New 4rmations Podcast

In this episode, Tim, Alan and Charlie talk about their experiences on social media. They discuss the positives and negatives of this medium, their personal blunders, temptations common to all, boundaries, and the roles they believe we all play in this arena as Christians.

In this week’s episode, part 3 of 3, Charlie interviews Tim Bethea. Tim and Charlie have been friends for about 10 years. Charlie had the privilege of performing Tim’s wedding and later, baptizing his children. Tim and Charlie were in a Band of Brothers together for years. Tim is a singer-songwriter, plays the acoustic guitar, and drums. Many nights, you can find him performing in local venues. On Sundays, you can find Tim leading worship in his church. A life filled with the pursuit of his calling, music, Tim is about to release his first album titled, Offertory: A Musical Journey. In early 2017, the Lord led Tim to write a song for his congregation using the words from David’s Song of Thanks, found in 1 Chronicles 16. He continued to write and present a new song fo the Offertory for eleven consecutive weeks from the Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany through Holy Week, with lyrics inspired by the appointed readings from the Revised Common Lectionary. His original music is influenced by folk, rock, gos

In this week’s episode, part 2 of 3, Charlie interviews Tim Bethea. Tim and Charlie have been friends for about 10 years. Charlie had the privilege of performing Tim’s wedding and later, baptizing his children. Tim and Charlie were in a Band of Brothers together for years. Tim is a singer-songwriter, plays the acoustic guitar, and drums. Many nights, you can find him performing in local venues. On Sundays, you can find Tim leading worship in his church. A life filled with the pursuit of his calling, music, Tim is about to release his first album titled, Offertory: A Musical Journey. In early 2017, the Lord led Tim to write a song for his congregation using the words from David’s Song of Thanks, found in 1 Chronicles 16. He continued to write and present a new song fo the Offertory for eleven consecutive weeks from the Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany through Holy Week, with lyrics inspired by the appointed readings from the Revised Common Lectionary. His original music is influenced by folk, rock, gos

In this week's episode, Charlie interviews Tim Bethea. Tim and Charlie have been friends for about 10 years. Charlie had the privilege of performing Tim's wedding and later, baptizing his children. Tim and Charlie were in a Band of Brothers together for years. Tim is a singer-songwriter, plays the acoustic guitar, and drums. Many nights, you can find him performing in local venues. On Sundays, you can find Tim leading worship in his church. A life filled with the pursuit of his calling, music, Tim is about to release his first album titled, Offertory: A Musical Journey. In early 2017, the Lord led Tim to write a song for his congregation using the words from David's Song of Thanks, found in 1 Chronicles 16. He continued to write and present a new song fo the Offertory for eleven consecutive weeks from the Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany through Holy Week, with lyrics inspired by the appointed readings from the Revised Common Lectionary. His original music is influenced by folk, rock, gospel, ballad,

In this episode, Tim, Alan & Charlie talk about two upcoming events: Men's Upstate SC BonfireMen's Battlefront Weekend Why gather with a group of men? Why kick around a fire on a Saturday night? Why get away for a weekend to hear from God? All these questions and more on today's episode. Spring Bonfire 2019 on April 13 in Wellford, SC. Join us for our first bonfire of 2019 on Saturday, April 13, from 6pm-9pm in Welford, SC. Our bonfires offer a theme or demonstration, food, casual conversation, and a teaching on the masculine journey. Tonight’s Meal: Chili Throdown! Tonight’s Speaker: Brandon Barber of RiverBlade Knife & Fly Shop in Boiling Springs, SC. What to Bring: Dress for the weather (rain or shine), bring a lawn chair, and a friend. Cost: $12 to cover the cost of the event (food, drinks, , etc)*, more if you can, less if you can’t; we don’t want money to stop anyone from coming. Registration: Please register on our Facebook page by saying you are “going” to the event. T

It's so tempting to lose sight of our place in the Larger Story. The Enemy loves to reduce us to our small stories; that is, that we are all alone to deal with the hell that is in front of us, that it never ends, and it is all purposeless. Think about it. When you are at your worst, you have become completely self absorbed, lost sight of God's redemptive purposes, and long forgot your God-given unique and crucial role and settled into hopeless resignation. In this episode, Charlie, Tim and Alan are working through John Eldredge's book, Wild at Heart. Every other week, they process their lives in real-time around the videos they went through the week before. This week, they cover Epic, that is, that we live in a four-act play, and that we are in Act III...a world at war in which God is doing his great redemptive work.

