PD and PDubs Unscripted: Recent Episodes
Immanuel Lutheran Church in Palatine, IL
Pastor Donald (PD) and Pastor Warren (PW or PDubs) local pastors in Palatine share some unscripted conversations regarding Faith Intersections sharing – where faith and daily life intersect, Digging Deeper in God’s Word, and Community Connections where folks are intentionally connecting into their community to help others.
P-Dubs and PD share about what they're learned at their latest Pastor's Conference. The topic of the conference was on the topic of reconciliation. They reflect on the reconciliation with God and with other people.
P-Dubs and PD are glad to have P-Dubs' daughter, Sydney joining us on this episode. They start their discussion about the parable of the Lost Sheep. This leads Sydney into a discussion about mental health and feeling like the lost sheep.
On this episode we are joined by Cassandra Grace. She joins us to discuss God's sovereignty in the middle of suffering. Cassandra shares her journey though life and some of the struggles and how she has come to love God.
https://www.cassandraspocket.net/
On this episode we discuss various Easter hymns and songs. We share our thoughts about some of our favorites and how these are uplifting songs and hymns.
P-Dubs and PD are joined by Immanuel member, Kevin Kindelin. Kevin just released a memoir about his life and his journey have his spinal cord injury when he was 19. He shares about his journey from the time of the injury and when he found out about Immanuel. You can buy his book on Amazon. It's called, "At Least I Tried" by Kevin Kindelin
It's episode 100! P-Dubs and PD reflect on the past 2 years of recording their podcast. They share some behind the scenes stories of the podcast and the fun they have had while recording.
PD and P-Dubs are joined by Immanuel members, Kevin, Doug, and Terry to talk about 50's Plus. 50's Plus is a group of people over 50 that meet at Immanuel weekly, for devotions, fellowship, a meal, and a lot of fun. Terry shares about their upcoming event with Radio Players West on April 19. If your'e interested in checking out the Radio Players West please RSVP at schmoldt@comcast.net.
On this episode we discuss the stages of grief. We share about the fives stages of grief and share about our experiences when we have gone through a loss of a loved one. Here is a link to the article we discussed...https://www.healthline.com/health/stages-of-grief#are-there-5-or-7-stages
PD is joined by lifelong Immanuel member, Betty Franz and recurring guest, Meschac St. Amour. Betty recently came back from a mission trip in Haiti to see what Meschac's mission in Haiti is doing. She shares stories about the trip and what she learned.
PDubs and PD talk about the season of Lent on this week's episode. They share stories about imposing ashes and the purpose for this season in the church year.
This week PDubs and PD discuss the increase of one of the fastest growing religious affliation, "Nones." Nones are those that claim they have no religious affiliation. They share about results of some recent surveys about views of Nones.
PDubs and PD discuss what the daily life of a pastor is like. They share some of their favorite parts of ministry and some stories from their years in ministry.
As we begin the new year it's easy to have fear. There are a lot of things that can cause us fear, yet with God we have no worry to fear or worry about what's happening in life.
PDubs and PD take a deeper dive into Luke 2:1-20. This is the familiar passage read on Christmas Eve. The go through the text and share some of their thoughts about what's going on in the reading.
PDubs and PD are joined by Cheryl and Sarah White for a fun conversation about Christmas movies. They all share their favorite Christmas movies and discuss those along with many other Christmas movies.
PDubs and PD are joined by Rev. Jorge Mazariegos of Vida y Fe Church of West Dundee, IL. Pastor Jorge shares about his journey to be a pastor growing up to Guatemala to helping out at a church in Aurora, and ultimately starting Vida y Fe Church. This is a great conversation about what God is doing through Pastor Jorge and his ministry.
PDubs and PD are joined by the church's mailman, Nick. Nick shares about life as a letter carrier and how he truly tries to be uplifting to all of his customers. Take time to get to know a regular in the church office, Nick the Mailman!
