Reality LA Podcast: The Drop In

Sharing wisdom for following Jesus and stories of God's movement in and through the Reality LA church family. Hosted by Michael Kae and Heather Fischer. Email us at thedropin@realityla.com! Music by Alexander Hitchens. Editing by Kyle Perrin.

Jessica Cheung and Marissa Lombardi on Christian Community 05/06/2026

Jessica Cheung and Marissa Lombardi on Christian Community This week Jessica and Marissa drop in to share some practical tips for healthy community and to discuss showing up for one another in tangible and spiritual ways; dealing with the natural complexities of community like disagreements, conflict, disappointments, and forgiveness; and receiving wisdom from one another through diversity and different life stages. /episode/index/show/70f9088c-8ae5-4e36-8925-c7718b8fc2f6/id/41173610

Jacob and Faith Matthews on Gathering on Sundays 04/22/2026

Jacob and Faith Matthews on Gathering on Sundays Jacob and Faith drop in to discuss the unique place Sunday gatherings hold in the life of a church; encouraging large groups of believers; commitment; consistency; missional presence; and what to do when a season of illness, work, or travel prevents you from being there Sundays. /episode/index/show/70f9088c-8ae5-4e36-8925-c7718b8fc2f6/id/40864935

Nathan Potter, Michael Kae, and Heather Fischer on Change 04/20/2026

Nathan Potter, Michael Kae, and Heather Fischer on Change The Drop In returns with a new season! In this brief welcome-back episode, Pastor Nathan, Deacon Michael, and Communications Director Heather share how some role changes will affect the coming season (hint: we're excited). /episode/index/show/70f9088c-8ae5-4e36-8925-c7718b8fc2f6/id/40915265

Dorcas Adewole on the Practicals of Prayer 04/16/2025

Dorcas Adewole on the Practicals of Prayer Dorcas Adewole drops in to share her journey from Brazil to the UK to LA, Reality LA's prayer team, the temptation to be performative in prayer, asking God for the small things in addition to the big things, surrendering control, and following rather than trying to lead the Holy Spirit when we pray. /episode/index/show/70f9088c-8ae5-4e36-8925-c7718b8fc2f6/id/36185540

Dawnchelle Holmes on Grief and Loss of a Loved One 04/02/2025

Dawnchelle Holmes on Grief and Loss of a Loved One Dawnchelle Holmes drops in to share the story of losing her mom to cancer, how God meets us in our sorrow, how grief will always be part of life in a fallen world, the importance of community during times of loss, and how to best love those who are grieving. If you are in need of care, visit . /episode/index/show/70f9088c-8ae5-4e36-8925-c7718b8fc2f6/id/35969155

Jonathan Fitzgerald on Sabbatical and the Gift of Rest 03/19/2025

Jonathan Fitzgerald on Sabbatical and the Gift of Rest Pastor Jonathan Fitzgerald drops in to discuss rethinking presence, understanding rest as a gift, an unhurried life, and how God does significant work even in the most mundane situations. /episode/index/show/70f9088c-8ae5-4e36-8925-c7718b8fc2f6/id/35780655

Jeremy Treat on the Book of Nehemiah 03/05/2025

Jeremy Treat on the Book of Nehemiah Pastor Jeremy drops in to discuss grieving our city's losses and needs, participating in God's restorative activity through the combination of practical work and dependent prayer, and how all of this relates to our sermon series through the book of Nehemiah. /episode/index/show/70f9088c-8ae5-4e36-8925-c7718b8fc2f6/id/35338210

Danielle Devlin on Praying When We Don’t Have the Strength to Pray 02/19/2025

Danielle Devlin on Praying When We Don’t Have the Strength to Pray Reality LA Administrative Assistant Danielle Devlin (whose voice you may recognize from leading worship on Sundays!) drops in to discuss fear of disappointment that God won't answer our prayers, the Holy Spirit praying on our behalf, the freedom and boldness to ask God what we want, and trusting God's presence in our lives during hardship. /episode/index/show/70f9088c-8ae5-4e36-8925-c7718b8fc2f6/id/35338015

Vision for 2025 02/05/2025

Vision for 2025 In this episode, Nathan and Michael discuss our church family's vision for the coming year as shared Sunday by Pastor Jeremy. The wide-ranging conversation covers how our leadership develops vision, the relationship between Luke and Acts, and our church values of desperate prayer, whole-life discipleship, and sacrificial service. Download our . See how our tie into our Discipleship Pathway and stay updated on their details and registration. /episode/index/show/70f9088c-8ae5-4e36-8925-c7718b8fc2f6/id/35160665

Responding with Prayer 01/28/2025

Responding with Prayer While "desperate prayer" is one of our foundational values, there are some seasons of life that remind us more than others of our constant need for and dependence upon God. In light of the uncertainty, grief, and ongoing difficulty our church family and city are currently experiencing in the LA fires, we've recorded this special episode to encourage one another and prompt us toward unity in desperate prayer. /episode/index/show/70f9088c-8ae5-4e36-8925-c7718b8fc2f6/id/35050565

