Forge Podcast: Conversations for the Journey

Going "Into the Deep" - Deep Repentance with Mike Terlizzi- Men's Retreat Session 3

What would change if “God’s will” stopped being a phrase you recite—and became a life you actually surrendered? From the mountain at Scottsdale Bible Church’s Men’s Retreat in Williams, Arizona, Mike takes us into Jonah 3 and invites us to see repentance as more than words. Nineveh hears a simple warning, but what follows is a city-wide turning—humility, confession, action, and a desperate hope for mercy. We talk about the difference between knowing and believing, confession and repentance, and why reconciliation sits at the center of God’s story from beginning to end. Mike also shares how one courageous gospel conversation became his “Jonah”—and how obedience from a coworker changed everything. God’s love runs deeper than our sin. If you’ve been half-in and half-out, stuck in shame, or carrying hidden chains, there’s an invitation here: surrender your will, turn toward Jesus, and step back into the freedom He actually offers.

Going "Into the Deep" - Deep Deliverance with James Delarato- Men's Retreat Session 2

What do you do when you realize you’ve been running—from God, from people, or from the hard parts of your own story? Recorded at Scottsdale Bible Church’s Men’s Retreat in Williams, Arizona, James walks us into Jonah’s turning point: the place where rebellion meets mercy, and suffering becomes the strange doorway back to God’s care. Through Jonah’s prayer “in the deep,” we see a Father who disciplines, yes—but whose deepest instinct is compassion. We talk about the tension of “good news, bad news” reversals in real life, the ache of spiritual darkness, and why God’s rescue is meant to be holistic—heart, soul, mind, strength, and relationships. James also shares pieces of his own testimony, tracing how God met him in pain and kept him from being swallowed by it. God doesn’t cast off the broken. If you’ve been carrying shame, hiding wounds, or trying to survive alone, there’s an invitation here: cry out, come back, and let mercy do what punishment never could.

Going "Into the Deep" - Deep Rebellion with Aaron Hughes - Men's Retreat Session 1

What if the places you most want to avoid are the very places where God intends to meet you with mercy? Recorded at the Scottsdale Bible Church Men’s Retreat in Williams, Arizona, this session opens the “Into the Deep” weekend journey through Jonah. After a brief welcome, Aaron leads men into Jonah 1—not as a children’s story, but as a mirror that exposes the heart and reframes what we think we know about God. We talk about rebellion that moves “down” in subtle steps, the numbness that sin can produce, and how our choices spill over onto the people around us. And we talk about God’s mercy that pursues—calling, hindering, exposing, and refusing to be indifferent when we run. God’s mercy goes deeper still. If you’ve been resisting, hiding, or just going through the motions, this is an invitation to stop running, open your heart, and let the Lord meet you—through His Word, through prayer, and through the brothers beside you.

Conviction, Imagery, and the Daily Cross – A Conversation with Mike (Audio)

What if the thing that feels like pressure isn’t condemnation—it’s mercy calling you back? Joe and Mike pick up their conversation by contrasting two paths: a life lived under conviction while still running, and the “aha” freedom some people experience when they meet Jesus after years far from Him. Mike reflects on the wreckage he left behind—especially broken relationships—and Joe challenges him toward apology, repair, and the quiet healing that can come when you make things right. We talk about how Mike fell in love with Scripture through imagery—seeing how the Old Testament forms patterns that the New Testament fulfills. They explore spiritual realities the Bible describes with startling clarity: angels, demons, and the call to stand armored in Christ. From there, Mike gets deeply practical about what it looks like to “pick up your cross daily”: early mornings, Bible, prayer, presence, discipline, and integrating Christ into work, marriage, and fatherhood. The adventure isn’t comfort—it’s transformation. If you’re in depravity, half in and half out, or trying to lead other men through it, there’s hope: plant seeds, do the hard work, and keep coming back to Jesus.

Prodigal, Surrender, and Integration – A Conversation with Mike (Audio)

What does it look like when surrender isn’t a church moment—it’s the moment you finally stop running? Joe sits down with Mike, a Forge leader at the Cactus campus, to talk about a “radical conversion” that happened fast and hit deep. Mike describes growing up in church, spending years sprinting the opposite direction, and then reaching a breaking point in early 2020 where he fell to his knees and told God he was done. We talk about what it means to be “all in” without rushing into a ministry title, how the Word gives language for spiritual experiences, and why integrating Christ into ordinary work and family life is often the real calling. Mike also shares how Forge became a lifeline—friendships, discipleship, and a place where broken men learn to walk as new men together. Surrender is not losing—it’s coming home. If you’ve been half in, half out, there’s still a way back: humility, truth, and a Father who meets prodigals with grace.