Are you looking for a church? Trying to figure out if the church you're at is where you should stay? What questions should you be asking and what answers should you be seeking? 

In this episode, Pastor Anna and Pastor James have an honest and practical conversation about the church "fit check." 

We can read the Bible as one whole story that points to Jesus without finding our place in that story. That's not its intention. When we crack open the word of God, we endeavor not only to read it, but to allow it to read us. 

James and Anna each share a story about a time the Bible spoke in such a powerful way that it set their lives on different paths. Listen in, asking the Lord to do the same for you! 

What does it mean to be saved? Conversations about what we're saved from and what we're saved to often start with hell and end with heaven, but there's much more to it than that. Sin is more frequently found at the end of a pointing finger than understood through our relationship with God. 

The best place to start this conversation is at the very beginning. So, Anna and James start with Genesis 1 and touch on points from the Old and New Testaments. Along the way, they stumble into lots of things Christians say...and get into what those mean, too. 

Jesus is present across the whole Bible. While he isn't always mentioned by name, stories and predictions of his coming are all over the Old Testament. Predictions and stories of his coming AGAIN are all over the New Testament. 

Pastor Chris Bristow has led a years-long small group study that's gone through the whole Bible book by book...and they've seen Jesus all over it! She joins Anna and James to share some of what they've seen. 

Jesus left the grave, yet we try to put him in a box. We have a tendency to look at the cross through one lens when the Bible actually looks at it multiple ways. Pastor Jamin Bradley returns to the Para Podcast to talk about the multi-faceted work of Jesus on the cross. 

The Trinity is our churcy word for God being three-in-one. What does that mean? How can you explain it to other people? What role can and can't metaphor play in cracking the code (see what we did there? Eggs...cracking...)? 

Anna and James scratch the surface of this foundational belief about our God. 

Our faithful host, James, has moved to a different church and a different role. Para is growing and will soon be implemented at his new church. What does that mean for the future of the Para Podcast? Find out here! 

This episode was originally posted on the JaxNaz Church Podcast. It features Simon and Barbie Hodgson, a couple from the church who experienced a powerful season of revival that beautiful captures what becoming more like Jesus can look like in a person's life. While they don't reference Para, specifically, their story does provide an opportunity to listen in on others talking about what it looks like to be a disciple of Jesus. 

Dads (and father figures) play a uniquely special role in the lives of kids and teens. The role of Jesus in their parenting isn't talked about nearly enough...So, James invited his friend Jonathan Watts into the podcast to talk about discipling your kids. Topics like kids' personalities, "the talk," and tricky Bible stories are tackled with insight, humility, and humor. 

Everything cost something. Jesus tells us to count the cost when we're deciding to follow him. So, what are some of the costs of serving Jesus and serving like Jesus? The answers might surprise you - AND help you become more like Jesus. Our guests are models of serving practiced in counting - and paying - the cost of serving...and they wouldn't have it any other way!