It's just Katy and Luke this week as we catch up on a whirlwind Sunday, Merge Weekend for our rising 6th graders, Big Enough for Big Church, First at First, a college mentoring lunch, and an incredible night of testimonies from our summer mission trips. We also talk about what's ahead: Fresh Start Sunday (a.k.a. College Sunday), welcoming our largest-ever class of incoming Korean students, and the big celebration coming up for Dr. Wiles's 25th anniversary at the church.

But the heart of this conversation is prayer and we get honest. One of us opens up about what prayer looks like in the middle of grief, and we both reflect on what it means to keep showing up to God even when the words don't come easily. We recap this week's sermon on Elijah, James, and the powerful, effective prayer of a righteous person, plus a beautiful insight from a student on what prayer actually changes.

Grab your coffee and join us for an honest, encouraging conversation about church life, community, and prayer.

The full team is back together on Tell Me More, and it's a joyful reunion, Katy returns to the studio after the loss of her mother, sharing how the church's support carried her through a hard season. From there, the crew dives into everything happening as summer winds down at First Baptist: the Engagement Night of Celebration for summer mission teams, a new "Grieving Your Friends" lunch series, and the flurry of fall promotions, Big Enough for Big Church, First at First, and Merge Weekend, as families gear up for a new school year.

The heart of the episode turns to what's ahead: a churchwide focus on prayer throughout August, setting the stage for a fall series on evangelism called "Gone Fishing." Dr. Wells shares what shaped his study of prayer this summer, from the Psalms and John 17 to books like Pray First and Praying Like Monks, Living Like Fools — and opens up about a season of deeper, more constant prayer in his own life, sensing God's presence in everyday moments and conversations. The conversation touches on living beyond a "practical atheism," the example of Elisha's servant, and how staying spiritually attuned opens unexpected doors to share faith with others.

It's a warm, honest episode about grief, community, and getting ready to seek God together as a church family.

In this episode of Tell Me More, Luke Stehr and Dr. Wiles catch up on a full and eventful summer — from a granddaughter's poolside birthday bash to a summer packed with missions trips, funerals, and unexpected gospel connections between students serving in Spain and Toronto. They also look ahead to what's next: a churchwide focus on prayer throughout August (anchored in John 17), a fall evangelism emphasis with guest preachers, and the launch of "The Table" on Wednesday nights in September.

The heart of the conversation turns to the summer's Fruit of the Spirit series, wrapping up with a look at Joseph and self-control. Dr. Wiles reflects on Joseph's journey — from the brash younger brother flaunting his dreams, to the man who resisted temptation in Potiphar's house, endured years in an Egyptian prison, and ultimately chose grace over vengeance with the brothers who betrayed him. Along the way, they dig into what it practically looks like to "walk by the Spirit" day to day — starting mornings in Scripture before the phone, praying through a daily rhythm, and keeping your spiritual "radar" up for where God is at work.

A conversation about growth, grace, and what self-control looks like when it's shaped by a life connected to God.

The gang's finally back together! After a jam-packed summer of camp, mission trips, and hosting friends from Jordan, the hosts reunite to catch up before diving into this week's topic: the fruit of gentleness.

They kick things off with some World Cup recap — confessions of a first-time final-watcher, hot takes on Argentina vs. Spain, and how a friendship with visitors from Jordan turned a casual soccer fan into a true believer in the beautiful game.

Then it's on to Scripture, as the conversation turns to Ruth and what her story reveals about gentleness — not as weakness, but as quiet strength and resolve. They talk about Jesus's own example of gentleness (yes, the woman at the well makes an appearance), why the trait feels so countercultural right now, and why it might be exactly what the world is hungry for.

Plus: a rundown of everything happening around the church this August, from teacher trainings to the Night of Celebration for summer trips.

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Dr. Dennis Wiles is back in the studio after a study leave that turned out to be anything but restful. He and Luke catch up on a summer full of surprises, most notably, an unexpected partnership with the Jordanian government during the World Cup that brought thousands of people onto the church's property, connected them with royalty, The Chosen, and Muslim neighbors from across the region. What started as a simple party planning effort kept hitting walls, until God seemed to fling the doors wide open in ways no one could have planned.

The conversation also turns to Sunday's sermon on Mary Magdalene, a woman whose faithful witness has too often been overshadowed by centuries of mistaken tradition. Dr. Wiles shares what inspired him about her story, why the role of women in Jesus' ministry matters more than many realize, and how all of from Jordan to Ruth to a teenager sharing the gospel on a mission trip,  seems to be part of something the Spirit is weaving together this season.

