How would your life change if you committed to choosing joy no matter your circumstances? The Book of Philippians teaches us to pursue joy in all seasons. Join host Les Norman and Pastor Chad Glover as they kick off season 4 of The Well Podcast by exploring the origins of the church at Philippi. Learn how God intentionally designed the Philippian church to be a movement for all people, regardless of background, status, or past mistakes. If you’re struggling to find joy, choose to focus on the tr...
Jun 23, 2025•48 min•Ep. 131
In this episode of The Well Podcast, host Les Norman sits down with Pastor Phil Hopper to talk about biblical parenting, fatherhood, marriage, and legacy. Pastor Phil shares the best fatherhood advice he's received: “Keep your welcome mat out and your mouth shut.” He explains how parenting evolves as children grow into adults and how sometimes the best way to support them is through presence rather than unsolicited advice. Fathers who follow God’s design for biblical parenting and lead their fam...
Jun 16, 2025•38 min•Ep. 130
In this episode of The Well Podcast, host Les Norman and Pastor Phil Hopper talk about the joys and challenges of building strong marriages. Drawing from decades of personal experience, they share what they thought they knew about marriage and what they found out it was actually like. Through candid conversation, they share personal stories, wisdom from couples in their church, and biblical marriage advice from Scripture, all centered around cultivating love in marriage. For couples who are stru...
Jun 09, 2025•47 min•Ep. 129
What do you do when you feel like you’ve lost that lovin’ feelin’ in your marriage? In this episode of The Well Podcast, host Les Norman and Pastor Chad Glover discuss the transformative role of humility, gentle love, and God-centered restoration in marriage and relationships. Pastor Chad shares vulnerably about intergenerational patterns, the necessity of “dying to self” daily, and the sanctifying work of marriage. Les reflects on the importance of choosing to humble oneself and the ongoing nee...
Jun 02, 2025•48 min•Ep. 128
How do you navigate conflict in marriage and relationships in a healthy, biblical way? In this episode of The Well Podcast, host Les Norman and Pastor Phil Hopper sit down with Doug Geiger, Counseling Director at Abundant Life, for a practical and hope filled conversation. Discover why addressing conflict matters, the dangers of ignoring issues, and how forgiveness can transform your relationship. Doug shares his “L.U.V.E.R.” method, Listen, Understand, Validate, Empathize, Repeat, and strategie...
May 26, 2025•43 min•Ep. 127
In this episode of The Well Podcast, host Les Norman and Pastor Phil Hopper dive into the prophetic significance of current events in Israel. After a powerful and eye-opening trip to the Holy Land, Pastor Phil gives a unique perspective on these events and shares why so many believe we are living in truly prophetic times. Unlike previous trips, Pastor Phil engaged in conversations with devout Jewish people and explored rarely accessed sites like Shiloh and Joshua’s altar. He heard Jewish people ...
May 19, 2025•50 min•Ep. 126
In this episode of The Well podcast, bestselling author, podcast, and speaker Heidi St. John joins Pastor Phil and host Les Norman to talk about biblical womanhood and God’s design for families. Heidi is a bestselling author, podcaster, and speaker who is passionate about faith and family. She shares her insights on femininity, motherhood, and identity in a world rapidly shifting its values. Heidi talks about common lies and misconceptions about motherhood and encourages women to reject cultural...
May 13, 2025•43 min•Ep. 125
In this episode of The Well Podcast, host Chad Glover and special guest Vance Pittman, President of the Send Network, dive into topics of church planting, kingdom living, biblical leadership, and authentic discipleship. Vance shares his incredible journey from Muscle Shoals, Alabama, to leading the largest church planting network in North America—Send Network. Discover how Luke 4 shaped his mission to help plant over 1,000 churches a year, and how intimacy with Christ—not just ministry—should be...
May 05, 2025•41 min•Ep. 124
In this episode of The Well Podcast, Pastor Phil and host Les Norman discuss how believers should prepare for the return of Christ. Comfort, prosperity, and cultural distractions can lull believers into spiritual slumber. We need to wake up, redeem our time, and prepare for the return of Christ. As we anticipate the return of Christ, we need to stay alert, active, and engaged in our faith. Let’s be a church awake, alive, and ready, living every day as if Christ is returning! Want to learn more a...
Apr 28, 2025•48 min•Ep. 123
Do the origins of Easter begin with the resurrection of Jesus? In this special Easter conversation, Pastor Phil and host Les Norman explore the history and origins of Easter, debunking common misconceptions and exploring the true foundation of the Christian faith—the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Pastor Phil answers pressing questions about Easter, including: Is Easter a pagan holiday? Where do colored Easter eggs come from? How do we know that the resurrection is true? What is the evidence of t...
