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Vertical Pursuit exists to help you gain the elevation between where you are and where God destined you to be. We want to inspire you to create the space to live your best life every day.
In today's culture, men are defeated, isolated, beat down, and stereotyped. We also live in a time where men are hunting and hungry for the blueprint of what it means to be a man.
Imagine not living a life of shame or failure. A life of defeat, regret, or insignificance. A life of isolation, fear, and loneliness. Instead, we can live a life of power and purpose that will clarify our outlook, overcome our struggles, forge our relationships, and impact our world.
Vertical Pursuit podcast is about helping men find a place to be known, belong, and unlock their God-given potential. A place to move from the ordinary to the extraordinary!
As we focus on manhood primarily in this podcast, we believe we can empower men to embrace Jesus-formed masculinity in a way that inspires them to be the best husbands, fathers, friends, and leaders to those around them.
Mike Barrett, also known as "MB", is a former television play-by-play announcer for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association, the Portland Thunder of the Arena Football League, and the Portland Fire of the WNBA.
Mike Tatlock, also known as “Tats”, is an author, NBA chaplain for the Portland Trail Blazers, and Lead Pastor of Grace Chapel in Wilsonville, Oregon.
In today's culture, men are defeated, isolated, beat down, and stereotyped. We also live in a time where men are hunting and hungry for the blueprint of what it means to be a man.
Imagine not living a life of shame or failure. A life of defeat, regret, or insignificance. A life of isolation, fear, and loneliness. Instead, we can live a life of power and purpose that will clarify our outlook, overcome our struggles, forge our relationships, and impact our world.
Vertical Pursuit podcast is about helping men find a place to be known, belong, and unlock their God-given potential. A place to move from the ordinary to the extraordinary!
As we focus on manhood primarily in this podcast, we believe we can empower men to embrace Jesus-formed masculinity in a way that inspires them to be the best husbands, fathers, friends, and leaders to those around them.
Mike Barrett, also known as "MB", is a former television play-by-play announcer for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association, the Portland Thunder of the Arena Football League, and the Portland Fire of the WNBA.
Mike Tatlock, also known as “Tats”, is an author, NBA chaplain for the Portland Trail Blazers, and Lead Pastor of Grace Chapel in Wilsonville, Oregon.
95 Episodes
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What does it mean? What does the Bible say about it? When will it happen? Perhaps we should focus on readiness through faith, rather than specific dates. This episode takes a deep dive into the imminent return of Jesus.
We’re all prone to having our opinions, leanings, and even lives changed by the “hot take” of the day. These days, we only need to reach for the super computer in our pocket. There are also risks, especially when it comes to how view people, tragedy, and politics. We’ve just come through a major example of all of the above.
The assignation of Charlie Kirk has rocked the world, and in particular, the Christian world. He was an evangelist, who had a mission of leading young people to Jesus, and believed in open debate and discussion. As he often said, when dialogue ceases to exist, that’s when trouble comes. His murder has millions looking for comfort, answers, and seeking the Lord. What is the spirit of murder in our nation and how do we make sense of the spiritual battle we are in today?
We all struggle with negative thoughts, voices in our head and even poor self-talk. How do we sort it all out and recognize Gods voice in the noise. The guilt/shame crazy cycle can be so damaging. Remember this- no one talks to you more than you do, so start understanding how your thoughts toward yourself are a reflection of how you regard God.
This episode starts lightly, with a continued conversation about how men handle emotion, and then breaks into a discussion about yet another shooting targeting Christians, and the surprising response from some national leaders. What’s truly driving that? Is there a spiritual conspiracy behind evil violience?
Identity, inheritance, relationship, and understanding that you are a child of God, adopted into His family through faith in Christ, should be the lens by which we view our lives. We are co-heirs with Christ, even if that can be difficult to digest at times. How do we get that through our heads?
What did the recently-deceased Hulk Hogan have in common with Solomon in the Bible? They both had it all, and tested all of life’s offerings. Both figured out they were merely chasing the wind, and realized building a relationship with Jesus is how you become a true champion.
Whether we want to admit it or not, the Holy Spirit is mysterious to a lot of us. He is not a vague force, power, or energy, but is a distinct person, with attributes. Do you know that we have access to Him? And, yes, He is a valid recipient of prayer. We take a deep dive into the Holy Spirit in this episode.
When talking about challenging verses, especially in our culture, Psalm 46:10 takes the gold medal. “Be still, and know that I am God,” can even sound like an unachievable goal for many of us, especially in our culture. What does it truly mean to be still?
Ben is a leader, speaker, pastor to pastors, and hosts the podcast Rise and Lead, which is in the top 1% of podcasts in the world. To call him simply a “life coach” is an understatement. He has spoken to large corporations, and trained faith leaders, business heads, communities, groups, and couples, in over 20 countries.
In this episode we share the story of our brother Isaac, who has been illuminated in a way he couldn’t have predicted. It’s been painful, and miraculous at the same time. An accident has him feeling anointed and promoted, and we can all profit from his example and story.
What is the secret to navigating life’s trials, decisions and unmet expectations? How do we get clarity in the midst of lifes chaos and complexities? If you got everything exactly the way you wanted it, would you be happy? Or, would you immediately want more? Your suffering is not caused by things not going your way. Are we holding on to expectations of how we think things should always go? How do we break that? We can often be haunted by the deicsions we regret that keep paralyzed by fear and worry for the decisons in the now.
From profanity to pornography, we all know the dangers of giving in to habitual sin, and these days pornography is at the top of the list. Porn can be a bear trap for men, and turns into a neurochemical addiction. You start needing a quick fix to give you that escape. We call can agree that it is destructive. So, how do we get free?
Many of us have witnessed miraculous events, and even more of us are open to the idea of them happening. What should our reaction be to true “Jesus moments?" We dive into scripture to explore this subject and more.
Pastor Mike recaps a recent trip on NBA All-Star Weekend to the oldest prison in the United States, where some incarcerated men are actually discovering a freedom that is available to us all.
When God wants you to grow, he makes you uncomfortable. No pain, no gain, right? This is a fundamental teaching, but it’s easier said than done. How do we really reach the point where we are lacking nothing? It sure isn’t by being satisfied with always being comfortable.
The Bible tells us to spend time, and our lives, with people who share our same vision. But, where is the line? Aren’t we supposed to go make disciples, even among non-Christians? What about close friends, and even prospective spouses?
What do Biblical numbers mean, and what do we do with this topic? Also in this episode we wrestle with the idea of a wrath of God, and what that could look like in today’s world. Are natural disasters God's judgment today?
Could we actually be on the verge of coming out of a very cloudy time where the truth was suppressed, shaped, and controlled by a select few, and into a time where there is power in consensus, and that’s easier to access?
This episode is weird, hopefully in a good way. At times we make “going off on tangents” an art form, and this episode certainly falls under that heading. We start with the drone drama, and that took on to an off ramp of strangeness, viewed through a lens of faith, of course.
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