The Refuge Podcast: Recent Episodes
The Refuge Retreat
We are all about unifying a generation of college students to be disciple making follower of Jesus. It's our goal to equip and empower you to make disciples on your college campus. Whether you're enrolled in a University, taking a gap year, attending school virtually or simply 18-25, we hope you tune in each week. Every Monday morning we will release a 15-20 minute podcast that will encourage and challenge you to take personal responsibility in your faith. Listen on your walk to class as Adam and Kaitlin help you make an impact on your campus today! To learn more about Adam & Kaitlin and The Refuge Retreat, head over to therefugeretreat.com or find us on Instagram @therefugeretreatnc.
We're in John 11 this week talking through one of the most vivd, detailed stories in all the Gospels. There's a lot going on and Jesus isn't holding back!
Refuge Retreat
Jesus has gone from playing in the sand to now playing in the mud. This time His holy & anointed spit is healing a blind man and further infuriating the Pharisees and Jewish Leaders. How does the man respond to knowing Jesus spit on him?
Refuge Retreat
Yes, we had to look up how to correctly spell the word "coup" and the correct meaning. It is a very fitting word for this story in John 8!
Challenge for us all: Is there someone in your life that you can stand up for?
Refuge Retreat
Okay, so Jesus doesn't perform a miracle in John 7, but there's some juicy stuff going down! The tension between Jesus and the Religious leaders is getting intense. Challenging question: what distraction in your life causes you to doubt who Jesus is?
Refuge Retreat
Look, things are going to be hard. This journey of following Jesus is not easy, and Scripture tells us its not supposed to be easy. But take heart, God's love for you is greater than you can ever imagine.
1 Timothy 4:10 - For this reason we labor and strive because we have put our hope in the Living God who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.
Refuge Retreat
If you want to walk on water, you gotta get out of the boat! No, but for real, you can't really say you're taking steps of faith if your resting in fear, doubt, anxiety, and the list goes on and on. The invitation for us as followers of Jesus is to step out of the boat and walk with Him in a place we have no right walking.
Refuge Retreat
Poor little Tiny Tim was walking along, about to eat his dinner, but Jesus had other plans! Why do you think Jesus saw a crowd of 10,000+ people and decided it would be a good idea to feed them? Crazy story found in John 6.
Shoutout to WorshipFails
Refuge Retreat
The Story in John 5 is interesting. We got this magical pool thing, Jesus sneaking around, and a lame guy getting healed without even know the One that healed him. The takeaway for us is pretty simple though. Join the conversation to determine your takeaway.
Refuge Retreat
This week we take a break from Jesus' ministry with a little Voice Memo Devo! These VMDs are short thoughts that are intended to help you on your disciple-making journey.
If God is always speaking, then we must train our ear to hear His voice?
Refuge Retreat
We hope your answer is yes! You'll need to hear the story to understand the question. It's a question that tests your faith. How confident are you in the power of Jesus? Check out the final few verses of John 4 and then ask yourself the question again.
Refuge Retreat
We're back to finish up the story of The Woman at the Well found in John 4. There is so much to take from this story, but learning from this lady's response could be the most important lesson to takeaway.
How you do you respond when Jesus does something amazing in your life?
Refuge Retreat
A story so good, we had to make a 2 part podcast. Jesus is breaking all sorts of cultural rules to teach us so much. We encourage you to read John 4 and jot down all the things you notice.
What happens when a dirty past life encounters someone who offers a fresh start?
Refuge Retreat
This week we spend some time talking with Tessa and Mayci about what they are learning about disciple-making and the valuable lessons they learned in college. Tessa & Mayci currently lead our RR Girls Study every week on Zoom!
Refuge Retreat
Okay, it's Jesus' first one on one conversation with someone that doesn't really want to follow Him. How does Jesus handle the pushback and how does Nicodemus respond? Also, whatever happened to Nicodemus anyway?
Refuge Retreat
Think of a time when you were super mad. How did you handle that anger? Do you have any regrets? Well, here's the good news. It's normal to be angry from time to time. The challenge is learning how to control that anger or even use it for good.
John 2:13-22; Mark 11:15-19; Luke 19:45-47
Camp Ton-A-Wandah
Sitting on 365 acres in Flat Rock, NC, Camp Ton-A-Wandah is a residential summer camp for girls!
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.
Refuge Retreat
Ok, let the miracles begin! First up, Jesus turns water into wine at a wedding. Why is this the first miracle? Did Jesus even really want to do it? What does this mean for the debate about Christians drinking alcohol? We got lots to talk about!
