The Reach Podcast
Have you ever been in a conversation with the opportunity to bring someone closer to Jesus, but you don’t know how or what to say? It can be a challenging task. It requires open ears, intentionally, and a lot of patience.
The Reach Podcast’s goal is to equip and inspire you to share the message of Jesus more effectively. Each week, you'll hear a discussion of a conversation our guest had with a friend who is investigating Jesus. Over time, our hope is that hearing how these conversations unfold will give you the confidence to have them yourself.
The Reach Podcast is hosted by Blaine Larsen, who serves as VP of Field Operations for Search Ministries. Blaine has been in full-time vocational ministry with Search since 2012. Prior to that, he had a career as a platinum-selling country music artist and hit songwriter in Nashville, TN. He is a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary (MACL, 2018).
The Reach Podcast is produced by Search Ministries, an almost 50-year old nationwide ministry committed to a relational approach to evangelism. To learn more, visit searchnational.org. To learn more about Search's evangelism training ministry, Reach, visit reachothers.org
Episodes
54 episodes
From Quarterbacks to Questions of Faith
In this episode of the Reach Podcast, Blaine sits down again with Tanner Morgan—former University of Minnesota quarterback and now on staff with Search Ministries—to talk about what it really means to “flip the switch” when it comes to faith.
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16:03
How to Reach Someone Who Has Left the Faith
Today, we have Graham Gooley in Greenville, South Carolina to talk about his older brother and how he conversed with him after his brother had some tension with the faith. In this episode, we'll talk about how to deal with having these deeper c...
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20:20
The Power of Listening: Why Silence Speaks Louder Than Correction
What if instead of correcting, we simply paused and listened?In this episode of the Reach Podcast, host Brandon Statis shares a powerful story about a neighborhood friendship that led to a surprising conversation about faith, family, an...
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13:31
When to Bring Up Jesus in a Friendship
How do you share your faith with a friend without making it weird or risking the friendship?In this episode of the Reach Podcast, Blaine Larson sits down with John Freshwater, Search’s Area Director in Wilmington, NC, to talk about a fr...
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15:38
If God Is Good, Why Is There So Much Evil?
Why does a good and powerful God allow so much evil and suffering in the world? This week on The Reach Podcast, we tackle one of the toughest questions people ask about faith. Dr. Glenn Krider, professor at Dallas Theological Seminary, to explo...
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44:56
How an Aerospace Physicist Sees God in the Universe (w/ Brian Deere)
Can science and faith really coexist? In this episode of the Reach podcast, physicist and aerospace professional Brian Deere joins us to explore one of the biggest questions of our time: Does science point us away from God or toward Him? With a...
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51:48
Can We Trust the Bible? Understanding Its Reliability and Divine Origin
If the Bible is truly God’s Word, how do we know it's trustworthy? In this episode of the Reach Podcast, Dr. Mark Yarbrough President of Dallas Theological Seminary joins us for a deep dive into the authenticity, accuracy, and authority of Scri...
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51:48
How to Invite Friends to Intentional Spiritual Conversations
It can be difficult to invite friends to have spiritual conversations especially if they weren't really into that before. Today, Alyssa Perry who works on staff here at Search, will give us a story of how she was able to handle a situation like...
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23:57
How Do You Share Jesus with a Friend Who Knows the “Old You”?
You’ve changed, but your friends remember who you used to be. So how do you bring up Jesus to someone who’s seen your worst? In this episode, we talk with Isaac McKee about the challenges and beauty of sharing the gospel with longtime friends. ...
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19:15
Where Is God When It Hurts? A Story of Loss, Friendship, and Faith
When Daniel called his longtime friend Graham, the news was devastating: his unborn twin sons, James and John, wouldn’t survive. What followed was a moment no one could script—a thunderclap in a clear sky, a sign of hope in the darkest moment o...
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16:59
How to Share the Gospel Without Being Pushy
What if the key to sharing your faith isn’t knowing all the right answers—but seeing people the way God does? Today, we have Johnny Russell, Area Director for Search in Tyler, Texas, to talk about how simple, everyday interactions can open the ...
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18:34
How a QB Coach Led a Father and Son to Jesus
When former University of Minnesota quarterback Tanner Morgan started training a high school athlete, he didn’t expect the conversations off the field to have eternal impact. In this episode, Tanner shares the remarkable story of how a simple t...
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16:19
Are We Sure Supernatural Events Actually Happened? Reach Q&A
Today, we're following up last two weeks' episode with more questions and we're here again with Dr. Mel Cure and Scott Davis from Search Ministries to tackle some of the most personal and profound questions people are asking. Why did God create...
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19:29
Answering the Hardest Questions About Christianity
Today, we're following up last week's episode with more questions and we're here again with Dr. Mel Cure and Scott Davis from Search Ministries to tackle some of the most personal and profound questions people are asking. Why is God so hidden a...
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16:41
Finding Purpose: What the Bible Says About Your Identity
In this kickoff episode of our Questions from the Field miniseries, Dr. Mel Cure and Scott Davis from Search Ministries are here today to tackle some of the most personal and profound questions people are asking today like: What does God see wh...
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18:00
How to Talk About God When You Feel Unqualified
What do you do when someone shuts down spiritual conversations with deep pain or by dropping topics way over your head? In this episode of the Podcast, Alyssa Perry shares a powerful story about years of conversations with a deeply wounded, ske...
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19:51
Did We Make God Up… or Did He Make Us for Him?
Is God just a projection of our deepest desires or did He create us to long for Him? In this episode of the Reach Podcast, Rick Mumford shares a real-life story of walking alongside a skeptical friend who wrestled with the idea that maybe we cr...
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18:09
From Country Music to Christ: Blaine Larsen’s Journey
What happens when a country music star trades fame for faith-filled purpose? We normally have Blaine Larsen interviewing people, but today he will share more of his story and his incredible journey from Nashville stages to gospel conversations....
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33:32
When Evangelism Takes YEARS to Take Effect
This week on the Reach Podcast, Matt Berkett who works regionally in North Carolina shares a powerful story about his long-term friendship with "Brian," a man reluctant to talk about faith. This story will help us understand how to walk with so...
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16:08
How A 5+ Year Friendship Finally Led To God
This week on the Reach Podcast, we'll be talking with Blaine's friend of 10+ years, Graham Gooley. He's here to talk about a story with his friend that he met about 5 years ago that came into a coffee shop shop and this story really takes...
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26:19
How To Prepare Your Mind To Share Your Faith
How should we respond to an open door from God to have a meaningful conversation with people. Today, we'll be talking about how we can properly have these types of conversations without forcing it or taking a weird turn in the conversation. Don...
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17:55
How One Man Found Forgiveness in Christ
This week on the Reach Podcast, Blaine sits down with Dr. John Hopper to unpack the story of “Steve,” a man weighed down by deep questions and even deeper shame. Steve had questions like, why trust the Bible, what about suffering and what happe...
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20:50
How to Talk About God When the Moment’s Right
When someone finally opens the door to talk about faith what should you actually say? In this episode, we explore that question with an example of a conversation that we recently had where we were able to point a friend toward Jesus in a way th...
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23:23
Tips for Christians Trying to Reach Non-Believers with Dementia
Today, we're talking to Branden Stathes who's an associate area director in Austin, Texas about how we can talk to non-believers with dementia. We know this is a bit niche and specific so we're hoping that those who listen and need to hear this...
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14:27
The IMPORTANT First Step Christians Need to Take
Many of the episodes we've had so far cover the basics of how to have conversations with non-believers. However, how can we start those conversations with people? Today, we'll be covering the important first step that people NEED to make to act...
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18:47