The Revived Life Podcast | Jesus. No Halfway.

The Revived Life
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  • Personal Journals
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You believe. You pray. You show up on Sunday. And somehow nothing is actually changing. Steven Kolberg hosts The Revived Life Podcast, raw, honest conversations with everyday people who decided to stop halfway and start actually following Jesus. Real stories. Real failure. Real transformation. No programs. No performance. Just the truth about what it costs and what it changes.

  1. 3h ago

    Following Jesus Doesn't Make You Wise | Here's Why

    Is God proud of me? I want to believe He is. I still don't know, and you're going to leave this episode without an answer too, right alongside me.I believe you can be a really strong Christian and still live a really foolish life. This episode is me working that out in real time, through the story of the day my kids finally learned to swim. I open my journal and walk through the four month journey of teaching my oldest two kids to swim, and what it taught me about the tension between fearing God as Creator and trusting Him as Father. Because here's the real question underneath all of it: can you do a with God kind of life and still make foolish choices? Turns out the answer says more about wisdom than it does about how close you feel to Jesus.In this episode:The unanswered questions I'm wrestling with about God as Father and as CreatorWhat four months of swim lessons taught me about forced growthWhy following Jesus doesn't automatically make you wiseThe difference between fearing God and being afraid of HimWhat Proverbs 8 says about wisdom being present before creationA practical way to find where you're living in folly instead of wisdom00:00 The Questions I Don't Have Answers For03:44 The Swimming Pool Story09:09 Why I'm Telling You This12:35 Wisdom vs Folly16:16 Father and Creator, Not Either Or20:22 What Proverbs 8 Taught Me23:28 The Real Challenge25:43 God Is BothScripture: Proverbs 8:22 to 36. Translation isn't stated on air, so update this if you were reading from a specific one.If this resonated, subscribe for a new episode every Monday. This show is built on real questions, not tidy answers. Drop a comment and tell me where you land on this one.Reviving Fatherhood: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F47DSGPLLWebsite: https://revivedbrand.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.revived.lifeThe Revived Podcast is a weekly, honest look at what it actually costs to follow Jesus. No polish, no easy answers, just one man's journal entries and the questions he's still wrestling with, opened up in front of you.#BookOfProverbs #ChristianFatherhood #WisdomOverFolly #DiscipleshipJourney

  2. Sep 28

    I Was Only Worth What I Could Perform. Then It Broke Me

    He believed he was only worth what he could perform. Then a phone call took away the one thing he thought made him enough, and what happened on his apartment floor that night changed everything.Christian is the founder of The Den Community in Denver. In this episode he walks through the season that broke him open. A football injury that cost him his identity, a relationship that ended in one phone call, and a night alone on his bedroom floor where he says God met him directly. From there the story moves through Flatirons Church, a mission trip to Edinburgh, and the moment he says God called him into ministry, all the way to why he named his community The Den.In this episode:- Where Christian's belief that performance equals worth came from- The breakup that shattered his sense of identity- The night he describes as a direct encounter with God- A former church in Scotland that is now a nightclub, and what it meant to him- Why The Den is named after both a resting place and a place monsters live- His answer to the question: what do you say to someone who feels the monster on them right nowChapters:00:00 Cold Open00:33 The Performance Belief09:22 The Girlfriend and the Collapse15:49 The Phone Call24:35 The Floor32:20 Rebuilt43:02 Calling58:42 The Den1:10:55 What Fires Him Up1:17:43 The Paper Moment1:21:34 The Bathroom FloorScripture referenced:Romans 8:28Ephesians 6:12Matthew 25 (Parable of the Talents)2 Corinthians 12:7-9Acts 4:13Revelation 12:11Note: the detail about where Jesus was born, referenced in The Den chapter, reflects historical and theological interpretation shared by the guest, not a direct scripture citation.If this episode meant something to you, subscribe and leave a comment. This show only grows because people share it with someone who needs to hear it.Christian's ministry:thedencommunity.orgInstagram: @the.den.communityReviving Fatherhood (book): revivingfatherhood.comRevived Brand: revivedbrand.comInstagram: @the.revived.lifeThe Revived Life Podcast is a faith based show for ordinary people. Every week we sit down with someone and ask one question. What changed. Ordinary people. Real stories. A life changed by Jesus.#TheDenCommunity #ChristianPodcast #DenverChurch #Testimony

