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Find Your Place To Belong At First Pres: https://firstprescos.org/belong Watch More Episodes:    • Light & Life Podcast  Learn More About Where Grace Abounds: https://wheregraceabounds.org/ Contact Where Grace Abounds: [email protected] Contact Scott Kingry: [email protected] If you’re trying to make sense of faith, sexuality, or identity but you’re afraid saying what you really think could change how people see you, this conversation is for you. Scott Kingry of Where Grace Abounds joins Tim and Liza for an honest conversation about what happens when faith and sexuality collide—and why being known, heard, and treated like a person matters more than winning an argument. In this episode: Why Scott once felt there was no space for him in Christianity What changed when someone listened to his story before trying to give him answers How curiosity, grace, truth, and relationship can reshape difficult conversations Scott shares his own journey through faith, same-sex attraction, leaving Christianity, returning to Jesus, and eventually finding a community where he could honestly wrestle with his questions. He also shares what decades of ministry have taught him about listening well, maintaining relationships through disagreement, and creating space for people who are still figuring things out. You don’t have to have every question resolved before you can be known. If you’re looking for a place to keep exploring faith honestly, connect with First Pres or learn more about the support available through Where Grace Abounds. *Chapters:* 00:20 Faith, sexuality, and finding a safe place to be honest 02:30 Scott’s story: faith, sexuality, and identity 09:23 “I don’t think there’s a space for me here” 13:33 The response that changed everything: “I really want to know you” 22:12 Creating space for people who are still figuring it out 29:21 Why curiosity and relationship matter more than labels 46:26 The deeper longing underneath sexuality: belonging and being known

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — Call or text 988: https://988lifeline.org/ Find Your Place To Belong At First Pres: https://firstprescos.org/belong If you’re worried about someone you care about but you’re afraid of saying the wrong thing—or making things worse—this conversation is for you. David Galvan of Soul Shop Movement joins Tim and Liza to talk honestly about suicide prevention, asking the difficult question, and staying present when someone finally tells you what they’re carrying. In this episode: How to ask someone directly about suicide with clarity and compassionWhy listening can matter more than immediately trying to fix their problemHow to move someone toward safety, connection, and trustworthy supportDavid brings years of suicide-prevention experience to a practical conversation about what ordinary friends, family members, and faith communities can do when someone is hurting. Suicide prevention begins with connection. Thank you for helping create a world where it’s okay to ask for help and safe to offer it. If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988, or visit https://988lifeline.org/. Hope is real, help is available, and you do not have to carry this alone. For more information about David Galvan or Soul Shop Movement, contact David at [email protected].

Find Your Place To Belong At First Pres: https://firstprescos.org/belong Watch More Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnLY-c1KPtO7a_Zw4LIVbMhbevfOMgApx If you want to share your faith but you're confused about why evangelism matters if God is already in control, this conversation is for you. Pastor Tim and Ella wrestle honestly with God's sovereignty, predestination, grief, and the pressure we can put on ourselves to “get it right.” In this episode: Why God's sovereignty doesn't make sharing the gospel pointlessWhy another person's salvation isn't ultimately something you accomplishHow to move from Christian guilt toward prayer, relationship, and God's invitationTim walks through predestination, Arminianism, Scripture, and J.I. Packer's Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God—but the conversation keeps coming back to the real stuff of life: grief, people we love, and what faithful evangelism actually looks like. Want people who will know your name and walk with you as you keep asking big questions? Find your place to belong at First Pres above. Chapters: 00:27 When theology becomes personal 02:06 “Could I have done more?” 06:37 If God already knows, why evangelize? 12:22 Predestination vs. Arminianism 17:36 Why we still share the gospel 25:32 From Christian guilt to God's invitation

Find Your Place To Belong At First Pres: https://firstprescos.org/belong Watch More Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnLY-c1KPtO7a_Zw4LIVb Have you ever wanted to tell someone about Jesus—but worried you’d make things awkward? You’re not alone. In this episode of the Light + Life Podcast, Tim and Ella unpack one of the biggest misconceptions about evangelism. Instead of pressure, performance, or having all the right answers, they explore a much simpler—and more biblical—approach: friendship. You’ll discover why hospitality changes lives, why your story matters more than you think, and how God often works through ordinary conversations rather than extraordinary moments. In this episode you’ll learn: * Why evangelism starts with genuine friendship * How hospitality can open hearts to Jesus * Why fear keeps so many Christians silent * The difference between following guilt and following Jesus * One practical step you can take this week to begin sharing your faith naturally Whether you’ve struggled with evangelism for years or you’re simply wondering how to talk about your faith without sounding pushy, this conversation offers practical encouragement and hope. Chapters 00:00 Introduction 03:15 Why evangelism feels so intimidating 10:22 The dinner invitation that changed an entire family 23:40 Friendship before persuasion 37:12 Why actions often speak louder than words 50:08 Following Jesus instead of guilt