Apr 21, 2025•42 min•Ep. 122
In this episode of The Well Podcast, Pastor Phil and host Les Norman talk about how insecurities impact our relational intimacy and vulnerability with God, our spouses, and our community. We are all born with hearts traumatized by sin, but we were made for connection and intimacy. Our insecurities because of sin are carried into marriage and often cause patterns of dysfunction. Sharing those insecurities with your spouse and community requires humility, grace, and vulnerability. Join Pastor Phil...
Apr 14, 2025•36 min•Ep. 121
Clayton King is back on The Well podcast with Pastor Phil and Les Norman to talk about walking in love and keeping the fire alive in marriage. Clayton challenges us to answer the question, “Are you walking in love right now?” Falling in love is just the beginning. Walking in love for a lifetime is the real treasure. Walking in love is a daily habit. In marriage, you can’t maximize the gift God has given you in your spouse and the idea of being one flesh if you aren’t walking in love. You become ...
Apr 07, 2025•46 min•Ep. 120
In this episode of The Well podcast, Pastor Phil and Pastor Chad talk about the Sermon on the Mount and what that sermon reveals about the Kingdom of God and stewarding our treasures. The Kingdom of God is the rule of God in our hearts. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus declares Himself the Messiah and tells us what the Kingdom of God is all about. When we receive Jesus as the King of our lives, we are welcomed into an upside-down kingdom where things are completely opposite from the world. Jesu...
Mar 31, 2025•42 min•Ep. 119
In this episode of The Well Podcast, Pastor Phil and Pastor Chad talk about the parable of the Good Samaritan and answer the question, “Who is my neighbor?” The Jews thought that loving their neighbor meant loving people who were like them and who were close to them. But Jesus challenged that mindset with the parable of the Good Samaritan. The parable of the Good Samaritan teaches us that we have to balance our care for people with sharing the gospel. If we’re not sharing the gospel, then what h...
Mar 24, 2025•41 min•Ep. 118
In this episode of The Well Podcast, Pastor Phil and Les talk about idolatry, greed, and covetousness. Our idols lie dormant, but they can quickly resurrect themselves at any time. The way you battle idolatry is by intentionally pursuing the things God treasures. Don’t wait until you feel like treasuring it. Start pursuing it even when your heart doesn’t fully treasure it! Pursuing the things of God and the things of heaven is how you battle covetousness and greed and develop a heart for what Go...
Mar 17, 2025•32 min•Ep. 117
In this episode of The Well Podcast, Pastor Phil and Les are joined by Pastor Jonathan Buttram, the pastor of Re:generation recovery ministry at Abundant Life. Pastor Jonathan talks about the life change he has seen through Re:generation and shares his testimony of coming to faith in Jesus. Re:generation is a transformative ministry that combines discipleship and recovery, offering a path to freedom, peace, and hope for both the spiritually healthy and those struggling. Everyone has struggles, a...
Mar 10, 2025•42 min•Ep. 116
In this episode of The Well podcast, Pastor Phil, Les, and Olivia talk about how to follow Jesus as the Good Shepherd and live the abundant life He offers. They emphasize that following Jesus is about more than just salvation; it's about pursuing sanctification and consecrating your life to Him. We receive the gift of life abundantly when we confess Jesus as our Savior and consecrate our lives to Him. Many Christians today are like the Ancient Israelites, with enough faith to get out of Egypt bu...
Mar 03, 2025•45 min•Ep. 115
In this episode of The Well Podcast, Pastor Phil is joined by Pastor Jeremy to talk about missions and living sent. Jeremy believes he wouldn’t be where he is if he hadn’t said yes to the invitation he received to go on his first mission trip in 2007. He talks about how taking next steps is vital in our relationship with the Lord. Your destination is only discovered as you’re going in that direction. We should pray for boldness daily as we seek God’s plan for our lives and practice sharing the g...
Feb 24, 2025•44 min•Ep. 114
In this episode of The Well Podcast, Pastor Phil and Les talk about the biblical view of marriage and how spouses can meet each other’s emotional needs. Men and women are equal, but not the same. We’re all created in the image and likeness of God, but the fact that we’re equal doesn’t mean we’re the same. Society fails to recognize and appreciate the differences between men and women and tries to teach us that equality means sameness. Men and women have different emotional needs, and you must be...
Feb 17, 2025•37 min•Ep. 113
In this episode of The Well podcast, Pastor Chad is back with Les to discuss how to navigate romantic relationships in a way that honors God. The Bible is full of wisdom that can be applied in various areas of our lives, including romantic relationships. When you apply the word of God to your life, it begins to dictate your relationship. Our romantic relationships are just a shadow of our greater relationship with Jesus Christ. Most people don’t know what they need to be doing to prepare for dat...
