Some Assembly Required

Assembly
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Religion & Spirituality
  • Daily

A church that feels you should belong before you believe. Welcome to all

  1. 4d ago

    022 - Is Fear Your Master? | Money, Control, and Trusting God

    Is Fear Your Master? | Money, Control, and Trusting God What if the decisions you make every day are driven by fear without you even realizing it? In this of Some Assembly Required, Bryan, Braxton, and Carmel explore Acts chapters 3–5 and uncover a powerful connection between money, control, identity, and our willingness to trust God. From Peter healing a man outside the temple to the shocking story of Ananias and Sapphira, these chapters challenge how we think about generosity, success, and what it actually means to surrender control. The conversation also gets personal as Braxton shares how failing in 12 businesses changed his relationship with fear, Carmel challenges traditional ideas about giving everything away, and Bryan explores how our desire for control often reveals something much deeper. In this episode, we explore: Why fear influences more of our decisions than we realize.What the early church teaches us about money and generosity.The difference between giving freely and giving for recognition.Why failure can actually create freedom.How our need for control shapes our identity.What it means to trust God with an uncertain future.Why hope matters in a world increasingly consumed by fear, including fears surrounding AI.The question we're leaving you with: Are you living your life according to what you believe, or according to what you're afraid of? Join Bryan, Braxton, and Carmel for a conversation about confronting fear, letting go of control, and discovering the freedom that comes from trusting God.

  2. Oct 19

    021 - The Book of Acts | Is god in the moments in between?

    What if the moments you're trying to rush through are the moments God is using to change you? In Episode 21 of Some Assembly Required, Bryan and Braxton explore the first two chapters of Acts and what the birth of the early church teaches us about patience, faith, unity, and finding God in everyday life. From Braxton's decision to leave a comfortable paycheck and pursue his business full-time to the surprising connections between the Tower of Babel, artificial intelligence, and our increasingly disconnected world, this conversation challenges how we think about spiritual growth. Is technology bringing us closer together or pulling us further apart? Why does God ask us to wait? And what would happen if we stopped filling every quiet moment with noise? Join Bryan and Braxton for a conversation about trusting God through uncertainty, rediscovering authentic community, and learning to recognize the sacred in ordinary life. Scripture: Acts 1–2, Genesis 11, James 1

  3. Oct 12

    020 - The Table w/ Special Guest Kylah

    Submit your questions here What if following Jesus looked less like having all the right answers and more like pulling up a chair? In this episode of Some Assembly Required, Braxton and Bryan sit down with special guest Kylah for a conversation about what they call “the table.” They explore why Jesus spent so much of His time eating, drinking, asking questions, and building relationships with people instead of simply giving them answers. Kylah shares how experiencing this kind of community at Assembly completely changed the way she thought about faith, relationships, and what it actually means to follow Jesus. The conversation gets into hospitality, evangelism, certainty, suffering, friendship, marriage, and why some of the most meaningful moments in life happen when we stop trying to solve each other’s problems. Sometimes the most powerful thing you can tell someone is not, “I know the answer.” It’s, “I don’t know, but I’ll walk through it with you.” The table is a place for questions.A place for relationships.A place for people who believe.A place for people who aren’t sure what they believe yet. And there should always be another chair. In this episode: • Why Assembly started around a dinner table• Why relationships should come before answers• The problem with transactional evangelism• How Jesus used questions instead of giving easy answers• Why uncertainty can actually be part of faith• What it means to “set the table” for someone else• How community changed Braxton’s life and family• Why people are not problems that need to be solved• The difference between solving someone’s suffering and walking through it with them• Why there should always be an empty chair at the table Pull up a chair. Welcome to The Table.

  4. Oct 5

    019 - The Harder the Work Got, the Louder He Sang

    What if changing a diaper, helping a stranger, or simply showing up for someone could have more influence on the world than we realize? In Episode 19 of Some Assembly Required, Bryan and Braxton welcome special guest Leehen for a conversation about finding Jesus, navigating politics, and discovering what it actually means to live as a citizen of heaven. Leehen opens up about growing up without a father, struggling to find purpose, and chasing the things the world promised would make him happy. From parties and relationships to an unexpected encounter with Jesus, his story reveals how faith can transform someone's understanding of freedom, identity, and purpose. The conversation then moves into the final installment of the podcast's faith and politics series. Together, Bryan, Braxton, and Leehen explore what Paul meant when he told the Philippians that their citizenship was in heaven, why Christians can become consumed by political identity, and how the kingdom of God is demonstrated through ordinary acts of love and service. What if changing the world has less to do with gaining power and more to do with changing the way we love the people directly in front of us? In this episode, we discuss: Leehen's journey from feeling lost to finding Jesus.Why following Christ requires surrendering parts of ourselves.The difference between worldly freedom and freedom through faith.What it means to be a citizen of heaven while living in a political world.Why demonstrating the love of Christ matters as much as talking about Him.Finding God's presence in ordinary responsibilities.How small acts of service can create lasting change in our families and communities.Whether you're questioning your faith, frustrated with politics, or trying to understand how to live more like Jesus, this conversation is an invitation to reconsider where real freedom and influence begin. Sometimes changing the world starts with changing a diaper.

