ReCreate Church’s Podcast

Don't Give Away God's Chair

Speaker: Michael Shockley, ReCreate Church
Scripture: Proverbs 29:25

Episode Summary

Pastor Michael opens with a skit featuring the voice inside his head - that nagging inner critic that tells him he's too preachy, too boring, not enough. Through Proverbs 29:25, we discover that the fear of man is a trap we set for ourselves when we give human opinion an authority it was never meant to have. The answer isn't self-confidence or not caring about others - it's God-confidence rooted in trust.

Key Points
- The fear of man happens when another person's response becomes too important to us - their approval, rejection, anger, or praise carries too much weight
- Fear of man turns us into performers, constantly adjusting to what people think or might think
- The opposite of the fear of man is not self-confidence or not needing anybody - it's trusting God
- The fear of God - recognizing He is Holy, Sovereign, and worthy of obedience - sets us free from the fear of man
- In Christ we are already loved and secure, so we can love people without being ruled by them

Main Takeaway
Don't put Man in God's Chair. People matter, their opinions have weight, and we should love and honor them. But they don't get the seat that belongs to God alone. The fear of man brings a snare; whoever trusts in the LORD shall be safe.

Memorable Quotes
- "Don't put Man in God's Chair."
- "The fear of man is what happens when another person's response becomes too important to us."
- "Nobody wakes up and says, 'Today I think I'll let everybody else control my life.'"
- "If no human being is ever disappointed in you, there's a good chance somebody besides God is running your life."
- "The fear of man makes us use people for security. The fear of God sets us free to love them."
- "When that voice starts dragging the chair back, remind them that the seat is already taken."

Reflection Question
Whose opinion carries too much influence in your life right now - whose disappointment controls you, or whose approval are you constantly chasing? What would it look like to love them without giving them God's chair?

Tune in to hear the hilarious "Man in the Chair" skit, find out what a free air fryer with every baptism has to do with the fear of man, and discover why even a Pastor needs to hear this message.

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Connected

Speaker: Michael Shockley, ReCreate Church
Scripture: Genesis 2:18; James 5:13-16; Acts 2:41-46

Episode Summary
Pastor Michael opens with "An Angel Learns to Trust" - the story of a traumatized shelter dog who wouldn't face the world until another dog came alongside her. Through three passages of Scripture, we discover that isolation is pain's most powerful lie. God created us for connection - with Him and with each other - and healing begins the moment we stop facing the wall and let someone in.

Key Points
- From the very beginning, God declared that being alone is "not good" - humans are wired for connection
- Sin damaged both our connection with God and with each other; Jesus came to restore both
- James 5 describes a community where suffering people pray, sick people are surrounded, and struggling people are restored - not shamed
- Sometimes you're Angel - the one who needs healing. Sometimes you're Buster - the one God uses to reach someone else
- The early Church in Acts 2 shared their faith, their lives, and their burdens so deeply that when somebody hurt, somebody knew

Main Takeaway
Pain teaches us to isolate; healing begins when we connect. The walls we build to keep people from hurting us also keep people from helping us. You were made to know God, to love and be loved, and to belong to a community. You were never meant to carry all of this alone.

Memorable Quotes
- "Pain teaches us to isolate; healing begins when we connect."
- "Funny thing about getting stabbed in the back - it can only be done by somebody you thought had your back."
- "Funny thing about armor. Only room for one person in there. Keeps you safe, sort of. And alone."
- "We build our walls to keep people from hurting us, not realizing they also keep people from helping us."
- "You have permission to struggle, but not to struggle alone."
- "The worst scars aren't the ones you can see."

Reflection Question
Is there an area of pain where you've been facing the wall - keeping people at a distance? What would it look like to let someone in this week?

Tune in to hear the full story of Angel, Buster, Mara, and a peppermint mocha that changed everything - and discover why God declared loneliness "not good" before sin even entered the world.

