Episode 36 - Loving Others in the Church with Kempiz Hernandez
Release Date: 02/07/2026
Episode 53 - Hope When Marriage is Hard with Brian Arnold
Conversations with Pastors
When we find ourselves in the trenches of marital struggle, it can feel like we're wandering without a map. This conversation brings us back to a foundational truth: our marriages aren't just about our personal happiness or comfort, but about displaying something far greater. Scripture reveals that marriage is designed to be a living portrait of Christ's redemptive love for the church. The very struggles we face—the communication breakdowns, the unmet expectations, the persistent weaknesses in ourselves and our spouses—these aren't obstacles to God's plan. They're actually the canvas on...
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Episode 52 - When the Preacher Exhorts with Jerry Wragg
Conversations with Pastors
At the heart of this conversation with Jerry Wragg is Hebrews 13:17, which calls us to obey our spiritual leaders and submit to them—not to human authority, but to the authority of Scripture itself as it's faithfully proclaimed. We're reminded that exposition isn't just about explaining what a text means; it includes exhortation, where the implications of God's truth are drawn out and applied to our hearts and lives. The beautiful picture painted here is of a pastor who first wrestles with Scripture himself, allowing it to convict, challenge, and transform him before he ever stands in the...
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Episode 51 - Diagnosing Self-Righteousness with Mike Kotecki
Conversations with Pastors
This conversation cuts to the heart of one of our most persistent spiritual struggles: self-righteousness. The core issue is trusting in ourselves as the moral standard while viewing others with contempt. What makes this so insidious is how it masquerades as spiritual maturity. We can know all the right doctrines, attend church faithfully, and still harbor hearts that elevate ourselves above others. The discussion reveals how self-righteousness destroys love, because when we're focused on others' faults, we're blind to our own. The antidote? Cultivating genuine humility by allowing Scripture...
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Episode 50 - Biblical Counseling: Encouraging the Discouraged with Todd Murray
Conversations with Pastors
When we encounter discouraged brothers and sisters in Christ, we face a sacred opportunity to embody the ministry of Jesus Himself—the One who sustains the weary with a word. This week Todd Murray shows us the art of biblical encouragement, reminding us that effective ministry to the discouraged requires both a trained tongue and a trained ear. Drawing from Isaiah 50, we're reminded that Jesus knew how to sustain the weary because His Father awakened His ear morning by morning, filling Him with divine wisdom. Similarly, our ability to comfort others flows directly from how deeply Scripture...
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Episode 49 - Avoiding Parental Drift with Reid Price
Conversations with Pastors
The danger of spiritual drift presents one of the most sobering realities we face as believers and families. This week, Reid Price explains how even the most enthusiastic, committed Christians can gradually find themselves on the periphery of church life. The image is striking: like an airplane one degree off course at takeoff, the deviation seems insignificant at first, but across the Atlantic Ocean, that small error results in landing far from the intended destination. When we examine our lives through passages like Ephesians 4, Psalm 78, and 1 Timothy 3, we discover that there is no neutral...
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Episode 48 - Laying Aside Every Weight with Dave Temple
Conversations with Pastors
What invisible burdens are we carrying that prevent us from running our spiritual race with full abandon? Dave Temple opens to Hebrews 12:1 and challenges us to examine not just the obvious sins we need to confess, but the subtle weights that slow our pursuit of Christ. Drawing from the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11, we discover that Abraham had to release his need for predictability and control, while Moses surrendered the allure of comfort and luxury. These weren't sinful desires in themselves, but they became encumbrances when elevated above faithfulness to God's calling. The distinction is...
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Episode 47 - God's Definition of Good with Mark Axelgard
Conversations with Pastors
What if everything we think is bad for us is actually good? This challenging exploration of Ecclesiastes 7 confronts our comfortable definitions of prosperity and adversity. We discover that Solomon isn't just offering ancient wisdom—he's dismantling our entire framework for understanding what makes life good. The startling claim that sorrow is better than laughter and the house of mourning better than the house of feasting forces us to ask: whose definition of good are we following? The heart of this message reveals that God has intentionally woven both prosperity and adversity into the...
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Episode 46 - Can We Recover From Disappointments? with Paul Shirley
Conversations with Pastors
Life has a way of delivering disappointments that shake us to our core. When our expectations crumble and circumstances turn against us, we face a critical choice: will we see ourselves as victims, or will we recognize God's guiding hand? This week, Paul Shirley shows us the difference between how our culture views trauma—as permanently debilitating—and how Scripture presents trials as instruments of sanctification. Through the remarkable story of Joseph, we discover that what appears devastating in the moment is often God's unexpected means of preparation. Our trials aren't ruining us;...
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Episode 45 - Forgiveness with Marc Wragg
Conversations with Pastors
When we've been wronged, our hearts can become battlegrounds where forgiveness fights against our natural desire for justice. This week, Marc Wragg shows us what it means to forgive from the heart. We discover that genuine forgiveness isn't just a feeling or a one-time decision, but rather an ongoing demonstration of biblical love. The discussion challenges us to examine whether we're really forgiving by asking a penetrating question: Can we still fulfill the one-another commands of Scripture toward those who've hurt us? Can we serve them, speak truth to them, and care for their needs? If we...
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Episode 44 - Parenting Prodigals with Todd Dykstra
Conversations with Pastors
When we find ourselves parenting a rebellious child, we're walking a path that God Himself knows intimately. Isaiah 1:2 reminds us that even the Lord has experienced the heartbreak of children who revolt against Him. Todd Dykstra helps us explore the spiritual realities beneath the surface of prodigal children—not as parenting failures, but as opportunities for deep sanctification in our own hearts. We're challenged to examine whether our doubts and fears drive us toward despair or toward dependence on God. The rebellion we witness in our children isn't something we caused through our...
info_outlineThis week Kempiz Hernandez takes us into Philippians 1, where Paul models a transformative approach to church relationships. We discover that our failure to love often stems not just from selfishness, but from losing sight of the bigger picture—the gospel itself. Paul reminds the Philippians of their 'koinonia,' their participation in the gospel from day one, establishing that our love for each other must be rooted in what Christ is accomplishing in and through us. When we view our brothers and sisters through redemptive lenses, remembering that we'll celebrate together around the throne for eternity, the petty annoyances and conflicts that consume us suddenly shrink in significance. The discussion challenges us to examine our use of time, energy, and resources as a litmus test for self-centeredness. Are we building our own kingdoms of comfort, or are we actively looking out for the interests of others? The pathway forward isn't complicated—it's humble repentance, genuine prayer for one another, and the radical humility modeled by Christ himself, who set aside His divine privileges to serve us. This isn't about perfection; it's about pressing into a love that discerns, encourages, and bears fruit for God's glory.