Resident Strangers

August marked three years of the Resident Strangers podcast! To kick things off, Steve, Rich, and Sarah take a little time to reminisce about how the podcast started, what they’ve learned along the way, and even how Sarah fumbled through the first few recordings after having quite a bit of dental work done. 😂 From there, we go back to one of the reasons this podcast exists in the first place: the...

What if your family was designed to be one of the primary places where your children learn what it looks like to follow Jesus? This week, we continue our conversation on family by looking at the biblical role of parents as the first and primary disciplers of their children. Steve takes us to Deuteronomy 6 and explores how God intended faith to be woven into the everyday rhythms of family life, not...

What is God’s design for family? And is there a purpose behind it? Steve starts by making one thing clear: marriage and family are not human constructs; they are God’s intentional design. Genesis 1 gives us the overarching picture of creation, telling us that God created humanity, male and female, in His image. Then Genesis 2 zooms in, showing that men and women were created with distinct purposes...

What comes first: truth or feelings? This week’s conversation picks up where last week’s left off as Rich, Sarah, and Steve continue their discussion on transgenderism and gender confusion. Rich begins by emphasizing the importance of truly listening when someone shares the feelings they are experiencing surrounding their gender. Listening and acknowledging that someone is struggling does not mean...

Is sex purely biological? Is gender a feeling? Today begins a conversation on transgenderism. Steve, Rich, and Sarah reflect on when they first became aware of this issue and how dramatically the conversation has shifted in our culture. In Genesis, we see that God created humanity in His image, intentionally creating humans as male and female. While biology and procreation are part of God’s design...

There are seasons when you're one of the people carrying the stretcher, and there are seasons when you're the one on it. Both are a part of following Jesus. So, what do we do when we're the one on the stretcher? It's something many of us don't like to think about, but needing help is an inevitable part of life. As Christians, it can often feel more natural to turn toward o...

“Everything happens for a reason.” Is that actually true? This week, the conversation on suffering continues as Steve, Rich, and Sarah share personal experiences of being comforted and supported in the midst of suffering. Rich emphatically reminds us that when we belong to Christ, we are designed to be in Christ together . Steve points to 2 Corinthians 1, where Paul describes the cycle of experien...

There’s a massive misunderstanding in America about what the Bible actually says about Christians and suffering. Over the next three weeks, Steve, Rich, and Sarah are diving into this difficult but important topic. Steve begins by addressing a belief many Christians hold tightly to: that walking with Jesus means life will always, always, always be great and that hardship and suffering won't b...

Steve, Rich, and Sarah are back from their two-week summer break and ready to jump into the fall!  Today, they’re tackling a topic that can feel a little murky, even for Christians: witchcraft and the occult. While it may seem like something from the fringes of culture, witchcraft and practices like astrology and tarot have become increasingly common, with some people even incorporating them into...

This week on Resident Strangers , Sarah asks Steve and Rich to tackle the topic of modern-day prophecy. Defining prophecy isn't always as straightforward as it seems, even in Scripture. Before diving in, the crew makes it clear that they are not cessationists; they believe the spiritual gifts did not cease after the New Testament. Throughout the Bible, prophecy takes different forms. Sometime...

This episode wraps up our summer series, What Does the Bible Say About ___?, as we conclude our discussion on Christians and Israel. Rich kicks things off with two important questions, one theological and one following up on something Steve mentioned: Is the modern nation-state of Israel the same Israel that God made promises to throughout Scripture? And is dispensationalism something Christians s...

Even more so than when we first covered this topic over a year ago, this week's conversation is a timely and weighty one. In the final topic of our What Does the Bible Say About ____? series, Steve, Rich, and Sarah discuss what the Bible says about Christians and Israel. This is a complex topic because it touches theology, history, politics, and current events. One of the biggest challenges i...

Before continuing last week's conversation, Steve, Rich, and Sarah take a few minutes to share favorite Fourth of July memories and reflect on America's upcoming 250th anniversary. Picking up where they left off, the team revisits the topic of Christian nationalism. Steve offers this definition: a political and ideological movement that seeks to closely fuse Christianity with national id...

