Podcasts about Saddleback

In this episode, we will continue the conversation in understanding how facing our past trauma, abandonment, and rejection can ultimately bring healing. How does facing it bring clarity in God's purpose for our lives so that the past pain does not go wasted. In this part 2 episode, Rodney Holmstrom, Global Field Director of celebrate recovery continues the important conversation of how leaning into our pain, although difficult, will always be worth it for God's greater purpose. 

Unfortunately, in this world, we will have trouble that brings up a lot of trauma, abandonment, and rejection. In celebrate recovery we are about facing those past traumatic wounds. But what happens when we avoid all of that and how does it shape our present in future when left unresolved? How does facing the pain of our past impact our present and our future? In this part 1 episode, Rodney Holmstrom, Global Field Director of Celebrate Recovery, will lean into some things to be aware of and how it shapes our belief system, our choices, and how we interact with the world, ourselves, and God. What are the healing benefits of facing the pain of our past?

The Real Question Small Group Leaders Should Be Asking: What Kind of Disciple Are You Producing?In this episode of SG Squared, Pastor Steve Gladen and Derek discuss how small group point people can get distracted by urgent tasks and connection metrics while missing the most important question: what kind of disciple the church is trying to produce. Steve explains that every small group model includes a connection process, but the strategy must also include a clear discipleship and spiritual formation pathway that goes beyond slogans and cognitive learning to lived obedience. He argues that the small group point person must seek clarity on the church's discipleship strategy—whether they own it or partner with others—so training, coaching, curriculum, and tools align with the intended outcomes. Listeners are invited to join Small Group Network All Access for resources and updates, including a coaching platform planned for October 2026.00:00 Welcome to SG Squared00:28 Weather and Relativity02:47 The Real Question04:29 Why Connection Matters06:13 Seven Group Models09:32 Discipleship Second Half11:18 Who Owns Discipleship14:06 Point Person Responsibility19:25 Avoid Model Hopping20:51 Wrap Up and Resources ★ Support this podcast ★

In this ministry, we can find that it doesn't always have a pretty ending and can be heart wrenching to walk-through. Thankfully, this doesn't happen the majority of the time, but it does happen from time to time and we need to prepare hearts for if it does. In this episode Rodney Holmstrom, Global Field Director of celebrate recovery, will walk us through some important reminders to equip us in handling the deepest pain of losing someone that we walked along side and shepherded, maybe in death or relapse, etc. How do we heal and take our hearts to the Lord? How can we possibly keep going and what God has called us to in our ultimate purpose and mission? Listen to some important points to equip us in these rare but important possibilities.IMPORTANT: If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal ideation or self-harm please seek help and consider professional attention if needed. Dial 988 to talk to a professional to be a bridge toward the help that you deserve.

A question that might come up in the Recovery journey is "why should I deal with my past? Doesn't Paul say we should forget the past and strain forward?" Understanding the difference between getting stuck in our past and honoring our past with the whole goal of moving forward with a new purpose is essential to walking in freedom or staying stuck in our past trauma and pain. In this episode, Rodney Holmstrom, global field Director of Celebrate Recovery, will walk us through a conversation on what it looks like to understand the difference between staying stuck in our past and honoring our past so that God can bring redemption and restoration so that we can walk in Freedom.

In celebrate recovery, we all have our own experiences and the way the Holy Spirit grows and changes us through the principles and steps of celebrate recovery. In this episode, Rodney Holmstrom, Global Field Director of Celebrate Recovery, sits down with North Central regional Director, Scott Kemp to talk about his favorite step & principle of CR. He shares his heart and why it means so much to him even 30+ years later in his recovery journey.

In this episode of The Ride Companion, mountain bike legend Martyn Ashton joins us for one of our most honest, funny and important conversations yet. We talk about Martyn's latest project, Rideable Now and why he believes mountain bikers need to show up for mountain biking. During the episode Martyn gives the usual dose of self deprecation to powerful reflections on injury, identity and access. Rideable Now exists to help riders with life changing injuries and disabilities get back on the trails through adaptive mountain bikes, community support and real opportunities to ride again. Learn more and consider supporting rideable now here https://www.rideablenow.com Episode Sponsors:- - Want an easy way to tick your daily nutritional needs? Support the show and get 15% OFF HUEL products with code 'RIDE' at https://huel.com/. Unlock a healthier, easier way to eat with Huel — nutritionally complete meals in minutes, so you can focus on what really matters… biking. - Fan of quality tools and want to geek out? Feedback Sports is available from your local bike shop, online retailers such as Saddleback and Bike 24, plus directly from https://feedbacksports.com - Looking for a new car or van and don't want to deal with dodgy dealers? Check out https://www.cargurus.co.uk - Kecks → 10% off with code THERIDECOMPANION at https://kecks.co.uk Get early access & ad-free episodes → https://www.patreon.com/theridecompanion You can also support our long term partners: Marin Bikes → marinbikes.com/gb Focus Bikes → focus-bikes.com SRAM: sram.com/en/sram adidas FiveTen: adidas.co.uk/five_ten invisiFrame: 15% off with code REFRESHANDRIDE at invisiframe.co.uk Troy Lee Designs → 10% off with code theridecompanion at saddleback.avln.me/c/OzduCWvjtcOr Manta Sleep → 10% off with code theridecompanion tinyurl.com/theridecompanion HUEL → 15% off with code RIDE: huel.com/ Mudhugger → Get 10% off with code ridecompanion10 at themudhugger.co.uk Compex → 20% off with code THERIDECOMPANION: compex.com/uk/ Igloo → igloocoolers.com/ Kecks → https://kecks.co.uk use code THERIDECOMPANION for 10% off Feedback Sports: feedbacksports.com WORX → 15% off with code THERIDECOMPANION at uk.worx.com HKT Products → 10% off with code PODCAST at hktproducts.co.uk Follow The Ride Companion Instagram @theridecompanion YouTube @TheRideCompanion Olly Wilkins Instagram @odub_23 YouTube @owilkins23 YouTube clips and BTS channel @moreridecompanion Get official Ride Companion merch, find old episodes and more theridecompanion.co.uk

In this episode, we continue the conversation with a dear sister in Christ, Amanda. We get to hear how God took her from the pains of a sexual assault and addictions to a new beautiful life of giving back, through her words and deeds sharing the good news with other people. Listen in on this episode with Rodney Holmstrom, global field, Director of celebrate recovery, as he has a continued conversation of part two of this incredible hope-filled testimony.