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The Idols We Can't See

Speaker: Michael Shockley, ReCreate Church
Scripture: 1 John 5:21
1 John Series, Part 26

Episode Summary
In the final installment of the 1 John series, Pastor Michael opens with a skit about two people who can see each other's ridiculous hats but can't see their own - because idolatry always feels like somebody else's problem. Through the very last verse of 1 John, we discover that modern idols don't come in wood or stone. They come in the form of money, success, control, affirmation, distraction, and politics - all promising to give what only Jesus can.

Key Points
- An idol is a good thing treated like a God thing - anything we depend on to give us what only Jesus can provide
- We rarely reject God openly; we reshape Him into something we can manage - just like Israel with the golden calf
- Every idol targets a real need: security, worth, belonging, confidence, peace, hope, or rest
- The question isn't how much time we spend on something, but what we're expecting it to give us
- Idols creep in slowly - like a friend who needed a place to crash and changed the locks

Main Takeaway
Idols promise to give what only Jesus can. Your phone, your money, your plans, and even your family can be good things - but they are terrible gods. John spent five chapters showing us what is real, and closes with one last warning: don't fall for anything fake. Little children, keep yourselves from idols.

Memorable Quotes
- "Idols promise to give what only Jesus can."
- "An idol is a good thing that gets treated like a God thing."
- "The human heart is an idol factory." (John Calvin)
- "We are wired for worship. If we refuse to worship God, we will replace Him with something else."
- "Idols don't kick the door down like a burglar. They creep in under the door like a stink bug."
- "You can't satisfy your thirst with salt water, and you can't satisfy your soul with anything but Jesus."

Reflection Question
What do you instinctively run to when life feels out of control, or when you're bored, scared, lonely, or exhausted? What are you expecting that thing to give you that only Jesus can?

Tune in to hear the hilarious "Bro, What's With the Hat?" skit, the mystery of who ate the last Dino Nuggie, and why the golden calf disaster was not as different from our lives as we'd like to think.

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Certainty for an Uncertain World

Speaker: Michael Shockley, ReCreate Church
Scripture: 1 John 5:20
1 John Series, Part 25

Episode Summary
In part 25 of the 1 John series, Pastor Michael gets personal about his struggle with uncertainty - the weather app, the "we need to talk" texts, the waiting room that has become a permanent residence. Through the final verses of 1 John, we discover that the answer to uncertainty isn't more information. It's knowing Who has the wheel. We can't be sure about tomorrow, but we can be sure about Jesus.

Key Points
- The Son of God has come - our faith is not in humanity reaching up to God, but in God stepping down to us
- Jesus gives us understanding to recognize what is from God, even when we don't know the full road ahead
- We are not just supposed to know about God - we are in Christ, joined to Him in relationship and identity
- Eternal life isn't just the prize at the end - it begins the moment you believe and is wrapped up in Jesus Himself
- No amount of struggle, anxiety, or uncertainty can cancel the truth that we belong to Jesus

Main Takeaway
We can't be sure about tomorrow, but we can be sure about Jesus. God doesn't answer our uncertainty by telling us everything that's coming - He tells us Who Has Come. Faith isn't knowing every turn ahead; it's knowing Who has the wheel.

Memorable Quotes
- "We can't be sure about tomorrow, but we can be sure about Jesus."
- "The answer to uncertainty is not information; it's in Who you know."
- "God doesn't answer our uncertainty by telling us everything that's coming. He tells us Who Has Come."
- "Faith isn't knowing every turn ahead; Faith is knowing Who has the wheel."
- "When you take The Hand of Jesus, He won't let go."
- "Jesus didn't just show up to help us manage our spiritual battery. He Is The Source of Life."
- "We will never walk any step of this journey alone."

Reflection Question
What area of uncertainty are you trying to control right now - and what would it look like to release that demand to know everything before you move?

Tune in to hear Pastor Michael's hilarious confessions about weather apps, GPS exits he has definitely not missed, and why a possum with reflective fur is actually deeply theological.

