Rise Up Podcast

What happens when one invitation changes everything?
In this episode of the Rise Up Podcast, Nate sits down with Rise Ministry Support Director Dylan Bell to hear the remarkable story of how God transformed his life. From growing up with no church background, to climbing the corporate ladder at Target and Best Buy, to encountering Jesus at Rise and discovering a life of purpose, Dylan shares how one "yes" to Jesus changed not only his future—but his entire family.
Hear how God used Dylan to lead his mom, sister, grandmother, father, and wife to baptism, why he walked away from corporate success to serve the local church, and how the joy of Jesus became the foundation of his life.
If you've ever wondered whether God can rewrite your story, this episode is for you.

In this special episode of the Rise Up Podcast, we’re sharing a powerful recording from Leadership Night — a gathering of the shepherds, team leads, city group leaders, youth leaders, and servants helping lead the life of Rise Church.
Jason and Stacey bring a challenging and encouraging word about the holy weight of leadership, the call to be set apart, and the importance of leading from intimacy with Jesus rather than performance or platform. From Numbers 11 to the early church, this conversation is a reminder that God’s answer to a growing harvest is more surrendered leaders filled with His Spirit.
Whether you lead in ministry, business, your family, or simply want to grow deeper in your walk with Jesus, this episode is a call to holiness, humility, and hunger for the presence of God.
 

What happens when a small group of people sense God stirring something before they fully know what it is? In this episode of the Rise Up Podcast, Nate sits down with Jason Clarke, Chris Cutshall, and Stacey Cutshall to look back at the earliest days of Rise—from Bible studies and worship nights at Stomping Grounds to dream nights, launch-team stories, and the first steps of planting a church.
Together, they share the joy, chaos, courage, and faith that shaped Rise from the beginning. This conversation is a reminder that God often builds through ordinary people, imperfect plans, and a willingness to keep saying yes. It’s an episode for anyone who wants to hear the origin story of Rise and be reminded that God’s vision is always bigger than ours.

Building a House for the Kingdom
What happens when God marks out a place for His kingdom before anyone else can see it? In this episode of the Rise Up Podcast, Nate sits down with Jason Clarke and Jared Hargens to tell the story of how Rise went from portable church setups to transforming Skate World into a house of worship in the center of Gresham.
Together, they unpack the faith, sacrifice, generosity, construction, and unseen leadership that made the building possible—and how God used every detail, from the right people to the right property, to create space for people to encounter Jesus. The conversation also looks ahead to Rise’s next facility expansion and the vision behind building spaces that serve the church, the city, and generations to come.
This episode is for anyone who wants a behind-the-scenes look at how God builds through faithful people, ordinary obedience, and Spirit-filled builders.
 
 
 

7 Principles to Start Something that Matters 
What do you do when the burden on your heart might actually be God’s invitation to move? In this episode of the Rise Up Podcast, Nate sits down with Jason Clark and Kristen Friend to talk about what it means to launch something with faithfulness, urgency, and purpose. Whether it’s a ministry, church plant, business, nonprofit, or new season in your family, this conversation unpacks the principles that help turn a God-given burden into action.
Together, they explore why every meaningful launch begins with a burden, why place and space matter more than we often realize, and why no one builds anything significant alone. From the early days of planting Rise, to launching 733, to learning how to plan around passion instead of pressure, the conversation is filled with practical wisdom for anyone sensing that God is asking them to take a step.
Then the episode moves into the deeper work of faithfulness: launching before everything feels perfect, loving the work more than the fruit, and building with legacy in mind. This episode is for anyone who has been carrying an idea, a calling, or a holy discontent and wondering what to do next. If you’ve been waiting for the perfect moment, this conversation will challenge you to take the next faithful step and trust God with the fruit.

When Loss Doesn’t Get the Last WordWhat do you do when grief shapes your story before grace does? In this episode of the Rise Up Podcast, Nate sits down with Chris Yamnitsky, alongside Kristen Friend, to talk about loss, addiction in the family, the ache of growing up too fast, and the long road from coping in the world to being remade by Jesus. Chris shares what it was like to lose his dad at a young age, to carry questions no son should have to carry, and to spend years trying to outrun the pain through work, nightlife, and keeping busy—only to find himself emptier than ever.What unfolds is an honest and deeply moving story of how God meets people in layers, not just moments. From quietly attending Rise while living a double life, to finding real community at 733, to being pursued by faithful people who never stopped praying, Chris’s story is a reminder that God wastes nothing—not even the years that felt off course. The same gifts that once drew people into the wrong places are now being redeemed to gather people into the Kingdom, and the same season that once marked his deepest grief became the very place where God began rebuilding his life.Then the conversation widens into the power of prayer, spiritual family, and what it looks like when faith becomes public and contagious. This episode is for anyone carrying grief, wrestling with the past, or wondering whether God can really rewrite what has been broken for a long time. If you’ve ever felt like you were surviving with whatever got you through, but knew it could not carry you into the future, this conversation will meet you there with both honesty and hope.

