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For the first time this season, the hosts of Sacred & Strange are not the ones asking the questions.

In the Season One finale, the conversation turns as the team behind the podcast interviews Jay and Erinn Urena about faith, leadership, marriage, parenting, anxiety, calling, and the quiet places where God does His deepest work.

This episode is less concerned with answers and more focused on posture—questions that shape a life, silence that creates space, and stories that emerge not from performance, but from shared life and trust.

Throughout the conversation, themes of anxiety and peace, surrender and self-awareness, and the long work of spiritual formation come into view. Jason reflects on learning to release control and allow God to stand in places once held by striving, while Erinn shares about discernment, waiting, and recognizing God’s timing. Together, they speak candidly about ministry, family, discipleship, and the importance of presence over productivity.

Rather than serving as a highlight reel or a summary of accomplishments, this finale offers a pause—a listening posture shaped by honesty, relationship, and time at the table.

The Questions, The Silence, and The Stories That Find Us
closes Season One of Sacred & Strange with gratitude, humility, and room to breathe.

Season Two is coming soon.

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00:00 Introduction and Team Setup

02:52 The Art of Asking Questions

08:16 Impact of Questions on Personal Growth

14:25 Parenting and Passing Down Values

27:27 Challenges and Joys of Raising Pastor's Kids

36:31 Ministry Insights and Leadership Values

52:05 Balancing Family and Ministry

55:35 Dreaming with God: Future Plans

01:02:05 Prophetic Insights and Communication

01:29:20 Victory in Personal Struggles

01:37:15 Closing Thoughts and Prayers

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This Wednesday, Sacred & Strange closes out Season One.

For the first time, we’re not the ones asking the questions.
We’re sitting in them.

In this final episode, my wife and I are interviewed by our team—people who’ve shared the work, the table, the prayers, and the quiet moments in between. We talk about questions that shape us, the silence we often rush past, and the stories that don’t come from performance—but from shared life.

This isn’t a highlight reel.
It’s a pause.
A listening posture.
A conversation that lets the story find us.

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This episode marks the beginning of FOUNDATIONS, a teaching segment of Sacred & Strange created to build deep, lasting roots of faith rather than just host conversations. While many episodes on this podcast take the form of interviews and shared stories, FOUNDATIONS is where we slow down, open the Scriptures, and engage in intentional formation — teaching meant to shape identity, practice, and the way we live as followers of Jesus.

In The Temple, The Table, and The Family of God, we explore a central biblical truth often overlooked in modern conversations about revival: God’s plan has always been family. From the Garden of Eden, where humanity was formed as a priestly household, to the Temple where God dwelled among His people, to the Upper Room where the Spirit fell in a home, Scripture reveals a consistent pattern — revival is sustained not by events, platforms, or personalities, but by transformed people living in covenant relationship with one another.

This teaching traces the biblical story of sacred space and priesthood, showing how God’s presence moves from gardens, to tabernacles, to temples — and ultimately into homes and hearts. We look at how the tearing of the veil, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, and the language of adoption and sonship all point to the same reality: God is building a household, not just gathering a crowd.

FOUNDATIONS exists to help bridge belief and practice — to move theology from information into formation. These teachings are meant to ground faith, call believers into mature discipleship, and invite listeners to consider how revival begins not in conferences, but around tables, within families, and through lives surrendered to the way of Jesus.

Whether you’re a pastor, a parent, a leader, or someone longing for deeper roots, this episode invites you to reimagine revival as something we carry, something we live, and something we pass on.

00:00 Introduction and New Year's Greetings

00:26 Special Message from the Kingdom Convergence Conference

02:28 Opening Remarks and Prayer

04:35 Defining Revival and Its Importance

08:32 The Role of Family in Revival

11:48 Priestly Functions and Family

15:13 From Genesis to the Tabernacle: A Journey

18:54 Revival in the Old Testament

19:53 The Role of Family in Revival

20:52 Pentecost: The Culmination of Themes

22:56 Revival in the Home

24:51 Carrying Revival Within

26:29 Practical Steps to Embrace Revival

29:25 The Story of Zacchaeus

32:35 Revival Starts at Home

33:46 Personal Testimony and Final Thoughts

38:41 Closing Prayer

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What does it mean to carry a promise from God—and what does it require of us while we wait?

In this Advent-centered episode, Jay revisits a message shared with the Porch missional community, exploring the story of Mary in Luke 1 and what it teaches us about promise, favor, and faith. Advent isn’t just about waiting for Christmas—it’s about the coming of something God has spoken, something growing, something not yet seen.