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Living in a World of Lies

Speaker: Michael Shockley, ReCreate Church
Scripture: 1 John 5:18-19
1 John Series, Part 24

Episode Summary
In part 24 of the 1 John series, Pastor Michael opens with a chicken coop fable about three baby chicks frightened by lies - and an old hen named Hazel who reminds them who they really belong to. Through 1 John's final verses, we discover three things we can know with certainty in a world flooded with deception: we are born to a new life, we belong to God, and the wicked one cannot own us.

Key Points
- Being born of God doesn't mean sinless perfection, but it means sin no longer owns us - we struggle with it rather than settle into it
- "He who is born of God keeps himself" - we guard our lives and choices, not because we save ourselves, but because we are no longer casual about sin
- Satan may attack our circumstances, but he cannot reverse the Cross, undo the Resurrection, or cancel our adoption
- The "world" in this passage means human society organized against God - running the same lie as Eden: decide good and evil yourself
- The devil's lies sound believable in the moment; the damage only becomes obvious later

Main Takeaway
No lie can change the truth that we belong to God. The devil knows which lies work on us - you're too broken, too guilty, too far gone, or you don't need God at all. But Jesus knew the full truth about us when He went to the Cross. You don't have to believe every voice when you know who you belong to.

Memorable Quotes
- "No lie can change the truth that we belong to God."
- "You don't have to believe every voice when you know who you belong to."
- "Struggle is a sign of life. A dead fish doesn't fight against the hook."
- "The devil may touch the circumstances of your life, but he cannot touch the deepest truth about your life: you belong to God."
- "You will not be untouched, but you will be unconquered."
- "The forbidden fruit changes, but the lie remains the same."
- "Changing the label on a jar doesn't change what's inside."

Reflection Question
What lie has the devil been whispering to you about your identity, your worth, or your standing before God - and what does it mean to replace that lie with the truth that you belong to Him?

Tune in to hear the full fable of Buttons, Olive, Pickle, Big Red, and the wise old hen Hazel - and discover why the Colonel's bucket has nothing on the Farmer who cares for His own.

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Seizing the Moment

Speaker: Duncan Crook, Elder at ReCreate Church
Scripture: Joshua 1:1-9

Episode Summary
Elder Duncan Crook explores one of life's most challenging realities: transitions we didn't choose. Through Joshua's sudden call to lead Israel into the Promised Land after Moses' death, we discover three essential dispositions for navigating change - whether it's a major life shift, a career change, an empty nest, or a church stepping into an uncertain future. God's purpose in transition is clear: you cannot seize tomorrow while still clinging to yesterday.

Key Points
- Versatility means facing reality honestly and letting go of what God is not calling us into the next season
- Trust is anchored in the unchanging faithfulness of God, not in leaders, traditions, or structures that may change
- Courage is not the absence of fear - it means going forward even when you're afraid, because God says "I will never leave you"
- The Word of God is the only eternal stabilizer when everything else shifts around us
- Every transition, even good ones, begins with loss - but God never ends a season without opening something new and glorious

Main Takeaway
You cannot seize tomorrow while you're still clinging to yesterday. Whatever your "Moses" or your "manna" - the thing you fear losing - God's Word and His presence are the only constants that never change. Identify the season that has ended, remember it with gratitude, anchor yourself in His Word, and arise and go forward.

Memorable Quotes
- "You cannot seize tomorrow while you're still clinging to yesterday."
- "He never ends a season for His people that doesn't continue with something brand new and something glorious."
- "Courage is the men who are scared to death, but they go anyway."
- "His word is the eternal stabilizer when we're going through uncertainty."
- "The grass withers, the flower fades - the word of our God stands forever."
- "What are you chasing that God doesn't have for you?"

Reflection Question
Who or what is your "Moses" - the person, tradition, or structure you fear losing? And what is your "manna" - the provision you're afraid won't be there tomorrow? Are you trusting those things more than you're trusting God?

