Justin Brierley is an author, speaker, and broadcaster who is passionate about creating conversations around faith, science, theology, and culture. Through creative use of podcasts, radio, print, video, and social media, Justin aims to showcase an intellectually compelling case for Christianity, while taking seriously the questions and objections of skeptics. In this episode of The RESGEN Giving Life Podcast, Justin and Tom have a great conversation about apologetics and why every one of us shou...
Dec 14, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Season 4Ep. 70
Bruce Saugstad is a follower of Jesus, husband, father, and the Chief Operating Officer for Ross Reitsma and Associates. In this episode of The RESGEN Giving Life Podcast, Tom and Bruce talk about success – what it is, what it isn’t and how we as Christian men should use it for the Kingdom. Bruce also shares what prompted he and his wife to care for foster children after entering the empty nesting season and how a medical diagnosis given to his 12-year-old daughter years ago, led him to surrende...
Nov 30, 2023•59 min•Season 4Ep. 69
Dan Larson is a follower of Jesus, husband, father, and has been the Director of Young Life in Pueblo, CO for the last 25 years. He has also played a HUGE role in Tom’s life for over 35 years – as a friend, mentor, father figure and ministry partner. In this episode of The RESGEN Giving Life Podcast, Dan shares what has kept him in the youth ministry game for over 30 years, what students need from men today, and what we can all learn from this generation of teenagers. Tom and Dan also talk about...
Nov 16, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Season 4Ep. 68
Jake Pettengill is a follower of Jesus, a husband, a father, and the Sioux Falls Christian Middle School Principal in Sioux Falls, SD. In this episode of The RESGEN Giving Life Podcast, Jake shares how his experiences as a high school football coach for 11 years shaped the way he parents his kids in sports and treats other coaches today. He also talks with Tom about how he and his wife, Lisa, saw God’s faithfulness and felt His presence during a difficult journey that no parent wants to take – l...
Nov 02, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Season 4Ep. 67
Matt Paulson is first and foremost a follower of Christ, a husband, and a father. In addition, he is an entrepreneur, business owner and philanthropist who is driven to not only be successful himself, but help others be successful as well. In this episode of The RESGEN Giving Life Podcast, Tom and Matt talk about what makes or breaks a start-up, how he personally has handled entrepreneurial failures and disappointments, and how his faith has guided his journey – in business, as a leader in the c...
Oct 19, 2023•51 min•Season 4Ep. 66
Jon Acuff is a New York Times bestselling author of 7 books (soon to be 8) and one of INC’s top 100 leadership speakers. Over the years, Jon has spoken to hundreds of thousands of people at conferences, colleges and companies around the world including FedEx, Nissan, Microsoft and Comedy Central. He was also one of our speakers at RESGEN Men’s Summit 2023. In this episode of The RESGEN Giving Life Podcast, Tom and Jon talk about goals – how setting, reaching for, and achieving them can help us f...
Oct 05, 2023•51 min•Season 4Ep. 65
Ross Reitsma is a follower of Jesus, a husband, a father, and a financial advisor for Northwestern Mutual. He also serves on the board for the Kingdom Capital Fund and is the Chair for the God as CEO initiative - a movement for managers, business owners and those who seek to be a Christian influence in their workplace. In this episode of The RESGEN Giving Life Podcast, Tom and Ross talk about what it means to make God our CEO and share some simple things we can all do in our effort to live out o...
Sep 21, 2023•57 min•Season 4Ep. 64
Nathan Unruh is a follower of Jesus, a husband, a father, a visionary leader and a successful entrepreneur who is dedicated to enhancing people’s lives. In this episode of The RESGEN Giving Life Podcast, Tom and Nathan have a lively discussion about life-giving leadership, successful entrepreneurship and value-based mentorship. They also talk about how Nathan’s faith impacts the way he both leads, and cares for people, and what it means to live a life of affluence. The Giving Life Podcast: Conve...
Sep 07, 2023•54 min•Season 4Ep. 63
Nik Aamlid is a husband, father, passionate follower of Jesus and a certified financial planner and wealth advisor in Sioux Falls. In this episode of The RESGEN Giving Life Podcast, Tom and Nik discuss the role that giving and stewarding our time, talent and treasure plays in our walk with Christ, and how we can have a healthier view of money. They also visit about how an injury, while playing football for South Dakota State, sent Nik on a journey of evaluating where his identity was truly found...
Jun 01, 2023•1 hr 14 min•Season 3Ep. 62
Joe Rutten is a husband, a father of 4 boys and the Director of the Benedictine Leadership Institute at Mount Marty University in Yankton, SD. In this episode of The RESGEN Giving Life Podcast, Tom and Joe discuss what it means to be a man of virtue, what it looks like to follow the Benedictine Way and what he sees as some of the biggest challenges that men face today. They also visit about his journey towards sobriety and the difference that has made in his marriage, in his relationship with hi...