Subscribe and Connect with the Small Group NetworkThank you for tuning in! Don't forget to subscribe to our podcast on your favorite platform. For more resources and to join the small group community, visit smallgroupnetwork.com. THE MENDOZA STORY130 schools said no.He led the losingest program in college football history to a national championship anyway.Fernando Mendoza was a 2-star recruit from Miami.He tried to walk on at his hometown school. They passed.So did FIU.So did FAU.So did everyone else.At 17, he was sitting in his bedroom, crying over a silent recruiting inbox—after driving to 18 camps with his dad and sending highlights to more than 100 programs.Not one FBS offer.His only option? Yale. No scholarship. No NFL path.Everyone told him to be “realistic.”“Know your place.”“Be grateful.”He didn't listen.Because Mendoza understood something most people miss:The worst outcome isn't failing.It's never getting the chance to try.Two weeks before signing day in 2022, his phone rang.Cal needed a body. One offer. Out of 134 schools.He took it.He arrived as the third-string quarterback.Spent a year on the scout team.Lost his first four starts.Got sacked 41 times behind a broken offensive line.Still got up. Every time.Then Cal brought in a transfer instead of building around him.So Mendoza left the only school that had ever said yes.He transferred to Indiana—the losingest program in college football history.People laughed.“Career suicide.”“Graveyard program.”“Nobody wins there.”One coach told him something different:“I'm going to make you the best Fernando Mendoza possible.”That was enough.Mendoza wasn't just playing for football.His mother has battled multiple sclerosis for 18 years.Before every snap, he thought of her.“My mother is my why.”Indiana went 16–0.Beat six Top-10 teams.Won their first Big Ten title since 1945.Mendoza threw 41 touchdowns.Won the Heisman—first in school history.First Cuban-American to ever do it.Then came the title game.Miami. Near his hometown.Fourth-and-4. Season on the line.Quarterback draw.The kid 134 schools rejected spun through defenders and dove into the end zone.Game over.Indiana—national champions.The losingest program became the best team in America.All because a 17-year-old refused to believe “no” was the end.Rankings don't decide your ceiling.Gatekeepers don't write your ending.Being overlooked isn't a verdict—it's a starting point.Sometimes all you need is one shot…and the courage to bet on yourself when nobody else will.Don't quit.00:00 Thank You for Listening!18:31 Subscribe for More Content18:35 Join the Small Group Network18:43 See You Next Time! ★ Support this podcast ★

One of the most valuable tools we have in celebrate Recovery is speaking out loud what God has done inside of us. Anytime we have a courageous brother or sister in Christ share their life change story it becomes oxygen for all of our soul regardless of how long we've been on the journey. In this episode, Rodney Holmstrom, global field Director of celebrate Recovery, has an impactful and heartfelt conversation with one of our sisters and celebrate recovery, Amanda. A young woman who walked through immense suffering and pain toward Jesus and healing. Amanda is a part of a celebrate Recovery at Lifeline Church in Princeton West Virginia and meets on Sunday nights at 5 PM. Listen to this incredible story and be blessed.

We've been talking about the important discussion around sex, and how God uses it as a beautiful gift in the confines of a marriage between a man and a woman. In this part two conversation, Rodney Holmstrom, global field Director of Celebrate Recovery, walks us through some additional points to consider in how a false view of sexual intimacy can be a counterfeit to true intimacy and healthy relationships with God and others. What is a healthy biblical view of sex and is their hope for us? What if we are struggling with things like pornography, sexually acting out, or other lust mindsets that are consuming us on a daily basis? Listen to this episode and hear some hope that change is possible, if we will acknowledge the struggle and then trust the process as we invite God into our pain and struggles.

In this episode of The Unconventional Path, hosts Bela Musits and Mike Wasserman sit down with Dave Munson, the founder of Saddleback Leather Company. If you have ever wondered how to build a business that prioritizes legacy over quick profits, this conversation is for you. Dave shares his "non-traditional" approach to entrepreneurship, shifting from his roots as a youth pastor to creating a global leather brand famous for its "They'll Fight Over It When You're Dead" warranty.+4The leather goods market is often viewed as a crowded, commodity-driven space. Dave explains how Saddleback Leather differentiates itself by refusing to compete on price. While many companies cheapen materials to satisfy shareholders or venture capitalists, Dave and his family own 100% of the company. This independence allows them to use the toughest leather, highest-quality linings, and most durable hardware available—creating products like $700 briefcases that are designed to last a century.+4Saddleback Leather operates a factory in Mexico employing approximately 150 people. Dave discusses the importance of quality control when dealing with raw materials like leather, which varies by hide. To maintain excellence, he sources from top-tier tanneries in both the United States and Europe.+3Dave doesn't rely on traditional marketing; instead, he uses storytelling to build a community of "super fans". The Saddleback website is famous for sharing Dave's personal adventures, his family life, and the founding story of the brand. By focusing on brand strength rather than aggressive sales tactics, the company has secured high-profile partnerships with organizations like Toyota and luxury hotels through word-of-mouth alone.+4Now based in Fort Worth, Texas, Dave is currently building a unique headquarters featuring buildings made from compressed leather bales. He shares his philosophy on leadership, emphasizing the need to encourage employees—even if that means helping them eventually start their own businesses.+4Don't Race to the Bottom: Instead of asking why your product is expensive, ask why your competitors' products are so cheap.The Power of Persistence: Dave likens entrepreneurship to karate, noting that the only difference between a white belt and a black belt is that the black belt kept going.Branding vs. Marketing: Focus on building a strong brand identity that people want to associate with.Connect with Saddleback Leather Company: Visit their website to read Dave's memoir and see his latest leather designs.Our podcast is now available on YouTube.  Simply search for "The Unconventional Path" to subscribe and never miss an episode.We're always on the lookout for interesting guests to feature on our show. If you know someone who has an inspiring story, unique perspective, or valuable expertise to share, please let us know. We're eager to connect with potential guests who can bring fresh insights and engaging conversations to our audience.We also love hearing from our listeners! Your questions, comments, and suggestions are incredibly valuable to us. Send us an email at bela.and.mike@gmail.com with your thoughts, and we'll do our best to address them in a future episode. Whether you have a question about a specific topic, feedback on a recent episode, or ideas for future content, we want to hear from you. Your engagement helps us shape the show and deliver content that resonates with our listeners.Thanks for listening,Bela and MikeThe Anti-Commodity StrategyManufacturing and Global FootprintMarketing Through StorytellingLeadership and VisionKey Takeaways from the Episode:

We've been talking about God's natural design for release of dopamine, and how the enemy can distort that and even hijack His original design as it relates to sex in the confines of a marriage. What are some ways the enemy lies to us around sex? What are the costs to this? In this episode, Rodney Holmstrom, Global Field Director of celebrate recovery, will dive into part one of this important topic and how we can learn and grow through the counterfeit ways the enemy hijacks God's design and get back to the natural God-given gift design to walk in healthy intimacy with God and others.