Tune in to hear Duncan's honest challenge to ReCreate Church about embracing change, the story of manna stopping the moment Israel entered the Promised Land, and why chasing the season that's behind you never ends well.

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When You Fall in The Gully

Speaker: Michael Shockley, ReCreate Church
Scripture: 1 John 5:16-17
1 John Series, Part 23

Episode Summary
In part 23 of the 1 John series, Pastor Michael tells the story of two brothers who fall into a deep gully - one who keeps struggling to get out, and one who decorates it and settles in. Through 1 John's teaching on praying for believers caught in sin, we discover that everyone falls sometimes, but what you do next makes all the difference. It's better to struggle with sin than to settle in sin.

Key Points
- John calls believers to pray for fellow believers who are caught in sin - the first response should be intercession, not indignation
- Sin not leading to death is sin that is met with repentance and a return to God
- Sin leading to death is unrepentant sin that a person settles into and refuses to leave
- Struggle is a sign of life - a dead mouse doesn't try to get out of the trap
- Don't stop throwing the rope, even if the person won't take it

Main Takeaway
The question isn't whether you've sinned - we all have. The question is what you're doing with your sin. Are you hiding it or confessing it? Feeding it or fighting it? Settling in or struggling to get back to Jesus? Don't decorate the gully. Take the rope, climb out, and then throw it back in for someone else.

Memorable Quotes
- "It's better to struggle with sin than to settle in sin."
- "Everyone sins sometimes. It's what you do next that matters."
- "When a brother is tripped up, the first action should be intercession, not indignation."
- "If your plan includes scheduling the apology before committing the sin, you're not repenting, you're forging a permission slip."
- "Repentance is the difference between death and life."
- "Don't stop throwing the rope, even if the person won't take it."

Reflection Question
Are you struggling to get out of the gully, or have you started decorating it? And is there someone in your life who needs you to throw them a rope right now?

Tune in to hear the full story of Eddie, Ray, Cecil, and the legendary "Bless This Mess" license plate sign - and why struggle is actually a sign of spiritual life.

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The Beggar, The Boss, and The Bold

Speaker: Pastor Michael Shockley, ReCreate Church
Scripture: 1 John 5:14-15
1 John Series, Part 22

Episode Summary
Returning to the 1 John series, Pastor Michael uses an original skit about three siblings trying to ask their Dad for a puppy to illustrate three very different approaches to prayer. Are you a Beggar - too timid to bother God? A Boss - trying to manipulate or demand your way? Or Bold - a child who trusts a loving Father to hear and answer wisely? John gives us a better way to pray.

Key Points
- Our confidence in prayer is not based on who we are, but on Who God Is
- Believers are not beggars at the door - we are children of the household, with a claim rooted in The Blood of Christ
- Praying "according to His will" means trusting God more than we trust ourselves
- The problem is wanting the promises of prayer without the surrender of prayer
- God hears, God cares, and God will act - we can pray with boldness AND trust

Main Takeaway
Pray like a bold child asking a loving Father. Not with the timidity of a beggar who fears being turned away, and not with the arrogance of a boss who demands his own way. Come honestly, come confidently, and trust that a Father Who loves you will do what is best - even when the answer is not what you expected.

Memorable Quotes
- "Your confidence for prayer is not based on who you are. It is based on Who God Is."
- "A kid doesn't have to make an appointment to ask Dad a question."
- "Prayer is not me taking the throne; it's me coming boldly to the throne."
- "It's a problem when we want the promises of prayer without the surrender of prayer."
- "The beggar is afraid God will not listen. The boss is angry if God does not obey. But the bold child has learned something better."
- "If my Father hears me, I am not forgotten. If my Father loves me, I am not unsafe. If my Father is wise, His Answer is better than anything I can ask for."

Reflection Question
When you pray, which are you most like - Bex the Beggar, Boz the Boss, or Bo the Bold? What would it look like to bring your requests to God with confidence and trust this week?

