The Signal Pres Podcast

The Sluggard is a type of fool who shows up throughout Proverbs. Looking at him, we find out that we already knew him, because he lives in each of us. Still, the Sluggard is not on these pages to shame us, but to lead us to the wisdom that comes when we view work according to it's true design.

Sermon audio from June 7 - The famous words of Proverbs 3 guide us into the safety of covenant relationship with God, even and especially when the fog of pain settles in over us. Their guiding light is this always true statement: the LORD rewards the One who is faithful to the covenant.

Sermon audio from May 31st. An account of a man being seduced on a street corner becomes an illustrative warning about the seductive danger of folly for all of us. We hear that, and the way to resist it.

Sermon audio from May 24th. As we start our study of Proverbs, we consider the prize it offers, the people it addresses and the path it gives them to take hold of that prize.

This week on the podcast Abby and Joey are joined by everyone’s favorite returning guest, the one and only Scott Bowen! Scott joins us to talk about the sermon series on Galatians that we just finished and also to drop a bit of an introduction to the book of Proverbs, which is where we’ll be on Sunday mornings for the next few months. But there are plenty of other things worth listening in for: Abby’s affection for octopus literature, Scott’s latest biography recommendation, and also an important update to Abby’s recent promotion/demotion to co-host…

Galatians closes with Paul's impassioned personal appeal for his readers to walk by the rule of the new creation. This echoes his appeal to "walk by the Spirit" (5:16) and to "live by the Spirit" (5:25). Living by this rule of the Spirit frees us to face persecution, to boast in Jesus, and to receive peace.

This week on the podcast, Abby and Joey take some time to look back at where we’ve been in our congregational Bible reading plan - Exodus, Romans, 1 Corinthians - and talk about what it looks like to identify themes that run throughout Scripture. One theme we’ve noticed over the recent weeks has been the theme of meals and the table, and your hosts spend some time talking through that theme and then invite you participate in it as well… by participating in one of our Summer Suppers (sign up on our website). Come to learn more about all of this, and stick around to hear about how Abby loves Shrimp and Grits and how Joey hates Cream of Asparagus soup.

Both generally and specifically, this passage paints a picture of what it is to keep in step with the Spirit of God as he leads us into life and freedom.

This week on the podcast Abby and Joey are joined by the man who has one of the neatest vocational stories here at Signal Pres - our Director of Church Operations, Jesse Schwindt! Jesse shares the story of how he arrived here at Signal Pres to do student ministry, how God called him to serving in operations here, and how God is at work in his life in prayer. Along the way, Jesse registers his distaste of peas, tells us his WWE wrestling name, and discusses the organizational implications of Abby claiming the title of “co-host.”

Today's passage delivers the answer to the question that Galatians makes us ask. How are we supposed to grow in holiness if not by the law? How can I fight sin if not by will power? We see and unpack the answer: walk by the Spirit.

This coming Sunday, May 3, is Disciple Sunday and so in advance of that Abby and Joey are chatting with Philip James and Catherine Payne about what this moment means for the kids and students who are going through it. Tune in to hear all about Disciple Sunday… and then stick around to hear stories of bootlegging, Strawberry Festivals, and more.

Sermon audio from April 26th. Our speaker today was Joey Sherrard.

Paul flips the script on the false teachers by way of his interpretation of one of their favorite stories. In the process, he shows us how the gospel flips the script on the narratives that make us doubt the sufficiency of Jesus and our standing in him.

This week on the podcast, Abby and Joey are in need of some oversight and shepherding. Who else to bring in to keep things steady and between the lines than our new elder Shannon Lowe? Shannon talks about her testimony, about her prayer life, and about what it is she’s looking forward to about serving as an elder. Along the way, she talks about prayer and tummy aches and how you can take the woman out of Knoxville but you can’t take the Knoxville out of the woman. Listen in!

Drawing upon his personal relationship with the Galatians, Paul describes the challenges and threats to living out the freedom they have in Christ. By his own life, he also provides a model for how to do that. What challenges and threats do you face to embracing freedom in Christ, and how can you follow Paul's example?

This week on the podcast Abby and Joey are joined by a familiar voice - Andy Cornett! Andy catches us up on the last eighteen months since he moved to North Carolina to plant what is now Trinity Forest Church. We get to hear about Andy’s call story, about what it’s been like to work in church planting, about all the things God is doing, and about what Andy thinks about the color green.

Sermon audio from Easter Sunday, April 5th. The resurrection of Jesus from the dead not only opens the door to eternal life, but also gives meaning to the lives that we live now.

It's the JOEY episode!! This week on the podcast our very own Joey Sherrard joins us, this time as a guest. Abby and John Livingston talk with him about his book that released last week, The Augustinian Pastor: Deep Wisdom for Modern Ministry. Abby and John ask him about all kinds of things from his love for St. Augustine to his desire to be stuck on an elevator with Timothee Chalamet to his sneeze style (and what that says about him). You'll also get to hear about the practices and prayers that have shaped him as well as the importance of mentors and friends. Listen in and get to know more about St. Augustine and the pastor we know and love!

