Roots and Branches Podcast: Recent Episodes
New Life EFC - Hastings, MN
Learn about our ministry initiative called Deepening Roots and Growing Branches through in-depth discussion, personal stories, and creative application for everyday life.
Paul sits down with Anne Van Kleek, our faithful Administrative Coordinator who has been serving vocationally at New Life since October 2021. In Part 1, Anne shares her testimony, including how the Lord has guided both her and her husband of 35 years, Glenn, through many trials and joys: their initial pregnancy ending in a stillbirth at 7.5 months; a healthy boy; an early miscarriage; and a special needs daughter. Anne shares the Van Kleeks’ journey through three local churches and how the Lord has blessed them through each experience during specific seasons of life, including gaining a heart for missions. The last part of Part 1 covers Anne’s hiring at New Life; a typical day in her job role; and her recent freedom of seeing her Sunday morning role as an act of worship rather than merely a to-do list.
Paul starts this second podcast on his life mission statement with a triple-shoutout to the number 110: the lifespan of Joseph (a type of Christ); the lifespan of Joshua (Heb.: Yeshua, another type of Christ); and the messianic Psalm 110. Paul then dives into his life mission statement using select Scriptures and commentary: “Bearing fruit for Jesus Christ, faithfully stewarding mentorship, teaching, leadership, writing, speaking, marriage, and hospitality, by God’s grace, through the Spirit’s power, for His glory.” The seven targeted words reflect a calling to influence, communicate, and life-share, all centered in our Triune God. Regardless of gifts, age, or spiritual maturity, all Christ-followers should examine priorities for purposeful living for the Lord!
As Pastor Brent is still in the early weeks of his 3-month sabbatical, Paul recounts his own partial sabbatical back in 2016. Tying together his life-changing summer as a camp counselor in 1989 with a year of marriage restoration in 2007, Paul details how a challenging adventure to Philmont Scout Ranch prompted him to write a 25-word life mission statement. In so doing, Paul has seen the Lord’s grace and a continuity of calling from age 20 through today and as long as the Lord wills him to live. All listeners are challenged to make intentional choices and respond to unexpected trials in order to live more fruitfully and purposefully for the Lord our God.
Paul offers “director’s commentary” for his Psalm 8 sermon on 5/25/25. The themes of our human weakness, the strength of the LORD (YHWH), and the grace of Jesus are found throughout Psalm 8. Key cross-references include Heb. 2:5-9; 4:14-16; Matt. 11:25-30; 21:16; 2 Cor. 12:7-10; and Rev. 22:3-5. God’s Name, God’s Glory, and God’s Will in Psalm 8 help us to make sense of the dichotomy of our sinful, broken state apart from Christ—and His offer for redemption and fulfillment to reign with Him forever in glory and honor on the New Earth!
Initially intended as a commentary on his latest sermon delivered during Pastor Brent’s sabbatical, Paul turned Episode 107 into a personal glimpse into his preparation process for his intermittent preaching at New Life. Despite holding B.A. in Speech-Communication and having 37 years of teaching the Bible to all ages, Paul has had a steep learning curve as he’s navigated the breadth, depth, and nuances of preparing sermons for our church family. Over the past 15 months, preaching six times has been Paul’s experience of receiving “disciple-by-doing” thanks to much coaching and trust from Pastor Brent. A theme of this episode (and of Psalm 8, discussed more in Part 2) is that the Lord establishes strength in our weaknesses, evidenced by Paul battling in the Spirit and against his flesh to learn this new challenge. NOTE: Two more key steps were omitted in Paul’s “10 Steps for Sermon Prep” in this episode: thinking of illustrations and applications! Those key elements transform a sermon from a lecture to a pastoral exercise affecting the will in a relational context.
Paul and Pastor Brent look ahead to our 17-week summer sermon series in the Psalms. While Pastor Brent will kick off this series on May 11 and take the last two sermons (Aug. 24 & 31), 11 other preachers will cover 14 weeks during the entirety of Pastor Brent’s sabbatical. The co-hosts discuss specific psalms and themes; name the elders and EFCA leaders who will join Paul in preaching this summer; and challenge the youth (and anyone who chooses) to read all 150 psalms from June 1-Aug. 31. Pastor Brent also announces other sermon series plans, including Ruth for Advent 2025 and Romans spanning this fall through most of 2026. Finally, Paul and Pastor Brent put a bow on other big picture plans at New Life EFC by touching on growth groups, possible electives, and an upcoming Disciple-By-Doing Leadership Team forming later this year.
Pastor Brent and Paul preview a culminating day in the life of our church. On 5/4/25, we’ll have one service at 10 am, combining abridged corporate worship (including the end of our James series) with a business meeting detailing the 14 pp. packet emailed to our members on Resurrection Sunday. Key words are covered here (vision, staffing, serving, building, budgeting, fundraising, voting) and in much more detail on May 4th.
Pastor Brent and Paul discuss the why, what, and when of Pastor Brent’s 3-month sabbatical from pastoral ministry this summer. This period of rest, reflection, refocusing and realignment is based partly on Lev. 25 and is being advised by the North Central District of the EFCA, benefitting both the Kompelien family and New Life EFC. Paul’s opening passage (Matt. 11:28-30) and benediction (Rev. 7:15-17) both point to Jesus, the ultimate Shepherd and giver of rest, protection, presence, and peace.
Paul Arneberg and Pastor Brent Kompelien overview the purpose and process of ministry credentialing (licensing) and ordination in the EFCA. Paul is nearing the end of his 18-month journey (pending final approval from BOMS, the national board of ministerial standing), and Pastor Brent addresses the importance of this commendation from the Lord and the body of Christ. Key Scriptures shared include 2 Cor. 3:1-5; 10:18; and 1 Cor. 2:1-5.
