From the beginning of church history, we’ve seen that churches vary in size from community to community. Some are comprised of thousands of people, while others may consist of 10. Among the variations, there have been a variety of questions that come along with church size. How big is too big? How small is too small? In this conversation, Pastor Nate helps us see that church health isn’t indicated by mere growth in numbers, but rather by the spiritual growth within individuals and communities.
Experience Contentment Within The Boundaries God Has Drawn
Do you remember the last time you questioned a big life decision? Did someone tell you, "You do you." or "Just do what feels right."? Maybe in the moment you felt like that was some encouraging advice, but if you've followed that line of thinking to the end then you know how it ends. It seems that whenever we give ourselves the freedom to draw our own boundaries, we gravitate towards decisions that will hurt in the future. So then what are good boundaries? What kind of boundaries does God advocate for? In this conversation, Pastor Nate helps us understand the way of God and even more than that, how we can find contentment within God's way.
21 Questions To Help You Sift Through An Online Date’s Christianity
As you already know, we live in a time when we are more connected than ever before. People all around the world are connecting through the internet and with that, people are developing new relationships online - more specifically, dating relationships. As apps become more intuitive, as phones become more integrated into our lives, and as we txt more than we talk, a Christian has to ask the questions: Is online dating ok for a Christian? If so, what is the best way to build a relationship online? How could I pursue online dating in a way that glorifies God? In this conversation, Pastor Nate helps us think this through by asking some questions and by laying down some relationnal building blocks that every Christian should consider.
Article Link: https://www.nateholdridge.com/blog/21-questions-to-help-you-sift-through-an-online-dates-christianity
Follow Pastor Nate:
Website: nateholdridge.com
Twitter: @nholdridge
Instagram: @nateholdridge
Pastor Nate’s Church: www.calvary.com
When The Bees Of Discouragement Swarm
Have you ever felt discouraged? Maybe you’re like us and you’ve felt before like fears and doubts are swarming around your head like a swarm of bees. Maybe you’re even listening right now and you’re feeling like the swarm is closing in on you. Wherever you’re at, we want to remind you that God is with you and he wants to comfort and guide you through the discouragement. In this conversation, Pastor Nate is going to take some time to show us that God is with us and for us through the discouraging times in our lives.
Article Link: https://www.nateholdridge.com/blog/when-the-bees-of-discouragement-swarm-psalm-118-12
Follow Pastor Nate:
Website: nateholdridge.com
Twitter: @nholdridge
Instagram: @nateholdridge
Pastor Nate’s Church: www.calvary.com
Dear New Dad (Podcast Teaser!)
Thanks for joining us on the Nateholdridge.com podcast. Hey, as you may already know, Pastor Nate who is the primary voice on this podcast, is an author of a few books - one of them being “Dear New Dad” which is a book for new dads. Why are we telling you about this today? Because we think you might be interested in a podcast series about this book. A while back, Pastor Nate linked up with Pastor Matt Gersonde (who is the pastor of Refuge Church in Salinas, CA) and together they had some conversations about the content of this book.
So today we wanted to share with you a full episode from that podcast. If you like it, you can find the full series in your podcast store. Just search Dear New Dad.
FREE Kindle download of "Dear New Dad" on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Dear-New-Dad-Intro-Fatherhood-ebook/dp/B00IOZLET4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1527815839&sr=8-1&keywords=dear+new+dad
Follow Pastor Nate: Website: nateholdridge.com Twitter: @nholdridge Instagram: @nateholdridge
Pastor Nate’s Church: www.calvary.com
3 Questions Humans Ask
We live in a time when technology connects us to more knowledge, people, and resources than ever before. So why do all of us still wrestle with questions like, “Who am I?” or “Who are my real friends?” and “What should I be doing with my life?” Perhaps it’s because we often look in the wrong places for the answers. In this conversation, Pastor Nate looks at Matthew 6 to see how Jesus answers these questions.
Article Link:
nateholdridge.com/blog/three-questions-humans-ask-matthew-6
Follow Pastor Nate:
Website: nateholdridge.com
Twitter: @nholdridge
Instagram: @nateholdridge
Pastor Nate’s Church:
calvary.com
9 Lessons From A Sabbatical
As some of you may know, our pastoral team recently sent one of our pastors, Geoff Buck, on a two-month sabbatical. During that time, Pastor Geoff and his wife, Denise, learned some beautiful truth when it comes to work, play, and rest. In this conversation, Pastor Nate reflects on some of the lessons that Pastor Geoff learned during his sabbatical.
