Together 4 Good: Making Sense of Life and Faith

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.

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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.

What if Jacob wrestling with God is not about refusing to let go, but about releasing the person he has always been? In this episode of Sunday School Remix, Pastor Nate explores Genesis 32 and the night Jacob wrestles with a mysterious stranger. Jacob leaves the encounter wounded, renamed, blessed, and finally able to face his brother with honesty instead of control.What You’ll LearnWhy Jacob’s history with Esau changes how we read this storyHow Jacob moves from deception toward honesty and vulnerabilityWhy God’s blessing appears at the moment Jacob’s strength failsWhat Jacob’s new name, Israel, reveals about faith and struggleHow wrestling with God can help us recognize grace in othersChapters00:00 What if Jacob needed to let go?00:42 Who was Jacob wrestling?01:02 Why Jacob’s past matters02:15 How Jacob stole Esau’s blessing03:29 Esau is coming with 400 people04:29 Jacob is left alone at night05:28 Jacob wrestles at the Jabbok River06:25 Why the physical struggle matters07:44 A mysterious man appears08:43 Wrestling in darkness09:40 Jacob’s hip is wounded10:23 When strength and control fail12:03 Jacob asks directly for a blessing13:09 “What is your name?”14:04 Confession means telling the truth15:08 Jacob receives the name Israel16:39 Faith does not mean never struggling17:42 Living without complete answers18:04 Jacob recognizes grace in Esau19:05 Why Jacob walks with a limp20:08 The blessing of living honestlyLike this episode, subscribe to Bethany’s YouTube channel, and share it with someone who has ever wrestled with faith, identity, or letting go of control.Connect with Bethany:📍 Bethany Lutheran Church – Denver, CO🌐 Learn more: www.bethany-denver.org

What happens when we stop trying to prove that we are good enough? Pastor Nate talks with the Rev. Alex LaChapelle about law and gospel, the pressure to fix ourselves, and the freedom of trusting that God’s love is already present. Together, they explore why the church is bigger than any building, how grace changes the way we see ourselves and our neighbors, and why God continues to see possibility in us, even when we only see our mistakes.

What You’ll Learn

Understand law and gospel in everyday language

Recognize when faith becomes another form of pressure

See sin as separation from God, ourselves, and one another

Practice viewing yourself and others through grace

Trust that God meets us in difficult and imperfect places

Chapters

00:00 Introducing the Rev. Alex LaChapelle

00:55 Friendship, theology, and the Crossings Conference

04:45 Is the church a building or the body of Christ?

07:20 Why church survival cannot be the main goal

11:05 What do law and gospel mean?

12:15 When the gospel becomes another set of rules

13:35 Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection

18:55 Why self-improvement advice often leaves us discouraged

20:40 Understanding sin as separation

24:20 Loving your neighbor also means loving yourself

27:15 A World Cup example of grace

33:10 The Parable of the Sower and God’s generosity

35:40 Seeing good soil in one another

38:10 God sees possibility when we see failure

43:10 Why acceptance can lead to transformation

45:25 Your struggle is not your identity

48:15 What should people hear when they leave church?

50:25 God meets us in the rocky soil

Like this episode, subscribe to the channel, and share it with someone who needs a reminder that they do not have to hold everything together alone.

Connect with Bethany:📍 Bethany Lutheran Church – Denver, CO🌐

Learn more: www.bethany-denver.org

Pastor Nate explores how this familiar story from 1 Samuel 17 challenges our assumptions about power, leadership, fear, and faith. David does not defeat Goliath by becoming stronger than him. He refuses to fight according to Goliath’s rules.

• Why King Saul is an important part of the David and Goliath story

• How fear can grow through repeated displays of power

• Why David refuses to wear Saul’s armor

• How faith helps us see beyond outward appearances

• What this story teaches about trusting God instead of worldly strength

00:00 Is David and Goliath really an underdog story?00:45 Goliath’s challenge and Israel’s fear02:10 Why King Saul matters04:00 Two different understandings of power05:15 The ritual of fear and intimidation06:20 David enters the story07:00 Faith changes how David sees Goliath08:00 David remembers God’s faithfulness09:20 What happens when we trust appearances10:45 Why David removes Saul’s armor11:35 Goliath cannot recognize another kind of strength12:30 David refuses to fight by Goliath’s rules13:15 The battle belongs to God14:15 The part Sunday school usually leaves out15:00 David breaks Israel’s fear16:00 What the story asks us to trust

Like this episode, subscribe for more conversations about faith and life, and share it with someone who may see this familiar story differently.

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

What You’ll LearnChapters

In this episode of Together for Good, Pastor Nate Preisinger joins Carolyn Tarr of the Collective Narrative Project for a conversation about digital ministry, storytelling, and what it means to create spaces where people can share their stories. Together, they talk about Bethany’s podcast studio, DU Campus Ministry, and how faith communities can offer something hopeful and grounding in a noisy digital world.

This conversation explores why stories matter, how generosity can create new possibilities, and why church can still be a place where people with different backgrounds and viewpoints choose to stay, listen, and learn from one another.

