We are all familiar with the saying, "God is love," but do we know what that means? Where do we get our definition of love? Do we define what love is based on who we know God to be, or vice-versa? If God really is love, then it must follow that everything He does is also love. Yet our society's definition of love is constantly changing and often has more to do with feelings than anything else. As Christians, are we allowing our own views of what love is to challenge our understanding of who God ...
Dec 23, 2019•46 min•Ep. 37
Where do we get our understanding of heaven, life after death and the Kingdom of God from? Is our concept of these ideas something that Jesus or Paul would recognize? When we hear these terms, where do our minds go? Geordie Mumby joins the show to explain how our modern, Western ideas about heaven have been shaped more by our culture than by the words of Jesus. Is our goal as Christians simply to get to heaven when we die? Or do we have another purpose to accomplish here on Earth? Share the podc...
Dec 16, 2019•44 min•Ep. 36
Burnout, lack of motivation, and spiritual dryness are commonplace in the North American Church. It seems like we take seasons such as these for granted, as natural parts of our spiritual lives. Yet, do these beliefs line up with what we find in the early Church and Jesus' teachings? Steve Orsillo rejoins the show to bring perspective from his forty-four plus years of following Jesus. He challenges the idea that spiritual zeal is simply for new believers, or that burnout is inevitable. Share the...
Dec 09, 2019•50 min•Ep. 35
While most Western Christians accept the Bible as accurate and authoritative, we don't always use correct historical interpretation to understand what it says. When we approach scripture, we tend to do so with a series of misconceptions that can cloud our understanding. Geordie Mumby has studied the New Testament in depth, and has taken the time to explore the historical context. He joins the show to point out some common misunderstandings about scripture and to hopefully shed a little light on ...
Dec 02, 2019•49 min•Ep. 34
In the North American Church, music and worship styles play a big role in our church experience. It is one of the first things we notice when attending a new church, and a big factor in whether or not we continue to attend. Many of the West's largest congregation are more recognizable from their syndicated music than what they preach. The question is, how does what we sing in our churches impact what we believe about God? Is there a connection? Worship pastors Ryan and Lisa Kelly join the show t...
Nov 25, 2019•48 min•Ep. 33
The overall trend in our society today seems to be moving away from traditional understandings of truth. More and more, instead of facts and logic, we use how we feel and what we've experienced as benchmarks for how to live and make decisions. When we approach the bible and our faith this way, it can have serious consequences on our theology. Are we going to take the bible at face value, or rewrite it to fit what we feel is right? Sarah Budd joins the show and brings her scientific perspective a...
Nov 18, 2019•44 min•Ep. 32
It is no secret that institutional Christianity has struggled to engage Millennials and young adults in general. Many young people today—even those who identify as Christians—find the Church outdated, hypocritical, or simply irrelevant to their lives. How do we engage them with the truth of Jesus while standing firm in that truth? Danielle Devine joins the show to preview the new book she has written and to share new insights she gained about young adults through her research. Share the podcast ...
Nov 11, 2019•47 min•Ep. 31
It doesn't take a statistician or sociologist to figure out that the institutions of Christianity are on the decline in the Western world. Falling numbers, decreasing cultural relevance, and lessening political voice all paint a picture of a religion in decline. More and more people are leaving organized religion, and even casual knowledge of the Bible is uncommon. So how do we interpret this as Christians? Is it all doom and gloom, or is there an opportunity to seize the cultural moment? If the...
Nov 04, 2019•48 min•Ep. 30
A couple episodes ago, Max and Steve discussed the epidemic that is the culture of victimhood in the West. This week, Max is joined by TFHC pastor Lisa Bowers who shares about something she calls the orphan-victim-martyr cycle and how to combat it. Lisa points out that, as Christians, we are not immune from flawed thinking. When we get stuck in a mindset that puts too much focus on what we lack, it can quickly spiral in our lives. Operating out of isolation and unhealthy independence is a sympto...
Oct 21, 2019•50 min•Ep. 28
This week is a special episode for the Uncommon Truth. For the first time, Max sits down with Steve Orsillo and his wife, Vicki, to have a discussion about faith in the midst of difficult times. Steve and Vicki founded The Father’s House Church in Oroville over twenty years ago. Though they display joy and peace in private and public, their lives have been far from easy. This past week, the Orsillos lost their granddaughter, Avalynn Hope Wallace, to her fight with leukemia. They have lost busine...