  3. Sep 21

    The Temptation Every Christian Man Ignores

    I came face to face with my greatest fear that night. Twice. And I almost walked right past one without knowing it was there. That's when something clicked about sin I'd never fully understood before.A family trip to Jelly Stone turned into one of the most clarifying nights of my spiritual life. Not because of what happened with the bears. Because of what the bears made me realize about temptation and why most of us are already in the corral and don't know it.In this episode:· Why sin never shows up looking threatening· The difference between temptation and actually sinning and why confusing the two is costing people· What being trapped between two bears taught me about how Satan operates· The one question every believer needs to ask themselves this week00:00 What Happened Next Changed Everything00:31 Introduction01:29 Welcome to Jelly Stone06:39 The Night Walk09:09 First Bear13:06 Trapped16:27 Bears and Sin18:23 The Real Question21:27 Always a Way Out23:25 Pick Your One AreaScripture:1 Corinthians 10:13 (ESV)James 1:14-15 (ESV)New episodes every Monday at 6 AM MT.Subscribe so you don't miss one.Reviving Fatherhood (book): revivingfatherhood.comWebsite: revivedbrand.comInstagram: instagram.com/the.revived.lifeThe Revived Life Podcast explores faith, growth, and what it actually looks like to follow Jesus in an ordinary week. No performance. No polish. Just honest conversation about real life and real faith.#ChristianPodcast #Faith #Temptation#Sin #DiscipleshipPodcast

  4. Sep 14

    One Whiteboard Cracked Open Her Whole Belief System

    A girl pulls up her shirt and shows him a camp tattoo. She says she's a Christian too. Then she tells him truth is personal.He gives her the Hitler example. She says that's their truth, she wouldn't want to interfere with it.It did cause a war.Mike Mattes spent 21 years discipling college students, first at Ohio State, then at Capital University, where he ran weekly whiteboard conversations in the middle of campus. This episode is the story of what those conversations taught him about how a generation is actually being discipled, the door that slammed shut on his own career, and the phone call to his wife that started Kingdom Dads.In This Episode:- The whiteboard conversation that exposed how students hold contradictory beliefs without noticing- Why a 21-year ministry career ended with one sentence from a mentor- The Jubilee Conference moment and the call to his wife that changed everything- How Kingdom Dads grew from 40 dads to over 400 across five states in three years- A practical framework for dads who feel too far gone to start0:00 Is Truth Personal or Universal?0:35 Twenty-One Years of Campus Ministry3:19 Smartphones Reshape a Generation5:04 The Student on the Bench9:24 Becoming Mom and Dad to Students11:47 Birth of the Whiteboard Ministry15:18 Deconstructing Faith With No Foundation19:19 Called Out of the Boat23:04 The Conference That Changed Everything27:14 Building Kingdom Dads From Scratch29:49 Three Years, 400 Dads, Five States32:03 One Marriage, Restored Step by Step35:48 Starting When You Feel Intimidated38:08 A Six-Year-Old's Honest Prayer39:32 Long Obedience, Same Direction42:00 Mike's Final Word to Every DadNew episodes every Monday. Subscribe so you don't miss the next conversation.MORE ABOUT KINGDOM DADSKingdom Dads is a discipleship ministry based in Columbus, Ohio, helping fathers grow spiritually and lead their families with intentionality. Founded in 2023 with 40 dads, the ministry now engages over 400 dads across five states through small-group cohorts partnered with local churches, schools, and workplaces.Website: kingdomdads.orgLearn about the "Scripture before screens" practice, find a cohort near you, or connect with Mike directly through the site.LINKSrevivingfatherhood.comrevivedbrand.com@the.revived.lifeThe Revived Life Podcast is a journal-format show about what it actually looks like to follow Jesus in the ordinary, unglamorous parts of life. Conviction, correction, calling, wisdom, and ordinary obedience, one honest conversation at a time.#KingdomDads #ChristianDads #FaithfulnessOverPerfection

