Episode 10 | Relight the flame in your life and calling with Jason Clarke and Nate Pursley

What do you do when the thing you once loved starts to feel ordinary? In this episode of the Rise Up Podcast, Nate and Jason talk about what it means to relight the flame—in your calling, your marriage, your ministry, your work, and your everyday life. Because most people know how to start with passion, but far fewer know how to stay faithful when the novelty wears off and consistency becomes the real test.

Together, they unpack four key shifts that move us out of drift and back into intentionality: from apathy to enthusiasm, from “I have to” to “I get to,” from focusing on what’s wrong to what’s right, and from living in maintenance mode to doing something great. Through stories about fire pits, preaching to a camera during COVID, parenting little kids, and learning to stop chasing every shiny new thing, this conversation gets honest about how quickly purpose can cool when it goes untended—and how often what needs to change is not our whole life, but our posture.

This episode is a reminder that the good old days are often happening right now, and that calling doesn’t stay alive by accident. It is fed by gratitude, vision, attentiveness, and a willingness to dream again. If you’ve felt spiritually flat, emotionally dulled, or just stuck in the motions of life, this conversation will help you recognize where the fire has gone low—and how to start feeding it again.

Episode 09 | The Fight for Gen Z and Gen Alpha

What if the next generation isn’t lazy, fragile, or lost—but uniquely positioned for a move of God if someone will help them see who they are? In this episode of the Rise Up Podcast, Nate sits down with Youth Pastor Jordan Fahlman to talk about Gen Z, Gen Alpha, and what it means to disciple a generation being shaped by technology, social anxiety, activism, and a deep hunger for purpose.

Jordan shares his own story of growing up as both an outdoors kid and a digital native, while Nate reflects on being raised in youth ministry and watching the cultural shift happen in real time. Together, they explore how the pandemic reshaped students, how social media now competes to raise them, and why so many young people are aching for identity, connection, and a reason to give their lives to something bigger than themselves.

Here's the challenge for parents, pastors, leaders, and mentors: if we don’t raise this generation, something else will. From phones and isolation to purpose, passion, and the need for consistent voices that speak louder than the noise, this episode is a call to see the next generation with spiritual clarity. If you’ve ever wondered how to lead young people in this cultural moment—or how to help them move from anxiety and confusion into calling and conviction—this conversation will give you language, urgency, and hope.

Challenge: Who is God asking you to intentionally invest in right now? Don’t just criticize the next generation—contend for them. Speak identity over them, model faith in front of them, and help them discover the purpose they were created for.

Episode 08 | When a Coffee Shop Becomes a Kingdom Space

What if God wants to use every area of your life—work, calling, even a cup of coffee—for His Kingdom purpose? In this episode of the Rise Up Podcast, Jason and Nate sit down with Will Ray, owner-operator of Pause Coffee, to talk about calling, entrepreneurship, hospitality, and what it looks like to be on fire for Jesus in the marketplace.

Will shares the story behind his journey from Northern California to Portland, from restaurant life and film school to a Spirit-marked moment outside a taco truck that changed everything. He opens up about giving his life to Jesus, learning how to belong in church as a new believer, and the slow unfolding of a dream that became Pause—a space born through prayer, shaped by obedience, and built to feel different the moment you walk through the doors. A story about trust, sacrifice, and the hidden faithfulness behind what most people only experience as a finished product.

Then the conversation widens into the why behind it all: why details matter, why hospitality is spiritual, and how a coffee shop can become a gateway to discipleship, community, and even the church itself. From awkward first dates to Bible studies, mentorships, sermons being written, and people first discovering Rise through a latte. This episode is a powerful reminder that God loves to use ordinary spaces for holy work. If you’ve ever wondered whether your work matters, whether business can be ministry, or whether the small things you do really count, this conversation will help you see your calling with fresh eyes.

Episode 07 — Money, Investments, & Building a Life of Financial Freedom

What if the way you handle money is shaping more than your bank account—what if it’s shaping your peace, your future, and the kind of life you’re building? In this episode of the Rise Up Podcast, Jason and Nate go deeper into the themes from the Overflow series to talk honestly about biblical stewardship, investing, budgeting, debt, and why the church has to do more than just ask people to give.

Jason shares how growing up in an entrepreneurial family gave him an early framework for thinking about money, risk, real estate, and long-term investments—and why the Bible’s wisdom about stewardship still matters in a world of inflation, subscriptions, status spending, and financial anxiety. From Roth IRAs and first homes to liabilities, assets, and compounding interest, this conversation makes a practical case for why Christians should learn to think in decades, not just paychecks.

But this episode is about more than numbers. It’s about freedom. It’s about resisting the trap of “symbols of wealth” that quietly drain your future, and learning instead to build a life marked by wisdom, margin, generosity, and presence. If you’ve ever felt stressed about money, unsure where to start, or frustrated that church only talks about finances when it wants something from you, this conversation will help you reframe the whole subject through the lens of discipleship.

Episode 06 — When God Replants Your Life with Kristen Friend

What if the place you were trying to leave was the very place God was calling you to help transform? In this episode of the Rise Up Podcast, Jason and Nate sit down with Kristen Friend, Executive Director of Ministry at Rise, to talk about how a casual stop at Stomping Grounds turned into a Spirit-led redirection, a family mission, and a life fully poured out for the gospel in Gresham.