  5. Sep 28

    018 - Jesus Doesn’t Pick a Side: Faith, Politics & the Trap of Identity

    What happens when Jesus is forced to pick a political side? In Mark 12, the Pharisees and Herodians approach Jesus with what appears to be a simple question: should we pay taxes to Caesar or not? But it isn't really a question. It's a trap. In Episode 18, Bryan and Braxton are joined by special guest Matt to unpack Jesus' famous response—“Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and give to God what belongs to God”—and what it means for Christians living inside today's political climate. They discuss why politics becomes so deeply tied to our identity, why disagreement feels increasingly personal, how fear keeps people trapped inside political and media systems, and why the Kingdom of God can't simply be squeezed into a Republican or Democratic platform. Matt also shares what it was like growing up in a highly political family and how that eventually shaped his own relationship with politics and faith. The conversation ultimately comes back to something much more personal: you may not be able to change the entire political system, but you can change the way you see your neighbor, pray for your enemy, serve your community, and allow Jesus to shape your own heart. In this episode: Why Jesus refuses the political either/or trap What “give to Caesar what is Caesar's” actually reveals Why your political identity cannot become your ultimate identity How fear, media, algorithms, and outrage keep us engaged The difference between God's Kingdom and political ideology Why Christians should be able to disagree without becoming enemies What praying for your political opponents actually does to you Why changing hearts may matter more than changing who's in power How to practically live this out Monday morning If our first allegiance is to Jesus, everything else—including our politics—has to come second.

  6. Sep 21

    017 - Mind Your Business: Jesus, Politics, and the Quiet Life

    Politics might be the loudest thing in the room. But is it actually the most important? Braxton and Bryan are back together for another conversation about Jesus, politics, power, and what it actually looks like to follow Christ in a culture built around outrage. This episode challenges one of our most common instincts: trying to change the world from the top down. Instead of pouring all of our energy into politicians, political parties, social media arguments, and national controversies, what if Jesus is calling us to start much closer to home? Love your neighbor. Serve the person in front of you. Work with your hands. Mind your business. And stop expecting government, political movements, or social media to do the work of compassion for you. Braxton and Bryan talk about abortion, protest movements, political tribalism, social media algorithms, victim mentality, the temptation to “win” arguments, Jesus' relationship with political power, and why Christians should be recognizable by the way they serve—not the political team they belong to. They also unpack Jesus' radically different model of leadership: while the world fights for the seat at the table, Jesus chooses to become the waiter. Maybe changing the world looks less like winning the argument and more like mowing your neighbor's lawn. This is a conversation about politics—but even more, it's a conversation about power, identity, responsibility, and learning to live like Jesus in a deeply divided world.

  7. Sep 14

    016 - SPECIAL EDITION: Who Is My Neighbor? | Kayla + Carmel Take Over

    For the first time, Braxton and Bryan hand over the microphones. In this special edition of Some Assembly Required, Kayla and Carmel take over the podcast to continue Assembly’s “Citizens” conversation and explore one of Jesus’ most familiar—and most politically challenging—stories: the Good Samaritan. When Jesus is asked, “Who is my neighbor?” He doesn’t give a clean definition or draw a convenient boundary. Instead, He tells a story where the religious people walk past someone in need and the person everyone expected to be the enemy becomes the hero. Kayla and Carmel unpack the historical context behind that story, why the relationship between Jews and Samaritans matters, how hurry can quietly destroy compassion, and why we may be reading ourselves into the wrong character. Because maybe the real question isn’t, “Who am I required to love?” Maybe it’s, “Why am I looking for permission to stop loving people?” In this episode:• Why “Who is my neighbor?” is an inherently political question• The hidden question behind the expert’s conversation with Jesus• Why the priest and Levite had defensible reasons to keep walking• What a famous Princeton experiment revealed about hurry and compassion• Why making a Samaritan the hero would have shocked Jesus’ audience• How easily we justify who is “in” and who is “out”• Why we automatically assume we’re the Good Samaritan• The uncomfortable possibility that we might actually be the person in the ditch Whether you’ve followed Jesus your entire life or you’re still figuring out what you believe, this conversation asks a simple question with enormous consequences: Who is your neighbor?

  8. Aug 31

    015 - Jesus & Politics Pt. 2

    Submit your questions here This week, Bryan sits down with Brian Tinner to continue the Jesus & Politics conversation by going all the way back to 1 Samuel 8 and Israel’s demand for a king. Their request sounds reasonable: give us a leader who can protect us, represent us, fight our battles, and make us like the nations around us. But God warns them exactly what that king will cost. And thousands of years later, the temptation hasn’t changed much. We still look for political leaders, parties, and movements to give us security, identity, victory, and someone to blame when things go wrong. The danger isn’t caring about politics. The danger is asking politics to do something it was never designed to do. Bryan and Brian talk about why human beings continually reach for a “king,” how political identity can quietly compete with our identity in Christ, why Christians shouldn’t disengage from a broken world, and what it could look like to disagree without destroying relationships. Because politics can accomplish a lot. But it has never resurrected anything. In this episode: Why Israel demanded a king in 1 Samuel 8The difference between political engagement and political identityWhy we naturally want one person to fight our battlesWhat happens when Jesus becomes a mascot for our politicsWhy Christians shouldn’t completely withdraw from politics eitherHow fear and unresolved wounds shape political behaviorWhat the twelve disciples teach us about unity without uniformityWhy healing has to begin inside us before it moves into the worldThe one thing politics will never be able to give usThe question isn’t whether Christians should care about politics. It’s whether Jesus is actually Lord when we do.

See All (23)

Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

A church that feels you should belong before you believe. Welcome to all

Information