Pastor Brent and Paul preview an upcoming elective class at New Life EFC entitled “Foundations.” Paul’s opener is from Psalm 102:25-27 (quoted in Heb. 1:10-12). Just as the Lord laid the foundation of the earth, He also gave us “foundations” to the Christian life, which Pastor Brent articulates as “Who is God?”, “What is the Gospel?”, “What is the Bible?”, “What is the Church?”, and “What is Spiritual Growth?”. These major foundational topics will be covered weekly and in-person from March 25-April 22, including Q&A and growth with brothers and sisters in Christ regardless of stage of spiritual maturity. In addition to Paul & Pastor Brent’s typical banter and color commentary, Paul ends with Heb. 13:8 as a benediction and antidote to the transient nature of this creation and this life: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”
This episode (the final in a four-part series) covers the same material that Pastor Brent presented at New Life EFC on 3/4/25. “Session 4—Staging Parables of the Kingdom: Learning to Love People and Place.” With 2 Cor. 5:11-21 as his main passage, Pastor Brent discusses “Ambassadorial Discipleship,” Foretaste and Signpost of the Kingdom of God,” and “Staging Parables of the Kingdom.” He draws on Christian theologians and authors Lesslie Newbigin, Jonathan Leeman, and Kevin Vanhoozer.
What began as a communication strategy in Fall 2022 to kick off our building campaign has developed into our weekly, comprehensive all-purpose church podcast! Paul and Pastor Brent celebrate the origin, traditions, interviews, innovations, and purpose of this Roots & Branches podcast. They also recap the recent vote to hire Station 19 as our architect and look to the future of expanding ministry options to all ages, especially our kids and youth.
This episode (the third of four) covers the same material that Pastor Brent presented at New Life EFC on 2/25/25. Session 3 is entitled “Capturing the Imagination: Gospel Transformation and Renewal.” Keying off of The Greatest Commandment (Mark 12:28-31), Pastor Brent discusses “Reordering What We Love” (heart); “Redefining Our Identity” (soul); “Rediscovering What Is True” (mind); and “Repatterning Our Behavior” (strength). He also covers “Instruments vs. Devices” and “Tacit Knowledge—Inhabiting the Biblical Story.” He ends with a proper understanding of improvisation as it relates not just to theater and music, but to the Christian life that relies on years of discipleship training to adapt to the constant changes we experience.
This episode (the second of four) covers the same material that Pastor Brent presented at New Life EFC on 2/18/25. Session 2 is entitled “Biblical Solution: God Forms His People in Particular Places.” Pastor Brent begins with “The Importance of ‘Place’ in the Bible” (from Eden through the New Earth) and goes on to discuss “Places vs. Non-Places,” “Distortions in Western Culture,” and “Recovering God’s Good Design.”
Whereas Episodes 94 & 95 previewed the four-week elective class taught by Pastor Brent Kompelien, this episode (the first of four) covers the same material that Pastor Brent presented at New Life EFC on 2/11/25. Incentives to attend in person include fellowship and ample time for Q&A (remaining sessions are 2/18, 2/25, and 3/4), but this is the next best thing! Session 1 is entitled “Identifying the Problem: Conforming to the Late-Modern World”. Using Romans 12:1-2 and Daniel 1 as key texts, Pastor Brent contrasts the world’s efforts to conform us into its image with the Lord’s will to transform us from within through the gospel. Several illustrations are used to encourage deeper discipleship through living out God’s truth in everyday life.
Paul and Pastor Brent were recently among 550 church staff, missionaries, and denominational leaders in Chicago. Their recap ranges from ancient church history to contemporary issues in the overall conference theme: “Theological Anthropology” (Gen. 1:27). Special attention is given to the teachings of Dr. Donald Fairbairn (1700th anniversary of the Nicene Creed); Dr. Hans Madueme (Original Sin and Concupiscence); and Dr. John Kilner (Creaturely Limitations and Disability). To watch videos of the conference plenary and breakout sessions, go to efca.org and search “2025 EFCA Theology Conference” (posted by mid-February). You may also or instead listen to the EFCA Theology Podcast on iTunes.
This second part continues overviewing Pastor Brent’s DMin dissertation and previewing his upcoming elective class (Tuesdays, Feb. 11-Mar. 4). His four sessions will cover “Identifying the Problem,” “Biblical Solution,” “Capturing the Imagination,” and “Staging Parables of the Kingdom.” The point of discipleship is the Greatest Commandment (Mark 12:28-31), and our call as believers being sanctified in Jesus is to learn to love the local church! This episode ends with brief plugs for our half-time Kids Coordinator opening and hope for our building project to move forward soon.
As a fitting follow-up to Episode 93 and a complementary commentary to our winter-spring sermon series on the book of James, this two-parter overviews Pastor Brent’s DMin dissertation, Reimagining Catechesis: Embodied and Embedded Discipleship Through Placemaking. After swapping stories of how the year 1994 was pivotal in each of their lives, Pastor Brent and Paul go over the outline of Pastor Brent’s elective class offered at New Life EFC on four Tuesday nights—Feb. 11-Mar. 4—from 6:30-8 pm. In our post-Christian (and often anti-Christian) culture, disciple-by-doing goes beyond doctrine, theory and catechesis by using hands-on, whole-life discipleship for deeper formation of all ages in the local church body.
