We're back from our winter break with an all new episode! We had the privilege of sitting down with Rev. Winston Bosch to discuss a sermon series he preached a couple of years ago. The series is based on the 30th article of the Belgic Confession which covers the reasons for male-only leadership in our churches. We chat about the history and the Biblical view of stereotypes, leadership in the early church, deaconesses, the critiques of culture and how we should view the church as a family (plus m...
Jan 17, 2022•1 hr 26 min•Ep. 40
In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Joseph Boot, the founder and president of the Ezra Institute located in Grimsby, ON. Dr. Boot has been very vocal in the Reformed world, on the topic government and their jurisdiction when it comes to church, health and the family. We speak about the controversial vaccine mandates, the church's response (or lack of response) to all these issues and briefly touch on Bill C-4. Even if you disagree, we hope this conversation helps you to think deeply about thes...
Dec 20, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 39
In this episode, we have the pleasure of sitting down with the soon to be editor in chief and publisher of the Clarion, the unofficial magazine of the Canadian Reformed federation. Pastor Holtvlüwer and Will share about the exciting new updates happening at Clarion, while also revealing some interesting history regarding this publication. As you'll hear near the end of this episode, our friends at the Clarion have decided to generously offer a four month FREE subscription of the Clarion, exclusi...
Dec 06, 2021•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 38
We thought it was a time for a feedback episode! Lucas and Tyler sit down to chat about the last number of episodes by reviewing the highlights, sharing their thoughts as well as some upcoming plans. Be sure to let us know if there is anyone you'd like to hear on the podcast! To keep up with the podcast, check out our website: https://www.realtalkpodcast.ca/ Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for updates, clips, and more! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReformedRealTalk Instagram: https://ww...
Nov 22, 2021•30 min•Ep. 37
In this episode, I (Lucas) sit down with Mark Penninga who serves as the Executive Director of ARPA (Association for Reformed Political Action) Canada . We chat about Mark's role and his recently released book, "Our God moves Mountains" which showcases the story and history of ARPA. Mark also shares of ARPA's plans for the future. We hope this episode inspires you to keep making small acts of faithfulness in your own life. If you want to know more about ARPA or how you can support them, be sure ...
Nov 08, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 36
This is a big one, folks! Ty, co-hosted by his Keleigh, sat down with Sarah Hutten who shared about her new book 'Unmet Expectations - Facing unmet expectations in the pursuit of children, and learning how to better prepare those ready to walk this journey." Sarah was so gracious in telling her story and experiences while sharing advice to couples who are or in the future may be facing all the challenges that come with pursuing children. We highly encourage you to give "Unmet Expectations" a rea...
Oct 25, 2021•1 hr 33 min•Ep. 35
In this episode, we have the pleasure of sitting down with Andrew and Heidi Hutten who serve as the executive directors of Life Renewal. They were so kind to share their story and how Life Renewal has played a part in their journey. If Life Renewal sounds like it could be an option for you, do not hesitate to check out their website at LifeRenewal.ca To keep up with the podcast, check out our website : https://www.realtalkpodcast.ca/ Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for updates, clips, and mo...
Oct 11, 2021•1 hr 25 min•Ep. 34
In this episode, we have the pleasure of sitting down with Rev. Clarence Bouwman, who is the recent retired pastor of Smithville Canadian Reformed Church. We chat about The Church - although what seems like a broad topic, we were able to discuss certain aspects such as terminology, the necessity of gathering, observing the work of Christ in the Church as well as difficult issues including excommunication and withdrawal. We hope this episode will give you a bit more insight into such a vast but i...
Sep 27, 2021•1 hr 37 min•Ep. 33
In this episode, we have the pleasure of sitting down with Rick Ludwig and Diane Vanderwoude Russel. We chat about their work as funeral directors at Kitching, Steepe & Ludwig Funeral Home as well as about grief and all that it entails, including how we can support those who are grieving. Check it out and let us know what you think. To keep up with the podcast, check out our website : https://www.realtalkpodcast.ca/ Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for updates, clips, and more! Facebook: ...
Sep 13, 2021•1 hr 35 min•Ep. 32
In this episode, we talked with MP Arnold Viersen (Peace River-Westlock) about his life as an MP, what he does in Ottawa and in his riding, his private member's bill which is aimed at helping fight human trafficking, balancing Christian principles and party politics and more! Check it out and let us know what you thought :) To keep up with the podcast, check out our website : https://www.realtalkpodcast.ca/ Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for updates, clips, and more! Facebook: https://www.f...
