Encounter Podcast

There's a good chance you don't correctly understand the book of Jonah. In episode 57 of Encounter, we get to the heart of one of the most ridiculed and misinterpreted Bible books. We discuss whether it is literal or figurative, Jonah as a type of Christ, Jonah as the prodigal son, how we tend to worship the God of our imaginations and ideologies, and how non-believers do have a right to judge a believer's commitment to the common good of society. 

Book Mentions:

The Prodigal Prophet

Exalting Jesus in Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk

Podcast Website:

https://encounterpodcast11.wixsite.com/encounterpodcast

All the way from Kenya, Maine, and Pennsylvania, Pastor Josh Lawrence, John Fleming, and Rich Pennisi join us for this episode of Encounter. Pastor Josh is the Senior Pastor and Planter of Calvary Chapel Eldoret, Kenya, John is the director of the CRD Addictions Ministry for Calvary Chapel Bangor, Maine, and Rich Pennisi is a worship leader for Calvary Chapel Philadelphia. With 4 Calvary Chapels represented, we discuss the current state of the Church in Kenya and the United States, what Biblical discipleship looks like, and the standard of excellence required for worship. This is what gospel fluent conversation looks like!

If you would like to donate to the Lawrence Family as missionaries, Calvary Chapel Eldoret as a church body, or Josh's newly begun minsitry, Great Comission Ministries, as a means to help the orphan children of Kenya, you can do so by clicking any of the links below! We sincerely hope you take time to pray about donating to God's wonderful work that He is doing through Josh and his family! 

Donate to Calvary Chapel Eldoret!

Donate to the Lawrence Family through Shepherd's Staff!

Donate to Great Commission Ministries!

Great Commission Ministries is a Mission organization, spearheaded by Josh Lawrence, that seeks to Help children who need food, shelter, clothing and education while keeping the focus on the Gospel and Discipleship through local Churches. They believe those whom they rescue from the streets should be plugged into a local body of believers which the New Testament calls the church. They are church oriented in all that they do.

Book Mentions:

Finally Free

The Prodigal God

Encounter Podcast Website

Our goal is to Encounter Christ, Culture, and Community and in this episode, we had the privilege to talk with our sister, Anieve Marks, and encounter all three. Anieve is a Bible-believing follower of Jesus Christ that is a Medical Surgery and Hospice nurse. We love episodes like these where we get to hear how the Gospel is lived out by our brothers and sisters in Christ when God has called them to different professions and passions. We discuss the different trials of the nursing profession, how she is the salt and light where she works, how divisive the vaccine conversations have become, and how we can appropriately pray for our Christian family in the medical field. 

Apart from being a nurse, a wife, and a mother of three with one on the way, Anieve runs an Instagram Account and Youtube Channel titled Happiest On My Homestead, where she catalogs her adventures of gardening and cooking.

Article Mentions:

IHS Global Witness Training for Christian Nurses:

By clicking the link below, you can check out our website to listen to different podcast episodes, read biblical blogs, find our favorite quotes from guests, and contact us!

You can also email us at [email protected] to express any concerns, suggest guests and topics, or simply say hello!

Welcome to Encounter! This episode was so much fun to make because we were able to talk about our favorite book... the Bible. We sat down with Sofia Ramirez who provided helpful insight into how to avoid reading the Bible through Western eyes. As we moved through the episode, we decided to break it down into three parts. 1. The importance of the author, audience, culture, and hermeneutics. 2. How to look for themes, motifs, and literary movements. 3. How to apply these techniques to commonly out-of-context scriptures. We pray that this episode deepens your relationship with Christ and strengthens your reading of the Bible. 

Book Mentions:

Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes: Removing Cultural Blinders to Better Understand the Bible

Encounter Podcast Website

We are joined by Mia Boone in episode 53 of Encounter. In this episode, we cover how to shine for Christ in an environment of darkness, how to cover those who protect us in prayer, and how to praise God regardless of our circumstances. 

Lt. Mia Boone has been in the Police Force for 22 years and offers great insight on how she keeps the joy and light of Christ in such a dark environment. Lt. Boone also shares her testimony of how she dodged an axe murderer and how God miraculously saved her daughter's life after the doctors advised her to say her last words to her daughter! Listen in for these stories and much more!

Song Mention Have Your Way - Britt Nicole

Song Mention Burn Us Up - Shane & Shane

Podcast Website: https://encounterpodcast11.wixsite.com/encounterpodcast

Over a year and a half after our first episode on private and public education, we take a second look through the eyes of Josiah Clark and the usual Encounter crew. Josiah is the head Youth Pastor at Calvary Chapel Gloucester County where the church is planting a Christian school called Cornerstone Christian Academy. Josiah offers a great perspective and was a blessing to have on the podcast. 

Podcast Website: https://encounterpodcast11.wixsite.com/encounterpodcast

With our new guest Josh Cummings to add helpful commentary to our discussion, we reflect on the Bible's instructions on how to practice "I will see before my eyes no vile thing" (Psalm 101:3) with TV media. Disney, Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, and other streaming services that serve as the base of Hollywood have forced Christians to look inward before looking outward. More importantly, they have forced us to look at the Word of God and let the Holy Spirit be our illumination and advocate. 

Podcast Website: https://encounterpodcast11.wixsite.com/encounterpodcast

Missionary Paul Cowley sits down with us to discuss his mission field in Kenya and how they train pastors to spread the gospel throughout the country. It began with a short mission trip to Africa when Paul immediately knew he was called to the slums of Nairobi, Kenya. In this episode, Paul discusses the importance of truly hearing God's calling on your life and warns us of the dangers of trying to earn God's love by searching for works of significance to please Him. We learned so much about spiritual warfare, where both the Kenyan and American churches have weaknesses, and the importance of prayer. 

Here is a link to Disciple Support Ministries, Paul's ministry program in Kenya. If the Spirit is leading you, please help Paul in anyway you can.

Book Mentions: The Search for Significance: Seeing Your True Worth Through God's Eyes 

Podcast Website: https://encounterpodcast11.wixsite.com/encounterpodcast

In this episode, we sit with Pastor Jeff Brower of Wellspring Church in Mayslanding, New Jersey. Pastor Jeff planted this church almost 10 years ago. It is thriving and faithfully proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ on a weekly basis. We delve into a multitude of topics such as: his testimony, how to totally rely on Christ and His promises for us, how to handle playing worship music from theologically differing churches, and how we need to have a spirit of compassion over a spirit of cynicism in the church today. 

Wellspring Church Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wellspringchurchnj/

Wellspring Church Website: https://www.wellspring-church.com/un-wed-led 

Podcast Website: https://encounterpodcast11.wixsite.com/encounterpodcast

Pastor Vince Lombardo, pastor at Calvary Chapel of Hammonton, has taught the Bible multiple times from cover to cover. In this episode, he helps us find Christ throughout the verses and themes of the Old Testament. We take a deep dive into how to find Christ everywhere in the Bible and also how to navigate some tough topics like alcohol, the sign gifts, and divorce. 

Calvary Chapel Hammonton Church Website: https://cchammonton.org

Calvary Chapel Hammonton Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cchammonton/

Calvary Chapel Hammonton Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cchammonton/

Podcast Website: https://encounterpodcast11.wixsite.com/encounterpodcast