Together 4 Good: Making Sense of Life and Faith

Pastor Gary and Pastor Nate sit down to discuss the season of Lent.  What is the purpose of this 40 day period of time? How can it change our life of faith and connect us with God in new and meaningful ways?  Listen in as Nate and Gary not only discuss the ways that Lent can be a gift, but also how Bethany Lutheran Church will be embracing the season this year.  

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, an episode all about love! Listen in as Pastor Nate offers some thoughts what the Bible says about love, how we can know God’s love in our lives, and how we can better show God’s love to others.

We continue our journey through epiphany with another faith aha episode.  In this episode, Pastor Nate shares an aha moment he had while taking a seminary class on spiritual practices.  Nate not only tells the story of how this insight came about but also describes the ways that he is currently continuing to live out this insight.  It's an episode that includes a discussion of centering prayer, sp...

As we continue our walk through epiphany we once again share a podcast that is filled with stories of Aha moments in the life of faith.  This week, Intern Rita records a conversation with her good friend Sammy DiBiaso.  The two reflect on experiences they had while serving abroad and on the ways that slowing down allows one to notice the movements of God that are all around.  

Pastor Nate preaches for Epiphany Sunday. Scripture comes from Matthew 2:1-12.

Intern Rita preaches on Hope in the New Year. Scripture comes from Luke 2:15-21.

Pastor Nate preaches on Christmas Day using scripture from John 1:1-14.

Pastor Gary preaches on Christmas Eve. Scripture comes from Luke 2:1-20.

We continue our Epiphany series on Aha! Moments of faith. This week, Pastor Nate brings on Tyler Derrick to talk about an aha moment from his youth. Tyler is a young adult who attends Bethany’s Pub Theology gatherings and his Aha story is an interesting one that you don’t want to miss.

Pastor Gary preaches on Hope in a Child for the fourth Sunday in Advent. Scripture comes from Matthew 1:18-25.

Pastor Nate preaches on the third Sunday of Advent on scripture from Matthew 11:2-11.

During the season of Epiphany, Pastor Nate will be interviewing individuals about epiphanies (or aha! moments) that people have had during their journey of faith.  This week, Bryan Jaster talks with Nate about an aha moment that took place during a high school church youth event way back when Bryan was in high school.  Listen in as Pastor Nate and Bryan discuss Bryan's epiphany and the importance...

In this episode, Pastor Nate and Kevin Dragseth discuss the exciting new initiative launching at Bethany this month.  "Join in January" is a challenge to the congregation to find new ways to engage, participate, and share one's faith in 2023.  Nate and Kevin have a great discussion about this endeavor as well as the importance of living out one's faith in intentional ways.  

This episode is a rebroadcast of an episode from March 2021. It introduces the St Ignatius Examen, a great practice to use to look back at the past year and to notice how God has been guiding and speaking.

Merry Christmas! This is a rebroadcast of a scripture meditation based on the Luke 2 Christmas Gospel. Rest and relax into the promises of this sacred story.

This special Bible Study episode is a way to conclude our Advent conversations about hope. In this episode, Pastor Nate dives deep into John 8:31-38 and talks about the ways that fear and hope can sometimes distract us from Jesus Christ and his message of grace for our lives.

This week, Pastor Nate sits down with Paula Wills.  Paula is the Director of the Sounds of Praise Choir and the Creative Arts Team Coordinator and an excellent story teller.  As we continue our Advent focus on hope, Paula takes us through several stories from her life where she encountered hope in different locations and different ways.  

Pastor Gary preaches on "Hope in the Forest for the second Sunday in Advent. Scriptures come from Isiah 11:1-10 and Matthew 3:1-12.

Intern Rita kicks off our Advent season with a sermon about "Hope in the Field" based on scripture from Matthew 24:36-44.

Pastor Nate and Pastor Gary preach on Christ the King Sunday about titles for Jesus based on scripture from Colossians 1:11-20 and Luke 23:33-43.

As we continue our Advent journey of hope and our Staff Stories podcast series, Pastor Nate sits down with Bethany's Pastoral Intern, Rita Argus.  The two discuss the nature of hope and the temptation to provide cliche answers when individuals find themselves in difficult moments.  Intern Rita shares stories from her time as a chaplain as well as some unique perspectives on hope, thanks to words f...

As we move into the Advent season, we will continue with our Staff Stories Podcast series, but with a slight twist.  Over the next several weeks, Pastor Nate's conversations with Bethany staff members will center around the theme of hope.   In this episode, Pastor Nate and Pastor Gary discuss the season of Advent, the nature of hope, and the ways that this season can prepare us to more fully embra...

Intern Rita offers a sermon on the Kingdom and Kindom using scripture from Luke 1:46-55 and Luke 21:5-19.

Pastor Nate offers a reflection on Job 19:23-27a for All Saints Sunday.

In our latest installment of our staff stories series, Pastor Nate sits down with Kevin Dragseth and the two discuss Kevin’s previous work with a collaborative youth ministry. The conversation then shifts into a fascinating discussion about technology and the future frontiers of the church.