Real Talk

Happy Victoria Day to all our Canadian listeners!

On today's episode we brought on fan favourite, Pastor Jim Witteveen to talk about his new book, How in the World did we get here? This book highlights the earthly forces and movements the devil is using to try accomplish his purposes. We know we have the final victory in Christ yet it is important for us to be informed of the evil works at play so we can be on guard and fight the battles of spiritual warfare. Be sure to check out this book here!

We hope you enjoy this episode and pray that it informs and encourages you to live boldly for Christ. We'd love to hear your thoughts!

A BIG THANKS TO OUR OFFICIAL SPONSOR, TRIVAN! WE APPRECIATE YOU HELPING US MAKE THIS CONVERSATION POSSIBLE. BE SURE TO CHECK THEM OUT AT WWW.TRIVAN.COM 

To keep up with the podcast, check out our website: https://www.realtalkpodcast.ca/

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for updates, clips, and more!  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReformedRealTalk

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reformedrealtalk/

We'd love to hear from you. Please send us your questions, comments, or other feedback at [email protected]. Thanks for listening! If you liked what you heard, please share this podcast with your family and friends!

We have a new episode for you with Al Siebring. Al has served in a variety of public roles including as the Mayor of North Cowichan, BC. He might be most well known to you as the host of ARPA’s previous podcast enterprise, Lighthouse News. We chat about his experiences in the public life and the importance of staying faithful in this work.

0:00 - Intro

3:00 - Al’s experience & career

25:00 - The Michener Award (for Investigative Journalism)

33:00 - Bias in the media

36:00 - Charles and Diana

41:00 - Ted Byfield

43:00 - Lighthouse

50:45 - Municipal Politics

1:04:00 - COVID

1:13:00 - Advice for being involved into politics

1:17:00 - Consulting

1:22:30 - What makes a good leader?

A BIG THANKS TO OUR OFFICIAL SPONSOR, TRIVAN! WE APPRECIATE YOU HELPING US MAKE THIS CONVERSATION POSSIBLE. BE SURE TO CHECK THEM OUT AT WWW.TRIVAN.COM 

To keep up with the podcast, check out our website: https://www.realtalkpodcast.ca/

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for updates, clips, and more!  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReformedRealTalk

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reformedrealtalk/

We'd love to hear from you. Please send us your questions, comments, or other feedback at [email protected]. Thanks for listening! If you liked what you heard, please share this podcast with your family and friends!

Here is part 2 of our series on the marks of the true church. In this episode, we're looking at the sacraments. Joining Tyler for this chat is Rev. James Zekveld, a missionary and pastor in Niverville, MB. We start with a general outline of what the sacraments are and then go into the baptism discussion. We cover arguments for both paedobaptism and credobaptism and why the covenant matters!

0:00 - Intro

06:10 - What is a sacrament?

10:00 - Roman Catholic sacraments

14:00 - Why do we only do it on Sunday?

23:30 - What do we believe Baptism is?

40:20 - Baptism vs Profession of Faith

47:30 - Arguments for Paedo and Credobaptism

1:17:00 - Importance of the Covenant

1:22:00 - Feelings and Symbolism

A BIG THANKS TO OUR OFFICIAL SPONSOR, TRIVAN! WE APPRECIATE YOU HELPING US MAKE THIS CONVERSATION POSSIBLE. BE SURE TO CHECK THEM OUT AT WWW.TRIVAN.COM 

To keep up with the podcast, check out our website: https://www.realtalkpodcast.ca/

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for updates, clips, and more!  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReformedRealTalk

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reformedrealtalk/

We'd love to hear from you. Please send us your questions, comments, or other feedback at [email protected]. Thanks for listening! If you liked what you heard, please share this podcast with your family and friends!

Time for a Real Talk RoundUp! RP's chairman on the board, Bruce DeBoer and fellow board member, Pastor Jim Witteveen are joining us for this conversation. We catch up on the last three episodes as well as touch on a recent article Pastor Jim wrote for Reformed Perspective covering the topics of Residential Schools & Truth and Reconciliation. Check it out here on page 29 of the magazine:

Truth & Reconciliation is possible, but not as it is being popularized

We also have a special update from Bruce on the work for Reformed Perspective. Be sure to let us know what you think of this episode and any feedback/ideas you may have for us at Real Talk or Reformed Perspective, please don't hesitate to reach out. We're grateful for your support and listenership.