May 18, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Season 3Ep. 61
Jeff Lukens is a husband, father, grandfather and follower of Christ. He also taught, impacted and coached thousands of teenagers, myself included, during his 35 plus year career in the Sioux Falls public school system - a career that resulted in him receiving a ‘Teacher of the Year’ award for both the city of Sioux Falls and the state of South Dakota. In this episode of The RESGEN Giving Life Podcast, Jeff and I visit about what he enjoyed most about teaching and coaching students and what advi...
Apr 27, 2023•54 min•Season 3Ep. 60
Joe Evenson is a husband, a father, and the Chief Program officer at Make-A-Wish South Dakota/Montana. He also serves as the chaplain for the Sioux Falls Storm, a professional arena football team. In this episode of The RESGEN Giving Life Podcast, Tom and Joe discuss several topics including what he learned from being a football player, coach and chaplain and how a message from a University of Nebraska Football coach helped change his view of masculinity. They also talk about how having a stroke...
Apr 13, 2023•57 min•Season 3Ep. 59
Eric McDonald is a friend, a father and the founder of Docutap, a healthcare technology company that over the course of 22 years grew into what is known as a unicorn. A unicorn is a company that sells, or is valued, at more than a billion dollars. The success that Eric saw personally and in his company is incredible. However, like many others ahead of him, there is more of the story to be told about the missteps that occurred in Eric’s personal life and the ripple effect those decisions had on h...
Mar 30, 2023•1 hr•Season 3Ep. 58
Chuck Hiatt, a friend and leadership mentor of Tom’s, has been a pastor, the President of Sioux Falls Seminary, the President of the Good Samaritan foundation and a teacher at countless retreats and conferences over the last 45 years. In this episode of The RESGEN Giving Life Podcast, Tom and Chuck visit about some of the biggest lessons he has learned from walking with Jesus throughout his life as well as a few favorite leadership principles he shares the most when he is consulting with organiz...
Mar 16, 2023•1 hr 11 min•Season 3Ep. 57
Ted Cunningham is an author, a comedian and the founding pastor of Woodland Hills Family Church in Branson, MO. In addition to pastoring, Ted also invests in marriages all over the country at Date Night Comedy events and through his books and online resource, Helping Couples Win. On this episode of The Giving Life Podcast, Ted and Tom talk about a variety of topics including preparing your kids to be launched into the real world and also your marriage for the empty nest, parenting adult children...
Mar 02, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Season 3Ep. 56
Paul Harris is a husband, father, and the lead singer of ‘The Cleverlys’ – a bluegrass band that is both uber talented, and hilarious. He is also a stand-up comedian and was a part of RESGEN’s most recent marriage event, Date Night Comedy, in early February, 2023. In this episode of The RESGEN Giving Life Podcast, Tom and Paul visit about handling criticism in a positive way, being fully present when home and what balance looks like when you spend half the year on the road as an entertainer. The...
Feb 16, 2023•58 min•Season 3Ep. 55
Tom’s guest is Chris May, the pastor who Tom to be the youth pastor of Oregon City Church of the Nazarene back in 1999 when Tom was 23 years old. Chris May is a husband, father and grandfather who is currently serving as the discipleship pastor at Bend Nazarene in Bend, OR.. In this episode of The RESGEN Giving Life Podcast, Tom and Chris talk about the 3 things he told Tom very early in his ministry career that Tom still thinks about every day. Tom also visits with Chris about his extreme love ...
Jan 26, 2023•1 hr 15 min•Season 3Ep. 54
Tom’s guest has played a HUGE role in his life for over 30 years – as a friend, father- figure, mentor and ministry partner. Allen Kjesbo is a husband, father and grandfather who recently retired after 44 plus years in full-time ministry – 30+ of those years serving as a youth pastor. In this episode of The RESGEN Giving Life Podcast, Tom and Allen discuss some of the biggest things he learned during his 3 decades of working with teenagers and how those lessons helped him and his wife, Denise, p...
Jan 12, 2023•1 hr 14 min•Season 3Ep. 53
Matt Jensen is a husband, father and follower of Jesus who recently made the difficult decision to leave a company that he helped grow to be one of THE premier vision care centers in the country. In this episode of The RESGEN Giving Life Podcast, Matt and Tom discuss our need for rest - for unplugging from the daily grind so we can better care for ourselves and our loved ones. Throughout this episode you’ll hear Matt share about the feelings of anxiety and burnout he was experiencing that led hi...
Dec 29, 2022•1 hr 10 min•Season 3Ep. 52
Joshua Duncan is a licensed counselor at Stronghold Counseling Services in Sioux Falls, SD and also serves as the Lead Pastor of Center of Life Church. He also has a phenomenal laugh and is probably one of the most joy-filled human beings you will ever meet. In this episode of The RESGEN Giving Life Podcast, Tom and Joshua discuss 3 topics men want to talk about the most during their counseling sessions as well as some of the reasons why men find it difficult to be open and vulnerable with other...