With PDubs getting ready to head off to Wisconsin for his annual time in the woods for hunting season, he shares about some of the lessons he has learned in the deer stand.
PDubs and PD take a deeper dive into the Aaronic Benediction. They share what they learned at a pastor's conference a few years ago on this great way to end our church services.
PD is joined by Meschac St. Amour to give an update on his ministry in Haiti. Meschac shares about some of the recent groups that have come to help the people in Haiti and shares an update about the medical facility they are looking to have up and running by January 2024.
PDubs and PD discuss an article about 11 different sayings that came originally from the Bible. They have a lot of fun and laughs as they discuss these different sayings. You may be shocked to hear some of them.
PDubs and PD discuss an article from Relevant Magazine about the five most countercultural virtues of Christianity. They have a great conversation talking about this list.
PDubs and PD are joined by Immanuel's interim praise team director, Joe Latuszek. They have a great conversation about planning sermons and connecting it to preparing to play music. Also, they discuss some of the goals of Immanuel's praise team.
PDubs and PD have some fun talking about the different things celebrated on a given day. They also have a little discussion about one hit wonders.
And they wrap up by talking about the reason we can have joy each day.
PDubs and PD start looking ahead to the upcoming sermon series in October. The sermon series will be looking to ReEngage with the concept of the One and the RE Campaign. They share about the importance of sharing the Gospel with those who don't know Jesus or walked away from the faith.
On this episode PD is joined by recurring guest, Maggie Walsh (M-Dubs). M-Dubs and PD discuss places in the northwest suburbs of Chicago that are supposedly haunted along with ghosts. This discussion leads into a Lutheran understanding of ghosts and haunted places.
PDubs is back in studio with PD! PDubs and PD discuss memories they had from their experiences with the first day of school growing up. They also talk about the first day of school at Immanuel for the 2023-2024 school year as well as the Bible verse of the school year.
PD is joined by one of his longest friends, Peter Frank. Peter just finished his vicarage (internship) at St. Stephens Lutheran Church in Hickory, NC. Peter shares about his vicarage and what he learned and PD shares stories from his vicarage at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Bartlesville, OK.
PD is joined by his good friend an Immanuel alumni, AJ Weller. They discuss the three biggest issues they see facing the church.
Today, PD is joined by Dave Ficken the North American Director of PLI. PD and Dave discuss sharing the gospel message of Jesus with others and some practical ways they have done that. Please note the audio for Dave is a little lower due to he was remote when recording.
On this episode, we discuss the Parable of the Sower and look ahead a little to the Parable of the Weeds. We share some of our own gardening soil and what Jesus is talking about in the Parable of the Sower.
On this episode we discuss on article from Relevant Magazine called, "7 Things I Wish I Knew Before Becoming Christian." We discuss these 7 different things.
On this week's episode the guys take a deeper dive into Matthew 9:12. They also, share some of their own stories about going to the doctor and hospital.
On this episode we discuss two recent sports press conferences. We first discuss the OU Women's Softball team on the press conference of three of the their players sharing about their faith. The second press conference is Boston Celtics Head Coach, Joe Mazzulla. Joe shares about how there is more then life then basketball.
This week we're joined by John Pejchl. John's joins us to discuss Immanuel's AV team and how to get involved with the team. He also, gets PDubs and PD to have a spirited debate about the Cubs and White Sox.
We're joined by recurring guest, Maggie Walsh. She joins us to talk about Immanuel's 2023 VBS Program, Stellar. They discuss some of the changes this year and Bible Buddies!
We follow up our discussion on Ascension by talking about what took place 10 days later on Pentecost. We share our thoughts on the different aspects of Pentecost.
On this week's episode we take a deeper dive into Ascension Day. We talk about some of the different events surrounding it.
We also discuss how Jesus foreshadows what will happen on Pentecost.
