Is Faith A Skill To Learn? - Side X Side Podcast Ep. 39

Is Faith A Skill To Learn? - Side X Side Podcast Ep. 39

What if the reason your faith feels inconsistent… isn’t because you don’t care—but because you’ve been measuring it the wrong way?In this powerful and honest episode of the Side x Side Podcast, we wrestle with a subtle but deeply shaping lie: that prayer, worship, and reading the Bible are skills you have to get good at.And if you’re not good at them?You slowly stop showing up.We talk about the reality that 73% of people in the U.S. step foot in a church each year—but only about 5% attend weekly… and ask the deeper question:👉 Has the world convinced us that faith is something you have to be good at instead of something you practice?This episode begins with a raw personal confession about living with a stutter and speech impediment—and how that performance mindset quietly carried over into faith.From there, we unpack:Why performance is exhausting your spiritual lifeHow comparison is keeping you inconsistentThe difference between skills (performance) and practices (presence)Why Jesus never treated faith like something to masterHow to shift into simple, honest, sustainable rhythms with GodThis isn’t about doing more.It’s about showing up differently.If you’ve ever felt like:“I’m not good at praying”“I don’t read the Bible like I should”“I don’t feel what others feel in worship”This episode is for you.Because the truth is:God is not grading your performance.He’s inviting your presence.Subscribe for more conversations on faith, growth, and living honestly with God.#Faith #ChristianPodcast #SpiritualGrowth #Prayer #Worship #BibleStudy #Church #ChristianLiving #FaithJourney #God #PresenceOverPerformance

Pick Up Your Cross and Follow - Side X Side Podcast Ep. 38 | Joyful Is The Dark Pt.6

What does it really mean to pick up your cross and follow Jesus?In this Week 5 episode of the Side x Side Podcast, we step into one of the most challenging—and transformative—invitations from Jesus Christ found in Luke 9:23. This isn’t about surface-level faith or comfortable Christianity. This is about surrender, daily obedience, and the kind of discipleship that reshapes your entire life.In a world that tells you to protect yourself, build your life your way, and chase comfort at all costs… Jesus offers something radically different:👉 Deny yourself👉 Take up your cross daily👉 Follow HimBut what does that actually look like in real life?This episode dives deep into:Why self-denial is the starting point of true freedomWhat it really means to carry your cross (and what it doesn’t mean)How daily, unseen choices shape your faith more than big momentsWhy the dark seasons of life are often where God does His deepest workHow following Jesus leads not to loss—but to the life you were created forThrough powerful biblical examples like Peter the Apostle, Abraham, and Paul the Apostle, we explore the tension between control and surrender—and why the cross is not the end of the story.This is a call to move beyond belief… and into real discipleship.🔥 If you’ve ever wrestled with letting go, trusting God in the hard places, or wondering why faith feels costly—this episode is for you.📖 Scripture Focus:Luke 9:23🎧 Series: Joyful Is the Dark – Lenten Journey📍 Episode: Week 5 – Pick Up Your Cross🙏 Challenge:What cross are you avoiding right now?What is God asking you to lay down… today?Take one step. One act of surrender. One moment of trust.👍 Like | 💬 Comment | 🔔 SubscribeJoin us as we walk side by side through faith that is real, raw, and rooted in Christ.#Faith #Discipleship #TakeUpYourCross #Lent #ChristianPodcast #FollowJesus #SpiritualGrowth #ChurchOnline

Don't Grow Weary - Side X Side Podcast Ep. 37 | Joyful Is The Dark Pt.5

What do you do when faith feels… exhausting?When you’re still showing up… still praying… still trying to be faithful…but nothing seems to be changing?In Week 4 of the Joyful Is the Dark series, this Side By Side podcast dives deep into Galatians 6:9 and the quiet, often unseen struggle of spiritual fatigue.“Let us not grow weary in doing good…”Sounds simple.But in real life? It’s anything but.🔥 In This Episode:Why faithfulness can feel draining in long seasons of waitingThe hidden danger of quiet discouragementHow weariness slowly reshapes our trust in GodThe difference between burnout and biblical perseveranceWhy the “harvest” often comes later than we expectThis conversation is honest, pastoral, and deeply personal—because staying faithful when nothing is changing requires more than willpower.It requires strength that only God can provide.🌿 Series Theme: Joyful Is the DarkThis Lenten journey is about discovering that God is not absent in the hard seasons—He is forming something deeper within us.Even in the waiting.Even in the weariness.Even in the dark.🙏 Reflection for the Week:Where are you feeling spiritually exhausted right now?What does it look like to stay faithful… even when you don’t see results?How might God be forming something in you through this season?📖 Scripture:Galatians 6:9Colossians 1:11🎙️ About Side By Side:Side By Side is a deeper, more conversational dive into each week’s sermon—walking through Scripture, struggle, and real-life application together.🔔 Stay Connected:👍 Like this video💬 Share where you’re feeling weary—we’re walking this together🔔 Subscribe for weekly sermons and podcast episodes from Talks With TatumGalatians 6:9 sermon, don’t grow weary sermon, Christian podcast perseverance, spiritual burnout faith, Joyful is the dark series, Lent podcast 2026, Side by Side podcast, faith in hard seasons, waiting on God sermon, endurance and patience Bible, Christian encouragement podcast, Talks With Tatum, staying faithful in suffering, biblical perseverance teaching

