The Farther Along

What if the barriers to achieving greater things are the limitations we put on ourselves? In this episode, Rob shares how pushing past his limits allowed him to be part of some extraordinary things. You will be inspired, motivated and hopefully walk away with a renewed energy to push past your own self-imposed limits and reach heights you never thought possible.

The life we live today is largely a result of the decisions we made three to five years ago. While we can't go back and choose differently, we can make choices today that will set us up for success down the road. 

The Farther Along Podcast is all about being intentional now to be farther along later. Listen to our monthly episodes and discover ways to move forward one step at a time. 

www.thefartheralong.com

About Our Guest

Will Hutcherson has worked with kids and teenagers for 14 years, from five students in a small rural church to ten years serving as a NextGen / Student pastor at a large multisite church. In 2018, he started a non-profit, Curate Hope, that partners with parents and educators to help heal despair in teens through school assemblies and parent seminars, bringing practical solutions in responding to suicide and depression. In addition to speaking, Will is the director of NextGen at Journey Church in Lake Worth. He is passionate to see the next generation come to know Christ and partner with church leaders to reach young people in new ways. He lives in the sunshine state with his wife, Arianne, and children, Liam, Reese, and Kinsley.

What We Discuss with Will Hutcherson

• Understanding depression and despair, and what they look like in the lives of kids and students. 

• Will's journey that's included speaking in schools about responding to despair and suicide ideation. 

• Will's book Seen that he wrote with Dr. Chinwé Williams. Why it was necessary, and what it means to be seen.

• Some of the changes in interpersonal communication, and the impact they have on helping people feel seen. 

• How to be part of healing depression and despair.

• How to respond when you suspect or see evidence someone is thinking of self-harm. 

• How the brain's functions help us understand the best approaches to helping kids or teens. 

• The reality of parenting mistakes. 

• What hope is, why it matters and how to grab hold of it. 

• Connect with Will through Instagram, and his website. 

• Like this podcast? Consider leaving a review here. Even a sentence helps a ton. 

About Our Guest

Trey is a visionary leader, host, and communicator. He has an intense passion for life, and for inspiring life change in people. Trey has worked in ministry for more than 20 years, including both full and part-time work with high school students. In 2018 he began as the Camp Director and COO of BigStuf Ministries, where he continues to connect with students and leaders across the country. Trey also partners with highly influential organizations like Orange, Global Leadership Network, The John Maxwell Company, North Point Ministries, and Chick-fil-a. He believes and values genuine and intentional connection offstage is just as powerful and necessary as strong communication onstage. His engaging and energetic style of communication draws from a wide range of experiences as a worship leader, pastor, firefighter, corporate sales rep, personal trainer, husband, and father. He is passionate about helping students and adults alike find their significance solely in their unique design. Trey lives in north Atlanta with his beautiful wife Jamie and their two boys, Mason, and Rowen.

What We Discuss with Trey McKnight

• Why people get stuck, and how fear and past mistakes can keep us from moving forward.

• Trey's journey and the path that led him to his personal mission of inspiring people to move toward positive life-change.

• One of Rob's favorite podcasts "Inspire to Move" hosted by Trey McKnight.

• How the "75 Hard Challenge" helped Trey get unstuck in his own life. 

• The ways we hold ourselves back from developing discipline, and how achieving one goal can set us in a new direction.

• How starting somewhere and winning the day can revolutionize our lives.

• Embracing our own gifts and experiences and how it can help us get perspective on and overcome feelings of inadequacy. 

• The role prayer, trying new things and inviting others to speak into our lives can play in discovering what we were uniquely created for. 

• What to do if our story is messy or if we feel too far gone to move forward. 

• Connect with Trey through Instagram, Twitter, and his website. 

• Like this podcast? Consider leaving a review here. Even a sentence helps a ton. 

