What if the church’s future does not depend on becoming cooler, trendier, or more like the successful church down the street?

In this episode of Together 4 Good, Pastor Nate Preisinger explores why churches—and individuals—are healthiest when they stop trying to imitate someone else and begin embracing the particular gifts, history, personality, and calling God has given them.

From a fictional Lutheran congregation chasing megachurch trends to real stories of communities discovering their unique gifts, this conversation asks a bigger question: Who has God created us to be, and how can we give that away for the sake of others?

• Why trying to make church “cool” can pull a congregation away from its identity

• How vocation and calling apply to communities as well as individuals

• Why every congregation has its own personality, history, and gifts

• How generosity is connected to our identity as people created in God’s image

• Why the gifts God gives us are ultimately meant to be shared

00:00 Why We Need to Keep Church Weird00:43 Why Churches Try So Hard to Be Cool02:10 Calling, Vocation, and Identity03:40 What Is a Church Called to Be?04:12 St. Melancthon Jell-O Potluck Lutheran Church05:00 The Megachurch Down the Street06:45 What Happens When Churches Copy Someone Else08:35 A Church That Embraced Being Weird10:55 Who Has God Created Your Church to Be?12:15 Your Identity Is a Gift13:15 What Children Teach Us About Generosity15:10 Created in the Image of a Generous God16:10 Church of the Beloved and Giving Gifts Away18:05 What Has God Blessed You With?

If this conversation gave you something to think about, like this episode, subscribe to Together for Good, and share it with someone who may need the reminder that they do not have to become someone else to live faithfully into their calling.

Website: bethany-denver.orgFacebook: /bethanylutheranchurchInstagram: @bethany_denverBethany Connect App: Search “Bethany Connect” in your phone’s app store.

What You’ll LearnChaptersCall to ActionConnect with Bethany

Why do we need one another—and what does community have to do with our life of faith?

In this episode of Together4Good, Pastor Nate reflects on our deep human longing for connection and the belief that relationship is woven into the way God created us. From the communal nature of the Trinity to Jesus’ compassion, confession in worship, and the healing that comes when we can honestly say, “I’m struggling too,” this conversation explores why meaningful community matters.

• Why our desire for relationship may be rooted in the very nature of God

• How Jesus’ compassion restores people to both wholeness and community

• Why being present with someone can sometimes matter more than fixing their problem

• How confession reminds us that none of us has life completely figured out

• Why vulnerable, grace-filled communities can become places of healing

00:00 Why Community and Connection Matter 00:45 Were We Created for Relationships? 02:30 The Trinity as a Community of Love 03:20 Rublev’s Icon and the Invitation to the Table 05:15 God’s Desire for Relationship 06:35 Jesus, Compassion, and Restoring Community 09:00 Sometimes People Need Presence, Not Solutions 10:45 God Suffers With Us 12:45 Relationships and Human Flourishing 14:00 What Makes Faith Community Different? 15:20 Confession: None of Us Has It All Together 17:00 Learning Compassion for Ourselves and Others 18:15 Lowering Our Expectations of Perfection 19:30 Alienation, Vulnerability, and Healing 21:00 What the Church Can Learn About Honest Community 23:05 Creating Spaces for Connection at Bethany 24:20 Created for Community and Held by Grace

If this conversation gave you something to think about, like the episode, subscribe, and share it with someone who might need the reminder that we were never meant to navigate life alone.

📍 Bethany Lutheran Church – Denver, CO 🌐 Learn more: www.bethany-denver.org 📘 Facebook: /bethanylutheranchurch 📸 Instagram: /bethany_denver

What You’ll LearnChaptersConnect with Bethany

In this special rebroadcast Pastor Nate is talking about spirituality in everyday life.

Because let’s be honest sometimes faith can start to feel like another thing on the to-do list.

Go to church.

Read your Bible.

Say your prayers.

And all of that matters, but having faith is so much more than just going to church or reading your Bible.

