FOLLOW

Plum Creek Church

What does rearrangement sound like? The FOLLOW podcast offers steady companionship in the long, quiet work of discipleship, creating space for honest, unhurried conversation where faith moves from the margins to the center of everyday rhythms and relationships. Spiritual formation is approached as life architecture—through the intentional rearrangement of all of life around the way of Jesus—so that belief becomes embodied, practiced, and lived. This is what rearrangement sounds like: honest voices and steady steps—following Jesus fully. Meet your hosts, Eric Parks and Steve Carter Eric Parks  Eric is an Executive Pastor at Plum Creek Church in Castle Rock, Colorado, who cares deeply about helping people rehearse the way of Jesus in everyday life—and holds firm as a Denver Broncos fan, no matter how often Steve brings up the Bears. Steve Carter  Steve is the Lead Pastor at Christ Church in Oak Brook, Illinois, offering a thoughtful and honest voice to the deeper work of formation and calling—and remains a devoted Chicago Bears fan, even with Eric representing Broncos country. Explore all of FOLLOW We’re all following something—habits, expectations, ambition—but Jesus offers a different way. A way marked by love, presence, trust, and a life that actually leads somewhere good. Not perfectly, but increasingly, we begin to shape our lives around his. We believe that if Jesus is right—about God, about life, about the soul—then is only makes sense to rearrange your life around what he says is true. Follow isn’t a program to complete or a path to master, but a way of life centered on Jesus. A way of living that takes shape over time through a steady rearrangement of our lives—our priorities, our rhythms, and the things we trust most.

  1. Sep 24

    Who did God think up when he thought of you? /// FOLLOW

    Episode 019: Who did God think up when he thought of you? How many decisions have we made while a quiet loop plays underneath everything: “You’re not enough. You’re not enough. You’re not enough.” In this episode of the FOLLOW podcast, Eric Parks and Steve Carter continue their conversation around “The Thing Beneath the Thing” and the false stories that shape the way we see ourselves, other people, and God. They explore the difference between insecurity and narrative, why the thoughts we’ve rehearsed for years can become so difficult to recognize, and what it looks like to become more intentional about which voices we allow to “land.” Because following Jesus isn’t simply about knowing that we’ve been made new—it’s learning, over time, to actually live like it. Together, they unpack: How to recognize the insecurities and false stories shaping your decisions.Why becoming who God made you to be takes both grace and intentional practice.How renewing your mind can slowly move you from old patterns toward the “truest true” of who you are. Formation takes time. But the more often we choose grace over the old stories, the more those stories begin to lose their grip—and the more we begin to recognize the person God had in mind all along. Show Links: The Thing Beneath the Thing: What Hidden Insecurities Are Really Driving Your Life — Steve Carter Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=The+Thing+Beneath+the+Thing+Steve+Carter Dallas Willard — Vision, Intention and Means (VIM) https://dwillard.org/resources/audio/v-i-m-renovation-of-the-heart Meet your hosts, Eric Parks and Steve Carter Eric Parks Eric is an Executive Pastor at Plum Creek Church in Castle Rock, Colorado, who cares deeply about helping people rehearse the way of Jesus in everyday life—and holds firm as a Denver Broncos fan, no matter how often Steve brings up the Bears. Steve Carter Steve is the Lead Pastor at Christ Church in Oak Brook, Illinois, offering a thoughtful and honest voice to the deeper work of formation and calling—and remains a devoted Chicago Bears fan, even with Eric representing Broncos country. Explore all of FOLLOW We’re all following something—habits, expectations, ambition—but Jesus offers a different way. A way marked by love, presence, trust, and a life that actually leads somewhere good. Not perfectly, but increasingly, we begin to shape our lives around his. We believe that if Jesus is right—about God, about life, about the soul—then is only makes sense to rearrange your life around what he says is true. Follow isn’t a program to complete or a path to master, but a way of life centered on Jesus. A way of living that takes shape over time through a steady rearrangement of our lives—our priorities, our rhythms, and the things we trust most. Links FOLLOW: https://followtheway.church/ ...

