Live Faith First Podcast

Faith and politics can get so intertwined.  The history of Christianity in the U.S., the churches response to political agendas, and Christian Nationalism all play a part in today’s cultural milieu.  Christians seeking diligently to get it right, can come to different conclusions.  In this episode we discuss seeking a nonpartisan, Jesus centered approach to politics. Miranda Zapor Cruz, author of...

The U.S. is polarized.  We say it as if it’s truth.  When it’s written in articles, there’s no footnotes, usually no stats to back it up–we accept it as the truth about our current cultural moment.  But are we really that polarized?  If so, how polarized are we?  And of course, if we are that divided, what can we do about it?  Pearce Godwin of Listen First Project joins the podcast to help us answ...

Jesus had some politically cringe-worthy sayings about himself.  Daniel decided to skip the steak but take a Babylonian name.  Paul tells us to pray for politicians.  There are some things that at face value don’t make a lot of sense in the Bible.  In this season of donkeys, and elephants are you the ostrich, putting your head in the sand and hoping all this blows over?  There are other approaches...

Which news stations should I watch to be a responsible news consumer? How do I know what is true and whom I can trust? What can I do to combat all the misinformation and how it's impacting people I care about?  In this podcast episode, Bonnie Kristian and I explore these questions and how to best navigate the overwhelming media and information environment. Bonnie Kristian is the editorial dire...

Candidate for House of Representatives, Anita Chen joins the Live Faith First podcast.  Anita has a refreshingly compassionate platform which grew out of her time as a teacher in Santa Clara County.  She would tell her students that they should stand-up for what they think is right, and help to protect those in society that needed a system of protection around them.  Her message sank in so much th...

Kaitlyn Schiess joins the podcast to discuss politics and the church, especially how should Christians engage with the political system.  It’s a relevant topic as we discuss historical and present day approaches with an eye for how discipleship informs our political convictions. Kaitlyn is a writer, an author, and a doctoral student at Duke Divinity School studying political theology, ethics, and...

Dr. Gayle Beebe is the President of Westmont College and the author of The Crucibles that Shape Us.  In his time at Westmont College he has navigated crucibles like wildfires on campus, deadly landslides in their community, COVID-19 restrictions, and their student’s response to the George Floyd murder, amongst other things.  In those crucibles, Dr. Beebe has grown as a person and a leader, and he...

The U.S. Church is always on the move.  Currently, there is a decline in attendance amongst Gen Z and Millenials.  This trend is partially attributed to the mono-cultural nature of many churches.  The world around us is more and more multi-cultural and multi-ethnic and often churches remain mono-cultural and mono-ethnic.  This lack of diversity is not a place where younger generations want to invi...

In the heart of Mississippi, there’s an organization that is bringing people together across divides.  Jackson, Mississippi has historically been one of the most segregated cities in the U.S.  In the early 90’s, a group of people set out to bring people together across ethnic lines and Mission Mississippi was born.  Over the past 30 years, hundreds of relationships have been built, which has made...

Ever wonder if God is sitting in heaven laughing as we try to live a hopeful life.  God has a wry smile saying “they bought it, they think hope is real.”  If so, then check out this podcast.  Pastor Irwyn Ince Jr. wrote the book “Hope Ain’t a Hustle”-as in God didn’t get one over on us when He told us that hope was a real thing.  In this conversation, we discuss living with the Holy Spirit in us a...

Jazz music is eclectic, unpredictable, local and moves with the spirit of the musicians playing together.  Church can be the same!!! Eclectic, unpredictable, local and moves with the Spirit as Jesus’ followers live together.  Mark Glanville, Jazz Musician, pastor and professor uses Jazz as a metaphor to describe what Jesus’ followers and His Church can (should?) look like.   In this conversation M...

Life is a journey of learning who we are, trying to figure out how we fit into our communities and into God’s creation.  This journey can be more challenging when we look different than the majority culture, when we think differently than our peers, when our food has different spices and ingredients.  For many people, blending in, and not standing out is highly important.  That can be challenging...

