First Shallowater: FIRST THINGS FIRST

Travis Jones talks about unanswered prayers and trusting God.

This week on the podcast we welcome Travis Jones. We talk about what it means to be called to ministry, trying to discern God's will, learning to wait on God and trusting God when our circumstances cause us to question His goodness.
For more information about First Shallowater, check out our website.
Can we pray for you? Tell us how.

Mesha Kleibrink talks about discovering the mercy and the love of God in the middle of the struggle

This week on the podcast we welcome Mesha Kleibrink. We talk living with physical challenges that mark you out as different, discovering your Kingdom purpose in spite of feelings of inadequacy, and the incredible love of God. Mesha's story is about God's miracle power and it will be encouraging for anyone who feels broken, unworthy or limited.
Mesha referenced the podcast Becoming Something with Jonathan Pokluda during our conversation.
For more information about First Shallowater, check out our website.
Can we pray for you? Tell us how.

Kayla Newton talks about finding faith in the struggle and the gift of Godly mentors

This week on the podcast we welcome Kayla Newton. We talk about the importance of community for believers. We also talk about what it means to own your faith, to understand what you believe about the gospel apart from just what you've been taught. Kayla's story is really encouraging, especially for those of us who may be walking through a season where we are wondering how God is at work.
For more information about First Shallowater, check out our website.
Can we pray for you? Tell us how.
 

Doug Taylor talks about finding God’s faithfulness all over the world.

This week on the podcast, we welcome Doug Taylor. Doug and his wife, Magel, lead our Encore ministry.  Doug has lead in a variety of ways in our church, and is a true servant. He talks about the importance of submitting our will to God's will, raising kids in a foreign country and finding family in the most surprising places.
For more information about First Shallowater, check out our website.
Can we pray for you? Tell us how.

Jude Shatley talks about surrendering to ministry and following Christ as a teenager

This week on the podcast we welcome Jude Shatley. Jude is a Freshman at Shallowater High School. In the past couple of years, since he moved to Shallowater, God has done an amazing work in Jude's life. He has been baptized and he has surrendered to the ministry! Jude believes that God is calling him to be a pastor. So, how do you balance a call that God has placed on your life for the future with all of the present challenges of being a teenager? You'll be encouraged to hear Jude's story.
For more information about First Shallowater, check out our website.
Can we pray for you? Tell us how.

Linda Rhodes talks about life, love and loss

Walking through painful or difficult seasons in our lives can sometimes leave us bitter, jaded and angry. Not Linda Rhodes though. She joins us on the podcast to talk about growing up in a small town, young love, the importance of family and making new friends. She also talks about addiction, about fighting for her marriage, about losing someone you love, about facing down serious illness and about discovering hope and joy in the faithfulness of God.
Linda mentioned He Still Moves Stones by Max Lucado. It's an easy read, but it's a powerful book. Check it out.
We talk about some hard stuff in this episode. If you need someone to pray for you, reach out to us.
For more information about our church, check out our website.

FIRST THINGS FIRST: Collin Britt

Collin Britt is going to be leading worship at DNOW, February 24-25. He joins us on the podcast to talk about music, songwriting and ministry. He also talks about the importance of filling out hearts with scripture, experiencing God's rescue from a self-destructive lifestyle, staying focused on following Christ in the middle of difficult circumstances and unhealthy influences, and the peace and hope that can only be discovered in the gospel. You're going to enjoy getting to know Collin a little better before DNOW.
Check out Collin's music!
Read the Bible with us! We're going to be reading and meditating on Philippians in the Deep Dive starting February 20.
Let us know how we can pray for you.
Check out our website for more information about First Shallowater.

FIRST THINGS FIRST: Erica Bright

You are not going to want to miss this conversation with Erica Bright. Erica grew up in Shallowater from fourth grade through high school. She talks about living through tragedy, surviving abuse, navigating the foster care system, and dealing with trauma. She also talks about the faithful love of God, about the transformative power of community and about giving her life to creating opportunities for others to experience those things. This is such an empowering and encouraging story. You are going to be so glad that you got to know a little more about Erica.
Erica's ministry is Reclaimed 43. Check out their website and discover ways that you can get involved. Sign up to be mentor!
Want to learn more about foster parenting? Go here or here.
Read the Bible with us! We're going to be reading and meditating on Philippians in the Deep Dive starting February 20.
Check out our website for more information about First Shallowater.

FIRST THINGS FIRST: Tiffany Davis

Tiffany joins the podcast for a conversation about the ups and downs of high school, that other university in College Station, the value of short-term mission trips, tattoos and growing up at First Shallowater. She also talks about learning to root her identity in Christ, how the gospel changes our perspective, the truths of God's word and working her way through change and the unknown as a perfectionist/control freak. Even though she is an Aggie, she has some pretty wise things to say.
Check out the book Gently and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers by Dane C. Ortlund. Tiffany mentioned that book in the podcast and you're going to want to read it.
How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!” - Isaiah 52:7
For more information about our church, check out our website.

FIRST THINGS FIRST: Gary Eastwood

Anyone who finds themselves in the midst of a struggle will really be encouraged by this conversation with Gary Eastwood. He talks about raising a family, starting a business, learning to manage finances and dealing with crazy rodents in the middle of the night. He also talks about his relationship with his mom, growing up without a dad, dealing with hurt, walking through struggle and finding the faithfulness of God in the middle of it all.
Tell us how we can be praying for you.
Find out more about our mission trip to Belize!
Learn more about what God is doing at First Shallowater.