How Can Faith Help Kids Talk About Anxiety? A Conversation with Deacon Debra Uppendahl-Alba

How Can Faith Help Kids Talk About Anxiety? A Conversation with Deacon Debra Uppendahl-Alba

What does faith have to say when life feels stressful, uncertain, or too much to carry alone? In this episode of Together 4 Good, Pastor Nate talks with Deacon Debra about Bethany Day Camp, the Rainbow Trail Lutheran Camp curriculum, and how Philippians 4:6–7 helps kids and adults bring their anxiety, questions, and gratitude to God. What You’ll Learn: * How Bethany’s Day Camp connects with Rainbow Trail Lutheran Camp * Why Philippians 4 speaks honestly about anxiety and peace * How kids can learn to bring every feeling to God * Why gratitude does not erase hard things, but helps us see God in the moment * How service and generosity help children put faith into action Chapters:00:00 Coming up on Together4Good 00:34 Welcome to the Bethany Art Room 01:00 How Deacon Debra joined the Rainbow Trail curriculum team 03:35 Turning big theology into kid-friendly lessons 05:12 Why Rainbow Trail creates its own ELCA curriculum 07:00 The work behind writing Day Camp lessons 09:16 Philippians 4:6–7 and the theme for the week 10:27 Talking with kids about anxiety and faith 11:27 God can handle every feeling 12:17 Deacon Debra’s personal connection to Philippians 4 13:24 Prayer, community, and letting go of control 14:12 Gratitude when life does not go as planned 16:00 Open hands, parenting, and living in the moment 17:35 Crafts, snacks, and hands-on learning 19:00 Day Camp outreach and collecting mac and cheese for IFCS 20:12 How Bethany’s gifts bless the wider church 21:10 Day Camp registration is still open If this conversation encouraged you, like this video, subscribe to Bethany’s YouTube channel, and share it with someone who could use a reminder that God is big enough to hold what we carry. Connect with Bethany:📍 Bethany Lutheran Church – Denver, CO🌐 Learn more: www.bethany-denver.org [http://www.bethany-denver.org/]

Sunday School Remix: Adam & Eve — Shame, Blame, and the Real Story

You’ve heard the story of Adam and Eve before: a snake, an apple, a garden, and a whole lot of trouble.But what if that’s not what the story was ever meant to be about?In this first episode of Sunday School Remix, Pastor Nate digs into the Garden of Eden story with grown-up eyes. Together, we look at how this ancient story speaks to our world today, where we still wrestle with control, guilt, and the temptation to “play God.”-Maybe the serpent wasn’t Satan.-Maybe the fruit wasn’t an apple.-And maybe the real “fall” was never about disobedience at all — but about shame and blame.In this episode:-The surprising details Genesis actually says (and doesn’t say)-Why calling the serpent “Satan” misses the point-The connection between the fig tree and Jesus’ last week-How shame and blame became humanity’s oldest reflex-What it means to let God be God — and live unashamed✨ Sunday School Remix is a new Together 4 Good series re-examining familiar Bible stories to uncover what they really tell us about faith, humanity, and grace today.📍 Listen & Subscribe:Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/together-4-good-making-sense-of-life-and-faith/id1529196060 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0aFHcs9xjcRK54uXJzUBbH?si=VwBUEjyQQnieXyKHdkcfvA 💬 Tell us what story you want to see remixed next! 🙏 Bethany Lutheran Church ELCA | Cherry Hills Village, CO https://linktr.ee/bethanydenver

How Can Churches Help Immigrants and Refugees Today? A Conversation with Rev. Eric Shafer

