This week, Noel Thompson is joined by friend Ashley Irvine for a conversation that is equal parts nostalgic, honest, and healing.

Together, they look back on growing up in youth groups during the early 2000s—a time of purity rings, WWJD bracelets, altar calls, youth conferences, and a lot of pressure surrounding faith, salvation, evangelism, heaven, and hell.

But this episode isn't just about nostalgia. It's also about the ways some of those messages impacted us long after high school. Noel and Ashley talk openly about the anxiety, guilt, and spiritual trauma that many people from their generation are still working through, while also recognizing the friendships, faith experiences, and moments that helped shape who they are today.

It's an honest conversation about faith, healing, grace, and what it means to revisit the beliefs that formed us.

This week on Grace Period, Josh Nauman is back alongside Noel Thompson as we welcome special guest Isaiah Salvador for a conversation about Pentecost, closing chapters, graduations, and the chaos of this time of year.

As school years end and summer begins, life can feel exciting, emotional, exhausting, and nonstop all at once. Together, we talk about transitions, staying grounded during busy seasons, the emotions that come with change, and how Pentecost reminds us that God still meets people in the middle of uncertainty and movement.

An honest conversation about faith, growing up, change, and navigating the busy seasons of life.

We’re launching a brand new series called Member Series — conversations focused on getting to know the incredible people who make up Christ Lutheran Church.

In this episode, I sit down with CLC member Mike Jorgenson. Mike has spent decades in education. He’s also a Hall of Fame inducted coach, an All-American track & field athlete, and in 1982 had the 7th fastest time in the world in his event. Originally from Iowa, Mike shares stories from athletics, leadership, education, faith, and life along the way.

It’s a conversation full of wisdom, perspective, humor, and encouragement — and a reminder that every member of our church has an incredible story worth hearing.

This week, we sit down with Christ Lutheran Church member Michael Lingenfelter for a conversation about his journey to becoming an MAT practitioner and the important work he does helping people in recovery.

Michael brings clarity to what MAT actually is, shares the heart behind his work, and talks honestly about walking alongside people during some of the most difficult moments of their lives.

It’s a meaningful conversation about vocation, compassion, second chances, and what it looks like to truly help people heal.

This week, we talk with Nathan Howard, a California Highway Patrol officer (and CLC alum), about the realities of the job—what it demands, what it takes, and what it can cost. From everyday calls to high-stakes moments, this conversation gives a glimpse into a world most of us only see from the outside.

But more than that, it’s a conversation about presence. About showing up. About treating people with dignity in situations that are often anything but easy.

It’s honest. It’s thoughtful. And it’s a reminder that faith isn’t just something we talk about—it’s something we live, especially when it counts.

This episode wasn’t planned at all—it started with Molly and her friend Ryley walking into my office joking about recording a podcast… and then we actually did it.

Molly returns for her second appearance, and Ryley jumps on the mic for the first time, turning a random moment into a surprisingly real conversation. We talk about what she’s been up to lately—from joining the church nursery and working Sunday school to graduating from the Milan Institute—and everything in between.

It’s laid-back, a little chaotic, and exactly what happens when you hit record on a whim.

If you like off-the-cuff conversations that feel real and unfiltered, you’ll enjoy this one.

In this episode, “The Breaking Point: How Burnout Sneaks Up on You,” our co-host Josh Nauman leads the conversation into what happens when pushing through just… stops working. Not in some dramatic crash, but in the quieter, more familiar way—when motivation fades, energy dips, and even simple things start to feel heavier than they should.

Josh guides us through how burnout builds slowly in the background while you’re busy being “fine,” until one day your to-do list feels less like a plan and more like a personal attack. We get into the warning signs people brush off, why high-functioning burnout is so easy to normalize, and how to recognize your own breaking point before you hit it.

And in a bit of unintentional method acting, our recording setup decided to hit its own breaking point mid-episode. So yes, you’ll hear some audio glitches, a few awkward pauses—and, as a bonus, our truly incredible “technical difficulties” music making a few guest appearances. Honestly, it might be the most consistent performer in the episode.

It’s not the cleanest episode we’ve ever recorded. But it might be one of the most real.

Leaving home sounds exciting…until you actually do it.

In this episode, I sit down with a longtime friend who made a similar move—leaving Minnesota and building a new life here in California. We talk honestly about what that transition has really been like—the excitement, the challenges, and the moments where it hits you that you’re no longer where you grew up.

We get into what we miss (and it’s not always what you’d expect), how relationships change when distance becomes real, and what it means to figure out who you are in a completely new place. There are moments that are funny, moments that are tough, and a lot of reflection on what “home” actually means now.

If you’ve ever moved away, thought about it, or just felt caught between where you came from and where you are—this conversation will hit home.