It’s about connection and relationships. Remembering that God is bigger than any one practice or person.

After 15 years as a pastor, Nate admits that worship and Bible study can sometimes feel more like work than rest, so he’s learned to look for God in other places, too:

in gratitude before a meal,

in a walk under the trees,

in the rhythm of a ritual that brings you peace,

or even in a sticky note on your bathroom mirror that reminds you:

God’s here.

He shares how the Bible talks about forgetting and remembering God and how spiritual practices are really just ways to help us remember who God is, who we are, and who we’re called to love.

📖 In this episode:

Forgetfulness vs. sin and why “ah shoot, I forgot” might be a gentler way to understand grace

How your faith practices can change with the seasons of your life

Why ritual and repetition (yes, even lighting the same Advent wreath every year) matter

What gratitude and nature teach us about remembering God

And why even a few seconds of stillness can be an act of worship

This episode is a reminder that God’s already here — in your work, your car, your chaos, and your quiet. You don’t have to be in church to be close to Him.

What if Zacchaeus isn’t a story about a bad man who finally becomes good? In this episode of Sunday School Remix, Pastor Nate takes another look at Luke 19 and explores what changes when we pay attention to the details we may have missed in Sunday school. The story becomes less about fixing Zacchaeus and more about Jesus seeing someone the crowd had already labeled and written off.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why the story of Zacchaeus may be about labels and assumptions

• How Luke connects Zacchaeus with stories about wealth, outsiders, and belonging

• Why Zacchaeus’ generosity may have already been part of his life

• What Jesus’ decision to eat with Zacchaeus communicated to the crowd

• How this story reminds us that every person is worthy of being seen

Chapters:

00:00 What if we’ve misunderstood Zacchaeus?00:43 Why Zacchaeus only appears in Luke01:35 The rich ruler and Zacchaeus02:33 Jesus sees both rich and poor outsiders03:19 Jesus makes room for interruptions05:17 What Zacchaeus’ name means06:55 Was Zacchaeus actually the short one?08:07 Why Zacchaeus climbs the tree10:39 Jesus sees Zacchaeus11:15 Why eating together mattered12:38 The crowd starts grumbling13:37 What Zacchaeus actually says about his money15:10 Looking beyond assumptions16:07 “He too is a son of Abraham”17:11 How communities can lose people18:22 Jesus sees both of them19:15 The story doesn’t end in Sunday school

Like this episode, subscribe to Bethany’s YouTube channel, and share it with someone who might enjoy taking another look at a familiar Bible story.

Connect with Bethany:📍 Bethany Lutheran Church – Denver, CO🌐 Learn more: www.bethany-denver.org

What if the disciples’ biggest fear wasn’t the storm, but the possibility that Jesus didn’t care? In Mark 4:35–41, Jesus calms a storm that has terrified even the experienced fishermen in the boat. Pastor Nate looks at what the sea represented in the biblical world, why Jesus’ power over it matters, and how this familiar story speaks to our questions about fear, faith, and whether God really sees what we’re going through.

What You’ll Learn

• Discover why the sea was a symbol of chaos in the biblical world.

• Explore why following Jesus actually leads the disciples into the storm.

• Look differently at the disciples’ question, “Don’t you care?”

• Understand why this story is about Jesus’ identity, not having “enough” faith.

• Consider what trusting God’s care can look like when life feels out of control.

Chapters

00:00 What if the disciples thought Jesus didn’t care? 00:26 Jesus calming the storm in Mark 4 01:12 Why Jesus goes to “the other side” 02:15 Following Jesus leads them into the storm 03:15 Why the sea represented chaos 05:11 Jesus is asleep on a cushion 07:22 “Don’t you care that we are perishing?” 08:30 What does Jesus mean by “Where is your faith?” 09:20 Trusting that Jesus cares 10:15 Jesus, God, and the power to calm the sea 11:15 Why the disciples are still afraid 12:05 “Who is this?” 13:05 Why this story still matters

If this conversation gave you something new to think about, like the video, subscribe, and share it with someone who might want to keep the conversation going.

