The Manna Podcast: Recent Episodes
The Manna Podcast
It’s true: people can’t live on bread alone. That bread goes south fast. Instead, we find true sustenance “on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). God’s Word is the daily bread we daily need, and that’s the daily bread we dig into on The Manna Podcast.
“What is asked of me as a citizen is not contingent on what party is in power or whether I feel my government is deserving of my gospel-driven, Christian vocation as citizen. God calls us to ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’ I’m going to continue to be a neighbor even if my neighbor is my legitimate enemy.”
In this episode of The Manna Podcast, Jacob Lewis and Pastor Sam continue their conversation on the Bible as it pertains to the Christians vocation as citizen of the local state.
Over the next few episodes, Jacob Lewis and Pastor Sam will be wading through Article XVI of the Augsburg Confession, pertaining to civil government and what "love your neighbor" looks like through the lens of the vocation of Christian citizenship.
In Part 1, Jacob Lewis and Pastor Sam tackle the following questions:
- What's my response to those who tell me to "leave my faith at the door" before I enter a voting booth?
- Can Christians serve in our government in good conscience?
- What does the Bible have to say about paying taxes?
- What does being "salt and light" look like in a politically-driven climate?
Traditions are inevitable. And while some traditions are good, history has shown that not every tradition is - including traditions in Christian churches.
In this episode of The Manna Podcast, Jacob Lewis and Pastor Sam jump into Article XV of the Augsburg Confession and seek to answer the following questions:
- What is the relationship between human traditions and the Bible?
- What role should traditions serve in the ministry of the Christian Church?
- How do I determine if a tradition is or isn't good in my church?
“If we view Baptism and the Lord’s Supper as nothing more than marks of professions of faith of people, we’re missing a far greater dimension to this – namely, that these are signs and testimonies of God’s will toward us. There is covenant language that is brought up with Baptism and the Lord’s Supper…there is something that is being signified but also being sealed…these aren’t just a confession of faith, but a reception of faith, too.”
In this episode of The Manna Podcast, Jacob Lewis and Sam Jeske tackle Article XIII & XIV of the Augsburg Confession, respectively pertaining to ‘The Use of the Sacraments’ and ‘Ecclesiastical Order’.
“Turn me, and I will be turned”
That’s what the Hebrew of Jeremiah 31:18 literally says. Or, put another way, “Repent me, and I will be repented.”
Point being? It is God – not me – who works repentance in my heart.
Well, how does he do that?
A better question to ask first: how exactly does the Bible define repentance?
“Now properly speaking, true repentance is nothing else than to have contrition and sorrow, or terror about sin, and yet at the same time to believe in the gospel and absolution that sin is forgiven and grace is obtained through Christ. Such faith, in turn, comforts the heart and puts it at peace” (The Book of Concord, p. 44).
In this episode of The Manna Podcast, Jacob Lewis and Pastor Sam jump into Article XII of the Augsburg Confession, pertaining to Repentance.
“Why private confession? Why do you need a middleman to tell you that your sins are forgiven?”
In a world where faith is privatized and being “spiritual, but not religious” sounds incredibly liberating, we’re tempted to bristle at any possible benefit of confessing our sins – be it to a pastor or a fellow Christian.
But this isn’t progressive spiritual thinking; it’s regressive.
There isn’t a guarantee that “Christ for you” is going to be heard at your job, your school, within your family, or even within your own heart.
What you’re more likely to consistently hear is:
· You’re a screw up.
· You’re not good enough
· You’ve burned too many bridges.
· You’re worthless.
· You’re a nobody.
· You’re an irredeemable, unsalvageable mess.
· You’re unforgiveable.
It doesn't take much living to discover such privatization of our spiritual lives isn’t comforting: it actually robs people of joy and comfort the good news of Jesus gives – because we’ve anchored the promises of God in how we’re doing or how we feel.
Thankfully, who you are in the sight of God on account of Christ isn’t contingent on how you feel – and God works through his Church to assure you of that tangibly.
"So, if Jesus - as true God and true man - ascended into heaven, how can Jesus be present in bread and wine during the Lord's Supper?"
It's a good question.
But perhaps a better question to ask is not "How are such things possible?" but "Who is the one promising he is present?"