If you’ve ever wondered whether there’s more going on than what we can see—but don’t want fear, hype, or strange answers—this conversation is for you. Pastor Mateen shares a thoughtful biblical perspective on the spiritual world so you can approach these questions with confidence instead of anxiety. What Scripture actually says about angels, demons, and spiritual beingsWhy Christians shouldn’t ignore the spiritual world—or obsess over itHow God’s authority gives believers confidence instead of fearChapters 02:24 Mateen’s Story: From the Occult to Following Jesus 08:15 What Does the Bible Actually Say About Spiritual Beings? 13:15 Should Christians Be Afraid of Demons? 21:33 Can Christians Be Demon Possessed? 29:16 What Should You Do If You’re Still Wrestling With These Questions?

ind Your Place To Belong At First Pres: https://firstprescos.org/belong Watch More Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnLY-c1KPtO7a_Zw4LIVbMhbevfOMgApx If you believe in Jesus but death, hell, or the afterlife still make your stomach drop, this episode is for you. Emmy sits down with Matt Holtzman to talk honestly about fear, grief, heaven, hell, Scripture, and the kind of hope that does not rush past the hard questions. In this episode, you’ll hear: Why honest questions about death do not make you a bad ChristianHow Scripture, mystery, and pastoral care can hold together when answers feel incompleteOne low-pressure next step if grief, doubt, or fear has been feeling too heavy to carry aloneMatt brings his experience as a caring ministries pastor who has walked with people through grief, final days, doubt, and fear. Your next step: bring one real question into the light with someone you trust, and find people who can walk with you at First Pres. Chapters: 00:00 Why Christians still fear death (and why it's okay to ask) 04:09 What do you say to someone who's afraid to die? 08:12 Can you really be sure what happens after death? 16:14 Holding faith and mystery together without pretending 24:21 What if you're afraid of hell—or for someone you love? 29:27 Your next step if grief, doubt, or fear feels overwhelming

Find Your Place To Belong At First Pres: https://firstprescos.org/belong Watch More Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnLY-c1KPtO7a_Zw4LIVbMhbevfOMgApx If you’ve wondered whether prayer really matters in everyday life, this episode is for you. This conversation offers an honest look at why prayer can feel hard, what it changes, and how to take a real next step without pretending. Why prayer can feel slow, silent, or confusing What prayer changes even when your situation stays hard How to begin again with honesty instead of pressure

**Find Your Place To Belong At First Pres:** https://firstprescos.org/belong **Watch More Episodes:** https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnLY-c1KPtO7a_Zw4LIVbMhbevfOMgApx If you know a conversation matters but you keep putting it off because you do not want to make it weird or make it worse, this is for you. This episode will help you understand why conflict feels so loaded and how one honest step can move you toward trust, real community, and belonging. - Why hard conversations can feel emotionally expensive even when you care about people - How to tell the difference between peacemaking and avoidance - One low-pressure next step for saying something true without trying to fix everything at once

Find Your Place To Belong At First Pres: https://firstprescos.org/belong Watch More Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnLY-c1KPtO7a_Zw4LIVbMhbevfOMgApx If science questions have left you confused, torn, or unsure what to do with faith, this conversation is for you. This is for people who want a more honest way to think about science, belief, doubt, and what it means to keep moving toward God. In this episode we cover: How worldview shapes the way you think about science and meaning Why medicine, discovery, and faith do not have to be enemies A practical mindset for staying curious when your perspective is getting rebuilt

If you are scared to say what you really think about faith, this is for you. If you have been carrying doubts, questions, or frustration and wondering whether church can handle the truth, this episode meets that moment with honesty. What young adults are really feeling when faith starts to feel shaky Why church can feel unsafe when honesty seems costly How belonging can start before everything feels settled Tim McConnell shares an honest conversation designed to help people feel known, less alone, and invited into real community. Next step: take one honest step toward belonging at First Pres: https://firstprescos.org/belong