Article Link:
nateholdridge.com/blog/9-lessons-from-a-sabbatical
Follow Pastor Nate:
Website: nateholdridge.com
Twitter: @nholdridge
Instagram: @nateholdridge
Pastor Nate’s Church:
calvary.com
Calling All Writers!
Today's episode is all about distributing God's word through the medium of writing. Can you imagine what our communities would look like if the people around us were consuming spirit filled, gospel centered, biblically sound writing? We would see God's transforming power take place right in front of us! This is why we wanted to record this episode. If you have a love for people, for writing, and for God's word, then we hope this conversation inspires you to direct your energy towards writing for the glory of God. *Our conversation was captured primarily with a room mic for this conversation. Normal quality expected for next week's episode!
Follow Pastor Nate:
Website: nateholdridge.com
Twitter: @nholdridge
Instagram: @nateholdridge
Pastor Nate’s Church:
calvary.com
One Woman Man
If you’ve read your Bible for any length of time the chances are that you’ve come across the book called Song of Solomon. And there’s even more of a chance that as you read through this book you said to yourself, “Why is there a short story about romance in the middle of the Bible?” Now, there are many answers to that question, but today Pastor Nate will help us understand one truth that arcs over the entire book - the concept that monogamous marriage, when done God’s way, allows space for deep romance, trust, and sustainability.
Article Link:
nateholdridge.com/blog/one-woman-man-song-of-songs-8-1
Follow Pastor Nate:
Website: nateholdridge.com
Twitter: @nholdridge
Instagram: @nateholdridge
Pastor Nate’s Church:
calvary.com
Godly Character Beats Ungodly Strength
When the holy people of God live like the holy people of God should, ever increasingly, great power flows. In this conversation, Pastor Nate looks to the Proverbs to talk to us about the power and victory found within a holy life.
Article Link:
nateholdridge.com/blog/godly-character-beats-ungodly-strength-proverbs-21-22
Follow Pastor Nate:
Website: nateholdridge.com
Twitter: @nholdridge
Instagram: @nateholdridge
Pastor Nate’s Church:
calvary.com
Can Christ Build And Battle With Us?
Have you ever read passages of scripture that allude to building the kingdom of God or fighting the good fight? Maybe you've read those passages and wondered, "What's my role in this?" Or maybe you've asked the deeper question, "Does God see me fit for the task?" In this conversation, Pastor Nate looks to Luke 14 to encourage us in this mission of building God's kingdom and fighting the good fight of faith.
Article Link:
nateholdridge.com/blog/can-christ-build-and-battle-with-us-luke-14-28-32
Follow Pastor Nate:
Website: nateholdridge.com
Twitter: @nholdridge
Instagram: @nateholdridge
Pastor Nate’s Church:
calvary.com
A Truth About Poverty (And Wealth)
How should the realities of poverty and wealth impact the gospel-saturated, modern believer? In this conversation, Pastor Nate looks to the Proverbs to teach us an important truth about poverty and wealth.
Article Link:
nateholdridge.com/blog/a-truth-about-poverty-and-wealth-proverbs-18-23
Follow Pastor Nate:
Website: nateholdridge.com
Twitter: @nholdridge
Instagram: @nateholdridge
Pastor Nate’s Church:
calvary.com
How Is A Relationship With God Rewarding?
Did you know that God not only extends Himself towards us for relationship with Him, but He promises to reward us as we abide in Him! In this conversation, Pastor Nate will share with us some of the rewards that God provides for us as we seek Him through a personal, devout, and secret relationship.
Follow Pastor Nate:
Website: nateholdridge.com
Twitter: @nholdridge
Instagram: @nateholdridge
Pastor Nate’s Church:
calvary.com
6 Ways To Let God Weigh Your Heart
Many of us look to honor God in our daily lives, but we often get caught up by our own desires. So how does God break through to direct our lives? When does God speak? In this conversation, Pastor Nate looks to the Proverbs and personal experience to help us see how God can weigh our hearts.
