Episodes

The classic love chapter in the Bible, 1 Corinthians 13, was written by the apostle Paul in a letter to the church in Corinth to give instruction on what the qualities of true, godly love are. Of all the things listed, offense is not one of them. In fact, love behaves in many opposite ways than offense. To help us recognize whether we are walking in a spirit of love or offense (because we can't do both at the same time), Pastor Adam and Steph go over this list to prove that it is impossible to t...

Often when someone offends us we find ourselves harboring feelings of resentment and disdain towards them. It can be hard to rein in those negative thoughts toward the offender. Whether we are willing to admit it or not, when we have a spirit of offense we allow anger to grow, and anger unchecked can quickly lead to hatred. When Jesus walked the earth, he regularly offended religious leaders such as the Pharisees and Sadducees, and their attitude toward him became very violent. Continuing the se...

In this special episode of The Messy Walk Podcast, we share the behind-the-scenes shenanigans and mess-ups that didn't make the final cut of an episode. This is the 2023 outtake reel with Pastor Adam and Steph. As we celebrate the coming of a new year, please allow yourself to be entertained by unexpected chuckles, bumblings, and borderline improv comedy.

Skadalon, the Grek word for offense, is also the word from which we get the English word scandal. Skadalon originally referred to bait in a trap. Like an animal caught in a snare, often our pride and self-righteousness hide the bait that lures us into offense. When something offensive comes up, do we choose to engage, or do we carry on with our lives? In this weeks episode, Pastor Adam and Steph uncover the root of pride and self-righteousness that so frequently leads to being offended. "Scriptu...

The Bible uses the word "offended" 25 times. That may not seem like much, but the meaning behind those verses have strong connotations in both the Hebrew and Greek languages. Jesus made it known that the gospel is offensive because it demands that we make changes to our lives that are not in agreement with the way of this world. The Church and the people of God ought to be like-minded in our beliefs, and in our mission, but offense can drive a wedge between people causing detriment to the body o...

In today's culture it often feels as if people are nearly looking for reasons to be offended. It is easy to recognize such negative patterns in the behaviors of others, but something it is far more difficult to assess ourselves with a humble mindset. Using a challenging list found on peacefulwife.com, Pastor Adam and Steph kick off a new series of episodes by reviewing questions we can ask ourselves to identify whether or not we walk around carrying a "spirit of offense".

On site in the Dominican Republic, Pastor Adam sits down with Missionary Alyssa Dugger to talk about how important it is for Christ-followers to be culturally aware. Alyssa, a trained and educated missionary, currently with Casasporcristo.org, is an expert in how to live and witness in foreign cultures. She talks about how to really see people as equal, understand the common needs of people, and see uniqueness and beauty in differences. For Christ-followers who really want to love people and sha...

To wrap up the series, Pastor Adam and Steph pray for all the listeners of The Messy Walk Podcast, and for all those who struggle with their mental health.

Even if you have not experienced feelings of hopelessness that lead to suicidal thoughts, the odds are that you at least know someone who does. To assist those who are familiar with thoughts of suicide, Pastor Adam and Steph give practical steps on how to fight it, and how to recognize suicidal thoughts, patterns, and behaviors in others. If you have been contemplating suicide, you need to talk to someone. Call 1 (800) 273-8255 or just dial 988 to contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline...

In this continued conversation about mental health, Pastor Adam and Steph open up about the difficulties of speaking to others about suicidal thoughts and ideation. The reality is most people know someone who has either thought about or attempted to end their own life. In a world of increasing suicide rates, this silent epidemic has affected people in every demographic, yet it is not often talked about in church settings. The goal is to set the record straight by better understanding suicide and...

On today's episode, Pastor Adam and Steph add to their comments regarding anxiety disorders by offering practical ways to combat deep, prolonged anxiety, and by giving helpful insight into ways to respond in light of what the Bible says. Anyone who has struggled with anxiety knows the feeling of wishing it would disappear or leave. We must remember that Jesus' grace is sufficient enough for us all. Even in our weaknesses, we are strong, because Christ's strength is magnified. Therefore, as Apost...

Anxiety is something we've all felt before. It's a common feeling you get before a big test, when the police drive behind you, or when money is tight. In this episode, Pastor Adam and Stephanie discuss the differences between anxious feelings and anxiety disorders. There are many factors that contribute to these types of neurological conditions, and it is important to knowhow to manage them in a healthy way. The Bible speaks a lot of anxious feeling and actually uses the phrase "fear not" 365 ti...

