Conversate

Episode #46

In this week's episode, Aaron and Kevin engage in a conversation about the presence of God in our lives. In big ways and small ways, God has his hand upon our lives. That's a popular phrase in the book of Ezra, "The hand of God was upon him." And, the hand of God is upon us. Join Aaron and Kevin as they share stories from life about ways they have experienced the hand of God in their lives.

Episode #45

On this week's episode, Pastor Aaron is joined by guest Joe Battisfore. Joe is a member of Saints Peter and Paul and serves on our volunteer ministry staff as Director of Community Outreach. Joe joins Pastor Aaron on this episode to conversate about worship based on Pastor Aaron's sermon from 8.1.2021 on Ezra 3-6. Joe is retired from the United States Army and in this conversation talks about what it was like to be apart from a gathered congregation while serving on the battlefield. Yet, he also shares how he and his fellow soldiers still gathered together to seek solace from God's Word. We pray that this is an encouraging conversation to you to help you realize the real importance of the gathered congregation for worship.

Episode #44

In this week's episode, Kevin conversates with special guest: Marcus Huff about the Exile. This is a significant moment in the history of God's people: Israel, and is the backdrop to the books of Ezra & Nehemiah. By putting ourselves in Israel's shoes -- we get a greater appreciation for the "list of names" in Ezra, chapter 2 -- and all that is unfolding in Israel's greater story.We all have stories that we live in as well -- with high points, low points, and everything in between. The Israelites pattern of looking backward, to God's faithful action in their history, gives us a model to follow when we are in the midst of difficulty and devastation in our own stories.We pray this conversation leads you to consider your own life & God's faithful activity within it; even as you look to what He is up to in your life today. Just as God had a plan for the Israelites (Jer 29:13) - so He has a plan for you. We hope you enjoy it!

Episode #43

In this week's episode, Aaron and Kevin kick off a conversation about our newest sermon series during the summer of 2021 called "Rubble Restoration: Rebuilding God's Way" based on the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. This first conversation revolves around the practical realities of restoration. We see restoration happening all around us. There are people who devote their lives to purchasing and restoring things that are old and giving them new life. Aaron and Kevin also talk about the reality of rubble and how our own sin leads to our lives often looking like rubble. We think if you listen to Pastor Aaron's sermon from 7.18.2021 in combination with this episode that you will have a great framework for how this sermon series will play out and the realization that each of us are restoration projects of God. We hope you enjoy it!

Episode #42

In this week's episode, Aaron and Kevin conversate about neighboring. The word "neighbor" in the Bible can be used to talk about the people who live right next door to you and can also be used to refer to people in general. When the Bible says, "Love your neighbor as yourself," it certainly means that we ought to love all people as ourselves. Yet, it's quite easy to say, "Yes, I of course I love all people." That's why we need to ask ourselves a super practical question, "How well do I know the people who live next door to me?" In this episode, Aaron and Kevin discuss their own joys and challenges with neighboring, and also go deeper into a conversation about the 5 keys to better neighboring that Aaron shared in his sermon on 7.11.2021. We hope you enjoy it!

Episode #41

On this week's episode, Aaron and Kevin conversate about citizenship. Most everyone listening to this podcast is likely an American citizen. Perhaps you have dual citizenship. But, what we need to learn is that we are all technically dual citizens. We are citizens in our country where we live, but as Christians we are also citizens in the Kingdom of God. Listen to this conversation where Aaron and Kevin have a very practical yet theological conversation about citizenship. In this episode they discuss the concept of freedom and how our American understanding doesn't necessarily align with the Biblical concept of freedom. They talk about how having an appropriate understanding of the Kingdom of God also shapes the way that we see our role, and God's role, at work in the realm of citizenship. We hope you enjoy it!

Episode #40

On this week's episode Aaron and Kevin conversate about work. The average person spends about 90,000 hours of their life at work. That's about 1/3 of your life! So the question is, do you believe that God gave you that work to do? If so, what kind of attitude will you have about your work? How will you approach your work? Will it just be a place that gives you a paycheck, or is there a way for you to work at work like God works in your life? Aaron and Kevin discuss this, and share their own stories about work. We hope you enjoy it!

Episode #39

On this week's episode Aaron and Kevin conversate about Family. Family is the place that we all originate. For better or for worse, we are shaped by our families of origin. In the best case, from a Christian perspective, God has commanded us to disciple our families. And, the truth is, we are discipling our families. The question simply becomes, in what are we discipling them? Is it simply in family traditions and favorite sports teams, or is it in saving faith in Jesus Christ? Aaron and Kevin share some stories about their own discipleship experiences from their families of origin and how their parents helped to shape their faith. We hope you enjoy it!

Episode #38

In this week's episode, Aaron and Kevin conversate about all things "discipleship". In his sermon, Pastor Aaron explained that a "disciple" is simply a "learner." As followers of Jesus, with always something new to learn as we walk with Jesus, that makes us ALL disciples. But what does it look like to practice "discipleship?" What is the motivation and attitude of someone who wants to be a "disciple-maker." And am I qualified to go and "disciple" others?All these questions (and more!) are discussed in this week's episode.We hope you enjoy it!***We experienced some technical difficulties with the video in the creation of this week's episode. It will only be available in audio form. Plus, a bonus blooper reel mid-stream. We apologize for these errors & ask your forgiveness as you walk with us! We are still being "discipled" in the way of podcast making.

Episode #37

In this week's episode, Aaron engages in a conversation with a special guest Bryant Weathers. They discuss the connections between mountain biking and discipleship. Aaron has been discipling Bryant for the last 3 years and they share stories about how that started, what it has looked like, and how Bryant has begun discipling others now. In addition to that, Bryant took Aaron on one of his first mountain bike rides a few days prior to this episode. In this conversation they connect the dots between mountain biking and discipleship.