Pick Up the Mike

In this week's episode, Will sits down with Pastor Joe Killeen from the Indiana campus for a "get to know your pastor" conversation. Joe shares his remarkable journey from a Catholic upbringing in Pennsylvania's North Hills through his father's struggles with alcoholism and eventual sobriety. The episode traces Joe's path from rejecting church in a high school philosophy...

In this week's episode, Mike and Will begin by reacting to Babylon Bee's satirical "Woke Jesus" video, contrasting it with an actual progressive preacher to highlight how far liberal Christianity has strayed from Biblical truth. They then revisit their previous conclusions about Israel and the Church before discussing the recent bombing of Iran. The conversation shifts to examini...

In this episode, Mike and Will tackle a listener's long-awaited question about replacement theology, exploring whether the Church has replaced Israel in God's plan. They dive into the theological camps: dispensationalists who see Israel and the Church as completely separate entities, and replacement theologians who view the Church as the new spiritual Israel. After extensively analyzing ke...

In this week's episode, Mike and Will explore the intersection of media narratives, pastoral responsibility, and cultural engagement, examining how Christians can discern truth in an age of deception. They analyze recent LA riots over ICE raids, demonstrating how mainstream media "gaslights" viewers. Moving into the biblical mandate for pastoral cultural engagement, they examine Daniel 11:32 and a...

In this week's episode, Will introduces Isaac as Harvest Church's newest pastor through an in-depth biographical interview covering his journey from a guilt-ridden Pentecostal childhood to missionary service in Asia. They explore Isaac's early salvation experience at Harvest and his calling to missions work alongside his wife Danielle. Isaac shares deeply personal stories of depression and anxiety...

In this week's episode, Mike and Will explore the fascinating intersection of artificial intelligence and biblical end times prophecy, examining whether modern technology could fulfill ancient predictions about deception and the Antichrist. They begin with Daniel's vision of earthly kingdoms, tracing the progression from Babylon to Rome and discussing how Christ's kingdom represents th...

In this episode, Mike and Will interview the new campus pastor Kevin Bishop, tracing his remarkable journey from Trinidad accountant to Ecuador missionary. They humorously navigate Kevin's surprisingly vanilla childhood - cycling, Catholic school, and algebra enthusiasm - before exploring how a post-graduation existential crisis led to his conversion through a gospel-preaching funeral and men&...

In this week's episode, Mike and Will tackle the controversial question "Is it a sin for Christian couples to marry without wanting children?" They examine Genesis to unpack God's original design for marriage and children. Through biblical analysis and personal stories, they contrast traditional marriage perspectives with modern attitudes toward delaying or avoiding parenthood. M...

In this episode, Mike and Will explore the deep theological concept of repentance, breaking down its true meaning beyond simply "stop sinning." They humorously analyze video clips from different preachers, critique their definitions, and contrast remorse versus true life transformation. The conversation shifts to Colossians 3, examining God's design for family relationships where the...

Mike and Will begin with a passionate examination of global geopolitical shifts, exploring the tensions between nationalism and globalism playing out across countries like India, Hungary, and Italy. The conversation shifts to Psalms, a Bible study examining how "nations rage" while God remains sovereign over world events. The final segment tackles heavenly rewards and end-times perspecti...

In this episode, Mike and Will explore Harold Burchett's "Healing for the Church," dissecting why traditional churches resist change despite declining impact. They humorously describe "old-timey churches" with their rigid traditions before unpacking Burchett's principles for revitalization including "steady investment produces steady growth" and "let the...

In this week's episode, Mike and Will talk about cultural compromise on gender roles within influential churches. They analyze Andy Stanley's church training video on gender dysphoria, discussing its validation of children's gender confusion rather than affirming biological reality. They examine NewSpring Church's withdrawal from the Southern Baptist Convention over women in ministry, identifying...