Life has a lot of questions you can’t Google—this episode explores why mentorship might be the missing piece. Have you ever felt like everyone else has life figured out while you’re still Googling how adulthood works? Many young adults long for guidance but don’t know how to find a mentor—or even what mentorship should look like. In this episode of the Light + Life Podcast, Tim and Liza explore the role of mentorship in the Christian life. They discuss why discipleship was always meant to happen through relationships—learning by walking alongside someone who is further along in faith and life. The conversation covers the awkwardness many people feel when approaching a mentor, the difference between friendship and mentorship, and how both mentors and mentees grow in the relationship. Along the way, they share practical ways to begin mentorship organically within church community and encourage listeners to prayerfully consider who they might learn from—and who they might invest in.  Key Takeaways Mentorship reflects the model of Jesus, who invited people to “follow me” and learn by walking with him. Some of the most important parts of life and faith are “un-googleable” and require guidance from others. Healthy mentorship doesn’t require perfection—mentors share both victories and struggles.Many mentorship relationships begin informally through admiration, shared conversation, and simple invitations to coffee or lunch. Mentorship is mutual: mentors often learn and grow just as much as mentees. A helpful framework is identifying people ahead of you to learn from and people behind you to invest in. Action Steps / Practical Applications ✅ Pray for three mentors. Ask God to show you people whose lives reflect the kind of faith and character you hope to grow into. ✅ Start with a conversation. Invite someone you admire to coffee and ask how they’ve grown in a particular area of life. ✅ Suggest a shared rhythm. Consider reading a book, studying Scripture, or meeting monthly together. ✅ Show up ready to learn. Respect your mentor’s time and actively apply the wisdom they share. ✅ Look behind you too. Pray for three people you could encourage or walk alongside in their faith journey.

What if singleness isn’t a delay in your real life—but a place where Christ meets you fully? In this honest and hope-filled conversation, Liza and Tim explore what the church often gets wrong about singleness. From dating fasts and codependency to cultural idolization of the nuclear family, they unpack the tension many feel between longing for marriage and learning to live fully today. Together, they build a broader, more biblical vision of singleness—one that includes those waiting, those widowed, those never called to marriage, and those living faithfully in unexpected seasons. At its heart, this episode reminds us that identity is rooted in Christ—not relationship status. Key Takeaways Singleness is not a lesser life—it is not a “holding pattern” before something better.Marriage is a gift, but it does not fix insecurity, self-pity, or identity struggles.The church must honor and learn from singles, widows, and those living celibate lives.Cultural pressure often idolizes family life in ways Scripture does not.Jesus and Paul model lives that were whole, faithful, and unmarried.Fulfillment is found in Christ—whether single, married, widowed, or unwillingly single.Action Steps / Practical Applications Write a sentence that names who you are before your relationship status (e.g., “I am loved, called, and not alone.”)Examine your prayers—are you asking God only for the blessing, or also for transformation?Take one relational step this week: text a friend, join a group, or initiate community.Practice gratitude for this season—even while holding your longings honestly before the Lord.Ask: What might God be shaping in me right now?

What if God’s boundaries for sexuality aren’t meant to shrink your life, but to protect your heart and deepen your belonging?   Many people feel torn between their faith and their sexuality, wondering if there is any real place for them in the church. Others want to hold to a historic Christian sexual ethic but aren’t sure how to do that without hurting people they love. In this conversation, Liza and Pastor Tim slow down a charged topic—human sexuality—and ask what it really means to follow Jesus here with both conviction and compassion. They explore why Christians believe God gets to “set the rules,” and how those boundaries are actually given for our good, not as punishment. Together they talk about our culture’s hyper sexualization of identity, the pressure to be a “sexual being” to feel fully human, and how Jesus models a full, joy-filled life without sexual expression. They also wrestle with the deep hurt many experience around this topic and ask what it looks like for the church to be a place of real belonging for people whose sexual attractions or experiences don’t fit the traditional mold. Throughout, they return to the leveling truth that all of us have “bent the rules” and are utterly dependent on the tender mercies of Christ.   Key Takeaways We all bend the rules. Tim reframes the conversation by starting with our shared brokenness: every one of us has tried to take charge of our own good in the area of sexuality rather than trusting God.  God’s boundaries are for our good. Rather than arbitrary lines, Scripture’s limits on sexual expression are described as loving protection—for our own hearts, for others, and for our relationship with God.Sex is not the definition of a full life. They challenge our culture’s belief that you’re not fully human without sexual expression, holding up Jesus as the clearest example of a whole, abundant life without sex.  Belonging in the church is for everyone. Tim urges those who experience same-sex attraction or feel “at war” with their sexuality not to walk away, insisting the church deeply needs their presence, friendship, and gifts.Love tells the truth and stays. Liza and Tim name the real grief, shame, and trauma many carry around sexuality, and call the church to stay close—to listen, to grieve with, and to walk alongside people in their questions while still pointing to Jesus’ way.Action Steps ·       Ask Jesus for His eyes. Pray for the grace to see every person—whatever their sexual story—as someone Christ loves and died for, before you see an issue or a “side.” ·       Reflect on your own “rule-bending.” Instead of starting with other people’s choices, honestly name where you’ve taken charge of your own good in this area and bring that to Jesus for forgiveness and healing.   ·       Reframe God’s boundaries. Spend time considering where you’ve seen God’s “rules” protect you from harm—sexual or otherwise—and ask Him to help you trust His design as an expression of love, not restriction. ·       Move toward, not away from, hurting friends. If someone in your life feels excluded or at war with their sexuality, reach out, listen more than you speak, and communicate clearly that they have a place with you and in Christ’s church. Stay in community when it’s complicated. If you’re wrestling personally with sexuality and faith, resist the urge to disappear; instead, seek out a trusted pastor, mentor, or small group where you can process honestly and be loved in the tension.