Dec 15, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Season 3Ep. 51
Brian Hansen was an NFL punter for 15 seasons and currently works in full-time ministry for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He is also a husband, a father and a deeply devoted follower Christ. In this episode of The RESGEN Giving Life Podcast, Tom and Brian visit about some of the biggest lessons he learned while playing in the NFL and what led Him to make the decision to follow Christ early in His career. They also talk about how he was able to live out his faith in the locker room and wh...
Dec 01, 2022•1 hr•Season 3Ep. 50
Troy Klongerbo is a husband, business owner and a brand new dad – a title that he’s very excited about especially after the heartbreak of losing their first baby to a miscarriage. In this episode of The RESGEN Giving Life Podcast, Tom and Troy visit about the different ways He and his wife, Sarah, both processed and grieved their miscarriage. They also discuss how men can continue to feed our marriages during extremely busy seasons of our lives, and how focusing on the faithfulness of God can he...
Nov 17, 2022•54 min•Season 3Ep. 49
Tim Schut is a husband, father and business owner who was diagnosed with a life-altering disease, Primary Progressive Apraxia of Speech, a few years ago. In this episode of The RESGEN Giving Life Podcast, Tom and Tim visit about how he processed being diagnosed with a disease that not only would slowly take his speech, but also his life. They also talk about how his diagnosis has changed the way he organizes his time and priorities; the impact it has had on his relationships with his wife and hi...
Nov 03, 2022•47 min•Season 3Ep. 48
Tom’s guest is Dave Campbell. He is a friend, a husband, a father, and the founding pastor of Invitation Church. In this episode of The RESGEN Giving Life Podcast, Tom and Dave discuss conflict. They visit about some of the overarching reasons that conflict arises and unpack 4 main conflict styles. They also break down a few core values and some tools for communication that can help prevent our conflicts from being unhealthy. Lastly, they talk about how we can be more Christlike in managing the ...
Oct 20, 2022•1 hr 5 min•Season 3Ep. 47
Tom’s guest is a friend who has been helping people develop intentional cultures for over 15 years. Vaney Hariri is the co-founder of Think3D and the co-author of ‘Think3D – A Radical New Approach to Maximizing the Potential of your Team’ . In this episode of The RESGEN Giving Life Podcast, Tom and Vaney talk about all things culture – what it is, how it impacts all aspects of our lives, and how we can be intentional about building healthy and thriving ones. They also talk about how culture infl...
Oct 06, 2022•1 hr•Season 3Ep. 46
Tom’s guest is a friend who recently began his second year as the Chief of Police in Sioux Falls. Jon Thum is a husband, a father and a follower of Christ who has devoted his life to serving the public through law enforcement. In this episode of The RESGEN Giving Life Podcast, Tom and Jon discuss how his faith influences how he leads the police department and ways that citizens can encourage local police officers. They also discuss what churches and individuals can do to help those who are comin...
Sep 22, 2022•57 min•Season 3Ep. 45
Tom’s guest for episode 44 is a friend who recently began his second term as the Mayor of Sioux Falls. Paul TenHaken is a husband, a father, a devoted a follower of Christ and an entrepreneur who, after starting and running a successful marketing company for 10 years, threw his hat in the political arena. In this episode of The RESGEN Giving Life Podcast, Tom and Paul discuss his personal faith journey and how his faith influences his leadership – both at work and at home. They also discuss the ...
Sep 08, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Season 3Ep. 44
Tom’s guest for the Season Two Finale is a friend who is entering his 10th year of being the head football coach at Augustana University. Jerry Olszewski is a husband, a father, a devoted follower of Christ, and has been coaching young men in both football, and in life for over 25 years. In this episode of The RESGEN Giving Life Podcast, Tom and Coach O discuss his personal faith journey and how his faith both aligns with and influences his coaching philosophy. They also discuss some of the bigg...
Jun 16, 2022•57 min•Season 2Ep. 43
Tom’s guest today has been his friend and pastor for 11 years. Jeff Wheeler is a husband, father, and grandfather and has served as the Lead Pastor of Central Church in Sioux Falls, SD for over 12 years. In this episode of The RESGEN Giving Life Podcast, Jeff discusses what he learned about himself after completing the 360-Degree Leadership Assessment and shares why prayer should be more of a focus in everyone’s life. Tom and Jeff also talk about their biggest concern for today’s Church and prov...
Jun 02, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Season 2Ep. 42
Bernie Schock is a husband, father, grandfather and author who has been teaching the Bible for over 40 years. His son Nathan, is a husband, father and speaker who is the co-founder and president of FiveFour – a company that helps businesses grow, by growing their people . On this episode of The RESGEN Giving Life Podcast, Tom, Bernie and Nathan discuss a range of topics including how Bernie has responded and dealt with his battle with Parkinson’s Disease and what it has been like for Nathan to s...
May 19, 2022•58 min•Season 2Ep. 41
