Unfinished People

Brandon and Chad have one individual whom we would say has faithfully been our pastor over the last 10+ years and we are thrilled to have him as a guest on the podcast today. His name is Joe McConkey and he has just "finished" his career as a pastor in local church ministry and we have lots of questions! We talk about transformation and growth, what he sees in the church - both good and bad, the highs and lows of ministry, what really matters to Jesus in the church, where he has seen it go wrong, and how Jesus has faithfully led anyway. We think you will love our conversation. Come join us for Episode 024 of Unfinished People.

Of all the "fails" in the Bible, there are some that stand out more than others. Today we tread into the deep waters of Peter's denial of Jesus. How Jesus responds with love and grace is astonishing. He is relentless in his pursuit. So what does it look like to get back up from failure and choose to keep loving Him well? If you are needing some encouragement to get back up and hear his voice again, come and listen in to our conversation on Episode 023 of Unfinished People.

Today, we dive back into thinking about our citizenship in Heaven versus our exile in the current kingdoms of this world. We freely admit that we are in process here. We are absolutely committed to listening to Jesus (especially this election year!) and doing what He says. But it's going to be a difficult year. What might it look like for you to be faithful to Jesus and His Kingdom, while living, caring, and participating in the kingdom where you currently reside? How can we love those with whom we disagree? What kinds of idols in our lives need to crumble under the authority of Jesus? Let's go. Episode 022.

This week, Brandon and Chad are thrilled to be joined by Sammy Gondola, Daniel Olson, and Karl Hanson. They are dear friends and pastors, who help us unpack friendship, adversity, unmet expectations in relationships, how vital it is to push through the desert place of friendship, the blessing of being spurred on and sharpened by others, and more. This episode gives a behind-the-scenes look at our friendships, how difficult it can be to go deep, and how crucial it has been to our development as followers of Jesus.

"Are you a King?" Pilate's question to a beaten and bloody Messiah hung uncomfortably in the air. Under incredible pressure and facing a brutal, oppressive government, Jesus responded with absolute calm and complete control. (By the way, have you ever wondered why we have a record of this conversation?) The sovereign creator of the world did not need to panic as the plan set before the world's creation was right on time. Our salvation was being accomplished, and not even a temporary prefect of Rome could stop it. Jesus' words should bother us (and then some) as we look at how we have interacted with the political powers of our world.So... yeah, we are going there. We hope that by now, we have earned your trust to talk about the kingdoms of this world. How should we think about them? What does it look like to love Jesus well in an election year?Come and listen in to our conversation on Episode 020 of Unfinished People.

This week, we continue our theme of the difficulty and beauty of prayer. Is there such a thing as a deeper level of prayer, an earnestness, or a place of travail (rare word alert)not achieved by human capacity but fueled by the holy Spirit? We also dive into the importance and frustration of repetitive prayer. If God already knows, what is He up to? How can we find a sweet place of rest and depth as we speak with our Father in Heaven? As we dig for answers and sharpen each other, come listen in. We both agreed that this was one of our favorite conversations. We hope you enjoy! UP #019. Let's go.

If there's one thing we have struggled through, it is our journey with prayer. The desire to be close to Jesus, hear his voice, and speak as a friend keeps us coming back, but it hasn't been easy. If you relate and are hungry for more in your prayer life, come listen in to our conversation this week on Unfinished People.

How does an eternal God unbound by time and space help those of us who feel that clock ticking every day? Some of us love the new year and resolve to do something better this year or to make some significant changes. Others dislike the idea of making any promises because we all know we will probably break them anyway. We talk this week about Jesus and his ability to take any moment - past, present, or future and make it new. We have great hope for this year and are expectant that Jesus is up[ to some great stuff in your life as well. Come listen in as we talk about 2024 and our hope in the beautiful work of Jesus.

In our final episode of 2023, we talk about one of the most pervasive issues in our world: Loneliness. The Surgeon General considers it priority number one and says it's as deadly as smoking. What does Jesus, the friend who sticks closer than a brother, have to say about it? And how does our place in the community of God give us hope? Come and listen as we discuss our own struggles with loneliness and the hard work of deep, authentic friendship.‎The Place Where I Belong (feat. Davy Flowers) - Song by Housefires - Apple Music

This week, we do another flyby to check in on each other. It's easy to answer the question "How are you?" with "Fine." But if we are to step into the things God has for us, we need to go to a level of authenticity and candidness that might just be uncomfortable. This show will remind you that we are definitely unfinished, but it will also (hopefully) give you room to be okay with your own growth process.  Some highlights: We are both pretty tired and weary, but Jesus is speaking in that place significantly. We are also learning to pay attention to the more difficult and deep truths of walking closely with Him. Come listen in to our latest conversation on Unfinished People.The Chosen - Jesus trusts James with his suffering.‎Lord Remind Me - Song by Praytell & Jon Guerra - Apple Music‎Something Bright, Something Shining - Song by Praytell & Jon Guerra - Apple Music