Strength to Strength

Two brothers who were closely connected to Pablo joined S2S Books for a conversation about his life, ministry and books. As you will hear, Pablo lived his life to the fullest and many were brought to the faith through his life, however, even with his passing, it can be said as the Hebrew writer said of Abel, “he being dead still speaks.” May God be gloried through this conversation.Pablo Yoder has dedicated his life to the furtherance of the kingdom of God. For the past twenty-seven years, he has worked among the Nicaraguan people to bring a message of Jesus’ love.He has been the author of numerous books, a testament to his wide expertise and passions. His books range from his love of nature such as “The Work of Thy Fingers,” biographical sketches such as “Unconditional Surrender,” to devotionals such as “Footsteps of Christ.”On August 15, 2022, he was diagnosed with stage-four kidney cancer, and passed away on October 14, 2022. His latest work, “Soul Food,” was published in 2025.This interview is with Pablo’s brother, Mark Yoder, and Duane Nisly, Pablo’s brother-in-law and co-laborer in the Gospel in the churches in Nicaragua and Costa Rico.https://strengthtostrength.org/soul-food/

November 22, 2025Strength to Strength Sisters welcomed Janelle Glick & Karen Peachey on this off-schedule meeting to join a panel discussion on breaking addictions.An interactive question-and-answer period follows.https://strengthtostrength.org/a-hope-filled-conversation-on-addictions/

November 22, 2025 Strength to Strength welcomed Micah Hozen to share about the relationship of earthly politics and the kingdom of God.Christianity and politics, exploring whether Christians should engage in politics and voting. Jesus’ words, “My kingdom is not of this world,” form the theological foundation for this discussion. In what ways is the Kingdom of God fundamentally different from worldly governments?Professing Christians profess that their political involvement is an expression of their Christianity, like Shane Claiborne on the Left and Charlie Kirk on the Right. But is this according to the Historic Christian Faith? This talk looks at the Jesus Way regarding voting and political involvement.An interactive question-and-answer period follows.More info here: https://strengthtostrength.org/christians-and-politics-charlie-kirk-shane-claiborne-or-jesus/

Strength to Strength welcomes Dean Taylor for another episode on the Radical Reformation.In this episode of Strength to Strength, Dean Taylor revisits the Radical Reformation through the lens of the sacraments—Baptism and Communion—and challenges many of our modern assumptions about them. Too often, he argues, the early Anabaptists are dismissed as anti-sacramental. In reality, their vision was profoundly sacramental—rooted in a realized Incarnational real presence that placed Christ Himself, not stopping with mere ceremony or institution.Drawing from both the Early Church and the Radical Reformers, Dean explores how this Incarnational presence was meant to be embodied in a people who looked like Jesus—not ending in dogmatic definitions or legalistic systems, but in the lived result of putting the teachings of Jesus into embodied practice on the earth. When that living presence fades, he warns, Christianity drifts into abstraction—devout in language, but detached from life. Such a faith, he argues, remains at least partly Gnostic until the real presence of Christ is manifested in a tangible way within the body. History bears witness to the tragic outcome: a faith adorned with piety yet emptied of compassion, capable of sanctifying violence and uniting church and state in complete contradistinction to the teachings of Christ.Dean does not claim the Anabaptists had the last word on sacramental theology. He acknowledges that each Christian tradition contributes valuable insights and encourages believers to learn from one another outside of sectarian lines. Yet he contends that the divisions of the Reformation often obscured something vital: a living theology of the Incarnation.An interactive question-and-answer period follows.https://strengthtostrength.org/sacred-roots-the-anabaptists-the-sacraments-and-the-words-of-jesus/

November 1, 2025Strength to Strength Sisters welcomed Crystal Johnson and Alyssa Wray to help us rediscover the vital role of sisters in the Christian community.What are the roles and responsibilities of sisters in Christian community? Because women in many of our churches are not preaching at the Sunday gathering and are not in main leadership roles, it may feel as if their contributions are not as valuable or even necessary. But, is this truly the case? Women in the New Testament and throughout history have served vital roles in the Christian community. Alyssa and Crystal, two women living in community together, will be exploring some of the ways women can serve their churches and communities through activities like hospitality, prayer, discipleship, and acts of service which are all rooted in Christ’s own life of service here on earth.https://strengthtostrength.org/the-sisters-role-in-intentional-church-life/

October 25, 2025Strength to Strength hosts periodic Talks to spotlight Kingdom initiatives that can be an inspiration to others in the greater community of Jesus’ followers.Strength to Strength welcomed four brothers to share about initiatives that they are involved in.The unsung heroes of Jesus’ kingdom are the faithful disciples who serve their Lord without fanfare or applause.Whether you are a warrior in secret prayer, a widow who casts in the last two mites, or a worker advancing the bleeding edge of the kingdom, you can rest assured that deeds of service do not escape the eye of our benevolent King.An interactive question-and-answer period follows.“Where your talents and the needs of the world cross, there lies your vocation.”-Aristotlehttps://strengthtostrength.org/walk-the-talk-8/