  5. Sep 7

    Avoiding Strangers Might Be From Satan | Here's Why

    A stranger sat down next to me and I didn't hear her coming. My first instinct was to shut her out. What happened next made me wonder if I'd almost ignored an angel.This week I'm walking through something that happened at the pool with my wife and kids. A 70-year-old woman named Ellie sat down next to me, and my gut reaction was pure avoidance. But the conversation that followed changed how I think about human connection, selfishness, and the people God puts in front of us without warning.In This EpisodeWhy my first response to a stranger was to shut downWhat Scripture says about human connection, from Genesis to EcclesiastesThe question that changed how I saw the whole moment: "What if I was the only person she talked to that day?"A simple practice for starting conversations with strangersChapters(draft — recheck against final edited cut before publishing)00:00 A stranger sits down without warning01:00 My instinct to avoid her03:00 The conversation I didn't want to have06:00 What Scripture says about connection10:00 Was she an angel?13:00 Putting it into practice with a stranger upstairs19:00 The challenge: who is the Ellie in your life?Scripture ReferencesGenesis 2:18 (not good for man to be alone)Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 (two are better than one)SubscribeIf this hit you the way it hit me, subscribe and come back every Monday morning for a new episode.LinksBook: revivingfatherhood.comWebsite: revivedbrand.comInstagram: instagram.com/the.revived.lifeThe Revived Life Podcast is a weekly diary-style show about becoming more like Jesus, one honest story at a time. New episodes every Monday.#ChristianPodcast #FaithJourney #HumanConnection

  6. Aug 31

    The Worst Day of My Life Was Only the Beginning

    Alex made one phone call to save his brother's life. Two minutes later, he heard the gunshots. For the next five years, he carried the weight of that morning into every drink, every dark thought, and every six-foot window well he climbed into for work.This is one of the rawest conversations we have had on this show. Alex walks through losing his brother to a police shooting during a mental health crisis, the five-year spiral that followed, and the unexpected moment in his parents' basement that started a trickle effect all the way back to God.In this episode:- Alex's brother's bipolar diagnosis and the heart for people he carried his whole life- The morning Alex called 911 and his brother was shot and killed by police- Carrying the guilt of being the one who made the call- Five years of numbing with alcohol, drugs, and suicidal thoughts- The twelve-week gym challenge that cracked everything open- How one video about gratitude changed the way Alex saw his parents- Getting baptized and rebuilding a relationship with God he had stiff-armed for years- The moment in the hospital room when his first son was born and grief hit like a truck- Reading the kids' Bible with his sons and learning alongside themChapters:00:00 - Cold open01:03 - Meet Alex's brother07:10 - The day his brother was shot12:25 - Spiraling into addiction20:37 - Rock bottom and the turning point25:27 - Returning to faith39:36 - Becoming a father1:00:09 - Closing reflectionsScripture references:Luke 15:11-32 (The Prodigal Son)If this episode hit you, subscribe and share it with one person who needs to hear it today.Grab a copy of Reviving Fatherhood: revivingfatherhood.comLearn more about the show: revivedbrand.comFollow along on Instagram and YouTube: @the.revived.lifeThe Revived Life Podcast is a diary-format show about real faith, personal growth, and transformation. New episodes every Monday at 6:00 AM Mountain Time.#SiblingLoss #MentalHealthAndFaith #ProdigalSon #SobrietyStory #RevivedLife

