The Scattered Seeds Podcast

What qualities make a good leader? That’s the question at the center of today’s episode. John Stahl-Wert (not to be confused with the Pittsburgh Steeler) has spent the last few decades helping leaders of business, non-profits, and nations learn to be the best they can for their people. 

Join Tom, Nate and John as they follow his path from the Mennonite communities of Pennsylvania to the Marxist meetings in the 1970 in Washington DC, and then back to understanding what it takes to become a true servant leader after the model of Jesus himself.

And be sure to stay to the end of the episode for a brief word from our sponsors up in Grove City College.

Welcome back to the Scattered Seeds Podcast, where every life has a story. 

The 100th episode is a major milestone in the life of any show. And today we have been blessed to have reached that milestone! And in light of such a momentous occasion we decided to interview our very own Tom O’Boyle.

So join Tom, Nate and I as we discuss some of the key moments in Tom’s faith journey as well as the role adversity plays in Christian growth. And be sure to stay tuned to the end of the show for a word from our sponsors at Grove City College. 

Welcome back to the Scattered Seeds Podcast, the show where every life, has a story. 

We’ve had many interesting guests on our show over the last few years. We’ve had parents, children, doctors, missionaries, an Olympian and even Miss Pennsylvania. And today we are adding a congressman. 

Keith Rothfus served our nation as the U.S. Representative for Pennsylvania’s 12th congressional district. Today he joins Tom and Nate as they discuss the state of the United States Congress as well as the faith journey that brought Keith into that role. 

Welcome back to the Scattered Seeds Podcast, where every life, has a story.

Read the essay by Keith Rothfus On How to Fix Congress

Over the past few years we have had the privilege of sharing many stories on our show. Some were stories told by household names, others were about lives lived in quiet spaces. But today’s show is about a man that anyone who has followed our podcast from the beginning will be familiar with. Dr. Byron Bitar was a mentor of Pastor Nate’s when he was in undergrad. And Dr. Bitar was a witness to the world in his life and continues to be so in his death. 

Today we had the honor to have Byron’s wife Gail, and their son Brandon as guest on the show. So join Tom, Nate, Gail and Brandon as they discuss Byron Bitar’s life, death and legacy. 

Welcome back to The Scattered Seeds Podcast where every life has a story. 

Adoption is a contentious topic in the world today. And for this episode we have the privilege of sharing a story about a child of adoption, who grew up to be a pastor with a unique view on the doctrine of adoption. 

Kevin Haley has been a United Methodist pastor for more than 40 years. He’s a father, husband, Grove City College graduate, and the son of both a loving pair of adoptive parents, and a 17-year-old woman who was brave enough to have him and put him up for adoption. 

Join Tom, Kevin and Kate as we discuss his life, faith and journey through discovering what adoption means in both the physical and spiritual realms. Welcome back to the Scattered Seeds Podcast, where every life has a story. 

Grove City College has been our generous sponsor for four years. And in turn, we support their mission in offering its students a Christian liberal arts education – and continuing its preeminent position as place where faith and freedom matter. Listen for more information from Grove City at the close of today’s show.

The death of a loved one, and the grief that comes with it, is hard for the human heart to bear. It isn’t something we were created to endure, but in our fallen world it is a universal experience. For today’s guest, Victor Lee Austin, it was the death of Susan, his wife that put him on the path of having to come to grips with grief.

So join Tom, Nate and Victor as they talk about love, friendship, loss, grieving and healing. And how to still say Blessed is the name of the Lord at the end of it all. Welcome back to The Scattered Seeds Podcast, where every life has a story. 

It takes a leap of faith to start your own company, especially one that offers parents a Christian alternative to the content offered by the current culture. But Erick Goss, CEO and Co-Founder of Minno, the Christian Children’s Streaming Service, knows about leaps of faith. 

Join Tom, Nate and Erick as they explore his adventures in faith from the Navy to corporate America and beyond. Welcome back to the Scattered Seeds Podcast, where every life has a story.

Ancient Artifacts, archaeological digs, and a college professor, put together, that sounds like something straight out of Hollywood. And today’s guest, Dr. Mark Graham is remarkable. He teaches in the history department at Grove City College, has worked multiple summers in digs at Carthage, Tunisia and Sardinia, Italy, and he has told us that he doesn’t own a fedora.

So join Tom, Nate and Dr. Graham as they explore his faith journey from a fighting fundamentalist to a reformed presbyterian and how he found himself in the world of antiquities and archeology.

Welcome back to the Scattered Seeds Podcast, where every life has a story. 

What do football and faith have in common? According to today’s guest, quite a lot. Jon Kolb played for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1969 to 1981 as Terry Bradshaw’s left side tackle. He was on the field for the Immaculate Reception, competed in two strongman competitions  and has four Superbowl rings with the 1970’s Steelers. Now Jon works with people recovering from injuries and illness and provides physical therapy when Insurance wont.

So Join Tom, Nate and Jon as they explore his journey through faith, football and what strength means to a Christian. Welcome back to the Scattered Seeds Podcast, where every life, has a story.

You can find Adventures in Training with a Purpose at https://www.adventurestraining.org

We live in an interesting moment in time, as today’s guest states, ours is a world post Christendom and we have to learn how to navigate it. But take courage, because the Lord is still on the Throne and the early church faced similar political pressure and thrived. 

David VanDrunen is a professor at Westminster Seminary in California. He is the author of books such as “Living in God’s Two Kingdoms”, “God’s Glory Alone, the Majestic Heart of Christian Faith and Life” and his most recent book “Politics after Christendom: Political Theology in a fractured World. 