PDubs and PD discuss the hymns and songs that are used in worship. The music that is picked to be used in worship have lyrics that fit with the theme of the day. They talk about a couple songs that fit with the text of John 14:1-6.
On this episode we talk about some practical ways we can share our faith with those around us.
On this episode we discuss what it was like going through the Call Day process at Seminary. We share stories about receiving calls to our vicarage congregations and our first calls out of seminary.
Today we discuss how our life of faith with the Holy Spirit guiding us is similar to a GPS. At times we ignore our GPS's and it takes us longer to get where we are going on our trip. When we ignore the Holy Spirit's guidance it takes us longer to become the person God has created us to be.
On this episode we discuss the interaction between Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark during the NCAAW Championship game. This conversation continues to look at attitudes and interactions of athletes in other sports.
On this episode we take a deeper dive looking at the events of Passion Week. We talk a little bit about Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. And there is a little baseball talk at the beginning of the episode.
This episode has a lot of topics about the spring time are discussed. They discuss the start of the baseball season with predictions for the Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox. Also, they talk about spring cleaning and what that means for our faith.
On this episode we dive a little deeper into the story of the blind man being healed in John 9. There is a lot to dive into this, with the blind man sharing his story, the blind man being seen as an outcast, and the reaction of the Pharisees.
The guys discuss the new movie, Jesus Revolution. The movie shares the story of Pastor Chuck Smith, Greg Laurie, and Lonnie Frisbee and how they started a revolution for Jesus in Southern California. They talk about the movie and the events that lead to the revolution and how it's connected to the world today.
PDubs and PD discuss an article about practical ways to apply your faith everyday. These are three simples ways to see faith in action each day.
We're joined by Natalie Rodriguez, the Executive Director of Hopeful Beginnings. Hopeful Beginnings vision has been that all children deserve a loving home. Hopeful Beginnings acknowledges that caring for those who care for children is the best way to ensure that little ones have all they need to grow and thrive in the world. In order to achieve this, the agency provides a plethora of services including adoption services, case management and access to free baby essentials, as well as free maternal mental health counseling for birthing persons experiencing postpartum depression/anxiety, grief and loss of a pregnancy and or difficulty transitioning to motherhood.
On this episode we're joined by Cheryl White. Cheryl and PDubs have known each other for years and both attending Immanuel as students when they were growing up. They share stories about their memories of Immanuel as kids. It was a great time strolling down memory lane. Enjoy hearing some stories of Immanuel's past.
On this episodes the guys discuss the results of the polls taken at the 2022 LCMS National Youth Gathering (NYG) in Houston, Texas. The polls range from various topics such as spiritual life, hot button issues, church, and family. Take a peak into the life of the teenagers in 2022 based on the polls at the NYG.
PDubs and PD discuss an article from Relevant magazine about 5 Wrong Ways that people read the Bible. They discuss each of the things and their thoughts on each of the ways that we trip up when reading the Bible.
PDubs and PD are joined by long time listener of the podcast, William Lloyd. PDubs and PD had a lot of laughs with William as the conversation goes from Trail Life to the movie, A Christmas Story, to the life of a 2nd grader, Looney Tunes, and so much more! You will leave this episode with a smile.
PDubs and PD are joined by Meschac St. Amour, a missionary to his hometown in Haiti. In 2005 Meschac started, Habitat for Children Ministries. PDubs and PD talk to Meschac about his ministry and what it's like for the people in Haiti.
PDubs and PD dive a little deeper into John 1:29-42. They discuss the meaning behind the phrase John uses, "Lamb of God" and how it connects to the Old Testament. Also, they discuss a little bit about the question Jesus asks, "What are you seeking?"
PDubs and PD share their thoughts about a lot of different topics surrounding the injury to the Buffalo Bills' player, Damar Hamlin. Hamlin suffered a very serious injury on Monday, January 2, 2023 in a game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
PD and PDubs are back with an episode sharing about the Christmas story by looking at the Gospel of Matthew. They also share an update of what to expect for the future of PD and PDubs Unscripted.