Paul and Pastor Brent co-host their first shared episode of 2025 with a preview of the book of James, Pastor Brent’s winter-spring sermon series. In addition to the many well-known themes of James (e.g.: trials and suffering; wisdom; faith and works; careful use of words; humility; interactions with fellow believers; prayer), the theme of disciple-by-doing / whole-life discipleship is also seen throughout this letter and reflects our unique ministry strategy at New Life EFC. Living lives of godly actions rooted in God’s grace are essential for the Christ-follower, and the Lord calls us to be sanctified in community through the local church.
Paul Arneberg offers an annual refresher following up Episodes 34 & 35, “Goal Setting Parts 1 & 2.” Part 3 reviews and offers specifics on four basic categories of goal setting: physical (nutrition and exercise); spiritual (Bible reading and prayer journaling); financial (budgeting and saving); and skillful (vocation and hobbies). Healthy relationships should be the overarching end-result of all goal setting, so Paul ends by discussing a fifth category: relational goals (e.g., names, hospitality, gratitude). Whatever age, personality, or areas of gifting, each one of us can improve at setting and pursuing mini- (realistic) goals, medium- (reasonable) goals, and mega- (ridiculous) goals. Such intentionality better equips us to love others and to grow in Jesus’ grace and knowledge (2 Pet. 3:18).
Happy New Year, Roots & Branches church family and friends! Pastor Brent is on vacation, so Paul rings in 2025 with a solo episode as a follow-up and further commentary on his 12/29/24 sermon on Psalm 90. After overviewing this heavy psalm written by Moses, Paul highlights the grief and the hope represented by three family deaths: Wendy’s dad, Conrad DeGroot in 1970; Paul’s mom, Audrey Arneberg in 1985; and Paul’s nephew, E. Andre Larrea in 2002. Paul also addresses the death of his dream of fatherhood due to infertility—and how the Lord broke his depression on 11/24/02 using 1 Thess. 5:18. In addition to reading a poem of 15.5 couplets that he wrote for Andre’s funeral, Paul mentions “Teach Us to Number Our Days” by Marty Goetz, “All Glory Be to Christ” as sung by The Petersens, and “On Eagle’s Wings” by Michael Joncas. (Note: Charlie Seifert is the name of the Christian firefighter on the scene of Andre’s death.)
Paul Arneberg and Pastor Brent Kompelien conclude Advent 2024 with one of the most awesome chapters in the Bible, Revelation 5. Ever influenced by the arts to supplement his love for God’s Word, Paul opens and closes with samples of a great oratorio that he experienced in college, The Revelation of St. John the Divineby the late Dominick Argento. Pastor Brent reflects on his final sermon on “The Promises of God” by delving into the breathtaking nature of the Christ-exulting worship in Rev. 5. This final Roots & Branches episode for 2024 wraps up with a discussion of the “already” and “not yet” nature of Christ’s kingdom, admonishing the listeners to prioritize reading the whole counsel of God in order to grow in Christ and cling to the Lord’s promises for ultimate fulfillment at the end of the age, especially amidst trials. Keep Christ at the center, and keep in Christian community as a comfort and foretaste of the coming fullness of the Kingdom of God!
Paul Arneberg and Pastor Brent Kompelien continue their mini-series celebrating Advent 2024. After Paul recounts the four-fold life-changing nature of the year 1989 in his life, Pastor Brent returns to his sermon from 12/15/24 and offers bonus material on Abraham, the exemplar of faith and “the father of us all” (Rom. 4:16). He and Paul discuss atonement (meaning to “cover over”) as a human longing and NEED, but only fulfilled in receiving salvation in Christ through faith. Cross references abound, including Deuteronomy, Matthew, Mark, Ephesians, Galatians, and comparing the Mercy Seat in the Temple to our need to be covered by the mercy of Christ.
Paul Arneberg and Pastor Brent Kompelien return to their mini-series celebrating Advent 2024. As Pastor Brent wraps up his 15-week sermon series on “The Promises of God” this month, he and Paul discuss Matthew 1 and the arrival of the Promise in Christ (aka the Messiah, or Anointed One). After Paul connects his recent arctic distance run with the journey depicted in The Nativity Story (2006), Pastor Brent recaps the genealogy of Jesus in Matt. 1 and how both Judaism and Christianity are unique in world history by demanding that we hold up a mirror to ourselves and our need for salvation from our sins (Matt. 1:21). Paul ends with an admonishment to renew personal Bible reading in 2025 and he gives a plug for our New Life EFC sermon podcast (available on our website or search iTunes for “New Life EFC Hastings sermons”).
This two-part episode by Director of Discipleship Paul Arneberg focuses on the concept of margin inspired by the book Margin by Dr. Richard A. Swenson. In the 2019-2020 school year, the Lord led Paul to write a nine-part column series on margin. Using Scripture, personal examples and movies, Part 2 features four more key words related to margin: Contentment, Rest (incl. seven sub-category “S” words: Sleep, Stress, Schedule, Space, Sovereignty, Satisfaction, and Sabbath), Balance vs. Excellence (+ Negative Excellence), and Time.
This two-part episode by Director of Discipleship Paul Arneberg focuses on the concept of margin inspired by the book Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives by Dr. Richard A. Swenson. In the school year leading up to and including the COVID lockdowns (2019-2020), the Lord led Paul to write a nine-part column series on margin (https://jugheads.com/category/themarginseries/). Using Scripture, personal examples and movie references, Part 1 features Paul discussing four key words related to the concept of margin: Boundaries, Gratitude, Peace, and Simplicity.