  2. Sep 17

    What is your reaction trying to protect? /// FOLLOW

    Episode 018: What is your reaction trying to protect? Why do we sometimes react in ways that feel completely out of proportion to what just happened? A comment, a conflict, a change of plans—even getting cut off in traffic—can suddenly stir something much deeper. And before we know it, we’re angry, shutting down, spending money, escaping, or reaching for whatever helps us feel better fast. In this episode of the FOLLOW podcast, Eric Parks and Steve Carter begin a deeper conversation around Steve’s book *The Thing Beneath the Thing* and the connection between emotional health and spiritual formation. Using the image of potholes and sinkholes, they explore what can happen when old wounds go unaddressed, why our brains develop “firefighter” responses to protect us, and how our favorite hideouts can become socially acceptable ways of avoiding what hurts. Together, they unpack: Why a trigger may be pointing toward something deeper than the moment itselfHow our reactions and coping mechanisms can reveal wounds we’ve learned to protectWhy healing begins with awareness, safety, vulnerability, and inviting God into the thing beneath the thing Maybe the goal isn’t simply to become better at controlling our reactions. Maybe the invitation is to become curious about what those reactions are protecting—and allow God to meet us there. Because becoming holy might have more to do with becoming whole than we ever realized. Show Links: The Thing Beneath the Thing by Steve Carter https://www.amazon.com/dp/0785235590 No Bad Parts by Richard C. Schwartz https://www.amazon.com/dp/1683646681 The Welcoming Prayer — Contemplative Outreach https://www.contemplativeoutreach.org/welcoming-prayer-method/ The Me I Want to Be by John Ortberg https://www.amazon.com/dp/031034056X Meet your hosts, Eric Parks and Steve Carter Eric Parks Eric is an Executive Pastor at Plum Creek Church in Castle Rock, Colorado, who cares deeply about helping people rehearse the way of Jesus in everyday life—and holds firm as a Denver Broncos fan, no matter how often Steve brings up the Bears. Steve Carter Steve is the Lead Pastor at Christ Church in Oak Brook, Illinois, offering a thoughtful and honest voice to the deeper work of formation and calling—and remains a devoted Chicago Bears fan, even with Eric representing Broncos country. Explore all of FOLLOW We’re all following something—habits, expectations, ambition—but Jesus offers a different way. A way marked by love, presence, trust, and a life that actually leads somewhere good. Not perfectly, but increasingly, we begin to shape our lives around his. We believe that if Jesus is right—about God, about life, about the soul—then is only makes sense to rearrange your life around what he says is true. Follow isn’t a program to complete or a path to master, but a way of life centered on Jesus. A way of living that takes shape over time through a steady rearrangement of our lives—our priorities, our rhythms, and the things we trust most. Links FOLLOW: https://followtheway.church/ ...

  3. Sep 10

    What do you need to unlearn about Jesus? /// FOLLOW with Tommy Nixon

    Episode 017: What do you need to unlearn about Jesus? Following Jesus can get complicated—especially when what Jesus actually said starts challenging what we’ve always believed about him. In this episode of the FOLLOW podcast, Eric Parks and Steve Carter are joined by Tommy Nixon, CEO of Urban Youth Workers Institute and author of Embracing the Tension, for a conversation about what it means to follow Jesus in a complex world. Together, they explore why spiritual formation requires more than gathering information or having powerful experiences with God. It requires wrestling—with Scripture, with our assumptions, with our hypocrisy, with other people, and sometimes with God himself. They also talk about: Why people who have been around church the longest can sometimes have the hardest time seeing Jesus clearlyWhy discipleship involves learning, relearning, and unlearningHow tension, honesty, and self-reflection can become pathways toward healing and wholeness Following Jesus isn’t about arriving at certainty or avoiding tension. It’s about continuing to let Jesus reshape what we believe, how we see other people, and the way we actually live. Because sometimes the place we most want to escape is exactly where God wants to form us. Show Links:  Embrace the Tension: Choosing the Radical Middle Instead of Picking a Side — Tommy Nixon Tommy’s new book and the central resource behind the conversation. Embrace the Tension — Official Book Site Tommy Nixon Learn more about Tommy, his work, speaking, podcasts, and resources. Tommy Nixon — Official Website Urban Youth Workers Institute (UYWI) Tommy serves as CEO of UYWI, which equips and develops urban ministry leaders. Urban Youth Workers Institute The Radical Middle Podcast Tommy’s podcast exploring faith, leadership, justice, complexity, and what it means to live in the “radical middle.” The Radical Middle Podcast Meet your hosts, Eric Parks and Steve Carter Eric Parks Eric is an Executive Pastor at Plum Creek Church in Castle Rock, Colorado, who cares deeply about helping people rehearse the way of Jesus in everyday life—and holds firm as a Denver Broncos fan, no matter how often Steve brings up the Bears. Steve Carter Steve is the Lead Pastor at Christ Church in Oak Brook, Illinois, offering a thoughtful and honest voice to the deeper work of formation and calling—and remains a devoted Chicago Bears fan, even with Eric representing Broncos country. Explore all of FOLLOW We’re all following something—habits, expectations, ambition—but Jesus offers a different way. A way marked by love, presence, trust, and a life that actually leads somewhere good. Not perfectly, but increasingly, we begin to shape our lives around his. We believe that if Jesus is right—about God, about life, about the soul—then is only makes sense to rearrange your life around what he says is true. Follow isn’t a program to complete or a path to master, but a way of life centered on Jesus. A way of living that takes shape over time through a steady rearrangement of our lives—our priorities, our rhythms, and the things we trust most. Links FOLLOW: https://followtheway.church/ ...

