Belay Church Podcast

In week six of the Colossians series, Pastor Paul Durbin walks us through Colossians 3, where the Apostle Paul lays out what comes next after we've been raised with Christ. Using stories from hiking, camping, and a little dog named Perry, Paul unpacks four practical next steps every follower of Jesus can take: pursuing heaven's perspective, putting off old hindrances, putting on Christ's qualities...

In this fifth message from the Book of Colossians, Pastor Paul Durbin walks us through Colossians 2:8–23 and uncovers four sneaky "hijackers" that try to pull our faith away from Jesus. Using a memorable story of a bait-and-switch taxi ride in China, Paul reminds us that in Christ we already have fullness, newness, and forgiveness—and we don't need anything more added to that. He challenges us to...

In part two of his teaching on Christ-like maturity, Pastor Paul Durbin walks Belay'ers through Colossians 1:24–2:7 to unpack three more deliberate practices that grow us into spiritually mature followers of Jesus. He shows how spiritual discernment, continual growth, and overflowing thankfulness move us past fine-sounding arguments and shallow faith into a deeply rooted life in Christ. Using the...

Pastor Paul Durbin explores what it means to pursue real spiritual maturity as a follower of Jesus, drawing from Colossians 1:24–2:7 and his own journey learning Mandarin in China. He challenges Belay’ers to move beyond surface-level faith by embracing four practical practices: joyful suffering, willing service, strenuous contending, and holding on to our hope in Jesus. With stories, honest wrestl...

In this message from Colossians 1:15-23, Pastor Paul Durbin walks us through what many scholars call the most Christ-centered passage in the New Testament. Paul unpacks eight powerful reasons Jesus insists on being the center of our lives—not a welcome guest, not an add-on, but the absolute nucleus around which everything else revolves. From Jesus being the visible image of the invisible God, to t...

In this opening message of a six-week series through Colossians, Pastor Paul Durbin walks us through the first 14 verses of Paul's letter and asks a simple but powerful question: how does God's work keep growing in us after we've believed? Drawing from Paul's prayer for the Colossian church, Paul highlights five growth areas the Holy Spirit wants to develop in every follower of Jesus—clarity, stre...

Paul Durbin teaches from Psalm 119 and asks the same question David asked thousands of years ago: how can a person stay on the path of purity? Purity is not just about avoiding obvious sin; it is a life of honesty, integrity, holiness, and character, where we have nothing to hide and our lives honor God and people. Paul walks through six practical ways to stay on that path: prioritize the Word of...

In this message, Pastor Paul Durbin walks us through 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 and uncovers six surprisingly practical standards for giving. Drawing from Paul's words to a self-absorbed Corinthian church, he shows how generosity pulls us out of ourselves and into God's mission. With honesty, humor, and stories from his own life, Paul invites Belay'ers to see giving not as a burden, but as a beautiful h...

In this message, Kevan Ho walks us through a sweeping survey of the first half of the book of Acts, showing how the early church was born, shaped, and scattered—all in the rhythm of God's mission. From the confrontation of the gospel to a community marked by devotion, from facing real problems to being sent out by unnamed everyday people, Kevan invites us to find ourselves in this ongoing story. T...

In this message, Rudolf Kabutz invites Belay’ers to see global missions not as something far away or only for “missionaries,” but as a calling Jesus brings right into our everyday lives. Through stories from South Africa, the Horn of Africa, Trans World Radio, and John 4, Rudolf shows how Jesus crosses boundaries to meet the Samaritan woman with living water—and then sends her back into her own co...

In this heartfelt message from Matthew 11:28–30, Pastor Favour Ibom invites us to lay down the heavy backpacks we've been hauling through life—regrets, fears, expectations, and pressures—and accept Jesus' invitation to true rest. Using the picture of a hiker who keeps picking up "souvenirs" along the trail until the journey becomes a burden, Pastor Favour walks us through four simple steps using t...

In this Resurrection Sunday message, Pastor Paul Durbin explores the Chinese character for righteousnessand how it beautifully illustrates the gospel story. Drawing from his years in China, Paul shows how this ancient picture language reveals the heart of the Easter story—a lamb (Jesus) covering “me” (the sinner). Through Scripture and story, we see that righteousness isn’t something we earn or ma...

In this Easter message, Pastor Paul Durbin teaches from Matthew 28 and reminds us that the resurrection is more than a moment—it’s proof that Jesus can be trusted. He keeps His promises just as He said. He welcomes our doubts because some still doubted. And He never leaves us for He is with us always. Even when faith feels shaky, Jesus remains faithful, powerful, and present.