Paul Arneberg and Pastor Brent Kompelien kick off a mini-series celebrating Advent 2024. As Pastor Brent wraps up his 14-week sermon series on “The Promises of God” this December, he and Paul discuss Ezekiel 34 and the Lord’s promise to shepherd His sheep and seek the lost. Cultural references include the classic “Rudolph” Christmas program; Aslan of Narnia; Aragorn of Middle-earth; and a special mention of an Advent song by the late Christian musician Jeremy Erickson. Supportive Scriptures include passages from Luke, John, Romans, Hebrews, James, 1 Peter, and Revelation.
Paul Arneberg and Pastor Brent Kompelien explore the biblical grounds of the imperative of solitude. Carving out regular time in one’s schedule to be alone with the Lord (and simply to process life) brings both wisdom and challenge to our lives in whatever stage. In addition to examples from Scripture (e.g., Psalms 39 and 131), Paul reads from a blog by Sharon Glasgow about the prayer life of Susanna Wesley (1669-1742), mother of 19 children, including John Wesley and Charles Wesley. Whether our lives are overly busy or prone to loneliness, whether full of extraordinary trials or mundane normalcy, the discipline of quiet time with the Lord in His Word and in prayer brings peace in the present and untold fruit in the future.
Happy Reformation Day! October 31, 1517 was a pivotal day in church history, when German monk Martin Luther publicly launched a movement to rediscover the Word of God and salvation by grace through faith in Christ alone. Just as it’s important to know our Bibles and redemptive history, it’s also important to know the history of our local churches and even entire denominations. Our special guest this episode is Dr. Tom Cairns, retired missionary and the archivist for the EFCA National Office in Bloomington, MN. Paul Arneberg and Pastor Brent Kompelien ask Tom about his personal testimony, his calling as a medical missionary, and his passion for remembering and celebrating the wonders God has done at the local and national levels.
Paul opens with his recent front-row experience seeing The Petersens, a top-notch Christian bluegrass band. Pastor Brent then leads a discussion of God shaping our faith though specific places and circumstances: family, neighborhood, workplace, hobbies, world events, illnesses, life stages, and the local church. Based on his recent sermon, Pastor Brent uses the biblical example of Joshua as one who experienced God’s presence and God’s rule. The Lord comforts, provides, leads/guides, and gives wisdom, strength and protection to His people. The co-hosts highlight the local church family as a primary place used by God for our refining, serving, and faith-building. The local church is designed to display the light of Christ to the world through an actual location in a specific time in history.
For Part 2 on mentorship, Paul Arneberg interviews Glenn Olson, long-time Christ-follower, husband, father, elder, and vocational minister. Glenn and his wife, Anne, have been at New Life EFC for their entire 37-year marriage, raising all six of their children in this small (now medium) local church. Glenn highlights his personal testimony, his experience mentoring young people through MN Teens for Christ and New Life EFC, and his current role as Director of Student Ministries for the NCD of the EFCA. Glenn’s life was radically changed by the Lord in college through Eph. 2:8-9, and he was radically changed as a young father through prayer. His motto of mentorship and discipleship could be leading people “One Step Closer to Jesus.”
Director of Discipleship Paul Arneberg offers a solo episode on mentorship. He keys off of four main categories: mentorship in the Bible; mentorship themes within Paul’s Top 100 Movies List; examples of people who have mentored him throughout his 5.5 decades of life; and broad categories of people whom Paul has endeavored to mentor, including two specific twenty-somethings who are rooted with him and Wendy for the long haul in the family of God through Christ.
To accompany this fall’s sermon series, “The Promises of God,” Pastor Brent Kompelien and Discipleship Director Paul Arneberg discuss the importance of reading the Old Testament. Christianity neither works nor makes sense apart from understanding and even loving the whole counsel of God as laid out in the OT and fulfilled through Christ in the NT. We should neither “unhitch” from the OT nor elevate it above the NT. Rather, let’s approach the Bible as one redemptive story with God’s precious promises made, fulfilled, and yet to be fulfilled for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Pastor Brent Kompelien and Paul Arneberg further discuss this fall’s sermon series, “The Promises of God.” There is continuity to God’s story—and God’s character—throughout both the Old and New Testaments. After swapping personal stories of misconceptions about God and the Bible in their respective adolescent years, Pastor Brent addresses the concept of typology: God used real historical people, things and events to foreshadow ultimate fulfillment in Christ.
Pastor Brent Kompelien and Paul Arneberg dedicate a “mini-episode” to this fall’s 15-week preaching series, “The Promises of God.” The goal of this series is to help our church gain a big-picture understanding of the Bible, showing how God’s promises of redemption are fulfilled in Christ: God’s people in God’s place under God’s rule in God’s holy and loving presence! Pastor Brent refers to two books: “The Promise-Plan of God: A Biblical Theology of the Old and New Testaments” by Walter Kaiser and “God’s Big Picture: Tracing the Storyline of the Bible” by Vaughan Roberts. Paul’s benediction from 2 Cor. 1:20 comes with a personal story about the late Christian stage & radio performer Richard K. Allison, who died of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma at age 44.
At the start of a new season, Paul Arneberg and Pastor Brent Kompelien consider biblical reasons and intentional strategies for why and how we gather for weekly corporate worship services. Corporate worship is a whole-family, intergenerational gathering that “breathes in” the Word and Spirit of God and then “breathes out” His grace and mission to our various other spheres throughout the rest of the week. Pastor Brent calls this a “gather and scatter” strategy, likening the rhythm of the Christian faith to a vital, living, breathing faith! Elements of the order of Sunday services are discussed under the overall strategy of revelation (making known God’s truth), apprehension (letting His truth sink into our hearts and minds), and response (gratitude, praise, and surrender to the Lord). Featured Scriptures include Heb. 10:24-25, Rev. 5, Rom. 10:17 & 12:15, and Col. 3:16-17.
