Menlo Church Podcasts

Father’s Day in the church can often feel like a strange, high-stakes tension—usually landing somewhere between a heavy guilt trip and a shallow Hallmark greeting card. In this Father's Day episode, Matt Summers and Tommy Lum sit down to unpack a weekend message that intentionally tried to be neither. Instead, the conversation centers on Joseph, perhaps the quietest major character in the entire New Testament, and how his life offers us an incredibly honest, generous, and grounding picture of what faithful presence actually looks like in our lives today.

The discussion dives into the powerful, counter-cultural reality of Joseph’s story: he never gives a single speech, he never argues with God, and he never demands to explain himself to the culture around him. Instead, he simply wakes up and does exactly what he is told to do, over and over again, in the midst of wild, scandalous circumstances that would easily unravel most of us. 

The conversation holds space for every kind of father, father figure, and family dynamic in the room, ending with a deeply hopeful look at why Joseph’s quiet disappearance before Jesus' public ministry might just be the most encouraging thing we can say to anyone showing up and doing the hard work for someone else right now.

📍 In This Episode:

**Beyond the Greeting Card:** Tearing down the traditional, often exhausting cultural stereotypes around Father's Day to look at a healthier, more sustainable framework for men, fathers, and families.

**The Quietest Major Character:** Examining the unique biblical narrative of Joseph, a man of zero recorded words whose radical obedience was defined by steady action rather than a microphone.

**Faithful Presence Under Pressure:** How Joseph navigated deeply complex, confusing, and high-stakes life circumstances by simply waking up and taking the next right step of obedience every morning.

**The Grace of Disappearing:** Unpacking the profound, hopeful truth behind Joseph fading into the background of the New Testament, and what that teaches us about legacy, humility, and pouring into the next generation.

 💬 Discussion Question:

When you think about the people who have impacted your life or faith the most, how did their quiet, consistent presence shape who you are today?

**#MenloChurch #MenloMidweek #FathersDay #StrengthDoesntHaveToBeLoud**

The most faithful people in the room are often the ones nobody's talking about. Joseph shows us that strength doesn't require volume; it requires presence, obedience, and the willingness to play a long game you'll never see completed.

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We have reached the finale of our Glitch series, a month-long conversation about what it truly means to be human in a machine world. After exploring awe, agency, and identity, host Matt Summers sits down with teaching pastor Phil EuBank to tackle the final, most vulnerable layer of this cultural moment: intimacy. Reflecting on the real-time feedback from the Menlo Church lobby over the last few weeks, Matt and Phil unpack how living in a hyper-optimized, digital environment has quietly exposed a profound undercurrent of loneliness and exhaustion in our community.

This episode dives deep into the weekend message, "Going Offline," moving past abstract fears of AI companions to look at the immediate reality of how technology is actively retraining us. When we become accustomed to frictionless, digital interactions, our tolerance for real-world relational messiness plummets. Phil challenges us to consider a sobering reality: relationships that never push and pull only take and never give. By looking at Jesus' invitation in Matthew 11 and Paul's words on being "fully known" in 1 Corinthians 13, this conversation serves as a beautiful, practical roadmap for recovering our humanity through the slow, messy, and restorative work of real community.

📍 In This Episode:
The Retraining of Relationships: How technology isn't just replacing human connection, but actively altering our expectations, making us less patient with the natural friction of real-life intimacy.

The Push and Pull of Intimacy: A breakdown of why authentic relationships require vulnerability, inconvenience, and the willingness to be stretched rather than simply mirrored or tracked.

The True Definition of A.I.: Unpacking the double meaning behind the entire series—how the modern world constantly offers us artificial awe, artificial agency, artificial identity, and artificial intimacy.

The Cross-Shaped Human: Exploring the beautiful imagery of the four directions of humanity (awe up, agency out, intimacy across, identity within) and how the cross forms the true shape of a whole, thriving human being.

💬 Discussion Question:
In what areas of your life have digital connections or screens started to replace real, face-to-face relationships?

#MenloChurch #MenloMidweek #GoingOffline #Glitch

Next Steps
Looking to take your faith journey deeper? Here are some great next steps:

Need Prayer or Have Questions? Text us at (650) 600-0402.
Download this week’s sermon study guide: 

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Thank you for your generosity! Support Menlo Church’s mission to reach 3% of the Bay Area with the message of hope in Jesus. Learn more or give at: http://www.menlo.church/hope.

Listen to Menlo Midweek Podcast
Want a behind-the-scenes look at this week’s sermon? Tune into our Menlo Midweek Podcast where we break down the sermon, themes, and other personal insights not covered on Sunday. Listen at: http://menlo.church/podcasts.