These questions and more are discussed by Jacob Lewis and Pastor Sam on this episode of The Manna Podcast.
“Modern Christian churches are so…legalistic.”
Lutheran theologian J. P. Koehler, in his 1914 essay titled “Legalism Among Us”, defined legalism (i.e. within the Christian Church) as an attitude which “takes the motives and forms of [one’s] actions from the law (i.e. God’s commandments)instead of letting them flow from the gospel (i.e. the good news of the saving love of God we have in Christ Jesus our Lord).”
Less technically speaking (and to quote Jeff Mallinson), legalism is an attitude that “emphasizes rules, discipline, codes of conduct, and precise biblical codes of behavior over grace, forgiveness, freedom, and the gospel.”
So, do modern churches struggle with legalism? If so, where might such legalism exist? And does the Bible offer any constructive, yet comforting direction for churches today?
On this episode of The Manna Podcast, Jacob Lewis and Sam Jeske riff a bit more on Articles VII & VIII of the Augsburg Confession (The Church, What the Church Is) and tackle these challenging questions.
“Here’s a fact: it’s a miracle that any of us believe [in Jesus].”
In this episode of The Manna Podcast, Jacob Lewis and Sam Jeske continue their discussion on Article IX of the Augsburg Confession as it relates to the practice of infant baptism.
“How can material things give spiritual blessings?”
The Lutheran Reformers maintained the biblical truth that, through the waters of baptism, God grants forgiveness, new life, and salvation.
But the power to grant such amazing gifts doesn’t come from the water – but God’s Word.
The Apostle Paul (in Ephesians 4:6) connects the same Word of God spoken at the creation of the heavens and earth with the same Word of God spoken at the creation of faith in hearts of people.
And that’s the same Word of God spoken at the waters of Christian baptism.
In this episode of The Manna Podcast, Jacob Lewis and Sam Jeske jump into Article IX of the Augsburg Confession on Baptism.
“Christians are hypocrites.”
In a 2018 Barna Survey, this was the highest barrier to the Christian faith for non-Christians – averaging answers from Generation Z all the way to Boomers. Be it dissonance between what a Christian church practices and what the Bible preaches or a disconnect between what a Christian church preaches and what they practice, non-Christians perceive this as an obstacle when considering the Christian faith. When hypocrisy predominantly describes those within the churches nearest them, non-Christians struggle to see the Church at large as relevant, reliable, or real (i.e. authentic and genuine). Such scandal within the local church can even unnerve the church-going Christian.
In this episode of The Manna Podcast, Jacob Lewis and Pastor Sam Jeske tackle this sensitive subject matter during their discussion of Article VIII of the Augsburg Confession.
“When Christ and his gospel is the why behind what we do, that does help [the Church] delineate between the sand and the granite…what can stay and should stay, and what can go and – perhaps – even what should go.”
Jacob Lewis and Sam Jeske continue their conversation of Article VII of the Augsburg Confession on the Christian Church.
"The church, as an industry, unfortunately looks a lot like a lot of the other old-fashioned industries which is, 'This is the way we've always done it.'"
That's author and inspirational speaker, Simon Sinek's take on the Christian Church today.
For Christian churches, quotes like these sting a little, don't they?
Because - if we're honest - there's truth here, isn't there?
Navigating a changing world can be incredibly challenging for churches. Fortunately, the timeliness of the Christian message is predicated upon a timeless foundation - that being Christ himself. And when we are built on Christ and his gospel, we not only have a foundation that will weather every storm, but a foundation that empowers us to meet the tides of change with innovation and creativity.
In this episode of The Manna Podcast, Jacob Lewis and Sam Jeske tackle this topic as they continue their walk through the Augsburg Confession, turning to Article VII, The Church.
As Christians, we can sometimes get this attitude that the fruits of our faith must manifest themselves in a certain way - where they need to be these above-and-beyond, grandiose acts - otherwise they aren't considered 'fruit'. As a result, our eyes are often looking for these massive fruits of faith - like an apple on an apple tree that is so massive it's bowing the branch down - and as a result we don't see the fruit that is on the branch because we've insisted that fruits of faith must be visible (so to speak) from a mile away.
But is that how God speaks of the 'fruits' of the Christian's faith?
