Light + Life Podcast

Find Your Place To Belong At First Pres: https://firstprescos.org/belong

Watch More Episodes:    • Light & Life Podcast 

Learn More About Where Grace Abounds: https://wheregraceabounds.org/

Contact Where Grace Abounds: [email protected]

Contact Scott Kingry: [email protected]

If you’re trying to make sense of faith, sexuality, or identity but you’re afraid saying what you really think could change how people see you, this conversation is for you.

Scott Kingry of Where Grace Abounds joins Tim and Liza for an honest conversation about what happens when faith and sexuality collide—and why being known, heard, and treated like a person matters more than winning an argument.

In this episode:

• Why Scott once felt there was no space for him in Christianity
  
  
• What changed when someone listened to his story before trying to give him answers
  
  
• How curiosity, grace, truth, and relationship can reshape difficult conversations
  
  

Scott shares his own journey through faith, same-sex attraction, leaving Christianity, returning to Jesus, and eventually finding a community where he could honestly wrestle with his questions. He also shares what decades of ministry have taught him about listening well, maintaining relationships through disagreement, and creating space for people who are still figuring things out.

You don’t have to have every question resolved before you can be known. If you’re looking for a place to keep exploring faith honestly, connect with First Pres or learn more about the support available through Where Grace Abounds.

*Chapters:*

00:20 Faith, sexuality, and finding a safe place to be honest

02:30 Scott’s story: faith, sexuality, and identity

09:23 “I don’t think there’s a space for me here”

13:33 The response that changed everything: “I really want to know you”

22:12 Creating space for people who are still figuring it out

29:21 Why curiosity and relationship matter more than labels

46:26 The deeper longing underneath sexuality: belonging and being known

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — Call or text 988: https://988lifeline.org/

Find Your Place To Belong At First Pres: https://firstprescos.org/belong

If you’re worried about someone you care about but you’re afraid of saying the wrong thing—or making things worse—this conversation is for you. David Galvan of Soul Shop Movement joins Tim and Liza to talk honestly about suicide prevention, asking the difficult question, and staying present when someone finally tells you what they’re carrying.

In this episode:

• How to ask someone directly about suicide with clarity and compassion
• Why listening can matter more than immediately trying to fix their problem
• How to move someone toward safety, connection, and trustworthy support

David brings years of suicide-prevention experience to a practical conversation about what ordinary friends, family members, and faith communities can do when someone is hurting.

Suicide prevention begins with connection. Thank you for helping create a world where it’s okay to ask for help and safe to offer it.

If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988, or visit https://988lifeline.org/. Hope is real, help is available, and you do not have to carry this alone.

For more information about David Galvan or Soul Shop Movement, contact David at [email protected].

Find Your Place To Belong At First Pres: https://firstprescos.org/belong

Watch More Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnLY-c1KPtO7a_Zw4LIVbMhbevfOMgApx

If you want to share your faith but you're confused about why evangelism matters if God is already in control, this conversation is for you. Pastor Tim and Ella wrestle honestly with God's sovereignty, predestination, grief, and the pressure we can put on ourselves to “get it right.”

In this episode:

• Why God's sovereignty doesn't make sharing the gospel pointless
• Why another person's salvation isn't ultimately something you accomplish
• How to move from Christian guilt toward prayer, relationship, and God's invitation

Tim walks through predestination, Arminianism, Scripture, and J.I. Packer's Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God—but the conversation keeps coming back to the real stuff of life: grief, people we love, and what faithful evangelism actually looks like.

Want people who will know your name and walk with you as you keep asking big questions? Find your place to belong at First Pres above.

Chapters:

00:27 When theology becomes personal

02:06 “Could I have done more?”

06:37 If God already knows, why evangelize?

12:22 Predestination vs. Arminianism

17:36 Why we still share the gospel

25:32 From Christian guilt to God's invitation

Find Your Place To Belong At First Pres: https://firstprescos.org/belong

Watch More Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnLY-c1KPtO7a_Zw4LIVb

Have you ever wanted to tell someone about Jesus—but worried you’d make things awkward?
You’re not alone.

In this episode of the Light + Life Podcast, Tim and Ella unpack one of the biggest misconceptions about evangelism. Instead of pressure, performance, or having all the right answers, they explore a much simpler—and more biblical—approach: friendship.

You’ll discover why hospitality changes lives, why your story matters more than you think, and how God often works through ordinary conversations rather than extraordinary moments.

