Resident Strangers

Welcome back to Resident Strangers! Whether you’re listening or watching, we’re so glad you’re here. If you’re a Christ follower, you may have heard the term deconstruction—but what does it really mean? Interestingly, even within Christian circles, this word carries different interpretations. As the conversation around deconstruction grows, Steve and Rich are dedicating the next two weeks to unpac...

Allow us to reintroduce ourselves! Resident Strangers has been a podcast for the past year and a half, but now Sarah, Steve, and Rich are thrilled to share that the podcast is not only available on audio platforms — it’s also on YouTube! This long-awaited expansion has the whole crew excited to bring you content in a brand-new way. A huge shoutout to Brandon Petry for his incredible work in buildi...

As you listen to this episode, you might catch the faint sounds of the Desert Springs youth band playing in the background. This sparks a moment of nostalgia for Sarah, Steve, and Rich as they reflect on their early years in ministry. Let the music serve as a reminder that the next generation is actively worshiping God together!  After reminiscing, Steve and Rich dive into today’s topic: replaceme...

Big things are on the horizon for Resident Strangers! While Sarah is keeping the details under wraps for now, exciting changes are coming soon—so stay tuned! Steve and Rich are just as eager for what’s ahead. In today’s discussion, the focus shifts to the eternal state. Right away, Rich challenges the common idea that a believer’s future is simply about dying and going to heaven. Instead, the stor...

Today’s episode of Resident Strangers tackles a challenging but essential topic: the Lake of Fire—commonly known as hell. Steve and Rich dive into Revelation 20, a key passage that sheds light on this sobering reality. Rich emphasizes that the existence of hell underscores the urgency of salvation—there is truly something to be saved from. In fact, Jesus spoke more about hell than He did about hea...

At the very start of the conversation, Steve extends an invitation to a trip he is leading to Israel this November (details provided below). He then introduces the topic of the day: the kingdom that Jesus establishes at His second coming. A key aspect of this 1,000-year period is that Satan is bound. Some interpret this millennium literally, while others see it as figurative. Rich also emphasizes...

This week, Steve and Rich take another deep dive into a previously covered topic: the Judgment Seat of Christ—an area many believers still wrestle with. Right from the start, Steve clarifies an important truth: believers will not stand before Christ to give an account for their sin, but rather for how they lived their lives. One key aspect of this judgment is the opportunity for believers to recei...

Today’s episode kicks off with some exciting updates about what’s ahead for Resident Strangers—big things are coming, and you’ll literally see them soon! Sarah and Rich also take a moment to celebrate a huge milestone: Steve’s 30 years of ministry at Desert Springs. Considering the average tenure of a pastor at a single church is less than five years, this is truly remarkable. Steve and his wife,...

“Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear and keep what is written in it, for the time is near.” — Revelation 1:3 Welcome back to another deep dive on Resident Strangers! The tribulation is a period of judgment on the earth, preparing the way for the coming kingdom of Jesus. How one understands this event largely depends on how the book of Revel...

Steve, Rich, and Sarah are back this week with another in-depth discussion on the rapture. After a brief catch-up on life, Steve revisits the three major perspectives on when the rapture will occur—post-tribulation, mid-tribulation, and pre-tribulation (explained below). He emphasizes that while the view one holds is important, it does not necessarily rank among the most critical theological issue...

On today’s episode of Resident Strangers, Steve and Rich take a deeper dive into the topic of the rapture, which they previously touched on while exploring the Desert Springs doctrinal statement. They address common skepticism, noting that while the word rapture doesn’t appear in the Bible, its concept is supported by Scripture—Steve points to John 14 as Jesus’ first mention of it. Many believers...

Why is it so important for a believer to be in the Word? There are four main reasons that Steve and Rich break down today to bolster the imperativeness of Christians studying the Bible. Scripture can and should dictate what we believe and how we communicate what we believe. If the Bible is viewed as the final authority for life, then why do so many Christians not know or understand how to study it...