In this episode of The Manna Podcast, Jacob Lewis and Sam Jeske dive into Article VI of the Augsburg Confession, pertaining to the new obedience of the Christian, what fruits of faith are, and why the Christian produces them.
“Can’t I find God outside of Christianity?
“Can’t I commune with God on my terms with my terms?”
“If I don’t think the Bible is relevant anymore, how could that possibly benefit me spiritually?”
Modern objections like these are incredibly common in America’s spiritual “oasis”. But while these objections are incredibly common, they’re also incredibly not new.
You could hear variants of these objections even during the time of the Reformation in the 1500s. And for the Reformers, the answer to such objections zeroed in on our need for “objective, external, sure, and certain” means for God to reveal and give himself to us. The Reformers referred to these means as the “means of grace”.
In this episode of The Manna Podcast, Jacob Lewis and Sam Jeske march on through the Augsburg Confession with Article V, titled ‘The Ministry’.
"I cannot, by virtue of God's law, find life; the letter kills, the Bible tells us. It's the gospel that gives life. And the gospel (the good news) is, what you could not do, Jesus has done for you. It pushes you out of the spotlight of your salvation - and thank God for that."
In this episode of The Manna Podcast, Pastor Sam and Jacob Lewis continue their discussion of Article IV of the Augsburg Confession - the doctrine of justification.
It is the doctrine "by which the Church stands or falls." It's the beating heart of the gospel. For the Protestant Reformers, this chief article of the Christian faith was well worth the ink, blood, sweat, and tears shed defending it.
We're talking about the doctrine of "justification".
In the Bible, to "justify" is a forensic term (legal/courtroom language) that means "to declare righteous". While the Bible quite clearly defines the 'what', 'why', and 'how' of justification, by the time of Martin Luther, the definition of "justification" had become tremendously buried by manmade rules and to-do lists. A need to return to and re-champion the Biblical definition was needed then - as it is continually needed in every generation.
Is our justification a process? Or is our justification a proclamation? Why are we declared righteous? On account of what? On account of whom?
In this episode of The Manna Podcast, Sam Jeske and Jacob Lewis wrap up their discussion of Article III on the Son of God and shift gears to talking Article IV on justification.
“Who do the people say that I am?”
That was the question Jesus asked his disciples once. The people then didn’t know what to make of ‘Jesus of Nazareth’. Some saw him as social activist. Others saw him as a moral teacher. Still others saw him as a prophet – but nothing more. And if you fast forward to today, things haven’t changed much, have they?
Well, what does the Bible have to say about who Jesus is? Why is it that we, like Peter, can point to Jesus with certainty and say "We believe and know that you are the Holy One God"?
In this episode of The Manna Podcast, Jacob Lewis and Pastor Jeske jump into Article III of the Augsburg Confession – an article that succinctly summarizes the biblical profile of Jesus, why we needed a Savior like Jesus, and what present comforts a Savior like him gives us today.
History has a way of repeating itself.
And when it comes to Church History, false teachings have a way of repeating themselves, too.
That was definitely the case at the time of the Reformation. As Lutheran Reformers sought to positively make the case that their confession was historic and purely biblical (nothing new, nothing innovative), they had to intentionally distance themselves from all sorts of contemporary groups pushing unscriptural teachings - outside and inside the Church. That type of positive and negative argumentation is what we begin to see in the first two articles of the Augsburg Confession.
In Article I, the Lutheran Confessors reiterated their affirmation of the biblical doctrine of the Trinity - that God is one divine essence in three distinct persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
In Article II, the Reformers underscored the biblical doctrine of Original Sin - an unparalleled "disease" that (as the Bible clearly teaches) renders us unable to either save ourselves or cooperate in or contribute to our salvation.
Join Pastor Sam and Jacob Lewis as they begin their journey through the Augsburg Confession!
Saturday, June 25, 1530. A group of Lutheran confessors hand to Emperor Charles V a confession of faith that they were confident would "prevail against the gates of hell, with the grace and help of God." That confession of faith was the Augsburg Confession.
So, what is the Augsburg Confession? Why was it written? What's it about? Why is this document still read and subscribed to today? What, even, is a confession?
In this episode, Pastor Sam Jeske and Jacob Lewis dive right into the nuts and bolts of this historic confession of faith - and highlight it's doctrinal relevance and impact today.