About Our Guest

Caitlin Kenyon is the founder of Story Unwritten Career Coaching. She is a certified HR Professional (SHRM-CP), Recruiter, and Career Coach.  Caitlin Kenyon is the founder of Story Unwritten Career Coaching. She is a certified HR Professional (SHRM-CP), Recruiter, and Career Coach. Caitlin helps everyday professionals with practical advice on how to land their dream job, authentically shine, speak candidly, earn trust, and simply crush it at work. She has a passion for helping others present their best selves by sharing real world professional development and career advice for success. She has a passion for helping others present their best selves by sharing real world professional development and career advice for success. When she’s not working, she’s  spending time in beautiful Colorado with her husband and her two wonderful daughters. Check out the Story Unwritten Blog and follow Caitlin on TikTok and Instagram for more daily career advice!

For more, check out: https://direct.me/yourstoryunwritten

What We Discuss with Caitlin Kenyon

• Her story and the demand for people like her who can coach others toward landing their dream job.

• The keys to preparing a resume and cover letter, and ways to stand out among other applicants.

• Best practices to prepare for interviews, how to represent yourself well, and pitfalls to avoid.

• Things to avoid when applying for and interviewing for a new position.

• Navigating the financial offer as well as the best ways to respond when you are offered the job.

• How to start off well in a new job and things to avoid.

• The one thing you can do today to move forward in the pursuit of your dream job.

• Like this podcast? Consider leaving a review here. Even a sentence helps a ton. 

Rob Chagdes (Instagram: robchagdes) is a Jesus follower, a writer and host of The Farther Along Podcast. He has been married to Leslie since 1996. They live in Iowa with their three incredible daughters and energetic dog Jedi.

Show Notes

What Rob Talks About

Rob shares about the power of our choices, especially when it comes to choosing endings in our lives. He shares how watching someone die helped him see the urgency in our choices. Referring to the book Necessary Endings by Henry Cloud, Rob challenges listeners to consider the endings that need to take place in their lives.

Links mentioned

Necessary Endings by Henry Cloud

About Our Guest

Isom Rigell is a lifelong wanderer turned educator who grew up in the church and at every camp and conference he could attend. He still loves a good spiritual conversation, debates about theology and books by heretics like Rob Bell. Isom worked in secondary and higher education-teaching Bible, coaching several sports and being a “dorm dad” for 14 years. A lifelong Floridian, Isom recently moved to the “other coast” (west coast) of Florida to pursue a career in the secular world as the “Chief People Officer” at one of the largest independent insurance agencies in the state. Isom lives in Fort Myers, Florida with his wife Kelly and their three kids Laney, Nora and Dempsey. 

Show Notes

What we discuss with Isom Rigell

• The value of critical thinking, especially for believer.

• The dehumanizing of people who disagree.

• Dealing with doubts, questions, and wrestling with faith and culture.

• Donald Trump and evangelicalism.

• Stats on abortion rates.

• Isom's contact information: iRigell@gmail.com 

• Instagram: isom_rigell

• Like this podcast? Consider leaving us a review here. Even a sentence helps a ton. 

Show Notes

What Rob Talks About

Rob kicks off season three by sharing how being at a Major League Baseball game in Iowa caused him to pause and reconsider what it means to be present.

Links mentioned

Bill DeLisle Freelancing

Make sure to follow Rob on Instagram to keep updated.

Like this podcast? Consider leaving us a review here. Even a sentence helps a ton.

Rob Chagdes (Instagram: robchagdes) is a pastor, writer and host of The Farther Along Podcast. He has been married to Leslie since 1996. They live in Iowa with their three incredible daughters and energetic dog Jedi.

Show Notes

What Rob Talks About:

Each one of us is telling a story with our lives. Some of our stories are full of regret, pain, disappointment and more. During this final episode of season two, and a milestone episode number 20, Rob talks about what he’s been learning the past few years about changing your story.

Season three begins September 7. Make sure to follow Rob on instagram [link above] to keep updated.

Like this podcast? Consider leaving us a review here. Even a sentence helps a ton.