Oct 14, 2019•55 min•Ep. 27
Max welcomes Nathan Taylor to the show this week. Nathan is a staff member and urban missionary serving at The Father's House Church in Oroville. Like Max, Nathan and his wife moved down to Oroville from Canada, choosing to leave behind successful businesses and ministries in the process. The Taylors have been in Oroville for five years now. Max and Nathan discuss their similar journeys, and Max tries to glean some wisdom from Nathan's successes and trials. Geordie's Journey can be followed on f...
Oct 07, 2019•51 min•Ep. 26
Accountability is a commonly heard buzz word in Christian circles, but defining what it looks like can be difficult. Most of us know that following Christ is not something that we can do in isolation, but beyond that, there is not much that is agreed upon. Generally speaking, being open and honest with personal struggles is not something that comes easy to Christians in the West, and the news is littered with tales of leaders who have fallen without accountability. Derek Devine joins the show to...
Sep 30, 2019•51 min•Ep. 25
In recent years, Western society has become enmeshed in a narrative that defines a person or group's value based on their perceived victim status. We find ourselves in a cultural moment that seems to elevate how much someone has been oppressed, slighted or marginalized. The consequence seems to be a heightened sense of individual entitlement, bitterness and selfishness. In contrast, Jesus and the Christians of the early Church represent quite the opposite. Despite real persecution, none of these...
Sep 23, 2019•46 min•Ep. 24
Christians, by definition, are followers of Christ. One of the ways the Jesus described Himself was as Truth embodied; He is the way, the truth and the life. We might not realize it, but this is a radical claim. Claiming to be the incarnation of Truth is a big deal. Yet today, the more radical part of this claim might be the assertion that something called truth actually exists. We live in a culture and time that has left truth behind. Feelings, relativism and opinions are more important than ev...
Sep 16, 2019•50 min•Ep. 23
In today's day and age, Christianity is increasingly seen as easy, simple and undemanding. In a world that prioritizes selfishness and ease, the Christian faith in the West is gradually becoming more self-centered while asking less of its adherents. However, all it takes is a quick glance through the New Testament to see that we have taken a wrong turn somewhere. We all want to grow in our faith and take hold of eternal life, but are we willing to give up something to get them? Jesus called thos...
Sep 09, 2019•55 min•Ep. 22
Recently, a listener left a review for the show that was less than glowing. This listener was concerned that the subject matter of The Uncommon Truth was focused more on, "Doing" rather than, "Being." In other words, too much discussion of what we should be doing for Jesus and not enough talk of resting in Jesus. Instead of speaking less of what believers need to be working towards, Steve's view is that Christians should be focusing more and more on manifesting the work Jesus did on earth. Howev...
Sep 02, 2019•51 min•Ep. 21
The focus of the Uncommon Truth has always been a diligent search for Christianity authentically lived out. Nothing fits that description better than the lives of Geordie and Stefanie Mumby. Since The Uncommon Truth debuted in April, Geordie has been a regular co-host of the show. It was around that same time that he received a dire cancer diagnosis. Rather than sink into despair or victimhood, both Geordie and Stefanie have focused on serving and loving Jesus. It is a recognition that authentic...
Aug 26, 2019•50 min•Ep. 20
Wrapping up a loose series on the uncomfortable sayings of Jesus, Max is joined by Chloe Wellsand to discuss the sometimes overlooked topic of forgiveness. Chloe comes from near Cardiff in Wales, UK and is on pastoral staff at The Father’s House. Her work includes prayer ministry and teaching in the School of Transformation, and her hometown—The Vale of Glamorgan—is also the hometown of some of the elves from the Lord of the Rings (probably). Max and Chloe talk about how the topic of forgiveness...
Aug 19, 2019•50 min•Ep. 19
The Uncommon Truth got off the ground in the beginning when Max pitched the idea of a podcast to Danielle Devine in the business office at The Father's House Church. Now, a few months later, Danielle joins to share some stories about her time in the ministry. As Steve and Vicki Orsillo's youngest daughter, Danielle has been involved in the ministry since the age of 4, so she's seen it all. After setting California state scoring records in high school basketball, Danielle went on to become an all...
Aug 12, 2019•46 min•Ep. 18
Max is joined by his first Dutch guest in the new spotlight segment. Jos Van Huysse is on staff at The Father's House working with media creation, worship and Life Recovery Ministries. He shares about his skepticism upon visiting Oroville and why he felt drawn to return anyway. Now five years later, he has the privilege of helping others along the same path. After Jos, Steve and Max talk about their shared love of baseball, in honor of the MLB trade deadline, before moving on to talk about their...
