In this week's episode, Pastor Nate poses a powerful question: Have we been thinking about church all wrong? In a world saturated with entertainment, products, and constant striving, this episode offers a radically honest perspective on what church is truly meant to be.

Drawing from a simple yet profound five-star Google review, Pastor Nate unpacks the idea that church shouldn't be marketed as just another product. Instead, it should be a sacred space for honesty, healing, and deep connection. Through stories, personal reflection, and thoughtful commentary, this episode invites listeners to reimagine church as a place where we confront our brokenness and find true community—not flashy programs or perfect performances.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• Why church isn’t meant to “entertain” you—and why that’s a good thing

• The problem with marketing faith communities as products

• How boredom, vulnerability, and routine might actually bring healing

• The concept of being “scronely”—and why it matters

• A hopeful vision for the future of church in a lonely, fast-paced world

Links and Resources:
Visit our website to subscribe to our newsletter, get connected with our community, and access more resources:
🌐 https://www.bethany-denver.org

A Special Invitation:
If this episode made you think, feel, or breathe a little deeper, consider sharing it with someone who might need to hear these words today. Together for Good is more than a podcast—it’s a space for honest faith, compassionate community, and real conversations.

📲 Subscribe to the Together for Good podcast and journey with us as we rediscover what it truly means to Know Love, Show Love—no gimmicks required.

In this honest episode, Pastor Nate explores the hidden costs of pretending everything is fine. We talk about the pressure to appear put together, the fear of being seen as struggling, and how toxic positivity often masks our deeper wounds. This kind of emotional cover-up doesn't just affect our mental health, it also shapes our spirituality.

Pastor Nate digs into the way Christianity confronts this head-on. Jesus didn’t come for the polished and performative. His harshest words were for those who insisted on religious appearances while ignoring their inner brokenness. The gospel is not about pretending—it's about showing up with our full selves.

Pastor Nate also unpacks the concept of alienation—a sense of disconnection from ourselves, from others, and from the world around us. Often rooted in cultural pressures and spiritual confusion, alienation is more than a social issue—it’s a theological one too. Sin, in many ways, is a form of alienation.

Through the lens of Christ’s suffering and abandonment on the cross, we learn that our pain is not something to deny or bury but rather something God enters into. We don’t find grace by escaping struggle. We find it by embracing our lack, our need, our real emotions.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why pretending and toxic positivity hurt more than they help

• How alienation is a core human experience—and how faith addresses it

• The danger of performative religion

• The cross as a place where God meets us in suffering

• Why engaging with our struggles is a path to transformation

Links:

heck out the book Pastor Nate mentions: "Embracing Alienation" by Todd McGowan.

Call to Action:

If you’ve ever felt pressure to “just stay positive” when everything inside you is unraveling, this episode is for you.

Listen now—and be reminded that grace meets us not in our pretending, but in our honest, human reality.

A Special Invitation:

Subscribe to the Together 4 Good podcast today and take this opportunity to deepen your understanding of God’s presence in the midst of difficult times. Share this episode with friends and family to help bring hope and peace to them during their struggles or questions.

Together 4 Good is a podcast from Bethany Lutheran Church ELCA in Cherry Hills Village, CO, designed to offer practical and engaging episodes that support you without expectations. Whether you’re feeling disconnected from traditional religion or exploring faith, we’re here to walk alongside you. Join us for discussions on faith, love, and community as we explore what it means to Know Love, Show Love in everyday life. 

Stay Connected with us: ⁠https://www.bethany-denver.org/⁠

In this episode of Together for Good, Pastor Nate takes a deep dive into the relentless pressure of hustle culture—the constant need to do more, achieve more, and prove our worth through productivity. As an Enneagram 3, Pastor Nate knows this struggle firsthand, but he also knows that God offers us a different way.

The practice of Sabbath was given to the Israelites as a radical redefinition of identity—not as slaves who must produce, but as beloved people who are called to rest. That same gift is still being offered to us today. But are we willing to accept it?

In this conversation, Pastor Nate explores:

• The lies we believe about success and self-worth

• How hustle culture makes us feel like everyone else has it figured out—when in reality, we’re all struggling

• The Sabbath as an act of resistance against a world that tells us we are only as good as what we produce

• Practical ways to reclaim rest and redefine our identity in light of God’s grace

If you’ve ever felt exhausted by the pressure to constantly prove yourself, this episode is for you. Let’s step into the gift of Sabbath and remember: we are already enough

Links:

Check out "Low Anthropology" by David Zahl for a unique look at the ways our assumptions cause us to feel inadequateFor more resources for your faith journey visit www.bethany-denver.org

In this episode of Together for Good, we explore the transformative practice of Centering Prayer with Ron Rinkle, a former academic and marketing executive who has discovered deep spiritual renewal through this contemplative approach.

Ron shares how Centering Prayer speaks to the modern challenges of self-identity, time, and love, offering a countercultural rhythm of stillness in a world driven by noise and productivity. With a unique blend of psychological and sociological insights, he unpacks the ways this practice fosters inner peace, strengthens faith, and deepens our awareness of God’s presence.

If you've ever felt that traditional prayer methods weren't working for you—or if you're curious about how silence can become a powerful tool for spiritual growth—this conversation is for you.

In This Episode:

🔹 What is Centering Prayer, and how does it differ from other prayer practices?

