Grow at Pleasant Valley: Recent Episodes
Pleasant Valley Baptist Church
Welcome to the Grow at Pleasant Valley Podcast! Our goal is to help you grow in your knowledge of and love for Jesus. In this space, you'll find many of the teaching sessions, classes, panels, workshops, and more from PV meant to help you grow, no matter your stage of faith or life.
Being wise in the kingdom of God isn’t always about making the correct decision or always doing the right thing in the world’s eyes. Being wise in the kingdom of God is taking our mind captive to the things of God. But how do we seek and apply His wisdom to our everyday lives? Katelyn Bartlett helps us unpack Proverbs 9:10 and 2 Chronicles 1:1-3; 6-13 as we seek to further devote ourselves to living under the wisdom of His Spirit.
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This is a bold statement. And it can feel a little contradictory. Commentary from the Blue Letter Bible captures this idea well. It says: "One might think that fear always leads to less life, not more. But that isn’t how it works with Fear of the Lord."
Join us as Elyssa Driskell shares what this image means and then pause to take account of what influences our hearts.
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The Bible tells us both not to fear, and to fear the Lord. How do these two ideas fit together? Learn about this important concept that is at the crux of the Christian walk and discover how fearing the Lord reorients all worldly fears and tunes our hearts to love our God more.
About the Facilitator: Elyssa Driskell is the proud wife to Jason and mom to her two children. She is passionate about encouraging those around her and making the workplace her mission ground. Elyssa’s greatest joy is talking to others about our great God and she enjoys worshipping Him through writing to learn more about who He is.
Link: Booklet PDF
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What does a healthy soul look like? How can we know if our soul is healthy? What practices can we engage in to flourish? Listen in as Merle and Karen Mees shared about their journey to discover and grow in Soul Care.
Handout Link
Participants Handout
Recommended Resources
Embracing Soul Care: Making Space for What Matters Most by Stephen W. Smith
Your Best Life In Jesus' Easy Yoke: Rhythms of Grace to De-Stress and Live Empowered by Bill Gaultiere
Breath as Prayer by Jennifer Tucker
Embracing Rhythms of Work and Rest by Ruth Haley Barton
Spiritual Disciplines Handbook by Adele Ahlberg Calhoun
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Listen in as Caleb Eissler wraps up the class by combining the last two sessions (due to scheduling restraints). During this lecture, Caleb talks about political idolatry and covers the concluding session.
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Listen in as Caleb Eissler explains how historic Baptist principles are central to the conversation surrounding church and state, especially the principles of religious liberty and the separation of church and state.
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After spending several sessions working through what the Bible says about the specific callings of the Christian, church, and government, Caleb Eissler walks us through how those specific callings relate to one another. Note: this session involved lots of class discussion throughout, therefore much of what Caleb says in the latter half of the session is in response to the various questions and comments from attendees.
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What is the calling of the government? Should we pay taxes? How do we make sense of bad or evil political leaders? How does biblical theology factor into the discussion? Is there a place for civil disobedience? How can Christians honor those in authority? Listen in as Caleb Eissler answers these questions and more!
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How does the Bible treat the theme of government? How does the theme of government develop over the storyline of Scripture? How do the Old and New Covenants factor into the discussion? How does this biblical theology actor into our understanding of the nature of government? Listen in as Caleb Eissler answers these questions and more!
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What is the calling of the church? How does this calling relate to the calling of the Christian and the authority of Jesus? How does the calling of the church relate to our political engagement? Listen in as Caleb Eissler answers these questions and more!
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What does it mean that Jesus is King of Kings? What is the nature of authority? Is authority inherently oppressive or can it be good? What is the calling of the Christian? How does the Christian's calling relate to Jesus' authority and how we engage in politics? Listen is as Caleb Eissler answers these questions and more as he tackles lectures 2 and 3 of Equip: Political Theology.
