Walking Together Podcast · The Gathering Surf City

Ep. 29 - Loving God

·44 min·3 clips

Nick says loving God means noticing what you worship in daily life, then confessing and turning from what you put above God.

1. Walking Together Podcast episode 29 centers on “Loving God” as the first part of the Gathering’s mission statement. 2. Michael introduces the episode, while Nick, Jordan, Kyle, and Nora are named in the opening conversation as the people carrying the discussion. 3. The episode asks what “loving God” means for the Gathering, and why that phrase is the first priority in “loving God, living Jesus, walking together.” 4. Nick reads Matthew 22:37-38, quoting Jesus: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” 5. The hosts say the phrase used to be “love God,” then explain that Bobby corrected it because “loving God” is meant as an identity statement. 6. Kyle explains that adding “-ING” makes the phrase active and ongoing, and he calls it a “present participle.” 7. The group says the mission statement is intentionally broad because it avoids turning faith into a checklist. 8. Jordan links that approach to Matthew 6:33, saying “seek first the kingdom of God, and all these things will be added to you.” 9. Nick connects the discussion to Joshua chapter 8 and says God told Joshua to use “uncut stones,” not stones shaped by iron tools. 10. The hosts use that Joshua example to argue that human hands can turn spiritual practices into idols or rigid checklists. 11. The conversation also ties Matthew 22 to Deuteronomy’s Shema, with “Hear, O Israel, the Lord your God is one” as the Old Testament root. 12. Jordan says the mission statement is biblical because Jesus summed up the law and the prophets into two commandments. 13. The group says worship is not limited to music, but includes prayer, gathering, work, and everyday conduct. 14. They bring up golf as an example, saying a round of golf can become worship through heart posture and the way someone treats others. 15. Nick says a crude definition of worship is “reverent love and devotion,” and the group applies that to God rather than to objects. 16. The hosts say where a person spends time, attention, and treasure reveals what they worship, then turn that into a personal accountability check. 17. Nick and Jordan describe the format as a back-and-forth conversation that moves from scripture into practical self-examination. 18. The tone stays conversational and informal, with jokes about grammar, golf, and “worth ship” mixed into the theology. 19. People who want practical, scripture-based discussion on worship and priorities will get the most from this episode. 20. People looking for a tightly edited teaching or a short runtime may skip it.

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