  4. Sep 3

    What happens when the mask stops working? /// FOLLOW with Dr. Harvey Powers

    Episode 016: What happens when the mask stops working? What if some of the hardest moments in our lives aren’t interruptions to transformation—but the very places where transformation begins? In this episode of the FOLLOW podcast, Eric Parks and Steve Carter sit down with Dr. Harvey Powers for a conversation about what actually changes a person at the deepest level. Harvey has spent decades exploring the intersection of spiritual formation, psychology, leadership, and the transformational process. Together, they unpack why knowing the right things and doing the right things can only take us so far—and why real transformation often involves something much deeper. Harvey offers a different way of looking at the moments when life feels like it’s coming apart: not by minimizing the pain or pretending everything happens for a reason, but by asking what God might be forming in us through it. Because sometimes the thing we most want to escape may be the very place where something new is beginning. Meet your hosts, Eric Parks and Steve Carter Eric Parks Eric is an Executive Pastor at Plum Creek Church in Castle Rock, Colorado, who cares deeply about helping people rehearse the way of Jesus in everyday life—and holds firm as a Denver Broncos fan, no matter how often Steve brings up the Bears. Steve Carter Steve is the Lead Pastor at Christ Church in Oak Brook, Illinois, offering a thoughtful and honest voice to the deeper work of formation and calling—and remains a devoted Chicago Bears fan, even with Eric representing Broncos country. Explore all of FOLLOW We’re all following something—habits, expectations, ambition—but Jesus offers a different way. A way marked by love, presence, trust, and a life that actually leads somewhere good. Not perfectly, but increasingly, we begin to shape our lives around his. We believe that if Jesus is right—about God, about life, about the soul—then is only makes sense to rearrange your life around what he says is true. Follow isn’t a program to complete or a path to master, but a way of life centered on Jesus. A way of living that takes shape over time through a steady rearrangement of our lives—our priorities, our rhythms, and the things we trust most. Links FOLLOW: https://followtheway.church/ ...