This week on Tell Me More, host Katy sits down with Curt and Ashley Berryhill to unpack the fruit of the Spirit "Goodness"—the sixth stop in a nine-week series through Galatians 5:22-23. The conversation traces the word from the Hebrew tov in Genesis (where God calls His creation "good") to agathosune, a term the Apostle Paul appears to have coined by fusing the Greek word for "good" with a suffix meaning "intimately knit together." Using Barnabas—Scripture's "son of encouragement"—as a case study, Kurt explores how real goodness isn't about staying clean and uninvolved; it risks, protects, and proclaims, showing up in messy, no-win situations on behalf of other people. They also connect goodness to restoration, discipleship, and what it looks like to raise kids who bear good fruit rather than just "healthy" lives.

Before diving into the theology, the team catches listeners up on a busy summer of ministry: 41 students serving at the Texas border with Texans on Mission, a small team encountering God's work among refugee communities in Southeast Asia, college students serving a church plant in Denver, and international partners visiting from Spain, Sierra Leone, and beyond. Ashley also shares an update on the church's growing pathway of student mission trips. The episode wraps with a teaser for next week's study on Faithfulness through the life of Mary Magdalene, plus details on Summer Clusters (women's Bible studies) starting soon. Learn more and get connected at fbca.org/summer.

This week, host Michael Glenn sits down with Luke Stehr and Ashley Berryhill to unpack an incredible whirlwind of a week at the church — hosting the Kingdom of Jordan's Visit Jordan Experience during the World Cup, welcoming Jordanian dignitaries and the Jordanian ambassador to the US, and celebrating the powerful hospitality shown to their new friends from the Middle East. Luke and Ashley share the behind-the-scenes story of how this partnership came together in just a matter of weeks, what the night looked like with worship, biblical history presentations, and a gift exchange, and why this moment feels like a spark for how the church is being called to engage with the Arab and broader Middle Eastern Christian community going forward.

The conversation then turns to Luke's recent sermon on the book of Philemon and what it means to live out true kindness as a fruit of the Spirit — crossing cultural, national, and relational barriers the way Christ did. Ashley offers practical, everyday steps for building relationships across cultures (starting with curiosity, not judgment), and the team closes out by celebrating another highlight of the week: Kinder Bible School. It's a conversation about radical hospitality, kingdom citizenship, and what it looks like to be led by the Spirit in a divided world.

In this episode, hosts Katy and Luke welcome Connor Torrealba, First Baptist Arlington's College Minister, to the studio. Connor recently preached on the topic of patience (or "forbearance," as Dr. Wiles originally titled it), and the conversation digs into what it really looks like to wait well, on God, on circumstances, and on the people around us. Connor shares how he thinks about preaching practically, always asking himself what listeners will actually do with a message on a Tuesday, and reflects on the feedback he received from Sunday's sermon. The group also catches up on Connor's big year: buying his first home, welcoming baby daughter Phoebe in March, biking to work, and navigating the joys of wired smoke alarms going off at midnight.

The heart of the conversation turns to what Connor shared with the church staff the morning after his sermon, that First Baptist Arlington is itself in a waiting season, with staff roles to fill and future direction to discern. Connor encourages everyone, staff and congregation alike, to resist cynicism in seasons of waiting, reminding listeners that cynicism is usually a sign we've taken our eyes off Jesus. Drawing from Abraham's story and his own experience between ministry positions, he challenges people to stop waiting for a specific outcome and instead ask what God might be doing in the waiting. The episode closes with prayer requests for multiple summer mission trips, the upcoming college ministry trip to Denver, the Government of Jordan's World Cup events hosted at FBCA, and a faith-filled goal of seeing 20 students come to Christ this fall.

This week, host Katy is joined by Ashley and Sarah from the engagement team for an all-female episode full of real conversation. They start by getting to know Sarah — her love story, her eight years as a missionary in Slovenia, and what it's been like returning stateside to join the team. From there, they dive into Send Sunday, a special day the church recently held to commission students heading out on summer mission trips. Ashley and Sarah share the heart behind it: building a generation of young people who are humble learners, gospel fluent, and ready to engage a global world.

The conversation also unpacks the previous Sunday's sermon on God's shalom — what it means for our everyday lives, why worry and anxiety pull us away from it, and how personal peace with God is the foundation for anything else we do in the world. From the story of Abigail as an unexpected peacemaker to Jesus' words about seeking the kingdom first, this episode is a rich and honest look at what it means to live as a whole, sent people.

Camp has always been a special part of life at First Baptist Arlington, and this week’s episode celebrates the incredible ways God moved through Camp FBCA 2026. Chelsea Judkins joins the podcast to share powerful stories of life change, student leadership, and unforgettable moments from a week that impacted hundreds of students. From first-time decisions to follow Jesus to students sensing a call to ministry, the stories coming out of camp are nothing short of inspiring. You'll hear why this ministry continues to be one of the most significant investments our church makes every year. We also celebrate the volunteers, leaders, and families whose faithful service helps create space for God to work in extraordinary ways. If you've ever wondered why camp matters, this conversation offers a front-row seat to the lasting impact it can have on a student's faith journey. Be encouraged by stories of transformation, renewed faith, and the next generation stepping boldly into God's calling. Don't miss this joyful and hope-filled episode of Tell Me More.