Dustin Kleinschmidt Podcast

Do I matter? Most of us don’t ask the question directly, but it sits underneath far more of our lives than we realize. It’s why success feels so satisfying. Why failure feels so personal. Why comparison is so exhausting. Why criticism can linger for days. We’re all searching for value, worth, purpose, and significance. In this episode, Dustin continues the By Design series by exploring Ephesians 2...

Strength isn’t the goal. In a world that constantly pushes us to be more capable, more put together, and more in control, this episode flips that assumption on its head. What if the life God designed us for doesn’t come through strength—but through surrender? Looking at 2 Corinthians 4, this conversation explores the tension between how we define success and how Jesus actually forms us. Weakness,...

What this episode is about We spend a lot of time paying attention to what’s happening around us. Cultural shifts. Moral confusion. A growing sense that things are moving away from the way of Jesus. But Scripture points us somewhere unexpected. In Colossians 2, Paul warns that the greater danger isn’t just what’s happening outside the church—it’s what can quietly take root within us. Ideas, assump...

What this episode is about At the core of the human experience is a desire for comfort and control.   We want to follow Jesus—but we also want our lives to make sense. We want things to work. We want to feel like we’re moving forward and that our faith is producing results we can see and measure.   But Jesus offers a very different framework.   In Matthew 16, He says that anyone who wants to follo...

Our culture talks a lot about authenticity. But most of what we call “authentic” is still a performance—just a more carefully curated one. In this episode, we explores what the Bible actually means by authenticity. In 1 John 1, the apostle John describes a life lived in the light—where we stop hiding, stop pretending, and begin to live honestly before God and others. Real authenticity isn’t someth...

What this episode is about Before Jesus ever preaches the Beatitudes, before he tells us not to worry, before he teaches us to love our enemies, he says something simple and disruptive: “Repent. The kingdom has come near.” Repent doesn’t mean grovel. It means turn. Which is good news if you are facing the wrong direction. We’ve built habits, thought patterns, identities, coping strategies, and sma...

What this episode is about In a world marked by instability, uncertainty, and constant pressure, worry often feels unavoidable—even responsible. But in Matthew 6, Jesus challenges that assumption head-on. In this episode, we walk through Jesus’ teaching on worry from the Sermon on the Mount and explore how anxiety is often tied to deeper questions of trust, control, and identity. Worry may feel pr...

What this episode is about Most of us reduce worship to songs on Sunday. But biblically, worship is much bigger—and much more personal. Worship is what you assign ultimate value to. It’s what your life is orbiting around. And whether you realize it or not, you’re worshiping all day, every day. In Romans 12:1–2, Paul says the only reasonable response to God’s mercy is to offer ourselves—our whole l...

In this episode, we explore John 15:1–17, one of Jesus’ final teachings to his disciples before the cross. Spoken in a moment of fear, confusion, and impending loss, Jesus offers a vision of life with God that runs counter to our instincts for control, self-management, and independence. Using the image of a vine and branches, Jesus reframes what it means to follow him. Life, fruitfulness, and tran...

What does it actually mean to be transformed—not just improved, managed, or spiritually “held together,” but changed from the inside out? In this episode, Dustin explores the quiet flaw many of us live with: the belief that our flourishing depends on our circumstances. Drawing from 1 Peter 1, this teaching looks at how the resurrection of Jesus offers something deeper than survival—a living hope t...

Some of us believe that God loves us because he has to. That he forgives us, but barely. That he sees our mess and rolls his eyes—or worse, turns away. But what if that isn’t true? In Luke 15, Jesus tells a story that cuts through all our assumptions—about failure, performance, grace, and what it means to come home. This episode explores: Why sin has an appetite that never gets full What happens w...

This Week on the Podcast: What if the disruption you’re resisting is the doorway to deeper transformation? In this message, we explore: How God meets us in the ordinary Why disruption gets our attention in ways comfort never can How encountering Jesus leads us from fear to freedom Why transformation often begins in the moments we want to avoid Through stories of unexpected encounters and surprisin...

Episode: Do you Want to Get well? Scripture: John 5:1–15 Isaiah 35:5–6 John 14:6 John 20:30–31 Main Ideas: Jesus intentionally moves toward the most broken, overlooked, and desperate people. Grace comes before change. Jesus heals first, then calls the man to sin no more. The religious leaders miss the miracle because they’re obsessed with rules—just like we often miss what God is doing when we’re...

