Every episode

Are we on? Good — all right, here we go. Welcome to the podcast, episode one. Thanks for coming on, Peter. Glad to be here — I'm not sure I could turn you down. Was that an option? Kidding. So I was talking with God the other day, and he said everyone on earth is doing a podcast these days, so we should start one. Boy, when God gets an idea — watch out. Isn't that how the earth started?

Well, I'm excited to see where this goes. Let's jump right into it — fishing. How's the fishing in that heavenly lake? It's been slow; I thought there'd be all kinds of fish in there. Well, did you try the right side? Yeah — I set you up for that one. The right side, always the right side. Never gets old. And what did I say? “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” I was so dramatic back then — could have just said thanks. But the drama was endearing.

You always had flare — like when you cut off that guy's ear in Gethsemane. Okay, I panicked. I thought we were going full revolution mode, and you just calmly healed him like it was a paper cut. Well, someone had to be the adult. You guys were all ready to throw down — it was so chaotic, I was just bowing up. Probably because you popped up out of your sleep and didn't know what was going on. I didn't think a lot before I acted back then. And I told you all to stay awake. Oh, man, I know.

Honestly, Peter, you were always either walking on water or sinking like a stone. That walk was going great until I realized I was walking on water — then, splash. Classic me. You know what still gets me? That rooster. Three times, just like you said. I cried like a baby. That sound saved you more than it condemned you. I wanted to be brave — I really did. Bravery isn't never failing. It's returning. Thanks for that — you always know what to say.

But look at you now — leader of the church. Rock solid. Except when you tried to go back to fishing full time. Can't blame a guy for wanting some peace and quiet. Besides, I thought you were gone for good. Oh, ye of little faith — you died. I saw it happen. I was like, well, that's it; guess I'll start a fishing podcast. Never too late for that. I suppose you could call it “Hooked with Peter.” I'd subscribe. Glad it never came to that.

So let's talk about what happened after I left. You're my rock — you're building the church, the early days. How was that? Mixed reviews. A lot of meetings, a lot of letters, some jail time. But we got it off the ground. Paul helped — once he stopped, you know, killing us. Big redemption arc for Paul; he went full apostle overnight, then went on a tear with all the letters. Can you imagine if we'd had Audible back then? He tells me that all the time: “I would have spread the gospel so much faster if we'd had Audible back in my day.”

You carried a lot of weight in those early days — leading the disciples, facing persecution, healing the lame at the temple gate. Did you ever doubt? Myself? Sure — it was hard not to. But I never doubted you. See why I picked this one? I know what I'm doing. Thanks, Jesus. I want to go back to the Ascension for a minute. You saw me taken up — the clouds, the angels, and then silence. What was going through your mind? It was overwhelming. We had just gotten you back after the resurrection. And then the Spirit took over — we all got together and said, let's do this. Let's go, let's preach. You saw miracles. You saw martyrdom. You saw the gospel move from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth. And I saw the cost — James was taken, Stephen stoned. And then I saw what grace can do. Oh, man, did grace abound.

You wrote, “Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God.” That's not theory — that's your story. And you're the reason I could write those words. I don't build my church on perfection. I build it on love, repentance, and trust — and you, Peter, had all three. I think we both know that was just the Spirit working through me. So humble. Okay, next question: what would you tell the church today, all these years later? The church doesn't grow by might. It grows by faithfulness. I learned that leadership begins with surrender — when I simply followed where the Spirit led, that's when the church began to grow. And never forget: he is coming again. Amen to that.

So, can we talk about this — when are you coming back? We're all dying to know. That's for another episode. People are saying it's soon. You want to go viral? Just drop that date real quick. Don't tempt me — oh, man, that would be such clickbait: “For this video, Jesus reveals the day of the rapture.” That's so good. Okay, one more question — do you have any regrets? Aside from the rooster and the ear thing, I messed up a lot. But you knew that, and you chose me anyway. I don't pick perfect. I pick willing. I was even willing to come on your podcast. I set you up for that one, didn't I? I think that's a great place to end it. Peter, thanks so much for coming on — this was fun. Thanks for having me; I'll come back anytime. And that's our show. Big thanks to Peter for being here, for feeding my sheep, and for keeping it real. To all listening — whether you're doubting, leading, or somewhere in between, you are not alone. Until next time: grace and peace.