Roots and Branches Podcast

Paul walks through his life-long love of film by overviewing some origins and milestones for why movies (aka cinema, motion pictures, flicks, talkies) are an enduring favorite hobby. From gathering around the family TV in the 70’s to regularly hosting movie parties large and small, Paul continues to develop a Top 200 Movie list he began 40+ years ago. His criteria for ranking his favorite films include: standing up to/improving with repeated viewings; biblical worldview; writing/story; acting performances; directing/technical; design; entertainment value (notably the soundtrack/score); and cautions against offensive material (minimal innuendo/sinful sexual content, God’s name in vain/excessive profanity, or gratuitous violence devoid of redemptive/historical value). Ultimately, films should inspire and direct our hearts to the reality of the story of redemption being played out in our lives and in history until Jesus returns to renew all things!

Paul Arneberg brings back a report from EFCA One, the biennial national conference for our denomination. This year’s location was Valley Church in West Des Moines, IA and marked the 75th anniversary of the EFCA Merger in 1950. Paul overviews the five worship service (plenary session) speakers; the six trainings (breakout sessions) he attended; opportunities to connect with vocational church staff and missionaries; and a special presentation and dinner honoring Rev. Dr. Kevin Kompelien as he retires as president of TEDS and formerly president of the EFCA. Paul also shares his personal highlights, including the message by Pastor Quintin Stieff, “We Are People Who Love Our Neighbors and Love Our Communities”, and our own Pastor Brent Kompelien’s training session, “Re-placing Discipleship in the Local Church: Hands-on Learning that Embodies, Embeds, and Enacts the Biblical Story.” Just today, the EFCA posted videos of the five worship service speakers and other helpful resources, including an inspiring reenactment of the 1950 merger photo with the 1,003 conference attenders in 2025!

Paul concludes his two-part interview with Administrative Coordinator Anne Van Kleek. After recapping her testimony, Paul asks Anne to describe how her church staff experience has been deeply enriched amidst her current two-year process of taking the Prepared class through the EFCA. The second half focuses on her and Glenn raising their special needs daughter, Mary. (Note: The intentional misspelling in the title is a nod to the MN State Fair’s “Admin Too” building by the Bandshell and a subtle tip-of-the-hat to the many proofreading needs required of those who regularly publish newsletters, emails, postings, and podcast descriptions. ;-)

Paul sits down with Anne Van Kleek, our faithful Administrative Coordinator who has been serving vocationally at New Life since October 2021. In Part 1, Anne shares her testimony, including how the Lord has guided both her and her husband of 35 years, Glenn, through many trials and joys: their initial pregnancy ending in a stillbirth at 7.5 months; a healthy boy; an early miscarriage; and a special needs daughter. Anne shares the Van Kleeks’ journey through three local churches and how the Lord has blessed them through each experience during specific seasons of life, including gaining a heart for missions. The last part of Part 1 covers Anne’s hiring at New Life; a typical day in her job role; and her recent freedom of seeing her Sunday morning role as an act of worship rather than merely a to-do list.

Paul starts this second podcast on his life mission statement with a triple-shoutout to the number 110: the lifespan of Joseph (a type of Christ); the lifespan of Joshua (Heb.: Yeshua, another type of Christ); and the messianic Psalm 110. Paul then dives into his life mission statement using select Scriptures and commentary: “Bearing fruit for Jesus Christ, faithfully stewarding mentorship, teaching, leadership, writing, speaking, marriage, and hospitality, by God’s grace, through the Spirit’s power, for His glory.” The seven targeted words reflect a calling to influence, communicate, and life-share, all centered in our Triune God. Regardless of gifts, age, or spiritual maturity, all Christ-followers should examine priorities for purposeful living for the Lord!

As Pastor Brent is still in the early weeks of his 3-month sabbatical, Paul recounts his own partial sabbatical back in 2016. Tying together his life-changing summer as a camp counselor in 1989 with a year of marriage restoration in 2007, Paul details how a challenging adventure to Philmont Scout Ranch prompted him to write a 25-word life mission statement. In so doing, Paul has seen the Lord’s grace and a continuity of calling from age 20 through today and as long as the Lord wills him to live. All listeners are challenged to make intentional choices and respond to unexpected trials in order to live more fruitfully and purposefully for the Lord our God.

Paul offers “director’s commentary” for his Psalm 8 sermon on 5/25/25. The themes of our human weakness, the strength of the LORD (YHWH), and the grace of Jesus are found throughout Psalm 8. Key cross-references include Heb. 2:5-9; 4:14-16; Matt. 11:25-30; 21:16; 2 Cor. 12:7-10; and Rev. 22:3-5. God’s Name, God’s Glory, and God’s Will in Psalm 8 help us to make sense of the dichotomy of our sinful, broken state apart from Christ—and His offer for redemption and fulfillment to reign with Him forever in glory and honor on the New Earth!

Initially intended as a commentary on his latest sermon delivered during Pastor Brent’s sabbatical, Paul turned Episode 107 into a personal glimpse into his preparation process for his intermittent preaching at New Life. Despite holding B.A. in Speech-Communication and having 37 years of teaching the Bible to all ages, Paul has had a steep learning curve as he’s navigated the breadth, depth, and nuances of preparing sermons for our church family. Over the past 15 months, preaching six times has been Paul’s experience of receiving “disciple-by-doing” thanks to much coaching and trust from Pastor Brent. A theme of this episode (and of Psalm 8, discussed more in Part 2) is that the Lord establishes strength in our weaknesses, evidenced by Paul battling in the Spirit and against his flesh to learn this new challenge. NOTE: Two more key steps were omitted in Paul’s “10 Steps for Sermon Prep” in this episode: thinking of illustrations and applications! Those key elements transform a sermon from a lecture to a pastoral exercise affecting the will in a relational context.

Paul and Pastor Brent look ahead to our 17-week summer sermon series in the Psalms. While Pastor Brent will kick off this series on May 11 and take the last two sermons (Aug. 24 & 31), 11 other preachers will cover 14 weeks during the entirety of Pastor Brent’s sabbatical. The co-hosts discuss specific psalms and themes; name the elders and EFCA leaders who will join Paul in preaching this summer; and challenge the youth (and anyone who chooses) to read all 150 psalms from June 1-Aug. 31. Pastor Brent also announces other sermon series plans, including Ruth for Advent 2025 and Romans spanning this fall through most of 2026. Finally, Paul and Pastor Brent put a bow on other big picture plans at New Life EFC by touching on growth groups, possible electives, and an upcoming Disciple-By-Doing Leadership Team forming later this year.

Pastor Brent and Paul preview a culminating day in the life of our church. On 5/4/25, we’ll have one service at 10 am, combining abridged corporate worship (including the end of our James series) with a business meeting detailing the 14 pp. packet emailed to our members on Resurrection Sunday. Key words are covered here (vision, staffing, serving, building, budgeting, fundraising, voting) and in much more detail on May 4th.