ReCreate Church’s Podcast

Easter 2026 - From Hurt to Healing Speaker: Michael Shockley, ReCreate Church Scripture: Isaiah 53:4-6 Episode Summary On Easter 2026, Pastor Michael celebrates the Resurrection while acknowledging the painful reality that there is no healing without hurting. Through Isaiah's 700-year-old prophecy about the suffering Messiah, he reveals how Jesus took on every category of hurt we experience - not...

The Kid and The King Speaker: Michael Shockley, ReCreate Church Scripture: Matthew 21:8-9; Luke 19:42 Episode Summary On Palm Sunday 2026, Pastor Michael tells the story of Jesus's Triumphal Entry through the eyes of a young boy named Ezra and his father Abner, who traveled from Galilee expecting one kind of Messiah but encountered another. With interactive elements for kids and adults waving palm...

Three Things Everybody Gets Wrong About Jesus Speaker: Michael Shockley, ReCreate Church Scripture: 1 John 4:1-3 Episode Summary Pastor Michael tackles myths about Jesus using his signature humor about "stuff everybody knows" (from goldfish memory to Napoleon's height). Through 1 John's critical test for spiritual messages, he exposes three common but fatal errors: seeing Jesus as only a prophet,...

More Than A Label Speaker: Michael Shockley, ReCreate Church Scripture: 1 John 3:22-24 Episode Summary Pastor Michael opens with a hilarious illustration about becoming a car by going through a car wash, exposing how silly it is to reduce Christianity to a label or ritual. Through 1 John's powerful words, he challenges both false assurance (people who think they're Christians for the wrong reasons...

When You Can't See It: Trusting God While He's Still Working Speaker: Nicholas Dowdy, ReCreate Church Scripture: Romans 8:28; John 11:6-22 Episode Summary Nicholas Dowdy, a member of ReCreate Church, shares his raw and honest testimony about walking through infertility, miscarriage, and the struggle to trust God when He feels absent. Through the story of Lazarus, Nick addresses those in seasons of...

Self-Confidence vs. God Confidence Speaker: Michael Shockley, ReCreate Church Scripture: 1 John 3:19-21 Episode Summary Pastor Michael shares an original Appalachian-style folk tale about a possum who tries to be clever like the fox, strong like the bear, and fast like the deer - only to discover he was made to trust God, not himself. Through 1 John's powerful message about assurance, we learn tha...

Love Becomes Action Speaker: Michael Shockley, ReCreate Church Scripture: 1 John 3:16-18 Episode Summary Pastor Michael shares the incredible story of Desmond Doss, the WWII medic from Lynchburg, VA who refused to carry a weapon but saved 75 men at Hacksaw Ridge. Through 1 John's challenging words about love, we discover that real love isn't about feelings or words - it's about action. If the Love...

Overcoming Unforgiveness Speaker: Michael Shockley, ReCreate Church Scripture: Luke 15:11-32; John 16:33 Episode Summary Pastor Michael tackles one of the hardest commands in Scripture: forgiveness. Using the famous parable of the Prodigal Son, he shifts our focus from the younger son who was forgiven to the older son who refused to forgive - and reveals that there are actually TWO lost sons in th...

Who Do I Have to Love? Speaker: Michael Shockley, ReCreate Church Scripture: 1 John 3:10-15 Episode Summary Pastor Michael tackles one of the hardest questions in modern Christianity: Who do we have to love? Using hilarious stories about "little brother coded" behavior (including a three-hour car ride of relentless poking), he addresses how American culture has circled back to ancient tribalism -...

The Anchor Speaker: Michael Shockley, ReCreate Church Scripture: Hebrews 6:17-19a Episode Summary During another snow-filled Sunday, Pastor Michael reflects on feeling unsteady - whether from ice-covered walkways or the storms of life. Using the powerful imagery of an anchor and a fascinating rat experiment about hope, he shows us that biblical hope isn't optimism or smooth sailing, but something...

The Underground Speaker: Michael Shockley, ReCreate Church Scripture: Luke 12:35-46 Episode Summary Recorded on a Saturday night before a predicted winter storm, Pastor Michael addresses a week in which church protestors made headlines. Using a creative allegory read by his 15-year-old son Elijah, he reminds us that the Jesus Movement has always been underground - not about hiding, but about unsha...

Family Resemblance Speaker: Michael Shockley, ReCreate Church Scripture: 1 John 3:8-9 Episode Summary In Part 9 of the 1 John series, Pastor Michael returns from the holiday break to talk about family resemblance - not just physical traits, but spiritual patterns. Using hilarious stories about his wife's seven sisters and a bee-in-the-jorts incident, he tackles a challenging passage about whether...

