Episodes

As culture changes rapidly and churches' continue the unending pursuit of engagement with the people around them, it can feel like many pastors and spiritual leaders only want to chase trends to maintain relevance. However, the apostle Paul and the other early disciples of Jesus did not make eloquent speech or flashy antics the focus of their preaching because they knew that Jesus is the main attraction. Pastor Adam and special guest Olivea Cook maintain that an overemphasis on trends or looking...

Between 1997 and 2012, a whole generation of people was born and named "Generation Z." Now, as Gen Z reaches adulthood, their lifestyle choices and perspectives differ from those of older generations in matters of daily life, social mindsets, and even faith. Pastor Adam is joined by his special guest and daughter, Olivea, to provide insight into the minds of older and younger generations and to tear down the overly simplistic assumptions made about Gen Z rejecting Christianity and the Church. *S...

Many people put much of their identity in their performance, and with the stakes so high, the fear of failure is scarier than just about anything else. Unfortunately, if fear keeps us locked up, we will never try anything, and the outcome of staying safe is sad and disappointing. At the very least, giving in to fear of failure demonstrates a lack of faith. Pastor Adam and Steph attempt to unravel the confusion of what we do with who we are and assure us that failure is an event, but defeat is a ...

We work so hard to build up what we have and keep our lives secure. If we could predict every event that happens to us, we would protect everything we could and maybe worry less. Sometimes we worry ourselves sick over what will happen in the future, fearing that all our efforts will crumble. Yet we cannot really know what will happen, and we do not have the control we so desire. Unforeseen circumstances will come, but the freeing truth of reality is that we were never meant to hold our own lives...

One of the oldest fears in human history is this: What if I don't have enough? We all have real needs, we all want security, and we all have felt stressed about how to make sure we are not left empty-handed. This is not just an occasional concern—it's constant, and it does not discriminate among the poor, the middle class, and the wealthy. Only God can carry the weight of our security. Even as we are often convinced that contentment is just one purchase away, Pastor Adam and Steph once again red...

Why are we carrying burdens God never asked us to carry? Most of us have a list of things we're worried about. In fact, we've become so accustomed to worry that we don't even recognize that we bring it with us everywhere we go. We dismiss our inner turmoil and fear as just part of being a responsible, realistic human being. Meanwhile, our culture is producing worriers at an unprecedented rate, driven by 24-hour access to news and social media, with the average person checking their phone hundred...

The Christian walk, while the greatest human experience, is often presented in a way that glosses over its inherent difficulties. The Messy Walk Podcast, hosted by Pastor Adam Cook, dares to tread where many conversations about faith shy away: the struggles, the imperfections, and the raw honesty of living out one's beliefs. In an era where leaders often mask their flaws, Pastor Adam takes an uncommon approach, inviting listeners to embrace an authentic faith, even if it means getting a little m...

The Christian walk is often described as messy, and rightly so. While the journey with Jesus is the most rewarding experience, it's undeniably challenging. Unfortunately, many conversations about faith tend to gloss over the difficulties, focusing instead on victories and growth. In an era where leaders often hide their flaws, Pastor Adam Cook and co-host Steph on The Messy Walk Podcast are taking an uncommon approach. In episode 249, titled "Counterfeit Christianity — Counterfeit Repentance," t...

Counterfeit Christianity vs. Authentic Christian Community In today's hyper-connected world, it's a paradoxical reality that many Christians experience profound emotional isolation, even within the church. Pastor Adam Cook and co-host Steph dive deep into the prevalent issue of "counterfeit community" in episode 248 of The Messy Walk Podcast. They explore why having "church friends" is not the same as having spiritual family and the critical importance of cultivating an authentic Christian comm...

Counterfeit Christianity: Unmasking False Humility In our ongoing series on Counterfeit Christianity, we’re tackling a spiritual trait that’s notoriously easy to fake: humility. Many of us strive for humility, but how do we know if our efforts are genuine or simply a performance? In this episode of The Messy Walk Podcast, Pastor Adam Cook dives deep into the deceptive nature of counterfeit humility, exploring how pride can masquerade as self-deprecation and why true humility is about thinking o...

Perhaps one of the biggest misunderstandings in modern Christianity is that when we worship, we must be singing songs and playing music. Using art, expressing deep feelings, and being involved in worship music culture seem convincing on the surface, but emotional experiences and spiritual transformation are not automatically the same thing. God requires obedience and surrender, and giving our lives to Him fully means offering ourselves as a living sacrifice. This is the worship God requires. Pas...

