Encounter Faith Podcast

Ryan Hammer is the Creative Arts Executive Minister at Good Shepherd Lutheran church in Naperville. He joined host Ross Cochran to reflect on what "worship" means in the church and how we might be missing out on all that God has for us when we try to prioritize ourselves over the One actually worthy of worship.SHOW NOTESThe Encounter Faith Podcast is dedicated to creating space to slow down and dive deeper into the critical conversations we’re having every week at Good Shepherd. We fundamentally believe that you cannot encounter the risen Lord unchanged, and through the replays of our Sunday Sermons and conversations with our pastors and community leaders, we are prayerfully pursuing the author and the perfecter of our faith, together.We’d love to meet you! Email us, check out our website, and come worship with us!The best way to support the podcast is to support Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Naperville Illinois. Listen to the latest EP (and more original songs) from eleven eleven worship, Bring Him Praise.Check out a full playlist of music you'd hear in our Worship Center here.

Pastor Jake kicks off our new teaching series reflecting on how to develop resiliency, and why we as believers should lead the way in this current moment.SHOW NOTESThe Encounter Faith Podcast is dedicated to creating space to slow down and dive deeper into the critical conversations we’re having every week at Good Shepherd. We fundamentally believe that you cannot encounter the risen Lord unchanged, and through the replays of our Sunday Sermons and conversations with our pastors and community leaders, we are prayerfully pursuing the author and the perfecter of our faith, together.We’d love to meet you! Email us, check out our website, and come worship with us!The best way to support the podcast is to support Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Naperville Illinois. Today’s message was originally delivered on Sunday April 27 in our Worship Center and you can watch it here.

Pastor Tara Beth joins host Ross Cochran to look back at Easter 2025 and reflect on how those of who have been following Jesus for a while make the most out of this season. They also dive into what someone who is newer to the faith can expect, the responsibility of the church in this cultural moment, and... the robot. Thanks for listening! SHOW NOTESThe Encounter Faith Podcast is dedicated to creating space to slow down and dive deeper into the critical conversations we’re having every week at Good Shepherd. We fundamentally believe that you cannot encounter the risen Lord unchanged, and through the replays of our Sunday Sermons and conversations with our pastors and community leaders, we are prayerfully pursuing the author and the perfecter of our faith, together.We’d love to meet you! Email us, check out our website, and come worship with us!The best way to support the podcast is to support Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Naperville Illinois. Check out the sermon this conversation is based on from Easter 2025.

Pastor Tara Beth's Easter message is a reminder to all of us that "He knows your name." He knows us. He knows what we've done, what we haven't done, and He went to the cross anyway.SHOW NOTESThe Encounter Faith Podcast is dedicated to creating space to slow down and dive deeper into the critical conversations we’re having every week at Good Shepherd. We fundamentally believe that you cannot encounter the risen Lord unchanged, and through the replays of our Sunday Sermons and conversations with our pastors and community leaders, we are prayerfully pursuing the author and the perfecter of our faith, together.We’d love to meet you! Email us, check out our website, and come worship with us!The best way to support the podcast is to support Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Naperville Illinois. Today’s message was originally delivered on Sunday April 20th in our Worship Center and you can watch it here.

Max Schiewe leads our Middle School ministry and is currently in seminary. He returned to the podcast with host Ross Cochran to look back at the uniqueness of Lent this year, and to look ahead to Easter. Max also walks through the obstacles and opportunities facing those that are a part of Generation Z and Generation Alpha in the church today.SHOW NOTESThe Encounter Faith Podcast is dedicated to creating space to slow down and dive deeper into the critical conversations we’re having every week at Good Shepherd. We fundamentally believe that you cannot encounter the risen Lord unchanged, and through the replays of our Sunday Sermons and conversations with our pastors and community leaders, we are prayerfully pursuing the author and the perfecter of our faith, together.We’d love to meet you! Email us, check out our website, and come worship with us!The best way to support the podcast is to support Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Naperville Illinois. Check out the most recent sermon from Max.