Test Me Speaker: David Boudreaux, Elder at ReCreate Church Scripture: Malachi 3:7-10 Episode Summary Elder David Boudreaux shares a message about the one time God actually invites us to test Him - in the area of tithing. Using the Emergency Broadcast System as an illustration, he walks through Malachi's final Old Testament message where God challenges His people who have robbed Him through withhel...

Numb is Not Normal Speaker: Michael Shockley, ReCreate Church Scripture: Ephesians 4:19 Episode Summary In this New Year's 2026 message, Pastor Michael shares the story of Ashlyn Blocker, a girl who can't feel pain due to a rare condition, to illustrate spiritual numbness. Through Paul's letter to the Ephesians, we discover how constant exposure to sin desensitizes our conscience until we stop fee...

Who Can You Trust? Speaker: Michael Shockley, ReCreate Church Scripture: Daniel 7:13-14 Episode Summary In part 4 of our Christmas 2025 series, Pastor Michael presents a hilarious father-daughter skit about a rigged board game to illustrate how humans abuse power. Through Daniel's prophetic vision, we see that earthly empires are like beasts, but Jesus is different - He's the King who earned our t...

Jesus Redeems Pain Speaker: Michael Shockley, ReCreate Church Scripture: Isaiah 53:3-5 Episode Summary In part 3 of our Christmas 2025 series, Pastor Michael shares the story of young Matthias witnessing a birth in a stable and discovering how pain can bring life. Through Isaiah 53's prophecy about the suffering Messiah, we see that Jesus came not just to be born, but to endure three kinds of pain...

The Son Who Climbed The Mountain Speaker: Michael Shockley, ReCreate Church Scripture: Genesis 22 Episode Summary In part 2 of our Christmas 2025 series, Pastor Michael tells the story of Isaac - the original "Son Who Climbed The Mountain" - and reveals how it points directly to Jesus. Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his promised son on Mount Moriah foreshadows God's sacrifice of His own Son on...

The First Christmas Tree Speaker: Michael Shockley, ReCreate Church Scripture: Genesis 3:1-15 In part 1 of our Christmas 2025 series, Pastor Michael explores the surprising connection between Christmas trees and the Garden of Eden. Through historical research, he reveals that Christmas trees aren't pagan but originated from medieval "Paradise Trees" used in Adam and Eve plays. The real first Chris...

The Habit of Happy People Speaker: Michael Shockley, ReCreate Church Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:18 Episode Summary In this second Thanksgiving week message, Pastor Michael vulnerably shares his recent struggle with ingratitude and stress that led to chest pain and an ER visit. Through 1 Thessalonians 5:18, he discovers that the command to "give thanks in everything" isn't about pretending life i...

Trust The Source Speaker: Michael Shockley, ReCreate Church Scripture: Luke 17:11-19 Episode Summary In this Thanksgiving 2025 message, Pastor Michael takes us through the chaotic "Grocery Store Gauntlet" to illustrate how we scramble for resources while forgetting the Source behind them all. Through Jesus' healing of ten lepers, we discover that only one returned to thank Him - and he received no...

Not the Boss of Me Speaker: Michael Shockley, ReCreate Church Scripture: 1 John 3:4-7 Episode Summary In part 8 of our 1 John series, Pastor Michael tells the story of Timmy the Tiny, Terrible T-Rex to illustrate our resistance to authority - especially God's. We think refusing to listen to God proves our independence, but it actually proves we're enslaved to our own desires. Through 1 John's teac...

Your Adoption Day Speaker: Michael Shockley, ReCreate Church Scripture: 1 John 3:1-3 Episode Summary In part 7 of our 1 John series, Pastor Michael shares the moving story of Roxie's adult adoption to illustrate what God does for us through Jesus. We're not just forgiven criminals - we're adopted heirs with a new identity, a new family, and a secure place in God's household forever. Through Roman...

The Evidence Speaker: Michael Shockley, ReCreate Church Scripture: 1 John 2:3-11 Episode Summary In part 6 of our 1 John series, Pastor Michael presents an entertaining courtroom skit to ask a crucial question: If your claim to follow Jesus were put on trial, would the evidence of your life and love be convincing? True faith in Jesus isn't about cultural Christianity or religious activities - it's...

Getting off the Merry-Go-Round of Guilt Speaker: Michael Shockley Scripture: 1 John 2:1-2 Episode Summary In part 5 of our 1 John series, Pastor Michael uses the dangerous playground equipment of the 1980s - especially the merry-go-round - to illustrate how we get stuck in destructive cycles of sin, guilt, and distance from God. Through 1 John's teaching about Jesus as our Advocate, we discover ho...

Weather the Winter Speaker: Duncan Crook (An Elder of ReCreate Church) Scripture: John 15:1-8 Episode Summary Duncan Crook uses the metaphor of winter to explore life's difficult seasons - times of loss, health struggles, waiting, or unexplained hardship. Through Jesus' teaching about the vine and branches, we discover how God works through our "winter seasons" to prepare us, prune us, and prove H...