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Equip Podcast
Produced by Cornerstone Church of Ames, The Equip Podcast is designed to provide insight, resources and Biblical wisdom to help us live faithful and fruitful lives together.
Episodes
356 episodes
Essentials of the Local Church: Communion
Mark and Emily continue the Essentials of the Local Church series by digging into communion. They explore why a God who loves remembrance gave his people a repeated meal, what Paul's warnings actually mean, who should take it (including kids), ...
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Essentials of the Local Church: Baptism
Mark and Emily continue the Essentials of the Local Church series by digging into baptism: what it is, why the church practices it, and what the Bible actually says about it. Mark walks through the biblical case for baptism by immersion upon a ...
Essentials of the Local Church: Prayer
In this episode of the Essentials of the Local Church series, Mark and Emily get personal about prayer: naming the excuses, fears, and false theology that keep even seasoned believers from a vibrant prayer life. They unpack why prayer flows fro...
Essentials of the Local Church: Gathering on Sundays
In this episode of the Essentials of the Local Church series, Mark and Emily dig into a question every Christian eventually asks: why do we actually gather on Sundays, and what makes that gathering distinctly biblical rather than just ...
Essentials of the Local Church: Gospel Friendship
In this first episode of a new series, Essentials of the Local Church, Mark and Emily introduce the "why" behind the series and dig into the first essential: Gospel Friendship. They explore why church practices can feel strange in a post-Christ...
The Gospel Way with Trevin Wax: Ask Trevin Anything (Pt. 2)
In part two of this special series, Mark and Emily bring Trevin Wax back for an unscripted Q&A, pulling questions straight from his own writing and years of curiosity built up over their friendship. They talk through the difference between ...
The Gospel Way with Trevin Wax: Why We Need a Catechism (Pt. 1)
In part one of a special two-part series, Mark and Emily sit down with author and pastor Trevin Wax to introduce The Gospel Way Catechism, a new 50-question resource he co-wrote with Thomas Wax to root Christians in truth amid cultural...
Building Spiritual Habits That Last (with Hannah Beth Gilbert & Chelle Lambert)
Mark sits down with Chelle Lambert and Hannah Beth Gilbert, two Salt Company staff members who've actually lived with the Spiritual Workout Plan, not just recommended it. They get honest about what's worked, what's been hard, and how the plan f...
How Does Cornerstone Decide What to Teach? Introducing The Gospel Way
Mark and Emily pull back the curtain on how Cornerstone decides what to preach and introduce the church's new series through The Gospel Way. Mark walks through the history and philosophy behind preaching styles, why Cornerstone leans e...
Ask Mark Anything: Dating Age Gaps, The Shroud of Turin & More
In this Ask Mark Anything episode of the Equip Podcast, Emily puts Mark in the hot seat for a round of listener questions kicked off with a back-to-school theme. From dating age gaps and spiritual readiness, to the Shroud of Turin and relics, t...
The Church Is the Answer to Iowa's Foster Care Crisis with Mel Pearson
In this episode of the Equip Podcast, Mark Vance sits down with Mel Pearson, who leads City Ministry at Cornerstone Church, to talk about the real state of foster care in Iowa right now, and why it should matter deeply to Christians. Mel shares...
21 Days of Prayer: Praying for a Move of God This Fall
In this episode of the Equip Podcast, Mark and Emily introduce 21 Days of Prayer, a church-wide season of focused, kingdom-centered prayer leading into the fall semester. They talk through why prayer matters even though God already knows our ne...
Sins We Tolerate: Sins of the Tongue
In the final part of the Sins We Tolerate series, Mark and Emily tackle a sin so common we barely notice it: the sins of the tongue. They unpack why our words are never neutral, always spilling out of what's really in our hearts, walk ...
Sins We Tolerate: Sloth
In this episode of the Equip Podcast, part of the Sins We Tolerate series, Mark and Emily turn to sloth, the "sister sin" to gluttony. They define sloth not simply as laziness, but as neglecting the work God has assigned, then offer pr...
Sins We Tolerate: Gluttony
In this episode of the Equip Podcast, Mark flips the script, handing the mic to Emily Jensen to walk through the third entry in their series on hidden, respectable sins: gluttony. Far from the exaggerated stereotype most of us picture, Emily un...
What Does Christian Patriotism Look Like?
In this special Fourth of July episode of the Equip Podcast, Mark reflects on patriotism, love of country, and what it means for Christians to hold citizenship in heaven while living as faithful residents on earth. Turning to Jeremiah's letter ...
Sins We Tolerate: Judgement
In this episode, Mark and Emily kick off a brand new series called Since We Tolerate, a look at the "respectable sins" Christians often overlook or excuse. They start with one of the most culturally relevant: judgment. Drawing from Rom...
Planting Citizens Church with Simeon Bell
Emily Jensen sits down with Simeon Bell to talk about Citizens Church, a church he and his team are planting in Columbia, South Carolina. Simeon shares the unexpected timeline change that has his family moving this August, the vision behind the...
What's Happening in Rural Iowa with Shane Rothlisberger
In this episode, Mark sits down with his friend and fellow pastor Shane Rothlisberger to tell the story of how the Acreage Church, a church plant in northeast Iowa, came to life in the most unexpected way. What began with a sick father, a famil...
Ask Mark Anything: Swearing, Greek Life & More
In this third installment of the "Ask Mark Anything" series, Emily puts Mark on the spot with questions submitted by listeners. From the ethics of swearing to conspiracy theories, waiting on God to Greek life, Mark tackles a wide range of real-...
What Is Church Membership?
Mark and Emily dig into one of the most practically important, and often misunderstood, topics in the Christian life: church membership. From what the Bible actually says about it, to the common ditches people fall into, to how a large church l...
Leadership, Legacy, and Aging Well with Troy Nesbitt
In this episode of the Equip Podcast, Mark sits down with Troy Nesbitt, founding pastor of Cornerstone Church and the man who started Salt Company in 1987. Troy reflects on what it looks like to navigate the final quarter of life with faithfuln...
Planting a Church in Austin, TX with Mitchell Johnson
Mark sits down with Mitchell Johnson, a church planter being sent out from Cornerstone to launch The Way Church in Austin, Texas. Mitchell shares his remarkable story of growing up in New Orleans, surviving Hurricane Katrina, a crisis of suicid...
Finishing Well: Health, Medicine, and Dying Well
Mark tackles one of the most avoided conversations in the Christian life: how do we approach health, medical care, and dying in a way that reflects a biblical worldview? With honesty and care, he challenges listeners to stop prolonging death an...
Finishing Well: End-of-Life Finances and Generosity
Mark tackles one of the most practical (and often avoided) topics in the Christian life: what does faithful stewardship look like in the final season of life? Drawing from Scripture and real conversations with retirees, Mark offers biblical pri...