Pontificating Pastors

In this Episode, Michael is on vacation and so Nate connects with one of his former students from his first youth ministry. Ryan Gage joins us on the podcast. Ryan is the Worship and Creative Arts pastor at Nampa College Church of the Nazarene and has recently launched a facebook page called Real Black Fridays, where he and his wife, Ashley, post videos about racial reconciliation and the church....

In this episode, Michael and Nate talk about the wisdom of Fred Rogers during all that we are facing in our world right now. It's the one where Michale goes to virtual camp, and Nate is about to be another year older. It's the one where we are reminded that our faults and our difficult feelings are actually doorways towards empathy for others. Ultimately, it is the one where we are reminded of the...

In this episode, we talk about current events and the end of the world. We discuss how our own vision is short-sighted when we talk about healing and reconciliation and how we often just want things fixed efficiently rather than being willing to do the hard work of intimacy. Nate is having a day where he doesn't feel very hopeful, and so we talk about what to do when we don't feel hopeful. Ultimat...

In this episode, we continue to podcast in a pandemic. We are joined by Nate's intern, Noah Terry. (A long time fan of the show!) We wrestle with the events in the United States in recent days regarding racial injustice. We talk about opting for intimacy over efficiency, about being quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. Ultimately, as pastors, we commit to continuing seek out r...

In this episode, we hear the story of Nate losing all the water out of his pool. We talk about an article that predicts the coming "crash" of pastors because of COVID-19 and we learn that Michael feels like ministry is a constant crash of sorts. We also talk about John Wesley's Aldersgate experience and pontificate a little bit about the role of our emotions in the life of faith!

In this episode we talk more about quarantine. We also talk good about our moms right before mother's day. But probably most importantly, we talk about the fact that two of our children are DATING!!! Say what??

In this episode, we talk about the realities of continuing to pastor people from a distance. We focus on our need for solitude and sabbath. We talk about all the idea that even though we may have time on our hands, it may be difficult for us to find rest and solitude. It is the one where we realize that being constantly connected leaves us longing solitude and silence even if we often avoid it at...

This is the one where we are still in quarantine during Holy Week. It's the one where we talk about what we are doing during the pandemic. We also discuss the nature of the first Easter as an event that was understated at first, but eventually changed the world. It's the one where we wonder if the pandemic might have helped our churches realize what is "essential." Ultimately it's the one where we...

This is the one where we continue to discover what it means to pastor during a pandemic. It's the one one where Michael talks about the long term aspects of ministry, where we talk about the nature of people to want to have physical contact whether that be in the form of a high-five, a fist bump, or a hug. We also talk about both the positive aspects of the church going online, and the need for me...

This is the one where we find ourselves pastoring in the midst of a pandemic, where we talk about the value of PRESENCE, where we think about the idea of a forced sabbath, and where we talk about how our church is ministering during the Coronavirus Outbreak. Ultimately, it's the one where we look forward to seeing what God is going to do in the midst of our own uncertainty!

In this episode, we talk about the season of Lent, we learn that Nate is trying to refrain from taking a joke too far while Michael is avoiding mindless TV watching. We talk about Maggie's first sermon, about our tendency to "consume the grace of God, and the idea of feasting while fasting. It's ultimately the one where we are called back to our utter dependance upon God and away from arrogance of...

This is the one where we welcome JJ Tuttle as a guest on the podcast. It is the one where we talk about metrics and church size. It's the one where we talk about the importance of stories, why it is easier to preach when people show up, and about the importance of longevity in ministry. It's ultimately the one where we realize that growth is important and exciting, but can't be the only metric we...

It's a new season and this is the one where we catch up after a busy January, where we discuss our super bowl festivities, and where we wonder about Jesus' apparent silence about the evils of Rome. It's also the one where we think about some of the simple things we are taught as kids and how we often conveniently disregard those very same teachings as adults. Ultimately it is the one where we wond...

This is the one where Michael is in town after dropping Maggie off at SNU and we sit down in my office. It's the one where we both have recently seen Tom Hanks in "A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood" with our congregations and HAVE to talk about it. It's the one where we talk about prophets as street performers and how daily practices shape the way we live in the world. Ultimately, it's the one w...

This is the one where Nate tries out a sensory deprivation float and decides it is not for him. It's the one where we talk about the value (and difficulty) of accountability. We wonder about the legitimacy of needing to "leave a group behind" in order to grow into what God is calling us to, and ultimately we decide that sticking together (if at all possible) in the good times AND the bad times is...

This is the one where Michael and Nate hang out on the campus of Southern Nazarene University right across from where the prayer chapel used to stand. We talk about sacred spaces and how they shape us as a people. Ultimately we look at what makes a space "sacred."

In this episode, Michael shares a story about Nate's driving and the fact that we are both thankful to be alive. We hope that Judah isn't scarred for life. We finally end up somehow talking about the idea of free will, and how that works out in our salvation. 

In this episode, we discuss Michael's hobby of creating works of Art. We also learn that Nate went through an art phase which ultimately ended with one of his pieces of art being thrown in a trash chute. We discover that the prophets might have been more street performer than orators and we discuss the role of art in the Church. We ultimately find that both pastors and laypeople have both a huge p...

This is the one where Nate drives down to Camp Bond to hear Michael preach and where we record a podcast LIVE, in the same room! It's also the one where we talk about the Holy Spirit as a force field, where Brett Armstrong's CPR Dummies are freaking us out, where Nate talks about the song he wants played at his funeral, and where ultimately we just really enjoy getting to do an episode live. 

This is the one where we get together after a couple busy summer months and make sure everyone knows we are still alive! It's the one where Michael has come back from vacation and running into Brent, and where our kids ran into each other at NYC.  We also learn about Nate's new Bonsai habit and the book that cam from it, where Michael wants to grow a sycamore tree, and where Brent gets a moto...

In this episode, we talk about our tendency to want to know who is in and who is out. We talk about Jesus' tendency to want to reframe the question when he was faced with similar questions. We also see that what Jesus ultimately does for us is to set us free to love and to allow the Holy Spirit to convict. We also catch up a bit after being off air for a month with the craziness of Easter, Michael...

This is the one about salvation. This is the one where Joe Ibanez joins Nate to pontificate with Michael from their class in San Diego. We discuss the idea of what it means to be saved, how we handle our anger with God, and even whether we can "lose our salvation." It's the one where we realize that God is big enough to handle our anger, that salvation ultimately comes from God, and that we have a...

This is the one where Michael has just returned from a Nazarene gathering in Kansas City and Nate has just returned from Hawaii. It's also the one where Dray isn't sure we answered his question, and the one where we ATTEMPT to answer Lauren's question about what to do with our anger and when anger is righteous. Ultimately it's the one that we realize that acknowledging our anger might be the first...

This is the one where we answer Dray Murray's question. It's the one where we get to be together in one place with our mutual friend Pastor Brent Green sipping on some amazing coffee from Sommer Moon Coffee Company. It's the one where we talk about what it means to be "political' and how pastors should handle politics in the pulpit and in our world. It's not the one where we talk about Paula's tic...

This is the episode where we begin answering listener questions. It's the one where Morgan's question about if Heaven is here or someone else gets us talking about the afterlife, where we somehow end up talking about heretics and then weaving all that into talking about Josh's question about sanctification. Somewhere along the way we talk about random items from the Lego Movie to the Chronicles of...