Formed by Jesus Podcast

Welcome to Season Nine of the Formed by Jesus podcast! This is our favorite part of the year — where we share conversations with real people from Passion Creek Church about how they’re living out the Practices of Jesus in everyday life.

We’re still in our Witness Practice, learning how to cultivate a heart for the lost, pray with persistence, and open our lives to meaningful relationships with non-believers. In this episode, Emily Heaton returns to the podcast to share her story of growing up in Christian circles, feeling convicted about not knowing many non-believers, and how God used prayer, presence, and unexpected opportunities (including LDS missionaries knocking on her door!) to stretch her faith.

We talk about:

How prayer leads to opportunities for witness

Why presence matters more than having all the perfect answers

What it means to show hospitality without fear

How to step into spiritual conversations with wisdom and discernment

Why God often answers our prayers slowly, then suddenly

Plus, we get into stories about neighbors, bracelet-making, visiting other faith traditions, and what it means to be a peaceful presence in a polarized world.

Welcome to Season 9 of the Formed by Jesus Podcast—our deep dive into the Ninth Practice that’s shaped the trajectory of our church. If you’re new to Passion Creek, our Nine Practices to Make Disciples book is now on Amazon—summarizing the first full run-through of the practices that form us for life between Sundays.

In this episode, Trey sits down with Ryan to explore the Witness Practice: sharing your story, inviting others into community, and living a credible, consistent life with Jesus. We talk vulnerability vs. transparency, forgiveness that actually frees, how marriage becomes a living gospel, and why consistency beats intensity in spiritual formation. If you’ve ever wondered how to witness without being weird—or how to heal from bitterness and lead from your real story—this one’s for you.

Join our church as we pursue the way of Jesus through 9 practices. To learn more, go to: https://formedbyjesus.com

Coffee Table Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FWR249RY

Spiritual Health Survey: https://form.typeform.com/to/n5FDTU8I?typeform-source=formedbyjesus.com

Join our church as we pursue the way of Jesus through 9 practices. To learn more, go to: https://formedbyjesus.com

Season 9 kicks off with Pastor Trey VanCamp sitting down with Cade Wiles to talk about the practice of witness. Cade shares his journey from growing up LDS to following Jesus, his baptism at Passion Creek, and how Scripture opened his eyes. We unpack key differences, the cost of discipleship and family tension, spiritual warfare, and simple, practical ways to witness—like giving Bibles, praying with people, and leading with weakness and love. Cade asks for prayer: open doors with family/friends, financial provision, and Baby #2 on the way.

In this episode, Pastor Trey & Pastor Caleb give some of their final thoughts on the practice of witness... and they disagree on quite a few things.

Paul had a sense of urgency when it came to sharing the gospel. In 2 Corinthians 5 and 6, he tells us that we will all appear before God one day and give an account of how we lived as witnesses. He also says that our job is to persuade people to believe in the gospel because “today is the day of salvation” (2 Cor. 6:2). But today, few of us live with this sense of urgency. Rather than fearing God and His judgement, we fear other people and their opinions. We also write people off as being unlikely to accept the gospel if we were to share, and most of the time, we simply forget to live our lives as witnesses. But witnessing is not an optional practice. Both Paul and Jesus teach us that to be a disciple is to be a witness. When we learn to examine our fears, our flesh, and our forgetfulness, and then bring them to God, we can become effective witnesses who lead others into the Kingdom through the practice of Invitation.

In Corinth, Paul faced a city with culture similar to ours. The highest values in Corinth were social status, success, and self-image. You were only accepted if you were able to present the most successful version of yourself to the rest of the world. But rather than boat in his accomplishments, successes, and brilliance, Paul did the opposite. He vulnerably demonstrated his weakness to those he shared the gospel with. By being honest about his sins, struggles, and his hope, Paul allowed the gospel to shine through his weaknesses. To learn from Paul means we must also be willing to share our weaknesses with those we witness to, choosing to be honest about ourselves and our lives. We can do this through the practice of conversation — simply talking honestly and intentionally with others about our hope in Jesus.

In Corinth, Paul faced a city with culture similar to ours. The highest values in Corinth were social status, success, and self-image. You were only accepted if you were able to present the most successful version of yourself to the rest of the world. But rather than boat in his accomplishments, successes, and brilliance, Paul did the opposite. He vulnerably demonstrated his weakness to those he shared the gospel with. By being honest about his sins, struggles, and his hope, Paul allowed the gospel to shine through his weaknesses. To learn from Paul means we must also be willing to share our weaknesses with those we witness to, choosing to be honest about ourselves and our lives. We can do this through the practice of conversation — simply talking honestly and intentionally with others about our hope in Jesus.

Pastor Trey and Pastor Caleb process what it means to share the full gospel in our everyday lives.