Aug 05, 2019•48 min•Ep. 17
In a new segment, Max welcomes School of Transformation teacher and alum Jessica Zeppi to talk about her experience in the school and her journey at The Father's House. She shares about meeting SOT director (and podcast guest) Geordie Mumby in Toronto and knowing there was something different about The Father's House. In the six years since, Jessica has gotten married, began helping with the school and has joined the church's pastoral staff. In the main part of the episode, Steve is back from a ...
Jul 29, 2019•48 min•Ep. 16
Max is joined in studio by special guest Johnny Bowers. Johnny shares about how he found Jesus at The Father's House and the School of Transformation after years as the frontman for a heavy metal band. The discussion centers around the ways in which we often mischaracterize Jesus in the West. The commonplace view of Jesus is as a passive, inoffensive teacher who never crossed anyone. However, reading the New Testament shows a much different picture. How does our view of Jesus effect how we live ...
Jul 22, 2019•44 min•Ep. 15
In the final episode the series on discipleship, Max and Steve explore the cost of following Jesus. Many Christians have found themselves following Jesus without ever being warned of what that entails. Steve points out that the life of discipleship is not just for “super Christians”; discipleship is actually just regular Christianity. When considering what it takes to follow Jesus, the obvious verses about carrying your cross and leaving your family are often cited. Steve goes beyond the obvious...
Jul 15, 2019•51 min•Ep. 14
Max and Steve look at the topic of discipleship from the perspective of those doing the discipling. One of the reasons Max and his family moved from Canada to The Father's House Church was because of the level of discipleship. From community living, accountability, mentorship and self sacrifice, both the methods and the results were extraordinary. What does it take to guide people into real relationship with Jesus and the life change that comes from that? What does it take as leaders to live liv...
Jul 08, 2019•49 min•Ep. 13
Special guests Duncan & Kate Smith from Catch the Fire World in Raleigh, NC join Max in studio this week. Duncan and Kate Smith are revivalists who carry the fire of God's love and power all over the world. Originally from the UK, they are also Presidents of Catch The Fire World, a global network of revival churches, missions and ministries, birthed out of the Toronto Revival. They planted CTF Raleigh with their three beautiful daughters. The Smiths share about their faith journey from the U...
Jul 01, 2019•44 min•Ep. 12
Max and Steve continue the series on discipleship this week. If a disciple is an imitator of Jesus, or literally an identical twin, then how do we get there? Where do we even start? How do we do discipleship in real life? Steve outlines several simple New Testament principles for becoming more and more like Jesus. Submission and surrender are not popular ideals in the West, yet scripture seems to indicate that they are necessary for discipleship. Even more uncommon is the idea that we are suppos...
Jun 24, 2019•51 min•Ep. 11
In his final moments on earth, Jesus commanded his followers to engage in the practice of making disciples. This command is what we like to call, “the great commission,” today, and most of us could even quote it verbatim. Yet a definition of terms is necessary to make sure our way of making disciples today matches with what Jesus had in mind. In this episode, the first in a multi-part series on discipleship, Max and Steve start with the basics: what is the definition of a disciple? Is a disciple...
Jun 17, 2019•51 min•Ep. 10
When it comes to measuring success, whether in church, business or life in general, it is important to understand what constitutes success. In today's Christianity in North America, the churches and ministries we consider successful are usually the ones with the largest followings. In other words, our standard for what we deem successful is not that different from what our Western culture calls success. In this episode, Max and Steve talk about how consumerism and a worldly success model have im...
Jun 10, 2019•45 min•Ep. 9
In the West, and in North America especially, our culture has elevated individual independence to new levels. When we look at that through our 21st Century, Western worldview that does not seem like anything to be concerned about. However, how does that effect the way we as Christians represent Jesus to the rest of the world? Jesus calls Christians to be unified with Him, the Father, the Holy Spirit and each other. Yet we find ourselves scattered, living outside of Christian community and depend...
Jun 03, 2019•47 min•Ep. 8
Max and Steve discuss a practical question of church structure this week on The Uncommon Truth. In North America, the Church seems to have a hard line between ministry and vocational work. In other words, most people think they have to choose between dedicating their lives to either working in the marketplace or serving in full time ministry. The work of Jesus’ commission is left to a select few while the rest of the Body of Christ is excluded or apathetic. Max asks Steve what the bible says, fo...
May 27, 2019•49 min•Ep. 7