  5. Aug 27

    Why is “help” so hard to say? /// FOLLOW with Rick Dunn

    Episode 015: Why is “help” so hard to say? What happens when everything looks fine on the outside, but something inside you knows it isn’t? In this episode of The FOLLOW Podcast, Eric Parks and Steve Carter are joined by Rick Dunn of White Horse Leadership for a conversation about mental health, spiritual formation, leadership, and the stories we tell ourselves about who we are. Together, they explore the difference between building a human success story and living inside God’s redemption story—and why those two can look surprisingly similar from the outside. Rick shares openly from his own seasons of anxiety, disruption, success, and surrender, including the realization that God wasn’t simply after a better version of his life. He was after Rick himself. Sometimes the thing we most want to escape in ourselves becomes the very place where deeper healing, freedom, and relationship with God can begin. And sometimes one of the most courageous prayers we can offer is simply: Help. Meet your hosts, Eric Parks and Steve Carter Eric Parks Eric is an Executive Pastor at Plum Creek Church in Castle Rock, Colorado, who cares deeply about helping people rehearse the way of Jesus in everyday life—and holds firm as a Denver Broncos fan, no matter how often Steve brings up the Bears. Steve Carter Steve is the Lead Pastor at Christ Church in Oak Brook, Illinois, offering a thoughtful and honest voice to the deeper work of formation and calling—and remains a devoted Chicago Bears fan, even with Eric representing Broncos country. Explore all of FOLLOW We’re all following something—habits, expectations, ambition—but Jesus offers a different way. A way marked by love, presence, trust, and a life that actually leads somewhere good. Not perfectly, but increasingly, we begin to shape our lives around his. We believe that if Jesus is right—about God, about life, about the soul—then is only makes sense to rearrange your life around what he says is true. Follow isn’t a program to complete or a path to master, but a way of life centered on Jesus. A way of living that takes shape over time through a steady rearrangement of our lives—our priorities, our rhythms, and the things we trust most. Links FOLLOW: https://followtheway.church/ ...

  6. Aug 20

    What if mental health isn’t separate from following Jesus? /// FOLLOW with Chad Bruegman

    Episode 014: What if mental health isn’t separate from following Jesus? Mental health is often treated like a separate category from our spiritual lives. But what if that separation is part of the problem? Eric Parks and Steve Carter sit down with pastor Chad Bruegman for an honest conversation about depression, anxiety, shame, spiritual formation, and what it means to follow Jesus as a whole person—body, mind, and spirit. Chad shares openly about his decades-long experience with depression, including the pressure he once felt to hide it as a pastor. Together, they explore why isolation can deepen our struggles, why caring for your body can be deeply spiritual, and why God’s work in us doesn’t always look like immediate deliverance. Sometimes following Jesus looks like prayer and scripture. Sometimes it looks like confession, counseling, medicine, sleep, movement, friendship, or doing something that makes you feel fully alive. Because formation isn’t about escaping our humanity. It’s about becoming increasingly integrated within it. Meet your hosts, Eric Parks and Steve Carter Eric Parks Eric is an Executive Pastor at Plum Creek Church in Castle Rock, Colorado, who cares deeply about helping people rehearse the way of Jesus in everyday life—and holds firm as a Denver Broncos fan, no matter how often Steve brings up the Bears. Steve Carter Steve is the Lead Pastor at Christ Church in Oak Brook, Illinois, offering a thoughtful and honest voice to the deeper work of formation and calling—and remains a devoted Chicago Bears fan, even with Eric representing Broncos country. Explore all of FOLLOW We’re all following something—habits, expectations, ambition—but Jesus offers a different way. A way marked by love, presence, trust, and a life that actually leads somewhere good. Not perfectly, but increasingly, we begin to shape our lives around his. We believe that if Jesus is right—about God, about life, about the soul—then is only makes sense to rearrange your life around what he says is true. Follow isn’t a program to complete or a path to master, but a way of life centered on Jesus. A way of living that takes shape over time through a steady rearrangement of our lives—our priorities, our rhythms, and the things we trust most. Links FOLLOW: https://followtheway.church/ ...

  7. Aug 13

    What if comfort is making us fragile? /// FOLLOW

    Episode 013: What if comfort is making us fragile? What if comfort is shaping us more than we realize? In this episode of the FOLLOW podcast, we explore the connection between comfort, spiritual formation, and resilience—and why following Jesus sometimes means choosing discomfort on purpose. We live in a world designed to remove friction. That isn’t necessarily bad. But when comfort becomes one of our highest values, it begins to form us. Practices like fasting, Sabbath, silence, solitude, and confession can train us to resist that pull and build a faith that is ready when life gets hard. Because resilience usually isn’t built in the crisis. The crisis reveals what was built before it. Following Jesus means rearranging our lives around what he said is true—and sometimes that means choosing discomfort now so we can stand firm when difficulty comes. Meet your hosts, Eric Parks and Steve Carter Eric Parks Eric is an Executive Pastor at Plum Creek Church in Castle Rock, Colorado, who cares deeply about helping people rehearse the way of Jesus in everyday life—and holds firm as a Denver Broncos fan, no matter how often Steve brings up the Bears. Steve Carter Steve is the Lead Pastor at Christ Church in Oak Brook, Illinois, offering a thoughtful and honest voice to the deeper work of formation and calling—and remains a devoted Chicago Bears fan, even with Eric representing Broncos country. Explore all of FOLLOW We’re all following something—habits, expectations, ambition—but Jesus offers a different way. A way marked by love, presence, trust, and a life that actually leads somewhere good. Not perfectly, but increasingly, we begin to shape our lives around his. We believe that if Jesus is right—about God, about life, about the soul—then is only makes sense to rearrange your life around what he says is true. Follow isn’t a program to complete or a path to master, but a way of life centered on Jesus. A way of living that takes shape over time through a steady rearrangement of our lives—our priorities, our rhythms, and the things we trust most. Links FOLLOW: https://followtheway.church/ ...

