Kicking off the second season of Reasonable Talk, Amanda, Pastor Chris, and Stephanie Painter take listeners behind the scenes of Fall Fest—its history, purpose, and the plans for this year’s celebration.

Chris shares how the event began as a way to mark the Protestant Reformation and celebrate the Gospel on Oct. 31.

Amanda and Stephanie discuss the festival’s community-focused vision, the many volunteers who bring it to life, and ways VBC families can get involved.

This year’s plans include outdoor booths, carnival games, a brisket cook-off, make-your-own caramel apples, Reformation trivia, a fitness challenge, gaga ball, popcorn, and the popular candy dump!

Fall Fest offers more than candy: a welcoming place to enjoy meaningful activities, connect with others, and celebrate the truth, light, and life of the Gospel.

At Valley Bible Church, discipleship is more than classes and events—it’s a lifelong, relational process of becoming more like Christ together.

In episode 10 of Reasonable Talk, Amanda Jarvis sits down with Pastor Chris Martin, Pastor Caleb Klontz, and Ministry Director Jerod Jarvis to unpack VBC’s discipleship strategy, the central role of Sunday worship and Life Groups, and how every believer can move from simply “attending” to intentionally discipling and being discipled.

They also explore the place of Sunday School, men’s and women’s ministries, youth, and parachurch organizations—and why the local church remains God’s primary context for spiritual growth.

Major discussion points in this episode:

00:00 – Why Discipleship Matters at VBC

2:00 – What Is Discipleship? (More Than "Me and God")

9:00 – Mission Statement, Sundays, and the "Big Rocks"

12:00 – Life Groups: History, Design, and Why They Matter

25:00 – Two‑Service Mentality, Sunday School, and Serving

32:00 – Escaping vs. Equipping: Ministries in Real Life

54:00 – Parachurch, Priorities, and Using Your Gifts Well

In Episode 9 of Reasonable Talk, Amanda Jarvis sits down with Chris Martin, Doug & Karol Snook, and Ben Orchard to reflect on their recent mission trips earlier this summer.

Chris shares how local churches in Thailand and Vietnam are flourishing in remote mountain villages, the joy of hearing children’s voices call the community to worship, and the sobering reality of pastors in Vietnam shepherding multiple congregations with very few resources.

Ben, Doug, and Carol then recount their time in the Balkans and Northern Ireland. including the Gospel Workers Gathering, the deep loneliness and isolation many pastors and their wives face, and the complex mix of cultural religion, post-communist history, and lingering ethnic tensions.

Timestamps:

• 0:00 – Welcome & Southeast Asia Overview
  Introductions. Chris shares about ministry in Thailand and Vietnam, from mountain village churches and children’s singing to Vietnamese pastors serving multiple congregations under a cautious communist regime.

• 13:24 – Lessons from the Global Church
  Reflections on the global family of God, persecution and “persecution fatigue,” the gap in discipleship training, and what believers in the U.S. can learn from and pray for brothers and sisters abroad.

• 17:59 – The Balkans & Northern Ireland: Gathering, History, and Need
  Ben, Doug, and Carol describe the Gospel Workers Gathering, tiny and isolated Balkan churches shaped by cultural religion and post-war scars, and their visit with long-time missionary Stuart Raoul in Northern Ireland.

• 31:11 – Discipleship, Loneliness, and How We Can Pray
  Carol’s conversations with pastors’ wives, the need for future leaders, shared pastoral struggles that mirror our own, and concrete ways Valley Bible can pray for encouragement, fruit, and strengthened global partnerships.

In Episode 8 of Reasonable Talk, Amanda Jarvis sits down with Jerod Jarvis and Chris Martin to unpack a biblical vision of masculinity shaped by 1 Peter and VBC's recent Men’s Retreat—summed up in the phrase, “the glad assumption of sacrificial responsibility.”

They explore how this plays out for males in all stages of life—eighth-grade boys, single men, husbands, and fathers—how modern economics has reshaped family life, and why passing on a living faith requires more than rules—it requires dads whose deepest loves really are centered on Christ.

