SHOOT THE BREEZE (Podcast)

Bible School Edition - Nathan and Pastor Scott explore how our earthly experiences — especially with fathers — shape our view of God as Father. They discuss the Trinity, God’s relational nature, and how healing reorients our hearts to see Him as He truly is. — EPISODE CHAPTERS — (00:00) Wrestling With Our View of God The episode opens with how our view of God is often shaped by early influences, especially parental examples, leaving distortions that need healing. (24:31) The Trinity and Our Identity Nathan and Scott explain how the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit reveal God’s relational nature and empower our identity, moving beyond shallow analogies into deeper theological truth. (47:22) God the Father’s Relational Heart This section highlights God as Father, emphasizing His generosity and constancy while challenging listeners to confront how childhood experiences shaped their view of Him. (1:19:31) Activation Steps: The episode ends with reflection and activation, inviting listeners to identify distortions from earthly fathers and anchor themselves in God’s unchanging love and truth. — EPISODE LINKS — • Bookshelf | Faith Booklet https://cultivaterelationships.com/bookshelf/#faith • Podcast Playlist | Galatians Series https://cultivaterelationships.com/galatians/ • Unseen Realm, by Michael Heiser https://a.co/d/9Xf2SqA • Youtube | St. Patrick's Bad Analogies https://youtu.be/KQLfgaUoQCw • The Freedom Booklet https://cultivaterelationships.com/the-freedom-booklet/ • Bible Tools https://cultivaterelationships.com/bible-tools/ • More Content & Resources at Our Website https://cultivaterelationships.com/ — EPISODE NOTES — THE HOLY TRINITY – Father, Son, & Spirit Genesis 1.27; 3.22; 11.7; Isaiah 6.8; Matthew 3.13-17; 28.19-20; John 14.16; 16.13-15; 20.21-22; Romans 8.9; 15.16, 30; 1 Corinthians 12.4-6; 2 Corinthians 1.21-22; Galatians 4.4-6; Ephesians 2.18; 4.4-6; 1 Timothy 6.13-16; Jude 20-21 The most foundational theological doctrine of Christianity is that God is one and that there is only one God. Paradoxically, however, God reveals Himself eternally existing in three persons. “Persons” in this sense is not different people but rather best understood by their relationship and distinction to one another — the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. While God is sovereign, the attribute that brings God the most glory is in Him being relational. APPLICATION QUESTION(S): How might seeing God as fundamentally relational — rather than sovereign — affect your view of Him? How might this influence your prayers, thoughts, and actions toward Him? THE HOLY FATHER — God’s Heart is Relational Psalm 136.22-26; 138.8; Matthew 6.9; Luke 11.13; James 1.17; Romans 8.15 Our view of God — especially as our Heavenly Father — is often seen through the lens of our experience with our earthly fathers. The role and responsibility of our earthly fathers is to mirror that of our Heavenly Father — to protect us, provide for our needs, and affirm our God-given identity. Our experience can cause us to polarize our view of God’s attributes. We either only affirm the attributes we’ve experienced or completely reject them. Through the Scriptures, God has revealed that He is a good and loving Father who desires relationship with us, His creation. APPLICATION QUESTION(S): What was the most encouraging AND discouraging thing your biological father did or said to you growing up? ACTIVATION STEPS From this study, prayerfully walk through the following steps: STEP #1 – RECOGNIZE DISTORTIONS (James 1.17) Take time this week to reflect on how your experience with your earthly biological father may have shaped your view of God as Father. Ask the Holy Spirit: What distortion of God’s character do I struggle with most? STEP #2 – REDISCOVER HIS NATURE (Leviticus 11.44) Search the Scriptures to rediscover an attribute of God you have neglected or found hard to believe. Write down passages that highlight His character and pray them back to Him. Ask the Holy Spirit: Which attributes of the Father do You want to restore in my heart this week? STEP #3 – REORIENT TOWARD RELATIONSHIP (1 John 3.1): Take one practical step to engage God as your relational Father (not just sovereign ruler). This could be in prayer, worship, or obedience. Ask the Holy Spirit: How can I live as the Father’s child today, receiving and reflecting His relational love?