Aug 09, 2021•1 hr 29 min•Ep. 32
Hey everybody - we're already at 30 episodes! Crazy how time flies. Thanks for all you support so far - we're excited to keep bring you informative and inspiring content. In today's episode, we reflect on the feedback we've received over the last 4 interview episodes with Pastor Aaron Rock, Jonathon Van Maren, Jon Dykstra, and Mike Hutten. We also note that Mariia's paper is finally available to read, although be warned, it's not short! Finally, we preview some of the upcoming guests and topics....
Jul 26, 2021•19 min•Ep. 31
In this episode we tackled the topic of freedom: What does it mean, where does it come from, and how to we maintain it? Mike has been doing a series on freedom on his own podcast, One Christian Thinks, and so we had him back in the studio to break down his research for us. For those of you who are sick of talking about c*vid, fear not, we did not dwell on that topic too much this episode. However, for those of you still interested in the topic, the principles discussed do certainly apply to our ...
Jul 12, 2021•1 hr 31 min•Ep. 30
In this episode, we spoke with Jon Dykstra, the Chief Editor at Reformed Perspective, the magazine which sponsors Real Talk. In this one, we talked a bit about his work as an editor, the growth and impact of Reformed Perspective of the past two plus decades, and the importance and ethics of Christian journalism. Finally, we dove into some specific articles Jon wrote on hot button issues that you can find linked below. As always, we hope you are informed and inspired by this episode and we look f...
Jun 28, 2021•1 hr 25 min•Ep. 29
Hey folks! In this episode, we had on Jonathon Van Maren, a Canadian columnist, author, speaker, podcaster, and activist. We had quite the wide-ranging discussion, covering many things including our current media culture, the pitfalls of social and alternative media, conspiracy theories, the persistent problem of porn, pro-life politics and more! Jonathon did a great job breaking down our current culture and we found the discussion to be very enjoyable and enlightening. Let us know what you thin...
Jun 14, 2021•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 28
This is a big one folks! We interviewed Pastor Aaron Rock from Harvest Bible Church in Windsor, ON, who has taken a clear public stance in favour of reopening churches. We went through at least 10 different objections to his stance and had him explain his rationale on each point. We hope that this episode will be helpful for the many Christians, especially those in leadership positions, who are wrestling with this issue and how their local church should respond to it. We look forward to hearing ...
May 24, 2021•1 hr 32 min•Ep. 27
Our next guest was unable to join us - listen and find out why! In this episode we discuss listener feedback from our last several episodes - mainly related to the Church Order. Remember to send in your thoughts on COVID, lockdowns & church closures for our next episode!! To keep up with the podcast, check out our website : https://www.realtalkpodcast.ca/ Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for updates, clips, and more! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReformedRealTalk Instagram: https://w...
May 17, 2021•32 min•Ep. 26
In this episode, we sat down with Dr. Art Witten, a self-described Church Order enthusiast, who has a deep understanding of the history and content of the Church Order held by the Canadian Reformed Churches (and by extension, similar versions held by other Reformed denominations). We talked about the history of the Church Order, where it came from, why it matters, how the Canadian Reformed version compares to other denominations versions, and then dove into some specific articles that deal with ...
May 03, 2021•1 hr 33 min•Ep. 25
In this episode, we sit down with ARPA's new Ontario Manager Ryan Mans to discuss his new job, the work ARPA has been doing lately, and what to make of the area of politics in a polarizing and frustrating time. Tune in and let us know your thoughts! To learn more about ARPA go to https://arpacanada.ca/ To keep up with the podcast, check out our website : https://www.realtalkpodcast.ca/ Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for updates, clips, and more! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReformedRe...
Apr 19, 2021•1 hr 33 min•Ep. 24
In this episode, we chat with Rev. Ryan Kampen about the exciting mission work going on at the Reformed Study Centre, specifically the different projects they have on the go and the thousands of Christians they are helping every month. Tune in to find out more! Links to check out: https://www.refstudycentre.com/ https://www.christianstudylibrary.org/ https://reformedmissions.net/ To keep up with the podcast, check out our website : https://www.realtalkpodcast.ca/ Follow us on Facebook and Instag...
Apr 05, 2021•1 hr•Ep. 23
In this episode, we note the listener appreciation for our Christian Apologetics episode with Jeff Morris and our Outsider Perspective episode with Mariia Alekseevskaia, and share the answers Mariia provided for all of your feedback and questions. Lots of good stuff in this one folks! To keep up with the podcast, check out our website : https://www.realtalkpodcast.ca/ Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for updates, clips, and more! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReformedRealTalk Instagram: ...