What do you do when the thing you once loved starts to feel ordinary? In this episode of the Rise Up Podcast, Nate and Jason talk about what it means to relight the flame—in your calling, your marriage, your ministry, your work, and your everyday life. Because most people know how to start with passion, but far fewer know how to stay faithful when the novelty wears off and consistency becomes the real test.Together, they unpack four key shifts that move us out of drift and back into intentionality: from apathy to enthusiasm, from “I have to” to “I get to,” from focusing on what’s wrong to what’s right, and from living in maintenance mode to doing something great. Through stories about fire pits, preaching to a camera during COVID, parenting little kids, and learning to stop chasing every shiny new thing, this conversation gets honest about how quickly purpose can cool when it goes untended—and how often what needs to change is not our whole life, but our posture.This episode is a reminder that the good old days are often happening right now, and that calling doesn’t stay alive by accident. It is fed by gratitude, vision, attentiveness, and a willingness to dream again. If you’ve felt spiritually flat, emotionally dulled, or just stuck in the motions of life, this conversation will help you recognize where the fire has gone low—and how to start feeding it again.

The Fight for Gen Z and Gen AlphaWhat if the next generation isn’t lazy, fragile, or lost—but uniquely positioned for a move of God if someone will help them see who they are? In this episode of the Rise Up Podcast, Nate sits down with Youth Pastor Jordan Fahlman to talk about Gen Z, Gen Alpha, and what it means to disciple a generation being shaped by technology, social anxiety, activism, and a deep hunger for purpose.Jordan shares his own story of growing up as both an outdoors kid and a digital native, while Nate reflects on being raised in youth ministry and watching the cultural shift happen in real time. Together, they explore how the pandemic reshaped students, how social media now competes to raise them, and why so many young people are aching for identity, connection, and a reason to give their lives to something bigger than themselves.Here's the challenge for parents, pastors, leaders, and mentors: if we don’t raise this generation, something else will. From phones and isolation to purpose, passion, and the need for consistent voices that speak louder than the noise, this episode is a call to see the next generation with spiritual clarity. If you’ve ever wondered how to lead young people in this cultural moment—or how to help them move from anxiety and confusion into calling and conviction—this conversation will give you language, urgency, and hope.Challenge: Who is God asking you to intentionally invest in right now? Don’t just criticize the next generation—contend for them. Speak identity over them, model faith in front of them, and help them discover the purpose they were created for.

EP 08 | When a Coffee Shop Becomes a Kingdom SpaceWhat if God wants to use every area of your life—work, calling, even a cup of coffee—for His Kingdom purpose? In this episode of the Rise Up Podcast, Jason and Nate sit down with Will Ray, owner-operator of Pause Coffee, to talk about calling, entrepreneurship, hospitality, and what it looks like to be on fire for Jesus in the marketplace.Will shares the story behind his journey from Northern California to Portland, from restaurant life and film school to a Spirit-marked moment outside a taco truck that changed everything. He opens up about giving his life to Jesus, learning how to belong in church as a new believer, and the slow unfolding of a dream that became Pause—a space born through prayer, shaped by obedience, and built to feel different the moment you walk through the doors. A story about trust, sacrifice, and the hidden faithfulness behind what most people only experience as a finished product.Then the conversation widens into the why behind it all: why details matter, why hospitality is spiritual, and how a coffee shop can become a gateway to discipleship, community, and even the church itself. From awkward first dates to Bible studies, mentorships, sermons being written, and people first discovering Rise through a latte. This episode is a powerful reminder that God loves to use ordinary spaces for holy work. If you’ve ever wondered whether your work matters, whether business can be ministry, or whether the small things you do really count, this conversation will help you see your calling with fresh eyes.

Money, Investments, & Building a Life of Financial FreedomWhat if the way you handle money is shaping more than your bank account—what if it’s shaping your peace, your future, and the kind of life you’re building? In this episode of the Rise Up Podcast, Jason and Nate go deeper into the themes from the Overflow series to talk honestly about biblical stewardship, investing, budgeting, debt, and why the church has to do more than just ask people to give.Jason shares how growing up in an entrepreneurial family gave him an early framework for thinking about money, risk, real estate, and long-term investments—and why the Bible’s wisdom about stewardship still matters in a world of inflation, subscriptions, status spending, and financial anxiety. From Roth IRAs and first homes to liabilities, assets, and compounding interest, this conversation makes a practical case for why Christians should learn to think in decades, not just paychecks.But this episode is about more than numbers. It’s about freedom. It’s about resisting the trap of “symbols of wealth” that quietly drain your future, and learning instead to build a life marked by wisdom, margin, generosity, and presence. If you’ve ever felt stressed about money, unsure where to start, or frustrated that church only talks about finances when it wants something from you, this conversation will help you reframe the whole subject through the lens of discipleship.