Garden City Chapel & Retreat
The Chapel has become a retreat center to thousands of campers every year from across 22 states.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.
Refuge Retreat
Remember the scene from Anchorman when Ron Burgandy needed to get his News Team back together, so he just yells "News Team Assemble" as loud as he can. Okay, so that's not exactly how Jesus did it, but something close. We're in John 1:35-51 this week learning how Jesus recruits His disciples.
Caraway Conference Center & Camps
Camp Caraway is a year round Christian retreat and conference center in Asheboro, NC.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.
Refuge Retreat
We are honored to have Cailey Bellows on the podcast today to discuss some important lessons she learned from her time at the University of Tennessee. There are always plenty of laughs when Cailey is around, but if you're listening, also a lot of wisdom!
Garden City Chapel & Retreat
The Chapel has become a retreat center to thousands of campers every year from across 22 states.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.
Refuge Retreat
Jesus hasn't even performed any miracles yet and He's already stirring the pot inside the church. Truth is, when you live a life surrendered to Jesus, you're going to be rejected in some way. How did Jesus handle it and how does this help us make disciples?
"Prayer tends to be the thing we believe in the most yet practice the least."
Caraway Conference Center & Camps
Camp Caraway is a year round Christian retreat and conference center in Asheboro, NC.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.
Refuge Retreat
Why in the world did Jesus entertain this embarrassing attempt from Satan? What are some key takeaways from this story? Join the conversation as we talk about Jesus' temptation found in Matthew 4:1-11 (Mark 1:12-13; Luke 4:1-13).
"If we put an Apple Watch on Jesus back in His time, how many steps a day would He get?"
Garden City Chapel & Retreat
The Chapel has become a retreat center to thousands of campers every year from across 22 states.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.
Refuge Retreat
Did Jesus really need to get baptized? What does His baptism mean for us now? We kick off the Jesus-Stories with John 1:29-34 – Jesus' Baptism. (Also seen in Matthew 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-22).
"There's a lot of power in simple conversations about something super powerful."
Caraway Conference Center & Camps
Camp Caraway is a year round Christian retreat and conference center in Asheboro, NC.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.
Refuge Retreat
We're back for Season 2 of The Refuge Podcast! Get ready for some new guests, new material and a new Co-host!! Everyone welcome Josiah Filegar to the show!
SevenMarks Church in Raleigh, NC
A non-denominational church focusing on helping people practice the way of Jesus together.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.
Refuge Retreat
Spring is in the air people! If you're a college student that means a break of some sort is imminent. As a follower of Jesus, there is never a time we should put our disciple-making on hold. So how will you maximize this break?
Living a life for Jesus requires for us to live openhanded. What does that mean exactly and how can we do that? Join the conversation to hear what we've learned about living openhanded.
There is something happening at Asbury College in Wilmore, Kentucky. Not only is Revival a real thing, but it's going to start with college students. Instead of being skeptical, let's pray that this is a genuine move of the Holy Spirit.
Sometimes the word 'change' can be scary and even be something we refuse. But isn't change necessary? Can you change? Possibly the better question to ask would be, "What needs to change in your life?"
We've all been there right? Is God speaking? Does God still care about me? What am I doing wrong? Well, there are several answers to all these questions, but the most common answer is YES! If He's speaking, which He is, then what are you doing about it?
This week we're joined by a recent college grad and long time friend, Tessa Manning. Our conversation is centered around how we can pursue God throughout the day. Tessa shares some great insight on how she practices and grows her relationship with the Lord.
Jesus is more than just a prominent figure in history. He's forever a preeminent Savior. Our biggest challenge is to live that out everyday.
It's that time of year where most of us truly desire to make some changes to better ourselves. There's nothing wrong with a good resolution, but they tend to fade away in a month or two. How can we actually make things better?
What does "waiting" on God really mean? David talked about it a good bit in the Psalms, but what does it mean for us?
Tis the season to be stressed to the max. For real though, stress is simply a part of life, but it shouldn't get in the way of our life. Getting a healthy perspective of our stress will help deal with it and persevere!
How are you treating your pursuit of Jesus? A lot of times we go for the quick fix or a performance based attempt. Jesus is after much more than that.
Ever felt overwhelmed by your baggage? Yeah, so have we. You're not alone. But, it's important to learn how to move on from that feeling. Spoiler alert, it's Jesus.
Having big faith is great. But having big faith without praying big prayers is incomplete.
