Together 4 Good: Making Sense of Life and Faith

Why has singing been part of worship for thousands of years? In this episode of Together 4 Good, we explore why music reaches parts of us that words alone sometimes cannot. From ancient Scripture to Sunday morning worship, singing connects our hearts to God, connects us to one another, and can even carry our faith when believing feels difficult. We also look at the powerful connection between musi...

What if the church’s future does not depend on becoming cooler, trendier, or more like the successful church down the street? In this episode of Together 4 Good , Pastor Nate Preisinger explores why churches—and individuals—are healthiest when they stop trying to imitate someone else and begin embracing the particular gifts, history, personality, and calling God has given them. From a fictional Lu...

Why do we need one another—and what does community have to do with our life of faith? In this episode of Together4Good, Pastor Nate reflects on our deep human longing for connection and the belief that relationship is woven into the way God created us. From the communal nature of the Trinity to Jesus’ compassion, confession in worship, and the healing that comes when we can honestly say, “I’m stru...

In this special rebroadcast Pastor Nate is talking about spirituality in everyday life. Because let’s be honest sometimes faith can start to feel like another thing on the to-do list. Go to church. Read your Bible. Say your prayers. And all of that matters, but having faith is so much more than just going to church or reading your Bible. It’s about connection and relationships. Remembering that Go...

What if Zacchaeus isn’t a story about a bad man who finally becomes good? In this episode of Sunday School Remix, Pastor Nate takes another look at Luke 19 and explores what changes when we pay attention to the details we may have missed in Sunday school. The story becomes less about fixing Zacchaeus and more about Jesus seeing someone the crowd had already labeled and written off. What You’ll Lea...

What if the disciples’ biggest fear wasn’t the storm, but the possibility that Jesus didn’t care? In Mark 4:35–41, Jesus calms a storm that has terrified even the experienced fishermen in the boat. Pastor Nate looks at what the sea represented in the biblical world, why Jesus’ power over it matters, and how this familiar story speaks to our questions about fear, faith, and whether God really sees...

What does it actually mean to trust the Bible? Pastor Nate and Kate Souther talk about biblical interpretation, what we mean when we call Scripture the Word of God, and why faithful Christians can read the same passage differently. They explore literal readings, the bigger truths Scripture reveals about God, and why reading the Bible in community matters. What You’ll Learn: Why the Bible can commu...

Pastor Nate sits down with Pastor Gary Sandberg, for a deeply personal conversation about what keeps us coming back to church. Yes, the headlines continue to shout about church decline. However, this episode serves as a reminder that staying is its own kind of testimony. They talk candidly about: The real reasons people leave church, and the quieter reasons people stay Grace, commitment, and why t...

What does it mean that God chose to become human? In this episode of Together for Good, Pastor Nate sits down with Pastor Alex LaChapelle for a conversation about the Incarnation, baptism, grace, and what it means to be fully human. Together, they explore why God works through ordinary people, how our failures do not erase our worth, and what changes when we remember that we and our neighbors were...

Most of us learned that Daniel and the lions' den is a story about praying faithfully and trusting God to keep us safe. But what if there's something much deeper happening? In this episode of Sunday School Remix , Pastor Nate explores Daniel 6 through the lens of exile, empire, and faithful resistance. Rather than a story about escaping hardship, Daniel becomes a powerful example of how or...

What can a 173-mile pilgrimage teach a family about faith, resilience, and life together? Dave and Jll McLain join Pastor Nate on Together 4 Good to share how they walked the Camino de Santiago from Porto, Portugal, to Santiago de Compostela, Spain, with their four children. Along the way, aching feet, welcoming villages, fellow pilgrims, and small acts of generosity open into a conversation about...

What if Jacob wrestling with God is not about refusing to let go, but about releasing the person he has always been? In this episode of Sunday School Remix, Pastor Nate explores Genesis 32 and the night Jacob wrestles with a mysterious stranger. Jacob leaves the encounter wounded, renamed, blessed, and finally able to face his brother with honesty instead of control. What You’ll LearnWhy Jacob’s h...

What happens when we stop trying to prove that we are good enough? Pastor Nate talks with the Rev. Alex LaChapelle about law and gospel, the pressure to fix ourselves, and the freedom of trusting that God’s love is already present. Together, they explore why the church is bigger than any building, how grace changes the way we see ourselves and our neighbors, and why God continues to see possibilit...