Pastor Brent Kompelien and Paul Arneberg follow up on a recent two-part sermon series on Hebrews 10:19-12:3. Faith is a relational word, not merely an intellectual assent to the existence of God. God is our Creator, Provider, and Keeper of promises. Christianity is firmly based in history, in the Bible, in the church, and in the evidence of God’s faithfulness in our individual lives. Faith is a constant, daily reality for the person of God, with better knowing, trusting and loving our Triune God through Christ as our ultimate goal.
Paul Arneberg and Pastor Brent Kompelien continue discussing the biblical meaning of work. Vocational stewardship means that our work itself is an act of worship to the Lord and witness to our co-workers, customers, and bosses. Along with their usual commentary and anecdotes, Paul and Pastor Brent highlight three books making the essential link between faith and work: “Don’t Waste Your Life” by John Piper; “Work Matters: Connecting Sunday Worship to Monday Work” by Tom Nelson; and “Center Church” by Tim Keller.
Paul Arneberg and Pastor Brent Kompelien seize the day—Labor Day, that is—to celebrate and contemplate the biblical meaning of work. Desire, ability, opportunity, and passion are all ingredients into discerning vocational calling and serving the Lord in whatever capacity, whether paid or unpaid. The two discuss ideas from reformer Martin Luther, commentator Dennis Prager, and the late Pastor Tim Keller in his book “Every Good Endeavor: Connecting Your Work to God’s Work.”
Pastor Brent Kompelien and Paul Arneberg continue their two-parter on why we as Christ-followers should love the church—because Christ loves the church! Part 2 highlights two essential “both/and” aspects of a Christian’s life: 1) a believer’s sanctification is both individual and corporate through the local church; and 2) both discipleship as believers and outreach to unbelievers occur simultaneously. Luke 10:1-2 and Hebrews 10:23-25 were among featured biblical texts.
Pastor Brent Kompelien and Paul Arneberg focus a two-parter on why we as Christ-followers should love the church—in a word, because Christ loves the church! After an opening conversation about Paul’s lifelong tradition of attending the Minnesota State Fair, Pastor Brent highlighted two books dedicated to the church: The Loveliest Place: The Beauty and Glory of the Church by Dustin Benge and Nine Marks of a Healthy Church by Mark Dever.
Paul Arneberg and Pastor Brent Kompelien invest three episodes in renewing the vision for creative ministry at New Life EFC in Hastings, MN. Part 3 discusses the sanctifying process of walking together by faith (2 Cor. 5:7), keying off of the five themes of our Roots & Branches building campaign: 1) biblical truth taught, studied, and applied; 2) vibrant community of faith; 3) evangelism and outreach; 4) faithful discipleship in the post-Christian world; and 5) generosity and investing in the kingdom of God.
Paul Arneberg and Pastor Brent Kompelien invest three episodes in renewing the vision for creative ministry at New Life EFC in Hastings, MN. Part 2 discusses gardens and land plots both large and small, and how discipleship lessons and service opportunities abound, such as with our seniors and our youth.
Paul Arneberg and Pastor Brent Kompelien invest three episodes in renewing the vision for creative ministry at New Life EFC in Hastings, MN. Part 1 contrasts the biblical concept of whole-life discipleship with the tendency to neglect our various forms of talents, relationships, possessions, and callings. Key passages discussed include Gen. 1-2; Deut. 6:4-9; Mark 4:1-20; John 6:67-68; John 15:1-2; Rom. 12:2; Col. 1:17; Heb. 1:3; 2:1-4; and Heb. 12:11.
Pastor Brent Kompelien and Paul Arneberg continue their recap of Pastor Brent’s epic journey with nine other pastors hiking 113 miles around Mont Blanc near Geneva, Switzerland earlier this summer. In wrapping up his recollection of this peak experience of disciple-by-doing, Pastor Brent shares what he learned and taught his fellow pastors on prayer based on John Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion.
Pastor Brent Kompelien returns from his three-week adventure to the region of Geneva, Switzerland where he and nine other local pastors hiked the Tour du Mont Blanc—an 11 day, 113 mile trek around the tallest mountain in the Alps of Europe. He and Paul Arneberg discuss the manifold purpose of this epic journey: to study the Reformation; to lead each other in various studies of the Christian faith; to encourage and strengthen one another for the long-haul in vocational ministry; and to learn endurance physically and spiritually in this peak example of disciple-by-doing.
Paul Arneberg concludes his two-part conversation with Jeff Moulton. Their focus was the specific topics in the broad area of apologetics that they’ll present to our youth group in the 2024-2025 school year, including “Why suffering?”; various social issues; and the trustworthiness of the Bible. Jeff and Paul give particular attention to the need to lovingly balance both grace and truth in these big issues and the need to fight the fight of faith for and with our young people in these challenging times.
Paul Arneberg is joined by his friend and our newest New Life staff member, Jeff Moulton. Jeff and his family began attending New Life nearly four years ago and he’s served on all three committees focused on the vision, campaign, and plans our building project. For 15 years, Jeff has had a passion for Christian apologetics and its importance for Christians and churches today. Jeff shares his testimony; how the Lord has used apologetics in his life; and his drive to teach various classes on this vast subject, including spearheading an upcoming half-year series with our Youth Ministry.
Paul Arneberg continues his conversation with his fellow New Life staffer, Youth Coordinator Kiya Anderson. Kiya shares how our Youth Ministry has changed since it’s grown about six-fold since she and her husband, Josh, were involved as students. Kiya also honors some of her key mentors and our vital team of current volunteers who prioritize discipling the next generation.
