Together 4 Good: Making Sense of Life and Faith

In this episode: A recording of Pastor Nate's sermon at the 8:30 am service on 9/19/21.  This sermon is based on the Gospel reading from Mark 9:30-37. 

In this episode, the next installment of our Faith in Daily Life Series!  This week, Pastor Nate sits down with Julie Miller to hear about her experience as a Counselor.  Julie is an amazingly wise individual who shares many powerful insights about how her faith compels her to care for others and to speak words of comfort and hope to her clients.  

In this episode: A recording of Pastor Gary's sermon from 9/12/21.  This sermon is based on readings from Ezra 1:1-5 and Mark 5:14-20. 

Our Faith in Daily Life podcast series continues!  This week, Pastor Nate talks with long-time Bethany member Dave Craven about his experiences and work as an educator.  Dave offers some beautiful insights about how he has lived out his faith while working as a teacher.  

In this episode, a recording of the full sermon from Sunday 8/29/21, preached by Pastoral Intern Rita Argus.   Rita’s sermon is based on readings from Romans 6:1-11 & Matthew 3:1-12 and  It is based on verse 4 of the Kyrie: “For peace in our hearts, for peace in our homes, for friends and family. For Life and for love, for our work and our play, Let us pray to the Lord.”

This scripture meditation invites you to insert yourself into the story of Jesus and his conversation with a rich man.  Get into a comfortable position and allow this creative re-telling to guide you into a place of calm, peace, and wonder.  What might these words of Jesus be saying to you this day?  

In this episode, a recording of Pastor Gary’s full sermon from 8/22/21. This sermon is based on readings from Exodus 20:8-10, Acts 2:43-47, and Mark 1:29-34.  This is part 3 of our 4 part sermon series on God’s Mercy. It is based on verse 3 of the Kyrie: “For peace in our hearts, for peace in our homes, for friends and family. For Life and for love, for our work and our play, Let us pray to t...

This scripture meditation invites you to rest and relax as you listen to the story of Jesus calling his first disciples.  Get into a comfortable position and allow this creative re-telling to guide you into a place of calm, peace, and wonder.  How might Jesus be calling you to follow him this day? 

In this episode: A recording of Pastor Nate’s full sermon from 8/8/21, based on Galatians 3:23-29 and John 17:20-24. This sermon is part 1 in our 4 part series on God’s Mercy.  It focuses on the first verse of the Kyrie:  “For peace in the world, for the health of the church, for the unity of all,  For this holy house, for all who worship and praise,  Let us pray to the Lord, let us pray to the Lo...

In this new series of podcasts, Pastor Nate sits down with Susan Pfabe-Wiggans and talks with her about her work as a Pediatric Physical Therapist.  Susan shares some incredible reflections about how her work helping young people is a way of living out her faith. 

In this episode: A recording of Pastor Gary’s full sermon from 8/15/21, based on readings from Ruth 2:14-16 and Mark 2:23-28.  This is part 2 of our 4 part sermon series on God’s Mercy. It is based on verse 2 of the Kyrie:  “That we may live out your impassioned response to the hungry and the poor, that we may live out truth and justice and grace, let us pray to the Lord, let us pray to...

This scripture meditation invites you to rest and relax as you listen to the story of Jesus curing a man in the town of Gerasenes.  Get into a comfortable position and allow this creative re-telling to guide you into a place of calm, peace, and wonder.  

We are trying something new! Pastor Nate’s children love to listen to guided meditations to help them fall asleep. This is a nighttime meditation based on the story of The Creation as found in Genesis 1. Even if you are not a young child, this meditation can help you peacefully drift off to sleep or just connect you with the Creation Story in a new and unique way.

In this episode, Pastoral Intern Rita Argus shares with us a special project from her work at Trinity Lutheran Seminary.  As a class project, Intern Rita recorded a podcast of her own and so we share it with you now on this feed.  Listen in as Rita and her roommates discuss a passage of scripture from the book of Romans. 

In this episode: A recording of Pastor Gary’s full sermon from 8/1/21, based on readings from John 6:24-35 and Exodus 16:2-4;9-15.

Pastor Nate sits down with his sister Elisabeth and long-time friend Josef, to talk about a shared passion: The Enneagram.   The Enneagram is a personality typing system that can be used as a tool to help people better understand themselves and their relationships.  As Josef, Elisabeth, and Nate will discuss, it is a powerful tool that has some real application for spiritual growth...

In this episode: A recording of Pastor Nate’s full sermon from 7/25/21, based on John 6:1-21.

Pastor Nate talks with his long-time friend, Nick Stroczkowski about Growing Youth, a new and emerging Youth Ministry Philosophy.  Nick is the Director of Lutheran Youth Western New York, a conference-wide youth ministry program that serves youth and adults in the Western New York area.  Part of Nick's recent work has been implementing and training individuals on the concepts described i...

In this episode: A recording of Pastor Gary’s full sermon from 7/18/21, based on readings from Jeremiah 23:1-6 and Mark 6:30-34, 53-56.

In this episode, Pastor Nate talks with his friend, Rev Joey Klinger (Pastor, Redemption Lutheran Church, Philadelphia).  Pastor Joey is passionate about liturgical worship and shares some great insights into why the form of our worship services is so important AND why worship itself is such an essential practice of our faith. 

In this episode, Pastor Nate invites his friend Rev Matthew Nickoloff to talk about the importance of spiritual practices.  Matthew is the pastor and mission developer at The South Wedge Mission in Rochester, NY.   Listen in to Nate and Matthew's long conversation covering a wide array of topics that are core to a Lutheran understanding of the walk of faith.  

This episode features a recording of Pastor Nate's sermon from July 4, 2021 it is based on the Gospel passage assigned for that Sunday from Mark 6:1-13. 

In the final installment of our 4 part series on the Stories of Bethany, Pastor Gary looks at the story of Christ's Ascension.  This final event in Jesus' earthly life took place at Bethany, and so we wonder together about what it means to be Bethany Lutheran Church; a church named after this town where Christ's Ascension took place.  

This episode features a recording of Pastor Gary's sermon from June 27, 2021.  It is based on readings from Mark 5:21-43. 

We continue our series of Bible Studies focused on the town of Bethany.  In this episode Pastor Gary dives into the story of Mary and Martha, which can be found in Luke 10:38-42.