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In this introductory session of Equip: Political Theology, Caleb Eissler kicks off the class by talking about how the Gospel must be at the center of and the highest priority in our political engagement. He goes on to talk about how "Jesus is Lord" is the most political statement ever made, and how this reality should impact how we engage in political matters. Finally, Caleb talks about how we can maintain our Gospel witness as we engage in the public square which is a battleground of gods and worldviews.
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In the final of 3 staff sessions on gender and identity, Caleb Eissler explains how identity, specifically identity in Christ, is the key to unlocking evangelism and ministry in our culture's modern conversations surrounding identity. To close the message, Caleb answered several questions during a time of Q&A at the end of the session. Note: the audio did not record properly for the second staff session, so that audio is unavailable. To hear similar content that was delivered to the staff, look for an earlier episode on the Grow at Pleasant Valley podcast channel titled "Equip: Defending the Faith (Apologetics) | Gender, Identity, and Transgenderism."
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In the first of 3 sessions on sexuality, identity, and the Gospel, Caleb Eissler walks the PV Staff through the Bible's testimony about marriage, apologetic arguments for Scripture's traditional view of marriage, and practical points on how to minister in a world that affirms same-sex marriage.
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In this Twenty-Somethings sermon, Caleb Eissler explains the theology and beauty in the Lord's Supper. He also discusses the difference between Protestant and Catholic views on the ordinance, before closing by showing us how we can see the glory of the Gospel in the Lord's Supper. Recorded on 3/25/21.
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In this Twenty-Somethings sermon, Caleb Eissler explains the Bible's incredible vision for singleness and how this beautiful calling connects with the Gospel. Recorded on 9/26/19.
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In this Twenty-Somethings sermon, Caleb Eissler teaches on the topic of unanswered prayer from the book of Habakkuk and shows us the hope we can have in our God who hears and answers all of our prayers. Recorded on 10/8/20.
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In this Twenty-Somethings sermon from the ministry's 1 Peter message series, Caleb Eissler teaches from 1 Peter 2:11-17 as he explains the Bible's understanding of our relation to the government and how to combat political idolatry for the sake of the Gospel. Recorded on 9/22/22.
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In this Twenty-Somethings sermon, Caleb Eissler addresses the intense political and religious tension in the midst of the 2020 presidental election. This sermon was recorded on the Thursday after the election and at the time we did not yet know the results of the election. In the message, Caleb explains how the Gospel and Kingship of Jesus comes to bear on our politics as we seek to resist political idolatry. Recorded on 11/5/20.
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In this Twenty-Somethings sermon, Caleb Eissler closes out our deconstruction message series by talking about how to respond to the abuse of authority, particlarly when the abuse comes through a pastor. Caleb then moves to speaking about what a biblical vision of pastoral ministry looks like compared to our distorted celebrity-centered vision of pastors. Recorded on 8/11/22.
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In this Twenty-Somethings sermon, Caleb Eissler continues our deconstruction message series by talking about what the Bible says about authority. He talks about how to understand authority in the midst of various theories of authority and power making their way through our culture. Recorded on 8/4/22.
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In this Twenty-Somethings sermon, Caleb Eissler continues our deconstruction message series by talking about the difference between the world and the Word's view of identity. Recorded on 7/28/22.
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In this Twenty-Somethings sermon, Caleb Eissler kicks off our deconstruction message series by explaining what deconstruction is and how we can find hope in the midst of it. Recorded on 7/21/22.
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In this final session of Equip: Defending the Faith (Apologetics), Caleb Eissler sums up the class by reminding us one last time that apologetics should be done in service to evangelism. Caleb ends by encouraging the class to share the hope of the Gospel with the world . Recorded on 4/2/23.
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In this session, Caleb Eissler teaches about deconstruction, a phenomenon impacting many younger Christians. He shows how American evangelicalism's politcial idolatry and pastoral failures have caused many younger Christians to doubt the faith. Caleb closes by showing how the Gospel brings us hope in the midst of it all. Recorded on 3/26/23.
