In this episode of Westview On Deck, Pastor Marty sits down with Ali during her final week of her first year of seminary and asks a simple but powerful question:

“What was your favorite question of the year?”

The conversation moves through theology, faith, curiosity, learning, and the questions that continue to shape discipleship. Honest conversation before worship at Westview Church in Boulder, Colorado.

Before worship on May 3, Pastor Marty Lettow and seminarian Ali Gebhardt sat down on the deck at Westview Church to talk about one of Jesus’ most challenging statements:

“I am the way, the truth, and the life.”

What does it actually mean to walk “the way” of Jesus in a world full of noise, anxiety, politics, distraction, and exhaustion?

This isn't a lecture. It's an honest conversation about faith, discipleship, uncertainty, seminary, church life, and learning to follow Jesus as a living relationship instead of just an idea.

Real talk. Real questions. Real faith.

This might be the most famous miracle story in the Bible—and it doesn’t make sense.

In John’s account of Lazarus, Jesus:

•delays when his friend is dying

•says things that don’t seem true

•weeps even though he knows the ending

•raises a man… but leaves others to finish the job

So instead of explaining it, this episode asks seven questions.

Not to resolve the story—

but to open it.

In one of the most famous stories in the Bible, a shepherd boy confronts a giant. But the story of David and Goliath in 1 Samuel 17 is about more than courage. It’s about power—how intimidation works, why systems freeze in fear, and how faith can break the spell of bullying power. In this new reflection from Westview Church, Pastor Marty explores what this ancient story teaches about power, justice, and the quiet ways God still works in the world today.

Why does Jesus call people to follow before explaining anything? In the final episode of Why Matthew, Pastor Marty brings the series together, exploring Matthew’s unique approach to discipleship. This episode reflects on why learning comes through participation, how faith is formed along the way, and why understanding follows commitment—not the other way around.

Matthew ends his Gospel not with comfort, but with a commission. In this episode of Why Matthew, Pastor Marty explores the purpose of the church through Matthew’s lens: not as a faith-maintenance institution, but as a community formed to make disciples. This episode challenges common assumptions about church, mission, and belonging, and invites listeners to reconsider what the church is actually for.

Matthew presents faith not as an idea to agree with, but as a way of life to be practiced. In this episode of Why Matthew, Pastor Marty explores discipleship as a walk—formed through daily practice, questions, failure, and growth. Drawing on the Sermon on the Mount, this episode invites listeners to see faith not as certainty, but as commitment to learning the way of Jesus over time.

Following Jesus doesn’t just change how we think—it changes how we feel. In this episode of Why Matthew, Pastor Marty explores how Matthew understands heartbreak as part of discipleship, not a failure of it. Jesus is repeatedly moved by compassion, grief, and love, and his disciples are formed by learning to see—and feel—the world differently. This episode reflects on what happens when our hearts grow tired or guarded, and how Matthew invites us not to harden, but to widen.

In the Gospel of Matthew, discipleship isn’t measured by how much you know—it’s revealed by how you move, who you stay close to, and how willing you are to be changed. In this episode, Pastor Marty explores the markers Matthew gives us for recognizing real discipleship: movement, proximity to Jesus, imperfect obedience, and outward transformation. This is not about getting faith “right,” but about participating in a way of life that reshapes us for the sake of others. If you’ve ever wondered whether you’re actually following—or just maintaining—this episode is for you.

Because it was written for communities under pressure—not perfect people.

New episode of the Westview Podcast with Pastor Marty is available now.