Why do we keep doing what we know is wrong—and why does shame convince us to hide it instead of bringing it into the light?  If you’re tired of repeating the same patterns and then spiraling into shame, this episode maps a way back to truth—and back to the people who can help you heal.  Liza and Tim talk honestly about “besetting” (habitual) sin—those stuck places where you look up and think, “What just happened?” They explore how repeated choices can dull our spiritual sensitivity, and how shame grows when we carry sin alone in secrecy. Tim offers a pastoral rhythm: identify the lie driving the pattern, write it down, and pair it with Scripture and trusted community so truth can reshape what you believe—and therefore what you do.  Key Takeaways Habitual sin often includes a “what just happened?” moment—patterns can form even when we know better. Shame isolates by whispering “hide this,” but healing grows when it’s brought into the light with others. What you believe shapes what you do—so identify the lie beneath the behavior. Replace the lie with truth: write the lie down and place Scripture underneath it as a practiced rhythm. Don’t do this alone—bring it to a trusted friend/mentor and into Christian community. Action Steps Name the pattern (the “besetting” place) without excuses or self-hatred. Ask: “What did I believe that led me here?” and write that lie down. Find Scripture that contradicts the lie and write the truth beneath it. Bring it to someone trusted (friend, elder, mentor) and invite prayer + perspective. Take one small step toward the light—in prayer or honest conversation—remembering healing isn’t always linear.

The holidays can be full of lights and laughter—unless you’re the one barely holding it together or walking with someone who is. What do you do when a friend finally admits, “I’m not okay,” right in the middle of a season where everyone else seems to be celebrating? How can you love them like Jesus without minimizing their pain, trying to fix everything, or burning yourself out in the process? Host Liza sits down with Pastor Tim to talk about how to show up like Jesus when December feels isolating, grief-filled, or overwhelming for the people we love. They name the wide range of holiday experiences—from full houses to empty chairs and quiet apartments—and invite listeners to lay down assumptions about how “everyone” must be doing. Together they unpack the difference between sympathy and empathy, how to avoid centering yourself in someone else’s pain, and what it looks like to be interruptible and present. They also address what to do when you’re worried about self-harm or suicide, including knowing your limits and involving professional help. Through scripture reflections and practical stories, they remind us that this is ultimately God’s story—and we get to walk in it together. Key Takeaways · Drop the assumptions. Behind every smile is a deeper story, especially around Christmas; don’t presume you know how someone feels about the holidays.   · Resist making it about you. Jumping in with your own story can shift the focus back to yourself; instead, listen and stay with their experience before you speak.   · Move from sympathy to empathy. Loving your neighbor “as yourself” includes stretching to imagine life in their shoes and asking what they might truly need, not just what feels easy to offer.   · Be comfortable with discomfort. Like Jesus, learn to stay present in hard conversations rather than escaping with clichés, humor, or quick distractions.   · Hold healthy boundaries. You can sit in the pit with someone without absorbing all their pain or becoming their sole rescuer; their story ultimately belongs to them and to God.   · Take self-harm seriously. If a friend talks about hurting themselves or others, stay with them, acknowledge your limits, and help connect them with suicide hotlines, trusted family, and professional care. Action Steps / Practical Applications ✅ Check in on one person this week. Text or call a friend you know is struggling and ask directly, “What do you need right now, and how can I sit with you in it?” ✅ Practice presence over fixing. When someone shares something heavy, pause before offering advice; reflect back what you heard and name their pain instead of trying to distract or “solve” it.   ✅ Name your limits and bring in help. If conversations move toward self-harm or deep despair, stay with them and also suggest calling a trusted hotline, counselor, or family member together so you’re not carrying it alone.   ✅ Pray and re-center the story on Jesus. In your own heart (and with your friend if they’re open), remember that this is God’s story; ask Jesus to guide your words and to hold what you cannot fix.   ✅ Don’t miss the joy. Even as you care for hurting friends, intentionally show up for worship and the celebrations that keep you rooted in the hope and joy of Christ’s coming.