Blake Samson (aka Zimblake) is back on The Ride Companion to talk about what happens after you take the leap. In this episode, Blake breaks down launching his new YouTube channel, building his first major project from scratch, why he's choosing the slow, proper route, and how trust, planning, and passion are shaping what comes next. We also dive into burnout, long-form content, attention spans, building without cutting corners and why fun still matters when your passion becomes your work. This is the next chapter of Blake's journey and it's only just getting started. Episode Sponsors:- - Mudhugger: Get 10% off with code ridecompanion10 at https://www.themudhugger.co.uk - HUEL: Support the show and get 15% OFF HUEL products with code 'RIDE' at https://huel.com/. Unlock a healthier, easier way to eat with Huel — nutritionally complete meals in minutes, so you can focus on what really matters… biking. - Fan of quality tools and want to geek out? Feedback Sports is available from your local bike shop, online retailers such as Saddleback and Bike 24, plus directly from https://feedbacksports.com Get early access & ad-free episodes → https://www.patreon.com/theridecompanion You can also support our long term partners: Marin Bikes → marinbikes.com/gb Focus Bikes → focus-bikes.com SRAM: sram.com/en/sram adidas FiveTen: adidas.co.uk/five_ten invisiFrame: 15% off with code REFRESHANDRIDE at invisiframe.co.uk Troy Lee Designs → 10% off with code theridecompanion at saddleback.avln.me/c/OzduCWvjtcOr Manta Sleep → 10% off with code theridecompanion tinyurl.com/theridecompanion HUEL → 15% off with code RIDE: huel.com/ Mudhugger → Get 10% off with code ridecompanion10 at themudhugger.co.uk Compex → 20% off with code THERIDECOMPANION: compex.com/uk/ Igloo: igloocoolers.com/ Feedback Sports: feedbacksports.com WORX → 15% off with code THERIDECOMPANION at uk.worx.com HKT Products → 10% off with code PODCAST at hktproducts.co.uk Follow The Ride Companion Instagram @theridecompanion YouTube @TheRideCompanion Olly Wilkins Instagram @odub_23 YouTube @owilkins23 YouTube clips and BTS channel @moreridecompanion Get official Ride Companion merch, find old episodes and more theridecompanion.co.uk

Have you ever found yourself in a place of fatigue, depression, isolating from others and just feeling like you're tolerance for things that used to bring life joy just aren't there anymore? There could be many things that contribute to this, but one of the things that can be contributing is something called dopamine crash. How does the dopamine crash take us out of God's design for life? In this episode, Rodney Holmstrom, Global Field, Director of Celebrate Recovery, will unpack what a dopamine crash is and how going outside of God's design for stimulation and natural dopamine release can lead to unhealthy consequences. There is hope and a way out of it if we're willing to acknowledge it and understand it and invite God and others into it.

5 Small Group Strategies for 2026Welcome to SG Squared with Pastor Steve Gladen, who brings over 25 years of small group ministry experience to provide practical advice and encouragement for leading small groups. In this episode, despite battling the flu, Steve and Derek discuss the importance of leading with purpose, building trust, developing people, celebrating wins, and clarifying roles and next steps. These five key strategies are designed to help you lead small groups more effectively and foster stronger engagement. Whether you're leading in ministry, at work, or at home, these transferable principles will equip you to be a better leader. Don't miss out on this insightful masterclass!Check outSmall Groups With Purpose by Steve GladenandPlanning Small Groups With Purpose by Steve Gladen00:00 Welcome to SG Squared00:23 Catching Up and Health Updates02:21 Five Ways to Lead Effectively05:00 1. Lead with Purpose06:35 2. Build Trust09:10 3. Develop Your People12:41 4. Celebrate the Wins15:13 5. Clarify Roles and Next Steps17:12 Recap and Closing Thoughts18:02 Subscribe and Stay Connected ★ Support this podcast ★

There's something incredibly powerful when we get to hear the hope and life change that happens in one of our brothers and sisters in Christ. When we hear another's story, it gives us hope to keep going ourselves. Listen in as Rodney Holmstrom, Global Field Director of Celebrate Recovery, interview Jim, to hear an encouraging word and a portion of a powerful life change story.

One of the misconceptions of the enemy is that he is big, loud, and easy to see coming our way. But the truth is, that he is slow, sneaky, and even strategic in how he tries to get us off course. In this episode, Rodney Holmstrom, Global Field Director of Celebrate Recovery, will talk about some things to be aware of and the lies the enemy can feed us as he prowls around like a lion seeking to devour us. Listen in and find some practical ways to combat the enemies sabotage attempts so that we can keep moving and growing forward in our recovery with our forever family, and Jesus Christ as our higher power.

In recovery, one of the essential principles that we need to fuel our recovery is Hope. If the enemy can get inside our head and heart and convince us that our situation is hopeless and there's no point in moving forward, he has us right where he wants us. But there is another way and some things to think about that can keep the enemy from winning his sabotage efforts. In this episode, Rodney Holmstrom, Global Field Director of Celebrate Recovery, will lean into some things and ways the enemy might try to sabotage our recovery with hopelessness as we face our situations. Listen in and being encouraged. 

It has been said that if the enemy can't get to us, then he will attack our relationships. What are some of the crafty ways that he might try to create division and pull us away from unity and connection from our marriages, families, or just relationships as a whole? In this episode with Rodney Holmstrom, Global Field Director of Celebrate Recovery, we walk through a conversation on specific ways the enemy will try to divide us from the most important resource in our recovery, relationships. What are some ways that we can combat? The enemies lies and sabotage to prevent falling back when the enemy attacks are most important relationships?

During messy and hard times, including the holidays, the enemy may try to break the momentum of our recovery journey. What are some ways that we can maintain the incredible life-giving momentum that He has begun in our recovery journey? What are some things that we can be aware of as we continue step-by-step? In this episode, Rodney Holmstrom, Global Field Director of celebrate recovery, will unpack some practical reminders and how to maintain momentum and prevent relapse in our recovery journey.

Steve Gladen, Global Small Groups Pastor at Saddleback Church, pulls from his 20+ years of small group ministry experience to encourage and equip listeners to lead healthier, growing and more effective small group ministries. In this episode, Steve & co-host Derek talk about Evangelism Made Easy for Small Groups.The 6 Fs ★ Support this podcast ★

Chase Davis is back to talk with Steve about his article published by American Reformer, "Saddleback Sarah and Managerial Christianity: What would it look like to make liberal women a target market for the church?" You can read Chase's article here: https://americanreformer.org/2025/03/saddleback-sarah-and-managerial-christianity/ Bookscouter for Chase's new book, which is set to release in Jan 2026: https://bookscouter.com/author/davis-j-chase We hope and pray that Grounded has become useful to your walk with our Lord. In Christ, The Grounded Team

Sometimes in recovery, we can confuse struggling in an area of recovery with the reality of defining freedom. What does freedom look like and does that mean we won't struggle if we are to say we are walking in freedom? In this episode, Rodney Holmstrom, Global Field Director of Celebrate Recovery will provide some language around helping us reframe what it means to walk in freedom with codependency as we struggle to live life on life's terms.