Episode: When Jesus Moves In This week’s message centers on one of the most transformational encounters in all of Scripture—Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4). Her story reminds us that: Jesus pursues us in our mess, even when we’re trying to avoid everyone else. He asks the deeper questions and gets beneath the surface to expose the real thirst within us. He doesn’t condemn—He inv...

Title: War for Worship Series: Becoming – A Journey Through 1 Samuel In this teaching from 1 Samuel 8, Dustin explores how Israel’s desire for a human king wasn’t just a political request—it was a spiritual rejection. After experiencing God’s faithfulness, the people still insisted on being like the other nations. They wanted safety, predictability, and control. But in their demand, they forgot wh...

Series: Becoming… Episode: Framework for Freedom Text: 1 Samuel 6 We like life to be simple. Good or bad. Right or wrong. Hero or villain. But the reality of the human heart—and the biblical story—is far more complex. This week’s message dives deep into that complexity, exploring how even Israel’s enemies—the Philistines—model a surprising posture of humility, surrender, and repentance. In this ep...

Episode Notes Series: Becoming Episode Title: Broken Idols Passage: 1 Samuel 5 Episode Overview: We all have idols—things we lean on for identity, security, comfort, or control. In 1 Samuel 5, the Philistines learn a hard truth: God will not be placed alongside false gods. He will not be managed, manipulated, or minimized. In this episode, we explore how the story of Dagon falling before the Ark o...

Episode Notes Series: Becoming Passage: 1 Samuel 2:12–36 Theme: The contrast between spiritual corruption (Hophni & Phinehas) and focused faithfulness (Samuel) Key Questions: What gets most of your attention and affection? Where in your life do you feel spiritually passive or distracted? How can you reorient your heart toward a faithful focus on God? 📝 Reflect: Confess the places where your h...

New series: Becoming (Exploring 1 Samuel) Teaching text: 1 Samuel 1 Key themes: Life rarely goes as planned—and that may be God’s grace. Faithfulness often looks like fighting to keep showing up. Hannah’s honest, broken prayer models what surrender really looks like. We don’t need perfect words—just a real heart before God. God hears, God cares, and He always responds (yes, no, or wait). Steadfast...

This episode explores the hard but beautiful call to forgiveness through the parable of the unforgiving servant in Matthew 18. Key themes: Why forgiveness is not about excusing or minimizing sin. How carrying unforgiveness fills our hearts with fear, anger, and loss. What forgiveness is and what it is not—including why forgiveness and justice are not mutually exclusive. Why forgiveness is less abo...

This episode explores Luke 10:25–37 and the parable of the Good Samaritan through a fresh lens. Topics covered: Why the lawyer’s question, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”, reveals a deeper problem. How Jesus uses the story to raise the bar—not lower it. Why being a “good neighbor” isn’t about trying harder, but about surrender. What it means that we can’t live up to the standard of “love...

In this powerful episode, Dustin explores the beauty, depth, and symbolism of the Passover meal and how Jesus transforms it into the Lord’s Supper. You’ll gain a new appreciation for communion, not as a religious ritual, but as a deeply personal reminder of redemption, grace, and the hope of the coming Kingdom. 🕊️ Main Passage: Luke 22:7–30 Watch the full teaching on YouTube: Click here to view Co...

Episode Notes • Teaching Text: Luke 15:11–32 • This is not just a story about rebellion—it’s a story about restoration. • There are two prodigals: • One ran away in selfishness. • One stayed and served in self-righteousness. • Both believed false stories about the Father. • The younger son thought he’d gone too far. • The older son thought he’d done enough. • But both were wrong. • The real story...

Two men go to the temple to pray: one confident in his own goodness, the other painfully aware of his need for mercy. Only one walks away justified. This episode cuts through the noise of religious performance and self-righteousness to reveal the raw and humbling truth of grace. Episode Notes This episode continues the Story Formed series, challenging the false narratives we often live by. Teachin...

Story Formed is a teaching series that explores how we are shaped by the stories we believe. • “Audacious Prayers” looks at Luke 11:1-13, where Jesus teaches His disciples to pray. • Our prayers—or lack of them—reveal how we view God. Is He a distant, uninterested being, or a loving Father who welcomes us with open arms? • Homer Simpson’s prayer illustrate how we often ignore reality or treat God...