Do You Know God Or Just About God? - Side X Side Podcast Ep. 36 | Joyful Is The Dark Pt.4

What if faith is not something we simply believe… but something we are meant to experience?In Week 3 of the Joyful Is the Dark Lenten series, this episode of the Side By Side Podcast explores the powerful invitation found in Psalm 34:8:"Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him."These words were not written from comfort. They were written from survival. After fleeing for his life and standing in enemy territory, David discovered something that changed the way he saw God forever: God’s goodness is often experienced most clearly in the wilderness seasons of life.In this episode we reflect deeply on what it means to taste the goodness of God—not just intellectually believe it. Through biblical context, honest conversation, and pastoral reflection, we explore why many of us hesitate to trust God fully and how Lent invites us to rediscover faith in the middle of uncertainty.This conversation is for anyone who has ever wondered:• Where is God when life feels unstable?• Why is trusting God so difficult sometimes?• What does it actually mean to experience God’s goodness?• How do we find refuge when the storms of life arrive?If you’re walking through a season of questions, struggle, or spiritual dryness, this episode offers a reminder that God often meets us most profoundly in the darker places of faith.Because sometimes the wilderness becomes the place where we finally discover that the Lord is good.Scripture in This EpisodePsalm 34:81 Samuel 21About the Series: Joyful Is the DarkLent is a season where the church slows down long enough to face the wilderness honestly—our doubts, fears, and longings. In this series we explore how God forms faith in the darker seasons of life and invites us to trust Him even when the path ahead feels uncertain.Psalm 34 sermon, taste and see the Lord is good, Christian podcast Psalm 34, Lent devotional podcast, faith in difficult seasons, trusting God in the wilderness, Christian spiritual growth podcast, biblical teaching on refuge in God, experiencing God’s goodness, Christian encouragement podcastPsalm 34:8taste and see the Lord is goodChristian podcastLent podcastfaith in the wildernesstrusting God sermonBible teaching podcastSide By Side podcastJoyful is the Dark seriesChristian spiritual growthGod as refuge sermonbiblical encouragementChristian discipleship#Psalm34 #TasteAndSee #ChristianPodcast #LentSeries #FaithInTheDark #SpiritualGrowth #BibleTeaching #TrustGod

Do You Worship God or Fear? - Side X Side Podcast Ep. 35 | Joyful Is The Dark Pt.3

What if the thing shaping most of our decisions… isn’t faith, but fear?In Week 2 of the “Joyful Is the Dark” Lenten series, we take a deeper look at one of the most honest confessions of faith in Scripture:Psalm 27:1 —"The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?"In this episode of the Side X Side Podcast, we explore the uncomfortable truth that many of us trust our fears more than we trust God. Fear becomes a quiet authority in our lives—shaping our decisions, our relationships, our faith, and even our view of God.But the psalmist reminds us that fear does not get the final word.Through biblical context, pastoral reflection, and honest conversation about the wilderness seasons of life, this episode explores how faith is formed when we bring our fears into the light of God’s presence. Lent invites us to name the places where fear has been guiding our lives—and to slowly learn what it means to trust again.If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by uncertainty, anxiety, or the weight of the unknown, this conversation will challenge and encourage you to keep walking the path of faith—even when the light feels dim.Because sometimes joy is found in the dark places where we finally learn to trust God.Topics Covered in This Episode:• Why fear becomes one of the strongest forces in the human heart• The historical and spiritual context of Psalm 27• How David learned to trust God in seasons of uncertainty• Why Lent is a season for confronting our fears honestly• What it looks like to trust God when life feels unstableSeries: Joyful Is the Dark – A Lenten Journey Through Faith in the Wilderness🔔 Subscribe for weekly sermons, biblical teaching, and conversations about faith, doubt, and spiritual growth.Lent sermon series, Christian podcast, Psalm 27 sermon, trusting God not fear, faith in difficult seasons, Christian encouragement, wilderness faith, spiritual growth podcast, Bible teaching podcast, Side X Side podcast, Joyful Is the Dark series, overcoming fear with faith, trusting God in uncertainty, Christian discipleship, church sermon discussion, spiritual formation, Lent reflection#Psalm27 #LentSeries #ChristianPodcast #FaithOverFear #JoyfulIsTheDark #SpiritualGrowth #BibleTeaching #ChurchPodcast