Pastor Jake continues our Lenten Teaching Series by sharing how Jesus is not the King that we want, but He is the King that we need.SHOW NOTESThe Encounter Faith Podcast is dedicated to creating space to slow down and dive deeper into the critical conversations we’re having every week at Good Shepherd. We fundamentally believe that you cannot encounter the risen Lord unchanged, and through the replays of our Sunday Sermons and conversations with our pastors and community leaders, we are prayerfully pursuing the author and the perfecter of our faith, together.We’d love to meet you! Email us, check out our website, and come worship with us!The best way to support the podcast is to support Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Naperville Illinois. Today’s message was originally delivered on Sunday April 13th  in our Worship Center and you can watch it here.

Pastor Greg returns to the podcast to preview Holy Week and to dive into the significance of each day in this upcoming week.SHOW NOTESThe Encounter Faith Podcast is dedicated to creating space to slow down and dive deeper into the critical conversations we’re having every week at Good Shepherd. We fundamentally believe that you cannot encounter the risen Lord unchanged, and through the replays of our Sunday Sermons and conversations with our pastors and community leaders, we are prayerfully pursuing the author and the perfecter of our faith, together.We’d love to meet you! Email us, check out our website, and come worship with us!The best way to support the podcast is to support Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Naperville Illinois. See Pastor Greg's Latest Sermon

Pastor Tara Beth explores the dual nature of humanity, highlighting our tendency to blame others and the liberation offered through Christ's sacrifice. She reflects on the crucifixion as the ultimate act that puts an end to the cycle of scapegoating and blame that has plagued humanity. As Christians, we are called to embrace a life of advocacy and peace-making, instead of casting blame, and to embody the grace that Jesus exemplifies. Ultimately, Pastor Tara Beth encourages a transformative approach to living out our faith by standing up for others, fostering a more compassionate community, and spreading the message of Christ's love.SHOW NOTESThe Encounter Faith Podcast is dedicated to creating space to slow down and dive deeper into the critical conversations we’re having every week at Good Shepherd. We fundamentally believe that you cannot encounter the risen Lord unchanged, and through the replays of our Sunday Sermons and conversations with our pastors and community leaders, we are prayerfully pursuing the author and the perfecter of our faith, together.We’d love to meet you! Email us, check out our website, and come worship with us!The best way to support the podcast is to support Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Naperville Illinois. Today’s message was originally delivered on Sunday April 6th in our Worship Center and you can watch it here.

Elisabeth Lectka serves as our Student Minister and she joined host Ross Cochran at the very beginning of Lent this year. We're intentionally releasing this conversation now because Lent is, as Elisabeth describes here, a "season of preparation." Yet we live in a "microwave culture" that wants everything to happen immediately. How do we navigate that tension, particularly if most of Lent has already passed us by?Elisabeth offers practical insights on those questions and a lot more in this episode. Thanks for listening! SHOW NOTESThe Encounter Faith Podcast is dedicated to creating space to slow down and dive deeper into the critical conversations we’re having every week at Good Shepherd. We fundamentally believe that you cannot encounter the risen Lord unchanged, and through the replays of our Sunday Sermons and conversations with our pastors and community leaders, we are prayerfully pursuing the author and the perfecter of our faith, together.We’d love to meet you! Email us, check out our website, and come worship with us!The best way to support the podcast is to support Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Naperville Illinois. 

In her sermon, Elisabeth emphasizes the significance of recognizing true beauty, contrasting it with the superficial beauty standards set by pop culture. She discusses how the cross, though initially perceived as grotesque, reveals the beautiful humility of Christ and serves as a model for living a life of self-giving love. Elisabeth highlights that true beauty stems from humility and self-sacrifice, urging the congregation to embody these qualities in their relationships and interactions. Ultimately, she calls for a cruciform life, where followers of Christ emulate His humility and love, transforming the world through their actions.SHOW NOTESThe Encounter Faith Podcast is dedicated to creating space to slow down and dive deeper into the critical conversations we’re having every week at Good Shepherd. We fundamentally believe that you cannot encounter the risen Lord unchanged, and through the replays of our Sunday Sermons and conversations with our pastors and community leaders, we are prayerfully pursuing the author and the perfecter of our faith, together.We’d love to meet you! Email us, check out our website, and come worship with us!The best way to support the podcast is to support Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Naperville Illinois. Today’s message was originally delivered on Sunday March 31 in our Worship Center and you can watch it here.