How should we think about giving? 10/23/2024

How should we think about giving? This week, Leauretta Simmons and Jeffrey Burnell drop in to discuss giving for the sake of giving, the simplicity of obedience, the connection between growing faith and growing generosity, and how honest reflection on WHY we're doubtful or suspicious about giving can tell us volumes about what's going on in our hearts. /episode/index/show/70f9088c-8ae5-4e36-8925-c7718b8fc2f6/id/33591542

How does a capital campaign work? 10/21/2024

How does a capital campaign work? This week long-term pastor and financial consultant Greg Gibbs drops in to discuss what a capital campaign is, how one works, why one of Jesus' favorite subjects is often our least favorite, and the connections between our generosity, our hearts, and our discipleship. /episode/index/show/70f9088c-8ae5-4e36-8925-c7718b8fc2f6/id/33470992

What does the staff do? 10/09/2024

What does the staff do? Reality LA staff members Milla Nieminen (Executive Director), Chaundra Hitchens (Director of Care and Community), Mary Beth Lattimore (Director of Operations), and Heather Fischer (Communications Director) drop in to describe their roles and responsibilities on staff, why a church staff exists in the first place, and why such roles matter. They discuss how our church's different ministries and departments integrate and support one another, their mission to equip the saints, the work that goes into carrying out that mission, and how—most of all—their heart behind everything is love for God and God's people. /episode/index/show/70f9088c-8ae5-4e36-8925-c7718b8fc2f6/id/33397352

How does investing centrally enhance regional ministry? 10/02/2024

How does investing centrally enhance regional ministry? Jenny Oetzell and Jeremy Treat drop in to discuss Reality's unique central/regional church model and its limitations, difficulties, but many benefits. Jeremy provides a clear picture of how central operations is like a heart pumping blood to the regional limbs; while Jenny shares the story of how she came to Reality LA and the blessings she has received from being rooted both regionally and centrally. /episode/index/show/70f9088c-8ae5-4e36-8925-c7718b8fc2f6/id/33282797

How do Reality LA and Serve LA relate? 09/25/2024

How do Reality LA and Serve LA relate? As we discuss the upcoming capital campaign, Kyle Mueller, Jeremy Treat, and Kevin Weiner drop in to discuss the relation between Reality LA and Serve LA, their shared history and values, the way they mutually benefit from one another, and Serve LA’s unique opportunities within the city. /episode/index/show/70f9088c-8ae5-4e36-8925-c7718b8fc2f6/id/33208247

What is the condition of the buildings? 09/18/2024

What is the condition of the buildings? As we discuss the upcoming capital campaign, Cesar Sotelo, Kyle Mueller, and Mary Beth Lattimore drop in to share their experiences and hopes for our buildings. Serve LA’s head chef, Cesar, tells how the ministry of Serve LA was instrumental in his coming to know Jesus, and Mary Beth shares the tale of her own journey coming to work at Reality LA. They discuss the limitations and hindrances of the current state of our buildings and how the Reality LA and Serve LA ministries could bless even more people with expanded space and improved facilities. /episode/index/show/70f9088c-8ae5-4e36-8925-c7718b8fc2f6/id/33110017

What is the story of the Hope Center? 09/11/2024

What is the story of the Hope Center? Jeremy Treat, Nadine Harris, Mary Hashimoto, and Sydney Cooper drop in to share with Nathan the stories of the Hope Center and how Reality LA came to inherit its buildings, congregations, and ministries. Nadine and Mary joined the Hope Center in the 70s when it was called Fountain Ave Baptist Church and Sydney joined the church family in the 90s. They share how they came to the church, the many iterations of the Hope Center they've been part of, Pastor Ed, and the work, miracles, and faithfulness of God they've seen through it all. /episode/index/show/70f9088c-8ae5-4e36-8925-c7718b8fc2f6/id/33009847

Welcome Back to the Drop In! 09/11/2024

Welcome Back to the Drop In! The Drop In returns with an eight-episode deep dive into our capital campaign! This week, Michael and Nathan introduce the campaign, the series, and the seven key questions we’ll delve into over the coming weeks: What is the story of the Hope Center? What is the condition of the buildings? How do Reality LA and Serve LA relate? How does investing centrally enhance regional ministry? What does the staff do? How does a capital campaign work? How should we think about giving? /episode/index/show/70f9088c-8ae5-4e36-8925-c7718b8fc2f6/id/32901257

Heather Fischer on Kingdom Mindset 06/13/2024

Heather Fischer on Kingdom Mindset In our season one finale, producer Heather Fischer drops in to discuss how the earthly pales compared to the eternal, healthy detachment from fallen creation as investment in the new creation, surrendering all to Jesus, and how our church communications and branding reflect our value of kingdom mindset. Between seasons, we’ll be taking a break from our weekly schedule—and as we prepare for season two we invite you to email us at to give us feedback and share topics or approaches you’d like to see in the future of the podcast. /episode/index/show/70f9088c-8ae5-4e36-8925-c7718b8fc2f6/id/31726612

