed in the fight because you were there. Listen to more episodes from the Youth Worker On Fire Podcast here: https://bit.ly/3saDyYq _________________________________________________________________________________

What does ministry truly mean, and what does it require from the one called to serve? Explore the biblical foundation, purpose, responsibilities, and heart of ministry, and gain a clearer understanding of what it means to serve God and His people.

Ministry is not built on ability alone—it flows from the grace of God and the gifts He places within His people. Discover how grace empowers your calling and how spiritual gifts equip you to serve effectively and fulfil your God-given assignment.

On the first day of each month, we release Grace & Knowledge, a more in-depth article from Paul that allows him to expand on biblical truths beyond his weekly Wednesday's Word.Our prayer is that this resource helps you “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen” (2 Peter 3:18).In this month's Grace & Knowledge, Paul introduces our new season of 5-Minute Bible Studies through the book of Acts, exploring how the gospel launched the church, empowered unlikely messengers, and continues to advance through the unstoppable power of Jesus Christ.

It's ev.news Briefly for Tuesday 01 September 2026, only todays headlines and nothing else, in just 4 minutes if you haven't got time for the full show.Patreon supporters fund this show, get the episodes ad free, as soon as they're ready and are part of the ev.news Community. You can be like them by clicking here: https://www.patreon.com/evnewsVOLKSWAGEN EXPECTED TO DEBUT ID. TIGUAN NEXT MONTHVolkswagen is expected to unveil the ID. Tiguan next month as the replacement for the ID.4 and ID.5, abandoning its numbered naming scheme in favour of established petrol nameplates alongside the ID.3 Neo, ID. Polo and ID. Cross. Prototype footage published by Autogefühl shows a wider, more conventional body closer to the petrol Tiguan with pop-out door handles replacing flush units, and the car is expected to use the MEB+ platform with a new cabin design, updated infotainment and the return of physical climate buttons.SLATE REPORTEDLY PLANS $3,000 CARGO TOPPER FOR ALL BUYERSSlate Auto reportedly plans a cargo topper kit available to all buyers rather than fleet customers alone, offered in standard square-back and high-roof forms in white and black from around $3,000, according to the Instagram account Slate Auto Mods citing fleet and government sales lead Christian Kreipke. Kreipke also reportedly said the next-generation Slate will retain the same basic design dimensions, an assurance that costs the company nothing but protects the aftermarket upfitters whose tooling depends on that consistency.CALIFORNIA SENDS 1,200-WATT PLUG-IN SOLAR BILL TO NEWSOMSB 868, passed with bipartisan support and now awaiting Governor Newsom's signature, would legalise plug-in or balcony solar in California by replacing the interconnection application with a free online registration, opening the $300-to-$2,200 technology to renters and those unable to install rooftop arrays. Systems would be capped at 1,200 watts per home and must plug into a standard outlet, offset onsite use, meet electrical codes, carry independent safety certification and stop feeding the grid during outages; PG&E ultimately opposed the final version over unenforced certification rules until 2030, San Diego Gas & Electric warned the anti-backfeed feature could fail, and Southern California Edison went neutral after safety standards were tightened.KIA SETS SEPTEMBER UNVEILING FOR PV7 ELECTRIC VANKia will fully unveil the PV7 electric van at IAA Transportation 2026 in Hanover on 14 September ahead of a 2027 customer launch, releasing images of Cargo and Passenger versions but withholding payload, cargo volume and range