  7. Aug 24

    One Word From My Daughter Changed My Entire Day

    I was running on autopilot. Mentally fatigued, spiritually dry, and I didn't even notice until my one-year-old climbed into my lap and said one word.Butterfly.This episode is about what happened when I stopped long enough to actually look. Not a theology lecture, just a real day that wore me down and a moment that reframed it. I walk through what it looks like to pause, take honest inventory of your circumstances, and bring that straight to God, even when you don't have a resolution yet.In This EpisodeWhy I felt spiritually dry even after a full day of "doing the right things"The moment my daughter's voice interrupted my autopilotThe new phrase I'm proposing instead of "stop and smell the roses"What it actually means to trust God with what's beyond your controlA challenge to find your own "butterfly" this weekChapters00:00 – Cold Open: Stop and Look for the Butterflies00:14 – The Day That Wore Me Down03:15 – Spiritually Dry, Physically Spent04:15 – The Moment on the Porch07:00 – A New Phrase: Stop and Look for the Butterflies10:00 – Can You Trust What's Beyond Your Control?13:00 – Why We Always Need Reminders16:00 – This Week's ChallengeScripture ReferencePhilippians 4:6, NLTSubscribeNew episodes every Monday. Subscribe so you don't miss the next one, and if this hit home, share it with someone who needs the reminder this week.LinksBook: revivingfatherhood.comWebsite: revivedbrand.comInstagram: instagram.com/the.revived.lifeAbout The Revived PodcastThe Revived Podcast is about real stories of faith, growth, and transformation. No polished theology, no performance, just honest conversations about becoming more like Jesus one ordinary day at a time.Hashtags#ChristianPodcast #StopAndLookForTheButterflies #GodsPeace #DailyDevotion

  8. Aug 17

    I Gave God An Ultimatum In A Shower | Here's What Happened

    "I don't see it. Show me." That's the exact challenge Joseph Hoffman gave God in a shower. Two weeks later, a stranger noticed his band bracelet and everything changed.Joseph grew up a pastor's kid in Hooker, Oklahoma, a town of 1,800 people with 20 different churches. He carried his mother's chronic illness, a depression he couldn't talk about at 16, a cancer diagnosis that cost him his scholarship, and a painkiller addiction that followed. When his dad was forced to resign from their church, Joseph reached his breaking point and gave God a deadline. What answered him wasn't a sermon. It was a coffee invitation from a college pastor named Nathan who just wanted to hear his story.Today, Joseph serves as University Chaplain and Spiritual Care Provider with Globalscope Missions at Thuis, a home away from home for university students in Maastricht, Netherlands, building a community where students of every background, faith or none, can wrestle honestly with who God is.In This Episode:- Growing up a pastor's kid in a town of 20 churches- Depression at 16 and a family no one knew how to talk to- A cancer diagnosis, a lost scholarship, and a painkiller addiction- His dad's forced resignation and the shower ultimatum that followed- Meeting Nathan, and why coffee mattered more than church- Getting baptized again as an adult- Building Thuis Talks in Maastricht, NetherlandsChapters:00:00 Cold open: "I don't see it. Show me."00:30 Where he is now, looking back01:30 Hooker, Oklahoma and growing up a pastor's kid06:00 Depression at 1609:00 His mom's illness and a theological crisis13:00 How he got to the shower moment15:00 Cancer diagnosis and a lost scholarship17:30 Painkiller addiction19:00 Failing out and losing his scholarship20:00 His dad forced to resign21:00 The shower ultimatum22:00 "Prove it"23:00 The band bracelet and meeting Nathan25:30 Coffee, not condemnation29:30 Getting baptized again37:00 Africa, Bangladesh, and the path to ministry38:30 The door to Maastricht opens41:00 First year surprises and the Catholic nuns44:00 Building Thuis Talks58:00 Where was God in the parts you couldn't see?Scripture Mentioned (story and historical context, not direct teaching):Mark 4:35-41 (Jesus calms the storm)Mark 5:1-20 (Jesus and the man with the legion of demons)If this episode meant something to you, subscribe and share it with someone who needs to hear it.Guest:Joseph Hoffman, University Chaplain & Spiritual Care Provider, Globalscope Missions — Thuis, Maastricht, NetherlandsLinks:Book: revivingfatherhood.comWebsite: revivedbrand.comInstagram: @the.revived.lifeThe Revived Life Podcast is a diary, not a sermon. Real stories from real people learning to follow Jesus, one honest conversation at a time.#FaithJourney #ChristianPodcast #Testimony #DeconstructionToFaith #RevivedLife

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You believe. You pray. You show up on Sunday. And somehow nothing is actually changing. Steven Kolberg hosts The Revived Life Podcast, raw, honest conversations with everyday people who decided to stop halfway and start actually following Jesus. Real stories. Real failure. Real transformation. No programs. No performance. Just the truth about what it costs and what it changes.

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