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In this session, Caleb Eissler teaches about the Bible's view of gender and sexuality. He engages with the modern transgender ideology sweeping through culture and shows how Scripture's teaching on gender and sexuality is better for human flourishing. Then he considers the core issue at play: how we understand our identity and what the Bible how to say about our identity in God's eyes. Caleb closes the session by talking about several difficult, practicial issues realted to the topics covered, as well as how to bring the grace and truth of Jesus into our interactions with others related to gender, identity, and transgenderism. Recorded on 3/12/23.
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In this session, Caleb Eissler teaches about what biblical marriage is and how same-sex marriage differs from Scripture's teaching. He also talks about how to navigate tough conversations and practicalities surrounding sexuality with the grace and truth of Christ. Recorded on 3/5/23.
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In this session, Caleb Eissler paused to take time to answer questions about the material we've covered in the class so far. Recorded on 2/26/23.
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In this session, Caleb Eissler teaches about how to make sense of the problem of pain and evil and shows us how the Gospel gives us hope in the midst of it all. Recorded on 2/19/23.
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In this session, Caleb Eissler teaches about evidence for the existence and resurrection of Jesus, and how the reality of Jesus changes everything. Recorded on 2/12/23.
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In this session, Caleb Eissler teaches about the historicity and reliability of the Bible. This session includes discussions about translations, manuscript copies, historical evidence, and more that point to the truth and reliability of Scripture. Recorded on 2/5/23.
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In this session, Caleb Eissler teaches about the moral argument for the existence of God and how it can be a powerful tool for evangelism. Recorded on 1/29/23.
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In this session, Caleb Eissler teaches about the scientific arguments for the existence of God. He also teaches about the creation of the world and explains its relation to the Gospel through theological triage. Recorded on 1/22/23.
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In this session, Caleb Eissler introduces us to the foundations of apologetics and shows how apologetics is meant to be done in service to our evangelism. Recorded on 1/15/23.
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In this session, Caleb Eissler teaches about God's knowledge, sovereignty, and providence and shows how they all apply to our everyday walk with the Lord. Recorded on 11/2/22.
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In this session, Caleb Eissler teaches about God's immutability, impassability, immensity, omnipresence, and eternity and shows how they all apply to our everyday walk with the Lord. Recorded on 10/26/22.
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In this session, Caleb Eissler teaches about God's holiness, goodness, and power and shows how they all apply to our everyday walk with the Lord. Recorded on 10/19/22.
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In this session, Caleb Eissler teaches about divine spirituality, aseity, and simplicity and shows their application to our everyday walk with the Lord. Recorded on 9/28/22.
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In this session, Caleb Eissler teaches about the Trinity, the uniqueness and beauty of the doctrine, and its implications for our faith. Recorded on 9/21/22.
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In this first session, Caleb Eissler teaches on the how the study of theology should lead us to godliness and to love God more. He also introduces us to the doctrine of God. Recorded on 9/7/22.
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In this session, Caleb Eissler teaches about our hope in the midst of spiritual warfare: the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Note: due to a malfunctioning recording device, the audio is lower in quality than normal. We pray that the quality of the content will outshine the quality of the audio. Recorded on 2/23/22.
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In this session, Caleb Eissler teaches about our great enemy: Satan. Caleb dispells myths and presents the truth of what Scripture says about the devil. Note: due to a malfunctioning recording device, the audio is lower in quality than normal. We pray that the quality of the content will outshine the quality of the audio. Recorded on 2/16/22.
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Following the first session of the class (no audio available) where Caleb Eissler talked about the reality of the supernatural and spiritual warfare, in this second session Caleb teaches about the theology and reality of angels and demons as well as dispelling various myths that have come into pop Christianity. Note: due to a malfunctioning recording device, the audio is lower in quality than normal. We pray that the quality of the content will outshine the quality of the audio. Recorded on 2/9/22.