Article Link:
nateholdridge.com/blog/6-ways-to-let-god-weigh-your-heart-proverbs-212
Follow Pastor Nate:
Website: nateholdridge.com
Twitter: @nholdridge
Instagram: @nateholdridge
Pastor Nate’s Church:
calvary.com
Clean Manger Or Abundant Crops?
Everyone, to one degree or another, likes the clean manger. But what do you want more, the abundant crops or the clean manger? Can God inconvenience you? Can He push you outside your comfort zone? Will you allow the messy oxen of life into your peaceful world? In this conversation, Pastor Nate looks to the Proverbs to help us see how we can reap a harvest for the kingdom of God.
Article Link:
nateholdridge.com/blog/clean-manger-or-abundant-crops-the-choice-is-yours-proverbs-14-4
Follow Pastor Nate:
Website: nateholdridge.com
Twitter: @nholdridge
Instagram: @nateholdridge
Pastor Nate’s Church:
calvary.com
Something To Believe In (A Conversation About Community)
In our modern culture, it’s easier now than ever to isolate ourselves from the people around us. We may be more connected to the world, but we may feel just as empty and lonely. This is why community is so vital for the life of a Christian. In this conversation, Pastor Nate talks to us about some ways to overcome selfishness so that we can be a real contribution to the people in our lives.
Article Link:
nateholdridge.com/blog/something-to-believe-in-proverbs-18-1
Follow Pastor Nate:
Website: nateholdridge.com
Twitter: @nholdridge
Instagram: @nateholdridge
Pastor Nate’s Church:
calvary.com
Joshua's Little Spoken Of Preparation
It is easy to think God shoves His people into the deep end without any training or preparation. He does, after all, use the weak things of the world to put to shame the mighty, the foolish to confound the wise. But even in the moments when God takes us way outside our comfort zone, we know that He also prepares us for that moment. Joshua is one such figure God prepared in advance. It is easy to think he was unprepared for the task, but God had privately prepared him to lead the people of Israel. In this conversation, Pastor Nate talks to us about the development of Joshua as a leader. * Just a heads up that the audio quality for the first few minutes is pretty terrible. We caught the issue quickly though and fixed it for the rest of the episode. Enjoy!
Article Link:
nateholdridge.com/blog/joshuas-little-spoken-of-preparation-exodus-numbers-deuteronomy
Follow Pastor Nate:
Website: nateholdridge.com
Twitter: @nholdridge
Instagram: @nateholdridge
Pastor Nate’s Church:
calvary.com
Character Study: Epaphras
All Christians have an idea of what people like Paul, Esther, and Moses are like from the Bible, but what do we know about Epaphras? Where does he pop up in the Bible, and why? In this conversation, Pastor Nate talks to us about Epaphras and shares some insight into this man's priorities, passions, and prayer life.
Article Link:
nateholdridge.com/blog/character-study-epaphras-colossians-4-12-13b
Follow Pastor Nate:
Website: nateholdridge.com
Twitter: @nholdridge
Instagram: @nateholdridge
Pastor Nate’s Church:
calvary.com
6 Attributes Of Good Leaders
All of us are called to leadership in one way or another in this life, but how do we learn to be a good leader? What does the Bible say about good, healthy, holy leadership? In this conversation, Pastor Nate looks to the Old Testament to show us a few different aspects of leadership that we can apply to our lives today.
Article Link:
nateholdridge.com/blog/6-attributes-of-good-leaders-proverbs-16-10-15
Follow Pastor Nate:
Website: nateholdridge.com
Twitter: @nholdridge
Instagram: @nateholdridge
Pastor Nate’s Church:
calvary.com
Nehemiah's Willingness
Nehemiah risked it all for the sake of going to repair the city of Jerusalem, but at what cost? Was he reckless with his life or intentional with his decisions? In this conversation, Pastor Nate helps us understand the weightiness of Nehemiah’s endeavor. Our prayer is that this understanding will propel us all, together, deeper into the waters of trusting God.
Article Link:
nateholdridge.com/blog/183
Follow Pastor Nate:
Website: nateholdridge.com
Twitter: @nholdridge
Instagram: @nateholdridge
Pastor Nate’s Church:
calvary.com