Happy New Year! Steve, Rich and Sarah are back in the studio and are looking forward to this new year. Steve begins by encouraging all of us to put some plans together for this year, specifically in the area of spiritual disciplines. These are things that can be looked at on the micro and macro level. Spiritual disciplines are arguably the most important things to focus on not just in the new year...

Merry Christmas from us at Resident Strangers! This will be the last episode of 2024. But don't worry! Steve, Rich and Sarah will be back on January 7th to kick off the new year. The conversation begins with some exciting updates about Rich's office at GCU (😂😉) and some things coming for the podcast in 2025. Getting into the topic, there are many opinions surrounding Christmas both in...

Happy Thanksgiving! This week Steve and Rich wrap up the topic of the last couple of weeks by talking about loving your brother and sister in Christ. How is loving your brother and sister different than loving your neighbor? Steve and Rich both reference some scripture passages that help to clarify what this means. This really is a unique and special command! It really comes down to viewing fellow...

"Love your enemy" - that's a tough statement to take hold of. Last week Steve and Rich talked about the idea of loving your neighbor and this week they are talking about the other side of the coin which is loving your enemy. The culture we live in today is very much oriented around "sides." This leads to a lot of issues, including seeing the other side as an enemy or seein...

This week's topic on Resident Strangers is loving your neighbor. Rich begins by sharing a relatable story (let's just say it involves a credit card not working correctly) and how he was challenged to love his neighbor. When we think of loving our neighbor we might think "that's easy, I love my community" but it really goes beyond to the person we don't even really kno...

Regularly attending and being a part of a local church seems like a no brainer for a Christ follower, right? Unfortunately, it can no longer be assumed that someone who follows Christ and calls themself a Christian is a part of a local church and actively attends. You might be shocked as Steve begins the episode with some statistics about how church attendance has changed over the years. What are...

The practice of communion is being discussed on Resident Strangers today. Steve, Rich and Sarah all share their personal experiences with communion growing up before getting into what the practice is and what it means for believers. 1 Corinthians 11 is a central passage on communion. The practice of communion was first introduced on the night that Jesus was betrayed. Why is it something that Chris...

How do you view the person who was once a follower of Jesus but their life no longer reflects that? Is it possible for someone to truly know another person's standing before God? Has their salvation been lost? Were they never saved to begin with? Rich begins with a clarification on how to think about these particular issues, specifically highlighting personal salvation first. Steve reminds th...

Is being a "good person" enough for salvation? What does someone have to do to become a child of God? Is it faith and faith alone? Or is it faith and something else? Steve starts right off the bat by reminding that salvation is by grace alone. Titus 3:5-7 is very clear about this. Rich reminds us that God gives us the gift of salvation even though no one can truly earn it. Both hosts giv...

What happens when political issues become theological issues? Should a Christian worldview be considered when looking at policies that are presented? With the U.S, Presidential election happening in a month Steve and Rich wanted to take time to talk through how a Christian should think through political issues. The important thing to remember is that our citizenship is not in this world or even in...

Does everything happen for a reason? It is important for Christians to understand the problem of evil because so often it is what the world uses to attempt to disprove God and who He is. In a lot of ways these two episodes on the problem of evil provide an apologetics approach to this issue. Let this be a resource for you in discussions you are having with those who do not know Christ or do know C...

Natural disasters, disease, terrorist attacks, criminal activity, injustice - why does God allow these things to happen? Why doesn't God intervene and do something about the evil experienced daily? What does it mean for God to be all good? Rich gets philosophical but breaks down why this problem is often so difficult to accept and understand. Steve states that God is sovereign and overall, ha...

What do you do when suffering just doesn't make sense? What about suffering that seems to have no clear reason? Does everything happen for a reason? How do you support someone who is going through an intense time of suffering? As Steve and Rich continue the conversation on suffering from last week, they do their best to address and answer these questions. They spend a few minutes on the idea...