Charlie interviews Jake Poteat and Nate Gaffney of the progressive guitar band, Pale Glow. Jake and Nate are two of the band’s founding members. Pale Glow wrote, recorded, produced and released their first self-titled EP recently. In this 2-part podcast interview, Charlie, Nate and Jake talk about what it means to do what God created you to do, what decisions are required along the way, and the work ethic that is essential to reach our goals.  Jake and Nate open both episodes with never-before-heard acoustic versions of two of the songs on their EP, Blaze and Sonder. That’s quite a feat considering, this was recorded in Charlie’s sunroom and those songs are typically played on 8-string electric guitars. Pale Glow’s self-titled EP is available on iTunes & Google Play. You can connect with Pale Glow on all social media at @PaleGlowBand.

Charlie interviews Jake Poteat and Nate Gaffney of the progressive guitar band, Pale Glow. Jake and Nate are two of the band's founding members. Pale Glow wrote, recorded, produced and released their first self-titled EP recently. In this 2-part podcast interview, Charlie, Nate and Jake talk about what it means to do what God created you to do, what decisions are required along the way, and the work ethic that is essential to reach our goals. Jake and Nate open both episodes with never-before-heard acoustic versions of two of the songs on their EP, Blaze and Sonder. That's quite a feat considering, this was recorded in Charlie's sunroom and those songs are typically played on 8-string electric guitars. Pale Glow's self-titled EP is available on iTunes & Google Play. You can connect with Pale Glow on all social media at @PaleGlowBand.

Tim, Alan, and Charlie have been leading a group of guys through John Eldredge's Wild at Heart Live Boot Camp videos every other Tuesday night at RiverBlade Knife and Fly Shop in Boiling Springs, SC. We are breaking each video into about 30-minute sections. We've just finished the first video, The Heart of a Man. So far, we've discussed our response to an adventure to live and a battle to fight. Tonight, we reflect on, a beauty to rescue. Oftentimes, we take our need for validation to Eve, and that is surely no way to make her feel safe, secure, and on adventure with us. Tonight, Tim, Alan, and Charlie share their personal experiences about a beauty to rescue, and more. They also discuss one of John's questions, "What movies, especially the characters, do you identify with, and why?" There is something in all great movies, or stories that borrows, from the Great Story, that relates to the cry our unique heart...and ultimately, our quest to relate to "the beauty", in a way that Christ relates to us.

Tim, Alan, and Charlie have been taking a group of guys through John Eldredge's Wild at Heart Live Bootcamp Videos on Tuesday nights. Society at large can’t make up its mind about men. Having spent the last thirty years redefining masculinity into something more sensitive, safe, manageable and, well, feminine, it now berates men for not being men. Boys will be boys, they sigh. As though if a man were to truly grow up he would forsake wilderness and wanderlust and settle down, be at home forever in Aunt Polly’s parlor. “Where are all the real men?” is regular fare for talk shows and new books. You asked them to be women, I want to say. The result is a gender confusion never experienced at such a wide level in the history of the world. How can a man know he is one when his highest aim is minding his manners?”John Eldredge - Wild at Heart Adventure is one of the things God invites us into to help us recover our masculine hearts. We were built to risk, to wrestle, to figure out, and ultimately to trust God.

