Pontificating Pastors

This is the one where we pontificate on our first question from 2019 about why the Old Testament God and Jesus look so different and are often pitted against each other. It's the one where Nate goes to work with his wife for a day, where Shelley is getting up at ungodly hours, where we lament that many Christians simply need the blood of Jesus. Ultimately, it is the one where we take on the big qu...

This is the one where we challenge Julie Andrews about starting at the very beginning being a very good place to start.  The is the one where we start the New Year at the END. It's the one about end times, about Armageddon, etc. It's the one where we argue that reading the End first, helps us interpret the previous sections of scripture. It's the one where Mason Harrell gets a shout out, wher...

This is the one where we are joined by Immanuel right before Christmas. We talk about the season of Advent and what it means to wait in a culture that hates waiting. (I bet you can't wait to hear it!)

This is the one where we talk Christmas traditions, where we find out Santa goes to Michael's Church, and where Immanuel Brooks gets a shoutout! (Seemed only fitting!) It's also the one where we find out that Nate doesn't decorate the outside of his house to keep Elon Musk happy, and where we discover that Piggs do fly! Ultimately its the one where we almost Pontificate ourselves to death!

This is the one where Nate has just returned from the "Minister and Mates" retreat in Branson, MO. Where Nate sees "Little E" - who is not so little anymore. It's the one where Michael gets a turkey fryer and the guys discuss everything from "the pink stuff" at Thanksgiving dinner to Black Friday shopping. Ultimately, it's the one where we acknowledge that while being grateful all year long is a g...

This is the one where... Well, we'll just make you listen to find out!

This is the one where Nate and Michael FINALLY get to talk after a two week hiatus! It's the one where we talk about the role of the Psalms in our prayer lives, where Nate learns to curse during prayer from a group of nuns, and where ultimately we decide that worship should be, first and foremost, honest!

This is the one where we talk about weddings. It's the one where Nate does a foot washing during a wedding, where we find out Michael cried at his wedding and Nate was hung over for his wedding. It's the one where we talk about making a lifelong covenant, and where, ultimately, we'd both do it all over again!

This is the one where Nate goes to a preaching conference and somehow ends up in the SNU students group chat. It's the one where Michael isn't there and Nate ends up sitting down with some current SNU students to talk about life, preaching, meeting random people at 1 AM, and the wonderful town of Kansas City. Ultimately, it's the one where we learn that preaching is an area where we are always lea...

This is the one where we talk about Communion. It's the one where communion tastes better than boogers and fingernails, the one where we examine some favorite communion fails, and where we find out that Nate has his son hooked on Gregorian chants. It's the one where we talk about the fact that HOW we receive the sacrament often says a lot about what we believe, and we examine what kind of communit...

This it the one about space... No, not that kind! This is the one where Nate and Michael share stories about some odd church building features and where the Taylor brothers get a shout out! It's the one where we ask if the building matters, and the one where we talk about everything from flying buttresses to dimming the lights. It's ultimately the one where we talk about how the SPACE we worship i...

This is the one where the guys catch up after not getting to see each other at Six Flags this year. It's the one where we give props to Nate's new group of interns (and a fiancé) for listening to the show. It's the one where we talk about Hurricanes, whether we have a soul, and creation care all in trying to answer the question, "Where is God in the Hurricane?" Ultimately, it's the one...Well, I g...

This is the one where the guys wonder if they are totally depraved? It's the one where we look at the nature of evil in the world and we muse about how prayer creates change int he world. It's the one where Ryan Amey gets a shoutout. (Imagine that, on a show about depravity!) Ultimately, it's the one where we refuse to believe that the image of God is completely lost in humanity!

This is the one where the guys decide to tackle an issue that has been in the news this week. It's the one where we talk about depression and the ministry. It's a serious one, but also a timely one. Ultimately, it's the one where we hope to see ourselves as God sees us, and to be able to see our mental health as important as we would our physical health!

This is the one where Nate is suddenly an empty-nester and Michael is "meeting the Rattlers." It's the one where Nate gets recognized on the campus of Southern Nazarene University for the show and the guys discuss the interrelation of suffering and love in light of the cross of Christ. Ultimately, the question about suffering love becomes, "Is there really any other kind??"

This is the one where Nate is suffering from some basketball against 20-somethings, and we learn that Michael is an ALL-STAR! It's the one about phrases that sound good, but might not be true or biblical. Where we look at how our understanding of God shapes the way we speak about God, and ultimately we discover that our presence is much more valuable than having the answers!

This is the one where Nate's nephew wonders if Jesus was a good actor, where Nate and Michael share about the doubting in the pulpit, where we talk about the role of the university in helping us wrestle with our faith, and where ultimately we discover that authenticity about our doubt is much better than the alternative...faking it!

This is the one where Michael and Nate get to be LIVE and in person, where we are joined by a couple Ryans and a Brent, where we hear Nate's tragic bathroom story, and where Michael's kids are the next youtube stars, where the break music is from REMEDY (SNU's Summer Worship Band), and where, ultimately, the students at the "Called" Conference remind us that the Church is in good hands!

In this Episode, Michael is on vacation and so Nate interviews one of his former interns on the podcast. In this episode Bethany talks about whistles in worship and the importance of female role models, Levi Jones (aka "the golden boy" gets a shout out, and ultimately we learn that being willing to confess might be one of the most valuable things a church can do!

This is the one where Michael and Nate catch up after being gone for a couple weeks, where we share Jr. High camp stories, where we meet clean shaven Jesus, fake blood Jesus, slacker Jesus, and many more Jesuses to boot. It's ultimately the one where we talk about our tendency to make Jesus into OUR image.

Since it is Michael's turn to be at camp this week, Paula and Shelly decide to drop in and talk about being married to a pastor. This is the one where we find out that Paula and Shelly met playing Farkle, where they coin the term Wife-Bear, and where we find out if there are perks to sleeping with the pastor!

This is the one where Nate is gone to camp, and Michael interviews two of the PKs about what it's like being a pastor's kid. It's the one where we find out that sometimes random people show up at your house, where the hardest place to be an example to the congregation might be the basketball court, and what family dinner looks like in the parsonage. Ultimately, even though there are expectations,...

This is the one where Nate wrestles with his pacifistic tendencies in relation to Fortnite, where Michael is literally in a closet, where thunder and lightning are trying to sneak their way onto the podcast, and where ultimately we talk about the tendency for people to act differently because the pastor is around!

In this Episode the guys talk about everything from the Trinity to Conscientious Objectors, We find out Michael is a big Andy Griffith fan (But is apparently not well versed in "The Office"), Junior gets a shoutout, It's Maggie's birthday, and we offer our first (maybe of many) retraction...

This is the one where we answer the age old question- "What do you do all week?" It's the one where Nate meets a new friend at a party that can't believe pastoring is a full time gig, where Maggie wants to be a pastor because you don't have to work, and where the guys discuss everything from salary to networking to weddings and funerals! Can't believe it took so long to make this episode!