Through Mary’s response, we’re invited to consider what it looks like to be pregnant with promise—to receive a word from God, to carry it faithfully through uncertainty, and to bring it into community where it can be confirmed and strengthened. From the angel’s announcement, to the quiet waiting, to the witness of Elizabeth and John, this conversation unpacks how God often works: depositing promise, forming it in hidden places, and revealing it through the Holy Spirit and the people around us.

If you’ve ever sensed God speaking something over your life—a calling, a dream, a new season—but felt unsure how to steward it, this episode is an invitation to slow down, lean in, and trust the process.

Because God’s promises aren’t just meant to be heard—they’re meant to be carried, witnessed, and brought to life.

00:00 Introduction and Holiday Greetings

00:24 Reloaded Episode: Message on Mary and Advent

02:13 Understanding Advent and Promise

04:09 The Annunciation: Mary's Encounter with Gabriel

06:29 Mary's Response and Reflection

11:51 Mary Visits Elizabeth: Confirmation of the Promise

13:46 Community and Partnership in Promise

18:00 Reflection and Group Activity

29:09 Closing Thoughts and Prayer

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⚠️ Content Warning:
This episode includes discussion of domestic violence, child abuse, and human trafficking. Listener discretion is advised.

Some stories don’t begin with calling — they begin with survival.

In this deeply moving episode of Sacred & Strange, Jay sits down with Steve and Brandyn Gipe, longtime friends and the founders of Cedar Refuge, a nonprofit building safe, long-term homes for young survivors of human trafficking—specifically boys ages 6–18 and girls ages 6–10, two of the most overlooked demographics in the system.

Together, they trace the long road from broken beginnings to redemptive purpose.

Steve shares his journey from a rigid, legalistic upbringing, through rebellion, addiction, and a radical roadside encounter with God that redirected his life toward loving and shepherding at-risk youth. Brandyn opens up about growing up amid instability, domestic violence, abandonment, and emotional shutdown—and how God preserved her, healed her, and shaped her heart for vulnerable children.

This conversation explores:

What it means to be lost—and unseen

How people are found through love, presence, and obedience

Why some are called to become a refuge for others

The heartbreaking gaps in care for trafficked children in America

Why there are currently no residential homes for male trafficking victims and none for victims under 10

How Cedar Refuge is responding by building something that doesn’t yet exist

This is not a polished testimony episode.
It’s raw. Honest. Pastoral. And hopeful.

It’s about saying yes when God asks you to stand in the gap—especially when the cost is high and the work is heavy.

If you’ve ever wondered how personal pain can become purpose…
If you’ve ever felt burdened for the overlooked…
If you’ve ever asked what faith looks like when it moves toward suffering instead of away from it…

This episode is for you.

☕ Special Note:
To support Cedar Refuge, 100% of proceeds from coffee sales on release day and the following day are being donated directly to their mission.

Head over to www.theporchny.com for more info!

00:00 Introduction to the Episode and Guests

00:39 Fundraising for Cedar Refuge

02:41 Welcome to Sacred and Strange

03:10 Steve and Brandyn's Backgrounds

07:29 Steve's Early Life and Challenges

09:01 Moving to Ohio and New Beginnings

22:15 Steve's Encounter with the Lord

30:39 Starting a Nonprofit and Youth Work

36:45 Pursuing a Purpose Beyond College

37:09 Empathy for the Shooters

37:58 A Calling to Help At-Risk Youth

39:14 Journey to California

41:53 A Life-Changing Encounter at the Border

45:11 Starting a New Job and Meeting Erin

49:45 Brandyn's Early Life and Family Struggles

01:04:41 Moving to Arkansas and Experiencing Racism

01:10:06 Returning to California and Finding Stability

01:15:20 Joining the Choir and Finding a Team

01:16:25 Introduction to Movies and Choir

01:17:30 Science Class Confrontation

01:18:48 Youth Group and Mission Trips

01:19:46 Miraculous Healing Stories

01:23:05 Life-Changing Uganda Trip

01:29:04 Discovering Human Trafficking

01:32:36 Founding Cedar Refuge

01:39:34 Vision and Future Plans

01:47:11 Call to Action and Conclusion

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Some stories don’t start clean.
They start broken. Lost. Complicated.

In this episode of Sacred & Strange, I sit down with Steve & Brandyn Gipe to talk about the long road from pain to purpose — stories shaped by fractured childhoods, radical encounters with God, and a calling to stand in the gap for kids the world often overlooks.