In this second episode of "An Honest Conversation about Mental Health", Pastor Adam and Stephanie break down the stigma that mental illness is a sin. Many people believe that mental illnesses are punishment for their sinful behaviors, and that they are too broken to be used by God. Although there are many different types of mental illnesses, even the things that seem to be a hinderance to people can ultimately be shaped by God to make them life-giving. If we read the Bible, we see that it is not...

Today we kick off a new series about mental health. Unfortunately, conversations and teaching about mental health in the church have been guarded at best, but mostly dismissive, for quite some time. It's something most of us struggle with, but we don't engage in discussing like we should. but, times are changing, and the Christian, world is much more open to diving into the issues we have in our brains and emotions. Pastor Adam and Stephanie jump in to the most honest conversation on mental heal...

As we wrap all the things we wish someone would've told us when we first started following Jesus, we do it with a super-short episode. This might be our shortest one yet, but the thought is big and profound. We wanted to give you a few moments of just silence to process and think about the fact that God will always be faithful. You might just have to learn this over time, and not in a podcast episode, but we want to declare it to you anyway. *Scripture from this episode: Psalm 37:25, Matthew 28:...

It is really helpful for us to know, and for us to remind each other constantly, that the church is not perfect. Like, it's not even close. If we forget that, or don't fully realize it, it can really derail our faith journey. If you are looking for the perfect church, you won't find it on this side of eternity. The church is full of messy jacked up people and it won't be perfected until Jesus returns and perfects it. Jesus launches the church himself and it has issues from the beginning because ...

Maybe your conversation to Christ was powerful and emotional, or maybe you have renewed that faith recently and a spark has been lit. And you are just pumped up about it. So, you share your excitement with just about everybody. And, that's the way it ought to be. When you experience something life-changing, you naturally want to share it with others. But, one of the things we wish we would've known when we first started following Jesus is that most people won't share that same excitement. Instea...

Out of all the spiritual disciplines, prayer is probably the most difficult. And guess what? It's like that for everyone. In this episode, Pastor Adam and Stephanie give us another thing they wish someone would've told them when they first became Christians: Most people don't pray well. This is an extremely helpful episode because Pastor Adam goes into a list of all the obstacles and things that makes prayer hard. And, he gives you an easy way to remember how to pray and what to pray for. If you...

There are some things we desperately need to know as Christ-followers, and the sooner we know it the better. We wish we would've known and paid attention to the fact that the Devil (Satan) is real. The Devil is not a cartoon character or Halloween costume. He is a supernatural being who waging war against God and the people of God. Pastor Adam states that because he didn't recognize the power of the enemy, he thought he could win all spiritual battles with his own power. Most of the time, we are...

This is #4 in our series about all the things we wish someone would've told us (or we would have paid attention to) when we first started following Jesus. Today, listen hard and listen deep: You are not alone in your struggles. We know lots of Christians come across as having it all together on Sundays at church. And, everybody always says they are fine when asked how they are doing. This is not ACCURATE. Everyone struggles. All of us struggle with basically the same stuff. Pastor Adam and Steph...

Here is something that we wish we would've known when we first started following Jesus: The Christian life and walk with Jesus is messy...for EVERYONE. For some reason, we have this tendency to fake it. We have this tendency to pretend like everything is good and following Jesus is easy and always full of joy. And, that is just not the truth. Today, Stephanie and Pastor Adam talk about the ups and downs, mountain-tops and valleys, and highs and lows of an authentic walk with Jesus. Some of the v...

Man, it would've been nice to know some key things when we first started following Jesus! Today, Stephanie and Pastor Adam talk about the fact that the Bible is not easy to read! It's like no one tells us early on that understanding the bible is difficult; no one tells us where to start reading and in what order; no one says that it will be a constant struggle to set aside devoted time; no one says that you will have internal conflict about science and scripture or perceived contradictions. This...

New series alert! Pastor Adam and Stephanie jump into a new series that we believe is going to be super helpful for those honestly wanting to follow Jesus. For most of us, when we started following Jesus, we had to sort of figure it out on our own. Here are the things we wish someone would've told us when we first started following Jesus To kick this thing off, we will start with the basic: I wish someone would have told me that it is OK to be a baby Christian!

It's a new day for the Messy Walk Podcast! Today we would like you to meet our new host, Stephanie Lee Shelton. This episode is so you can get to know her some while Pastor Adam does a little impromptu interview. So, without further adieu, Messy Walk family meet your new permanent host!