We've all inherited images of Jesus. They've come from church, cultural expressions during holiday celebrations, TV shows, greeting cards, and our own family. The chances that we've misunderstood who Jesus truly is are pretty high. Think about it...When you think of Jesus, or the men you are told represent Christian maturity, do Fred Rogers and Ned Flanders come to mind? You know, Jesus meek and mild, in clean robes, neat hair, with a soft, delicate voice, staring heavenward. But, what about another image, William Wallace, in the movie Braveheart? A warrior. Face-painted and sword in hand. Which image stirs your masculine soul the most? It is hard to follow an image of Jesus that we don't really care for. Today, Tim and Charlie talk about how our image of Jesus impacts our relationship with Him.

So after the feeding of the 5000, as Jesus commands, the disciples hop in the boat and head toward Capernaum. They face a trial in the boat, not as punishment, but to breakthrough the self-sufficiency that was so prominent in their lives as exhibited at the miracle of the fish and loaves. Nothing like paddling through another violent storm for 12 hours, without God, to only go 3 or 4 miles, to bring you to the end of your rope. I’m sure they were exhausted, confused, and a bit angry.  But, something changes here as Jesus appears to them walking on the water. Once Jesus identifies himself, they welcome Him into the boat. There is something about inviting Jesus into their circumstances, welcoming Him even, that seems to make the difference. It is as if they learned the lesson, self-sufficiency is insufficient, and that it is so much better to invite Jesus from the beginning, not as the last resort. This as a radical call to intimate relationship. Jesus is all about the relationship, way ahead of changing any

What is it about being in the midst of difficulty that makes us forget all the ways Jesus has come through for us in the past? What is it about difficulty that makes us feel so alone? Our self-sufficiency rises to the surface as if that is going to help us meet the challenge. “If it is going to be, it is up to me.” So, Jesus is just going to expose that in John 6:1-21. Out of that, we learn that God can shatter our pint-sized expectations and small faith if we would learn to bring Him what we have, be dependent upon Him, and just get started with what’s before us, as if He will come through for us. That smacks in the face of pragmatism, realism, and self-sufficiency. Yes, there is something about getting started, taking a next step. It’s where God is. He is the God of the frontier, that is, He is met on the edge of the unknown…in the next step. That’s the place of character and faith development. It is the place where we are forced out of our self-sufficiency, comfortable theological assents about God, and

Join us today, for part 2 of 2, as we talk about how the antidote to busyness is not rest, but wholeheartedness. You may read Chuck's guest blog post on the same topic on our website at: http://new4rmations.com/the-antidote-to-exhaustion-by-chuck-degroat/ To learn more about Chuck, please visit his website at: https://chuckdegroat.net To purchase Chuck's books, please visit the following links: Leaving Egypt: Finding God in the Wilderness Places: https://www.amazon.com/Leaving-Egypt-Finding-Wilderness-Places/dp/1592556736/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1370578228&sr=8-1&keywords=leaving+egypt Toughest People to Love: How to Understand, Lead, and Love the Difficult People in Your Life--Including Yourself: https://www.amazon.com/Toughest-People-Love-Understand-Difficult/dp/0802871437 Wholeheartedness: Busyness, Exhaustion, and Healing the Divided Self: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CJ5KK8K/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1#nav-subnav Lastly, please join our new online community at https://www.patreon.co

Today, we have a special guest, Chuck DeGroat. Chuck is the Professor of Counseling and Christian Spirituality at Western Theological Seminary in Holland, MI, and Co-Founder and a Senior Fellow at The Newbigin House of Studies in San Francisco, CA. Chuck has spent the last 20+ years in a fluid combination of pastoral ministry, seminary teaching, and clinical counseling.  He writes mostly about the intersections of psychology, theology, and Christian spirituality…with a focus on our lived experience of oneness and worthiness in Jesus. In his latest book, Wholehartedness: Busyness, Exhaustions and Healing the Divided Self, Chuck brings a vision of wholeness amidst our perfectionistic and shame-based culture. We know you will enjoy hearing from Chuck...Someone we like to think of as a Contemporary Contemplative, with a delightfully vulnerable perspective on becoming whole and holy; wholeheartedness. Join us today, for part 1 of 2, as we talk about how the antidote to busyness is not rest, but wholeheartednes