We talk about what it means to be lost, what it looks like to be found, and why some people are called to become a refuge for others.

This conversation is raw, redemptive, and deeply human — and it points to the kind of faith that shows up when things are messy, not polished.

🎧 The Lost, The Found, and The Refuge
Full episode drops next Wednesday on YouTube and all major streaming platforms.

⚠️ Content Warning:
This episode includes discussion of traumatic experiences, including domestic violence and human trafficking. Listener discretion is advised.

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What does it really mean to be the Bride of Christ?
In this special throwback episode, Jay and Levi crack open one of the most powerful—yet most misunderstood—ideas in the entire biblical story: Covenant.

This isn’t a sermon. It’s a raw, unscripted conversation about the kind of relationship God invites us into…
Not a surface-level “Sunday Christian” thing, but a life-on-life, blood-bound, transformational covenant that stretches from Abraham to Jesus and all the way into our everyday lives.

Jay and Levi explore:

• Why being “the Bride” is far deeper than a metaphor
• How covenant always requires cost, commitment, and pursuit
• Why God is the ultimate Bridegroom who comes after us first
• How church culture has shaped (and sometimes distorted) our view of covenant
• What it looks like to die to ourselves in relationship—just like a real marriage
• And how Jesus embodies both the Bridegroom and the blueprint of the Bride

This episode will challenge the way you see church, community, and your walk with Jesus.
It’s intimate. It’s theologically rich. And it’s the perfect kickoff to a series that asks the question:

If we’re the Bride… are we living like it?

00:00 Introduction and Podcast Overview

00:15 Throwback to Old Recordings

00:47 Upcoming Episodes and Announcements

02:13 Introduction to The Bride Series

03:17 Porch Talks: A New Way of Conversation

04:54 Understanding Covenant and The Bride of Christ

07:02 Personal Experiences and Church Culture

13:32 The Biblical Perspective on Covenant

20:01 The Cost of Covenant and Transformation

26:40 Challenges and Observations in Church Culture

31:48 Exploring Faith and Community

32:18 The Importance of Church Community

34:33 Covenant with Christ and His Bride

36:27 Biblical Narratives of Covenant

43:21 Jesus: The Fulfillment of Covenant

54:41 Risk and Commitment in Faith

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In this powerful and deeply personal episode of Sacred & Strange, Ray Sullivan sits down with Jay to share a story that feels like a modern-day parable—raw, honest, and marked by the unmistakable fingerprints of God.

Ray grew up in church, but not the kind you easily forget. He talks candidly about the dogmatic rules, the church split that fractured families, and the disillusionment that pushed him away. What followed was a whirlwind of rebellion: drifting through bars, new-age circles, the occult, and years of running from the faith he once knew.

But even in the chaos, God never stopped chasing him.

Ray opens up about the long season of “doing life his own way,” the spiritual confusion he didn’t realize he was walking into, and the gut-level honesty he eventually had to bring before God. And then—he shares the moment everything changed. A random Facebook livestream. A worship gathering in his hometown. A presence he couldn’t deny. Tears he couldn't stop. And a God who didn’t just welcome him back… but revealed the calling on his life.

Ray’s journey is one of rebellion, deconstruction, rediscovery, discipleship, and consecration. He talks about:

• The impact of growing up in a divided church
• Running with the wrong crowd and spiritual danger he didn’t recognize
• The long stretch where he refused to step foot in a church
• The hunger that returned out of nowhere
• The encounter that broke him wide open
• The beauty of community that actually reflects Jesus
• The call of God that keeps echoing over his life
• What it really means to be a disciple—not just a believer

This episode is full of wisdom, humor, vulnerability, and holy moments. If you’ve ever felt disillusioned with church, wrestled with faith, or wondered if you can really come home after drifting far away—Ray’s story is going to speak straight to your heart.

This is an episode about rebellion… about redemption… and about the Presence that never stops pursuing us.

00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome

01:23 Ray's Early Life and Faith Journey

02:29 Teenage Years and Family Influence

03:46 Struggles with Faith and Personal Growth

07:51 Reconnecting with Church and Marriage

10:05 Joining the Journey Church

16:02 Discovering Home Church

18:39 Building Community and New Beginnings

35:45 The Refining Path and Life's Call

36:31 Consecration and Favor

38:40 Samuel's Story and Consecration

42:41 Church Hurt and Personal Growth

53:17 Discipleship and Following Jesus

57:26 Creative and Entrepreneurial Journey

01:04:28 Parenting and Repentance

01:09:36 Final Reflections and Prayer

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