Summer is in full swing, and this week’s episode of What Does the Bible Say About ___? tackles a timely and sensitive topic: Christian nationalism. Steve notes that over the past decade, this issue has drawn some of the strongest criticism from all sides, and even the term itself tends to create division. Sarah shares that it’s especially personal for her, as her college experience at a Christian...

The word toxic has become a cultural buzzword, especially when conversations turn to masculinity and increasingly, femininity as well. This week on Resident Strangers, the discussion continues as Steve, Rich, and Sarah explore what the Bible says about masculinity and femininity. Rich points out that even some of the men and women we encounter in Scripture aren't always intended to be models...

The summer series What Does the Bible Say About ______? continues this week as the crew dives into the topic of masculinity and femininity. When Desert Springs chose this topic for a sermon series in January, Steve admitted he was unsure what people specifically wanted to know. There was just a strong sense that it needed to be discussed. The conversation begins in Genesis 1 and 2, where God creat...

This week, Steve, Rich, and Sarah continue last week’s conversation on what the Bible says about suicide. Early in the discussion, they address a difficult and often-asked question: If a Christian dies by suicide, do they still go to heaven? To explore this, Steve references several accounts in Scripture involving suicide and briefly touches on some Catholic perspectives that have historically vie...

This week, a new mini-series begins on Resident Strangers . Over the next eight weeks, Steve, Rich, and Sarah will explore some of the most searched and challenging topics people are asking about online, approaching each one through the lens of Scripture. Each topic will be covered over two weeks, and our hope is that this series will both encourage and challenge us as we head into the summer. To...

To kick off this week’s conversation, Sarah asks returning guest Trevor Schalow what first sparked his interest in studying topics like the Nephilim. Trevor shares how experiences his older brother had growing up in Show Low, Arizona revealed to him that many Christians don’t know how to process paranormal or supernatural experiences. Because these topics can feel unsettling or strange, believers...

Special guest Trevor Schalow joins Steve and Sarah for a conversation you won’t want to miss as they dive into the mysterious topic of the Nephilim. This is a subject that’s been gaining a lot of traction in today’s culture. While the discussion is fascinating, Steve makes it clear from the start: this isn’t a “line in the sand” theological issue. Faithful believers have landed in different places...

Was the apostle Paul the first to deal with something like cancel culture? The idea of “canceling” people has exploded, especially online over the last decade but it’s not entirely new. As Steve, Rich, and Sarah talk it through, Steve points to Paul addressing public correction, particularly when it comes to elders. But even that looked very different back then as the “public” was much smaller and...

Some things in Scripture are clear and non-negotiable. Others aren’t directly addressed and can feel more open-ended. Have you ever had a friend feel strongly about an issue that didn’t seem like a big deal to you, especially in your faith? The Bible gives clear direction on many things, but some areas can be harder to sort through. In 1 Corinthians 10:31, we’re reminded: “whether you eat or drink...

This week, we continue the conversation from our previous episode on Sodom and Gomorrah. Rich opens with a powerful reminder from 1 Corinthians: “Bad company corrupts good character.” The truth is, what we surround ourselves with shapes us, often more than we realize. That reality is clearly seen in the story of Sodom and Gomorrah and becomes a key theme in today's discussion. From there, we...

Are there stories in the Bible that feel strange, unsettling, or even a little uncomfortable? This week, Steve, Rich, and Sarah dive into one of the most infamous accounts in the Old Testament: Sodom and Gomorrah. Sarah jokingly notes that this story didn’t quite make it into her son’s storybook Bible and for those familiar with it, that probably comes as no surprise. Rich walks through the narrat...

What would it take to convince your own siblings that you are God? Robby Lashua is back in the studio with Sarah and Steve for a special Easter episode. With his background in apologetics, Robby brings a compelling and thoughtful perspective on the resurrection. From the empty tomb and the transformed lives of the disciples to the historical reality of the crucifixion and Paul’s dramatic conversio...