Have you ever looked around at your life—even a good life—and quietly thought, there has to be more than this.

You're not alone.

In Part 1 of our new seven-part series, Attention, we begin exploring one of the most important questions of our time: What is capturing our attention, and where is it leading us?

We chase success, entertainment, possessions, relationships, accomplishments, and endless distractions, hoping they'll satisfy the restless longing inside us. Yet no matter how much we consume, the feeling remains: there has to be more.

What if that longing isn't a flaw to overcome, but a compass pointing us toward something greater?

Drawing from Scripture, timeless wisdom, and honest life experience, we'll examine why the human heart is never fully satisfied by the temporary and how our attention shapes the people we become. Before we can discover what deserves our attention, we first have to recognize why we're so easily distracted.

This episode lays the foundation for the entire series and invites you to slow down, ask the deeper questions, and begin turning your attention toward what truly lasts.

Join Dave and Kat as we begin the journey.

Series: Attention (Part 1 of 7)

As America celebrated its 250th birthday, it's worth asking a deeper question: What does true freedom really look like?

In this special episode of Crusade With Me!, Dave and Kat reflect on the blessings of living in America, the sacrifices that have preserved our liberties, and the legacy we hope to leave for future generations. Together, they explore one of the most powerful chapters in Scripture—Romans 8—where the Apostle Paul reminds us that the greatest freedom isn't political or national, but spiritual.

America can protect many freedoms, but only Christ can set us free from sin, guilt, fear, and condemnation.

Join us as we celebrate our nation's past while fixing our eyes on an even greater Kingdom—one that cannot be shaken. Whether you're reflecting on America's history, your family's legacy, or your own walk with Christ, this conversation will challenge you to consider where your ultimate hope truly rests.

Featured Scripture: Romans 8

Questions we'll wrestle with:

• What are you most grateful for about America?
• What freedom has Jesus given you that no nation ever could?
• What legacy of faith will you leave for the next generation?

The question we hope every listener leaves asking:

If America became less free tomorrow, would Christ still be enough?

Thank you for walking this journey with us. May God continue to bless America—and may He first transform our hearts.

What does a lifetime of faithful ministry look like?

In this special episode of Crusade With Me!, I sit down with Rev. Schumacher, a pastor whose life has been marked by humble service, deep theological conviction, and a genuine love for people.

Our conversation spans decades of ministry—from serving as a missionary in Africa with his family, to his pioneering work with the deaf community through the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, where he helped develop sign language for use in the Church's liturgy. We discuss the importance of communicating the Gospel so that everyone can hear the Good News in a language they understand.

Rev. Schumacher also shares how meaningful relationships became the foundation of effective men's ministry and healthy congregational growth. His insights remind us that the Church is not built merely through programs, but through faithful people investing in one another.

Now retired from full-time ministry, his work continues in a different setting: a woodworking shop where neighborhood children gather to build wooden crosses, learn practical skills, and experience the love of Christ through the gift of time and mentorship.

Throughout our conversation, you'll hear the wisdom of a confessional Lutheran pastor who treasures the rich theology and traditions of the Christian faith, while also hearing the heart of a devoted husband, father, grandfather, teacher, and servant of Christ.

This wasn't simply an interview—it was time spent with a man whose life reminds us that faithfulness is measured not by recognition, but by a lifetime of pointing others to Jesus Christ.

I hope you'll enjoy this conversation as much as I did. It was truly a blessing to spend this time with Rev. Schumacher.

What if the greatest obstacle between you and God isn't your past—but your belief that you've gone too far?

In this episode of Crusade With Me!, we explore two powerful passages of Scripture that reveal the very heart of God. In First Timothy 1:12–17, the Apostle Paul calls himself the "foremost of sinners," yet boldly proclaims the immeasurable grace of Christ. Then, in Gospel of Luke 1–10, Jesus tells the parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin, reminding us that God is not waiting for the lost to find Him—He is actively seeking them.

Together, these readings paint a beautiful picture of a God whose mercy is greater than our failures and whose joy is found in restoring what was lost.

In this episode, we'll explore:

• What these Scriptures meant to their original hearers.
• What they reveal about the character of God.
• How religion can distort our understanding of grace.
• How Jesus fulfills God's mission to seek and save the lost.
• Why the Cross is the ultimate expression of God's relentless love.
• How the Holy Spirit transforms forgiven sinners into people who reflect Christ's heart.
• And finally, in The Build, we'll discover how these truths shape the way we think, the way we treat others, and the way we participate in God's mission of seeking the lost.

No matter where you've been, no matter what you've done, this episode is a reminder that your story is never beyond the reach of God's grace.

Because the Good Shepherd is still searching.

And heaven still rejoices every time one lost soul is found.

The older I get, the less certain I become about many things.

Twenty years ago, I thought I had most of life's answers figured out. Today, I realize that certainty is often easier than wisdom, and arrogance is far easier than humility.

In this episode, I share why Crusade With Me! exists in the first place. This podcast was never created because I believed I had all the answers. It was created because I need the questions.

Together, we'll explore what it means to "connect the dots" in life. Sometimes we connect dots that have no business being connected. Other times, we fail to see the connections that are right in front of us. Our habits, relationships, health, faith, attention, and decisions are all intertwined in ways we often overlook.

As I reflect on our recent comeback episodes, I've come to recognize a common thread running through them all: the pursuit of wisdom. Not information. Not opinions. Wisdom.

The wisdom that comes from God.

If we want to become healthier, stronger, mentally sharper, spiritually deeper, and more faithful in our daily lives, we need more than knowledge. We need Divine Wisdom to help us understand which dots matter and which ones don't.

This isn't an episode about having answers.

It's an episode about seeking them.