PD is joined for a shorter episode, where some of our middle school students share a little bit about Walk-A-Thon.
PDubs and PD return after a little summer hiatus. They take time to recap all of the summer activities that took place in the Immanuel community.
PDubs and PD discuss the parable of the Good Samaritan. They have some fun with the Greek word for compassion. This episode is sponsored by some special guests!
PD and PDubs are joined by Sofie and Maggie to share about Immanuel's involvement in the Hometown Fest parade in Palatine! The parade is on July 2. Hear about what Immanuel's doing in the parade and how you can help.
PDubs and PD dive deeper into John 8:48-59. Their discussions centers around this text. They share their thoughts about Jesus saying "I AM" and other thoughts on the Trinity.
PD and PDubs share some thoughts about the recent tragedies our nation has witnessed. They also discuss what as Christians we can do in times of tragedies.
PD is joined by a few of the 8th graders as they shared about their mission trip to West Virginia in May 2022. Here some first hand accounts from the students about their time in West Virginia and what they did. Also, they shared their thoughts on seeing the Ark Encounter.
PDubs and PD are joined by PD's good friend Pastor Scott Yount. Scott was serving as a missionary in Ukraine until the invasion in February. Scott and his wife Lena sought refuge in Slovakia. Scott shares about his ministry in Ukraine and what it was like to flee Ukraine in seek of refuge. There are a lot of amazing and touching stories in this episode.
PDubs and PD dive deeper into John 16:22-33. They share about some real life examples of finding blessings in some difficult times in life.
PDubs and PD discuss a video by Ray Comfort talking about the way people's views on Stephen Curry and Tim Tebow and how they share their faith. This discussions dives into the talking about your faith with others.
PDubs and PD are joined by Immanuel Alumni, Maggie Walsh. Maggie shares about the Dance group that she started last year for Immanuel students. She also talks about Summer Academy coming up on June 6-9 and June 13-16.
PD is joined by some of Immanuel's 6th and 7th graders as they share about their trips to Walcamp. The students were able to share about their different experiences and what they really enjoyed at Walcamp!
PD is joined by some of Immanuel's 7th graders to share about their experience at SeaCamp. SeaCamp is in Big Pine Key in Florida. While at SeaCamp the students experiences interactive ways to study about marine biology. This trip is always one of the favorites with Immanuel students.
PDubs and PD share about their past experiences of Immanuel's 8th grade mission trips to West Virginia. They talk about how valuable these trips are to the students, while sharing some of the fun stories they have witnessed over the years on these trips.
PD is talking with some of Immanuel's 4th graders about what they enjoy about Immanuel. The 4th graders also talk about the fun times, they've had leading chapel and learning at Immanuel!
PDubs and PD take a deeper dive into the story of Doubting Thomas. Before they get into a little discussion about Thomas, they share their thoughts about what is going on in the upper room the first time Jesus appears.
PDubs and PD discuss two songs by two bands they really enjoy. PDubs brings to the discussion the classic, "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" by U2. They discuss how they see this song connected to faith. PD uses the song "Present Tense" by Pearl Jam to talk about faith intersections in music.
PDubs is out of town and PD is joined by some of Immanuel's 6th graders. PD talks with the 6th graders about their time at Immanuel and the things they enjoy. The first part PD is joined by some of the girls. The second part PD is joined by some of the boys. Enjoy listening to the 6th graders sharing about their time at Immanuel.
PDubs and PD dive a little bit deeper into the Easter story. Easter is that joyous celebration of when Jesus rose from the dead. Christ's resurrection is victory over sin, death, and the devil. As believers in Christ, we partake in the spoils of victory.
Despite being on opposite sides on who their favorite baseball teams are, PDubs and PD love talking about baseball. Today they share about their love for baseball and how baseball connects to our faith. They discuss how catchers call the game and connect that to the plans God has for us.