We've all been there, and some of you may be there right now. Bitterness creeps into our heart when we delay forgiveness. The longer we let bitterness hang around the more destruction it can have on us and the people around us. How do we deal with it?
Porter is back with us again to talk about how the story of the Gospel is bigger than me and you. The beauty of that is despite are readiness or willingness, God still desires to use us to proclaim His story.
There is power in a story. There is power in your story. The real question is, are you telling your story? How has Jesus changed you? What is God teaching you right now? Someone needs to hear this!
All our stuff us still packed up, our brains aren't fully functioning, our hearts are overwhelmed, but here's our best review from last weekends retreat!
Well, it's still the week before the retreat. Hurricane Ian turned out to be a pretty nasty storm and we had to make some difficult decisions. How did it all turn out and how are we feeling about it?
Okay it's the Monday before our 5th Retreat. How are we feeling? What is our current mental status? Why are we still doing this??
Worship is our response to the goodness of God in our life. It's giving God His breath back. If you want to grow in your relationship with Jesus, then worship Him.
Here's a good worship playlist from our retreats:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7a1RA8YPBxYP0o92VuKuMv?si=6fd0616a4d9e4995
We like to think of a leader as someone who is simply a step ahead. In this short conversation we give you some pointers on how you can be an effective leader right now!
- Teach - 2 Timothy 2:2
- Model - 1 Corinthians 11:1
- Equip - Ephesians 4:11-13
Next Retreat is almost here!! Register NOW!!
https://refugeretreat.typeform.com/Number5
Voice Memo Devo's are simple, yet profound thoughts that God gives us in our everyday life. This Devo talks about how God will speak to us when we're on a Mountaintop and calls us to move in the Valleys.
We continue our conversation through the different seasons of your relationships while in college. This week we talk about how you can live out the Gospel while you're engaged. Remember, there's purpose in every season!
Last week we talked about the intentionality we can put into our season of singleness. Well, we're taking it a step further. Join us for a conversation on dating while in college.
No season is wasted. If you find yourself single in college, there's a reason and God wants you to use that season. The end goal of being single is not to start dating, it's to use that time for so much more.
So often our Podcast topics are motivated by conversations we have with college students. This one is a great example. We're pretty sure a lot of listeners will relate to this one.
"You don't find your identity by searching for who you are, you find your identity by searching for who God has always been." Such a great conversation with Porter about the Spiritual challenges during college.
On this episode we talk through APEST, a helpful tool that we learned from Alan Hirsch. It's straight from Ephesians 4 and will help you learn the gifts that Christ has given you and wants you to use for His Kingdom.
FREE APEST TEST - https://www.alanhirsch.org/tests
We talk a lot about your community. But the more important question regarding your community is how much are you impacting them and how much are they impacting you? It all takes Jesus-centered intentionality.
Hear the story and heart behind our Refuge Boxes; designed by a college student for college students.
Sometimes going home during the summer break brings on anxiety or just a bad mood. Confronting family members or dealing with a different environment can have its challenges. But, have no fear. We're here to offer some help!
Today we have a conversation with Walker regarding his recent mission trip to Costa Rica. As always we finish up with a little challenge to all of you that haven't taken that leap of faith yet!
The past can be daunting sometimes, and the road ahead seems impossible. We're here to offer encouraging news. You don't need all the answers, just some spiritual motivation!
If we really do believe that the Gospel is the greatest story ever told and that our mission is to share that truth, then why do we struggle to be compelling when talking about Jesus?
We love catching up with our former college students! Josiah is a Refuge OG and gives us some great insight to what it means to live the dream regardless of how young you are.
It's summertime! Whatever your plans are this summer don't let your discipleship efforts last semester go to waste. We have a few pointers to help you maintain important relationships while you're enjoying the summer break.
In 1 Peter we are told to be holy like God is holy. Yeah right Peter! How in the world is that even possible? Join the 2 part conversation to get a better understanding of how are called to live a life of holiness.
In 1 Peter we are told to be holy like God is holy. Yeah right Peter! How in the world is that even possible? Join the 2 part conversation to get a better understanding of how are called to live a life of holiness.
The health of your fruit is dependent on the health of your root. Jesus said it's your fruit that shows you are a disciple. Therefor, the root is crucial!
It may sound cheesy, but the truth behind the title of this episode is rooted in so much scripture. John 15 quotes Jesus saying that He is our friend and desires a friendship with us. What does that look like exactly? Let's talk about it.
