Episodes
Strength to Strength welcomed Glenn Martin to explore a little-known Messianic prophesy. What does the final plague of Egypt have in common with the Incarnation? What does the Wisdom of Solomon offer to bring together these two accounts? And what classic Christmas hymn do we sing that foretells the birth of the Messiah by invoking the death angel’s arrival at the Passover? An interactive question-and-answer period follows.
Published 10/07/23
Strength to Strength welcomed John D. Martin to discuss what sacrificialism in finances looks like. Join us for a heart-searching message on possessions. This message is intended to encourage Christians everywhere to spend more on helping the needy. The kingdom calls for it. In this Talk, John D. Martin will challenge this generation to be the most sacrificial generation. An interactive question-and-answer period follows.
Published 09/23/23
Strength to Strength Sisters welcomed Dawn Nolt to share on how to connect with others and help encourage rest for their souls. Living in a world driven by technology, and in a culture devoted to family, productivity and ministry, many of us find ourselves busy and exhausted. Regularly quieting our hearts and replenishing our souls has become an elusive dream rather than reality. Join us in this space to explore the possibility of living in a place of rest and belovedness of the Father, which...
Published 09/02/23
Strength to Strength welcomed Bill Shiley to discuss what church life should and can be, and how to get there. Often, when we think about culture, our discussions center around dress, vehicles, technology, etc. The problem is that Jesus and the apostles don’t really spell out a lot of details on many of the specifics we deliberate over. But what DO Jesus and his apostles teach us about culture and how to create change in people? Is there a third way besides love and hope things get better, or...
Published 08/12/23
Strength to Strength Sisters welcomed Lynelle Martin to share how we can “cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days,” and how this can relate to our finances. Let’s look at some resources that God has entrusted us with and also at why He has done this. How should we use them? What should we spend our time, and money on? What about the Old Testament concept of tithing? Do we look at money as a necessary evil that we need to have to live, or is it a tool that is to...
Published 08/05/23
Strength to Strength welcomed Stephen Russell to discuss radical peacemaking. The early church and the first Anabaptists heard not only that God loves us and wants to save us, but they also heard, more clearly than many other Christians, that turning to Jesus has definite and clear implications, namely, that God’s people are to cooperate with Him so that His grace will change us on the inside, thus enabling us more fully and effectively to be His ambassadors to a lost, hurting world. Today we...
Published 07/29/23
Strength to Strength welcomed Anan Twijjukye to share his testimony of coming to Jesus. Anan lived a very chaotic life as young teenager, trapped in addictions, particularly pornography, which is a habit he caught when he was still a dancer and entertainer in clubs. Having grown up in nominal Christian family, he considered himself a Christian, and went to church. But his life took a turn when a Christian challenged his walk and introduced the Scriptures. An interactive question-and-answer...
Published 07/15/23
Strength to Strength Sisters welcomed Irene Bontrager to share helpful tools to strengthen your Bible study. This talk begins by discussing how intentional Bible study can reflect God’s love to those around us. The Bible is the story how God made a covenant with Abraham to bless His people. The overarching theme is about God’s creation, fall, redemption, and restoration. This theme is found throughout the Bible and is still true today. A book from the Old Testament will be used to learn how...
Published 07/01/23
Strength to Strength welcomed David Bercot to discuss his book on the 20th anniversary of the first edition. Join us for an interview/discussion of what led to the writing of this book, some of the concepts shared in this book, as well as David’s journey into his understanding of the centrality of this message. If you’re a skeptic that Jesus’ message of the “Kingdom of God” is central to understanding God’s work in the world today, this Talk is for you. Resources: Book by David Bercot: “The...
Published 07/01/23
Strength to Strength welcomed Zack Johnson to discuss how the early Christians viewed the governments of men. In August of 2019 a well known American actor named Rain Wilson wrote on Twitter, “The metamorphosis of Jesus Christ from a humble servant of the abject poor to a symbol that stands for gun rights, prosperity theology, anti-science, limited government (that neglects the destitute) and fierce nationalism is truly the strangest transformation in human history.” Has the Christian...
Published 07/01/23
Strength to Strength welcomed Darvin Martin to explore how we can shed light on obscure Biblical passages. In this Talk, Darvin first establishes a basic framework for sound interpretation. Then through examples of commonly misunderstood passages, he examines how context and author’s intent uncovers a more faithful interpretation. If you think Biblical hermeneutics is an exercise for the experts, this Talk is for you. An interactive question-and-answer period follows.
Published 06/24/23
Strength to Strength Sisters welcomed Kayla Rogers to share her testimony. Kayla comes from a worldly, broken upbringing. While on her own in college at the young age of 17, God showed her the truth that she will share in this Talk: life is only worth living when you devote yourself to God. An interactive question-and-answer period follows.
Published 06/03/23
Strength to Strength welcomed Delbert Weaver to discuss how our words precede our destiny. No one disputes that our words are a window to our heart. Yet few recognize how our words steer our lives and ultimately our destiny. With amazing accuracy, the measure we use will be measured back to us (Matthew 7:1-2). In this Talk, Delbert encourages care in our critiques of those around us, and ponders what impact that could have on the fragmentation of our fellowships. Life and death are in the...