In Celebrate Recovery, we no doubt learned that boundaries and guidelines are essential to keeping us on the right track. Whether it's the small group guidelines, following the DNA or other leadership components, practicing keeping our ministry safe is important. However, how can legalism and becoming the security guard, hinder the healing process and break connection from us and others that God has called us to lead? In this episode, Rodney Holmstrom, Global Field Director of Celebrate Recovery, will unpack this important topic to help us lean into Grace versus rigidity and rules that separates us from the important connections in our life.

WhoDeb Hatley, Owner of Hatley Pointe, North CarolinaRecorded onJuly 30, 2025About Hatley PointeClick here for a mountain stats overviewOwned by: Deb and David Hatley since 2023 - purchased from Orville English, who had owned and operated the resort since 1992Located in: Mars Hill, North CarolinaYear founded: 1969 (as Wolf Laurel or Wolf Ridge; both names used over the decades)Pass affiliations: Indy Pass, Indy+ Pass – 2 days, no blackoutsClosest neighboring ski areas: Cataloochee (1:25), Sugar Mountain (1:26)Base elevation: 4,000 feetSummit elevation: 4,700 feetVertical drop: 700 feetSkiable acres: 54Average annual snowfall: 65 inchesTrail count: 21 (4 beginner, 11 intermediate, 6 advanced)Lift count: 4 active (1 fixed-grip quad, 1 ropetow, 2 carpets); 2 inactive, both on the upper mountain (1 fixed-grip quad, 1 double)Why I interviewed herOur world has not one map, but many. Nature drew its own with waterways and mountain ranges and ecosystems and tectonic plates. We drew our maps on top of these, to track our roads and borders and political districts and pipelines and railroad tracks.Our maps are functional, simplistic. They insist on fictions. Like the 1,260-mile-long imaginary straight line that supposedly splices the United States from Canada between Washington State and Minnesota. This frontier is real so long as we say so, but if humanity disappeared tomorrow, so would that line.Nature's maps are more resilient. This is where water flows because this is where water flows. If we all go away, the water keeps flowing. This flow, in turn, impacts the shape and function of the entire world.One of nature's most interesting maps is its mountain map. For most of human existence, mountains mattered much more to us than they do now. Meaning: we had to respect these giant rocks because they stood convincingly in our way. It took European settlers centuries to navigate en masse over the Appalachians, which is not even a severe mountain range, by global mountain-range standards. But paved roads and tunnels and gas stations every five miles have muted these mountains' drama. You can now drive from the Atlantic Ocean to the Midwest in half a day.So spoiled by infrastructure, we easily forget how dramatically mountains command huge parts of our world. In America, we know this about our country: the North is cold and the South is warm. And we define these regions using battle maps from a 19th Century war that neatly bisected the nation. Another imaginary line. We travel south for beaches and north to ski and it is like this everywhere, a gentle progression, a continent-length slide that warms as you descend from Alaska to Panama.But mountains disrupt this logic. Because where the land goes up, the air grows cooler. And there are mountains all over. And so we have skiing not just in expected places such as Vermont and Maine and Michigan and Washington, but in completely irrational ones like Arizona and New Mexico and Southern California. And North Carolina.North Carolina. That's the one that surprised me. When I started skiing, I mean. Riding hokey-poke chairlifts up 1990s Midwest hills that wouldn't qualify as rideable surf breaks, I peered out at the world to figure out where else people skied and what that skiing was like. And I was astonished by how many places had organized skiing with cut trails and chairlifts and lift tickets, and by how many of them were way down the Michigan-to-Florida slide-line in places where I thought that winter never came: West Virginia and Virginia and Maryland. And North Carolina.Yes there are ski areas in more improbable states. But Cloudmont, situated in, of all places, Alabama, spins its ropetow for a few days every other year or so. North Carolina, home to six ski areas spinning a combined 35 chairlifts, allows for no such ambiguity: this is a ski state. And these half-dozen ski centers are not marginal operations: Sugar Mountain and Cataloochee opened for the season last week, and they sometimes open in October. Sugar spins a six-pack and two detach quads on a 1,200-foot vertical drop.This geographic quirk is a product of our wonderful Appalachian Mountain chain, which reaches its highest points not in New England but in North Carolina, where Mount Mitchell peaks at 6,684 feet, 396 feet higher than the summit of New Hampshire's Mount Washington. This is not an anomaly: North Carolina is home to six summits taller than Mount Washington, and 12 of the 20-highest in the Appalachians, a range that stretches from Alabama to Newfoundland. And it's not just the summits that are taller in North Carolina. The highest ski area base elevation in New England is Saddleback, which measures 2,147 feet at the bottom of the South Branch quad (the mountain more typically uses the 2,460-foot measurement at the bottom of the Rangeley quad). Either way, it's more than 1,000 feet below the lowest base-area elevation in North Carolina:Unfortunately, mountains and elevation don't automatically equal snow. And the Southern Appalachians are not exactly the Kootenays. It snows some, sometimes, but not so much, so often, that skiing can get by on nature's contributions alone - at least not in any commercially reliable form. It's no coincidence that North Carolina didn't develop any organized ski centers until the 1960s, when snowmaking machines became efficient and common enough for mass deployment. But it's plenty cold up at 4,000 feet, and there's no shortage of water. Snowguns proved to be skiing's last essential ingredient.Well, there was one final ingredient to the recipe of southern skiing: roads. Back to man's maps. Specifically, America's interstate system, which steamrolled the countryside throughout the 1960s and passes just a few miles to Hatley Pointe's west. Without these superhighways, western North Carolina would still be a high-peaked wilderness unknown and inaccessible to most of us.It's kind of amazing when you consider all the maps together: a severe mountain region drawn into the borders of a stable and prosperous nation that builds physical infrastructure easing the movement of people with disposable income to otherwise inaccessible places that have been modified for novel uses by tapping a large and innovative industrial plant that has reduced the miraculous – flight, electricity, the internet - to the commonplace. And it's within the context of all these maps that a couple who knows nothing about skiing can purchase an established but declining ski resort and remake it as an upscale modern family ski center in the space of 18 months.What we talked aboutHurricane Helene fallout; “it took every second until we opened up to make it there,” even with a year idle; the “really tough” decision not to open for the 2023-24 ski season; “we did not realize what we were getting ourselves into”; buying a ski area when you've never worked at a ski area and have only skied a few times; who almost bought Wolf Ridge and why Orville picked the Hatleys instead; the importance of service; fixing up a broken-down ski resort that “felt very old”; updating without losing the approachable family essence; why it was “absolutely necessary” to change the ski area's name; “when you pulled in, the first thing that you were introduced to … were broken-down machines and school buses”; Bible verses and bare trails and busted-up everything; “we could have spent two years just doing cleanup of junk and old things everywhere”; Hatley Pointe then and now; why Hatley removed the double chair; a detachable six-pack at Hatley?; chairlifts as marketing and branding tools; why the Breakaway terrain closed and when it could return and in what form; what a rebuilt summit lodge could look like; Hatley Pointe's new trails; potential expansion; a day-ski area, a resort, or both?; lift-served mountain bike park incoming; night-skiing expansion; “I was shocked” at the level of après that Hatley drew, and