In this episode, Nathan and Lacey equip listeners to walk others through the Freedom Booklet. They cover two practical formats — intentional one-on-one meetings and small groups (typically 2–4 participants) with a leader and co-leader — and share concrete best practices: set dates and timelines, provide accountability and simple hospitality (quiet space, coffee, childcare), keep leaders as facilitators (not counselors), enforce confidentiality and speaking rules, use the instructional videos, check in between sessions, and always allow the Holy Spirit to lead. It’s a practical, encouragement-filled guide for helping people move from stuck to free. — EPISODE LINKS — • The Freedom Booklet https://cultivaterelationships.com/the-freedom-booklet/ • Using This Resource with Others (PDF) https://cultivaterelationships.com/the-freedom-booklet/ • More Content & Resources At Our Website https://cultivaterelationships.com/

In this episode, Nathan and Lacey guide listeners through the last step of The Freedom Booklet, Step Nine: Receive and Replace — a transformative process of letting go of lies and replacing them with the Holy Spirit's truth. Rather than simply releasing pain or sin, this step invites you to actively receive what Jesus is speaking over you, aligning your heart with His Word and stepping into lasting freedom. They explain how this isn’t just a cognitive shift but an invitation to action — hearing from God, walking in obedience, and marking the moment as a testimony of His work. This process closes the loop on the past and launches you forward into a future of hope and healing. — EPISODE LINKS — • The Freedom Booklet https://cultivaterelationships.com/the-freedom-booklet/ • STB124 | BSE | Real, Vulnerable Prayer E1 https://cultivaterelationships.com/shoot-the-breeze/stb124/ • STB125 | BSE | Real, Vulnerable Prayer E2 https://cultivaterelationships.com/shoot-the-breeze/stb125/ • More Content & Resources At Our Website https://cultivaterelationships.com/

In this episode, Nathan and Lacey discuss Step Eight — release and blessing — the part of resolving sin, loss, and offense that often gets overlooked but is essential to true freedom. Drawing from Matthew 5 and Romans 12, they show how the process of freedom is incomplete without releasing our expectations, debts, and hurts to God, whether in offense, loss, or personal sin. Release means surrendering control, shame, or unmet expectations and entrusting them fully to God’s justice and healing. But it doesn’t stop there — release flows into blessing, choosing to sacrificially pray for good even for those who have wounded us. As they share stories of transformation, they reveal how this process breaks bitterness, redirects our hearts, and opens the door to healing, freedom, and restored perspective in Jesus. — EPISODE LINKS — • The Freedom Booklet https://cultivaterelationships.com/the-freedom-booklet/ • Podcast Playlist | Forgiveness https://cultivaterelationships.com/forgiveness/ • More Content & Resources At Our Website https://cultivaterelationships.com/

In this episode, Nathan and Lacey step into the hard but freeing process of forgiveness. Scripture makes it clear that forgiving others is not optional, yet it often feels impossible. Forgiveness is more than ignoring the hurt or pretending it didn’t happen — it’s canceling the debt someone owes us and releasing them, even when what they did was real and painful. Through practical steps and honest reflection, you’ll learn how forgiveness reorients your heart, releases expectations, and opens the door for God’s healing power to work in your life. Discover how choosing forgiveness — even when it feels like obedience without emotion — creates space for true freedom. — EPISODE LINKS — • The Freedom Booklet https://cultivaterelationships.com/the-freedom-booklet/ • Podcast Playlist | Forgiveness https://cultivaterelationships.com/forgiveness/ • More Content & Resources At Our Website https://cultivaterelationships.com/

