Real Talk with Pastor Mike
Your go to spot for faith, real life insights, and conversations
Worship Shapes Our Hearts
Why Your Presence Matters
In a busy, always-on world, it’s easy to treat worship as optional or as something to get through before the “important part” of church begins. We rush in late, check our phones, or wait for the sermon to start.
But what if worship isn’t background music at all?
What if it’s the place where God shapes our hearts and meets us in ways teaching alone cannot?
From Pit To Promise Your Setback Is A Setup
From Setbacks to Success: Learning from Joseph’s Journey of Faith
Life doesn’t always go according to plan. One moment things feel secure, and the next everything changes. Joseph’s story reminds us that unexpected setbacks don’t cancel God’s plan. Often, they become the very path God uses to fulfill it.
Joseph’s journey from favored son to slave to leader in Egypt shows how God can turn what looks like loss into purpose and what feels like delay into preparation.
Carry The Name
What Does It Really Mean to Not Take God’s Name in Vain?
Most of us grew up thinking the third commandment was mainly about avoiding curse words that include God’s name. While words do matter, that understanding only scratches the surface.
God was protecting something much deeper. ❤️
When He tells us not to take His name in vain, He’s talking about how we carry His name, not just how we pronounce it.
Built For The Grind
Why What You Do Every Day Actually Matters to God
For many people, work feels like a necessary evil—something you tolerate to pay the bills, survive the week, or get to the weekend. 😩 But what if that mindset is off? What if work was never meant to be punishment—but purpose?
From students and parents to professionals and retirees, Scripture presents a radically different view of work than culture does. Work isn’t a curse. It’s part of God’s design. 🙌
Who’s First
Understanding the Foundation of Freedom
Freedom without direction doesn’t lead to peace—it leads to chaos. That truth explains why God gave the Ten Commandments in the first place. They weren’t meant to restrict people who were finally free; they were meant to guide people who had lived without freedom for generations.
After more than 400 years of slavery, the Israelites didn’t just need rescue—they needed re-formation. 🛠️ Freedom was new territory, and God knew that freedom without structure would quickly collapse into confusion.
Built For This Season
Don’t Despise the Story God Is Writing
As we close out another year, it’s natural to look back and take inventory—what worked, what didn’t, and what we hoped would look different by now. But what happens when your journey doesn’t match your expectations? What if the story God is writing feels smaller, slower, or quieter than what you thought success was supposed to look like?
This is where faith gets real—and where perspective matters. 👀
The Fix
Christmas Restores What Sin Broke
Christmas is more than twinkling lights ✨, wrapped gifts 🎁, and packed calendars. At its heart, Christmas tells a deeper story—the story of a God who refused to leave humanity disconnected. Jesus didn’t come only to forgive sin; He came to restore what sin broke and protect what God is healing in our lives.
This season reminds us that when humanity couldn’t reach God, God came to us. 🤍
Safe Mode
Why Sin and Holiness Cannot Coexist
🌱⚔️✨
In a culture where morality feels like a buffet—pick what you like, skip what you don’t—it’s more important than ever to understand one truth: sin and holiness cannot peacefully coexist. Not because God is harsh, but because your heart cannot move in two directions at the same time.
Let’s break down what this really means in a world full of influencers, streaming platforms, and 24/7 digital noise. 📱💬🌍
Soul Reboot
Finding Alignment in a Disconnected World
In a world moving at the speed of Wi-Fi, many of us—Gen Z to Boomers—feel spiritually out of sync. 😵💫📱 Like a phone stuck in low power mode or a picture frame that refuses to hang straight, our souls drift out of alignment with God’s design. Understanding what sin really is and how God restores us can completely transform how we walk with Him. 🙏💡
Back Online
Understanding God’s Restorative Judgment
In a world buzzing with noise, pressure, and endless distractions, many believers—across every generation—are feeling something they can't always explain: spiritually disconnected 😞. You may sit in church, know Scripture, sing the songs… yet feel like your heart is offline.