expanding that for the years ahead; North Carolina skiing is all about the altitude; re-opening The Bowl trail; going to online-only sales; and lessons learned from 2024-25 that will build a better Hatley for 2025-26.What I got wrongWhen we recorded this conversation, the ski area hadn't yet finalized the name of the new green trail coming off of Eagle – it is Pat's Way (see trailmap above).I asked if Hatley intended to install night-skiing, not realizing that they had run night-ski operations all last winter.Why now was a good time for this interviewPardon my optimism, but I'm feeling good about American lift-served skiing right now. Each of the past five winters has been among the top 10 best seasons for skier visits, U.S. ski areas have already built nearly as many lifts in the 2020s (246) as they did through all of the 2010s (288), and multimountain passes have streamlined the flow of the most frequent and passionate skiers between mountains, providing far more flexibility at far less cost than would have been imaginable even a decade ago.All great. But here's the best stat: after declining throughout the 1980s and ‘90s, the number of active U.S. ski areas stabilized around the turn of the century, and has actually increased for five consecutive winters:Those are National Ski Areas Association numbers, which differ slightly from mine. I count 492 active ski hills for 2023-24 and 500 for last winter, and I project 510 potentially active ski areas for the 2025-26 campaign. But no matter: the number of active ski operations appears to be increasing.But the raw numbers matter less than the manner in which this uptick is happening. In short: a new generation of owners is resuscitating lost or dying ski areas. Many have little to no ski industry experience. Driven by nostalgia, a sense of community duty, plain business opportunity, or some combination of those things, they are orchestrating massive ski area modernization projects, funded via their own wealth – typically earned via other enterprises – or by rallying a donor base.Examples abound. When I launched The Storm in 2019, Saddleback, Maine; Norway Mountain, Michigan; Woodward Park City; Thrill Hills, North Dakota; Deer Mountain, South Dakota; Paul Bunyan, Wisconsin; Quarry Road, Maine; Steeplechase, Minnesota; and Snowland, Utah were all lost ski areas. All are now open again, and only one – Woodward – was the project of an established ski area operator (Powdr). Cuchara, Colorado and Nutt Hill, Wisconsin are on the verge of re-opening following decades-long lift closures. Bousquet, Massachusetts; Holiday Mountain, New York; Kissing Bridge, New York; and Black Mountain, New Hampshire were disintegrating in slow-motion before energetic new owners showed up with wrecking balls and Home Depot frequent-shopper accounts. New owners also re-energized the temporarily dormant Sandia Peak, New Mexico and Tenney, New Hampshire.One of my favorite revitalization stories has been in North Carolina, where tired, fire-ravaged, investment-starved, homey-but-rickety Wolf Ridge was falling down and falling apart. The ski area's season ended in February four times between 2018 and 2023. Snowmaking lagged. After an inferno ate the summit lodge in 2014, no one bothered rebuilding it. Marooned between the rapidly modernizing North Carolina ski trio of Sugar Mountain, Cataloochee, and Beech, Wolf Ridge appeared to be rapidly fading into irrelevance.Then the Hatleys came along. Covid-curious first-time skiers who knew little about skiing or ski culture, they saw opportunity where the rest of us saw a reason to keep driving. Fixing up a ski area turned out to be harder than they'd anticipated, and they whiffed on opening for the 2023-24 winter. Such misses sometimes signal that the new owners are pulling their ripcords as they launch out of the back of the plane, but the Hatleys kept working. They gut-renovated the lodge, modernized the snowmaking plant, tore down an SLI double chair that had witnessed the signing of the Declaration of Independence. And last winter, they re-opened the best version of the ski area now known as Hatley Pointe that locals had seen in decades.A great winter – one of the best in recent North Carolina history – helped. But what I admire about the Hatleys – and this new generation of owners in general – is their optimism in a cultural moment that has deemed optimism corny and naïve. Everything is supposed to be terrible all the time, don't you know that? They didn't know, and that orientation toward the good, tempered by humility and patience, reversed the long decline of a ski area that had in many ways ceased to resonate with the world it existed in.The Hatleys have lots left to do: restore the Breakaway terrain, build a new summit lodge, knot a super-lift to the frontside. And their Appalachian salvage job, while impressive, is not a very repeatable blueprint – you need considerable wealth to take a season off while deploying massive amounts of capital to rebuild the ski area. The Hatley model is one among many for a generation charged with modernizing increasingly antiquated ski areas before they fall over dead. Sometimes, as in the examples itemized above, they succeed. But sometimes they don't. Comebacks at Cockaigne and Hickory, both in New York, fizzled. Sleeping Giant, Wyoming and Ski Blandford, Massachusetts both shuttered after valiant rescue attempts. All four of these remain salvageable, but last week, Four Seasons, New York closed permanently after 63 years.That will happen. We won't be able to save every distressed ski area, and the potential supply of new or revivable ski centers, barring massive cultural and regulatory shifts, will remain limited. But the protectionist tendencies limiting new ski area development are, in a trick of human psychology, the same ones that will drive the revitalization of others – the only thing Americans resist more than building something new is taking away something old. Which in our country means anything that was already here when we showed up. A closed or closing ski area riles the collective angst, throws a snowy bat signal toward the night sky, a beacon and a dare, a cry and a plea: who wants to be a hero?Podcast NotesOn Hurricane HeleneHelene smashed inland North Carolina last fall, just as Hatley was attempting to re-open after its idle year. Here's what made the storm so bad:On Hatley's socialsFollow:On what I look for at a ski resortOn the Ski Big Bear podcastIn the spirit of the article above, one of the top 10 Storm Skiing Podcast guest quotes ever came from Ski Big Bear, Pennsylvania General Manager Lori Phillips: “You treat everyone like they paid a million dollars to be there doing what they're doing”On ski area name changesI wrote a piece on Hatley's name change back in 2023:Ski area name changes are more common than I'd thought. I've been slowly documenting past name changes as I encounter them, so this is just a partial list, but here are 93 active U.S. ski areas that once went under a different name. If you know of others, please email me.On Hatley at the point of purchase and nowGigantic collections of garbage have always fascinated me. That's essentially what Wolf Ridge was at the point of sale:It's a different place now:On the distribution of six-packs across the nationSix-pack chairlifts are rare and expensive enough that they're still special, but common enough that we're no longer amazed by them. Mostly - it depends on where we find such a machine. Just 112 of America's 3,202 ski lifts (3.5 percent) are six-packs, and most of these (75) are in the West (60 – more than half the nation's total, are in Colorado, Utah, or California). The Midwest is home to a half-dozen six-packs, all at Boyne or Midwest Family Ski Resorts operations, and the East has 31 sixers, 17 of which are in New England, and 12 of which are in Vermont. If Hatley installed a sixer, it would be just the second such chairlift in North Carolina, and the fifth in the Southeast, joining the two at Wintergreen, Virginia and the one at Timberline, West Virginia.On the Breakaway fireWolf Ridge's upper-mountain lodge burned down in March 2014. Yowza:On proposed expansions Wolf Ridge's circa 2007 trailmap teases a potential expansion below the now-closed Breakaway terrain:Taking our time machine back to the late ‘80s, Wolf Ridge had envisioned an even more ambitious expansion:The Storm explores the world of lift-served skiing year-round. Join us. Get full access to The Storm Skiing Journal and Podcast at www.stormskiing.com/subscribe