“When we argue there is no God at the center of our metanarrative, and yet describe our lives as if there is - when we utilize foundations and framework that are only afforded from a Christian (God-centered) metanarrative - it’s like paying for dinner with a stolen credit card.”
This episode is the final chapter of a four part dialogue between Pastor Jeske and podcast cohost Pastor Justin Shrum on metanarratives. In these episodes, Pastor Jeske and Pastor Shrum discuss the popular metanarratives of post-modern America, and illustrate why the Christian metanarrative exhaustively, coherently, and cohesively addresses life’s greatest existential questions and affords a relevant, real, and reliable foundation for the narratives of our lives.
Q: "How do you respond to someone who tells you to 'Leave your Christianity at home' - that my Christian faith shouldn't inform my interaction with the secular world?"
A: Such objections are fairly common. Significant fuel behind the objection is the notion that, the non-religious is somehow inherently more objective than the religious. Well, is that true? Homicide detective and Christian apologist J. Warner Wallace would disagree. "Anyone who tells you that he or she is completely objective and devoid of presuppositions has another more important problem: that person is either astonishingly naïve, or a liar."
This episode is Part 3 of a four part dialogue between Pastor Jeske and podcast cohost Pastor Justin Shrum on metanarratives. In these episodes, Pastor Jeske and Pastor Shrum discuss the popular metanarratives of post-modern America, and illustrate why the Christian metanarrative exhaustively, coherently, and cohesively addresses life’s greatest existential questions and affords a relevant, real, and reliable foundation for the narratives of our lives.
No one takes any step in their life without a metanarrative.
The question is not one of, "Do I or do I not have a metanarrative?" You do. Whether you're atheist, an agnostic, a Muslim, or a Mormon, you have a metanarrative. The question that is set before us is, which metanarrative is comprehensive, exhaustive, and cohesive in its explanatory scope when it comes to questions of our life's meaning, purpose, identity, origin, and ultimate destiny.
This episode is Part 2 of a four part dialogue between Pastor Jeske and podcast cohost Pastor Justin Shrum on metanarratives. In these episodes, Pastor Jeske and Pastor Shrum discuss the popular metanarratives of post-modern America, and illustrate why the Christian metanarrative exhaustively, coherently, and cohesively addresses life’s greatest existential questions and affords a relevant, real, and reliable foundation for the narratives of our lives.
Everyone has a narrative. We record them on Tik Tok. We capture them on Instagram. We plaster them on both digital and physical walls. We wear them on shirts, write them on signs, and shout them in the streets. And in our tribalistic American society, we see narratives foisted forcefully onto others – to the point where the ‘conversation’ is more or less an ultimatum: “Get on board, or get wrecked.” Literally.
These narratives all require a metanarrative – an overarching lens by which to interpret the world around us, or as Pastor Jeske puts it, “the necessary narrative bedrock that undergirds the story of our very existence.” Sounds heavy, I know. But in a culture of competing worldviews, the conversation of metanarratives is absolutely inescapable - for everyone.
This episode is Part 1 of a four part dialogue between Pastor Jeske and podcast cohost Pastor Justin Shrum on metanarratives. In these episodes, Pastor Jeske and Pastor Shrum discuss the popular metanarratives of post-modern America, and illustrate why the Christian metanarrative exhaustively, coherently, and cohesively addresses life’s greatest existential questions and affords a relevant, real, and reliable foundation for the narratives of our lives.
“With the pandemic, the future is so uncertain…the things [the Church is] doing now, maybe they won’t work two months from now. Maybe we’ll have to adapt again – we just don’t know…and yet, God is in control…God has taken care of our biggest problem: he has taken care of our sin…and if he can take care of that huge, humungous problem…don’t you think he’s going to handle our problems as we move forward in this pandemic? He definitely will.”
In this episode, Pastor Geoff Rue and Pastor Sam conclude their conversation on pastoral ministry in a pandemic - sharing practical insights and biblical principles that have guided him and his congregation through these interesting times, and reminds listeners of the unassailable comfort we have in Jesus.
Seven months in, and COVID-19 doesn't seem to be going anywhere soon. Businesses everywhere have had to pivot and change their strategy in order to continue to engage people. And in a lot of respects, it's been no different for Christian mission congregations.