About Our Guest

Dr. Daniel Green has been a professor at Moody Theological Seminary in Chicago since 1998. He has a B.A. from Michigan State University, a Th.M. from Dallas Theological Seminary, and a D.Min. from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Prior to joining the Moody Graduate School faculty, Dan served in pastoral ministry for 17 years in two Central Illinois churches. Since coming to Moody, he has also served four churches as interim preaching pastor. His passions include preaching in local churches and teaching in the areas of homiletics, biblical theology and spiritual formation. Dan and his wife, Betsy, have three children.

Show Notes

What we discuss with Dr. Daniel Green

• What exactly is spiritual conflict / warfare.

• What believers need to know about spiritual warfare.
  • The role of Satan in this world

• Why God allows us to walk through spiritual conflict.

• Why it can be so difficult to resist sin as a believer.

• A breakdown of Ephesians chapter 6 and what it means to stand firm against the enemy.

• The role of God's Word in fighting against the enemies.

• Thoughts on the types of preaching in churches and the different factors to look for when you're searching for a church.

• The schemes of the enemy and how he uses them to deceive believers.
  • Materialism and how it can trip people up.
    • The Biblical view of materialism.

• A biblical perspective in climbing the corporate ladder and moving forward in a career.

• A biblical perspective on retirement.

• The importance of studying ourselves to stand firm in spiritual conflict.

• The reality of sexual sin in this world and how to fight against it.
  
  • Addictions and Grace by Gerald May.

• The first step in being able to win in spiritual conflict.

• Like this podcast? Consider leaving us a review here. Even a sentence helps a ton. 

About Our Guest

Dr. Bill Thrasher (B.S., Auburn University; Th.M., Th.D., Dallas Theological Seminary) has served on the faculty of Moody Bible Institute since 1980 and on the graduate school faculty since 1990, where he oversees the Master’s Program in Spiritual Formation and Discipleship. He is a frequent speaker in churches and retreats across the country. He has written numerous articles on a variety of subjects related to Christian living. His books include God as He Wants You to Know Him, Living the Life God has Planned, A Journey to Victorious Praying, Believing God for His Best, and Putting God Back into the Holidays published by Moody Publishers. He has also written How to be a Soul Physician, The Attributes of God in Pauline Theology, Experiencing the Pleasure of Believing God and Principles of Christian Living from Romans 5-8. He has written “Jonah” in the Moody Bible Commentary and has authored two online courses: Biblical Spiritual Formation and Biblical Spiritual Formation Lab 1. He is married to Penny and they have three sons: Will, Michael, and David. You can learn more on his website victoriouspraying.com.

Show Notes

What we discuss with Dr. Bill Thrasher

• Why prayer can be such a struggle

• The danger of reliance on our own efforts in prayer

• What a healthy perspective on prayer looks like

• How prayer can transform fear into faith
  • A Journey to Victorious Praying
• Avoiding prayer as going through the motions and approaching God with confidence
  • Echo Prayer App
• How temptations can be turned into prayer

• Praying to God as a Trinity

• Moving past self consciousness in prayer

• The role of God's Word (the Bible) in Prayer
  
  • George Mueller - Soul Nourishment
  • Answers to Prayer book

• The schemes of the enemy in keeping us from prayer

• Persevering in prayer when it's difficult

• One step to move forward in prayer today

• Like this podcast? Consider leaving us a review here. Even a sentence helps a ton. 

About Our Guests

Sarah Narbone is a daughter, a sister, a friend, a dog mom, a leader, and a dreamer who loves her life, trials and obstacles included. In her life she has seen how easily life can take a turn, and heard the lies of shame, regret, and pain try to yell louder than the truth that is God. By the grace of God, she has learned to identify when pain and shame are speaking, and God's Word is the only truth that gets a say in her identity and direction. Her vision is for the cross that Jesus Christ defeated to set kids free, allowing truth to cut and demolish all the ‘crap’ that kids so easily believe, resulting in a generation being set free from bondage.