When does "speaking truth in love" become just straight up judgement of our peers? Loving people right where they are is not easy, but Jesus modeled it perfectly and we are called to love like Jesus.
Before the pandemic, “60% of U.S. students felt ‘overwhelming’ anxiety, while 40% experienced depression so severe they had difficulty functioning. It's a problem. We sat down with Mikaela Jones and just listened to her drop wisdom on how she combats her anxiety in college!
Our 4th Retreat is officially in the books and it was just absolutely ridiculous! Today's episode is us attempting to give you a recap of what it was like for us. Still processing...
With our April Retreat coming up very soon, we give our listeners a more detailed look at what our weekend retreats look like!
With our April retreat(s) coming up, we wanted to spend some time giving our listeners some insight to why we do what we do.
There are some people in the world that show hospitality every once in a while, then there are people that just live it out on the regular. Tom and Terrie Sue Guillou are those people that just live it out.
There are some people in the world that show hospitality every once in a while, then there are people that just live it out on the regular. Tom and Terrie Sue Guillou are those people that just live it out.
Never underestimate what God can do through unqualified people. In fact, that's usually when God calls us.
What do we do when we get frustrated with reading our Bible or when it just doesn’t make sense at all? Don't worry, we've been there, like yesterday.
We are so honored to have our good friend Cathy Tellefsen on this episode to talk through what Scripture says about Forgiveness. Cathy has been a Biblical Counselor for many years and continues to guide people through dark places in life.
We are so honored to have our good friend Cathy Tellefsen on this episode to talk through what Scripture says about Forgiveness. Cathy has been a Biblical Counselor for many years and continues to guide people through dark places in life.
One of the best things for your personal discipleship is to learn the art of saying NO!
Here are some pointers from the conversation:
1. Understand your margin
2. Protect your yes time
3. A Healthy No
It seems basic, but a common question among followers of Jesus is how to take that first step of disciple-making. Most of the time, we need to stop asking ‘what’ God is calling us to and instead ask “who” is God calling me to.
- Stop asking what and ask who
- Don’t delay your Yes
- Faith is obedience to God when the other side of yes is unclear
What are you facing right now that seems impossible? Well, if God called you to it, then forget the impossible part and say yes. Your gifting plus your obedient faith equals the supernatural.
All through life we will find ourselves in these 'in-between' moments, but there is none greater and, (in our opinion) more crucial than the in-between of the college years.
It's the 2nd week of the new year, which means most of you haver already ditched the resolutions! Let's rethink the whole resolution thing and offer some encouragement.
A two part conversation with 3 of the coolest guys around. Introducing to you all - Hunter, Josiah and Lars. These guys are great examples of what it looks like to have a Jesus centered relationship. Listen in as they talk about their experiences and challenges along the way.
A two part conversation with 3 of the coolest guys around. Introducing to you all - Hunter, Josiah and Lars. These guys are great examples of what it looks like to have a Jesus centered relationship. Listen in as they talk about their experiences and challenges along the way.
Everyone will know that you are my disciples because of your love for each other. John 13:35
Disciple-making was never intended to be done alone.
“The most important thing about a man is not what he does, but who he becomes.”
- Dallas Willard
We tend to focus more on our doing than we do our being. This leads to burnout so many times. Burnout happens when you’re operating for rest not from rest. The only way to live from overflow (Jesus) is to find rest in Him.
A community of people on mission to make disciples in jesus' name is the most crucial movement of all time, and there's no community without unity.
What does intimacy with Jesus look like?
Trust -> Relationship -> Knowledge -> Love -> Nearness
Disciple-making requires intentionality. What does it look like to open up your lives and show people what it looks like to follow Jesus? Today we talk through 3 words that will help us be more intentional everyday. Proximity - Frequency - Flexibility
The question isn't if you have influence, but rather what are you doing with the influence you have been given? You have people around you everyday. What are you laying down for them to pick up?
What does your community look like most of the time? 20 people? 100? 3? Jesus modeled how we should live in all of our social contexts.
Wait a second, a true follower of Jesus actually does something? Yes, they're called disciplines! Don't worry, they are designed by God to shape into the best version of you possible.
The most foundational element of Refuge Retreat is found in who we are all called to be - Disciples of Jesus. So let's answer the question... what is a Disciple? We get our definition from Luke 5:1-11
A Disciple is someone who obeys, repents and surrenders their life to following Jesus.
Who are we? What are we doing here? Why should you listen to us? No one asked, but we're going to tell you anyway.