In this episode, Nathan and Lacey explore Jesus’ parable of the unforgiving servant and how it reveals our tendency to demand payment from others when we fail to rest in God’s forgiveness. They discuss the real meaning of repentance — more than admitting fault, it’s a Spirit-led reorientation of our hearts toward God. Therefore, true repentance acknowledges not only our outward actions but also the unhealthy thoughts and attitudes we’ve carried. Through confession and surrender, we invite God’s cleansing, release the grip of unforgiveness, and step into healing. This conversation shows that repentance is not punishment but freedom — the path where brokenness gives way to a restored relationship with God and others. — EPISODE LINKS — • The Freedom Booklet https://cultivaterelationships.com/the-freedom-booklet/ • More Content & Resources At Our Website https://cultivaterelationships.com/

In this episode, Nathan and Lacey walk through Step Five ofThe Freedom Booklet, highlighting how gratitude becomes a catalyst to begin the process of the Holy Spirit healing our wounds. They explain that when we give thanks — even for painful experiences — we are not excusing the hurt but acknowledging God’s presence and redemptive work in the middle of it. Gratitude shifts our focus from what was lost to how God is redeeming, transforming bitterness into peace and despair into hope. This conversation shows how thanksgiving is more than a discipline; it’s a doorway to freedom, helping us release pain, embrace healing, and see our lives through the lens of God working all things for our good (that is, Him making what was evil and broken into what will be beneficial for us). — EPISODE LINKS — • The Freedom Booklet https://cultivaterelationships.com/the-freedom-booklet/ •STB107 | Grieving the Loss of a Child + Sarah P1 https://cultivaterelationships.com/shoot-the-breeze/stb107/ •STB108 | Coping & Resolving Loss + Sarah P2:E1 https://cultivaterelationships.com/shoot-the-breeze/stb108/ •STB109 | Coping & Resolving Loss + Sarah P2:E2 https://cultivaterelationships.com/shoot-the-breeze/stb109/ • More Content & Resources At Our Website https://cultivaterelationships.com/

In this episode, Nathan and Lacey walk through Step Four of The Freedom Booklet, exploring how unmet needs and unfulfilled desires often drive us to believe lies about God, ourselves, and others. These lies, formed through pain or disappointment, create patterns that keep us striving for fulfillment in unhealthy ways. They share how letting the Holy Spirit expose these false beliefs and reveal God’s truth leads to the genuine satisfaction of our deepest needs — needs for love, belonging, security, and purpose. This isn’t about suppressing desire, but about allowing God to meet it in ways that bring lasting peace and transformation. — EPISODE LINKS — • The Freedom Booklet https://cultivaterelationships.com/the-freedom-booklet/ • More Content & Resources At Our Website https://cultivaterelationships.com/

In this episode, Nathan and Lacey work through Step Three of The Freedom Booklet, focusing on coping behaviors, inner vows, and hidden beliefs that form in response to unresolved pain, sin, or trauma. They explain how these patterns — often made to protect oneself — eventually lead us to react instead of respond, producing fruit that doesn’t reflect the life of Jesus. With practical examples and real vulnerability, they show how honest confession, thoughtful self-reflection, and Holy Spirit-led insight are key to uprooting what’s been buried. This step isn’t about shame — it’s about clarity, healing, and lasting transformation. — EPISODE LINKS — • The Freedom Booklet https://cultivaterelationships.com/the-freedom-booklet/ • More Content & Resources At Our Website https://cultivaterelationships.com/

In this episode, Nathan and Lacey will guide you through Step Two of The Freedom Booklet, focusing on thoughts, beliefs, and feelings surrounding past offenses, losses, or sins. They explore why revisiting old wounds doesn’t mean we’ve failed to resolve them — it just means we’re allowing the Holy Spirit to expose unresolved layers of pain, perspective, and healing. With practical examples, they show how each layer of pain may call for fresh surrender. Whether you’re overly expressive or emotionally shut down, this step is about letting God search your heart and bring clarity to how past moments still affect you — and those around you — today. — EPISODE LINKS — • The Freedom Booklet https://cultivaterelationships.com/the-freedom-booklet/ • More Content & Resources At Our Website https://cultivaterelationships.com/