In this week's episode, Mike and Will explore practical evangelism strategies, examining how to effectively share faith despite the Bible offering surprisingly few specific methods. They analyze outreach approaches through video examples and personal stories, discussing the limitations of the "pray the prayer" method while emphasizing genuine relationship-building. They cover practical evangelism...

In this week's episode, Mike and Will explore the surprising effectiveness of teachers by breaking down the three key elements of persuasive communication: ethos (credibility), pathos (emotional connection), and logos (logical argument). They analyze sermon clips from Kenneth Copeland, Joel Osteen, Benny Hinn, Tony Campolo, and Alistair Begg, revealing how these speakers utilize these tools wi...

In this week's episode, Mike and Will welcome special guest David Burton to explore the Sabbath in depth, examining its historical context as a covenant with Israel while discussing its practical application for Christians today. They dive into Colossians 2:16 and Hebrews 4, analyzing how Christ fulfilled the Sabbath and what it means to enter God's rest through salvation rather than relig...

In this week's episode, Mike and Will address theological questions from their recent men's retreat about contemporary worship styles, defending modern music and production elements as culturally appropriate tools for meaningful participation. They dive into Colossians 2:11 for Bible study, which triggers a spirited debate between infant baptism and believer's baptism perspectives. The...

In this episode of Pick Up the Mic, Mike and Will tackle the misconception that God the Father is the "bad cop" while Jesus is the "good cop," providing numerous examples of Jesus's stern warnings in the New Testament. They dive deep into Colossians 2:9-10, exploring how "all the fullness of deity dwells" in Christ and what that means for today's church. After some nostalgic discussion about Ted N...

Mike and Will begin with a passionate discussion about world religions, arguing that Christianity uniquely welcomes debate and challenges while other major religions show "cowardice" by silencing opposition. They then dive into a Bible study of Colossians 2, working through Paul's complex language about being rooted in Christ and the challenges of understanding his dense writing styl...

In this episode of Pick Up the Mic, Mike and Will dive into the complexities of Calvinist theology, breaking down the TULIP acronym while sharing personal perspectives on God's sovereignty and human choice. They then explore 2 Corinthians 11, examining Paul's use of marriage metaphors to describe his relationship with the church. The episode concludes with an extensive analysis of JD Vance...

In this week's episode, Campus Pastor Vince shares his journey from homeschooled youth to his current role at Harvest's Natrona Heights campus. The conversation then explores Biblical perspectives on strong language in preaching, and concludes with a discussion about the distinctions between pastoral offices and church duties.----------------------------------------------------------Subscribe to H...

In this week's episode, Mike and Will explore recent sermons on prayer and share personal insights from their community groups about trusting God's fatherly character. Their Bible study of Luke 11 examines Jesus's confrontations with religious leaders and His rebuke of hypocrisy. The episode concludes with a cultural commentary on how social media and alternative news sources are reshaping public...

Join Pick Up the Mike as guest Brian Hodel shares his journey from financial stress to freedom through biblical money management. This candid conversation with Pastor Mike Greiner and Will Land cuts through typical financial advice to explore how trust, generosity, and faith can transform your relationship with money, offering wisdom for both the financially secure and those struggling to make end...

In this week's episode Mike and Will discuss "What is clergy?" as well as dive into Luke 11, and talk about the biblical implications of a certain chocolate factory.

In this week's episode, Mike and Will explore the priesthood of believers and how Jesus transformed traditional spiritual leadership. Through their Bible study of Luke 10, they examine the Good Samaritan parable and Mary & Martha story, analyzing Jesus's teachings on true neighborliness. They introduce their new "Gospel in the Movies" segment with a look at Willy Wonka as an illustration of gr...

In this powerful episode of Pick Up the Mike, we sit down with Dan Barker, a Vietnam veteran and long-time member of Harvest Church. Dan shares his remarkable journey from serving with The Walking Dead regiment in Vietnam to finding renewed faith and purpose. Through candid stories of combat miracles, PTSD, and personal transformation, Dan demonstrates how God's faithfulness carried him through li...