Kristen shares the honest story of coming from a deeply rooted church community on the west side, sensing the Holy Spirit in an ordinary coffee shop, and stepping into a tiny young church that her husband knew was “it” before she did. She also opens up about the family vision that once pulled them toward Wyoming, the season away that exposed deeper fears, and the moment God made it clear that the place they were looking for was heaven—not a perfect place on earth.

Then the conversation moves into mission, legacy, and what it means to build a church for generations you may never meet. Kristen reflects on raising a family on mission, why ministry joy outweighs ministry difficulty, and how the Pacific Northwest has forged a unique unity among churches that know the gospel is too urgent for petty division. If you’ve ever wrestled with discontent, wondered whether you’re in the right place, or needed fresh courage to take the next faithful step, this episode will help you lift your eyes and see the bigger story God is writing.

Challenge: Are you chasing the perfect place, the perfect life, or the perfect circumstances? Ask God to show you where He has already planted you—and what it would look like to stop searching for heaven somewhere else and start bringing its hope right where you are.

Episode 05 — Rewriting the Story of the Next Generation

What if the future of your city is being shaped right now—in a kids hallway, in a classroom, in the quiet courage of a leader who almost said no? In this episode of the Rise Up Podcast, Jason sits down with Kids Ministry Director Marisa Brown (with Jordan jumping in) to explore the calling, cost, and conviction behind next-gen ministry at Rise.

Marisa shares how her family first came to Rise in a season of heartbreak, loneliness, and loss—and how an unexpected encounter with the Holy Spirit met her before she even had language for it. From feeling overwhelmed by “church culture” to stepping into serving, then leadership, you’ll hear how God often builds calling the same way He builds faith: invitation after invitation, one brave yes at a time.

This conversation goes deeper than “kids ministry strategies.” It’s about legacy. It’s about rewriting generational stories. Marisa opens up about a messy upbringing and the few stable adults who changed everything—fueling her burden to know kids by name, to love them well, and to become the kind of steady presence that can reshape a life. And in one of the most practical takeaways of the series, she distills the “secret sauce” of next-gen ministry into a single word: connection—because kids don’t just learn Jesus through information, they trust Him through relationships.

Challenge: Who was the steady presence God used in your story—and who might He be calling you to become for someone else? Spend time with Jesus, listen for the quiet invitation, and take the brave next step—because what feels small today could become someone’s foundation tomorrow.

What if the place you’ve written off is the very place God is still writing a story? In this episode of the Rise Up Podcast, Jason and Nate sit down with Alex Lessler, lead pastor of Willamette Christian Church, to talk about growing up in Gresham, watching it change over decades, and discovering that cities—like people—have seasons of promise, disappointment, and renewal.

Alex shares stories from his childhood in Gresham, the economic optimism of the early ’90s, and the deep nostalgia of a city that once felt “up and coming.” From café discipleship that awakened his calling to prayer gatherings contending for revival, what unfolds is a powerful reminder that we are often links in a longer chain, standing on the shoulders of those who prayed before us.

Then the focus widens to the church in the Portland metro—unity across denominations, a rising spiritual hunger, and why hard ground may actually be fertile soil for the gospel. If you’ve ever wondered whether your city is too far gone, your prayers too delayed, or your role too small, this episode will renew your perspective and strengthen your faith.

What if the thing you’re chasing—purpose, clarity, fulfillment—is actually the doorway God uses to lead you to Himself? In Episode 2 of the Rise Up Podcast, we sit down with Kassie Cox to talk about her journey from never imagining she’d be a Christian to helping shape the Discipleship Pathway at Rise.

Kassie shares the honest behind-the-scenes of coming to church post-COVID as a tired mom, feeling out of place, and being drawn back—through something as simple as her daughter loving kids ministry. From anxiety-filled hotel rooms to slow, question-filled faith, you’ll hear how God often meets us through relationship first, then reshapes everything: identity, calling, and the way we see work, family, and purpose.

Then the conversation turns to this cultural moment: why discipleship has to speak to a region that’s not just post-Christian, but increasingly pre-Christian—and how the Pathway exists to help people know where they are, what’s next, and how faith moves from belief into practice.

What really goes into building a church that’s trying to saturate a city with the gospel—beyond what you see on a Sunday? In the very first episode of the Rise Up Podcast, Nate sits down with Lead Pastor Jason and Youth Pastor Jordan to pull back the curtain on the conversations, risks, and small steps of obedience that shaped Rise from the beginning.

You’ll hear the origin stories (Chick-fil-ationships, Dairy Queen blizzards, & trial church services), but this episode quickly moves deeper: how God guides people through peace, provision, and prophetic pictures lead us to take the "next right step.”

Together they reflect on what makes ministry in the Portland metro uniquely challenging—and uniquely fruitful in this cultural moment in time. If you’ve ever wondered how vision becomes a movement, how discipleship becomes a lifestyle, and how ordinary people become everyday missionaries in their own city, this episode will help you see it—and step into it.