What strategies have helped congregations stay connected? Where have congregations needed to grow or improve to meet the current challenge that is COVID-19? How has God - even in the midst of a pandemic - continued to strengthen and grow his Church?
Joining Pastor Jeske is fellow pastor, Geoff Rue. In 'Part 1' of a two part dialogue, Geoff gives his experience - sharing practical insights and biblical principles that have guided him and his congregation through these interesting times, and reminds listeners of the unassailable comfort we have in Jesus.
I highly doubt anyone would have guessed 2020 would shake out the way that it has. COVID-19 has forced mission starts and established congregations alike to pivot and rewrite their 2020 ministry plans - perhaps entirely. And yet, God proves (just as he promises) that he works good things for the church through this kind of disruption.
In this episode, Pastor Sam sits down again with pastor and church planter, Jordan Bence, to talk about the big takeaways and insights he gleaned from planting a congregation in Joplin, Missouri.
His advice for congregations who are stuck or starting out? Be flexible. Be intentional.
Imagine:
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You're part a congregation just starting out. You don't have a church building. You don't even have a name for your church. You're a fish out of water - in a completely new, foreign environment. Where do you start?
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You're part of an established congregation. You have a church building. You have a church name. But your church has realized that the community around you is completely different than what it was when you started. You, too, are in a completely new, foreign environment. Where do you start?
Love your place. And love your people.
In this episode, Pastor Sam sits down with pastor and church planter, Jordan Bence, to talk about the big takeaways and insights he gleaned from planting a congregation in Joplin, Missouri.
"How would you know what it is like to experience [fill in the blank]...?"
"You have no idea what it is like to be [fill in the blank]..."
"You don't understand."
And chances are, they're absolutely right.
Does that mean the validity of the Christian message is lost? Does our ability to talk to others as Christians boil down to whether or not we've experienced the exact same things as the people to whom we're witnessing? Because if that's the case, then we might as well hang it up.
But that's not the case.
You don't need to have experienced everything someone has experienced to proclaim the reality of the gospel not just with them, but for them. Who our God is and what he has graciously won and done for the world is not contingent on whether or not you - as a Christian - understand in experiential entirety what the person you're speaking with has gone through.
In spite of the fact you most certainly do not share their exact experiences, how powerful it is for you to remind them that you share the same Jesus. How powerful it is to remind them that at the other end of their catalog of all the confusion, the questions, the hurt, the heartache, and the pain in their lives, their Jesus is still there.
So listen, ask questions, and seek to understand - and find comfort knowing you don't have to share their exact experiences to share Jesus.
This episode marks the final episode of a four part conversation between Pastor Justin Shrum and Pastor Sam on evangelism and apologetics in a postmodern, post-Christian world. Enjoy!
With a never-ending list of social platforms, at a glance we might give the impression that people today are more connected than ever before. Connected to devices, yes. Connected to people? Not so much. We can claim all we want that we're more ‘connected’ than ever before. The fact is, even before COVID-19, studies showed the complete opposite: people are more lonely than ever before.
So, you can imagine how impactful personalized communication is - not only in a digital age of depersonalized dialogues, but in a season of indefinite social distancing. There's gentleness and respect when we bend a loving ear and listen to someone's story. There's power in sharing your own personal story of how Christ personally died for you, and how that same Jesus personally died for the person listening to you. There's gospel-driven love in personally sharing the gospel uniquely to a unique person.
That's what we're digging into today in on The Manna Podcast, as Pastor Sam and Pastor Justin Shrum continue talking about Christian apologetics and evangelism. Enjoy!
We live in an increasingly polarized country. We are drowning in a sea of information streaming from sources more committed to pushing a particular narrative than actually pursuing the truth. The ‘truth’ value of an idea is now weighed by how trendy that idea is.
Tight-knit communities dissolve into clans. Civil conversations become scarce. Attempts at dialogue devolve into personal attacks. Finding common ground seems improbable, and reconciling the divide seems impossible. We claim to be more ‘connected’ than ever before; fact is, studies show the complete opposite: we’re more lonely than ever before.
How, then, do we as Christians, engage the people around us? How are we to carry out the apologetic imperative in 1 Peter 3:15? What does being "all things to all people" look like as we live the Great Commission?