What if everything you've heard about declining church attendance is about to change? Luke LeFevre joins us to share what he's witnessing across North America—from college campuses to historic churches like Saddleback—and why he believes we're on the cusp of a 60-year movement of God.In this conversation, Luke pulls back the curtain on what happened at Saddleback's sacred assembly, shares his encounter with Andy Wood that started it all, and explains why Gen Z is now the most frequent church-attending generation in the West.But here's the challenge: Are our churches actually ready for what's coming?Luke doesn't hold back on what he believes the Western church has lost—and what needs to be restored before we can sustain a genuine move of God's Spirit.Whether you're a pastor feeling isolated in your hunger for revival or a church leader wondering what the next decade holds, this conversation will stir something in you.Learn more about Luke's work at LukeLeFevre.org.Website: https://innovativechurchleaders.org/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@InnovativeChurchLeaders Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InnovativeChurchLeaders/ Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/catalyzingcommunity/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/innovativechurchleaders LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/innovative-church-leaders/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@innovativechurchleaders Eric Bryant Website: https://ericbryant.org/ Eric Bryant Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ericmichaelbryant/ Eric Bryant Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ericbryant/ Eric Bryant LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-bryant-397003172/ Eric Bryant X: https://x.com/ericbryant Apple Podcasts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-post-christian-podcast/id1509588357 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Spotify: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/6ZeQIrzr2tCMyq1VdwxGNn ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Luke LeFevre has been in rooms where God showed up in unexpected ways. From studying historic revivals like the 1950s Hebrides awakening to witnessing Saddleback Church's sacred assembly firsthand, he's watched a pattern emerge—one that suggests we're entering a decades-long season of spiritual renewal in the West.In this episode, Luke shares:Why Gen Z is attending church more than any other generation.The prophetic word he received while flying home from Scotland that changed everything for Saddleback.What Duncan Campbell's Hebrides revival teaches us about holiness and awakening today.Why Jesus' words to the church at Ephesus might be the most relevant message for Western churches right now.His bold prayer for 100 million people to choose to follow Jesus in North America.If you're a pastor or church leader who's been quietly contending for more—this conversation is for you.Links:Website: https://innovativechurchleaders.org/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@InnovativeChurchLeaders Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InnovativeChurchLeaders/ Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/catalyzingcommunity/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/innovativechurchleaders LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/innovative-church-leaders/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@innovativechurchleaders Eric Bryant Website: https://ericbryant.org/ Eric Bryant Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ericmichaelbryant/ Eric Bryant Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ericbryant/ Eric Bryant LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-bryant-397003172/ Eric Bryant X: https://x.com/ericbryant Apple Podcasts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-post-christian-podcast/id1509588357 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Spotify: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/6ZeQIrzr2tCMyq1VdwxGNn ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

One of the most challenging parts of the recovery journey is found in Principle 6 and Step 8. This is where we pause to honestly survey the damage caused by our past hurts, habits, and hang-ups—acknowledging how our actions have affected both ourselves and others. It's a step that can feel difficult, but it's also one of the most life-changing as we begin to move toward making amends and finding true freedom.In today's episode, Rodney Holmstrom, Global Field Director of Celebrate Recovery, is joined by his dear friend and brother in Christ, Mac Owen, Global Director of Celebrate Recovery. Together, they unpack the value and purpose of making amends and how this powerful step brings healing and restoration to our journey.

One of the most challenging disciplines in recovery is the act of stopping and pausing to examine our ways and test them, write them down in a journal and then act of them so that we can stay on the road to recovery. What is the purpose of the crossroads and daily inventory part of this recovery journey? How can this process help us be proactive during life's greatest challenges?In this podcast, Rodney Holmstrom, Global Field, Director of Celebrate Recovery, will give us some practical benefits of the daily inventory process to keep us on the road to recovery toward health and restoration.

Join Pastor Steve Gladen and Derek as they discuss five essential ways to lead effectively in small group ministry, drawing from Steve's 25+ years of experience. They share practical tips on leading with purpose, building trust, developing your people, celebrating wins, and clarifying roles and next steps. Despite battling colds, Steve and Derek share their insights to help small group pastors navigate leadership challenges and improve group dynamics.00:00 Introduction and Welcome00:23 Casual Chat and Health Updates02:21 Five Ways to Lead Effectively05:00 1. Lead with Purpose06:35 2. Build Trust09:10 3. Develop Your People12:41 4. Celebrate the Wins15:13 5. Clarify Roles and Next Steps17:12 Conclusion and Recap17:51 Closing Remarks and Subscription Reminder ★ Support this podcast ★

The holidays are upon us and that can bring some opportunities to grow or triggers that can set us back if we're not careful. What are some practical ways that we can face those relationships in our family of origin, hometown, or others that might bring up triggers from our past? In this podcast, Rodney Holmstrom, Global Field, Director of celebrate recovery, will unpack some practical tools and ways that we can proactively face those triggers to help build strength and maintain momentum that would in turn keep us on the road recovery instead of taking us backward. 