Feb 10, 2025•58 min•Ep. 112
In this episode of The Well Podcast, Pastor Chad and Les talk about what the Bible says about dating, sex, and how to walk in purity. There’s resistance against walking in purity in Christian culture when that should be something we highly value. Our culture is all over the map when it comes to how to navigate dating relationships. There’s no line when it comes to sexual immorality in our culture. The Bible is clear: flee sexual immorality! It uses poetic language to talk about God’s design for ...
Feb 03, 2025•47 min•Ep. 111
In this episode of The Well, Katie Ward, the Crossroads Ministry Leader, joins Pastor Phil and Les to talk about the gift of singleness. Katie shares how singleness allows her to live lighter and gives her freedom with her desires, time, and finances. She also has an honest conversation with Pastor Phil and Les about the seasons of struggle, loneliness, and contentment she’s walked through in singleness. Marriage is not a reward. It is a gift that God gives, and so is singleness. You don’t have ...
Jan 27, 2025•51 min•Ep. 110
Studying the historical and cultural context of the Bible helps us better understand our relationship with Christ and what we should do while we wait for Him to return. The love story recorded in Song of Solomon depicts the three stages of a Hebrew wedding. This story gives us hope in the promise of the return of Christ. In Hebrew culture, an engagement was binding and unbreakable. That’s the same as the covenant Christ made with us. Solomon would have told his bride that he would build a room f...
Jan 20, 2025•46 min•Ep. 109
In this episode of The Well Podcast, Pastor Phil and host Les Norman talk about the redeeming love of Christ pictured in the Song of Solomon. Song of Solomon tells the story of a man and woman and a love that lasted a lifetime. 1 Kings 4 tells us that Solomon composed more than a thousand songs during his lifetime, but he believed this one was the song of all time. Why was Solomon considered an authority on marriage? Although he was a wise and godly king, he had 700 wives and 300 concubines (1 K...
Jan 13, 2025•49 min•Ep. 108
In this episode of The Well podcast, Pastor Phil and host Les Norman kick off season 3 by discussing how to discern God's call and live the abundant life He offers. Discerning God’s call doesn’t mean waiting for a burning bush! Sometimes people are waiting for an unmistakable epiphany from Him, but that’s not the reality of how God leads most of the time. The voice of God is found in the Word of God. When you are reading the Word of God, you hear the voice of God. You’re never too young or too o...
Jan 06, 2025•53 min•Ep. 107
In this episode of The Well podcast, Pastor Phil, Pastor Chad, and host Les Norman talk about how the five women in Jesus’ genealogy give the story behind the story and the reason for Christmas. The virgin birth is an essential element of our salvation. Only a virgin-born Savior could be sinless and bear the penalty of our sin. Why was the virgin birth essential? Because only the death of an innocent man could reverse the curse of sin on men for all time. We sin because we are born sinners. Jesu...
Dec 30, 2024•39 min•Ep. 106
In this episode of The Well podcast, Pastor Phil, Pastor Nick, and host Les Norman talk about how our hope is found in Jesus. The Hebrews would have been intimately familiar with the story of David and Bathsheba. This story would have grieved Matthew’s audience as they recounted a sad, tragic memory in Israel's history. David acknowledged his sin before the Lord when the Prophet Nathan called him out. He was quick to repent and make things right with God. Then, God promised to establish a new ki...
Dec 23, 2024•36 min•Ep. 105
In this episode of The Well podcast, Pastor Phil and host Les Norman are joined by Olivia Poettgen, the content writer at Abundant Life. They talk about the story of Ruth and how God is in the details of our story and redeems our grief and suffering. In the Book of Ruth, a miracle was in the making. But sometimes miracles happen so slowly and subtly that you can’t see them. The miracle in this book was redemption. God was in the details of Naomi and Ruth’s lives, redeeming their stories in ways ...
Dec 16, 2024•47 min•Ep. 104
In this episode of The Well podcast, Pastor Phil and host Les Norman talk about God’s forgiveness and Rahab’s faith in Joshua 2. Rahab was a pagan Canaanite prostitute living in Jericho. God had promised that city to the Israelites, but because they were fearful and lacked faith, they wandered in the wilderness outside Jericho for 40 years. While the Israelites lived in fear of the Canaanites, the Canaanites lived in fear of the Hebrew God. Fear always distorts reality and keeps us from seeing w...
Dec 09, 2024•46 min•Ep. 103
In this episode of The Well podcast, Pastor Toshaun and Pastor Nick are back with Pastor Chad to talk about God’s redemptive plan for man. God’s plan to redeem and restore us to a relationship with Him is clearly illustrated through the five women Jesus’ genealogy. We often think that God uses clean, moral people to accomplish His purposes, but that is not the case. The Bible is full of stories where God redeems terrible, negative circumstances for a person’s good and His glory. It’s okay to not...
Dec 02, 2024•34 min•Ep. 102