October 11, 2025Strength to Strength welcomed Dean Taylor for a conversation on the Radical Reformation—that fascinating yet often misunderstood period that followed the medieval and magisterial reformations.Historians have sometimes described it as “the left wing of the Reformation,” suggesting that its participants, especially the Anabaptists, were radicals who discarded all tradition in pursuit of spiritual purity.But that’s not quite right. The irony of the so-called “Radical Reformation” is that its most enduring voices from the Anabaptists were precisely those who refused to throw everything away. Admittedly, there was great diversity among the movements of the sixteenth century—among Catholics, Magisterial Reformers, and Anabaptists alike. Yet those who survived and continued—whose faith communities we still recognize today—did so because they preserved what was ancient, true, and enduring.Now that said, the early Anabaptists did indeed call for a radical return to the early church. Their reform was not a revolution of rejection but a restoration of essence—a re-centering of Christian life upon Christ Himself. In an age of upheaval, they offered something desperately needed: a return to the simplicity of apostolic faith, a community shaped by obedience and love rather than by coercion or power.Dean will conclude that this balance—a kind of catholic spirit in the best sense of the word, coupled with genuine solidarity with the Anabaptist witness—is essential if we are to represent a faithful, enduring testimony in our own century.An interactive question-and-answer period follows.https://strengthtostrength.org/sacred-roots-the-radical-reformation-a-model-for-our-time/

October 14, 2025Well of Life invites Strength to Strength listeners to join them as they host Matthew Milioni to discuss the American political landscape from a radically Christian perspective.As the United States continues to divide into increasingly polarized factions, there is a war raging to control the identity and meaning of words like: God, Nation, Christian, Freedom, and even Good and Evil.How can we find our way to live out our values and identity without reinforcing and taking part in the polarization and division that threatens to rip our whole social structure apart?Join us for a talk on these important issues with Matthew Milioni.https://strengthtostrength.org/two-nations-under-god/

October 11, 2025Strength to Strength welcomed Dean Taylor for a conversation on the Radical Reformation—that fascinating yet often misunderstood period that followed the medieval and magisterial reformations.Historians have sometimes described it as “the left wing of the Reformation,” suggesting that its participants, especially the Anabaptists, were radicals who discarded all tradition in pursuit of spiritual purity.But that’s not quite right. The irony of the so-called “Radical Reformation” is that its most enduring voices from the Anabaptists were precisely those who refused to throw everything away. Admittedly, there was great diversity among the movements of the sixteenth century—among Catholics, Magisterial Reformers, and Anabaptists alike. Yet those who survived and continued—whose faith communities we still recognize today—did so because they preserved what was ancient, true, and enduring.Now that said, the early Anabaptists did indeed call for a radical return to the early church. Their reform was not a revolution of rejection but a restoration of essence—a re-centering of Christian life upon Christ Himself. In an age of upheaval, they offered something desperately needed: a return to the simplicity of apostolic faith, a community shaped by obedience and love rather than by coercion or power.Dean will conclude that this balance—a kind of catholic spirit in the best sense of the word, coupled with genuine solidarity with the Anabaptist witness—is essential if we are to represent a faithful, enduring testimony in our own century.An interactive question-and-answer period follows.https://strengthtostrength.org/sacred-roots-the-radical-reformation-a-model-for-our-time/

October 4, 2025Strength to Strength Sisters welcomed Christina Baer to discuss a common, but underappreciated, phrase from the Bible.Scripture says that our bodies are temples and the Spirit of God dwells in us. This phrase can get tossed around quite a bit, but what does it mean for us Christian women? How should we conduct ourselves inwardly, outwardly and spiritually?Please join us as I discuss what it means to live our lives as temples of the Holy Spirit.An interactive question-and-answer period follows.https://strengthtostrength.org/for-we-are-temples/

Strength to Strength Sisters welcomed Sarah Knapp to share her testimony.Sarah’s deepest longing, and life’s ultimate aim, is to honor God and live intentionally for the advancement of His kingdom. Sarah doesn’t offer her story as a model of perfection, but hopes that in sharing some of her journey – both strengths and failures, we can be drawn closer to Christ.Some consistent themes in Sarah’s walk with the Lord are how to use her time wisely, how to truly seek first the kingdom in daily life, what it means to sacrifice for Christ, how to stay open to God’s refining work-even when it means rerouting her life. Sarah longs to walk faithfully and be as effective as she can be for Him.An interactive question-and-answer period follows.

