Matthew Bhushan just walked across a stage to collect his high school diploma. In a few days, he'll walk onto a college campus in Iowa for the first time. In between those two moments is a story about what it looks like to head into a new season with your faith intact — maybe even stronger than when you started. Matthew joins Pastor Jeff to talk about his relationship with Jesus, what he's learned so far, and what he's carrying with him into freshman year.

Welcome to a new season of Conversations with Jeff Bucknam!

Everybody's got a story. And today's is one of the most compelling we've had. Pastor Jeff sits down with Dr. Jon Kelly — Lead Pastor of Chicago West Bible Church, husband to Danielle, and father of three sons. Jon was born in Chicago and raised in Philadelphia. He's a graduate of Moody Bible Institute, Wheaton College, and holds a doctorate in Global Missions from Southern Theological Seminary.

Everybody's got a story. And today's is a rich one. Pastor Jeff sits down with Dr. Lina Abujamra — a physician, an author, and a speaker who grew up in Lebanon, where she came to faith in Jesus Christ, before coming to the States to study medicine. The Lord has given her a platform that has encouraged countless people to follow Jesus — and today she shares some of that story with us. They also touch on a topic close to Lina's heart: women serving in ministry, and what that can look like in the local church. However you found this podcast today, we think you'll be glad you stayed for this one.

Executive Producer and Host: Pastor Jeff Bucknam

Everybody's got a story. Today's comes with a soundtrack — and possibly waffle fries. Pastor Jeff sits down with Eli Moore, a worship leader at Harvest's Elgin Campus and part of the Vertical Worship team. Eli's wife is also an owner-operator of a Chick-fil-A, which automatically makes this one of the most interesting conversations we've had. Don't miss it.

What if hospitality isn't a personality trait — it's a theological conviction? Today, Pastor Jeff is joined by Paul Haske, an elder from our Elgin Campus, and they're unpacking what the Bible actually says about opening our lives and our homes to others. It's more than being friendly. And I think this conversation might change how you see your front door.

Everybody's got a story. Today's goes back to the early church — a time when big questions about Jesus and human nature were being fought over, sorted out, and sometimes gotten badly wrong. Pastor Jeff sits down with his co-host Pastor Tommy Creutz for Part 2 of Heresy Hunters, exploring Legalism and Gnosticism — where these ideas came from, why the church rejected them, and why they still matter to ordinary Christians today.

Executive Producer and Host: Pastor Jeff Bucknam

Everybody's got a story. Today's goes back to the early church — a time when big questions about Jesus and human nature were being fought over, sorted out, and sometimes gotten badly wrong. Pastor Jeff sits down with his co-host Pastor Tommy Creutz for Part 1 of Heresy Hunters, exploring Arianism and Pelagianism — where these ideas came from, why the church rejected them, and why they still matter to ordinary Christians today.

Executive Producer: Wesley Cassford

Everybody's got a story. And if you've spent any time in the church, you've probably encountered a conversation about spiritual gifts — maybe a great one, maybe an awkward one. Today, Pastor Jeff and Stephanie Geisler, Central Director of Women's Ministry at Harvest, open up 1 Corinthians 12–14 and dig into the sign gifts together. Honest, helpful, and maybe a little surprising.

Welcome to Conversations with Jeff Bucknam. Today, Pastor Jeff sits down with Kent Shaw—a ministry leader who has spent years in the trenches of church planting and training pastors—to talk about what it actually takes to start a church. What does it look like on the ground? What do you wish someone had told you before you started? And what keeps church planters going when it gets hard? Grab a cup of coffee and pull up a chair—this is a conversation worth having.