Kate Heuer and Nicole Lee on Storge Love 06/08/2024

Kate Heuer and Nicole Lee on Storge Love Kate and Nicole drop in to chat about familial love; living out a faith visible to your children; sibling love in families of origin and within church families; and God’s tender, sweet parental love for us whether we have it together or not. /episode/index/show/70f9088c-8ae5-4e36-8925-c7718b8fc2f6/id/31659852

On Vulnerability and the Power of Our Stories 05/29/2024

On Vulnerability and the Power of Our Stories In this clip show, we return to some of our past conversations to revisit two crucial foundations for loving one another well: being vulnerable and knowing the fullness of a person’s story. We revisit Chaundra Hitchens on the power of our personal stories, Dr. Crawford Loritts on generational stories, Alex Hitchens on God’s story in our story, and Lindsay C and Ian Mackley on the shared stories we call friendships. /episode/index/show/70f9088c-8ae5-4e36-8925-c7718b8fc2f6/id/31511342

Fiona Chan and Saz Dotson on Philia Love 05/22/2024

Fiona Chan and Saz Dotson on Philia Love Fiona and Saz drop in to chat about love as friendship, needing people in our lives different from ourselves, desiring the best for one another, saying yes to one another, being on mission together, and complementary partnership. /episode/index/show/70f9088c-8ae5-4e36-8925-c7718b8fc2f6/id/31420872

Cody Weston and Lindsay C on Community 05/16/2024

Cody Weston and Lindsay C on Community Cody and Lindsay drop in to discuss ways to healthily adjust our expectations for friendship, how idealizing community actually kills it, community groups as places we welcome and love one another, how to join a Reality LA community group, and curiosity as the way into deeper friendship. Want to join a community group? Visit . Want to message Cody and Lindsay? Email . /episode/index/show/70f9088c-8ae5-4e36-8925-c7718b8fc2f6/id/31332127

Nathan and Stevie Potter on Eros Love 05/08/2024

Nathan and Stevie Potter on Eros Love Nathan’s wife Stevie drops in to join him for a conversation with Mike about love as intimacy, reimagining romantic passion around God’s word, not being afraid of our desires but submitting them to the Lord, and building meaningful, non-romantic friendships through expressing fondness and admiration. CONTENT WARNING: While not explicit, this week’s episode covers such topics as sex and pornography. /episode/index/show/70f9088c-8ae5-4e36-8925-c7718b8fc2f6/id/31199322

Ben Chung on Art as Worship 05/02/2024

Ben Chung on Art as Worship Ben Chung drops in to chat about how God created not just a functional world but a beautiful one, intimacy with God through art, and the grace of our identity resting in God and not depending on anything we create. /episode/index/show/70f9088c-8ae5-4e36-8925-c7718b8fc2f6/id/31073828

Philip Chew on Agape Love 04/24/2024

Philip Chew on Agape Love Reality LA elder Philip Chew drops in to discuss love as grace, the love that other loves point to, experiencing agape in the little things of life, and learning to receive love that hasn't been "earned." /episode/index/show/70f9088c-8ae5-4e36-8925-c7718b8fc2f6/id/30975223

Jeffrey and Lori Burnell on Eros Love 04/17/2024

Jeffrey and Lori Burnell on Eros Love The Burnells drop in to discuss love as intimacy, how it relates to friendship and brokenness, the role of prayer and communication, and some of the ways love can evolve over the course of a 45-year marriage. /episode/index/show/70f9088c-8ae5-4e36-8925-c7718b8fc2f6/id/30876028

Mike and Nathan Introduce Our New Series on the Four Loves 04/10/2024

Mike and Nathan Introduce Our New Series on the Four Loves Love is supremely important, but the word “love” can be extremely overused. This is where we can learn something from ancient Greek, which had four words to distinguish between different types of love: friendship, affection, intimacy, and charity. Inspired by C.S. Lewis’ The Four Loves, starting next week we’ll invite various people from our church family to help us explore one of the four loves. But first, Mike and Nathan take this week to introduce each kind of love and get us excited about delving deeper into each of them! /episode/index/show/70f9088c-8ae5-4e36-8925-c7718b8fc2f6/id/30768628

Nathan and Heather on the Wonder of the Resurrection 04/04/2024

Nathan and Heather on the Wonder of the Resurrection Drop In producer Heather Fischer joins Nathan this week and, in place of a full episode, they offer a few Easter reflections to encourage us to continue to rest in the confidence graced to us through the resurrection of Jesus. /episode/index/show/70f9088c-8ae5-4e36-8925-c7718b8fc2f6/id/30668923

Graham Harper on Musical Worship 03/27/2024

Graham Harper on Musical Worship Our Worship Leader, Graham, drops in to discuss music as something first created by God, its role in his journey to Jesus, recognizing when music is worshipful, and music as a formative practice and extension of Sunday's preaching of the word. /episode/index/show/70f9088c-8ae5-4e36-8925-c7718b8fc2f6/id/30571163

Reality LA Podcast: The Drop In

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