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The ultimate result of the machine world is isolation. We are connected to everyone but known by no one. The series concludes by inviting people to "Go Offline" to find a real connection. We move from "Self-Optimization" to "Community Formation." Jesus invites us into the "unforced rhythms of grace," a pace of life that feels like a glitch to the world but feels like home to the soul.

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Welcome back to the Menlo Midweek Podcast! We are in Week 3 of our series, "GLITCH: Being Human in a Machine World." This week, host Matt Summers and Phil EuBank are joined by a special guest: Paul, co-founder of Faith Work and Tech.

In an episode titled "Hardware Crash," the three of them dive into the very real, physical nature of burnout. Living and working in the Bay Area, it’s incredibly easy to operate as if we are just a "brain in a jar," ignoring our hardware (our physical bodies) to constantly serve our software (our productivity, careers, and output). But as we see in the story of the prophet Elijah in 1 Kings 19, when you crash hard, God doesn't send a software update or a productivity hack. Sometimes, the most spiritual thing you can do is take a nap and eat a snack.

📍 In This Episode:
Dust and Breath: We discuss why burnout is ultimately what happens when our biology finally rebels against the pace of our technology.

Faith in a High-Tech World: Paul shares his unique perspective on navigating an industry designed around constant connectivity and how we can faithfully set boundaries when our jobs demand endless output.

Elijah’s Broom Tree Moment: A look at how God met one of the most powerful prophets in history at his lowest point with deep physical care and compassion, rather than a new assignment.

High Tech / Deep Touch: Why living in a highly digitized, screen-heavy world requires us to be intentional about physical restoration—addressing how our bodies hold onto stress and why we need physical healing, not just spiritual ideas.

💬 Discussion Question:
When Elijah crashed, God started his restoration with a nap and a snack. What is one practical way you need to step away from your "software" (productivity) and care for your "hardware" (your physical body) this week?
Next Steps
Looking to take your faith journey deeper? Here are some great next steps:

Need Prayer or Have Questions? Text us at (650) 600-0402.
Download this week’s sermon study guide: 

Support Hope for Everyone
Thank you for your generosity! Support Menlo Church’s mission to reach 3% of the Bay Area with the message of hope in Jesus. Learn more or give at: http://www.menlo.church/hope.

Listen to Menlo Midweek Podcast
Want a behind-the-scenes look at this week’s sermon? Tune into our Menlo Midweek Podcast where we break down the sermon, themes, and other personal insights not covered on Sunday. Listen at: http://menlo.church/podcasts.

Get Connected
We’d love to connect with you and help you get plugged into Menlo Church. Visit http://menlo.church/connect and fill out a quick form so we can reach out.

Stay Connected with Menlo Church
Kids (Preschool–Grade 5): https://menlo.church/kids
Students (Grade 6–12): https://menlo.church/students
Explore All Ministries: https://www.menlo.church/ministries
Follow Us on Social Media

Instagram: @menlo.church
Facebook: Menlo Church
Website: http://www.menlo.church
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Burnout is what happens when biology rebels against technology. We ignore our hardware (bodies) to serve the software (productivity). We revisit Elijah under the broom tree, a prophet who crashed hard. God didn’t send a software update; He sent a nap and a snack. We will address trauma, the body keeping the score, and the "High Tech / Deep Touch" reality that we need physical restoration, not just spiritual ideas.

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Welcome back to the Menlo Midweek Podcast! This week, host Brett Koerton sits down with Phil EuBank to dive into Week 2 of our GLITCH series. In an episode titled "Infinite Loop," they tackle the exhausting reality of anxiety and why relying on our intellect to solve our emotional struggles often leaves us stuck buffering.

In the Silicon Valley, we naturally prize "processing power," leading us to believe we can logic our way out of fear. But as Brett and Phil discuss, you simply can’t out-think a broken feeling.

📍 In This Episode:
The Buffering Mind: We explore the neurology of the "looping thought" and why anxiety so often feels like a program we can't force-quit.

Processing Power vs. Present Peace: A candid conversation about how we try to use "Algorithms" (predictive anxiety) to control our lives, and why the peace of God isn't a logical conclusion, but a spiritual download.

Renewing the Mind: We take a deep dive into Romans 12:1-2 and 2 Corinthians 10:5. What does it actually look like to take a spiraling thought captive in real time?

Algorithm to Spirit: Practical steps for shifting your operating system from the exhausting loop of "what-ifs" to the grounding reality of the Holy Spirit.