So, grab a cup of coffee and join me as we explore the questions that shape our lives, the patterns we often miss, and the wisdom that can only be found by walking with God.

Because information fills the mind.

But Divine Wisdom transforms the soul.

Most people don't reject God because they hate him.

They reject Him because they're busy.

Busy building careers.

Busy chasing dreams.

Busy paying bills.

Busy scrolling phones.

Busy entertaining themselves.

And before long, the important gets crowded out by the urgent.

Jesus tells the story about that. Luke3:13-18

John tells us what happens when we let God's love shape our lives. I John 14:16-24

Together these readings challenge us to examine where our priorities truly are.

In this powerful and deeply personal episode of Crusade With Me! Dave sits down with a lifelong friend — Pastor Mike Hesterman — to revisit a 30‑year friendship and a 50‑year faith journey.

Pastor Mike opens up about his early life as a self‑described scoundrel, his years of rebellion, his time in the Army during a racially tense and dangerous season, and the night in 1975 when he was forced to confront the question: “If I died tonight… where would I go?”

What follows is a raw, honest, and moving conversation about:

• Growing up between two strong traditions — Lutheran and Mennonite
• Wrestling with infant baptism, adult baptism, and what Scripture actually says
• The dangers of drugs, deception, and dabbling in darkness
• The moment in Germany that changed everything
• How identity, rebellion, and human nature haven’t changed in 6,000 years
• Why being made in the image of God still matters today
• The struggle to mature spiritually — and why some truths only hit us decades later

This episode is rich with wisdom, humility, humor, and the kind of honesty only two old friends can share. A must‑listen for anyone wrestling with faith, identity, or the long road of transformation.

In a world fighting for your attention, Jesus asks a deeper question: What are you really looking at?

In Episode 157, we explore how focus shapes formation — and how the things we continually behold begin to shape who we become. Drawing from Matthew 6:22–33 and Romans 5:1–10, this episode dives into:

• Why attention is a spiritual battleground
• How divided allegiance fuels anxiety
• The subtle masters we serve without realizing it
• Why peace isn’t the absence of trouble — it’s the presence of the right focus
• How God loved you before you ever got better

You’ll walk away with clarity, conviction, and a practical daily challenge to re-center your heart on the Kingdom.

If you’ve been overwhelmed, distracted, or pulled in too many directions… this episode is your reset.

Seek first. Look up. Live with intention. Welcome back to the crusade.

We all think we know how life is supposed to work.

We make plans. We form opinions. We create expectations about what God should do, how He should do it, and when He should do it.

But what happens when God's plans are different from ours?

In this episode of Crusade with Me! Dave and Kathy explore the gap between what we think we know and the reality God reveals through Scripture.

Abram thought he understood his future. He had a plan, a timeline, and a logical conclusion about how his life would unfold. Yet God had something far greater in mind—something Abram could not see from where he stood.

The Psalmist reminds us that real security is never found in our own strength, intelligence, resources, or carefully constructed plans. The Lord is not impressed by the strength of a horse or the might of an army. Our hope is found in Him alone.

In First John, we discover that God has already shown us what love looks like. Yet even with that revelation, we often reshape God's love into something more comfortable, more convenient, or more aligned with our preferences. We want God's blessings while resisting God's transformation.

Then Jesus confronts us with the sobering account of the rich man and Lazarus. Even in torment, the rich man remains the same man he was in life. He still sees Lazarus as someone to serve him. He still wants to negotiate. He still refuses to truly repent. The flames reveal what was already there.

Together, these readings ask a difficult but necessary question:

Are we allowing God to transform us, or are we simply asking Him to bless the plans we've already made?

Join us as we discuss faith, humility, self-deception, God's surprising plans, and the danger of becoming so attached to our own understanding that we miss what God is trying to teach us.

Because sometimes the greatest obstacle to God's work in our lives is not what we don't know.

It's what we're convinced we already know.

Crusade with Me! is back.

After months away from the microphone, we're beginning a new chapter with a simple but life-changing question:

What if the secret to peace, purpose, and growth is not becoming someone else—but becoming who God created you to be?

A tree never struggles with its identity.

An oak doesn't wish it were a maple. An apple tree doesn't envy an olive tree. A tree doesn't wake up one morning and decide it would rather be a goat.

It simply receives what God made it to be and grows.

Yet many of us spend our lives exhausted from comparison, chasing identities that were never ours, trying to force fruit that can only come from being properly rooted.

In this comeback episode, Dave and Kathy explores one of the most powerful themes woven throughout Scripture: God's people are often described as trees.

Trees planted by streams of water. Trees that endure drought. Trees that bear fruit in season. Trees that remain rooted when storms come.

Drawing from Psalm 1, Jeremiah 17, Genesis 1, John 15, Romans 12, Ephesians 2, and other key passages, we'll examine what it means to stop striving to become someone else and start growing into the person God designed from the beginning.

You'll discover:

• Why identity always comes before behavior • Why comparison is one of the fastest ways to kill joy • What Scripture means when it says creation reproduces "after its kind" • Why fruit is not something we force but something that reveals who we are • How to stay rooted when life's heat, drought, and storms arrive • Why God's design for your life began long before your first success—or your first failure

Most importantly, we'll discuss a truth that modern culture desperately needs to hear:

The created thing does not define itself. The Creator does.

The Christian life is not about inventing a new self.

It is about recovering the person God intended all along.

The tree's job is not to manufacture fruit.

The tree's job is to stay rooted.

And perhaps your job isn't to become someone else either.

Perhaps your job is simply to remain connected to the One who created you.

So welcome back to Crusade with Me!

Let's begin this next chapter together.

Be rooted. Be faithful. Be transformed.

And above all...

Just be the tree.