Often, that disconnection comes from misunderstanding one of the hardest concepts in Scripture: God’s judgment.
But here’s the truth 👇
God’s judgment isn’t punishment. It’s restoration.
Not wrath. But realignment.
Not rejection. But healing. ❤️🩹
Dead Signal
What Does Sin Actually Do to Us?
In a world buzzing with distractions—notifications popping, schedules packed, and spiritual noise everywhere—it’s easy to feel spiritually unplugged even when we’re still doing “all the right things.” 🙏📱
You can attend church, post inspirational verses, serve on the worship team, and still feel like you’re drifting spiritually. So… what does sin actually do to us?
Let’s break it down.
Grace Don’t Lie
Breaking Free from Spiritual Disconnection
In a world where everyone talks about “struggles,” “mistakes,” and “my truth,” we rarely call anything what God calls it: sin.
But this message isn’t about shame—it’s about clarity and connection.
If we want to walk in holiness, we have to understand what keeps disconnecting us from God.
Overflow Mode Activated
Honoring God with Your Resources Unlocks Blessing
Have you ever had someone show up for you when they really didn’t have to? 🙌
Maybe they gave their time when yours was running out, offered prayers when you had none left, helped you move, filled your tank when you were running on fumes ⛽, or called you right when you were one moment away from breaking.
That’s not just kindness — that’s honor in action.
And while honoring the people who’ve poured into us matters, all true honor begins with God. Honoring Him isn’t just a feeling — it shows up in our actions, especially in how we handle our resources. 💵⏳💗
Trusted With More
Managing What God Has Entrusted to You
When we talk about giving in the Christian life, most people think about money or big, visible acts of generosity 💸. But there's a deeper principle that cuts across every age and season: stewardship.
Whether you’re a Gen Z student figuring out life 🎓, a Millennial raising a family 👶🏽, a Gen Xer juggling work and aging parents 🧑🏽💼, or a Boomer looking to leave a legacy 👴🏾👵🏼 — this applies to you.
Stewardship is about recognizing that everything we have belongs to God — and we’re simply managing it on His behalf 🙌.
Guarding The Connection
Grace with Authority in Spiritual Leadership
In a world overflowing with opinions, platforms, and noise 📱🎤, staying connected to God requires more than good vibes and good intentions. It takes balance — the kind of spiritual maturity that holds grace and truth together without dropping either.
But to live that balance, we first need to understand why spiritual authority exists and how it’s meant to protect, not control.
Steward Mode On
Who Really Owns It All?
Psalm 24:1 lays it out plain:
“The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world and all its people belong to Him.”
That means your stuff — your paycheck, your business, your creativity, your family — belongs to Him. We’re not owners; we’re managers. God’s the CEO, and we’re His trusted team, running what He’s entrusted to us.
Think of it like being a store manager at Chick-fil-A 🐔 or Target 🎯. You don’t own the place, but you’re responsible for how it runs. If you handle what’s in your care well, the owner knows they can trust you with more.
Sheperds Over Celebrities
What Is a Pastor?
In a world full of influencers, life coaches, and constant noise 📱🎧, it’s easy to get confused about what real leadership looks like. What is a pastor, really? Is it just a job title? A Sunday speaker? Or something deeper?
Spoiler: it’s way deeper. A pastor isn’t just a position—it’s a calling. One that reflects God’s heart for His people across every generation. ❤️
Called Not Cancelled
What does real spiritual leadership look like today? 🤔
God is calling this generation — from Boomers to Gen Z — back to something deeper. He’s not trying to control us but prepare us. Every correction, every challenge, every hidden season is about getting ready for His presence to move in power. ⚡
Prep Before The Flex
Preparation isn’t just about sitting around waiting for God to drop something in your lap.
Think of it like this: biblical preparation is God equipping you privately before He reveals you publicly. It’s when He strengthens your faith before the storm, shapes your character before the promotion, and plants His Word in you before the spotlight ever hits.