Sacred & Strange

Send us Fan Mail We're so excited to announce the newest podcast from The Porch - Around the Table. Around the Table is a discipleship podcast made up of moments from our House Church gatherings, Bible Studies, Community Conversations, and more! If you're searching for more of Jesus, and looking for a community to take the journey with, Around the Table is for you! So find it now on all major streaming platforms and get ready for the first episode coming July 6th! And get re...

Send us Fan Mail This Wednesday, Sacred & Strange closes out Season One. For the first time, we’re not the ones asking the questions. We’re sitting in them. In this final episode, my wife and I are interviewed by our team—people who’ve shared the work, the table, the prayers, and the quiet moments in between. We talk about questions that shape us, the silence we often rush past, and the stories that don’t come from performance—but from shared life. This isn’t a highlight reel. &nbsp...

Send us Fan Mail What does it mean to carry a promise from God—and what does it require of us while we wait? In this Advent-centered episode, Jay revisits a message shared with the Porch missional community, exploring the story of Mary in Luke 1 and what it teaches us about promise, favor, and faith. Advent isn’t just about waiting for Christmas—it’s about the coming of something God has spoken, something growing, something not yet seen. Through Mary’s response, we’re invited to consider what...

Send us Fan Mail Some stories don’t start clean. They start broken. Lost. Complicated. In this episode of Sacred & Strange, I sit down with Steve & Brandyn Gipe to talk about the long road from pain to purpose — stories shaped by fractured childhoods, radical encounters with God, and a calling to stand in the gap for kids the world often overlooks. We talk about what it means to be lost, what it looks like to be found, and why some people are called to become a refuge for others. This...

Send us Fan Mail In this powerful and deeply personal episode of Sacred & Strange, Ray Sullivan sits down with Jay to share a story that feels like a modern-day parable—raw, honest, and marked by the unmistakable fingerprints of God. Ray grew up in church, but not the kind you easily forget. He talks candidly about the dogmatic rules, the church split that fractured families, and the disillusionment that pushed him away. What followed was a whirlwind of rebellion: drifting through bars, n...

Send us Fan Mail This week on Sacred & Strange, Jay sits down with Joe Johnson—the family court judge who looks like Santa Claus and talks like a man who has actually wrestled with God. From the bench to the Bible, Joe pulls back the curtain on what justice really looks like when you’re dealing with real families, real failures, and real heartbreak. He opens up about the loss of his brother, the guilt that nearly crushed him, and the shocking way God broke through the grief. Joe talks spi...

Send us Fan Mail Trigger Warning: Child Loss, Grief, Trauma This week on Sacred & Strange, Jay sits down with his close friend, Rip Wahlberg, for an honest, vulnerable, and deeply sacred conversation about walking through unimaginable grief. This episode includes a trigger warning: we discuss the death of Rip and Annemarie’s young son, Aiden, who tragically drowned in 2008. If this topic is tender or activating for you, please listen with care or wait until you feel ready. Rip opens his h...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Jay sits down with Aaron Dolce, co-pastor of The Rock of Roseville in California, for a vulnerable, hilarious, and deeply honest conversation about what it really means to live in community. Aaron shares his story of growing up in a cessationist church, encountering the Holy Spirit for the first time at a youth camp, and discovering the messy beauty of the charismatic life. Together, he and Jay unpack how community forms us — and how isolation, gossip, and co...

Send us Fan Mail In this heartfelt conversation, host Jay Urena sits down with friend and mentor Mike Stalker — a man whose quiet strength, wisdom, and faith have deeply shaped those around him. From growing up on a horse farm near Buffalo to leading global operations at GE and learning how to listen for God’s voice in the chaos, Mike shares a life marked by humility, discipline, and an ever-deepening communion with Jesus. Through stories of family, career crossroads, and the simple practice ...

Send us Fan Mail In this powerful continuation of his story, Dennis R. returns to Sacred & Strange to share the deeply human side of faith — where hope and heartbreak collide. From surviving cancer and discovering his calling to walking through the loss of both parents, Dennis opens up about what it means to trust God in the tension between grief and growth. He shares how pain became his teacher, how boundaries became opportunities for healing, and how God turned brokenness into something...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Jay sits down with Rachel Stalker — a teacher, traveler, and leader at The Porch — to explore what it means to wrestle with God and still walk in friendship with Him. From growing up in Catholic roots to encountering the Holy Spirit in Spain and Mexico, Rachel shares how her faith has been shaped by questions, tears, and quiet moments of surrender. This conversation dives into the holy tension between wrestling and resting, how curiosity can lead us closer to...

Send us Fan Mail At seventeen, Levi found himself locked in a bathroom, his mind spiraling and his faith unraveling. What began as a breaking point became the moment God broke through. In this raw and deeply human conversation, Jason and Levi explore the tension between belief and doubt, the strange beauty of divine encounters, and the slow work of healing from shame. From small-town revival stories and family legacy to spiritual disciplines, therapy, and the wisdom found in failure — this ep...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Sacred & Strange, Jay sits down with his longtime friend Josh to explore a story marked by trauma, transformation, and the search for belonging. From a chaotic childhood to ministry, mental health work, and the sacred solitude of the wilderness, Josh shares how he’s learned to face his wounds, protect sacred space, and step fully into the role of father. Their conversation moves through raw honesty, dark humor, and moments of grace—ending with a challen...