Recovery is hard. Sometimes it's easy to shift our thinking into behavioral management and even our recovery as a whole toward management versus healing. But in celebrate recovery, one of the things we lean into is not managing our recovery but walking in a posture of healing. In this episode, Rodney Holmstrom, Global Field Director of Celebrate Recovery, will unpack some of the differences between management versus healing in our recovery journey and some of the fruit we experience when we choose to surrender control in this healing journey.

Trusting the process can seem so cliché, but is such a critical part to our healing journey. What do I do when things feel hopeless and like it's pointless to continue the process? On the flipside, why should I keep doing the work if I found relief in the good seasons of life?In this podcast, Rodney Holmstrom, Global Field Director of Celebrate Recovery will unpack the important conversation of why trusting the process is important regardless of the season we are in currently.

In celebrate recovery the small group guidelines provide safety for all those in attendance. Is it just for small group or should these follow us outside the group as well? As CR participants, do we fully understand the value of avoiding crosstalk, or does it feel like a silly rule that would be fun to break? In this podcast, Rodney Holmstrom, Global Field Director of Celebrate Recovery will unpack this important guideline and expand on some additional thoughts.

The celebrate recovery process helps us to face those family of origin struggles, our experiences with relationships and other wounds early on that have impacted us. Through the process, we learned some things about us and why we may respond to our relationships with others and God in the ways that we do. In this episode, Rodney Holmstrom, Global Field Director of Celebrate Recovery, walks us through some attachment language and things to be aware that might be preventing us from healthy connection with God and others toward healing and healthy, secure relationships.

10 Practical Steps for Handling Upset Individuals in Small Group MinistryIn this episode of SG Squared, Pastor Steve Gladen, with over 25 years of small group ministry experience, and his co-host Derek discuss valuable advice on managing upset individuals within small group ministry. The conversation includes light-hearted pre-show banter about their college football teams, but focuses deeply on equipping listeners with 10 practical tips for dealing with conflict. Key points discussed include listening actively, validating feelings, offering practical support, and much more. The episode concludes with the importance of patience and understanding that not all conflict situations will be resolved immediately. Listen in to gain essential tools to foster peaceful and empathetic conversations within your ministry.10 Tips For Tough Conversations (and to download the full notes click HERE)Start the time in prayer.Make the meeting in a quiet public placeListen actively and empathetically: Allow the member to express their feelings without interruption or judgment. Show that you are truly hearing them by nodding, making eye contact, and offering verbal affirmations like "I understand" or "That sounds really tough."Validate their feelings: Let them know that their feelings are understandable given the situation. You can say something like, "It makes sense that you feel [upset emotion] about this" or "I can see why you'd be frustrated." Get to a place where you can express that "feelings" aren't "facts".Offer practical support (if appropriate): Ask if there's anything they are looking for to be done. This could help you know how extreme they are coming from or they just may want to be heard. You can help them brainstorm solutions, or simply pray with them.Suggest a distraction or activity: Sometimes a change of scenery or a fun activity can help shift their mood. This could be going for a walk, watching a movie, or doing something they enjoy. However, be sensitive to their readiness for this and don't push it if they prefer to talk. A prayer meditation time may bring another perspective.  BBasically focus on Jesus versus the situation.Remind them of your support: Reassure them that you care about them and are there for them. A simple "I'm here for you" or "You're not alone in this" can be very powerful.Encourage self-care: Suggest activities that might help them relax and de-stress, like taking a quiet time, listening to music, or getting some rest.Avoid minimizing their feelings: Don't say things like "It's not that big of a deal" or "You're overreacting." Even if the issue seems small to you, it's significant to them.Don't offer unsolicited advice: Unless they specifically ask for your opinion or solutions, focus on listening and validating. Sometimes people just need to vent.Share a relevant experience (briefly and cautiously): If you've gone through something similar, you might briefly share your experience to show solidarity, but avoid making the conversation about you.Be patient: It can take time for someone to process their emotions. Continue to check in with them and offer support as they navigate their feelings.00:00 Welcome to SG Squared00:21 Pre-Show Banter and Game Week Excitement03:24 Addressing National Tensions and Church Relevance04:17 Setting Up for Practical Tips11:04 10 Practical Tips for Handling Upset People28:07 Bonus Tips and Final Thoughts33:09 Closing Remarks and Subscription Reminder ★ Support this podcast ★

Life has a way of throwing things at us that can feel overwhelming and hopeless as we witness the broken world around us. How can we celebrate our recovery and even have an ounce of gratitude when there's so much brokenness and turmoil happening outside and around us? In this episode, Rodney Holmstrom, Global Field Director of Celebrate Recovery, walks us through some important reminders of how to stay anchored to those things that cannot be taken from us to help us walk through what we may be facing and experiencing today toward health and longevity of recovery.

The enemy loves to be deceiving in giving us something like the motivation of longing for validation and recognition to meet our needs. What the enemy doesn't share, though, is the closing costs of getting us off the focus that God directed us, which ultimately takes us off mission. In this episode, Rodney Holmstrom, Global Field Director of Celebrate Recovery, unpacks some of the things that we need to be aware of around the topic of seeking validation and recognition and how that can pull us away from God's plan in our life.

In our culture, scars are often seen as flaws—symbols of brokenness, weakness, or something to hide. But in recovery, scars tell a very different story. They become powerful reminders of survival, healing, and God's grace at work in our lives. In this episode, Rodney Holmstrom, Global Field Director of Celebrate Recovery, unpacks how scars can shift from shame to strength, from pain to purpose, and how they serve as markers of beauty, growth, and hope on the road to recovery.

In episode 273 of the Parker's Pensées Podcast, I'm joined by Dr. Yujin Nagasawa to discuss his new book, The Problem of Evil for Atheists. It's a fantastic book that summarizes the start of the art of the problem of evil literature in the philosophy of religion but it also breaks new ground as Dr. Nagasawa advances new problems of evil for atheists and multiverse pantheists, as well as traditional theists. He also points to some ways to get past these problems, especially for theism. Find the book open source here: https://academic.oup.com/book/56378→Sponsors/Discounts Check out https://murdycreative.co/PARKERNOTES and use promo code PARKERNOTES at check out for 10% off your entire order!!Grab a Field Notes notebook or memo book wallet like the one from the video from my affiliate link here to support my work and use promo code PARKERNOTES for 10% off your entire order: https://fieldnotesbrand.com/products/daily-carry-leather-notebook-cover?aff=44I'm finally a Saddleback affiliate so if you like their stuff buy something from my link and you can also support my work! Check out the catalog here: https://saddlebackleather.com/leather-moleskine-cover-medium/?ktk=d0pac01BLWJmZWY1MmZiYTFiJoin this channel to get access to perks:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYbTRurpFP5q4TpDD_P2JDA/joinJoin the Facebook group, Parker's Pensées Penseurs, here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/960471494536285/If you like this podcast, then support it on Patreon for $3, $5 or more a month. Any amount helps, and for $5 you get a Parker's Pensées sticker and instant access to all the episode as I record them instead of waiting for their release date. Check it out here: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/parkers_penseesIf you want to give a one-time gift, you can give at my Paypal: https://paypal.me/ParkersPensees?locale.x=en_US Check out my merchandise at my Teespring store: https://teespring.com/stores/parkers-penses-merch Come talk with the Pensées community on Discord: dsc.gg/parkerspenseesSub to my Substack to read my thoughts on my episodes: https://parknotes.substack.com/