Mar 22, 2021•33 min•Ep. 22
You DO NOT want to miss this one folks! In this episode, we talk with Mariia Alekseevskaia, who is originally from Russia and now lives in Ottawa, about her doctoral thesis paper that examines the Canadian Reformed Churches; specifically how their educational institutions (in Ontario) prepare their graduates for life in a pluralistic and diverse society. We dove deep into Mariia's groundbreaking and fascinating work which was the result of 64 interviews with various people from both inside and o...
Mar 08, 2021•1 hr 32 min•Ep. 21
In this one, we talked with Jeff about the importance of defending the faith, the biblical basis for doing so, the differences between evangelism and apologetics, and the relationship between faith and reason and more! To keep up with the podcast, check out our website : https://www.realtalkpodcast.ca/ Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for updates, clips, and more! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReformedRealTalk Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reformedrealtalk/ We'd love to hear from ...
Feb 22, 2021•1 hr 35 min•Ep. 20
In this one we discuss if we should continue these feedback style episodes (send us your thoughts!!), reflect on what we learned in our conversation with Scott Dekorte, and announce two exciting upcoming episodes - check it out! To keep up with the podcast, check out our website : https://www.realtalkpodcast.ca/ Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for updates, clips, and more! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReformedRealTalk Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reformedrealtalk/ We'd love to ...
Feb 06, 2021•22 min•Ep. 19
Scott Dekorte from Word & Deed Ministries joined us to talk all about global missions, poverty, relief efforts, indigenous enterprise based solutions and more in this exciting and interesting episode. Tune in and let us know what you think! To keep up with the podcast, check out our website: https://www.realtalkpodcast.ca/ Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for updates, clips, and more! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReformedRealTalk Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reformedrealtalk...
Jan 23, 2021•1 hr 37 min•Ep. 18
In this episode we interact with the content and feedback of our last few episodes with Rhonda and Mike and discuss some of our future plans like usual. To keep up with the podcast, check out our website : https://www.realtalkpodcast.ca/ Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for updates, clips, and more! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReformedRealTalk Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reformedrealtalk/ We'd love to hear from you. Please send us your questions, comments, or other feedback at...
Jan 09, 2021•25 min•Ep. 17
Rhonda Wiersma joins us for some real talk about the important topic of mental health as we enter this holiday season. We spoke about the attitudes and stigma related to mental health both within and outside the church. We tried to understand how Biblical and Christian counseling differ in their approaches and how we can get involved as counsellors to those struggling in our own lives. Here are a couple references Rhonda made in this episode: Untangling Emotions: "God's Gift of Emotions" by J. A...
Dec 26, 2020•1 hr 32 min•Ep. 16
Welcome to Part 2 of the Christmas Bonus Episode! If you haven’t already listened to the first part, I would suggest checking that out as it helps to frame our discussion in part two. In this episode, we spend a lot of time discussing why Christians who share the same fundamental beliefs can disagree so strongly on various issues and why that can actually be a good thing! Let us know what you make of our analysis - none of us are trained psychologists so please let us know if we got anything wro...
Dec 18, 2020•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 15
Welcome to the Christmas Bonus episode! In this one we have on Mike Hutten from the One Christian Thinks podcast to talk about all things culture. You can check out his podcast and all of our research links down below. This podcast ended up going super long so we divided it into two parts (part two drops tomorrow) to make it easier to consume. In the first half we talk about racism, BLM, and how current cultural movements are impacted by ideologies like Marxism, Neo-Marxism and Critical Race The...
Dec 18, 2020•1 hr 33 min•Ep. 14
In this episode, Lucas and Tyler reflect on their interviews with Rev. Hendrik Versteeg and Rev. Bruce Parnell and discuss what each of their experiences can teach us about the types of songs we sing in church. They also try out Instagram Live, show off some cool new art courtesy of Reformed Perspective, discuss their upcoming episode on mental health, and reveal a new bonus episode coming soon! To keep up with the podcast, check out our website : https://www.realtalkpodcast.ca/ Follow us on Fac...
Dec 05, 2020•27 min•Ep. 13
This episode is a special one, featuring interviews with two different pastors who've worked in vastly different contexts. Rev Hendrik Versteeg served as missionary in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea for many years. Rev. Bruce Parnell has served as a pastor in a mission plant church in Stillwater, Oklahoma for many years as well. We talked with them about their different mission experiences in the jungles of PNG and the Bible Belt of America and in particular asked them about their music traditio...
Nov 21, 2020•1 hr 34 min•Ep. 12