💬 Discussion Question:
When you feel anxious, what is the typical "infinite loop" your brain gets stuck in? What would it look like this week to stop trying to out-think that feeling and instead ask God for a "spiritual download" of peace?

Next Steps
Looking to take your faith journey deeper? Here are some great next steps:

Need Prayer or Have Questions? Text us at (650) 600-0402.
Download this week’s sermon study guide: 

Support Hope for Everyone
Thank you for your generosity! Support Menlo Church’s mission to reach 3% of the Bay Area with the message of hope in Jesus. Learn more or give at: http://www.menlo.church/hope.

Listen to Menlo Midweek Podcast
Want a behind-the-scenes look at this week’s sermon? Tune into our Menlo Midweek Podcast where we break down the sermon, themes, and other personal insights not covered on Sunday. Listen at: http://menlo.church/podcasts.

Get Connected
We’d love to connect with you and help you get plugged into Menlo Church. Visit http://menlo.church/connect and fill out a quick form so we can reach out.

Stay Connected with Menlo Church
Kids (Preschool–Grade 5): https://menlo.church/kids
Students (Grade 6–12): https://menlo.church/students
Explore All Ministries: https://www.menlo.church/ministries
Follow Us on Social Media

Instagram: @menlo.church
Facebook: Menlo Church
Website: http://www.menlo.church
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Anxiety is the mind stuck in a buffering loop. In the Valley, we prize "processing power," so we try to logic our way out of fear. But the peace of God isn't a logical conclusion; it's a spiritual download. We will look at the neurology of the "looping thought" and Paul’s command to "renew the mind." This is about moving from "Algorithm" (predictive anxiety) to "Spirit" (present peace).

Text Our Team (650) 600-0402 | Connect With Us

Welcome back to the Menlo Midweek Podcast! This week, hosts Matt Summers and Phil EuBank kick off our brand-new series, "GLITCH: Being Human in a Machine World," with an episode titled "Fatal Error." Living in the Bay Area, we are surrounded by a culture that demands constant optimization—from our schedules to our sleep to our diets. Yet, despite having all the right "life hacks," anxiety is at an all-time high. Why? Because we are trying to run an infinite soul on a finite operating system, and we are crashing. This episode is an invitation to stop debugging your life and start actually living it.

📍 In This Episode:
The "Fatal Error": We discuss the exhaustion that comes from trying to operate like machines and why our souls are breaking under the pressure of constant performance.

Bay Area Burnout: A candid look at our local obsession with optimization and why you cannot fix a spiritual problem with a productivity tool.

Tending vs. Fixing: Exploring the profound truth that you are not a machine to be fixed; you are a soul to be tended.

A Rebellious Act: We talk about the radical, rebellious act of unplugging from the matrix of expectation to recover the breath of God.

💬 Discussion Question:
Think about your current routines. Where in your life are you currently treating yourself like a machine to be "fixed" or "optimized," rather than a soul to be tended?

#MenloChurch #GlitchSeries #FatalError #MentalHealth #BayArea #Unplug #SoulCare #MenloMidweek

Next Steps
Looking to take your faith journey deeper? Here are some great next steps:

Need Prayer or Have Questions? Text us at (650) 600-0402.
Download this week’s sermon study guide: 

Support Hope for Everyone
Thank you for your generosity! Support Menlo Church’s mission to reach 3% of the Bay Area with the message of hope in Jesus. Learn more or give at: http://www.menlo.church/hope.

Listen to Menlo Midweek Podcast
Want a behind-the-scenes look at this week’s sermon? Tune into our Menlo Midweek Podcast where we break down the sermon, themes, and other personal insights not covered on Sunday. Listen at: http://menlo.church/podcasts.

Get Connected
We’d love to connect with you and help you get plugged into Menlo Church. Visit http://menlo.church/connect and fill out a quick form so we can reach out.

Stay Connected with Menlo Church
Kids (Preschool–Grade 5): https://menlo.church/kids
Students (Grade 6–12): https://menlo.church/students
Explore All Ministries: https://www.menlo.church/ministries
Follow Us on Social Media

Instagram: @menlo.church
Facebook: Menlo Church
Website: http://www.menlo.church
Musicbed Sync ID: (MB014RCECFXJCWL)
Musicbed Sync ID: (MB01EKBUICB4NLC)

We live split lives: The Optimized Self (Avatar) vs. The Exhausted Self (Soul). We treat our emotions like "bugs" in the code, things to be patched or ignored. Your glitch isn't a mistake; it's a dashboard light. It’s your soul screaming that the system is incompatible with your design. God doesn't want to fix your Avatar; He wants to resurrect the Real You buried under the optimization.

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