Connect with Bethany: 📍 Bethany Lutheran Church – Denver, CO 🌐 Learn more: www.bethany-denver.org

What does it actually mean to trust the Bible? Pastor Nate and Kate Souther talk about biblical interpretation, what we mean when we call Scripture the Word of God, and why faithful Christians can read the same passage differently. They explore literal readings, the bigger truths Scripture reveals about God, and why reading the Bible in community matters.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why the Bible can communicate truth without every passage being read literally

• How Jesus and the parables can shape the way we approach Scripture

• Why our own experiences affect what we notice when we read the Bible

• Why Christians need community when interpreting difficult passages

• How Lutherans understand Scripture as something living that continues to speak into our lives

Chapters:

00:00 What is the Bible? 01:30 Why Scripture still matters 05:45 Is the Bible inspired or inerrant? 08:30 Does biblical truth have to be literal? 10:45 What can Jesus' parables teach us? 14:30 Why interpreting the Bible can feel difficult 17:30 Why we shouldn't read Scripture alone 21:30 How do Lutherans approach the Bible? 25:30 How our experiences shape what we read 27:30 One Bible story, three very different interpretations 30:30 Reading Scripture with humility 32:30 Reformation artifacts coming to Bethany

If this conversation gave you something new to think about, like the episode, subscribe to the channel, and share it with someone who enjoys asking big questions about faith.

Connect with Bethany: 📍 Bethany Lutheran Church – Denver, CO 🌐 Learn more: www.bethany-denver.org

Pastor Nate sits down with Pastor Gary Sandberg, for a deeply personal conversation about what keeps us coming back to church.

Yes, the headlines continue to shout about church decline.

However, this episode serves as a reminder that staying is its own kind of testimony.

They talk candidly about:

• The real reasons people leave church, and the quieter reasons people stay

• Grace, commitment, and why the church doesn't need to be perfect to be powerful

• How worship can ground us even when nothing else makes sense

• The unexpected beauty of liturgy (and chanting in a Snuggie)

• What Pastor Gary still finds at the altar after 30+ years in ministry

What You'll Learn

• Why do people stay in church when the stats say otherwise

• The hidden value of participation over perfection

• How churches can offer peace in an anxious, overstimulated world

• Why liturgy might be weird at first—and why it's worth sticking with

• Pastor Gary's car-shopping analogy for finding the right congregation

This episode isn't just a look back, it's a recommitment to the future. Whether you're a longtime listener or have just discovered us today, we want you to know that you're not just a part of this community, you're an integral part of it. Welcome. 

Learn more at https://bethany-denver.org

What does it mean that God chose to become human?

In this episode of Together for Good, Pastor Nate sits down with Pastor Alex LaChapelle for a conversation about the Incarnation, baptism, grace, and what it means to be fully human. Together, they explore why God works through ordinary people, how our failures do not erase our worth, and what changes when we remember that we and our neighbors were created “very good.”

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

• Explore why Jesus becoming human changes how we understand God

• Remember that failure does not remove your worth

• See how baptism continually recenters us in grace

• Challenge assumptions about people whose stories we do not know

• Discover how ordinary relationships can become places of God’s presence

CONNECT WITH BETHANY

If this conversation encouraged you, like the video, subscribe to Bethany’s channel, and share it with someone who may need the reminder that they are deeply loved.

📍 Bethany Lutheran Church – Denver, CO🌐 Learn more: www.bethany-denver.org

Most of us learned that Daniel and the lions' den is a story about praying faithfully and trusting God to keep us safe. But what if there's something much deeper happening?

In this episode of Sunday School Remix, Pastor Nate explores Daniel 6 through the lens of exile, empire, and faithful resistance. Rather than a story about escaping hardship, Daniel becomes a powerful example of how ordinary spiritual practices can anchor us when political power, fear, or culture demand our ultimate loyalty.

