Coastline Covenant Podcast

Richelle joins the podcast to call out Hunter and Michael and to also talk about wedding planning, children’s ministry, and the role of art in faith. She and Hunter also dive into one of the most compelling stories in the Old Testament: the parting of the Red Sea. In between all of the theological questions (who is the Destroyer?) and the spiritual insight, Richelle talks about the story of her mom’s baptism and how it connects with the main points of the Exodus narrative. This is a great moment on the podcast and we really help you listen and enjoy!For the next episode, make sure you have read Exodus 19:1-25, 20:1-24, 32:1-35, 33:1-23.As always: don't forget to leave a voice memo⁠⁠⁠⁠ right here ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠or email Hunter at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠hbabcock@coastline.family⁠⁠⁠.

We're breaking the format a bit this week to give you a breather! These will come up sporadically this year, and they're meant to be weeks for you to listen, reflect, and catch up. Hunter recaps where we've been, talks about the Plagues against Egypt, and gives us challenges to consider this week.For the next episode, make sure you have read Exodus 12:1-40, 13:17-14:29, 15:1-21.As always: don't forget to leave a voice memo⁠⁠⁠ right here ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠or email Hunter at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠hbabcock@coastline.family⁠⁠.

We’ve made it to our second book: Exodus! Hunter and Nikki commemorate this momentous occasion by reading Letterboxd reviews of The Prince of Egypt. But that’s not all! They talk about the revelatory nature of Exodus, the women in the beginning of the story,  the importance of God’s name, and the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart. Some new themes emerge: fear, God’s character, God’s closeness to his people, the search for identity, freedom, and the speed at which the Israelite women give birth. For the next episode, make sure you have read Exodus 7:14-11:9.As always: don't forget to leave a voice memo⁠⁠ right here ⁠⁠⁠⁠or email Hunter at ⁠⁠⁠⁠hbabcock@coastline.family⁠.

Shawn helps Hunter close out the book of Genesis by focusing on Joseph. They begin the conversation talking about dreams and their role both in the Bible and the church today, God’s consistent faithfulness, how a little bit of bullying would have gone a long way with Joseph, and how the story of Genesis finds its resolution in Joseph’s humanity. Humanity is actually a big theme in this episode, especially in the way that being human means having a choice to either hurt others out of your own hurts or to break cycles of pain by choosing grace. This is a beautiful theme that really comes into play as we end Genesis.But this is Shawn and Hunter on a podcast. Of course they don’t just talk about Jospeh. They talk about Ruben Studdard, Carl Jung, how we’re all like our dads, and rabbinic interpretations of minor Biblical characters. Who do YOU Think should’ve won American Idol in 2003?For the next episode, make sure you have read Exodus 1-5 6:1-12, 6:28-7:7.Remember: if you have any questions about Genesis, don't forget to leave a voice memo⁠ right here ⁠⁠⁠or email Hunter at ⁠⁠⁠hbabcock@coastline.family.

Garrick joins “Our Story” to talk about a strange story in the middle of Genesis: Jacob and Esau. Hunter and Garrick reflect on their emotional responses to these two brothers while also discussing the deeper elements that help the point of story still preach, today. There’s also a great conversation about the value of refining the center of your theology while also engaging with differing viewpoints, God’s working in our failure, and how Jacob and Esau are a lot more relatable than we think. Come for the theology, stay for the stories about getting punched in the face, Jesus as a trickster, and Garrick’s wrestling name and his signature move.For the next episode, make sure you have read Genesis 37, 39-45, 50:15-21. If you have any questions about Genesis, don't forget to leave a voice memo right here ⁠⁠or email Hunter at ⁠⁠hbabcock@coastline.family

Happy February! Hunter and Michael continue Our Story by talking about Sodom, Gomorrah, Abraham, and Isaac. These passages are consistently thought of as problematic and controversial, but that does not mean that they’re not worth reading. In fact, Michael and Hunter land on the idea that these passages help us understand faith, hospitality, and God’s character. They also discuss negotiating with God, asking God big questions, and how God is seemingly open to feedback.For the next episode, make sure you have read Genesis 25:19-34, 27, 28:10-22, and 32. And as always, if you want to leave a voice memo with any questions, comments, or reflections, you can do that⁠ right here ⁠or email Hunter at ⁠hbabcock@coastline.family⁠ 

The story of Genesis expands with the introduction of God’s promise to Abram. Shawn and Hunter unpack the themes of that story and where we see them re-emerge throughout the Bible. They talk about Abram’s quick “yes” that leads to God doing “almost everything” on Abram’s behalf, the normalcy of the struggles in the lives of Biblical “heroes”, the definition of the word “covenant”, and the ways in which God shows his faithfulness and commitment no matter what. Shawn also goes really deep about Ugaritic texts, obscure Marvel Characters, and what the fans of this podcast should call themselves. For the next episode, make sure you have read Genesis 12:1-9; 15; 17, and Galatians 3:6-9. And as always, if you want to leave a voice memo with any questions, comments, or reflections, you can do that right here or email Hunter at hbabcock@coastline.family