Pastor Nate talks with Pastor Eric Shafer, Pastor in Residence at Global Refuge, about refugees, immigration, faith, and what it means to love our neighbors in real life. This Together 4 Good conversation explores why refugee support is deeply connected to Christian faith, Lutheran history, and the biblical call to welcome the stranger. Eric shares how Global Refuge supports immigrants and refugees through welcome centers, legal support, community partnerships, and long-term care. Together, Nate and Eric talk about how churches can respond with compassion, clarity, prayer, learning, advocacy, and action. What You’ll Learn: * What refugees are and why safety is central to the conversation * Why Scripture calls Christians to welcome immigrants and refugees * How Global Refuge helps people rebuild their lives * How Lutheran churches have supported refugee resettlement for decades * How individuals and congregations can help refugees through prayer, giving, learning, and advocacy Chapters:00:00 Coming up on Together 4 Good00:36 Meet Pastor Eric Shafer of Global Refuge03:34 Why refugee ministry is part of a pastor’s call05:00 What Scripture says about welcoming strangers05:45 A bold claim about faith, immigrants, and refugees07:44 Responding to pushback with faith and compassion09:23 The Lutheran history of refugee support11:00 Refugees, asylum, and common misunderstandings11:35 What does refugee mean?14:00 What Global Refuge welcome centers do16:20 How Jesus responds to people in need17:30 Why immigration needs order and compassion20:30 How people and churches can help refugees21:20 Faith Alliance training for congregations22:00 Advocacy, local support, and prayer25:00 World Refugee Day and Lutheran history26:00 Gratitude for churches supporting refugee work If this conversation helped you think more clearly about faith, refugees, immigration, and loving your neighbor, please like, subscribe, and share it with someone who may want to learn more about Global Refuge and how churches can support refugee neighbors. Connect with Bethany:📍 Bethany Lutheran Church – Denver, CO🌐 Learn more: www.bethany-denver.org [http://www.bethany-denver.org]

Sunday School Remix: Is Faith About Getting What You Want?

What if the story of the fiery furnace is not about having enough faith to get what you want? In this episode of Sunday School Remix, Pastor Nate looks at Daniel 3 and the deeper story beneath the Sunday school version: exile, identity, control, fragile power, and a faith that trusts God beyond the outcome. What You’ll Learn: * Why the fiery furnace story is about more than survival * How exile shaped the identity of God’s people * Why King Nebuchadnezzar’s statue was about power and control * What “even if God does not” teaches us about faith * How God meets us in the hardest places Chapters:00:00 What if the fiery furnace is about bigger faith?00:38 Why this Sunday school story is more complicated than we remember01:30 Israel, exile, and being cut off from home03:10 Names, identity, and belonging04:00 Nebuchadnezzar’s golden statue and fragile power05:30 Why everyone was commanded to bow down06:30 Why the repetition in Daniel 3 matters07:15 Rage, ego, and the furnace turned up hotter08:10 “What god will save you from me?”09:00 “Even if he does not”10:15 Faith is not a transaction11:30 Why they refused to bow down12:20 God shows up in the furnace13:30 Where God meets us in suffering14:20 Nebuchadnezzar still does not fully get it15:05 How we act like Nebuchadnezzar today16:30 God is with us in the fires17:20 The story did not end at Sunday school If this episode helped you see Daniel 3 in a new way, like, subscribe, and share it with someone who loves digging deeper into Bible stories. Connect with Bethany:📍 Bethany Lutheran Church – Denver, CO🌐 Learn more: www.bethany-denver.org [http://www.bethany-denver.org]

What Can Church History Teach Us About Faith Today? A Conversation with Rev. David W. Preisinger

Pastor Nate sits down with his dad, Rev. David Warren Preisinger, for a conversation about church history, family, faith, and why people keep showing up even when church gets messy. Dave shares what it was like to be part of Seminex, the Seminary in Exile, and how that experience shaped his understanding of leadership, community, and trusting God in uncertain moments. At the heart of this episode is a simple but honest question: why does church still matter? Together, Nate and Dave talk about relationships, service, worship, justice, and the grace that keeps calling us back into community. What You’ll Learn: * Why the Seminex walkout mattered in Lutheran history * How church conflict can still reveal God’s presence * Why relationships are central to healthy church community * How churches can serve their neighborhoods with care and dignity * Why worship, ritual, and belonging still matter today Chapters: 00:00 Coming up on Together 4 Good 01:00 Meet Rev. David Warren Preisinger 02:35 What was Seminex? 07:20 Trusting God during the seminary walkout 12:20 How Seminex shaped church leadership 20:00 A heart for urban ministry 27:00 How do we proclaim Jesus today? 31:00 Serving the neighborhood with dignity 34:00 What is the church’s role now? 38:00 Why are people leaving church? 41:30 Why Dave still goes to church 45:00 Trusting the gift of the church 47:00 Forgiveness, justice, and Amos 51:20 God is in the middle of it all If this conversation helped you think differently about faith, church, or why community still matters, like this video, subscribe to Bethany, and share it with someone who is asking big questions about faith. Connect with Bethany:📍 Bethany Lutheran Church – Denver, CO🌐 Learn more: www.bethany-denver.org [http://www.bethany-denver.org]