0:00 - Intro

4:00 - Covid 19 & Mental Health

18:50 - To Preach or to Lecture

29:00 - IVF & Embryo Adoption

40:00 - Truth and Reconciliation Article

53:40 - Reformed Perspective Update

A BIG THANKS TO OUR OFFICIAL SPONSOR, TRIVAN! WE APPRECIATE YOU HELPING US MAKE THIS CONVERSATION POSSIBLE. BE SURE TO CHECK THEM OUT AT WWW.TRIVAN.COM 

To keep up with the podcast, check out our website: https://www.realtalkpodcast.ca/

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for updates, clips, and more!  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReformedRealTalk

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reformedrealtalk/

We'd love to hear from you. Please send us your questions, comments, or other feedback at [email protected]. Thanks for listening! If you liked what you heard, please share this podcast with your family and friends!

We have an interesting yet difficult episode for you today. We know this is a sensitive topic but we hope it will be helpful for you in understanding more about this complex topic. 

Justina Van Manen from CCBR joins us for this conversation where we discuss the history of IVF, it's regulation and the risks and dangers associated with it. On the other side, we also discuss snowflake adoption and the opportunity it presents for Christians. Be sure to let us know what you think of this episode!

0:00 - Intro

5:19 - History of IVF

10:00 - Regulations

17:00 - Dangers and Risks

29:00 - Snowflake Adoption

A BIG THANKS TO OUR OFFICIAL SPONSOR, TRIVAN! WE APPRECIATE YOU HELPING US MAKE THIS CONVERSATION POSSIBLE. BE SURE TO CHECK THEM OUT AT WWW.TRIVAN.COM 

To keep up with the podcast, check out our website: https://www.realtalkpodcast.ca/

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for updates, clips, and more!  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReformedRealTalk

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reformedrealtalk/

We'd love to hear from you. Please send us your questions, comments, or other feedback at [email protected]. Thanks for listening! If you liked what you heard, please share this podcast with your family and friends!

Hopefully, this will be part one of a new series examining the Marks of a True Church. For this episode, we dive into what is the pure preaching of the Gospel. To help us with this we brought on Dr. Van Dam, emeritus professor of Canadian Reformed Seminary. 

We discuss what is preaching, how it differs from lectures and speeches, who can preach, and who is preaching for. We also hone in on what about preaching in a missional context - is the preaching for the lost or the found??

Be sure to let us know your thoughts on this episode! 

0:00 - Intro

8:40 - Preaching in the OT vs NT

15:30 - Calling to preach

19:20 - Lecture vs. Sermon

22:00 - Why is preaching a mark of the true church

27:50 - Structure of a sermon

35:30 - Preaching to the flock

40:30 - Room for interaction?

44:00 - Sermon Evaluating

56:00 - The tenure of a preacher

1:07:00 - Preaching in a missional context

A BIG THANKS TO OUR OFFICIAL SPONSOR, TRIVAN! WE APPRECIATE YOU HELPING US MAKE THIS CONVERSATION POSSIBLE. BE SURE TO CHECK THEM OUT AT WWW.TRIVAN.COM 

To keep up with the podcast, check out our website: https://www.realtalkpodcast.ca/

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for updates, clips, and more!  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReformedRealTalk

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reformedrealtalk/

We'd love to hear from you. Please send us your questions, comments, or other feedback at [email protected]. Thanks for listening! If you liked what you heard, please share this podcast with your family and friends!

We got a good episode for you today! Dr. Mark Kelderman joins us today to chat about mental health, especially in light of the last few years. Dr. Keldmerman is a certified biblical counsellor with the ACBC (Association of Certified Biblical Counsellors) and IRBC (The Institute for Reformed Biblical Counselling). He served as the pastor of Heritage Reformed Church in Burgessville, Ontario for 13 years and continues to preach locally.

In this episode we also get into, what mental health is biblically, chemical depression vs. soul care, suffering and how we can help those struggling.

*If you want to learn more about Biblical vs. Christian Counselling, be sure to listen to episode 15 of Real Talk* 

00:00 - Intro

2:30 - Mental health pre and post covid

8:00 - Looking at mental health biblically

25:00 - Chemical depression vs. soul care

35:00 - What is peace?

36:00 - Fear, COVID and moral responsibility

41:00 - Mental health and spirituality

44:00 - Anxiety

45:30 - Secular practices

51:30 - Suffering and mental health

1:05:00 - Helping those who struggle

A BIG THANKS TO OUR OFFICIAL SPONSOR, TRIVAN! WE APPRECIATE YOU HELPING US MAKE THIS CONVERSATION POSSIBLE. BE SURE TO CHECK THEM OUT AT WWW.TRIVAN.COM 

To keep up with the podcast, check out our website: https://www.realtalkpodcast.ca/

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for updates, clips, and more!  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReformedRealTalk

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reformedrealtalk/

We'd love to hear from you. Please send us your questions, comments, or other feedback at [email protected]. Thanks for listening! If you liked what you heard, please share this podcast with your family and friends!