• Why Daniel's story is about faithfulness, not guaranteed safety

• What exile teaches us about living faithfully today

• How daily spiritual rhythms shape who we become

• Why remembering God matters in uncertain times

• What Daniel reveals about power, integrity, and hope

00:00 Is Daniel really about surviving lions? 01:00 The problem with transactional faith 03:00 Daniel, exile, and the Babylonian Empire 05:00 Why Daniel's integrity mattered 07:00 Power, manipulation, and King Darius 09:00 Daniel's daily practice of prayer 11:00 The trap is set 13:00 The lions' den and the limits of empire 15:00 The living God versus earthly power 17:00 What this story meant for people in exile 19:00 What Daniel teaches us today

If this conversation encouraged you, be sure to like, subscribe, and share it with someone exploring faith or rediscovering familiar Bible stories in a new way.

🌐 Website: https://www.bethany-denver.org

📱 Follow Bethany Lutheran Church Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bethanylutheranchurch

What You'll LearnChaptersConnect

What can a 173-mile pilgrimage teach a family about faith, resilience, and life together? Dave and Jll McLain join Pastor Nate on Together 4 Good to share how they walked the Camino de Santiago from Porto, Portugal, to Santiago de Compostela, Spain, with their four children. Along the way, aching feet, welcoming villages, fellow pilgrims, and small acts of generosity open into a conversation about family sabbaticals, resilience, faith milestones, and why shared challenges can make strangers feel like family.

In This Episode

•    The Camino’s Christian roots and its modern life as a global pilgrimage route

•    Why the McLains chose the Portuguese Way and walked 280 kilometers in 13 consecutive days

•    How physical challenge creates resilience, perspective, and lasting family memories

•    The scallop shell, pilgrim passport, and rituals that build connection along the way

•    How hospitality and generosity let entire communities participate in a pilgrimage

Key Takeaways

•    Hard things become part of our toolbox. Completing a difficult journey gives us evidence that we can face the next challenge.

•    Pilgrimage is communal. The marked path, shared symbols, fellow travelers, and hospitality of local communities remind us that faith is never practiced alone.

•    Milestones matter. Camino stamps and certificates echo the faith markers—baptism, confirmation, a first Bible—that help us remember where we have been.

•    Travel and time together are intentional investments. Encountering other cultures can nurture empathy while meaningful family experiences strengthen relationships into adulthood.

Chapters

00:00  Coming up — A Christian pilgrimage through Portugal and Spain—and what it reveals about faith and parenting.

01:22  What is the Camino? — Dave traces the tradition of the Camino de Santiago and its modern revival.

04:40  Following the Way — Jll explains the route markers, pilgrim infrastructure, and villages that welcome walkers.

10:55  A family rhythm of sabbatical — Dave shares how extended family adventures grew from a commitment to work to live.

14:42  Why this journey, why now — Their oldest daughter’s idea becomes an invitation for the whole family.

16:45  Planning lightly — Experienced travelers, last-minute gear, and a willingness to figure things out together.

17:52  Thirteen days and 173 miles — The physical reality of walking about 14 miles a day—and when it finally began to feel possible.

20:08  We can do hard things — Challenge, shared struggle, and the experiences that equip children for real life.

22:00  Going through it — Why pilgrimage is not a resort experience, and how difficult moments can reshape us.

24:44  The scallop shell — A visible sign of belonging creates camaraderie and practical care among pilgrims.

27:26  Arriving in Santiago — The cathedral square, pilgrim’s Mass, passport stamps, and certificates of completion.

31:11  Generosity along the path — A box of plums becomes a picture of hospitality offered without recognition or thanks.

32:39  A microcosm of faith — The Camino reflects the highs, lows, community, and milestones of a life of faith.

33:43  Travel and empathy — Shared meals and cross-cultural experiences help form curiosity, tolerance, and love.

34:58  Choosing time with adult children — Dave and Jll reflect on the privilege, sacrifice, and joy of saying yes to time together.