Together 4 Good: Making Sense of Life and Faith

This Is NOT a Christmas Story: A Fork in the Road | 12 Days of Christmas Ep 12

This is not a Christmas story. This is a story about perspective.About how the same moment can mean everything to one person—and almost nothing to another. Over the next twelve episodes on Together 4 Good, we’re sharing real stories that remind us we don’t all experience joy, meaning, or even God in the same way. This is not a Christmas story.But it is a real one. In this episode of Together for Good, Pastor Gary shares a formative story from his teenage years—one that begins with a brand-new Schwinn bike, a scorching summer day, and a long ride toward Kings Island that didn’t exactly go as planned. What started as a straightforward journey quickly turned into a series of wrong turns, repeated hills, and decisions made without a map. And somewhere along those winding country roads, a deeper truth emerged: faith often works the same way. Many of us know where we hope our faith will lead—a deeper relationship with God, a sense of peace, meaning, or trust. But getting there isn’t always clear. Do we pray more? Read Scripture differently? Join a group? Try something new? Sometimes we choose a path that feels right… only to find ourselves back where we started, facing the same challenges again. In this reflection, Pastor Gary reminds us that those moments aren’t failures. They’re part of the journey. Sometimes the road that feels like a setback is actually teaching us something essential. And sometimes we have to climb the same hill more than once before we discover what truly bears fruit. The good news? God doesn’t disappear at the fork in the road. God stays—inviting us to choose again, to keep moving, and to trust that even the wrong turns can lead us closer to love. Learn more: https://bethany-denver.org [https://bethany-denver.org] faith stories, Christian storytelling, everyday faith, modern Christianity, spiritual reflections, faith and life, lived faith stories, faith beyond certainty

This Is NOT a Christmas Story: What My Daughter Taught Me About God | 12 Days of Christmas Ep 11

This is not a Christmas story. This is a story about perspective.About how the same moment can mean everything to one person—and almost nothing to another. Over the next twelve episodes on Together 4 Good, we’re sharing real stories that remind us we don’t all experience joy, meaning, or even God in the same way. This is not a Christmas story.But it is a real one. It starts with a snowy football game in Buffalo… and an eight-year-old who genuinely didn’t care who won. In this episode, Pastor Nate reflects on a moment that seems small—but ends up saying something big about faith, God, and the many ways people experience the divine. From family, football, and pancakes to worship styles, prayer practices, and spiritual assumptions, this story becomes an invitation to loosen our grip on certainty and make room for a God who can’t be reduced to one voice, one style, or one “right” way. If you’ve ever wondered whether your way of experiencing God counts—or felt uneasy when someone claims to have all the answers—this episode is for you. Learn more: https://bethany-denver.org [https://bethany-denver.org] faith stories, Christian storytelling, everyday faith, modern Christianity, spiritual reflections, faith and life, lived faith stories, faith beyond certainty

This Is NOT a Christmas Story: The Gift of Discipline | 12 Days of Christmas Ep 10

This is not a Christmas story. This is a story about perspective.About how the same moment can mean everything to one person—and almost nothing to another. Over the next twelve episodes on Together 4 Good, we’re sharing real stories that remind us we don’t all experience joy, meaning, or even God in the same way. This is not a Christmas story.But it is a real one. In this episode, Pastor Gary shares a story from his high school years—working late nights at McDonald’s, cleaning the store after closing, and still showing up for church every Sunday morning. What began as a simple family rule slowly became something more: a life shaped by discipline, freedom, and faith. This story is about how structure can create space for growth—and how discipleship is often formed long before we realize it. Learn more: https://bethany-denver.org [https://bethany-denver.org] faith stories, Christian storytelling, everyday faith, modern Christianity, spiritual reflections, faith and life, lived faith stories, faith beyond certainty

This Is NOT a Christmas Story: The Joy of Creating | 12 Days of Christmas Ep 9

This is not a Christmas story. This is a story about perspective.About how the same moment can mean everything to one person—and almost nothing to another. Over the next twelve episodes on Together 4 Good, we’re sharing real stories that remind us we don’t all experience joy, meaning, or even God in the same way. This is not a Christmas story.But it is a real one. In this episode, I tell a story from my early twenties—about roommates, late nights, creative energy, and a sitcom that never quite happened. What started as an ambitious idea turned into something else entirely: shared laughter, imagination, and the joy of making something for no other reason than that it was fun. This story is about creativity as a spiritual practice—and why success isn’t always the point. Learn more: https://bethany-denver.org [https://bethany-denver.org] faith stories, Christian storytelling, everyday faith, modern Christianity, spiritual reflections, faith and life, lived faith stories, faith beyond certainty

This Is NOT a Christmas Story: The First Time I Prayed | 12 Days of Christmas Ep 8

This is not a Christmas story. This is a story about perspective.About how the same moment can mean everything to one person—and almost nothing to another. Over the next twelve episodes on Together 4 Good, we’re sharing real stories that remind us we don’t all experience joy, meaning, or even God in the same way. This is not a Christmas story.But it is a real one. In this episode, Sophie shares a childhood memory from summer camp—trapped on a bus in the middle of a terrifying Colorado thunderstorm. With hail pounding the roof, visibility gone, and fear rising, Sophie prayed—earnestly, desperately—for the storm to stop. Moments later, it did. This story is about fear, trust, and the kind of prayer that forms faith long before we know how to explain it. Learn more: https://bethany-denver.org [https://bethany-denver.org] faith stories, Christian storytelling, everyday faith, modern Christianity, spiritual reflections, faith and life, lived faith stories, faith beyond certainty