Faith, risk, perseverance, unexpected obstacles, community, belonging, family-these are all words that describe Chris and Julie Bennett’s journey from Oklahoma to California, living in 20 places in 12 months, surviving cancer TWICE and building community and belonging at the same time.   Chris and Julie Bennett are the authors of “Fighting for Family” a story of fighting for family (not with famil...

How is your work life balance?  Are you where you thought you’d be in your career?  What do I do if I’m just starting out in my career?  I’m at the twilight of my career-what do I have to offer?  This podcast answers all these questions and more. We interview Jeff Haanen, founder of Denver Institute of Faith and Work and the author of “Working from the Inside Out.”  Jeff writes on faith, finance,...

The beginning of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount start with the beatitudes-the “Blessed are the…” and when we read that blessed are the meek, and blessed are those that mourn it’s easy to wonder if this really applies to us.  I don’t feel meek, and what does meekness truly look like?  If the beatitudes start Jesus’ most famous sermon then knowing how they apply and how to live them out may be really im...

If you’ve read through the Bible you’ve inevitably come across passages where God wants to be the loving husband to His people.  God uses words like faithful, jealous, committed, loving and even calls the church the Bride of Christ.  These terms are used throughout the Bible, and often we overlook them as hyperbole, when they actually are marriage words, words of commitment and a desire to be clos...

Disclaimer : The content of this podcast may include discussions on sensitive or distressing topics. Listener discretion is advised. While we strive to approach these subjects with respect and empathy, individual reactions may vary. Please prioritize your well-being and feel free to pause or skip any content that you find unsettling. If you need support, don't hesitate to reach out to a truste...

Can you imagine living WITHOUT anxiety?  It seems impossible, it might be impossible, but it doesn’t have to be completely debilitating.  There is another way to live that brings peace, the peace of God, into the midst of our fears and anxieties.   Alan Fadling is president and founder of Unhurried Living, Inc. in Mission Viejo, California. He speaks and consults internationally with organizations...

In one U.S. County, $500,000,000 (that’s a half-BILLION dollars) is spent on a single budget line item.  It’s a subject on most politicians' political platform.  It’s a subject that people talk about and almost universally acknowledge as a challenge in our communities and universally are at a loss for a long-term solution.  This one issue is homelessness.  How do we address the unhoused in our...

Radio personality GaryScott Thomas joins the podcast.  GaryScott Thomas has been a DJ in the San Jose Bay Area on KRTY for decades, he is also the host of Here’s What We Know podcast-which is ranked in the top 5% globally.  GaryScott is a follower of Jesus, and an incredible story teller.  The Groundswell Live Faith First podcast host Elliot Sands and GaryScott Thomas interview each other-listen t...

Blue Lives Matter, defund the Police, don’t change a thing, re-work the police force-it’s broken.  There are so many sides to the police debate and from the outside looking in, it hardly seems like there’s a good solution, or is a solution even needed?   We talk to former police officer, and insider Daniel Reinhardt.  He served as a police officer for 24 years, and learned police culture. In his t...

“Call my lawyer.”  It’s a great line in a crime drama, but most people don’t have a lawyer on speed-dial.  In fact, the moment we step into the legal world, it gets confusing AND expensive.  For many people in the U.S. the legal system is impossible to navigate.  Administer Justice was created to fill this gap in our society. Bruce Strom, Author of Persevering Power and Founder of Administer Justi...

Let’s shed some light on humility.  It’s one of those Christian attributes that we like to put right next to patience or long-suffering.  We know it’s good for us, just like it’s good for us to have veggies with dinner.  If I have to, I will.  We love it when we interact with a truly humble person, but we’re not sure we can do it ourselves. In this podcast, we dispel some of the misunderstandings...

Did you know the words justice and righteousness go hand in hand in the Bible?  We often think they’re two separate subjects, but they are deeply intertwined.  Righteousness can seem so behavioral, and justice so activist but they're significantly more nuanced and connected.  In our polarized world, it is easy to live in a "us" and "them" world, a world where we don’t cross...

Community seems harder and harder to come by.  We’re always around people, but often we don’t feel like we belong.  People just don’t get us, they’re not actually our people and we don’t know what to do to build lasting healthy relationships.  We start to think we’re better alone, but we are made for connection and community Author and Pastor David Kim joins us to discuss “Made to Belong:  Five Pr...