Nikki joins Our Story to talk about Genesis 3 provides the paradigm of see, desire, take provides an understanding sin throughout the whole Bible. Hunter and Nikki discuss the unexpected ways that they’ve seen this paradigm contribute todamage in their own lives and in the lives of those in our Bible. They talk about how Genesis 3 is darker, trippier, and frankly more devastating than we give it credit for, how nothing in creation is left untouched because of death, how land factors into Cain’s decision to murder his brother, the gift of life thatJesus gives us, and the role that honesty plays in our sin. Hunter and Nikki also discuss optometry, the “Eden” name of the fruit in Genesis 3, and some sad stuff.For the next episode, make sure you have read Genesis12:1-9; 15; 17, and Galatians 3:6-9. And as always, if you want to leave a voice memo with any questions, comments, or reflections, you can do that right here or email Hunter at hbabcock@coastline.family

Hunter sits down with Dr. Jeannine Hanger to talk about our first big theme: creation. To really think of this thematically, they look at some of the way that John “covers” Genesis 1 by using a “cosmological hue” to talk about the upcoming work of Jesus. Dr. Hanger also unpacks the definition of logos to show the religious and empirical truth that both John and the author of Genesis They also talk about Dr. Hanger’s incredibly unique (and creative!) fashion ideas from her youth, the Nicole Kidman AMC Intro video, and running in the rain.Make sure that you read Genesis 3-4; Romans 5:12-21; Psalm 51 for next week!And as always, if you want to leave a voice memo with any questions, comments, or reflections, you can do that ⁠right here⁠ or email Hunter at ⁠hbabcock@coastline.family

On January 11th, Shawn and Garrick provided some exciting news about a potential church building that Coastline can call home. They shared a ton of information at a town hall meeting after church. We know that many weren't able to attend, so they decided to jump on the podcast to share what was shared at the meeting: why this building seems promising, what obstacles are on the horizon, how you can pray with us, and more!This process is long and uncertain, but we want to be transparent, so if you have any questions or thoughts after this episode, please reach out to Shawn or Garrick!

For the first episode in our yearlong series Our Story: The Bible Together, Hunter sits down with Family Theologian Andrew Faris to talk about the story of the Bible by tracing individual themes across Scripture towards the main point of the Bible: Jesus. Andrew also provides some helpful information about what the Bible actually is, how we got the Bible, and why you can trust the Bible. They also discuss their favorite stories, sparkling water, and New Year’s Resolutions. For the next episode, make sure you have read Genesis 1-2,Psalm 8, John 1:1-5, and Colossians 1:15-20! And as always, if you want to leave a voice memo with any questions, comments, or reflections, you can do that right here or email Hunter at hbabcock@coastline.family

Merry Christmas! As a gift to you, Hunter and Nikki sat down to talk about the new Knives Out mystery, Wake Up Dead Man. Beyond just being a fun movie, this film contains some really interesting and beautiful ideas about following Jesus, which is why we thought it'd be fun to talk about it! Warning: we spoil Knives Out, Arrival, and a lot of other stuff :)

We're changing everything! Take a listen to hear why we're shifting gears and how you can be involved! We're SO excited and we hope that you join us in this journey! coastlinecovenant.com/podcast

All 6 of the Coastline Staff Members talk about what they’rethankful for, God’s generosity in their lives, and their favorite parts about Thanksgiving. But don’t worry, they also discuss things like answered prayers, makeup, the Old Testament, Thanksgiving pet peeves, what a Coastline Parade Float would look like, and who could take Luke in a fight (and who Luke thinks he could take in a fight). Thanks for listening!

All 6 of us are hopping on the podcast next week, and we thought it'd be fun to answer some listener questions. Email any and all questions, comments, and/or concerns to hbabcock@coastline.family! Thanks!

Shawn and Hunter talk about Coastline's newest sermon series, Give Thanks. But they also talk about a gazillion other things, as is customary with these two.

Hunter interviews Kevin Weiner, who is the Director of Missions and Mercy at Reality Los Angeles for our final episode in our Imperfect Line series. They discuss pickle ball, collegiate soccer, and the nature of podcasts. However, more importantly, they discuss Kevin's journey from Mira Costa student to UCLA goalie to being on staff at a "cool" church. Then, they talk about the risky nature of mercy, the importance of intimacy before ministry, and how being an effective witness for the kingdom in any circumstance is the nature of missions.Obviously, this conversation was a blast, and we hope you enjoy it!

What do you think about the youth of America? They're on the phones too much? They're annoying? They are isolated? Lonely? Not religious anymore?Hunter set out to ask some students at Coastline Youth that very question: what do you think adults think about you, and where are they right? What followed were several conversations that ended up becoming a really special episode of the Coastline Covenant Podcast.

Hunter chats with Lorrie Tom about how the universality of creativity. They discuss why creativity is important, the false dichotomy between being "creative" or "analytical", artists they respond to, radical authenticity, and Harry Styles!

Sometimes, things don't line up! We'll be back next week with a new episode.