In this CPC Together podcast, Kevin, Brandon, and Nico reminisce about Sunday school songs before discussing Orwell’s 1984 versus Huxley’s Brave New World, contrasting control through restricted information with control through distraction and shaped desires. They explore how the mind as “directed attention” can create beauty through imagination yet also become bondage when lies (like being unlovable) embed themselves and distort loves, leading to sin and unhealthy substitutes such as pornography or AI companionship. The conversation emphasizes that information alone doesn’t form people; discipleship involves replacing lies with truth through practices like fasting, scripture intake and memorization, prayer, music, and embodied habits such as generosity. Using metaphors like biking focus, neural pathways as forest trails, and abiding in the vine (John 15), they connect spiritual formation to ordinary life—budgeting, rest, and bedtime—inviting God into everything.

On CPC Together from Central Peninsula Church, the hosts joke about disc golf, inventing “non games,” and settle a debate by testing whether naan or a baguette can be thrown farther—naan wins decisively—before pivoting to a conversation about “limitless” living. They explore how the Bay Area’s drive for efficiency and innovation can fuel restlessness, pride, and fatigue, contrasting modern freedom as freedom from limits with the New Testament idea of freedom as the ability to say no to what harms us. Drawing from Genesis 3 and Psalm 131, they discuss moving from a need-based faith to becoming like a weaned child who finds comfort in God’s presence rather than provision, and they suggest deciding to trust through community, remembering God’s past faithfulness via milestones, and practicing small rhythms of silence, solitude, and attentiveness over time. Check out the video!

On today's episode of the CPC Together Podcast, Kevin, Brandon, Nico, and special guest Susan discuss hospitality through personal stories, including an unforgettable Michelin-level dining experience at Bouchon in Napa, a disappointing meal at Old Fisherman’s Grotto in Monterey, an Airbnb stay in Northern Ireland where hosts left a birthday spread and card, and contrasting memories of Brandon’s nana—both her harsh Red Lobster interaction with a waiter and her generous care during a difficult season. The conversation shifts to why hospitality matters for Christian witness in a post-Christian, polarized culture shaped by fear, suspicion, and algorithms, highlighting relational warmth as key to faith development and Jesus’ table as a model for holding opposites together (e.g., Matthew the tax collector and Simon the Zealot). They explore practical barriers like not knowing neighbors, lack of time or money, fear of judgment about one’s home, and the need to “practice” hospitality as small, intentional steps.

In this CPC Together Podcast episode, Kevin, Brandon, and Rachel trade stories about risky DIY projects (car brakes, garbage disposals, toilets), a dentist visit, and a delayed “naan vs. baguette” throwing challenge, then pivot to discipleship. They discuss how following Jesus can feel deceptively easy in theory but meets resistance because countless habits shape people, and they distinguish complexity from resistance. Drawing on Dallas Willard, they emphasize “off-the-spot” training through spiritual disciplines, especially attentiveness, silence, and solitude, along with practices of engagement and abstinence (like fasting and Sabbath). The conversation addresses the attention economy, politics, AI, hurry versus busyness, contentment, and why transformation is slow and requires consistent “when and where” rhythms rather than willpower.

In this CPC Together episode from Central Peninsula Church, Brandon, Josh, Rachel, and Nico banter about missing dry evenings, Bay Area stereotypes and sports fandom, and a “would you rather” about living without mirrors or socks, leading to a discussion of cold feet, favorite socks, and memorable experiences like 1990s Pizza Hut, sunrise/sunset on El Capitan, fishing the Kenai River, and chaotic family reunions. The conversation shifts to John 7, where Jesus initially says he won’t attend the festival, then goes in secret and speaks publicly, prompting a thought experiment about whether people today would recognize Jesus and how religious systems can miss his presence. They explore the difference between information and experiential knowing in relationships and faith, linking it to evangelism as sharing how Jesus has shown up personally rather than only offering apologetic “info.” The episode closes with a thematic summary of Exodus that foreshadows the gospel: enslaved people cry out, receive a deliverer, journey toward a destination, and must choose trust and faithfulness daily amid repeated failure.

In this CPC Together Podcast episode, Kevin, Brandon, Nico, and Rachel banter about dental “chomper updates,” Sensodyne, flossing habits (including Cocofloss), and early toothpaste marketing before shifting to a discussion of Kevin’s sermon and why people often view God differently than Jesus. They recap the woman caught in adultery: the missing man suggests a trap, Jesus’ unflappable composure as he writes in the sand, and his response that upholds the law while exposing partiality. They emphasize God’s pattern of pardon before “go and sin no more,” linking salvation to healing, and highlight Jesus’ self-described inner disposition as gentle and humble, warning against mapping shame and self-condemnation onto God.

On this week's CPC Together Podcast, Kevin, Brandon, and Rachel recount a chaotic 48-hour attempt to get home from Newark after United’s system outage, thunderstorms, a seven-and-a-half-hour tarmac delay, a canceled flight, lost access to checked bags, no available rental cars, a broken-down Amtrak in Delaware, and a taxi driver using a breathalyzer en route to a successful flight out of DC. They also share a humorous, dramatic story about a pickleball tournament where a calf injury ended Brandon's play while his partner won with a replacement. The conversation then shifts to John 6 and Jesus’ “hard teaching,” exploring how people reject teachings they understand but don’t want to accept, the call to wholehearted trust rather than lukewarm faith, and a communion framework—take, bless, break, give—describing Jesus receiving what we bring, affirming belovedness, bearing brokenness, and giving his life to believers.