Paul Arneberg sits down with his fellow multi-dimensional staff person Kiya Anderson, a lifer at New Life EFC. Kiya grew up in this church family; she married her high school sweetheart, Josh; and she serves as our half-time Ministry Assistant and Youth Coordinator while preparing for the imminent arrival of her and Josh’s firstborn. Kiya shares her testimony, her calling to youth ministry, and the priority of youth as a growing ministry at New Life.
Paul Arneberg and Pastor Brent Kompelien continue their conversation with Tiffany Neuharth, co-founder and executive director of Rise Up Recovery in Hastings, MN. Topics discussed include how Rise Up complements residential long-term treatment ministries such as Minnesota Adult & Teen Challenge and ways to give time, talents and treasure to this life-changing Hastings-based ministry. For more info., go to https://www.riseuprecoverymn.com/.
Paul Arneberg sits down with his wife Wendy and former head coach Erica Liddle to remember and celebrate Jugheads Youth Juggling Company. This was a wonderful example of disciple-by-doing that Paul and Wendy poured their lives into for 29 years. Paul, Wendy, and Erica swap stories and inspire how we can disciple all ages through creative hands-on learning.
Paul and Pastor Brent discuss the importance of our intellect and our mental capacity for glorifying God. Our minds are renewed in the gospel so that our thoughts are taken captive for Christ. What do you think about? Are your thoughts aligned with God and his priorities? How can you use your intellect to worship God?
Paul and Pastor Brent discuss a biblical view of children and youth. These are challenging days to raise kids and we need to see the high value of kids in the Bible, as well as understand the importance of everyone having a child-like faith.
Paul and Pastor Brent continue our discussion about the centrality of the Word of God in the local church. We dive into 2 Timothy 4 in order to talk about the authority of God’s Word and Paul’s warning to Timothy that many people will turn away from the truth of Scripture. It is so important that we humble ourselves to hear from God through the Bible.
Paul and Pastor Brent are joined again by Jeff Moulton to talk about the future of our Deepening Roots and Growing Branches ministry initiative. We are prayerfully waiting upon the Lord by making adjustments to the concept plans, adapting to our growing ministry needs, and working hard at developing our current facility and grounds for discipleship. We are excited for the future!
Pastor Brent and Paul Arneberg sit down with special guest Jeff Moulton to recap the history of our Deepening Roots and Growing Branches ministry initiative. We are now 3 years in and God has been incredibly faithful as we’ve pursued the Lord’s vision for our church. Listen to Paul, Brent, and Jeff reflect on the amazing ways we’ve grown as a church family.
Paul and Pastor Brent continue our conversation about the importance of prayer. We talk about individual and corporate prayer, recommend some good resources about prayer, and give a challenge for our church to grow in prayer this year. You will be encouraged by this episode!
Paul and Pastor Brent start a new two-part discussion on the importance of prayer. Prayer is central in the Bible and imperative for the Christian life. Paul and Brent discuss examples of prayer in the Bible and how we can best understand prayer theologically. As a church, we want to grow in prayer this year. Join us!
Paul and Pastor Brent discuss God’s amazing design for the church as a community of faith, a family of believers, and a spiritual house within which individual image-bearers can grow into mature Christ-likeness through the gospel. We need each other as we follow Jesus! Paul and Brent dive into Ephesians 4 to help us understand the importance of the Body of Christ.
Paul and Pastor Brent sit down for our last transformational outcome: Individual to Community. We live in a hyper-individualistic culture where we have elevated personal autonomy and self-defined identity to be supreme. This “expressive individualism” is a culture that has moved from forming to performing. Listen as Paul and Brent discuss the problems with radical individualism today.
Paul and Pastor Brent recap the special pre-conference sessions by Dr. Jonathan Leeman, the editorial director of 9Marks. The theme was on the church, state, and civic engagement. Listen to Paul and Brent recap some of the most important lessons about how we approach politics and understanding the role of government.
Paul and Pastor Brent had the opportunity to attend the annual EFCA Theology Conference in Chicago. The sessions covered biblical marriage, divorce/remarriage, abuse, singleness, and many other important topics regarding how we glorify God through marriage and family. Listen as Paul and Brent recap this conference.
Paul and Pastor Brent cover more of our transformational outcome: digital to analog. We explore more about the side-effects of the digital age and the unique ways we need to put technology in its proper place. Paul and Brent also discuss Disciple-by-Doing and the ways we can recover analog activities at New Life.
Paul and Pastor Brent discuss a new transformational outcome: digital to analog. We begin by defining an over-arching view of “technology” that helps us understand the good and bad aspects of how we develop tools for bearing God’s image in the world. There are unique challenges to the digital age that we need to carefully consider.
Continuing our interview with guest Mike Larson! We dive deeper into regenerative farming and learn more about how the old ways can re-capture God’s good design for creation. Paul and Pastor Brent discuss specific applications to life in a church family, especially as we move into the future of “disciple-by-doing” at New Life.
Special guest Mike Larson joins us to share his experience with “regenerative agriculture” in order to illustrate how embracing God’s design in creation brings fruitfulness and joy. In part 1 of this interview, we will reflect on the problems with our culture of consumption, learn about regenerative agriculture, and understand the ways a regenerative model of farming displays the glory of God.
Paul and Pastor Brent dive into another transformational outcome: consuming to stewarding. This stems from Genesis 1-2 as we are created to be fruitful and to “work and keep” God’s creation. We glorify God by stewarding the fruitfulness of ourselves, our families, our friendships, our vocations, our material things, and every aspect of our lives. Listen to discover how our culture’s false promise of “more, bigger, better” cannot satisfy.