Sermon audio from Sunday March 29th, 2026.In this passage, Paul tells us how we know that we have come to share in the promised blessing of sonship.

This week on the podcast we have an unprecedented episode for you: Abby and Joey are joined by FOUR guests (who are sharing two microphones). Do you ever wonder how it is that so much happens here at Signal Pres? From Sunday morning worship to Community Groups and Bible Studies to Wednesday nights to Congregational Care, there are folks who work behind the scenes to make it all happen. So this week we’re having them on! We are joined by our ministry coordinators - Bridget Lejeune, Cindy Post, Jackie Carpenter, and Riki-Lynne Willmon - and we get to know them, what they do at Signal Pres, and more. Listen and get to know these folks who we all know and love!

This is the sermon audio from our 11am service on March 22nd. Reading Galatians so far might make you wonder why God even gave a law. That's the question that this passage answers, with an answer that does a lot for our confidence as we look to Jesus.

Sermon audio from March 15th, 2026. Scott Bowen is the speaker.

This week we’ve got a guest who is brand new to the staff here at Signal Pres - Kade Jacobs! Kade just stepped on to staff to serve our Middle School Ministry, and so Abby and Joey took the opportunity to grill him about marsupials, about what it’s like to not be able to smell, and also - most importantly - what brought him on staff here at Signal Pres and why he’s excited to serve our middle schoolers. Listen in and get to now Kade!

This is the sermon audio from this past weeks audio. Joey Sherrard was the speaker this weekend. In the Galatian church there was one question on everyone’s mind: who is a true child of Abraham? Paul’s answer to this question was that Abraham was not first and foremost of doing, but that he was a man of trusting. By looking at Abraham’s life, we can see what a life of faith looks like.”

This week on the podcast, Abby and Joey are thankfully back in the studio after a big fire alarm scare at the church and are here to tackle your Bible questions. We’re talking about Abraham and the ways he resembles all of us - namely the way he returns to the same patterns of sin. And then we’re tackling a great question on the relationship between faith and works. Come listen to us talk about the riches and depths of Scripture, and then bring your own Bible questions to us by dropping us an e-mail!

This week on the podcast, we’re sharing the teaching from our most recent Formation 45. We’re inviting everyone at Signal Pres to join us a practice of praying the Lord’s Prayer every day. Our teaching talked about the challenges we face in prayer and also the great gift of prayer. Listen in for teaching that can help you grow in the life of prayer you long for.

Sermon audio from February 22nd, 2026.

This week the Signal Pres podcast hosts your favorite children’s book author Amanda Bowen for a special episode which not only celebrates the arrival of her book I Get To Go to Church Today but also does a wonderful deep dive on the good and rewarding (if sometimes hard) work of welcoming little ones into Sunday morning worship. It’s an episode with something for everyone: the role each one of us plays in being an intergenerational community, wise counsel for parents, and some wonderful and encouraging words from Amanda about prayer and how God has provided for her. And don’t forget to pick up a copy of Amanda’s book for yourself or that special family in your life!Where to buy Amanda Bowen’s book: https://shop.ingramspark.com/b/084?params=hci2ImxLbRAgxNSbyGNWiixTBFyAB4HftDpycZ47lso

This week on the podcast, Abby and Joey are joined by elder, triathlete, running coach and all-around great guy Tyler Haar! It’s a wide-ranging conversation full of goodness: about the joy of generosity, about what God is up to in our city, about the work of the Maclellan Foundation where Tyler works, and about Tyler’s deep affection for screamo music. Listen in to laugh and learn about all these good things.And hey - we remembered to do the show notes this week! First Pres Orlando Generous Giving Video

This week on the Signal Pres podcast Abby and Joey are playing their small role in trying to make a gloomy February week a little bit lighter. This week we’re talking the Bible reading plan again, helping you to understand all the good things God is up to in Genesis 15, 17, and 18. Listen in to find out how these passages connect with our study of Galatians on Sunday mornings, with baptism, and with praying boldly for others. Plus, this week Abby and Joey run through a new edition of the Five Questions gauntlet. Come for some great insights on the Bible reading plan, stay for all sorts of hijinks…

Sermon Audio from Signal Pres on February 1st, 2026.A description of a meeting lays before us the ways in which our experience of Christian freedom is protected and preserved - clarity, fidelity, humility, charity.

This week on the podcast Abby and Joey are joined by the one and only Scott “el Bandito” Bowen. After briefly reminiscing about his days as a student pastor here at Signal Pres in the early aughts, Scott talks with us about Galatians. He talks about why Galatians is so helpful, what our hopes are for you as we study this book, and what passages he’s excited about teaching. In addition, we talk about the new “Start Here” offering that we’ve begun here at Signal Pres, about our upcoming congregational meeting on February 1st, and more. Tune and listen as you regain your sanity from the Snowpocalypse!