We back at it with another Real Talk Round Up. Reformed Perspective's editor, Jon Dykstra join us for this one to recap and discuss the last few episodes. We also discuss the cultural moment we find ourselves in and how to evangelize to those around us. Jon also shares some great book/biography recommendations and we've listed them here:

"A reason to read biographies is to see, and be encouraged by what God has done in other people’s lives. And then be challenged to consider, if He could use them, what could He do with you, if only you trusted Him to keep hold of you? You can find longer reviews of each book by clicking on their title." - J. Dykstra.

Top 5 biographies for those who love to read

1. Laura Hillenbrand’s Unbroken – WW II veteran Louis Zamperini survived enemy fire, being alone on a raft for weeks, and a Japanese POW camp, all the while being “unbroken.” But Who was keeping him so?

Bonus: Rosario Champagne Butterfield’s The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert – lesbian university professor meets a pastor who asks her, have you considered you might be wrong?

Top 5 accessible biographies to get a person started reading biographies 

1. Susan K Leigh’s Luther: Echoes of the Hammer – graphic novel yes; superficial? No!

Bonus: Douglas Bond’s The Thunder – a fictionalized biography of John Knox, showing him to the be action hero, body guard, pastor that he was.

A BIG THANKS TO OUR OFFICIAL SPONSOR, TRIVAN! WE APPRECIATE YOU HELPING US MAKE THIS CONVERSATION POSSIBLE. BE SURE TO CHECK THEM OUT AT WWW.TRIVAN.COM 

To keep up with the podcast, check out our website: https://www.realtalkpodcast.ca/

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for updates, clips, and more!  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReformedRealTalk

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reformedrealtalk/

We'd love to hear from you. Please send us your questions, comments, or other feedback at [email protected]. Thanks for listening! If you liked what you heard, please share this podcast with your family and friends!

We're grateful to have ARPA's, Director of Advocacy, Mike Schouten join us for this episode to share about MAiD (medical assistance in suicide), its dangers and the work that ARPA is doing to fight against it. Mike also shares the personal advocacy work him and his wife did, after the parliamentary committee on MAiD asked them to share their testimony. This past May after a battle with cancer, their son Markus at the age of 18, passed on to be with Jesus. Markus' journey showed that there is a better way than requesting MAiD, for suffering truly unleashes love.

We hope this episode will not only educate you but inspire and encourage you to engage in your own real talk, especially regarding suffering in the life of a Christian and those in the world.

0:00 - Intro

3:40 - Mike’s family’s personal experience with suffering.

5:45 - Mike and Jenn’s testimony to the parliamentary committee on MAiD

27:20 - History highlights of

35:50 - Palliative care

40:00 - Reasons for Hope

49:00- ARPA’S work and messaging

53:47 - The March deadline

55:55 - What if the Conservatives come into power?

A BIG THANKS TO OUR OFFICIAL SPONSOR, TRIVAN! WE APPRECIATE YOU HELPING US MAKE THIS CONVERSATION POSSIBLE. BE SURE TO CHECK THEM OUT AT WWW.TRIVAN.COM 

To keep up with the podcast, check out our website: https://www.realtalkpodcast.ca/

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for updates, clips, and more!  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReformedRealTalk

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reformedrealtalk/

We'd love to hear from you. Please send us your questions, comments, or other feedback at [email protected]. Thanks for listening! If you liked what you heard, please share this podcast with your family and friends!

We are beyond thrilled to have Dr. Eric Watkins on the podcast to chat about church planting and evangelism. Dr. Watkins has an incredible story of coming to faith in the Lord and is using his life solely for the advance of the Gospel and God's glory - this is evident in his experience of church planting and his heart for seeing church's be faithful in all aspects, especially evangelism.

In this episode we discuss, what evangelism is versus outreach, the tension of supporting the household of faith and reaching the lost. We also discuss the history of evangelism, including how we may have drifted from John Calvin's evangelistic mission and the difference between creating walls around our kids vs equipping them to engage the world. Be sure to let us know your thoughts! 

0:00 - Intro

12:49 -  Church planting experience

16:50 - What is evangelism

25:00 - The tension of outreach and inreach

31:30 - The history of the lack of evangelism

38:00 - How did we drift from Calvin’s evangelistic mission?

42:20 - High-walls vs equipping?

54:14 - Discipleship and Mentorship

A BIG THANKS TO OUR OFFICIAL SPONSOR, TRIVAN! WE APPRECIATE YOU HELPING US MAKE THIS CONVERSATION POSSIBLE. BE SURE TO CHECK THEM OUT AT WWW.TRIVAN.COM 

To keep up with the podcast, check out our website: https://www.realtalkpodcast.ca/

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for updates, clips, and more!  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReformedRealTalk

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reformedrealtalk/

We'd love to hear from you. Please send us your questions, comments, or other feedback at [email protected]. Thanks for listening! If you liked what you heard, please share this podcast with your family and friends!