In this episode you’ll learn:
* Why evangelism starts with genuine friendship
* How hospitality can open hearts to Jesus
* Why fear keeps so many Christians silent
* The difference between following guilt and following Jesus
* One practical step you can take this week to begin sharing your faith naturally

Whether you’ve struggled with evangelism for years or you’re simply wondering how to talk about your faith without sounding pushy, this conversation offers practical encouragement and hope.

Chapters
00:00 Introduction
03:15 Why evangelism feels so intimidating
10:22 The dinner invitation that changed an entire family
23:40 Friendship before persuasion
37:12 Why actions often speak louder than words
50:08 Following Jesus instead of guilt

If you’ve ever wondered whether there’s more going on than what we can see—but don’t want fear, hype, or strange answers—this conversation is for you. Pastor Mateen shares a thoughtful biblical perspective on the spiritual world so you can approach these questions with confidence instead of anxiety.

• What Scripture actually says about angels, demons, and spiritual beings
• Why Christians shouldn’t ignore the spiritual world—or obsess over it
• How God’s authority gives believers confidence instead of fear

Chapters

02:24 Mateen’s Story: From the Occult to Following Jesus

08:15 What Does the Bible Actually Say About Spiritual Beings?

13:15 Should Christians Be Afraid of Demons?

21:33 Can Christians Be Demon Possessed?

29:16 What Should You Do If You’re Still Wrestling With These Questions?

ind Your Place To Belong At First Pres: https://firstprescos.org/belong

Watch More Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnLY-c1KPtO7a_Zw4LIVbMhbevfOMgApx

If you believe in Jesus but death, hell, or the afterlife still make your stomach drop, this episode is for you. Emmy sits down with Matt Holtzman to talk honestly about fear, grief, heaven, hell, Scripture, and the kind of hope that does not rush past the hard questions.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• Why honest questions about death do not make you a bad Christian
• How Scripture, mystery, and pastoral care can hold together when answers feel incomplete
• One low-pressure next step if grief, doubt, or fear has been feeling too heavy to carry alone

Matt brings his experience as a caring ministries pastor who has walked with people through grief, final days, doubt, and fear.

Your next step: bring one real question into the light with someone you trust, and find people who can walk with you at First Pres.

Chapters:

00:00 Why Christians still fear death (and why it's okay to ask)

04:09 What do you say to someone who's afraid to die?

08:12 Can you really be sure what happens after death?

16:14 Holding faith and mystery together without pretending

24:21 What if you're afraid of hell—or for someone you love?

29:27 Your next step if grief, doubt, or fear feels overwhelming

Find Your Place To Belong At First Pres: https://firstprescos.org/belong
Watch More Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnLY-c1KPtO7a_Zw4LIVbMhbevfOMgApx

If you’ve wondered whether prayer really matters in everyday life, this episode is for you. This conversation offers an honest look at why prayer can feel hard, what it changes, and how to take a real next step without pretending.

Why prayer can feel slow, silent, or confusing
What prayer changes even when your situation stays hard
How to begin again with honesty instead of pressure

**Find Your Place To Belong At First Pres:** https://firstprescos.org/belong

**Watch More Episodes:** https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnLY-c1KPtO7a_Zw4LIVbMhbevfOMgApx

If you know a conversation matters but you keep putting it off because you do not want to make it weird or make it worse, this is for you. This episode will help you understand why conflict feels so loaded and how one honest step can move you toward trust, real community, and belonging.

- Why hard conversations can feel emotionally expensive even when you care about people
- How to tell the difference between peacemaking and avoidance
- One low-pressure next step for saying something true without trying to fix everything at once

Find Your Place To Belong At First Pres: https://firstprescos.org/belong

Watch More Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnLY-c1KPtO7a_Zw4LIVbMhbevfOMgApx

If science questions have left you confused, torn, or unsure what to do with faith, this conversation is for you. This is for people who want a more honest way to think about science, belief, doubt, and what it means to keep moving toward God.

In this episode we cover:

How worldview shapes the way you think about science and meaning

Why medicine, discovery, and faith do not have to be enemies

A practical mindset for staying curious when your perspective is getting rebuilt

If you are scared to say what you really think about faith, this is for you.

If you have been carrying doubts, questions, or frustration and wondering whether church can handle the truth, this episode meets that moment with honesty.

What young adults are really feeling when faith starts to feel shaky

Why church can feel unsafe when honesty seems costly

How belonging can start before everything feels settled

Tim McConnell shares an honest conversation designed to help people feel known, less alone, and invited into real community.

Next step: take one honest step toward belonging at First Pres: https://firstprescos.org/belong