Pastor Nate explores how this familiar story from 1 Samuel 17 challenges our assumptions about power, leadership, fear, and faith. David does not defeat Goliath by becoming stronger than him. He refuses to fight according to Goliath’s rules. Why King Saul is an important part of the David and Goliath story How fear can grow through repeated displays of power Why David refuses to wear Saul’s armor...

In this episode of Together for Good, Pastor Nate Preisinger joins Carolyn Tarr of the Collective Narrative Project for a conversation about digital ministry, storytelling, and what it means to create spaces where people can share their stories. Together, they talk about Bethany’s podcast studio, DU Campus Ministry, and how faith communities can offer something hopeful and grounding in a noisy dig...

We all know the story of the Good Samaritan. Most of us learned it in Sunday school as a lesson about being kind, helping others, and doing the right thing. But Jesus wasn’t just giving us another moral rule to follow. In this Sunday School Remix episode, I take a deeper look at Luke 10:25–37 and the moment that prompted Jesus to tell this parable in the first place. A lawyer—someone who knew all...

In this episode of Together 4 Good, Pastor Nate talks with Addison Andrix, Bethany’s new youth director, about the youth mission trip to San Diego. They share stories from the road, service projects, border learning, late-night conversations, and the big faith questions students carried home with them. This is a conversation about youth ministry, compassion, privilege, community, and what happens...

What if the parable of the mustard seed is not just about something small becoming big? In this episode of Sunday School Remix, Pastor Nate looks at Luke 13:18-19 and invites us to see the kingdom of God as something disruptive, surprising, merciful, and deeply welcoming. Jesus’ vision is not empire, power, or control. It is small acts of mercy that make room for people to rest, belong, and find h...

In this episode of Together for Good, Nate sits down with Kate Souther after her first year of seminary to talk about what big theology has to do with everyday life. They explore the Book of Job, loving people we tend to exclude, creation care, scapegoating, and why grace keeps us moving without despair. Kate also shares what is drawing her toward parish ministry and the holy gifts of baptism and...

What if the Ten Commandments are not about earning God’s love, but about learning how to live after being set free? In this episode of Sunday School Remix, Pastor Nate looks at Exodus 20 and reframes the commandments as a gift rooted in grace, freedom, and community. God frees Israel first, then shows them a new way to live that does not repeat the fear, control, and exhaustion of Egypt. What You’...

What does faith have to say when life feels stressful, uncertain, or too much to carry alone? In this episode of Together 4 Good, Pastor Nate talks with Deacon Debra about Bethany Day Camp, the Rainbow Trail Lutheran Camp curriculum, and how Philippians 4:6–7 helps kids and adults bring their anxiety, questions, and gratitude to God. What You’ll Learn: How Bethany’s Day Camp connects with Rainbow...

You’ve heard the story of Adam and Eve before: a snake, an apple, a garden, and a whole lot of trouble. But what if that’s not what the story was ever meant to be about? In this first episode of Sunday School Remix, Pastor Nate digs into the Garden of Eden story with grown-up eyes. Together, we look at how this ancient story speaks to our world today, where we still wrestle with control, guilt, an...

Pastor Nate talks with Pastor Eric Shafer, Pastor in Residence at Global Refuge, about refugees, immigration, faith, and what it means to love our neighbors in real life. This Together 4 Good conversation explores why refugee support is deeply connected to Christian faith, Lutheran history, and the biblical call to welcome the stranger. Eric shares how Global Refuge supports immigrants and refugee...

What if the story of the fiery furnace is not about having enough faith to get what you want? In this episode of Sunday School Remix, Pastor Nate looks at Daniel 3 and the deeper story beneath the Sunday school version: exile, identity, control, fragile power, and a faith that trusts God beyond the outcome. What You’ll Learn: Why the fiery furnace story is about more than survival How exile shaped...

Pastor Nate sits down with his dad, Rev. David Warren Preisinger, for a conversation about church history, family, faith, and why people keep showing up even when church gets messy. Dave shares what it was like to be part of Seminex, the Seminary in Exile, and how that experience shaped his understanding of leadership, community, and trusting God in uncertain moments. At the heart of this episode...