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In this final session of Equip: Foundations, Caleb Eissler teaches on singleness, marriage, and eschatology (the doctrine of the last things/end times). Listen in for the surprising connection between marriage and the end times. Recorded on 11/17/21.
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In this session, Caleb Eissler teaches on the ordinances Christ gave to the church: baptism and the Lord's Supper.. Recorded on 11/10/21.
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In this session, Caleb Eissler teaches on ecclesiology, the doctrine of the church, as he seeks to show us the importance and the beauty of the bride of Christ. Recorded on 11/3/21.
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In this session, Caleb Eissler teaches on the doctrine of salvation and the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ. Recorded on 10/27/21.
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In this session, Caleb Eissler teaches on the topics of humanity and sin so we can understand the incredible reality of being made in the image of God and also understand our need for a sin-defeating Savior. Recorded on 10/20/21.
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In this session, Caleb Eissler teaches on the theology of the Holy Spirit and how the Spirit works in our everday lives. Recorded on 10/13/21.
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In this session, Caleb Eissler teaches on Christology, the doctrine of Christ. He speaks about the offices of Christ, the incarnation, and many more things as he helps us see the glory of Christ. Recorded on 9/29/21.
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In this session, Caleb Eissler teaches on the theology proper, the doctrine of God. He walks through God's attributes and helps us see how God is worthy of all of our worship. Recorded on 9/22/21.
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Following our introductory session (no audio available) on the purpose of theology and how theology should lead to godliness, Caleb Eissler directed our attention to the Bible. In this session he talks about the historicity, reliability, inerrancy, infallability, authority, and message of Scripture. Recorded on 9/15/21.
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In this session, Andy Lee offers some concluding remarks about the class and then we transition into a panel covering questions submitted by class participants. Our panelists were Merle Mees, Caleb Eissler, Andy Lee, and Dr. Albert Bean.
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In this session, we answer class questions from the previous session and then Andy Lee walks us through how to read and understand the Apocalyptic genre of the New Testament, primarily found in the book of Revelation.
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In this session, we answer class questions from the previous session and then Andy Lee walks us through how to read and understand the New Testament Epistles.
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In this session, we answer class questions from the previous session and then Andy Lee walks us through how to read and understand the book of Acts in the New Testament.
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In this session, we answer class questions from the previous session and then Andy Lee walks us through how to read and understand New Testament parables.
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In this session, we answer class questions from the previous session and then Andy Lee walks us through how to read and understand the New Testament Gospels.
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In this session, we answer class questions from the previous session and then Andy Lee walks us through how to read and understand Old Testament Psalms and Wisdom Literature.
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In this session, we answer class questions from the previous session and then Andy Lee walks us through how to read and understand Old Testament prophecy.
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In this session, we answer class questions from the previous session and then Andy Lee walks us through how to read and understand Old Testament Law.
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In this session of Encounter, we begin by answering questions from the class thus far. Then, we start our progression through the various genres of Scripture as Andy Lee explains how to read and understand Old Testament narrative texts.
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Is the Old Testament even relevant today? For many, the Old Testament seems foreign and mysterious while the New Testament seems familiar and understandable. We emphatically believe the Old Testament is vital for our Christian lives and for grasping the true meaning of the New Testament. Believe it or not, Jesus thought the Old Testament was incredibly important. We take our cues from Him. Listen in as Andy Lee and Dr. Albert Bean explain the importance and relevance of the Old Testament for understanding all of Scripture.
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How do you study the Bible? It's one of the most fundamental questions of the Christian life. As we kick off Encountering God in the Bible class, we begin with that question. And to answer that question, we ask 2 other fundamental questions that will form the structure of our study of Scripture going forward: 1.) What did this Scripture mean to the original audience? and 2.) What does this Scripture mean for God's people today? By answering these two questions, we can learn the basics of how to study the Bible. Listen in as Andy Lee kicks off our 12 week class by showing us how to use these questions to better understand God's Word.
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