In Celebrate Recovery two foundational practices and guidelines we follow to ensure safety are anonymity and confidentiality. Why does Celebrate Recovery honor these two important practices? Is it just for small groups and how does that apply to outside the small group setting or even in the public setting and community? In this podcast, Rodney Holmstrom, Global Field Director of Celebrate Recovery, will walk us through some things to consider as we honor others' dignity over our curiosity and/or desire to share through anonymity and confidentiality for the overall safety of our ministry.

SGN Update #3 & 10 Things That Could Be A Part Of Your Group GuidelinesJoin hosts Steve Gladen and Derek Olson for a lively and insightful episode packed with updates from the Small Group Network and a practical deep dive into crafting effective small group guidelines. Steve shares the latest on SGN's mission, new initiatives, and the ongoing effort to end loneliness among pastors and church members. Then, the duo unpacks 10 essential elements you can include in your group's guidelines, drawing from decades of small group ministry experience. Whether you're launching a new group or looking to strengthen an existing one, this episode is full of wisdom, humor, and actionable tips.Chapters & Timestamps:[00:00] Introduction & BanterDerek and Steve kick off with some friendly sports rivalry, coffee cup confessions, and updates on Steve's “office on wheels.”[04:18] SGN Update: New Initiatives & State RepsSteve shares exciting news about SGN's 501(c)(3) status, upcoming Bible engagement resources, and the push to recruit state representatives to combat loneliness and resource churches nationwide.[09:35] How to Get InvolvedLearn how you can become a state rep, make an impact, and connect with Steve directly.[10:55] Why Group Guidelines MatterThe hosts explain the importance of group covenants/guidelines and how they set expectations for healthy, thriving small groups.[12:17] 10 Things That Could Be Part of Your Group GuidelinesClear Purpose – Define your group's mission and goals.Group Attendance – Commit to regular, intentional meetings.Safe Environment – Foster a space where everyone feels comfortable sharing.Confidentiality – Build trust by keeping group discussions private (with legal exceptions).Conflict Resolution – Handle disagreements biblically and directly.Spiritual Health – Encourage accountability and growth in faith.Limit Our Freedom – Be sensitive to others' backgrounds and struggles.Welcome Newcomers – Keep your group open and inviting.Building Relationships – Go deeper through authentic community and subgrouping.Teamwork – Involve everyone in the group's life and mission.[32:56] Final Thoughts & EncouragementSteve and Derek wrap up with practical advice for customizing your group guidelines and a reminder to revisit them regularly.[37:01] How to Become a State LeaderSteve outlines the proactive and reactive roles of a state leader and invites passionate listeners to join the mission.[37:01] Closing & Call to ActionDon't forget to subscribe and visit smallgroupnetwork.com for more resources, support, and opportunities to connect.Ready to take your small group to the next level?Explore more resources and join the community at https://smallgroupnetwork.com! ★ Support this podcast ★

One of the ways that the enemy will keep us from moving forward is through the conniving tactic of comparison. In this podcast, Rodney Holmstrom, Global Field Director of Celebrate Recovery, will walk us through some of the ways that the enemy will use comparison to take us off mission and prevent us from living out and celebrating our recovery. Listen in as he walks through some of the things to be aware of, but also ways that we can guard our heart to prevent comparison from taking us out.

This week I'm diving in to discuss one of the most anxiety-provoking stretch of trail in the Adirondack High Peaks—the Saddleback Cliffs.I'll give you the info you need to know and dissolve the overwhelm so you can be successful climbing this notorious High PeakJoin the next GREAT RANGE ATHLETE Team and get in mountain-hiking shape in just 6 weeks from your local gym or your house. Learn more HEREFollow on Instagram & Facebook:@46of46podcast@jamesappleton46Get my books:1.) The Adirondack 46 in 18 Hikes: The Complete Guide to Hiking the High Peaks 2.) Adirondack Campfire Stories: Tales and Folklore from Inside the Blue LineLooking for custom help to improve your both your fitness for hiking, disicpline, and daily habits? Work with James 1-on-1 to become fit for the trail and llife. Book a free strategy call with James to learn more about his 1-on-1 coaching program, SEEK TO DO MORE at www.seektodomore.com Visit my other websites:www.46OUTDOORS.comwww.46OF46.com

One of the ways that the enemy will get us off focus in the path of recovery is through discouragement. What are some ways that he will use discouragement to sidetrack us and get us off course from the mission and focus of living out Recovery? In this podcast, Rodney Holmstrom, Global Field Director of Celebrate Recovery, will walk us through some of those things to be aware of and ways that we can guard our heart to stay the course in our recovery journey.

Sometimes submitting to the process to go deeper can be scary. Why do we fight change and why is it so scary to discover the roots of the dysfunction in our life that's leading to unhealthy patterns? What does it look like to embrace change versus fighting change? In this episode join Rodney Holmstrom, Global Field Director of Celebrate Recovery, and Andy Petry, Landing Director of Celebrate Recovery as they discuss the value of clinging to Jesus instead of wrestling and fighting with him as he brings change to our life.

In Part 3 of our Revival series, Andy Wood (Lead Pastor of Saddleback Church) and Luke LeFevre (A Gen Z preacher who works with the Gather movement) discuss a prophetic word Luke received about an outpouring of the Spirit at Saddleback church. They discuss the prophetic word, what actually happened, how God is moving at Saddleback, and the implications for every pastor in America who leads large or small churches.

We are continuing the conversation around adult children of dysfunctional families, and how those unhealthy and dysfunctional roles that we can develop can move toward healing and a new healthy future. In this episode, Rodney Holmstrom, global field director of CR, will walk us through part two of how Celebrate Recovery can ultimately create a safe space, through Jesus and biblical truth, and a structure process to understand those old dysfunctional labels and ultimately replace them with our true identity in Christ.