Kaitlyn Garcia loves laughing, surfing, trying new things, and living each day as a gift from God. Her personal mission in life is to live with child-like faith and joy with a mature tongue full of wisdom, truth and grace. Kaitlyn has come a long way in her life. For the first year of college, she was completely mislead into what the world said the “good” and “fun” life looked like. Upon discovering that all that the world offered was nothing but emptiness and pain, Jesus came and set her FREE. Despite many mistakes and setbacks, she has embraced her freedom in Jesus Christ. With a sincere passion forr the lost and unsaved of this generation, she strives everyday to live for others to know the truth.

Connect with Sarah & Kaitlyn on Instagram @ yourbestfriendsfam or on their website yourbestfriends.org 

Show Notes

What we discuss with Sarah & Kaitlyn

• Their journey in ministry, and how God led them to join together to carry out a vision.

• How their friendship grew from first grade to where they are today.

• We talk about their YouTube channel that is reaching young people across the globe. 

• How friendship can be a mirror, and a great way for us to see ourselves more clearly.

• The non-negotiable of long term friendship.

• What humility looks like in enduring friendships.

• Bearing one another's burdens.

• Getting on the same page with a friend despite your differences.

• How enduring in friendship can help you with your marriage relationship, either now or in the future.

• Practical tips for enduring in friendship. 

• Like this podcast? Consider leaving us a review here. Even a sentence helps a ton. 

About Our Guest

When asked what punctuation best describes Megan Hutchinson's personality, there is no hesitation, “an exclamation!” In addition to being an energetic wife, she’s a proud mom of two teenage young men, an ordained full-time pastor, an author and national speaker. 

After earning her Masters from Fuller Seminary, Megan worked at a variety of churches, including Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, CA where she served for ten years. There she co-authored a curriculum (with Doug!) to help hurting kids, entitled Life Hurts God Heals, which God has used in thousands of churches. For the past five years, she has served as a pastor at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Newport Beach, CA. Her husband Adam is a hydro-geologist (try saying that 10x) who, after spending a year in Africa, is passionate to help villages unearth clean drinking water. Together, and with God’s help, they make a great team of two imperfect individuals. Connect with Megan on Instagram @meganhutch111 or on her website www.meganhutchinson.org

Show Notes

What we discuss with Megan Hutchinson

• The benefits and challenges of marriage.

• The reality of conflict in marriage.

• Megan's journey in marriage that includes calling off an engagement earlier in her life.

• What to do if you feel stuck in a pre-marriage relationship.

• How to talk to someone who is in a bad relationship.
  • SYMBIS Pre Marriage Assessment

• Important habits to develop early in your marriage.
  • The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work

• Walking through marriage once children come into the picture.
  • The Grownups Guide to Teenage Humans

• The need for relationships that replenish you and couples you can learn from.

• Working through emotional, physical, or spiritual baggage in a marriage relationship or even as a single person.
  • Secret Survivors - Real Life Stories to Give You Hope for Healing

• Advice for those who are walking through singleness.

• One practical marriage nugget to move forward with.

• Like this podcast? Consider leaving us a review here. Even a sentence helps a ton. 

Michelle Eblen (Instagram: michelleeeblen) is an entrepreneur, ministry leader and all around extrovert. She and her husband live in Iowa where they actively love and serve their community while pursuing opportunities to help others know Jesus. 

Show Notes

What we discuss with Michelle:

• What it means to pour into people, specifically from a Biblical perspective.

• The people who came alongside Michelle in her own life, and how that inspired Michelle to come alongside others.

• Extroverts vs. Introverts when it comes to pouring into others.

• How intentional someone needs to be when it comes to investing in others.

• The risks we face when we come alongside of others.

• The vulnerability and insecurities we face when it comes to pouring into people.

• The importance of our own perspective when we choose to come alongside another person in an intentional way.

• What to look for for in a person we want to pour into.

• • Faithful / Available / Teachable

• The different types of people we can reach out to allow ourselves to grow.

• What it looks like to respond to God in our own lives
  • Experiencing God by Blackaby and King

• Practical examples of how to intentionally come alongside another person to pour into them.

• Ways to determine what another person needs when you come alongside them.

• The importance in listening to God and how you might move forward with that in your own life.