Dr. VanDrunen was also the guest speaker for our annual Scattered Seeds Symposium, and as an added treat, this show is also broadcast in a video format.

So join Tom, Nate and David as they discuss his faith, his books and what it means to be a Christian in today’s world. Welcome back to the Scattered Seeds Podcast, where every life has a story.

Numinous. It’s a word we’ve used on this show many times. It means being filled with a sense of the divine. And what can be more numinous than a life touched by the Lord. 

Today’s guest is Todd Loizes, a graphic designer by trade, but a follower of Christ by lifestyle. And anyone who has spent any amount of time with Todd can recognize the peace and joy of a divinely touched life. So join Tom, Nate and Todd as they unravel a tale of finding the Lord and staying on his paths. Welcome back to the Scattered Seeds Podcast, where every life, has a story. 

It would be a drastic change going from working as a vice president of a college to a janitor sweeping floors. But sometimes the Lord has to remove our ambitions so we can instead follow His path for us.  And when he does, it’s only the beginning of the story. 

Today’s guest is David Silk, currently a chaplain serving in a hospice role, formerly a college vice president and chief operating officer, a manager at Promise Camp, and yes, a janitor.  He learned the joy that comes through submission. 

So join Nate, Tom and Dave as we explore his faith journey and what it really means to die to one’s self, take up your cross and follow Jesus, no matter what he requires of you. 

Welcome back to The Scattered Seeds Podcast, where every life has a story.

How do we determine the value of a life? We talk about how all lives are valuable, but by which scale do we measure once a child comes into the world? Do we view them by what they can do, what they can become, or produce, or do we view them through God’s eyes. These are questions that come forward in today’s episode as Tom Kneier talks about his son, who was born with Down Syndrome. It isn’t a story of accomplishment, and it isn’t a tragedy. It’s a story of the extraordinary.

So join Tom, Nate and Tom as they discuss the extraordinary ordinary. 

Welcome back to the scattered seeds podcasts, where every life has a story.

You can visit Tommy's Blog at WhenTimeStandsStill.net

In a world that seems to be falling apart, where friendships are a brittle as glass and can shatter if one side of the relationship makes the mistake of sharing an opposing political view, it’s important to understand the value of Christian relationships. Which is the main theme of today’s interview. Dr. Kyle Bennett is a philosopher, and an educator who has taught at the university level for many years. Now he is taking his passion for Christian formation and his experience in education in a new direction; by opening a Christian Academy here at Beverly Heights. So join Tom, Nate and Kyle as they explore Kyle’s faith journey, and the path that lead him to this new adventure. Welcome back to the scattered seeds podcast.

From A shipwreck in shark infested waters, to a trip to heaven, today’s guest knows good stories. After all, Lynn Vincent as co-written 4 books on the New York times best sellers list. But today the story we are interested in sharing is Lynn’s. And with a tale that includes a rocky childhood with periods of homelessness, a stint in the Navy, and a unique conversion Lynn has quite the story to tell. So join Tom, Nate and Lynn as they explore her faith journey and how she caught lightning in a bottle four times. Welcome back to the scattered seeds podcast, where every life, has a story.

Rarely on our show have we had a guest as well connected to Pittsburgh’s pastoral and ministerial structure as John Guest. John has had a hand in founding ministries across Pennsylvania and at 86 still has as much passion for the Lord and for evangelism as he did the day he was saved at a Billy Graham crusade. So join Tom, Nate and John for this week’s episode.Welcome back to the Scattered Seeds Podcast, where every life has a story.

There is a particular kind of pain involved in watching your child suffer. But it’s a remarkable story when that pain is transformed into a ministry to help others in the same situation. That’s the kind of story our guests Richie and Regan Reeder told us today. So join Tom, Nate, Richie and Regan as they discuss their faith journey to find the purpose of their pain as they walked with their youngest daughter Myka through illness, treatment and how God turned their experience into a ministry. Welcome back to the scattered seeds podcast, where every life, has a story. You can find Richie and Regan's ministry at pressingon.org.

How does one handle the loss of a loved one? The loss of two? Or three? How do you keep going after tragedy knocks you down? Today’s guest will tell you that you do so by trusting the Lord. Justine Campanga is a talented young woman with a loving husband and a beautiful little girl. But Justine’s story is one that brings the book of Job to mind. She has faced loss after loss, but still she says that God is good. Join Tom, Nate and Justine as they follow her Faith journey from a household that didn’t believe in God, to the strength of conviction she shows today. Welcome back to the scattered seeds podcast. Where every life has a story.

The path to Hollywood isn’t one we usually cover on our show. But rarely is the path to Hollywood so full of evidence of God’s hand on someone’s life as it is in the story of Byrne Offutt. Burn is a native Arkansan who’s journey took him to the stage and screen before recently bringing him here to Pittsburgh. His is a story of trusting in the Lord for the path, and recognizing the moments that God intervened along the way. So join Tom, Nate and Byrne as they tell you about his journey. Welcome back to the Scattered Seeds Podcast, where Every Life Has a Story.

It took years for the first of the Prai people to come to the Lord, and the growth was slow. But if you ask today’s guests if they would change anything they had done, they would tell you no. The Jordan’s have no regrets in the life the Lord has called them to. Decades in Thailand among the Prai people has seen hundreds of people added to that first believer. So join, Tom, Nate, Dave and Fran as they discuss a journey of faith that spans decades and the globe. Welcome back to the Scattered Seeds Podcast, where every life, has a story.