🔹 The role of silence and stillness in deepening faith

🔹 How Centering Prayer reshapes our understanding of self and identity

🔹 The tension between hustle culture and contemplative spirituality

🔹 How this practice helps us experience God’s love in a new way

Resources & Links:

📖 Recommended Reading: "Open Mind, Open Heart" by Thomas Keating, "Contemplative Prayer" by Thomas Merton, "The Cloud of Unknowing"

🧘‍♂️ Learn more about Centering Prayer: Contemplative Outreach

🔔 Subscribe & share this episode with a friend who needs a moment of stillness today!

#CenteringPrayer #ContemplativePrayer #ChristianSpirituality #FaithJourney #Stillness #PrayerLife

In this deeply personal episode of the Together for Good Podcast, Pastor Nate Preisinger reflects on the healing power of rituals and how they sustain us through life’s most difficult moments. Drawing from his own experiences—especially in the weeks leading up to his mother’s passing—he shares how spiritual practices, liturgy, and long-held traditions provided him with comfort, connection, and a sense of stability in the midst of grief.

🔍 In this episode, we explore:
✔️ How rituals create rhythms of comfort and stability in life
✔️ The role of liturgical traditions in shaping our faith and identity
✔️ Why rituals matter most in times of loss, uncertainty, and transition
✔️ Personal stories of how simple traditions—from prayer to seasonal celebrations—carry us through hardship
✔️ How faith and communal worship connect us to God’s promises and the great communion of saints

Pastor Nate also reflects on how rituals, even seemingly small ones, connect us across generations, shaping our faith stories and strengthening us in ways we may not fully realize until we need them most.

If you’ve ever found comfort in tradition, or are looking for ways to navigate grief and uncertainty with faith, this episode will speak to your heart.

#FaithAndHealing #PowerOfRituals #ChristianTradition #GriefSupport #LiturgyMatters #TogetherForGood #LutheranFaith #SpiritualPractices

This episode was originally posted in 2021, but we are reposting it this week because our Gospel reading on Sunday was from Luke 13:18-21, a reading that includes Jesus' parable of the Mustard Seed.  This episode is a poem that Pastor Nate wrote based on this parable.  We hope you enjoy this unique reflection on scripture and that it gives you a new way of thinking about the words of Jesus.  

This is an old podcast episode that Pastor Nate released way back in September of 2020! Listen in to this short Bible Study all about the importance of water in our world, the scriptures, and our life of faith. Grab your Bible, a glass of H20, and listen along!⁠

As we begin the season of Lent Pastor Nate shares a poem he wrote several years ago (and shared on this podcast feed several years ago) that reflects on many of the themes of Ash Wednesday, Lent and Genesis chapter 3.

In this episode of Together 4 Good, Colleen Maki sits down with Bryan Jaster to explore One Simple Tool that can transform the way we experience God in our daily lives. This tool isn’t about adding more to your to-do list—it’s about pausing, noticing, and listening to how God is moving in your story.

Bryan walks Colleen through how this practice helps break cycles of anxiety, organize life’s chaos, and recognize sacred moments—those Kairos times when God is doing something new. By learning to pause and reflect, we can respond to life in ways that bring more love, justice, and peace.

In this episode, you’ll discover:
✔️ How to notice God’s presence in everyday moments
✔️ A simple tool that helps break patterns of stress and anxiety
✔️ What Kairos time is and why it matters for your faith journey
✔️ How listening to your life can lead to more love and justice

Whether you’re seeking a way to slow down, gain clarity, or deepen your spiritual practice, this conversation will give you practical steps to recognize the sacred moments already unfolding in your life. Learn more at www.Bethany-denver.org

🎧 Listen now and learn how to tune into God’s presence!

#SpiritualGrowth #FaithInPractice #NoticingGod #KairosMoments #ChristianPodcast #MindfulFaith #Together4Good

What if mission trips weren’t about “helping” others—but about changing the way we see the world? 🌍

In this episode ofTogether 4 Good, Pastor Nate sits down with Deacon Debra, Kevin Dragseth, and Bryan Jaster to talk about their upcoming trip to Ecuador. But this isn’t your typical mission trip conversation. Instead of focusing on what they plan to "do," they wrestle with deeper questions:

🔹Do mission trips really make a difference?
🔹How does stepping into discomfort change our perspective?
🔹What can we learn about God by traveling and serving abroad?
🔹Why does faith feel more real when we take action?

This episode is for anyone who has ever wondered:What does it mean to serve others with humility? Whether you’ve been on a mission trip before, have doubts about them, or just love stories about faith and transformation, this conversation will challenge and inspire you.

Links & Resources:

To learn more about the Ecuador Mission Tripclick here.

Subscribe to theTogether 4 Good podcast today and explore how faith and daily life intersect. Share this episode with someone who might need encouragement in their creative journey!

A Special Invitation:

Together 4 Good is a podcast from Bethany Lutheran Church ELCA in Cherry Hills Village, CO, designed to offer practical and engaging episodes that support you without expectations. Whether you’re feeling disconnected from traditional religion or exploring faith, we’re here to walk alongside you. Join us for discussions on faith, love, and community as we explore what it means toKnow Love, Show Love in everyday life.

Stay Connected with us:bethany-denver.org

#MissionTrips #FaithInAction #GlobalService #elca #RethinkingMissions #TravelWithPurpose #SpiritualGrowth #KnowLoveShowLove #ChurchBeyondSunday