Crusade with Me

The older I get, the less certain I become about many things.Twenty years ago, I thought I had most of life's answers figured out. Today, I realize that certainty is often easier than wisdom, and arrogance is far easier than humility.In this episode, I share why Crusade With Me! exists in the first place. This podcast was never created because I believed I had all the answers. It was created because I need the questions.Together, we'll explore what it means to "connect the dots" in life. Sometimes we connect dots that have no business being connected. Other times, we fail to see the connections that are right in front of us. Our habits, relationships, health, faith, attention, and decisions are all intertwined in ways we often overlook.As I reflect on our recent comeback episodes, I've come to recognize a common thread running through them all: the pursuit of wisdom. Not information. Not opinions. Wisdom.The wisdom that comes from God.If we want to become healthier, stronger, mentally sharper, spiritually deeper, and more faithful in our daily lives, we need more than knowledge. We need Divine Wisdom to help us understand which dots matter and which ones don't.This isn't an episode about having answers.It's an episode about seeking them.So, grab a cup of coffee and join me as we explore the questions that shape our lives, the patterns we often miss, and the wisdom that can only be found by walking with God.Because information fills the mind.But Divine Wisdom transforms the soul.

In this powerful and deeply personal episode of Crusade With Me! Dave sits down with a lifelong friend — Pastor Mike Hesterman — to revisit a 30‑year friendship and a 50‑year faith journey.Pastor Mike opens up about his early life as a self‑described scoundrel, his years of rebellion, his time in the Army during a racially tense and dangerous season, and the night in 1975 when he was forced to confront the question: “If I died tonight… where would I go?”What follows is a raw, honest, and moving conversation about:Growing up between two strong traditions — Lutheran and MennoniteWrestling with infant baptism, adult baptism, and what Scripture actually saysThe dangers of drugs, deception, and dabbling in darknessThe moment in Germany that changed everythingHow identity, rebellion, and human nature haven’t changed in 6,000 yearsWhy being made in the image of God still matters todayThe struggle to mature spiritually — and why some truths only hit us decades laterThis episode is rich with wisdom, humility, humor, and the kind of honesty only two old friends can share. A must‑listen for anyone wrestling with faith, identity, or the long road of transformation.

We all think we know how life is supposed to work.We make plans. We form opinions. We create expectations about what God should do, how He should do it, and when He should do it.But what happens when God's plans are different from ours?In this episode of Crusade with Me! Dave and Kathy explore the gap between what we think we know and the reality God reveals through Scripture.Abram thought he understood his future. He had a plan, a timeline, and a logical conclusion about how his life would unfold. Yet God had something far greater in mind—something Abram could not see from where he stood.The Psalmist reminds us that real security is never found in our own strength, intelligence, resources, or carefully constructed plans. The Lord is not impressed by the strength of a horse or the might of an army. Our hope is found in Him alone.In First John, we discover that God has already shown us what love looks like. Yet even with that revelation, we often reshape God's love into something more comfortable, more convenient, or more aligned with our preferences. We want God's blessings while resisting God's transformation.Then Jesus confronts us with the sobering account of the rich man and Lazarus. Even in torment, the rich man remains the same man he was in life. He still sees Lazarus as someone to serve him. He still wants to negotiate. He still refuses to truly repent. The flames reveal what was already there.Together, these readings ask a difficult but necessary question:Are we allowing God to transform us, or are we simply asking Him to bless the plans we've already made?Join us as we discuss faith, humility, self-deception, God's surprising plans, and the danger of becoming so attached to our own understanding that we miss what God is trying to teach us.Because sometimes the greatest obstacle to God's work in our lives is not what we don't know.It's what we're convinced we already know.

Today we’ll talk about Advent as a season of holy waiting, the Nativity Fast as a discipline of simplicity, and then we’ll dive into the 3rd and 4th Commandments. And yes—we’ll wrestle with the hard question: how do we honor father and mother when those relationships were complicated.

The Fast Before the FeastThe world rushes toward Christmas with lights, sales, and sugar. But we are called to slow down. To prepare the way of the Lord—not with glitter, but with stillness.“Make ready the way of the Lord, Make His paths straight!” (Mark 1:3, NASB)This fast is not about punishment. It is about preparation. It is about clearing space in our lives to receive the Christ who comes.

💰 Financial pressure. 👨‍👩‍👧 Raising kids in chaos. 🏘️ Living among the godless. 🙏 Still called to obey.In a world that mocks reverence and rewards compromise, how do we stay faithful? This episode dives deep into the spiritual battle of everyday life—and the quiet power of obedience.🕯️ Featuring timeless wisdom from Scripture and the stillness of the Jesus Prayer. 🎧 Listen now and join the crusade for holiness in a noisy world.

Today’s episode — “As Far as It Depends on You” — is a challenge from the Apostle Paul that feels almost impossible in our world today. We live in a culture of outrage, division, and noise. Everyone’s shouting — but few are listening. Everyone’s fighting — but few are standing for truth with peace in their heart.Romans 12:18 says,“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”This isn’t a soft verse. It’s not a call to retreat from battle. It’s a command to fight for peace — through humility, restraint, and faith in the justice of God.Let’s go deep into that today. Let’s talk about what it really means to live as peaceful warriors — firm in truth, unshakable in faith, and disciplined in heart.

And today, I want to call you into something ancient — something burning, holy, and alive. Something forged long before modern man began measuring time by clocks and calendars.We’re talking about the rhythm of heaven — the sacred order of days and seasons through which God trains His warriors and sanctifies His people. This is not about being “religious.” It’s about being formed. It’s about reclaiming the sacred pattern of life that keeps a man steady when the world spins wild.Because a liturgical life is not a schedule — it’s a weapon. It’s the rhythm of victory that beats beneath the chaos of the age.