figures that matter most to fleet buyers. Built on the 400-volt E-GMP.S skateboard architecture shared with the PV5, its length is reported in Korea at between 5,270mm and 5,900mm despite Kia UK calling it mid-size, and it follows a PV5 that took 37% of Europe's electric C-segment van market in the first half of the year.OREGON EV REBATE MONEY EXPECTED TO RUN OUT IN TWO MONTHSOregon's electric-vehicle rebate programme has about $8.5 million remaining and is expected to last little more than two months, having already been suspended once by the Department of Environmental Quality after a previous scheme lasted three and a half months. The standard rebate has no income test and pays $2,000 for a new EV, $1,500 for a plug-in hybrid and $375 for an electric motorcycle, while the income-targeted charge-ahead rebate pays $7,500 for a new EV, $5,000 for a new plug-in hybrid, up to $4,000 for a used EV and up to $2,500 for a used plug-in hybrid.BYD REVEALS MAKO PLUG-IN HYBRID UTE IN BRAZILBYD has shown pre-production Mako plug-in hybrid utes to Brazilian media at Interlagos ahead of an October or November launch, positioning the roughly 4.8-metre, monocoque-based model as a smaller, more car-like alternative to the ladder-frame Shark 6 and a rival to the Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz rather than one-tonne utes. It retains a separate load bed of about 1,000 litres with a reported 750kg payload and uses a flex-fuel DM-i system running petrol or ethanol, with front-wheel drive at launch, an all-wheel-drive version reportedly in development, and battery capacity, electric range and right-hand-drive export plans all unconfirmed.QUEENSLAND SETS AGE 16 AND LICENCE RULESQueensland introduced tougher e-bike and e-scooter rules on 31 August 2026 requiring riders to be at least 16 and hold at least a learner licence, with parents liable for fines when under-16s are caught riding illegally. Interstate and international licences are accepted while suspended or disqualified drivers are barred entirely, and exemptions apply to 12-to-17-year-olds riding with a parent and to people unable to hold a licence because of certain medical conditions or disabilities.NISSAN AND HONDA SIGN ECU SOFTWARE PARTNERSHIPNissan and Honda signed an agreement on 31 August to jointly develop standardised electronic control units, an in-vehicle operating system, middleware and vehicle-control software for what they call software-defined vehicles. The resulting electronic architecture is scheduled to reach next-generation vehicles in 2029, with both companies claiming faster development cycles, more efficient investment and improved competitiveness in an intensifying global market.CHINA PROPOSES 30,000 KILOMETERS OF ROAD TESTINGChina is proposing to double mandatory road testing for new-energy vehicles to 30,000 kilometres, according to Bloomberg, even as carmakers push for shorter development schedules that IAT Automobile Technology and the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers estimate AI could compress to an 18-month standard, against a current pace of around two years and three to five years for established foreign rivals. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology is monitoring online customer complaints and inspected at least five leading automakers in July, including GAC Aion days after reports that batteries in some models were failing beyond 150,000 kilometres.POLAND'S COAL SHARE FALLS TO 52.7% IN 2025Poland's coal share of electricity generation fell from 72.5% in 2021 to 52.7% in 2025, dropping below half in five separate months and being outproduced by renewables across a full month for the first time in June. The country generated 24.4 TWh from gas, 23.8 TWh from onshore wind and 20.3 TWh from solar in 2025, and the IEA expects renewables to overtake coal on an annual basis in 2028.