For starters, we're not in the argument-winning game, but the soul-winning game. So, love people as people, not projects. See people through the lens of Christ and his saving gospel.
That's what's on the menu in this episode of The Manna Podcast, as Pastor Sam and Pastor Justin Shrum continue talking about Christian apologetics and evangelism. Hope you enjoy!
Is truth relative at best and, at worst, altogether unknowable? Or is there someway we can find objective, coherent answers to life’s gnawing questions of origin, meaning, purpose, and destiny? In a world of competing ‘identities’, is there somewherethat everyone - regardless of age, race, or gender - can find a common identity? In the white noise of competing ideas that proliferate never-ending to-do lists on how to ‘be spiritual’ and get right with God, is there someplace we can find absolute assurance of who our God is and our relationship with God? When the relationships in our lives crash and burn and our friends leave us high and dry, is there someone who is there for us? Who loves us unconditionally? Who is always faithful? Always reliable? Someone working for our eternal good?
There is someone who is the answer to all of these questions. That someone is Jesus. And in an ever-changing world, inundated by ever-changing political and ideological landscapes, the time-tested, never-changing message of Jesus remains where our roots must be. Our apologetic as well as our evangelism always points to Jesus - who he is and what he has graciously done for the world.
This episode is part of a four-part dialogue with Pastor Justin Shrum on key principles as we engage in Christian evangelism and apologetics.
“It’s unscientific to infer a Creator caused the universe.” Ever hear that before?
Thing is, can science even say that?
If science is, at its core, the study of the natural world, how can science possibly prove there is nothing beyond the natural world?
Ironically, a form of faith is needed by the naturalist if he is to insist “the natural world is all there is” – that there is nothing beyond the natural world. Put another way, he himself must contradict his own assertion that everything must be scientifically proven. He himself must rely on faith.
Through the lens of Scripture, we, as heirs and stewards of God's creation, have a reliable foundation and exhaustive framework for 1) not what, but who caused the natural world to come into being, 2) why we can and should study God's creation, 3) and how we are to lovingly steward the creation God not only graciously made for us but gave to us.
In this third and final installment,Pastor Sam and high school chemistry and physics teacher, Derek Rabbers, dig in once again to the question Can I Love the Bible AND Science? Enjoy!
In a culture that imposes the dichotomy of "science vs. faith" or "faith vs. reason," young Christians are tempted to take the bait - and walk away from the Christian faith because they were taught it's "incompatible" with science. Well, is that true? Is a study of the natural world and the Christian faith mutually exclusive? Nope.
Turns out, you can walk and chew gum at the same time.
Having a love for the natural world around us and having a love for studying that natural world isn't 'unchristian'. In fact, quite the opposite.
Part of stewarding the creation we have been given inherently means we have to know it. In order to faithfully manage that which God has given us (Genesis 1:28-30), we have to study it. To use what we've been given wisely necessitates that we know how the world works. True science and stewardship of God's creation go hand in hand.
In Part 2 of the discussion "Can I love the Bible AND Science?", Pastor Sam and high school chemistry and physics teacher Derek Rabbers nerd out once again over apologetics and science.
In this special Juneteenth episode, Pastor Jeske and member of Our Shepherd, Elaine French, discuss the Christian church and race.
Elaine shares with listeners her experience as a black woman in America, the blind spots and deaf spots in communities and congregations when it comes to race, and shares words of wisdom for congregations everywhere on how to 1) actively speak out against the sin of racism, but also 2) better intentionalize the inherent universality of the gospel - that Jesus isn't just for some, but all people and all nations - seeing people not through the lens of race, but through the lens of the saving love of God.
In a Barna 2018 survey, nearly half of Gen Z and Millennial Americans insist on factual evidence to support their beliefs. So, it comes as no surprise that many Americans today are jaded out by any idea of God because it’s presented as (or, at least, perceived to be) unknowable or incompatible with the evidence. Similarly, millions grow up feeling they have to choose between faith and science, or faith and reason. But is that really the case? Does Science inherently stand opposed to the Bible? Can I love the Bible and Science?
Turns out, you can love all that God says and all that God has made.
This episode is one of three from a conversation between Pastor Sam Jeske and high school Chemistry and Physics teacher, Derek Rabbers.