Paul and Pastor Brent discuss another transformational outcome: fragmented to integrated. We live in a culture that tends to compartmentalize, divide, and distort our understanding of God’s good design for us and his creation. Yet the gospel of Jesus Christ brings all things under the Lordship of Jesus, causing us to come to see our lives as whole-life discipleship. This episode will challenge you to change your approach and fight against the fragmentation of our culture to see God’s transforming work to make us whole in Christ.
Paul Arneberg hosts part two of his solo podcast on goal setting. Paul helps us think through ways to set godly goals for the coming year, centered in the gospel, and saturated in the grace of God. Let this episode inspire you to have goals that honor the Lord and help you take steps forward in maturity and fruitfulness for God’s glory.
Paul Arneberg starts a new year with a discussion on goal setting from a biblical perspective. Many of us are overwhelmed when we begin a new year because we feel pressure to set lofty goals or pursue major life achievements. How can we put goals into a proper perspective? How can we pursue spiritual growth and maturity in a healthy way? Paul provides some ideas for setting goals for 2024 in a Christ-honoring way.
Paul and Pastor Brent continue with part two of Entitled to Selfless. Here we focus on the biblical calling to selflessness, servanthood, and humility. Namely, we look to the example of Jesus and discover how His earthly ministry reveals a gospel-centered and transformational approach to our entitlement and self-focus. There is much to ponder as we apply this transformational outcome to various aspects of our lives.
Paul and Pastor Brent begin discussing a new transformational outcome: moving from Entitled to Selfless. The issue of entitlement runs deep in our culture. We are self-focused and self-asserting in most contexts, and this even takes on a moral dimension of feeling offended when our selfhood is violated. This episode explains post-modernity’s roots in Romanticism, and highlights the ways our view of self is cursed by sin.
The dramatic conclusion of our transformational outcome: anxious to peaceful. In this episode, Paul and Pastor Brent dive deeply into the biblical vision of “shalom” and the gospel-centered approach we must have to know the peace of God. This anxious age requires us to be intentional about being a non-anxious presence in every aspect of our lives.
Paul and Pastor Brent tackle another transformational outcome: anxious to peaceful. We live in an anxious age. How do we decipher our anxious culture? How can we find peace with all the anxious thoughts and anxiety-producing things thrown our way? In this episode, Paul and Brent reflect on how we can be a “non-anxious presence” in our world.
Paul and Pastor Brent talk about how we can be intentional to pursue discipleship through modeling a gospel-centered life, spending quantity and quality time with others, capitalizing on moments to have discipling conversations, and setting milestones along the path of spiritual growth. This episode will encourage you to seek a whole-life discipleship, side-by-side with the family of God, as we pass along our faith to the next generation.
Paul and Pastor Brent sit down to define “Disciple-by-Doing” and help us understand more about the unique ministry vision of New Life. This creative approach will shape the development of our indoor and outdoor spaces as we seek to embed the truths of Scripture into hands-on discipleship. We aim to develop a training center to form ambassadors of Jesus Christ by inspiring awe through creation. Listen to learn more!
Paul and Pastor Brent look back on Celebration Sunday to recap this significant event in the life of our church. Our theme was: celebrate the past, joyful in the present, hopeful for the future. We talked specifically about the proposed building project and property development, and how every one of us can be involved in the vision God has given us to invest in the future of our church.
Paul and Pastor Brent tackle part two of our transformational outcome “busy to restful”. We dive deeper into the biblical vision of abiding in Christ and being restful in the truth of the gospel. We don’t have to try to be enough for God through our works, nor do we need to impress others with our busy schedules! Find freedom, rest, and joy as we take the yoke of Christ upon us.
Paul and Pastor Brent introduce a new topic that is probably very convicting for many of us: busyness. Our lives are full of activity, movement, obligations, and tasks. How do we understand the busyness of our culture? Why do we often have a fear of stillness or quiet? How can we examine ourselves and move toward restfulness in the gospel? These issues and more in this new episode!
Pastor Brent sits down with Mark Revell to learn more about “belonging” in the local church. Mark is the Director of Training at ReachGlobal and a PhD student studying the ways Christians find belonging in churches in the country of Hungary. He has a wealth of experience as a missionary and his research helps us gain a better understanding of how the local church beautifully displays the reality of the family of God.
Paul and Pastor Brent describe how the church is the God-ordained family of faith in which we find belonging. True belonging begins with being fully known by God, fully loved by God, and fully redeemed by God through the gospel of Jesus Christ. Then we find meaningful belonging in Christ’s Body, the local church, as we gather face-to-face and engage in worship, discipleship, and mission alongside one another.
We explore a new transformational outcome: moving from lonely to belonging. We are bombarded with superficial relationships in our culture. Paul and Pastor Brent consider the epidemic of loneliness that affects so many people today. We need to think critically about what it means to truly connect and belong, starting with our relationship with God, then extending to our relationships with others. The gospel redeems us to be in the presence of a Holy God, connected to the True Vine, Jesus Christ, and to belong to the Family of God in a local church.
Paul and Pastor Brent sit down again to explain why it is so important that we embrace objective truth. We develop a theology of special revelation, specifically through the Scriptures that reveal Jesus Christ. Paul and Brent define “inspiration” and help us learn why the Bible is foundational for the Christian faith. Our prayer is that you would crave to know God through his Word!
Paul and Pastor Brent launch into a new transformational outcome: relative truth to biblical truth. We begin by defining "subjective” and “objective” truth. Then turn to the Bible to understand how we can know God through general revelation. Our discussion ends with an intro to special revelation and a challenge to desire God’s self-disclosure through his Word.