Ask Joni a question here! --------Thank you for listening! Your support of Joni and Friends helps make this show possible. Joni and Friends envisions a world where every person with a disability finds hope, dignity, and their place in the body of Christ. Become part of the global movement today at www.joniandfriends.org. Find more encouragement on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube.

You long to flourish in intimacy with Jesus. Your heart is to love God and others more like him. But let's be honest — the path to growing in Christlikeness often doesn't match our ideals. Spiritual disciplines become dry, we wonder if we're making progress, and we get exhausted trying to figure out what we need. Tune in for this episode of Soul Talks as Bill and Kristi reveal the key to accessing God's grace right where you are. You don't have to keep trying harder at what's no longer working. Their unique model for growth (the CHRIST Stages) will help you understand where you are in your spiritual and emotional development — and what your soul needs to keep moving forward with Jesus. Resources for this Episode Take the Free Spiritual Formation Stages Assessment Journey of the Soul: A Practical Guide to Emotional and Spiritual Growth Attend a Soul Shepherding Retreat Donate to Support Soul Shepherding and Soul Talks

How can governments and public-service organizations adopt AI quickly while protecting the people affected by their decisions? In this episode of Tech Talks Daily, I speak with Holly Ellis, AWS Director for UK, International Organizations and Germany Public Sector Technology. Holly has worked on both sides of public-sector technology, with previous roles in local and central government before joining Amazon. She now leads teams supporting customers across education, healthcare, nonprofit organizations, local government and central government. We discuss why public-sector technology adoption depends on a wider system of governance, procurement, regulation, culture and skills. Holly cites AWS research with Strand Partners showing that half of UK public-sector organizations identify shortages in AI and digital skills as their main adoption challenge, up from 46 percent in the prior year. Over the same period, reported AI adoption rose from 52 percent to 64 percent. Her point is simple: greater adoption creates demand for a larger number of people with deeper knowledge. Holly also explains what responsible speed looks like when AI supports services involving education, healthcare or national institutions. Her approach is to think big, start small and scale fast, containing the effect of failure while teams build confidence. University clearing offers one example. Several universities used Amazon Connect during A-level results, with one institution handling up to three times the call volume of its previous system and confirming a four-figure number of student places in one day. The conversation then turns to safeguards. Holly argues that leaders must define organization-wide protections while engineers remain responsible for the systems they build. Depending on the consequence, those protections may include human review, observability measures and tightly scoped permissions for AI agents. At the Ministry of Justice, AWS Transform processed 24,000 lines of code during an initial nine-hour pass and completed a second pass in two hours. Human review took about 20 hours, compared with an estimated nine months for manual modernization. We also consider legacy technology, digital sovereignty and the difficulty of measuring AI outcomes. Holly describes sovereignty in practical terms as control, transparency and optionality. She advises leaders to define the outcomes they intend to measure before selecting initiatives, then build upon work that demonstrates the strongest returns. According to the AWS research discussed, organizations redesigning workflows and decision-making with AI reported average efficiency gains of 68 percent, compared with 40 percent among basic users. The wider lesson is that responsible public-sector AI depends on technical choices, people, governance and evidence working together. Can public services become faster and more responsive while retaining the safeguards and public confidence they require? Listen to the conversation and share your thoughts with me.  

Don't Begin Your Day Without God (MORNING BREAKTHROUGH AHEAD) | Blessed Morning Prayer For Today SUBSCRIBE to catch all the latest prayers uploaded to the Daily Effective Prayer Podcast! For more powerful daily prayers and to connect with the ministry visit: https://www.dailyeffectiveprayer.org © Copyright DailyEffectivePrayer.com  SUPPORT THE MINISTRY: (We are listener-supported)https://www.dailyeffectiveprayer.org/donate/ DO YOU NEED PRAYER? Send us a prayer request right now:https://www.dailyeffectiveprayer.org/prayer-request-online/ CONNECT WITH US:https://www.dailyeffectiveprayer.org/connectYouTube (1M+ SUBSCRIBERS)X / TwitterInstagram ThreadsInstagramFacebookTikTok Daily Effective Prayer™

We are not victims struggling to become victors. We are already victors, declared winners in Christ. The enemy's strategy is to deceive us into forgetting who we are.In Episode 7 of "The Good Fight," Duane Sheriff teaches why the Armor of God is essential for every believer who wants to stand firm against the enemy's schemes. Spiritual warfare is not fought through human strength, emotion, or self-effort. It is fought in the Lord's might with the spiritual weapons God has already provided.Through Paul's description of a Roman soldier's armor in Ephesians 6, we learn how God equips us with truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, the Word of God, and prayer. Each piece prepares us to resist deception, remain established in faith, and stand confidently in the victory Christ has already secured.This battle is not against people, but against the spiritual forces that blind minds, distort truth, destroy lives, and keep people trapped in darkness. In Christ, we are blessed, seated with Him in heavenly places, and equipped with His name, authority, Spirit, and power.Discover what it means to put on the whole Armor of God and fight from a position of victory, not for victory.

Today Jenny sits down with Trish Von Adam for a deeply personal conversation about Trish's testimony, trauma recovery, and the long journey from survival into surrender. Trish shares how a lifetime of instability, painful relationships, and a major health crisis became the backdrop for a radically different calling: building a discipleship and inner-healing ministry called Let His People Go.In this episode, Trish opens up about childhood trauma, walking away from church life, rebuilding after a violent second marriage, and the family members who helped her find safety and support when everything fell apart. Trish explains how Scripture, rest, obedience, and presence became central to her recovery, and how those rhythms eventually shaped a 12-book curriculum with 144 lessons designed to help people move through discipleship, inner healing, and deliverance together.Learn more about Let His People Go at https://lethispeoplego.com/This season of the podcast is sponsored by Rowe Casa Organics—makers of clean, natural, and truly effective products that support your health and home the way God designed. Use code THEROOTEDTRUTH to save 20% on your first purchase, or ⁠simply click here. ⁠