Pastor Sam sits down with Pastor Mark Jeske - a seasoned parish pastor and the former face of the TV ministry series, Time of Grace. This episode is part of a three-part dialogue between the two pastors, where Pastor Mark Jeske shares 10 key ministry insights he has learned from decades of parish ministry and church leadership.
In this episode, Pastor Sam and Pastor Mark Jeske talk about the importance of stylistic variety in worship and ministry, music essentials when ministering to a multi-ethnic demographic, bringing passion into worship services, and the need for congregations to know how to conduct a capital campaign.
Pastor Sam sits down with Pastor Mark Jeske - a seasoned parish pastor and the former face of the TV ministry series, Time of Grace. This episode is part of a three-part dialogue between the two pastors, where Pastor Mark Jeske shares 10 key ministry insights he has learned from decades of parish ministry and church leadership.
In this episode, Pastor Mark Jeske begins to lay out more of his top 10 insights - including the importance of loving where you are, loving who you are called to serve (your congregation and community at large), the necessity of people-persons in leadership, and how to disciple your leaders to become people-persons and pursue people with the good news of Jesus.
Pastor Sam sits down with Pastor Mark Jeske - a seasoned parish pastor and the former face of the TV ministry series, Time of Grace. This episode is part of a three-part dialogue between the two pastors, where Pastor Mark Jeske shares 10 key ministry insights he has learned from decades of parish ministry and church leadership.
In this episode, Pastor Mark Jeske talks about traits of a healthy church culture, rooting out toxicity that masquerades as piety, and the importance of underscoring the "Go" in the Great Commission's "Go and make disciples."
In this final episode of our Star Wars trilogy, Pastor Sam and Michael Jeske discuss the inherent problems of moral relativism, why Obi-Wan Kenobi is actually a Sith (because only a Sith deals in absolutes), the comfort in knowing we can find God in His Word, the necessary distinction of Law and Gospel, and why Jesus alone is our only hope.
In this second installment of our Star Wars discussion trilogy, Pastor Sam and Michael Jeske pivot into theological discussions on the nature of truth, the lure of relativism, and the proper attitude and philosophy of interpretation as we engage the pages of Scripture.
Not all that long ago in a galaxy not so far away, Pastor Sam Jeske and literature buff, actor, and Star Wars expert Michael Jeske sat down to nerd out over Christian theology and Star Wars.
And of course, in good Star Wars fashion, this episode is the first of a trilogy - a trilogy that tees off Disney's recent Star Wars trilogy and its telling commentary on modern views of morality, the nature of truth, history, and philosophy of interpretation.
In this episode, Pastor Sam and Michael Jeske talk the dangers of recontextualizing the words of the Bible, the importance of the historical-grammatical method when engaging the biblical text, and why you can cherry-pick with Star Wars - but not with Scripture.
Pastor Michael Cherney and Pastor Jeske continue their discussion of the Theology of the Cross, the time and place for Romans 8:28, the "now" and "not yet" of the joy of heaven, deus absconditus and deus revelatus, and looking to Christ - his victory on the cross and his empty tomb - for eternal comfort and hope in the midst of suffering. Oh, and chicken teriyaki.
Pastor Sam Jeske and Pastor Michael Cherney sit down to evaluate N. T. Wright's and Father James Martin's trending articles on "Where is God" in the midst of COVID-19, talk connections between long-distance dating and maintaining relationships within a church in quarantine, and whether or not we're invited to ask God "Why?" in times of intense hardship and suffering.
Pastor Jeske and teacher Eric Duve continue their dialogue of ministry in a COVID-19 world, generating creative ways of staying connected to one another, the Egyptian plagues recorded in Exodus, and Paul's joy in Philippians that we have this Good Friday.
The COVID-19 season has changed the ministry landscape - but it will never change the message. Lutheran Elementary School Teacher, Eric Duve, and Pastor Sam Jeske sit down to talk ministry strategies in the digital age, resources that teachers are using to continue to teach their students, and the resonance of Ephesians 3, Exodus 3, and Philippians 1 have in our current context.
In this episode of The Manna Podcast, podcast host, Pastor Sam Jeske, and podcast guest Tracie Belsanti talk the importance of Christ-centered theology, the growing fears over COVID-19, and why John 11 still offers good news for people today.