The Locker Room

This week we sit down with WCSG Program Director Brittany Riva and Crossraods Student Ministries Director Molly Vedders to unpack Sunday’s sermon and explore why the gospel can feel so offensive- especially to those deeply rooted in religious systems. Together, we talk about the difference between true surrender and spiritual pride, why grace disrupts performance-driven faith, and how to discern subtle religious tendencies in our own hearts.

Preacher: Rod VanSolkema

Text: Acts 22

Sermon Link: ⁠CLICK HERE⁠

We sit down with author and speaker Shannon Popkin to talk about how the early church changed the world through a radically different mindset—family-centered community, costly holiness, and lives shaped by the cross.
In this episode, we explore what that means for us today and how rediscovering these truths could renew our faith and witness.

Preacher: Rod VanSolkema

Text: Acts 21

Sermon Link: CLICK HERE

We sit down with Crossroads Pastor of Multiplication Jason Botbyl and his wife Julie, along with Crossroads Tech Director Charlie, to reflect on what God has been doing through the Saturday night service and the ongoing work of multiplication at Crossroads.

Using Acts 20 as our backdrop- the emotional farewell of Paul to the Ephesian elders- we explore the beauty and difficulty of sacred goodbyes in the life of the church. Moments of sending are never easy, yet they are often the places where God’s faithfulness, mission, and love become most visible.

Together we talk about what God has been stirring in this season of ministry for them; the tears and joy that come with gospel-centered sending; how multiplication reflects the heart of the Good Shepherd; and why faithful goodbyes are often the best beginnings.

In early 2022, almost no one believed war would come to Ukraine—but God warned one pastor to prepare.

In this episode, we hear the remarkable story of Pastor Sergey Lysak, founder of Father’s House Church in Kyiv, and how God used obedience, faith, and courage to bring hope in the middle of war. As Russian troops gathered on Ukraine’s border, God showed Sergey that invasion was coming and told him to prepare his church. He gave them a choice: leave now—or stay and commit to being a blessing to a suffering nation.

When Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the church was ready. They mobilized food, medicine, and supplies, bringing aid into Kyiv’s underground Metro stations where tens of thousands sought shelter. As homes were destroyed, they pioneered a solution—prefabricated tiny homes that could be delivered and installed in a single day, providing warmth and safety to displaced families.

After placing 100 tiny homes, God spoke again: “These people need a church.” What followed was extraordinary—four churches planted during wartime, all made up of mostly new believers who had never known Jesus. Churches now stand in devastated communities, on former front lines, and in areas of Kyiv with no prior gospel presence. Through year-end 2024 giving, Crossroads even funded the building of an entire church in Skybyn, one of these strategic new communities which is almost complete.

This conversation is a powerful reminder that even in war, the gospel advances—and the harvest is ready.

In the pursuit of God’s Kingdom here on earth, weariness can come and go as a reality for the Christian. This week we sit down with our associate pastor Nate and is wife Jana, along with Crossroads worship pastor RJ to press into a discussion around the text of Acts 18. Through the journey of the Apostle Paul and the personal confrontation he has with his own weariness, we explore the elements of encouragement he discovers in Corinth and unpack how these same truths are accessible and available to the Christ follower today.

We sit down with Charlie Gretzinger (Crossroads Tech Director) as we step into the world of the early church and follow Paul into the cultural pressure cooker of Thessalonica and Athens. We explore the twin “tsunamis” that confronted the gospel: religious nationalism that turned faith inward and proud, and Hellenism that exalted success, self, and material glory. These forces shaped the opposition Paul faced and mirror the pressures believers still experience today.

As Paul reasons in the marketplace and stands before the Areopagus, we see a model for taking faith into the public square—engaging ideas, culture, and power centers with clarity and courage. Beginning with God as Creator and confronting the city’s idols, Paul exposes how false gods enslave human desires and distort our understanding of life, purpose, and truth.

Preacher: Rod VanSolkema

Text: Acts 17

Sermon Link: ⁠⁠⁠⁠HERE

The Kingdom of Heaven is Like... Lily and Karl's Story. Lilly was raised in a genuine Christian home who walked through childhood trauma, years of anxiety, spiritual torment, and ultimately, profound freedom in Christ. From sexual abuse and the suicide of a close friend to a decade-long battle with fear and spiritual oppression, Lily shares how she learned that being a child of God doesn’t make you immune to spiritual attack—it puts you on the front lines of it.

Through Scripture, community, and Freedom in Faith Ministries she grew in her understanding of the authority she had in Christ. Lily discovered what it means to “take back ground” the enemy had stolen and to reclaim her identity, no longer defined by fear but by Christ.

The episode also features Karl, a filmmaker with a decades-long calling to tell “Kingdom Stories,” who shares how God orchestrated the timing, relationships, and vision that led to Lily’s story being told through film and podcast. In a beautiful picture of divine alignment, Karl and Lily both attended Crossroads, sitting only about ten feet from each other—yet they didn’t know one another. All the while, God was preparing both of them: Lily to be set free and to share her story, and Karl to be ready to tell it.

Rooahk Films: Rooahk is a digital platform using visual storytelling to showcase the movement of God, working with the Holy Spirit to speak into people’s lives. On our YouTube channel you'll find short films, podcast conversations and more, where we observe people's real life experiences, exploring how their lives have been transformed.

Freedom in Faith Ministries: Serving the Greater Grand Rapids community and beyond by bringing the hope of Jesus Christ to those who are hurting through biblical counseling.

Acts 16 places three people in the same story who should never be in the same room: a wealthy entrepreneur, a demonized slave girl, and a Roman jailer. Different status. Different wounds. Different levels of power. Yet each one carries the same desperate need for rescue. In this episode, we explore how all three answer the Macedonian cry, “Come help us,” and how God still pursues the achiever who is empty, the broken who are bound, and the comfortable who are spiritually asleep — bringing them not only to Christ, but into one family through the cross.

Was Paul or the early church really arguing against Judaism itself—or against a regression that threatened the unity of Jew and Gentile in Christ? Was the New Perspective right about Second Temple Judaism, and was the Radical New Perspective right to insist that real differences between Jewish and Gentile believers continued after conversion?

Galatians Reconsidered is a compelling and practical exploration of these questions through the writings of the Apostle Paul. Drawing from Neil Martin’s work, this podcast re-examines justification, the tension between faith and works, and the ways Paul envisioned Jews and Gentiles relating differently—and faithfully—to the Law.

By re-situating the text in its original Jewish and pagan context, Martin exposes the pressures facing the Galatian churches and the church in Acts 15 and shows why Paul’s letter remains urgent for the church today. Each episode not only deepens our understanding of justification, but presses listeners to wrestle with how theology shapes communal life, belonging, and faithfulness.

Preacher: Tryg Veker

Text: Acts 15

Sermon Link: ⁠⁠⁠HERE

Preacher: Brent Becker

Text: Mark 8:22-30

Sermon Link: ⁠⁠HERE