• Boundaries, difficult conversations, and expectations within these relationships. 

• One step to take today so you can come alongside someone and pour into them with purpose.

• Like this podcast? Consider leaving us a review here. Even a sentence helps a ton. 

John Church is a long time licensed counselor, empathy trainer, and former pastor. His long track record of experiences include helping people through some of life's hardships such as relationships, parenting, work stress, anxiety and depression. John has extensive training in attachment therapy, trauma therapy and spiritual guidance / direction. When John isn't helping others, he spends his time with his family or in the great outdoors.

Show Notes

What we discuss with John Church

• The benefits of growing in the skill of empathy

• The difference between empathy and sympathy

• Whether we are born with empathy or need to learn it

• John's history with empathy

• What's the aim of empathy, the end goal of empathizing

• Why "fix it mode" isn't often helpful to others
  • Brené Brown video on empathy

• Examples of words and phrases you can use to practice empathy
  • Listen / Identify Entry Gates / Respond Empathetically

• Recognizing entry gates into someone's heart

• Practical examples of practicing empathy

• The art of good questions that will help get deeper into a person's heart

• Blind spots in our own lives when it comes to making connections with others

• How we can take a step today toward having deeper relationships through empathy

• Like this podcast? Consider leaving us a review here. Even a sentence helps a ton. 

Michelle Eblen (Instagram: michelleeblen)

Jonathan Nance: (Instagram: jnance12)

Michelle Eblen is an entrepreneur, ministry leader and all around extrovert. She and her husband live in Iowa where they actively love and serve their community while pursuing opportunities to help others know Jesus.

Jonathan Nance is a father of three energetic girls, a husband to an incredible teacher and writer, and a full-time worship pastor. He is an avid fisherman, a strategic thinker, and of the funniest people you will ever meet.

Show Notes

What we discuss in our Worship Roundtable

• What exactly is worship?
  • Check out The Air I Breathe by Louie Giglio

• A few songs that are personal to the roundtable
  • Sweetly Broken
  • How He Loves
  • Be Thou My Vision
  • It is Well
  • Come Thou Fount
  • Gracious Tempest

• How a person can worship God besides music

• What it means that we were created for worship

• When is it easy to worship vs. when it's difficult

• Why the roundtable believes God should be worshiped above anything else

• Practical steps to becoming a persistent worshiper

• Like this podcast? Consider leaving us a review here. Even a sentence helps a ton. 

Sarah Maddack (Instagram: sarahmaddack / TikTok: SarahMaddack)   

Sarah is a full-time professional "wholesome rapper" based in Nashville, TN.

She started blowing up on TikTok after a video of her rapping to a slug on her rug went viral in April-her first of many viral videos. Sarah had been a singer/songwriter for years, but didn’t realize she could rap until millions of strangers on the Internet affirmed it. As of 2021, she has amassed one million followers in less than a year.

She is known on TikTok for her ridiculous, mood lifting songs about ordinary, everyday things like slugs, kneesocks, or pineapple on pizza. All of her content is clean and family-friendly, i.e., why she calls herself a “wholesome rapper”. She runs her own business, "Gift Rapping", where she creates personalized raps for birthdays, anniversaries, or holidays.

Show Notes

What we discuss with Sarah Maddack

• Her journey with TikTok, silly songs, and raps that have evolved into a full-time career.

• What makes TikTok so unique as a social media platform.

• The risks she took before TikTok fame was even on the horizon, and why people should step out even when it's scary or awkward.

• What it means to not take yourself so seriously, and how she adapted that mindset (with an amazing story to go with it).

• How her faith and family have shaped who she is and influenced her journey.

• How her entrepreneurial journey has continued to unfold. 

• Her content, starting with Slug on a Rug which currently has 5.9 million views.

• Dreams for the future and the possibilities ahead. 

• A Sarah Maddack original rap about The Farther Along.

• Sarah’s wisdom and encouragement on pursuing what’s possible in our own lives.

• Like this podcast? Consider leaving us a review here. Even a sentence helps a ton. 