What You’ll Learn

• How Bethany’s podcast studio became a tool for digital ministry

• Why storytelling can help people feel seen, known, and valued

• How faith communities can offer hope in online spaces

• Why relationships matter more than perfect metrics

• How church can become a “village” in a divided world

Chapters 00:00 Coming up on Together for Good 01:08 Welcome to the Collective Narrative Project 02:36 How Bethany’s podcast studio began 04:48 Why digital ministry matters now 06:10 Podcasting as relationship-building 07:20 The Collective Narrative Project 08:25 Generosity, grace, and shared space 10:05 DU Campus Ministry and Bethany’s partnership 11:00 Trying something new is messy 12:15 Why relationships matter more than metrics 14:00 Christianity, story, and sacred questions 16:00 Why do people connect with faith? 17:30 Faith, nature, and village-style community 19:00 Church as a place to stay in relationship 21:20 Unlearning narrow ideas of Christianity 23:00 What helps people show up?

Like, subscribe, and share this episode with someone who cares about faith, community, storytelling, or what church can look like now.

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

We all know the story of the Good Samaritan. Most of us learned it in Sunday school as a lesson about being kind, helping others, and doing the right thing.But Jesus wasn’t just giving us another moral rule to follow.In this Sunday School Remix episode, I take a deeper look at Luke 10:25–37 and the moment that prompted Jesus to tell this parable in the first place. A lawyer—someone who knew all the religious rules—asked Jesus a familiar question: “Who is my neighbor?” Luke tells us he asked it hoping to justify himself.That detail matters.Because this story isn’t about earning goodness or proving you’re right. It’s about how easily religious rules can distract us from mercy—and how God keeps placing opportunities for compassion directly in our path.In this episode, we explore:Why Jesus tells this story in response to self-justificationHow religious rules can become barriers to compassionWhy the priest and Levite walk by—and why that made sense religiouslyWhy making the Samaritan the hero was so shockingHow humility is the starting point for real compassionWhat it looks like to notice the needs God places right in front of usThe Good Samaritan isn’t a story about being a better rule-follower. It’s an invitation to live a life shaped by mercy—again and again.📖 Scripture: Luke 10:25–37Key TakeawaysThe lawyer’s question isn’t about curiosity—it’s about self-justificationKnowing the rules doesn’t automatically lead to compassionMercy requires humility firstJesus centers the outsider as the example of faithful loveCompassion doesn’t mean fixing everything—it means noticing and respondingLearn More at https://linktr.ee/bethanydenver

In this episode of Together 4 Good, Pastor Nate talks with Addison Andrix, Bethany’s new youth director, about the youth mission trip to San Diego. They share stories from the road, service projects, border learning, late-night conversations, and the big faith questions students carried home with them.

This is a conversation about youth ministry, compassion, privilege, community, and what happens when young people are invited to see the world with both honesty and hope.

What You’ll Learn

• How Bethany youth served alongside organizations in San Diego

• Why mission trips create space for honest faith conversations

• How students wrestled with privilege, compassion, and justice

• What the group learned at the border about complexity and empathy

• Why service is not just about helping, but listening and building relationships

Like, subscribe, and share this episode with someone who cares about youth, faith, service, and building a more compassionate world.

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

What if the parable of the mustard seed is not just about something small becoming big? In this episode of Sunday School Remix, Pastor Nate looks at Luke 13:18-19 and invites us to see the kingdom of God as something disruptive, surprising, merciful, and deeply welcoming. Jesus’ vision is not empire, power, or control. It is small acts of mercy that make room for people to rest, belong, and find home.

What You’ll Learn

• See the parable of the mustard seed in a new way

• Understand why Jesus compares God’s kingdom to a shrub

• Explore how small acts of mercy matter in God’s vision for the world

• Learn why the kingdom of God is not about empire or control

• Discover how faith can make room for the overlooked and unwanted

Chapters

00:00 What if the mustard seed means more?

00:35 Why we mix up mustard seed stories

01:45 The kingdom of God is not about our faith

03:10 Why Jesus taught in parables

04:15 The context in Luke 13

05:30 Small acts of mercy matter

07:20 Why a shrub matters

08:35 Mustard as disruptive and invasive

10:00 Making room for the unwanted

11:25 Jesus, mercy, and belonging

12:30 Faith can be messy

13:15 The story did not end in Sunday school

Like, subscribe, and share this episode with someone who likes rethinking familiar Bible stories in a deeper, more honest way.

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

In this episode of Together for Good, Nate sits down with Kate Souther after her first year of seminary to talk about what big theology has to do with everyday life. They explore the Book of Job, loving people we tend to exclude, creation care, scapegoating, and why grace keeps us moving without despair. Kate also shares what is drawing her toward parish ministry and the holy gifts of baptism and communion.

What You’ll Learn

• Ask honest questions when faith does not give easy answers.

• See how the Book of Job makes room for messy faith and hope.

• Connect creation care with grace, not shame.

• Notice how scapegoating harms neighbors and communities.

• Hear why baptism and communion still give the church hope.

Chapters

0:00 Theology nerds rejoice: meet Kate Souther

1:00 Back from seminary and Bethany summer internship

2:00 Practical theology, service, and reflection

3:00 Embrace, exclusion, and loving people who are different 7:00 Scapegoating, blame, and breaking the cycle

13:00 Job, suffering, and faith without easy answers

20:00 Old Testament, New Testament, and the danger of splitting God

25:00 Creation care, climate change, and Christian hope

31:00 Grace, guilt, shame, and action shaped by love

34:00 Kate’s call to parish ministry and the sacraments

37:00 Closing thoughts and stay in peace

If this conversation encouraged you, like this video, subscribe to Bethany, and share it with someone who cares about faith, hope, creation care, and honest dialogue.

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