Pondo Podcast

The Pondo Podcast relaunches with Cody and new co-host Grace Ware (Camp Pondo’s marketing director) beginning a new season by “pressing pause on the noise” to discuss biblical rest, especially as winter camp continues. They contrast common ideas of rest as collapse after exhaustion with Scripture’s picture of rest as completion, satisfaction, and trust in God, starting with Genesis 2 and moving to...

Jeremy and Lisa are amazing people and dear friends of the Pondo team. We talk about the relationship between camp and youth ministry and hear some awesome stories about how they've seen God use Pondo to impact their students, leaders, and family!  If you or someone you know has been impacted by a camp experience as part of their story, would you consider partnering with us in our mission to creat...

Chatting with one of the most adventurous pastors in Southern California about what it means to be gospel centered. Neal breaks down some moments from his life that have lead him to completely trusting and depending on the work of Jesus. Neal is heavily involved with Camp Pondo and sheds some light on how he sees God at work in and through camp!

On this episode of Campfire Conversations, the Tarkington brothers talk about their history and experiences of states of the good ol' US of A. The guys talk about the pros and cons of the states that they have lived in and briefly dive into some of their favorite states that they have visited throughout their lives.

This episode is part 3 of the "How To Creatively Engage With God..." Series On this episode of the Creative Stream, Alesha and Makaila sit down for an interview with Cody Bray. Cody is the Program Director at Pondo as well as being involved on the Pondo Worship Movement team. Listen in as Cody talks about the ways that he creatively engages with God while exploring trails on a mountain bike, playi...

On this episode of Campfire Conversations, the Tarkington brothers talk about their all-time favorite television shows. From the early days of animated series, to the pivotal teenage years and now into their adult lives the guys share the shows that have had an impact on their lives.

On this episode of Camp Talk; Cody sits down for an interview with Kaitlin Wyse. Kaitlin share her incredible God Story of her time at Camp Pondo as a student, youth leader and seasonal staffer. She talks about the way that God opened up doors for her in the summer of 2021 with both opportunities to come on board at camp but setting up her future at GCU as well. For more information or to become a...

On this episode of the Youth Ministry stream; Ryan sits down for an interview with Zachary Bondoc, who is the Youth/Kids/YA Pastor at One Hope @ FB Temple City. Zach shares his stories about growing up in the church that he now serves in, his long relationship with Camp Pondo, and the expectations that he and his wife, Emily have about having their first baby boy (due any day now!) Pondo is hostin...

This episode is part 2 of the "How To Creatively Engage With God..." Series On this episode of the Creative Stream, Alesha and Makaila sit down for an interview with Amanda Jenkins. Amanda is an Associate Professor of Theology at Grand Canyon University, an author and a long time member of the Pondo family. Amanda shares her experiences from being a staffer at Pondo, teaching pre-school students,...

On this bonus episode of the Pondo Podcast, Cody and Makaila talk about an exciting new project that we will be launching in April. For more details about or to be a part of the Big Red Chair Club visit our website: https://www.pondo.org/donate/bigredchairclub/

On this episode of the Youth Ministry stream, Ryan sits down for an interview with Justin Knowles. Justin is the Director of Youth and Kids at Sandals Church in Riverside, CA and a Co-Host of the Youth Ministry Hacks podcast. Listen in as the guys talk about topics such as: the value of investing in your leaders, letting go of being "the guy" on stage, and a challenge to be more intentional with o...

On this episode of Camp Talk, Cody sits down for a conversation with the newest Pondo team member, Bleys Smith. The guys share their thoughts and perspectives of what it means to be "in ministry" and how that has shifted from their time of growing up in the Bible Belt state of Arkansas. Cody and Bleys end their time talking about a few favorite moments from this Winter Camp season.

On this episode of Campfire Conversations, the Tarkington brothers spend time talking about their favorite memories from going to theme parks throughout their lives. Sean dives in to his love for roller coasters and thrill rides. Ryan shares his love for the nostalgic aspect of the parks while also sharing how he has made making trips to Disneyland, Six Flags and other parks a big part of his own...

On this episode of the Creative Stream: Makaila, Kimberly and Alesha talk about the ways they creatively engage with God as individuals. This upcoming season of episodes within the creative stream will include interviews with others from outside of the Pondo team who will share their own unique perspectives on creativity and how they choose to be intentional about using their creative outlets to e...

On this episode of Campfire Conversations, the Tarkington brothers talk about their Christmas past; sharing a few awkward memories from their childhood and special moments as they grew older. The guys also dive into some of their favorite traditions including decorations and of course, their favorite Christmas movies.

On this episode of the Creative Steam; Alesha, Makaila & Kimberly talk about their Christmas traditions and stories from holidays past. The ladies also spend time talking through what this advent season is all about and how we can intentionally look for opportunities to engage with God and others during this beautiful time of the year.

Cody and Brittany talk through Pondo's Worship/Creative conference "Spirit and Truth", and how camps are uniquely positioned to equip and empower people in their giftings.

On this episode of Campfire Conversations, the Tarkington brothers talk about something they are very thankful for... Food! The guys share their favorite Thanksgiving day dish options, memories of food experiences, and close out answering a classic debate question... In-N-Out or Whataburger? Listen in, laugh a little and you'll probably end feeling hungry for your own favorite foods.

On this episode of the Creative Steam; Alesha, Makaila & Kimberly talk about the beauty of the spaces and places that God has provided for them in their lives. They also share their insights into what they hope their current spaces provide not only for themselves but for others as well. Makaila also shares some incredible truth about the way that Scripture reminds us how much God prioritizes a...

On this episode of the Youth Ministry podcast; Tark has a great conversation with Damean Easter who is the Young Adults pastor at Flood Church in San Diego, California. Damean shares some of the differences (and similarities) that he sees in Young Adult ministry compared to his time as a youth pastor. We also get to hear him share the value of working closely with the youth leadership to bridge th...

On this episode of Camp Talk: a long time friend of Pondo, Tom Chapin stopped by for a visit to the camp. While he was here Cody recorded a conversation with him about spiritual disciplines, mentoring, being yourself and so much more.

On this episode of Campfire Conversations, the Tarkington brothers share stories about their scary adventures and pranks from the past. Looking back, it became clear that this was a huge part of the community they developed with others.

On this episode of the Creative Stream; Kimberly, Makaila & Alesha talk about the value of journaling as a form of creativity. The ladies talk through practical processes and benefits - from where to begin, the science of journaling, to picking out a journal and the fruit that they have experienced from writing things down throughout their lives.

On this bonus episode of the Pondo Podcast we wanted to give you a sneak peak from one of our live recordings from week 9 of summer camp. Every Wednesday the Pondo Worship Movement team would lead an acoustic medley of worship songs to close out chapel that night. As a podcast listener you'll be the first to hear a part of that recording before we officialy launch it out into the world. Full versi...