Chris Cannon (Instagram: the_wanderingaramean)  

Pastors and leaders are perhaps the most under-appreciated people in the world. Even the healthiest of pastors and leaders struggle with the pressures of ministry today. In fact, over 1,500 pastors will leave the ministry each month, and only one out of ten will actually retire as a pastor. Chris Cannon has a bunch of years under his belt as a youth pastor, executive pastor and lead pastor. He understands the dimensions and tensions of leading in the church context and knows the sweet joy of seeing lives transformed through ministry, as well as the pain caused by moral failure. He is a Pastor to pastors, a husband, father, grandfather, and leader at Homeword, located in Southern California.

Show Notes

What we discuss with Chris Cannon

• Why failure can feel fatal and how the "one strike and you're out" culture factors into that.

• The difference between rewarding effort vs. results.

• Chris' story walking through failure.

• The difference between failing and failure.

• Asking the difficult question of "what can say no to you?"

• How God sees failure and what the Bible says about it.
  • Standing Stone Ministry
  • Contact Chris Cannon 

• Helping someone who is failing but refusing help

• What it means to redeem failure.

• What to do if you find yourself hiding a private failure.

• Coming back from private failure.

• Resources for those struggling with failure
  • Richard Rohr, Failing Upward
  • Paul Tripp Resources

• The first steps toward being on the path of redemption and restoration.

• Like this podcast? Consider leaving us a review here. Even a sentence helps a ton. 

Rob Chagdes (Instagram: robchagdes) is a pastor, writer and host of The Farther Along Podcast. He has been married to Leslie since 1996. They live in Iowa with their three incredible daughters and energetic dog Jedi.

What Rob Discusses:

• The value of intentionally slowing down to ponder what God is doing

• Habakkuk 1:5, Matthew 6:33, Psalm 46:10

• A preview of season two, which drops June 1

• Having a vision makes the process worthwhile and focusing on the goal can help us persevere

• Sometimes we need to focus on the process because the vision seems so far away

• The value and challenges of self-care, which has been a theme in season one of the podcast
  • Andy Stanley - Pay Attention to the Tension

• The importance of giving away your creativity, and encouragement to take a risk

• How self-awareness can help us understand our hesitancy to pause

• Pausing to consider the influence you have on others

• Pausing to consider if you need to take a risk and chase a dream, calling, or passion

• Like this podcast? Please consider leaving a review here! 

Andrew Stanley (Instagram: andrewwstanley) (Twitter: AndrewWStanley ) Homeschooled preachers' kids with finance degrees don’t usually quit their Budget Analyst jobs that provide health insurance to be stand-up comedians, but Andrew Stanley didn't know that. He is now touring all over the country (as well as internationally) performing at clubs, festivals, fundraisers, churches, corporate events, bars with 4 people in them that "didn’t know there would be comedy tonight..." Andrew possesses a unique perspective that pairs well with his dry delivery and observational nature.   He was the winner of the 2017 Search for the South’s Funniest Accountant and in 2019, he was selected as a New Face of Comedy at Montreal’s prestigious Just For Laughs Comedy Festival.  Andrew's parents are still alive so he works clean.

Show Notes

What we discuss with Andrew Stanley:

• How Andrew pivoted from a corporate finance job to the world of stand up.

• How growing up as a pastor's kid and grand-kid influenced his pursuit of a comedy career.

• What his parents did right in helping Andrew chart his own path in life.

• The role of Andrew's faith in his journey into the world of stand up.

• How Andrew has grown from being around people who think differently from him.

• Some of the comics Andrew enjoys, and the role Jeff Foxworthy played in helping him get started in stand up.

• The impact of 2020 on Andrew's career, which followed his first year of full-time comedy.

• The role of social media and virtual events in seizing the opportunity to engage people with his comedy.

• Andrew's upcoming podcast "No Worries If Not." 

• Andrew's advice and encouragement to someone who wants to move forward in pursuing an unusual calling. 

• Like this podcast? Consider leaving us a review here. Even a sentence helps a ton.