We pick up the final installment of our conversation with Pastor Brent and Stephen Jelks about moving from my design to God’s design. We dig deeper into the importance of having a solid foundation in Christ. He is the only secure and solid Cornerstone. The church is the visible edifice of God’s glory, a signpost and foretaste to the coming Kingdom of God. We end this episode with a summary of our disciple-making vision at New Life.
Pastor Brent talks again with Stephen Jelks about moving from my design to God’s design. The focus of part 2 is on the biblical story and how we need to humble ourselves under the Master Builder’s plan, recognizing his sovereignty, and live a life centered on him. Architecture and design give us practical illustrations that will challenge our perspective on discipleship and enrich our understanding of the church.
Pastor Brent sits down with Stephen Jelks, an architectural designer, to talk about our next transformational outcome: moving from my design to God’s design. Brent and Stephen reflect on the pride and self-centeredness that pervades our culture, then contrast this with the call of the gospel to live in humility and surrender under God, the Master Builder.
Paul and Pastor Brent continue the conversation about image management. We introduce new concepts, enmeshment and differentiation, that illuminate how real connection can be distorted. We need to firstly have a real relationship with God through Jesus. Ultimately our security in Christ is the only way we can truly connect with others and to live together as the Body of Christ in the world.
Paul and Pastor Brent reflect on the toxic culture of image management in our world today. They also share some personal stories and anecdotes that illustrate the problems that often arise when we want to be accepted by others. Apart from Christ, we will easily make image management an idol and it will destroy us! We need to live securely in the grace of God and his love for us in Jesus Christ.
The continuation of our conversation about the church as a “place”. Paul and Pastor Brent illustrate how to redeem places for God’s glory and they cast a vision for the church as a “placemaking” endeavor. We need to envision disciple-making as an opportunity to enact the gospel in everyday life, together as the Body of Christ. Pastor Brent summarizes Dr. Kevin Vanhoozer’s book "Faith Speaking Understanding: Performing the Drama of Doctrine."
Paul and Pastor Brent begin an overview of the “transformational outcomes” we desire to see in our disciple-making vision. These goals paint a powerful picture of the kind of transformation we need to see in our lives at this particular cultural moment. Today we discuss moving from “non-place” to “place”. We need to embrace the embodied and relational reality of Christian community in which we experience spiritual formation through particular people gathered in a particular place. Paul and Brent explore the nuances of “place” in this two-part episode.
Paul and Pastor Brent sit down to discuss the nuances of discipleship as we live in the complexity of the post-Christian world. How do we come to have a deeper knowledge of God that results in real transformation? Paul and Brent introduce a new term, tacit knowledge, that helps illustrate how we come to inhabit the truth of God in a deep sense so that we can live faithfully day-by-day.
We are now going to explore the details of our Disciple-by-Doing ministry philosophy. Paul and Pastor Brent sit down to define biblically what we mean by Disciple-by-Doing and illustrate what this method of discipleship and outreach can look like in everyday life.
Paul and Pastor Brent reflect on the revival at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky. How do we think biblically about these kinds of events? What does this mean for our church in our community? Join us as we discuss movements of God to renew the church.
Paul and Pastor Brent reflect on the prophetic promise of deeper transformation. How is the story of people, presence, and place fulfilled? We need a new heart! The good news is that through Jesus we are reborn to new life in Christ by the forgiveness of our sins and the regeneration of our inner being! Special guest Isaiah Langenfeld shares his testimony of renewal through the gospel.
We are getting a clearer picture of the heart of discipleship in the Bible. In this episode, Paul and Pastor Brent explore the consistent call across the scriptures to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. We will learn that spiritual formation is about reordering our loves, redefining our identity, rediscovering the truth, and repatterning our behavior. Guest Deb Hannah illustrates the formational power of corporate prayer.
Paul and Pastor Brent go into more detail on the specific biblical promise of redemption from the Old Testament. God is doing a work in history to redeem “God’s people in God’s place under God’s rule in God’s holy and loving presence.” Special guest Kiya Anderson describes the beauty of Christian community and what it is like to live missionally in the world.
Now that we've outlined the biblical story from creation to new creation, we can circle back to deepen our understanding of redemption. Paul and Pastor Brent discuss our culture's false versions of salvation, and then uncover what the Bible says we are saved from, what we are saved for, and how we are saved. Special guest Tiffany Neuharth tells stories of redemption from her own life and from her work in recovery ministry.
Paul and Pastor Brent fast-forward to the end of the Bible to explain where all of history is headed: the new heavens and new earth. By tackling Revelation 21-22, we will learn about the beautiful picture of a renewed and redeemed creation where God will dwell with us face-to-face and all sin, evil, and death are gone!
Everything turns upside down in this new episode! The story of God’s good world and humanity’s special image-bearing work gets ruptured by sin. Paul and Brent explain how Genesis 3 results in cursed fruitfulness and the need for redemption. Special guest Ernest Stellingwerff shares his experience for 30 years in business management and helps us understand the curse of sin in our vocations.
Paul and Pastor Brent dive into Genesis 1:26-28 and Genesis 2:15 to learn about the image of God in humanity. This episode uncovers the beautiful picture of stewardship we find in the creation account. Special guest Paul Cravens shares about image-bearing through composing music.
In our first full-length episode, Paul and Brent sit down to talk about the biblical foundation of creation from Genesis 1. God’s creation has purpose and order, it is dependent on God, and it reflects His goodness and glory. Special guest Meg Cravens helps to illustrate how this foundation affects everyday life.
Check out our website for more information about this ministry initiative: https://www.nlefc.org/roots-and-branches