  8. Aug 6

    What are we missing when no one really knows us? /// FOLLOW with Luke Peach

    Episode 012: What are we missing when no one really knows us? In this episode of the FOLLOW podcast, we explore why following Jesus was never meant to be a solo project. In a culture shaped by hurry, curated identities, and digital connection, it is possible to be constantly seen without ever being truly known. We can stay busy, stay connected, and still keep the deepest parts of ourselves hidden. But spiritual formation requires more than private belief. It takes time, honesty, risk, and relationships strong enough to hold both the beauty and the mess of who we are. Community is where we are encouraged, challenged, supported, and slowly formed into the people God intended us to become. Being known comes with risk. But avoiding relationship carries a cost too. Following Jesus means learning to step toward community, make room for others, and allow ourselves to be fully seen. Meet your hosts, Eric Parks and Steve Carter Eric Parks Eric is an Executive Pastor at Plum Creek Church in Castle Rock, Colorado, who cares deeply about helping people rehearse the way of Jesus in everyday life—and holds firm as a Denver Broncos fan, no matter how often Steve brings up the Bears. Steve Carter Steve is the Lead Pastor at Christ Church in Oak Brook, Illinois, offering a thoughtful and honest voice to the deeper work of formation and calling—and remains a devoted Chicago Bears fan, even with Eric representing Broncos country. Explore all of FOLLOW We’re all following something—habits, expectations, ambition—but Jesus offers a different way. A way marked by love, presence, trust, and a life that actually leads somewhere good. Not perfectly, but increasingly, we begin to shape our lives around his. We believe that if Jesus is right—about God, about life, about the soul—then is only makes sense to rearrange your life around what he says is true. Follow isn’t a program to complete or a path to master, but a way of life centered on Jesus. A way of living that takes shape over time through a steady rearrangement of our lives—our priorities, our rhythms, and the things we trust most. Links FOLLOW: https://followtheway.church/ ...

Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
8 Ratings

About

What does rearrangement sound like? The FOLLOW podcast offers steady companionship in the long, quiet work of discipleship, creating space for honest, unhurried conversation where faith moves from the margins to the center of everyday rhythms and relationships. Spiritual formation is approached as life architecture—through the intentional rearrangement of all of life around the way of Jesus—so that belief becomes embodied, practiced, and lived. This is what rearrangement sounds like: honest voices and steady steps—following Jesus fully. Meet your hosts, Eric Parks and Steve Carter Eric Parks  Eric is an Executive Pastor at Plum Creek Church in Castle Rock, Colorado, who cares deeply about helping people rehearse the way of Jesus in everyday life—and holds firm as a Denver Broncos fan, no matter how often Steve brings up the Bears. Steve Carter  Steve is the Lead Pastor at Christ Church in Oak Brook, Illinois, offering a thoughtful and honest voice to the deeper work of formation and calling—and remains a devoted Chicago Bears fan, even with Eric representing Broncos country. Explore all of FOLLOW We’re all following something—habits, expectations, ambition—but Jesus offers a different way. A way marked by love, presence, trust, and a life that actually leads somewhere good. Not perfectly, but increasingly, we begin to shape our lives around his. We believe that if Jesus is right—about God, about life, about the soul—then is only makes sense to rearrange your life around what he says is true. Follow isn’t a program to complete or a path to master, but a way of life centered on Jesus. A way of living that takes shape over time through a steady rearrangement of our lives—our priorities, our rhythms, and the things we trust most.

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