In this Palm Sunday message, Pastor Paul Durbin reminds Belay’ers that Jesus didn’t just enter Jerusalem as a teacher or miracle worker—He entered as King. Much like a soldier reporting for duty, Jesus fully stepped into His role, knowing what was ahead. Pastor Paul explores how we respond to King Jesus today: by surrendering our stuff, giving our worship, and fixing our eyes on Him. Jesus doesn’t...

In this message, Christian Braly explores the intersection of apologetics and suffering—not as an abstract debate, but as an invitation into deeper relationship with God and others. He argues that the question "Why does a loving God allow suffering?" actually assumes inherent value, which points us back to the God who created us with dignity and worth. Christian reminds us that Jesus doesn't expla...

Pastor Paul Durbin walks us through the "Anchored Stages"—an eight-stage journey that spells out the word ANCHORED. Using the life of the Apostle Paul as the primary example, Paul shows how each of us moves from being against God all the way to becoming a discipler of others. Whether you're just starting to ask questions about faith or you've been following Jesus for decades, this message invites...

In this message, Pastor Paul Durbin opens Luke 11 and shows that the disciples do not ask Jesus how to impress people, draw crowds, or do miracles—they ask Him, “Lord, teach us to pray.” Pastor Paul calls Belay to grow in two simple but powerful kinds of prayer: direct prayer, where we come to God with praise, our needs, and the needs of others; and declarative prayer, where we rise from fellowshi...

In this message, Pastor Paul Durbin wraps up Belay’s “Relationship Ready” series with a compelling call into covenant love. Instead of settling for convenient or contractual relationships, he invites Belay’ers to embrace the high-risk, high-reward adventure of gritty, accountable community—modeled after Jesus’ unwavering faithfulness. Paul uses honest stories and real-life Scripture to show that c...

In this message, Pastor Paul Durbin walks through one of the most honest and hopeful topics in all of relationships — reconciliation. Using Romans 12:18 as the foundation, Paul defines reconciliation as moving toward an alienated relationship in gentleness and humility, hoping for peace, but knowing you cannot control the outcome. Through a short animated film and a simple but powerful matrix, Pau...

In this message, Pastor Paul Durbin walks us through Jesus’s clear, practical steps for Christlike conflict resolution—and lovingly dismantles our excuses for avoiding tough conversations. Whether you’re the one who caused harm or the one who’s hurting, Scripture calls us to be the peacemakers. Pulling from Matthew 5 and Matthew 18, Paul outlines Jesus’ four-step process and contrasts it with how...

In this message, Pastor Paul Durbin challenges us to speak with “Christ-like candor”—where our words carry both truth and love. Pulling from Ephesians 4:15, we’re reminded that real growth happens when we communicate with kind clarity. In a world where people swing between coddling, cruelty, and caustic comments, Jesus invites us to be different. This teaching gives us a blueprint for having hard...

In this powerful testimony message, Paul and Patty Durbin share the remarkable story of how God called them from Beijing, China to Boulder, Colorado to start a church. From unexpected dreams to middle-of-the-night confirmations, to TV movies, kid’s drawings, and even a talking fish—this message is filled with moments that reveal just how personal and persistent God can be when He's leading us into...

This week at Belay, Pastor Paul Durbin continues our “Relationship Repair” series by unpacking the power of repentance. Building on last week’s message on forgiveness, Paul tackles what it means to take ownership when we’re the ones who messed up. Using stories like Zacchaeus, the Corinthians, King Saul, and the Prodigal Son, we’re reminded that true repentance isn’t just about feeling bad—it’s he...

In this message, Pastor Paul Durbin explores the deep, messy work of forgiveness through the lens of Jesus’ parable in Matthew 18. Using real-life stories, biblical teaching, and a practical heart-posture matrix, Paul reminds us that forgiveness isn’t about keeping tally—it’s about living free. Forgiveness means canceling the debt and keeping our hearts open, even when trust is broken or repayment...

In this message, guest Michi Sigloch shares a powerful and personal story of how God guided his family through a season of major life decisions—leaving a job, coming to Boulder, and stepping into the unknown. Through Scripture and story, Michi shows that God is always speaking and leading, even when the way forward isn't clear. From Israel's pillar of cloud, to the voice of the Good Shepherd, to t...