Salt & Light is a Bible-based financial teaching course to help you demonstrate God’s kingdom locally. It helps you discover how to become better stewards of God’s resources and actively engage with your local community, church, and youth.SALT reaches out globally to people in material poverty in dozens of countries through savings groups, agricultural development, microloans, and vocational training. We foster hope and opportunity to people in communities where life seems hopeless.The Salt & Light course provides Biblical stewardship teaching and endeavors to bring this same hope to our North American communities. The course is designed with four “Tracks” tailored for investing in our own churches as well as for reaching out to others. Many Anabaptist communities have been blessed for generations with godly homes and biblical teaching. The overarching goal of the Salt & Light course is to provide a tool to help “Kingdom Christians” walk with their neighbors, coworkers, employees, and others, demonstrating Christ while providing sustainable, long-term way-of-life help.contact@saltbooks.orghttps://saltbooks.org/

Strength to Strength Sisters welcomed Susan Schlabach to answer the question: How do we become women who make wise choices in the marketplace of life?Eve showed us that as women we are vulnerable to the voices out there. What happened at Eden also shows that even when we lack discernment, we have influence.To know truth is to be attentive to God. This search is not so much the pursuit of an idea, but of intimacy with a Person. We are no more discerning than we are lovers of God.In this talk we will explore how attainable discernment is. What does this search require from us? What are some ideas for building a life of discernment?An interactive question-and-answer period follows.

July 26, 2025Strength to Strength welcomed a group of four panelists to answer your hardest questions on church history.This Q&A is not limited to specific topics discussed in our Sacred Roots series, but is limited to questions of church history in the first 1500 years.During this Talk, David Anderson was asked for recommended reading for non-scholars who wish to get into the early church. His compilation is found on our website at the link below:https://strengthtostrength.org/sacred-roots-panel-1-q-a/

July 12, 2025Strength to Strength welcomed Stephen Russell to discuss the events and background that led up to the Reformation.The Reformation was an earthquake preceded by a thousand tremors. In this Talk, we will now look at numerous factors which were significant in setting the stage for the Protestant Reformation (1517–1648). First we will look at a number of people and events, roughly chronologically, which destabilized the Medieval world view. After that we will consider a number of reformers who predated the actual Reformation.An interactive question-and-answer period follows.https://strengthtostrength.org/sacred-roots-setting-the-stage-for-the-reformation/

Strength to Strength Sisters welcomed Carol Nisly to share about cultivating meaningful personal Bible Study."He to whom the Eternal Word speaketh is delivered from a multitude of opinions." —Thomas à KempisI find there is no shortage of opinions on most any topic under the sun, and many of them leave me anxious. With Simon Peter, I say, “Lord, You have the words of life.”While the amount of time spent in personal, quiet Bible study varies with the seasons of a woman’s life, I believe it is always possible to meditate on and to internalize its truths. What are some keys to regular, nourishing, and satisfying Bible study? What keeps us from studying? What tools have others found helpful? Is there a difference between having devotions and being devoted?I hope you will join me in discussion about how to cultivate this important habit and to be delivered from the opinions of men, including our own.An interactive question-and-answer period follows.https://strengthtostrength.org/personal-bible-study/

June 28, 2025Strength to Strength welcomed Philip Hess to discuss the canonization of the New Testament.Christians believe that the New Testament is not only a trustworthy record of historical events in the first first century but the inspired revelation of God’s Son and his new covenant with mankind. But how did we get the New Testament? How do we know that it is inspired? How do we know that we have the collection of inspired writings that God wanted us to have? Join us as we discuss these and other questions related to the canonization of the New Testament.An interactive question-and-answer period follows.https://strengthtostrength.org/sacred-roots-canonization-of-the-new-testament/

Strength to Strength welcomed David Anderson for a discussion of what monasticism contributes to a holistic and healthy life.In its best form, monasticism was a form of resistance: not just against compromise in the church, but against hurry, distraction, and disordered desire in the soul.This episode explores the history of monasticism and what it offers today: not escape, but attention; not performance, but formation. Through rhythm, prayer, and ordered love, monks sought to become fully alive to God. In this episode, we will explore how their wisdom still speaks to our distracted and restless age.An interactive question-and-answer period follows.

Strength to Strength Sisters welcomed four homeschooling mothers to share about their experience in their children’s formal education.Can we effectively disciple our children through homeschooling? Join four experienced homeschooling moms for an interactive discussion on topics like academics, sustainability, structure and resources. There will be a time for you to share your questions. Come prepared to be inspired while gaining practical insights and encouragement for your journey.An interactive question-and-answer period follows.

May 24, 2025Strength to Strength welcomed David Anderson to discuss the nature of the church.What kind of community did Jesus intend the church to be? Is it a place for the pure or the penitent – a gathering of the saints or a hospital for sinners? These questions are just as much alive for us today as they were in the time of the apostles. Join us as we explore how the Church has wrestled with these problems in the past and how we can engage with them today.An interactive question-and-answer period follows.https://strengthtostrength.org/sacred-roots-nature-of-church-assembly-of-saints-hospital-for-sinners/