Published 06/03/23
Strength to Strength welcomed Chuck Pike to explore the joy of finding and sharing Jesus through the Scriptures. Do you have the Scriptures, but feel too weary to dig in? Has Bible study become a drudgery instead of a joy? If that’s your experience, the good news is that there’s a goldmine awaiting your discovery. With the right tools, and a heart for the truth, God is waiting to reveal Himself to you. In this presentation, Chuck shares how the Scriptures became alive for him and led him to...
Published 05/20/23
Strength to Strength Sisters welcomed Janelle Glick to share on the blessings and challenges of intentionally creating peaceful relationships among ourselves. This talk begins with noting friendship strengths of women in Scripture, and then moves on to explore the adventure of opening ourselves to God’s call to live at peace with ourselves, in one-on-one relationships with others, and in larger communities. An interactive question-and-answer period follows.
Published 05/06/23
Strength to Strength welcomes Lynn Martin to examine the claims of the oldest Christian denominations. Today, many Christians are drawn to the ancientness of the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions, who claim to be the very church that was established by Jesus. This is an opportunity to bring people to kingdom Christianity, which is rooted in the true original faith. This talk will teach how to demonstrate how the apostolic faith differs from the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox...
Published 05/06/23
Strength to Strength welcomed Stephen Russell to explore a defense of Biblical authority against its critics. Stephen begins by giving a summary of what the Scriptures consist of and how they were formed. Following this, he speaks of all people’s quest to understand their own lives and the world around them. In our desire to share the Gospel with others, we should do so winsomely, drawing from Peter’s advice in 1 Peter 3:8-17. The Christian’s defense should not use Scripture as a weapon....
Published 04/22/23
Strength to Strength Sisters welcomed four sisters to join a panel discussion on motherhood. Four mothers in different seasons of life will answer questions on subjects like meeting God in mothering, serving with our children, and more. Listen to this episode, thinking about your mothering and how God wants to grow you in your current season. Speakers: Lindsey Kirkland, Janie Wagoner, Christina Baer, & Valerie...
Published 04/15/23
Strength to Strength welcomed Finny Kuruvilla to explore the value of grasping the Biblical languages. Are you reliant on commentators and online translation tools to inform you of the meaning behind the strange characters that consititute the original writings? If you’re linguistically inclined, “It sounds like Greek to me” does not need to be your posture going forward. The Biblical languages are attainable, as demonstrated by history when learning Greek, Latin, and Hebrew was commonplace...
Published 04/08/23
Strength to Strength Sisters welcomed Joy Weiler to discuss living with purpose and intentionality, and avoiding an aimless wandering through life. For many people, the young adult years are a time of discovering who we are, what we are passionate about, and what gifts and abilities God has given us. Scripture calls youth to be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, and in purity. These years are formational, and our choices can shape the trajectory of...
Published 04/01/23
Strength to Strength welcomed Lynn Martin to examine the claims of the oldest Christian denominations. Today, many Christians are drawn to the ancientness of the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions, who claim to be the very church that was established by Jesus. This is an opportunity to bring people to kingdom Christianity, which is rooted in the true original faith. This talk will teach how to demonstrate how the apostolic faith differs from the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox...
Published 03/25/23
Strength to Strength welcomed Paul Garber to help us refocus our vision to better read Paul’s epistles in their historical context. When we open our Bibles and read Romans, Ephesians, Colossians or Galatians, (or any book of the Bible for that matter) we must realize that these letters or books are part of a larger story, and that to properly understand their message we must read them as part of that larger story. The larger story is the entire story of human history from creation to new...
Published 03/11/23
Strength to Strength Sisters welcomed Edith Burkholder to discuss how to move on from difficult situations, make peace with our past, and grow through it all by learning to forgive eachother as God has forgiven us. As we live and serve with other people, there are sometimes misunderstandings and problems in relationships. Edith will share about things that have helped her in times when she felt stuck in ruts of thinking and helped to bring her to more full forgiveness. An interactive...
Published 03/04/23
Strength to Strength welcomed Seth Mattson to discuss the intersection of Jesus’ constitution with Biblical counseling and Christian psychology. The world of Christian counseling, ranging from integrated Christian psychology to direct biblical counseling, has a vibrant and ongoing history, although not without controversy. What do Jesus’ teachings in the Sermon on the Mount as well as early Christian ideas have to offer to this discussion? An interactive question-and-answer period follows.
Published 02/25/23
Strength to Strength welcomed Kyle Stoltzfus to discuss God’s perspective of our bodies He has given us. What does your body have to do with your relationship with God? When Paul argues for a spiritual body in I Corinthians 15, does he mean a ghostly, disembodied spirit? We respond in this session by laying out the contours of biblical reflection on human bodies. Then, we evaluate five Christian claims about human bodies. An interactive question-and-answer period follows.
Published 02/11/23