Andy Radetski joins PDubs and PD to share about Good Samaritan Ministries. He shares some of the history of this great ministry of Immanuel. He also shares the global impact that Good Samaritan Ministries has over the years.
On today's episode the guys discuss Palm Sunday. They share about other kings who rode in on a donkey and some other interesting notes about Jesus reading into Jerusalem on the first Palm Sunday.
PDubs and PD discuss the importance of the end of Holy Week, with Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Vigil, and the Easter celebration on Sunday. They share their thoughts about the changing dynamics of the culture when it comes to these important days in the church calendar.
PDubs and PD are joined by the Director of the Barrington Campus Life Center, Tony Au. Tony shares the background of the Campus Life Center and how it started with Billy Graham and Youth For Christ. He also talks about what goes on at the Campus Life Center. Plus, he shared about taking a group of nearly 40 people to Tijuana for a mission trip. Plus, a whole lot more!
PDubs and PD dive deeper into the Parable of the Wicked Tenants. They break down what is going on in this parable and how it relates to us today.
PDubs and PD discuss the incident between Will Smith and Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars. They share their thoughts about the incident. They discuss about was it real or fake along with loving other people.
PDubs and PD are joined by the director of Immanuel's Discovery Camp, Nicole Mathes. Discovery Camp is a camp during the summer that anybody in the community is invited to take part of during summer. Nicole shares about all the fun activities that take place throughout the summer, such as trips to the pool and the various museums in Chicago.
PDubs and PD dive deeper into the familiar parable of the Prodigal Son. They break down the different characters so to speak in the parable and what they represent and how we each connect to the different characters in the parable.
PDubs and PD discuss an article from Relevant Magazine with Bob Goff's new book, "Undistracted Life." Who doesn't have a life full of distractions? Throughout the discussion PDubs and PD share about distractions and expectations that people have of themselves. The key is to focus on being who God made you to be.
PDubs and PD are joined by Jason Stallard of Love Local Off 53. Jason shares about what Love Local Off 53 is all about, which is sharing about business and non-profits in the cities of Route 53. Jason and his group do a great job of promoting various places, especially during the pandemic. The key to the mission of Love Local Off 53 is just loving people.
PD and PDubs dive a little deeper into Luke 13:1-9. They discuss a little bit about the destructive events that Jesus mentions in this text. This leads into a conversation about the viewpoint that some have of that one of our specific sins is why a bad thing happened to us. They also discuss God's love and mercy and the parable of the fig tree. This discussion leads into a little bit about figs and the connection to Genesis 3.
PD and PDubs share about an article about being a blessing to other people. They reflect upon some of the ideas the article brings up. Also, they share about some personal experiences on mission trips. They wrap on the conversation about is being a blessing more important than converting people.
PD and PDubs are joined by one of Immanuel's members, Dana Roe. Dana's three daughters started an organization called, "Sisters Giving Hope." Dana shares about how "Sisters Giving Hope" started and all the amazing things that her three daughters and now son have accomplished through their organization. It's a great testimony how even at a young age you can make a difference.
PDubs and PD dive into Jeremiah 26:8-15. They have a great discussion about does God change His mind and can we change the future by our actions.
PDubs and PD discuss one of the biggest movies to come out in the beginning of 2022, The Batman. They discuss some quotes from the most recent Batman movie along with some from the Christopher Nolan trilogy (2005-2012) and how it connects to faith. In this episode you will find out how much PD loves the character Batman and PDubs does some great voice work of various movie characters.
PDubs and PD share about some exciting community events at Immanuel for the summer of 2022. First, they share about Vacation Bible School (VBS). VBS will take place June 20-24 from 9 am - 12 pm. This year's theme is "Make Waves." Second, they share about Shining Stars. Shining Stars is a baseball/softball camp that takes place from June 27 - July 1 from 9 am - 12 pm. This is open to any 5-10 year old.