Today, we have a special guest, Keith Webb, of Creative Results Management. Keith is the author of The COACH Model for Christian Leaders, and the founder of Creative Results Management. Keith advocates for a different kind of leadership, one that works on-the-go, with people everywhere, and his model has significantly influenced how we lead our community groups and Bands of Brothers at New 4RMations. Keith served in Asia for over 20 years and now travels the world, teaching, speaking and training others how to multiply their ministry impact through conversations that matter. Join us today as Keith and I talk about ways to move from mere empathetic listening and the awkward feeling of having nothing of substance to offer back, or worse, the temptation to advise, into conversations that help people find clarity in their circumstances, direction from God, and walk away with a tangible next action step, that moves them a bit closer to God and who He made them to be. To hear more from Keith, check out his blog

Today, Charlie & Tim are recording live at one of our Base Camp adventures, The Men’s Spring Adventure 2018: Fishing the Watauga River. We thought it would be fun to bring you right into this story to hear more of our hearts on this type of ministry environment. On this trip, we we rented a 4 bedroom riverfront home on one of the best fly fishing rivers east of the Mississippi. Great food, beautiful environment, cigars, and fire time always make for a great getaway. It was a great place to relax, unwind and restore the heart as we fished and reflected around our theme, “Taking Every Thought Captive.” You can see photos and videos from this trip on our Facebook album page at https://www.facebook.com/pg/new4rmations/photos/?tab=album&album_id=2508914856000327. Please be sure to "like" our page while you are there. We had two guides, Todd Hare and Charlie Smith, that helped us find the right spots, use the right flies, and always help with those who are new to fly fishing. If you would like to contact them ab

Today New 4RMations’ team member, Alan Welchel, and Charlie Vensel talk about what it looks like to be fathered by God. Like just about everything else in life, when it comes to raising children, we cannot really offer what we do not have. Through death and/or divorce, Alan and Charlie both lacked critical masculine influence at the times they needed most. Often, they both come up against what that feels like in being fathers to their own children. But, God the Father is more than willing to step in to fill the gap. And, no matter how good our earthly fathers might have been, we all need to make the transition, from the sons of men, to the sons of God. This episode is applicable to all men, for we all face places where we cannot enter unless God is with us. So, listen in on this conversation as Alan tells about a recent experience fathering his own son in ways that he did not experience himself, and, how God showed up. To read more about Alan's experience with his son, check out his blog post at http://ne

This is Episode 7, and the fourth and final episode in a series of podcasts entitled, What’s This 4Rs Thing? In the earlier three episodes, my friend and ministry co-founder, Tim McNamara and I, talked about our ministry’s name. It is spelled differently than it sounds. It is the word “New”, the number 4, then the letters R-M-A-T-I-O-N-S. So, what is this 4Rs thing? Well, the 4Rs are: Relationship, Rescue, Restoration and Release. And we see them as a 4-fold approach to having a wholehearted life in Christ. In Episode 4, we spoke about the third R, Restoration. Today, Tim and I are going to talk about the fourth and final R, Release. Ultimately all discipleship ends in, "for the sake of others." In this phase, we are "Released for good." It is the place from which purposeful, redeemed hearts are moved into action. It requires us to know our stories, deal with our wounds, identify our calling, and often additional clarity found through soul care, then the next steps. As we move into God-grounded next step

This is Episode 6, and we are taking a short break from the What’s This 4Rs Thing? series to bring you the second part of an interview with one our favorite people, Pablo Giacopelli. Pablo has been involved on high performance environments since an early age first as a tennis player and later as a coach. He has had the opportunity to successfully coach some of the best female players in the world of tennis. He was selected to be the tennis team Captain for Estonia in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. His pupils successes have ranged from quarter final showings at Grand Slams to winning major WTA events to top 10 yearly race rankings. Pablo has traveled around the world and speaks four languages. He has been a guest speaker at various conferences and seminars around the world. He is the author of two books, Holding on Loosely, and, The Modern Fig Leaf. Pablo has been a special friend to Tim and me since we were blessed to have him speak at one of our Base Camp Bonfires. We know you will enjoy hearing from our fri