It's the beginning of a new, uncomfortable series of The Messy Walk Podcast, in which we will learn to identify counterfeit versions of Christianity that appear close enough to genuine faith to fool others, but are still far enough from the truth to completely miss Jesus. For this episode, Pastor Adam and Steph focus on "counterfeit grace"—a view of God's favor that removes all tension and asks for nothing in return. It offers forgiveness without demanding transformation. In contrast, true bibli...

In ministry, personality is a major aspect of what captures people's attention, and it is the subject of near-constant criticism. How a spiritual leader presents and conducts himself is not always to everyone's liking, yet it is not a pastor's job to make himself into what others want him to be. As Christians we have to ask ourselves the question: will I spend my life managing perceptions of me, or will I become the refined version of who God created me to be? In this final episode of the series...

In church, people enjoy hearing about hope, grace, forgiveness, and new beginnings. However, there is one word most people avoid because it is uncomfortable: "sin." Somewhere along the way, Christians have replaced this word with softer language—"mistakes," "struggles," or "brokenness." While these words share similar meanings, they do not carry the same weight; after all, sin is something we all possess. Pastor Adam and Steph define the differences between shame and conviction as a result of si...

Money and church: two words that, when placed together, often make people exceedingly uncomfortable. Perhaps this is because of the history of abuse with money within some churches, or perhaps it is because financial well-being is so deeply personal. Regardless, it is a vital topic—one that Jesus spoke about more frequently than almost any other. Why? Because money is the primary competitor for the place in our hearts that ultimately belongs to God. Your heart follows what you treasure, so you w...

While some responsibilities of pastoral leadership are publicly visible, many others are never fully seen and carry a lot of weight. Among these, one of the heaviest responsibilities is managing who stands on the church platform to guide moments that shape people spiritually. Anyone positioned to lead with spiritual influence must possess the moral authority to do so. Pastor Adam and Steph specifically define moral authority as a life that actively pursues what it proclaims; they emphasize the u...

While most people view Sunday as a day of rest, reflection, or worship, for a pastor, it is the most intense day of the week. It is the culmination of hours of preparation, and the Sunday service is the most visible part of a pastor's spiritual responsibility. Yet, if a pastor is never allowed to take a break, they become the only one people expect to hear week after week. Pastor Adam and Steph clear away the illusion that the church rises and falls on one person. The church is a body that thriv...

Pastor Adam and Steph wish all the listeners of The Messy Walk Podcast a happy Easter!

Unavoidably, a pastor’s family feels the weight of ministry more than anyone else in the church. Furthermore, the family members didn't necessarily choose that life for themselves—especially the children, who are born into the reality of being "pastor’s kids." Pastors often feel immense pressure as their time and attention are shared among so many; the energy spent on another church member is often energy taken away from the immediate family. Pastor Adam and Steph discuss the importance of prote...

Pastors are overwhelmed with requests, meetings, conversations, emergency situations, events, and other responsibilities nearly every single day. People don't say it out loud, but the common expectation is that a pastor should always be available. The demand to commit to everything is impossible to meet without disappointing someone along the way. For those who care about others, turning someone down can lead to frequent feelings of guilt. Pastor Adam and Steph are learning that faithfulness is ...

Without a doubt, pastors spend much of their time loving people, listening to people... and sometimes disappointing people. In a world that prefers comfort, faithfulness to God can sometimes sound offensive. Furthermore, teachers and leaders carry the weight of responsibility to communicate the truths of Scripture clearly and honestly, knowing they will be judged by God for it. Pastor Adam and Steph launch a new podcast series to say "I’m NOT sorry" for a list of things—the first of which is pre...

Sometimes when reading the Bible, you will find details in one book that differ from those in another. At times, these details may seem to pertain to the same event—even if they do not—while in other instances, they may provide an alternative perspective of the same event with a different focus. Without further study, it can look like the authors of scripture have a disagreement. This leads many to believe that the Bible is contradictory. Pastor Adam and Steph unravel the lie by defining what a ...

There are hundreds of English Bible translations, all of which differ slightly. This causes many to question how a text so ancient—and one that has been translated so many times—could possibly remain the same today as it was thousands of years ago. However, it is precisely because there are so many translations with only minimal variations that we can be confident the Bible has been well preserved, along with the core teachings of its authors. Pastor Adam and Steph break down the distinct differ...

The lie is that no one with intelligence reads the Bible anymore, and that those who do are merely religious fundamentalists and extremists. Even as higher education shuns biblical knowledge, the fact remains that some of the world's most brilliant minds—scientists, professors, and philosophers—still read and cherish the Holy Bible. Pastor Adam and Steph cite examples such as Dr. Younghoon Kim and Blaise Pascal, presenting a simple argument based on Pascal’s Wager: believers have nothing to lose...