Pastor Plek's Podcast

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Amir Keshavarz  didn’t “find faith” because life got easier. He found it after a childhood shaped by fear, a refugee escape, and the kind of grief that leaves you numb. Amir grew up in Iran and shares what it was like living under Sharia law, why his mom had to get the family out, and how a five day crossing through the mountains into Turkey changed everything. If you’ve ever wondered what refugees actually endure before they ever reach the United States, this conversation puts real details and real emotion behind the headlines.

We also talk about landing in America right before the borders closed, choosing Austin, and starting over with almost nothing. Amir tells the story of how a local church stepped in with practical help like furniture, groceries, and steady care during his mom’s breast cancer battle. When the cancer returned at stage four, we don’t skip the hard parts: the hospital, the decisions, the regret, and what it feels like to keep praying when you’re not sure God is listening.

From there, Amir opens up about wrestling, mentorship, and a coach who kept pointing him to Jesus. Then he describes a night that felt like spiritual warfare, an experience so intense it drove him to his knees and forced a choice about what he really believed. That choice led him to church at Vellas Branch Community Church, to baptism, and to a new sense of hope and direction, including a job breakthrough soon after prayer.

Listen all the way through, then share this with someone who needs hope. Subscribe for more stories like this and leave a review so more people can find the podcast.

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Some stories don’t fit into a neat testimony arc, because real healing is messy. Linda DiMartino sits down with me for a raw, honest conversation that starts with disbelief in God and moves through childhood sexual abuse, years of silence, and the deep question many survivors carry: “If God was real, why wasn’t He there?”

We talk about what trauma does to the body and the soul: numbness, confusion around intimacy, fear in relationships, and the way unprocessed pain can echo into marriage, divorce, and single motherhood. Linda shares how finally speaking up in a safe church group became a turning point, why secrecy keeps wounds feeling brand new, and how Christian community can help survivors rebuild trust without shame. She also opens up about depression and coping through food, then finding structure and support through Celebrate Recovery, spiritual discipline, and a renewed surrender to Christ.

The conversation doesn’t dodge the complicated parts: dating after heartbreak, blended family pressures, political differences at home, and church hurt after a failed real estate investment with people she trusted. We wrestle with forgiveness as a decision you return to again and again, not a feeling, and why taking the wall down can be the bravest move a believer makes. If you care about trauma recovery, Christian healing, forgiveness, and building a healthy church community, this one will stay with you.

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He went from “normal” suburban parties to IV heroin, fentanyl, and a life where stealing felt like the only job left. Ethan Hogan sits down with us to tell the full arc: a racing mind that never shut off, the lure of instant relief, and the brutal reality of addiction where overdoses feel like a simple fade to black.

 If you care about addiction recovery, Christian testimony, homelessness outreach, and real-world discipleship, this conversation will stay with you. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs hope, and leave a review so more people can find it.

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A pastor feels a rare tug toward law enforcement during a prayer gathering and it won’t let go. We talk with Grayson Dzialo about what happens after that moment, when the calling sounds clear but the timing feels messy: pregnancy, finances, COVID-era unrest, and the slow work of getting on the same page in marriage without forcing an answer.

Finally, Grayson explains why he moved from patrol to community affairs, how his values around faith, church community, marriage, and fatherhood forced hard tradeoffs, and what gave him peace to return to full-time pastoral ministry. If you’re wrestling with a career change, vocational calling, or faith at work, this one offers a clear framework: God’s word, God’s people, and God’s Spirit. Subscribe, share this with a friend who’s in a decision season, and leave a review with the question you want us to tackle next.

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Her life reads like a chain of impossible turns: a childhood shaped by addiction at home, a teenage slide from weed to pills and meth, a pregnancy at 17, and a marriage that turns violent and terrifying. Megan Lutostanski sits down with me to tell the whole story with clarity and courage, including the moments she wishes she could erase and the ones that finally forced change. If you care about addiction recovery, domestic violence survival, and real-world faith, you’ll hear the messy middle, not a polished highlight reel.

If Megan’s story helps you, subscribe, share this with someone who needs hope, and leave a review so more people can find it. What part of her journey do you relate to most?

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A tattoo obsession, yoga teacher training, weed-filled nights, Reiki “attunements,” and a relationship that spirals into control and panic. Bobbie Schneeburger’s story isn’t tidy and that’s exactly why it lands. She walks us through what it feels like to be hungry for meaning and stability, then keep picking things that promise peace but quietly deepen anxiety, shame, and confusion.

If you’re wrestling with anxiety, addiction, new age spirituality, or the feeling that your life has gone too far off course, this conversation offers hope without pretending the past didn’t happen. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs it, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway.