PDubs and PD look more into Luke's account of Jesus being tempted in the wilderness. During their discussion they talk about the way the devils tempts us. They also share the story of former MLB MVP, Josh Hamilton and his struggles with temptation.
PDubs and PD discuss about sharing your faith out in the public. The discuss real life examples of times when it's clear to those they meet during the day know that they are a Christian. They share how it can be an open invitation to discuss their faith. Also, they talk about times when they were reminded to keep their emotions in because of the witness it would set to those around them.
On today's episode, PDubs and PD are joined by Immanuel Palatine's, Director of Worship & Music, Jenny Laabs. Jenny shares a little bit about herself and where she received her passion for music. She also shares about the various areas of ministry she is involved with at Immanuel and in the community.
PDubs and PD take a deeper dive into Luke’s account of the Transfiguration of Jesus. They share a little bit more about their experience hiking up Camelback Mountain and connecting it to what took place at the Mt. of Transfiguration. The guys discuss about what the disciples must have been thinking about while they made the ascent up and what they witnessed during the Transfiguration.
PDubs and PD have a conversation about NFL Supper Champion and MVP, Cooper Kupp. Faith, family, and football have been a major part of the Kupp household going back to Cooper’s grandparents. The guys discuss some quotes about faith from the Kupp family and how their faith has helped during some trying times in their lives.
PDubs and PD joined are joined by Pastor Karl Fay of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, a neighbor church in Palatine. Pastor Fay comes on to join the guys to discuss Second Annual Community Art Show And Juried Competition at Prince of Peace. Pastor Fay shares about the reason behind why he started this art show last year. This year’s theme for the art show is “Stronger Together”, as we seek to elevate and celebrate the power of connections and relationships. There is power in people coming together. Let’s reconnect. We need each other. The “Stronger Together” will be happening at Prince Peace from May 1-20, 2022. Get your artwork in by April 20, 2022. If you would like to learn more check out the website, https://www.pop.church/artshow.
On today’s episode PD and PDubs discuss the story of Joseph reconciling with his brothers after selling him into slavery. They talk about the emotions that Joseph felt and that his brothers felt once they realized it was Joseph. This discussion leads to talking about forgiveness and reconciliation.
PD and PDubs discuss the concept of The One. The One is somebody in your life who isn’t walking with Jesus or has walked away from Jesus. PD and PDubs talk about their own journeys with their ones and the difficult that it can be to figuring out who is your one.
PDubs and PD are joined by Immanuel Lutheran School Palatine’s, Principal, Dr. Joy Mullaney and the Director of Marketing and Admissions, Sofie Dzik. Joy and Sofie share about Immanuel Palatine’s school. Joy shares about what makes a Lutheran school different along with research of the benefits of going through a Lutheran School. Sofie shares what’s going on with the school and admissions. Both of them share about the different ways Immanuel’s school gets involved with the community.
PDubs and PD discuss Luke 6:17-26. They talk about the people coming to hear Jesus and to be healed by Jesus and the power of the Word of God. They also discuss that even in the times of persecution God is with us and we will have time of rejoicing.
PDubs and PD discuss a recent clip from the Tonight Show with Stephen Colbert and Dua Lipa. In the clip Dua asks Stephen how his faith and comedy overlap. Stephen gives an interesting response about love and sacrifice are a part of his life as a Catholic and how laughter can help in moments of sadness. PDubs and PD discuss these topics in a little more depth.
Welcome to the first episode of, “PD & P-Dubs Unscripted!” Pastor Warren (P-Dubs) and Pastor Donald (PD) are pastors at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Palatine, Illinois. Palatine is a northwest suburb of Chicago. They give a little background on the process of getting starting with this podcast. Also, in this episode they share what to expect with the podcast. And finally, they share a little bit about themselves to help everybody to get to know them a little bit.