Tune in to hear the hilarious skit featuring three siblings hoping for a dog, and the legendary fate of Mister Nibbles the hamster - and discover what it really means to pray like a bold child asking a loving Father.

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Unsinkable

Speaker: Michael Shockley, ReCreate Church
Scripture: Matthew 14:22-33

Episode Summary
Fresh off Vacation Bible School week, Pastor Michael uses the scientific principle of buoyancy to explore what happens when life pulls us under. Through the story of Peter walking on water - and beginning to sink - we discover that Jesus doesn't wait for us to have it together before reaching out His hand. When we're sinking, all we need are three words: "Lord, save me!"

Key Points
- The Disciples were in a storm because they obeyed Jesus - the presence of a storm doesn't mean the absence of God
- Peter is the only person besides Jesus to ever walk on water, but fear shifted his focus from Christ to chaos
- Fear doesn't drown us all at once - it steals our focus one wave and one "what if" at a time
- Jesus reached out immediately when Peter cried out - not after Peter proved himself worthy
- Jesus never asked us to save ourselves. He asked us to trust Him.

Main Takeaway
Jesus saves sinking people. Not the ones who have it all figured out. Not the ones whose faith never wavers. People whose faith is struggling, who are exhausted, who don't know what to do next. When you're sinking, don't wait for the right words or the right moment - cry out: "Lord, save me!"

Memorable Quotes
- "Jesus saves sinking people."
- "The presence of a storm doesn't mean the absence of God. Just because the wind is against you doesn't mean God Is against you."
- "If Jesus calls you, He'll carry you. If He commands you, He'll keep you."
- "Fear doesn't have to drown you all at once. It just has to steal your focus. One wave at a time. One 'what if' at a time."
- "We spend so much of our lives trying harder, working harder, holding on tighter. But eventually it all runs out. And we learn the truth - Jesus never asked us to save ourselves."
- "When my heart changed, my situation changed."

Reflection Question
Are you trying to save yourself before crying out to Jesus? What would it look like to stop waiting and simply say, "Lord, save me"?

Tune in to hear Pastor Michael's vulnerable account of a year of chest pains, muscle spasms, and a left eyelid impersonating a grasshopper - and how crying out to Jesus changed everything.

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Seek God, Stay Close, Tear Down the Idols

Speaker: Michael Shockley, ReCreate Church
Scripture: 2 Chronicles 15:1-8

Episode Summary
In this Father's Day 2026 message, Pastor Michael uses an original skit about King Asa, the Prophet Azariah, and the legendary Shelemiah the Shawarma Guy to bring a timeless message from 2 Chronicles to life. God didn't send a prophet to Asa when things were falling apart - He sent one right after a great victory. Because staying close to God when things are going well may be the hardest thing we're called to do.

Key Points
- God seeks us out not just when we're in trouble, but after victory - when we're most likely to drift
- Seeking God means coming to Him as we are, without straightening up first - He helps us work through the mess
- Staying close means not waiting for trouble to remind us we need God
- Idols are anything we can't be okay without - the things we run to for identity, comfort, or worth instead of God

Main Takeaway
Seek God, Stay Close, Tear Down the Idols. God promises He can be found by those who seek Him. But victory, comfort, and success can quietly pull us back into old patterns and habits. It takes courage to recognize what has too much of our heart - and the guts to tear it down.

Memorable Quotes
- "The Lord is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you."
- "He made Himself findable."
- "Nobody drifts away all at once."
- "An idol is the thing we can't be okay without."
- "When your soul feels like a shaken-up soda bottle - what do you reach for? If it's not your God, it might be your idol."
- "Nothing that pulls you away from The Heavenly Father is making you a promise you can trust."

Reflection Question
Are there idols - money, success, control, comfort, approval - that have quietly taken too much of your heart? What would it look like to have the courage to tear them down?

Tune in to hear the hilarious skit featuring King Asa, Azariah the Prophet, and Shelemiah's Shawarma Shack, and discover why God sends His message right after our victories, not just our failures.

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