The District Life Podcast

We broke the Podcast Guest record and I sat down with 8 middle school students while I was at Hidden Haven Christian Camp to ask them some simple questions about what it is like to follow Jesus as a Middle Schooler today! Hear from Gabriel, Acelyn, Jaggar, Thomas, Kennedy, Emery, Kennedy (a different one), and Ralee, and hopefully gain some encouragement and/or perspective about how we can support...

Eli sits down with Dakota Shurts, who is the Youth Pastor at Crestview Christian Church in Manhattan Kansas while they were together at Hidden Haven Christian Camp and discusses what it's like to do Youth Ministry in 2026. We talk about what Discipleship looks like inside student ministry, how to build ministries with depth, and how to partner with families to see fruit produced in the lives o...

There are so many characters who play a unique part in John's Vision of Jesus in Revelation, and so we start off by discussing some of the characters who make up "Team Dragon" and how they are drawing us into the divine imagination of Revelation and what Jesus is revealing about himself!

The Book of Revelation can feel so strange and intimidating to people. Is it a code that needs to be cracked? A secret insight into the return of Jesus? A mystical delusion? Or is it simply a vision of hope chock-full of powerful symbols meant to inspire our imagination about the kingdom of God! Travis and Eli sit down to discuss several practical tips for reading the apocalyptic literature of the...

Travis and I sit down to discuss the concept of Fruit To Root, pioneered by Jeff Vanderstelt in his book Saturate! We discuss the importance of tracing the fruit we see in our lives back to it's root beliefs so that we might meet with the Holy Spirit to find the truth that would lead us to seeing the Fruit of The Spirit produced instead. Saturate Book - Amazon Fruit To Root - Saturate Website

It tends to feel a lot more comfortable to think about and experience the Holy Spirit when we're gathered as the church. In our weekend Worship Services and Prayer Meetings, but the reality is there is a special kind of reward that the Holy Spirit has for us while the church is scattered. He strengthens and clarifies our identity, he convicts us of sin and leads us to repentance, and he sends...

The advent and rapid development of modern technology have created a unique context in which we must listen to God! In that context, we need a strategy to be primarily shaped by the Holy Spirit rather than our devices! In this episode, we offer a simple challenge: to develop a theology of technology and to commit to principles that help ensure we are first and foremost formed by Jesus.

To kick off Season 5 of the District Life podcast, Travis and I sit down and discuss the Holy Spirit. "The Helper" that Jesus promised to his disciples when he ascended back to heaven is the greatest gift, and yet so many Christians seem content to live without the fruit of His Presence. With so many misconceptions and mysteries, it is understandable to feel a bit overwhelmed or intimida...

2 Thessalonians 3:1 As for other matters, brothers and sisters, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you.  Reflection  Paul asks the church to pray that the message of the Lord would run freely and be honored. The gospel is alive and powerful, advancing wherever God opens hearts to receive it. When we pray, we participate in God’s work of...

Ephesians 6:18-20 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should. ...

Colossians 4:2-6 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned w...

Psalm 90:12 Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.  Reflection  Moses reminds us that our days are numbered—not to burden us with fear, but to invite us into wisdom. When we remember how brief life is, we learn to live with intention, gratitude, and purpose. Awareness of time sharpens our focus on what truly matters.  Application  Today, ask God to teach you to live wisel...

2 Corinthians 9:6-8 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in e...

1 Peter 4:9-11 Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Chr...

Ephesians 4:15-16 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.  Reflection  God’s vision for the church is not just growth in numbers, but growth in maturity. As ea...

Romans 12:3-5 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. 4For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each...

Philippians 2:3-4 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.  Reflection  Paul calls us to a countercultural way of life—one marked by humility and concern for others. Selfless love begins when we release selfish ambition and learn to see people not as obsta...

1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Reflection God has chosen us, not to keep the good news to ourselves, but to declare it. We were rescued from darkness and brought into His marvelous light so that others might see what God is like. Re...

Romans 12:9-10 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Reflection Paul describes love that is sincere, active, and committed. Christian love is more than affection—it is a choice to honor one another and to stay engaged with one another. When the church lives this kind of love, it becomes a living pic...

John 17:20-21 My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.  Reflection  Jesus prays that His followers would be one—not by uniformity, but by love. Our unity is meant to reflect the very he...

Psalm 37:4 Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.  Reflection  God invites us not just to obey Him, but to delight in Him. When our joy is rooted in the Lord, our desires begin to change. Contentment grows as we learn to receive satisfaction from God Himself rather than from what He gives.  Application  Today, turn your heart toward God as your greatest joy. Ask...

Jeremiah 29:11-13 For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.’  Reflection  God’s promise is not just about a hopeful future—it’s about a present pursuit. He invite...

Ephesians 1:17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.  Reflection  Paul prays not for more information, but for deeper revelation. To know God is more than learning about Him—it is a growing relationship shaped by worship, trust, and obedience. As the Spirit opens our hearts, knowl...

Colossians 1:22-23 But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become...

DAY 5 - EYES OPENED TO HOPE  Ephesians 1:18-19 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.  Reflection  Paul prays that our eyes would be opened—not to circumstances, but to hope. The gospel lifts our vision beyond...