Resources and recommendations mentioned in today's episode:

"The Toxic War on Masculinity: How Christianity Reconciles the Sexes" by Nancy Pearcey

The Mandalorian & Grogu (Star Wars movie)

Skye Petersen, "Through Line" album

"To Change All Worlds" and "The Desecration of Man" by Carl Trueman

Mother’s Day is joyful for some and deeply painful for others. In this episode, Amanda Jarvis, Jerod Jarvis, and Pastor Chris Martin explore how the church can walk with women and families through miscarriage, infertility, abortion, and other forms of loss.

They trace the surprising history of Mother’s Day, share personal stories of grief, and offer practical ways believers can listen well, speak gently, and embody spiritual motherhood and fatherhood in the body of Christ—so that we can truly weep and rejoice together.

Highlights of this episode:

• 00:00 – Welcome & Why Mother’s Day Can Hurt
• 02:10 – The History of Mother’s Day
• 04:30 – Hidden Grief and the Church
• 17:30 – How to Truly Help: Presence Over Platitudes
• 48:10 – Spiritual Motherhood, Fatherhood, and Different Paths
• 1:12:55 – Abortion as a Hidden Grief in the Church
• 1:18:10 – How VBC Is Marking Mother’s Day This Year

Have a question, comment, or idea for our next episode? Email amanda@spokanevbc.org.

In episode 6 of Reasonable Talk, we explore how Christians can think about and interact with artificial intelligence (AI).

Amanda, Chris, and Jerod move from defining and demystifying AI, to its positive uses, to serious ethical and spiritual pitfalls—especially around relationships, counseling, discipleship, and spiritual formation.

They emphasize that AI is a powerful tool rooted in data and algorithms, not a living being, and that Christians must approach it with discernment, remembering our ultimate goal is to become more like Christ, not simply to be more efficient or more affirmed.

Resources mentioned in today's episode:

Transformed with Dr. Greg Gifford - Biblical Counseling Stories: AI and the Bible, Part 1

Sing! Hymnal

Ashtown Burials book series

Triumphing Over Sinful Fear by John Flavel

The Toxic War on Masculinity by Nancy Pearcey

A Great Awakening movie

Have a question, comment, or idea for our next episode? Email amanda@spokanevbc.org.

In this episode of Reasonable Talk, Amanda Jarvis sits down with Pastor Chris Martin, Pastor Caleb Klontz, and Rick King to explore the rich and often debated doctrine of atonement.

Today's conversation looks at what “atonement” means—rooted in the Old Testament idea of a sin-covering sacrifice and the restoration of a broken relationship with God—and how Christ’s life and death accomplish that reconciliation.

Two big questions are addressed:

• Why did Jesus die? (the nature of the atonement)
• For whom did He die? (the extent of the atonement)

Along the way, they show how Christians can recognize longstanding differences on this topic, still maintain genuine fellowship, and be driven to examine not just what they believe about the cross, but why.

Further Study on Atonement

If you’d like to dig deeper into what Scripture says about atonement, here are some key passages:

1. Isaiah 53:4-6, 10-11 – The Suffering Servant who bears our griefs, carries our sorrows, and is pierced for our transgressions.
2. Romans 3:21-26 – God’s righteousness revealed in Christ as the one who is both just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
3. 2 Corinthians 5:18-21 – Reconciliation through Christ, who “became sin” for us so that we might become the righteousness of God.
4. Hebrews 9:11-15, 24-28 – Christ as the once‑for‑all high priest whose own blood secures eternal redemption, in contrast to repeated Old Testament sacrifices.
5. 1 Peter 2:24; 3:18 – Christ bearing our sins in his body on the tree and suffering “once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God.”

In Episode 4 of Reasonable Talk, VBC staff members Amanda Jarvis, Jerod Jarvis, and Pastor Chris Martin talk about how Christians can engage with the news without becoming anxious, angry, or overwhelmed.

They explore the difference between news and commentary, why truly “objective” journalism doesn’t exist, and how a Christ-centered worldview helps us sort through headlines with wisdom.

They also discuss common responses to the news—news junkies, social media warriors, and avoiders—and offer biblical principles for staying informed while keeping our hearts anchored in God’s sovereignty and peace.

Helpful Resources:

- 1 Peter 4

- The World & Everything in It - a daily news podcast from a Christian wordview

- WORLD Watch - a weekday 10-minute news broadcast for teens

- WORLD Magazine - a monthly magazine featuring sound journalism, grounded in facts and biblical truth

- God's World News - a news magazine for elementary-age students