I think I was 3 years old when I met Michael Jones. And we've been besties ever since. We've had a ton in common over the years: Star Wars action figures, movies, professional wrestling, sports and shenanigans... but unexpectedly we also both ended up becoming Pastors too! Definitely not the path we expected to take when were cruising around Alta Loma in his sweet ass Camaro during the Great Toilet Paper War of 1998.

Michael is the Family Pastor for Granite Creek Community Church in Claremont, California but he's also led Youth and helped out with Digital. He is a super creative and amazing guy who has been in the Youth trenches for a long time. His perspective on what kids and teens need during the pandemic and after are incredibly valuable. Michael brings a ton of wisdom for anyone who has served at a church or been on a church staff and what it looks like to create healthy spiritual communities where you are. Truly, Michael is an amazing man and someone who has taught me about what it means to be better on the inside.

To continue the conversation, check out our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/betterontheinside

What happens when you "transition" from your church? ("Transition" is church code for getting fired) What do you do when you're asked to leave... but you don't want to?

I sit down with one of my ride or die homies and certified Brown Boy Robby Quintero about his unexpected journey from his calling in ministry to the "real world". When you're on staff at YOUR church and you're asked to leave, it has significant emotional and spiritual consequences. It can effect your identity and your relationship with Jesus. I know Robby's not alone in that situation. Church hurt is very real and difficult to rebound from... so what do you do? How can you find healing? There is a path. There is a way where YOU can be better on the inside and recover your soul.

Also... Robby is 6'4".

Chamberlain Saenz is my dude. I've gotten to know him over the past few years and he has been instrumental in helping me through some difficult times. His life story is an amazing one and can testify to the transformative power of Jesus. We've worked together on staff at CityChurch San Antonio and been through some turmoil... but the biggest thing we talk about on this episode is church hurt and his story.

What do you do when you feel like God called you somewhere but you're meeting a lot of resistance? How do you respond when it feels like the church is holding you back from your calling? What does it take to make peace with a church that's hurt you?

Our conversation unpacks these and helps anyone who may be walking around with wounds from a church.

Tom Pounder is a church veteran who has managed to stay passionate and enthusiastic about Youth and Online Ministry, in part because of his humility and desire to continue learning. In this physical/digital (phygital) hybrid era, Tom shares some wisdom and expertise around taking digital beyond vanity metrics and into discipleship, the Metaverse, reaching the Youth in a meaningful way and how we can navigate our own spiritual growth. Of course, we also talk about our favorite Cable TV movies, Dad thrillers and our simpatico movie tastes.

Also, I debut a new segment that is a lot of fun!

Tom Pounder is a church veteran who has managed to stay passionate and enthusiastic about Youth and Online Ministry, in part because of his humility and desire to continue learning. In this physical/digital (phygital) hybrid era, Tom shares some wisdom and expertise around taking digital beyond vanity metrics and into discipleship, the Metaverse, reaching the Youth in a meaningful way and how we can navigate our own spiritual growth. Of course, we also talk about our favorite Cable TV movies, Dad thrillers and our simpatico movie tastes.

Also, I debut a new segment that is a lot of fun!

From serious theological discussion (including big words like antithetical parallelism) to tricking his Korean Mom into seeing a movie, Dr. Sam Won brings amazing depth of knowledge and insight to the podcast. He is a true "Slash": Pastor/Pharmacist/Professor.

For followers of Jesus, our "Bible in a Year" reading plans can can really bog us down and de-motivate us in the Old Testament... but it doesn't have to. While Christians are under a new covenant with Jesus, the foundational background to our faith is found in the Scripture of God's chosen people. We can revitalize our reading and our spiritual life by diving deep into the stories, poetry, wisdom and legal documents in the front of our Bibles.

Dr. Won, Adjunct Professor of the Old Testament at Dallas Theological Seminary, shares what the Hebrew Scriptures can teach us as Christians, how to unlock the richness of the text and why the OT is like Marvel Comics. He also talks about legalism, art and pop culture in a way that will keep you inspired and hungry for more. 

For this episode, I got to hang out with Holly Tate and have a delightful conversation about changing a toxic leadership culture, vulnerability, healthy growth, her own story and being a woman in ministry.   

Holly is the SVP of Growth for Leadr, a really cool tech company that is doing their part to make churches and other organizations better on the inside. I met her for the first time in-person at an event that Leadr hosted and she is such a smart and dynamic person I was like, I really want to have her on the podcast. If her voice sounds familiar, it’s because Holly was the host of the Vanderbloemen podcast for several years when was a part of that organization.  

If you work in ministry, or volunteer at your church, or you got burned out and left organized religion altogether, this is a really good conversation about restoring goodness and health to the spiritual communities we love.  

There is a lot of fear, concern and complaining about the faith of the next generation. But what if all of this worry is unnecessary? What if the kids aren't just alright... what if they're poised to lead the church exactly where we need to go?

Does God want us to be happy? Like, for real? 

Followers of Jesus, especially those with religious trauma, sometimes feel a great deal of confusion around happiness. Theoretically, we should be full of joy. But, in practice, Christians are often some of the most miserable (and judgmental) folks on the planet. Why? We've lost something so important that can make following Jesus a little more fun.

Dr. Roberta Jones-Hall (AKA Bertie) is incredibly wise, insightful and helpful. As both a doctor and a minister, she has a unique perspective on our path to spiritual growth that is INCREDIBLY valuable to anyone... but especially those who work for a church.