On this episode of the In Hope Podcast, Preach discusses how unity in the body of Christ depends on believers reading and knowing Scripture, noting estimates as low as 11% of Christians have read the entire Bible.

00:00 Podcast Welcome

01:11 Why Bible Reading Matters

04:19 Why We Avoid Scripture

08:28 Misuse Does Not Disprove

13:03 Gatekeeping And Unity

23:23 Disagreements And Practice

30:17 Knowing God Over Knowledge

34:10 Practical Steps Together

40:22 Final Challenge And Outro

A pastor can lead a thriving church, preach every Sunday, counsel families, celebrate baptisms, walk people through tragedy—and still feel incredibly alone. In this episode of The inHoPE Podcast, Brandon and Nathaniel sit down with Brian Taylor of Valley Network to talk about the often-unseen weight pastors carry and what can happen when churches choose collaboration over competition. Brian shares how Valley Network is helping pastors and churches throughout Idaho's Treasure Valley move beyond simply knowing each other toward genuine relationships, shared mission, accountability, generosity, and unity.

On the In Hope Podcast, Brandon and Preach discuss “unity in giving,” emphasizing that finances are scriptural, necessary for ministry, and closely tied to the heart. Brandon shares his journey from serving as his main “gift” to recognizing giving’s dual purpose: supporting the church’s practical needs and confronting money as a potential idol. They stress that giving is about heart posture rather than legalistic calculations, that God knows motives, and that generosity reflects God’s character.

They address mistrust caused by high-profile misuse of funds, urging transparency, accountability, discernment, and evaluating fruit, while noting misuse is leaders’ responsibility and obedience is the giver’s. Using examples from the tabernacle, temple, and Acts, they distinguish tithes from offerings, warn against giving for human praise (Matthew 6), and close in prayer for freedom and trust in God’s provision.

00:25 Unity In Giving

01:27 Prayer For Wisdom

02:21 Brandon Tithing Journey

03:59 Why Giving Matters

04:48 Money As An Idol

06:25 Heart Over Rules

09:39 Trust And Releasing

14:19 Discernment And Transparency

16:57 Biblical Models Of Giving

22:51 Serving Community Fruit

24:37 Pastor Pay and Priorities

26:43 Discernment Over Judgment

28:20 Giving Directly to Needs

29:01 Tithes vs Offerings Explained

32:21 Generosity and God’s Blessing

36:14 What Are You Seeking

41:41 Matthew 6 Giving in Secret

43:03 Prayer and Final Charge

Preach and Brandon explain that the "Jesus story" and biblical themes are repeated throughout Scripture and often echoed in modern culture through films, shows, and music. After praying, they discuss Christological foreshadowing in figures like Moses, Joseph, and Isaac, then explore contemporary examples such as The Lion King (identity in the Father, return-from-death imagery, and Scar as deceptive evil) and The Matrix (prophecy of "the One," Morpheus as John the Baptist, Zion, Trinity, Neo's death and return, and a noted link to the Stations of the Cross). They note many blockbuster stories (e.g., Avengers, Star Wars) include a "taste of evil winning" before comeback victory and emphasize unity through teams rather than lone heroes. They connect love-focused art to biblical love, cite Philippians 3:7-11, and conclude that God's story is written on human hearts and can be common ground for unity.

Church leaders should be respected and honored but they should never become the foundation of our faith. In this episode, Preach and Brandon discuss spiritual authority, pride, humility, church titles, and what happens when believers place too much trust in a pastor or ministry leader.

They explore how Christians can appreciate their leaders while keeping their faith and identity centered on Jesus.

00:00 – The danger of idolizing church leaders

01:00 – Why believers must read the Bible themselves

03:00 – Matthew 23 and religious titles

05:00 – What happens when trusted leaders fail

07:00 – Jesus confronts religious pride

12:00 – Leadership, humility, and serving others

18:00 – A warning for leaders and followers

20:00 – Division caused by following personalities

25:00 – Honoring leaders without creating idols

31:00 – Spiritual gifts are for service, not status

35:00 – Humility and choosing the lowest seat

42:00 – What humble church leadership looks like

46:00 – Why ministry leaders still deserve honor

50:00 – Your spiritual gift is not your identity

53:00 – Putting your faith in Jesus instead of people

55:00 – Recognizing leaders as gifts from God

59:00 – Closing prayer and final takeaway

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You do not need a platform, title, or official ministry position to make a difference. In this episode, Preach and Brandon discuss the relationship between faith and works, how God gives everyone different gifts, and practical ways believers can support churches and ministries.

