In this week's episode, Aaron and Kevin are discussing what it means to be new people. The new testament often describes the Christian life as being "new." "The old has gone, the new has come" (2 Corinthians 5:17). But what does it mean to "be new?"

The guys talk practically about this and share stories of people's lives who have drastically changed as they found freedom in the newness of life Christ offers.

If you're struggling to let go of your past sins, and the guilt associated with them, or if you're still harboring anger towards those who have offended you, then this conversation is going to be good for you.

As always, we hope you enjoy it!

In this week's episode, Aaron and Kevin are talking about Jesus. You might think...but...don't you always talk about Jesus? And you're right, we do. Want to know why? Because, without Jesus, Christianity is nothing. He's the one guy on which the whole thing stands and falls.

Every page of the Bible is pointing to Jesus and is fulfilled in Jesus.

As we've been looking at the story line of the Scriptures the last few weeks, in this episode we see how Jesus is at the climax of the story. Just like in any good book or movie, a story line arc hits that climactic moment. That's Jesus in the story of the Bible.

Throw in a few comments about the weather and a few random dad jokes and you've got yourself a nice new episode of Conversate.

As always, we hope you enjoy it!

In this week's episode, Aaron and Kevin discuss what the Bible tells us about the rise of the Kingdom of Israel. It wasn't necessarily a good idea for the people to demand a king. They were expressly warned against how it might not go so well. God relented and still gave them what they wanted. And, it certainly didn't go perfectly. Yet, God still worked through an imperfect system and imperfect people.

This conversation was recorded on November 6th, 2024 after the national elections in the United States. There are certainly connections to how we respond to our elected officials as well in light of what we learn from the Biblical account of kings.

As always, it's our goal that you'll hear something in this conversation and start another conversation with someone else.

We hope you enjoy it!

The stories of Moses' life are well told throughout movies, children's books, Sunday school lessons, etc. Many of the events that unfolded in his life play a pivotal role throughout the entirety of the Bible in the Old and New Testaments.

One of the things that he was involved in, which is a huge part of the Scriptural story is the giving of the Law of God to the people.

In this week's conversation, Aaron and Kevin discuss the role that the law plays in our lives. That leads into further discussion about different ideas about salvation, works, grace, and so on. This is an incredibly helpful conversation as we live in a world which seems to stress salvation by works, and not by grace.

We hope you enjoy this conversation.

In this week's episode, Aaron and Kevin are discussing God's call to Abram.

How do you know if God has called out to you? What does his voice sound like? How do you know it's him and not someone/something else?

In this conversation we'll give you some helpful ideas to think through and apply in your own life.

As always, we hope you enjoy it!

In this week's episode, Aaron and Kevin discuss the fall into sin and all of its horrible effects.

I'm sure you've asked questions like, "Why does God allow so much suffering?" Or, "Why would God allow Adam and Eve to even be tempted in the first place?"

In this week's conversation, the guys discuss these questions and many others in order that we might find hope in Jesus and his victory over sin for us for all of eternity.

We hope you enjoy it!

In this week's episode, Aaron and Kevin have a conversation about what the Bible says regarding creation. In a modern society like ours, that is dominated by data and scientific proofs, is there any possibility of us still believing that God is the Creator?

Does it even matter what we believe about how everything came to be?

In this conversation, the guys discuss the reality that we all have a story that we believe. We have a story we believe about where we came from, why we're here, what's the purpose of living. Even if that story is, "I don't know the answers to these questions and I'm searching for them," then that is the story you believe.

The story that you believe is the story that shapes your understanding of your place in this world.

So, do you believe that God is the Creator? Because, believing this, or not believing it, will have drastically different outcomes in your experience of life even today.

We hope you enjoy this conversation.

In this conversation Aaron and Kevin have a conversation about finding peace in politics.

When this podcast was recorded, it was a month away from the 2024 presidential election. In a political season that seems to be more polarized and divided than anything we've experienced, it may seem that this idea is foolish. But it's not.

We have a theology that reminds us that God is sovereign over all things. In particular, within Lutheran theology, we hold to a doctrine called the Two Kingdoms. In this, we are reminded that the left hand kingdom is the kingdom of the world (politics, government, business, etc) and God is in charge of it. The left hand kingdom is God's way of ordering societies. The right hand kingdom is the kingdom of the church where forgiveness and grace are proclaimed and the Word of God is prominent. And, God is in charge of this as well.

As citizens of the world, we live and operate in both kingdoms. But, how do we navigate them. What role does our faith play in our politics? And, vice versa?

That's what we're talking about in this conversation today.

As always, we hope you enjoy it!