In this powerful conclusion to their conversation with Pastor Elisha, Pastor Joe and Kirsten take us from the relatable busyness of the holidays to the front lines of faith in India. Pastor Elisha shares the origin story of Grace Ministries and the reality of facing organized persecution. With his daily preaching schedule, Pastor Elisha models his ministry after Jesus' by 'preaching and feeding.' Through his ministry, Muslims are being baptized, Hindus are asking for prayer, widows and orphans are receiving care, and the homeless are restored to dignity. "If I rest, I rust!" That's his motto. Pastor Elisha calls every listener to pray for the salvation of the people of India. Don't miss this inspiring conclusion! Let's pop the hood!

Email: [email protected]  
Show Notes: https://www.newlifenwa.com/underthehood/

Join Pastor Joe and Kirsten as they sit down with Pastor Elisha from Grace Ministries, a dedicated NewLife GO Partner! You'll be deeply moved as Pastor Elisha shares the incredible, generations-spanning story of his family's faith journey in India, where the dominant religion is Hinduism. In this first part, you'll hear the powerful testimony of Pastor Elisha's father, who was the first Christian in his entire village. Becoming a follower of Christ meant facing severe ostracization and persecution from his community. Discover how his unwavering devotion to Jesus became the seed that allowed the Gospel to spread, despite the relentless opposition. Pastor Elisha credits his father's faithfulness as the foundational reason he and all his siblings are serving the Lord today, and why Grace Ministries exists. Plus, Pastor Elisha offers a fascinating, eye-opening look into cultural customs and differences as he discusses his own arranged marriage. This is just the beginning of an inspiring testimony you won't want to miss! Let's pop the hood!

Email: [email protected]  
Show Notes: https://www.newlifenwa.com/underthehood/

Pastor Elisha's First Fried Pickle Dipped in Ranch!

Pastor Joe and Kirsten kick off the post-Thanksgiving season with a relatable, hilarious discussion about gifts. Kirsten shares that her love language is gifts, while Pastor Joe candidly confesses that gift-giving is a major "growth area" for him. From there, they pivot to some neighborhood breaking news—a spontaneous report on the local cat drama! The conversation then takes a deeper turn as Pastor Joe shares his heart regarding the current "His Words" sermon series, the longest he's ever preached, lamenting his desire for more time to truly dig deep into the text and explore the scriptures. Finally, they wrap up the episode by expressing heartfelt gratitude for their recent GO Partner interviews, highlighting the inspiring Kingdom work these partners are doing all over the world. Let's pop the hood!

Email: [email protected]  
Show Notes: https://www.newlifenwa.com/underthehood/

New babies

Overland Missions' Hannah Tynes is back in the studio with Pastor Joe and Kirsten, and her story is more challenging than ever. Hannah shatters the myth that the younger generation is the church of "tomorrow," powerfully demonstrating that God will use anyone who is fully surrendered to build His Kingdom—no matter their age. Get ready to be fueled by her infectious optimism and encouraged to move with bold courage toward the divine plan God has for you. Let's pop the hood!

Email: [email protected]  
Show Notes: https://www.newlifenwa.com/underthehood/

Hannah Tynes with Overland Missions, NewLife GO Partner

Zambian honey gifts from Hannah!

Learn more about the Missions organization Hannah Tynes serves with:

Email Hannah through NewLife's GO Pastor, Sonny Johnson [email protected]

Pastor Joe and Kirsten sit down with NewLife GO Partner Hannah Tynes of Overland Missions, a young woman who sacrificially laid down her life as a teenager to answer God's call in Zambia. Hannah's powerful story of witnessing Christ transform the darkest corners of the world makes Pastor Joe ask the central question: "Why does it shock us when people go all out for God?" Plus, the episode kicks off with a celebration of the 100th episode of Under the Hood, featuring heartfelt messages of appreciation from listeners. You won't want to miss the inspiring first part of this two-week special. Let's pop the hood!

Email: [email protected]  
Show Notes: https://www.newlifenwa.com/underthehood/

Hannah Tynes with Overland Missions, NewLife GO Partner

Kirsten & Pastor Joe celebrating their 100th episode of Under the Hood podcast!

Learn more about the Missions organization Hannah Tynes serves with:

Email Hannah through NewLife's GO Pastor, Sonny Johnson [email protected]

NewLife GO Partner, Matt Rule of Crossover Global, returns to the studio with Pastor Joe and Kirsten to continue sharing his powerful journey! Matt dives deeper into the practical realities and spiritual rewards of serving in the Middle East. Get ready for more inspiring, firsthand accounts of life on the mission field as Crossover Global works to see unreached peoples know Christ. Let's pop the hood! 

Email: [email protected]  
Show Notes: https://www.newlifenwa.com/underthehood/

Matt Rule with Crossover Global, NewLife GO Partner

Learn more about the Missions organization Matt Rule serves with:

Email Matt through NewLife's GO Pastor, Sonny Johnson [email protected]

Pastor Joe & Kirsten welcome Matt Rule of Crossover Global, one of NewLife's GO Partners. Matt shares his amazing, life-changing testimony: He left the corporate banking world to trade "building his own kingdom" in Middle America for building God's Kingdom in the Middle East. Get ready for powerful, firsthand accounts of Muslims stepping out of the darkness of Islam and into the light of Christ. This is just Part 1—you won't want to miss next week's continuation! Let’s pop the hood!
Email: [email protected]  
Show Notes: https://www.newlifenwa.com/underthehood/

From left: Kirsten, Matt Rule, Pastor Joe

Learn more about the Missions organization Matt Rule serves with:

Email Matt through NewLife's GO Pastor, Sonny Johnson [email protected]

This week, Pastor Joe and Kirsten kick things off by chatting about the gorgeous Fall weather and their hilarious, albeit annoying, bird problem.
Then, the conversation shifts to this week's message on Repentance. They discuss how the critical theme of repentance seems to be fading in many of today's churches, but Pastor Joe reminds us of Jesus' challenging words: if we don't repent, we, too, will perish. Sticking with the sermon, Pastor Joe gives us a fun, under-the-hood look at how he creates his AI-generated sermon graphics—which leads to a funny revelation about his secret dream to become a Jedi! Finally, they wrap up the episode with a less-than-stellar update on the NewLifeNWA app. Let's pop the hood!
Email: [email protected]  
Show Notes: https://www.newlifenwa.com/underthehood/

Pastor Joe as a Jedi

Listen to last week's sermon!

Email your best vulture advice! [email protected]

Can you tell what's real anymore? Pastor Joe and Kirsten tackle the growing challenge of AI-generated videos and deepfakes, sharing their frustration over the spread of fake news on social media. Then, they pop the hood on last week's sermon—and Pastor Joe's surprising admission that it was "a little long." Plus, get all the details on the new Foundations discipleship class and the upcoming Holy Land trip information meeting! Let's pop the hood!
Email: [email protected]  
Show Notes: https://www.newlifenwa.com/underthehood/

Williams Family at the Pumpkin Patch

Kirsten with her boys in church! Happy Mama!