From foster care and social media to bookkeeping, technical support, networking, and prayer, there is a place for everyone to serve.

00:00 – Introduction and finding your place in ministry

02:00 – The parable of the talents

05:00 – Faith, works, and the evidence of salvation

14:00 – Good trees, good fruit, and Christian identity

25:00 – Supporting foster care ministries

31:00 – Serving through social media

34:00 – Helping church plants behind the scenes

38:00 – Websites and technical support

40:00 – Bookkeeping and administration

43:00 – Sound, media, and production teams

46:00 – Making room for new people to grow

49:00 – The qualities of an ideal ministry team member

53:00 – Using design and creativity in ministry

56:00 – Networking and inviting others

01:01:00 – Supporting ministries through prayer

01:03:00 – Taking action and closing encouragement

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Preach and Brandon explain why “Christian trolling” is a contradiction, distinguishing trolling from constructive criticism and urging believers to engage online with humility, patience, and love. They discuss how quick judgments from short clips and lack of context fuel disunity, and contrast trolling’s personal attacks with sharing truth in love, letting the Holy Spirit bring conviction. Using Matthew 18:15–20, they outline Jesus’ process for addressing sin or error—private conversation first, then bringing others, then the church—rather than public smear or “cancel” tactics, and note how public fighting is a terrible witness. They reference James 1:19 and several Proverbs about fools, emphasize praying before responding, and call listeners to be “unifiers” who seek understanding, ask sincere questions, and strengthen unity in the body of Christ.

00:00 Welcome To The InHope Podcast

02:20 Trolls vs Critique

03:52 Truth Without Demeaning

05:54 False Prophet Accusations

08:51 Unity Over Division

14:42 Quick Judgments Context

18:29 Prophet or Troll

25:27 Matthew 18 Correction

28:24 No Cancel Culture

30:37 DM First Patience

31:58 Private Group Message

32:16 Take It To Church

33:23 No Troll Witness

35:14 Public Debate Done Right

35:49 Iron Sharpens Iron

38:24 Troll Temptation Trap

41:00 Sow And Reap Online

45:42 Pray Before Replying

49:46 Slow To Speak Verses

57:50 Truth Over Winning

01:01:54 Be A Unifier

01:03:35 Closing Prayer Outro

In part two of their conversation on prayer, Preach and Brandon discuss how praying together builds unity and encourages young leaders to shepherd the church away from division. They compare many prayer models, spontaneous “popcorn” prayer, praying in tongues, journaling, contemplative silence, praying scripture, and liturgical/structured corporate prayers and challenge listeners to step outside familiar formats to learn from other believers across denominational cultures.

They highlight Matthew 18:19–20 on the power of agreement in prayer, note that God won’t answer prayers against His character, and describe how group prayer can bring accountability, confirmation, spiritual gifts, encouragement, healing, and deeper relationships. They urge discernment, weighing words against Scripture and counsel, offer practical reminders for daily prayer, and close with prayer and Romans 15:13.

00:00 Welcome To The InHope Podcast

01:15 Many Prayer Styles

02:53 What Is Liturgy

04:58 Unity In Prayer

05:21 Matthew 18 Power

07:11 Prayers And God’s Character

09:04 Gifts And Confirmation

11:51 Circle Prayer Visual

15:58 Try Unfamiliar Formats

20:00 Trust And Discernment

21:22 Words That Shape Calling

22:40 Encouraging Words in Prayer

23:20 Training to Hear God

24:08 Pray Beyond Your Circle

28:07 For Newcomers It Feels Weird

30:34 Prayer Builds Unity and Healing

32:38 Discernment and Weighing Words

40:23 Practical Prayer Reminders

44:21 Closing Prayer and Sendoff