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Lydia Vadez doesn’t tell a polished story. She tells the true one, the kind that starts in survival mode and slowly learns what safety feels like. We sit down and trace her journey from a childhood marked by physical abuse, secrecy, and being blamed for things she couldn’t control, all the way to the moment she realized she knew the name Jesus without knowing Jesus personally. If you’ve ever carried pain while still trying to be “the strong one” for everyone else, you’ll feel seen here.

We also talk about adulthood wounds that repeat old patterns: craving love, ending up in domestic violence, and living on constant defense because trust feels dangerous. Then motherhood turns everything up. Lydia opens up about raising her kids largely on her own, the pressure of providing, and the heartbreak of watching both of her daughters attempt suicide during COVID after relentless bullying. It’s a direct conversation about teen mental health, suicide warning signs, school bullying, racism, and what it looks like to keep showing up when you’re exhausted.

What makes Lydia’s story different is the shift in how she responds to life. She describes learning to run to the Father instead of running to fear, finding a church community that keeps pursuing her, and practicing prayer when money is tight and problems are loud. We also dig into forgiveness as a form of freedom, not denial, and how her goal now is to leave her kids something stronger than security: God in their hearts.

If this encouraged you, subscribe, share it with someone who needs hope, and leave a review so more people can find these stories of faith, healing, and real life.

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A gospel booklet shows up in the mail behind the Iron Curtain and it changes a teenager’s life forever. Sergei grew up in Belarus under the USSR, where the aftershock of World War II, state propaganda, and restricted Christianity shaped everything from what people believed to what they feared. We talk through what “freedom” looks like when the government can track believers, disrupt services, and fine families for worship. 

Then the story jumps forward to Israel. Sergei moved in 2021, started building life as a tour guide, and soon found himself living through October 7 and the long months of alarms that followed. He explains Iron Dome in everyday language, what safe rooms and community shelters are actually like, and why Israelis keep working, parenting, and praying even when sirens become part of the weekly routine. We also get into the human side of it: meeting neighbors in a shelter, watching kids serve in the IDF, and learning the difference between fear and caution. 

We zoom out on the headlines too, including Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran, and why phrases like “from the river to the sea” can hide a much deeper rejection of Israel’s right to exist. Sergei shares history from the 1947 partition plan, describes how propaganda spreads, and offers a Bible-shaped way to pray for Israel and for hearts to recognize Yeshua as Messiah. If this conversation helps you, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find it.

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A single moment can split your life into “before” and “after” and you do not get to vote on the timing. Don and Susan Thayer know that kind of turning point firsthand, and they share their story with a level of honesty most people only admit in a counselor’s office: childhood trauma, adoption, ministry life, and the sudden loss of their 19-year-old son, Parker, during a family vacation.

We talk about what grief actually does, not the inspirational version. Don describes anger at God, the brutal swing from shock to sorrow, and the scary places his mind went when the pain would not let up. Susan explains the difference between knowing Bible verses and having them hold you up when your face is on the floor, plus how healing from sexual abuse can resurface years later inside marriage and why patient love matters. If you have ever wondered whether your faith can survive tragedy, this conversation stays with the tension instead of papering it over.

Then the story turns outward to Chiang Mai, Thailand and a business as mission model built around coffee. Through P-Rex Coffee, they partner with local believers serving Hill Tribe communities, supporting a Christian dorm, discipleship, and sustainable livelihoods for coffee farmers. It is grief and grace in motion, with a mission that keeps the gospel close to the ground and the product connected to real people.

If this resonates, subscribe, share this with someone walking through loss, and leave a review so more people can find stories like this. What part of their journey did you most connect with?

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384: The news cycle keeps daring Christians to pick a side fast, speak loud, and “own” someone online. We slow it down and ask better questions: what does Scripture actually say about rulers, war, and the temptation to turn political leaders into religious symbols?

We start with Pope Francis, Vatican II, and the claim that Christians and Muslims are essentially seeking the same God, then pivot to war and morality through Romans 13 and just war theory. When people press us for hot takes on Iran or any conflict, we admit the limits of what we know and argue for a posture of humility, prayer for leaders, and trust in God’s providence. That isn’t passivity; it’s refusing to play omniscient commentator.

Then we tackle the Christian celebrity moments that confuse people the most: Paula White’s over-the-top comparison of Trump to Jesus, and the viral AI image that makes Trump look like Christ healing someone. We talk blasphemy, the second commandment, Psalm 2, and why leaders still have a duty to honor God even if they don’t believe. We also dig into JD Vance, the Pope, and ordo amoris “ordered loves” to explain why Christian ethics includes real duties to family and nation without erasing love for the world.

If you care about faith and politics, Christian worldview, government and the Bible, and how the church should speak in public without losing the gospel, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review, then tell us: what’s the most faithful way to pray for leaders you disagree with?

Text your questions to us at 737-231-0605 or visit pastorplek.com. We talk faith, culture, and everything in between.

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