This week on the podcast, Abby and Joey take some great questions from listeners about the Bible reading plan. You guys have been doing a wonderful job of reading, and we’re hear to help you when you come to sticky and tough passages. This week, Abby and Joey talk about Zecheriah and Mary in Luke 1, about the family histories in Luke and Matthew, and about Genesis 6 and what it means that God’s heart is grieved. Join us and taken a listen while we all get ready to hunker down for the Snowpocalype!

Sermon audio from Sunday, January 18th. Paul tells us why we should choose to believe the gospel he preaches as the one true gospel among many so-called gospels. It has everything to do with the fact that his gospel alone is not man's gospel but from God, as seen in how the gospel came to him and what the gospel did to him.

We're kicking off our Reading and Prayer Plan! Joey is out this week (sad!) but Abby will walk us through the reading and prayer plan and explain how to use it in our everyday lives. Don't forget to check out the website for helpful tools--the digital copy of the reading plan, the step by step explanation of how to best use the plan, and a link to buy the accompanying journal. Visit www.signalpres.org/formation to find this and more. Happy reading and praying, friends!

New year and all sorts of new and exciting things to talk about on the Signal Pres podcast! In 2025 we enjoyed a year in the Bible, and now in 2026 we’re looking forward to a year growing in prayer. Abby and Joey talk about the vision of spending a year focusing on a spiritual discipline and then preview the year ahead as we help you grow in your relationship with God through prayer. Also - the co-hosts explore the ethical dilemmas of sending communicable diseases across state lines.

Sermon Audio from January 4thWho hasn't begun a new year with great optimism, only to find that the turning of the calendar has no power to turn our circumstances? As we begin our study of Galatians, we hear an invitation to something so much better - a whole new age, marked by freedom.

One more Signal Pres Podcast to end 2025! As we turn our hearts toward Christmas and then the end of 2025, Abby and Joey take a few moments to look back on their favorite reads and watches of the year. Our Psalms study is coming to a close, and so we look to the theme of praise in the Psalms and how the posture of our hearts goes a long way to determining how we respond to Jesus our King. Stick around to the end to listen for a sneak peak of things to come in 2026!

It’s Week 3 of Advent and Abby and Joey are talking about how at the center of the Christmas Story is the King we all long for. In our Psalms study we’re praying through Psalm 45, which is one of a handful of psalms that teach us to sing to our King. So listen in and learn how praying this Psalm can help you to adore the King who comes to us at Christmas. Bonus content on this episode includes Abby’s definitive typology of Hallmark movies and a reminder about why It’s A Wonderful Life keeps us coming back to watch it year after year.

This week on the Signal Podcast Abby and Joey are joined by the one and only Brennon Kok! Brennon is with us so that we can get to know him better and also to talk about the Psalms of Lament… and about the upcoming Christmas Fest! Come to hear the gift of giving our pain to a God who loves us, and then stick around for a deep-dive into the intricacies of the word “Ope.”

The Signal Pres Podcast is back for the Advent season. This week Abby and Joey are talking about all the gifts of this season and how Psalm 63 - this week’s Psalm for our “Praying Scripture” emphasis - is a wonderful way to awaken our hearts to this season and all that it means. Come for the deep dive into how Advent is a season for what our hearts long for… and stick around for the first of likely many Muppet Christmas Carol references.

October is over but we have our heads held high - not least because we are starting our journey through the Psalms as together we learn to pray God’s Word. Abby and Joey are in the studio to talk through the gift of the Psalms and why it is that praying them is so important in the Christian life. We also talk our way through Psalm 143, the Psalm we’re inviting you to pray this week. Bonus this week: we get back to answering listener questions. This week we’re discussing a big one. “Did God create evil?”

This week on the podcast Abby and Joey are joined by everyone’s favorite podcast guest - Scott Bowen! Halfway through our series on the parables, we hear from Scott about what’s unique about the parables, what he’s noticed as we’ve gone through them, and what we can expect as we move forward through the rest of the series. We also take some time to talk about the gathering that gives our tradition its name - Presbytery. Signal Pres recently hosted a presbytery meeting, and so we talk about the gifts that come from our form of government. Come for all that, and also hear Abby quiz Scott on a biblical version of “Would you rather?”

This week on the Signal Pres podcast we are joined by someone we’re eager for you to get to know: Tommy Hayslett! Tommy serves as an elder here at Signal Pres, and he’s with us to talk about what elders do and why wisdom is at the heart of the calling of elder leadership. Along the way, Tommy shares about what wisdom is and how he’s sought to acquire it in his own life. It’s a conversation full of so many things we can’t wait for you to take away - including the mental image of Tommy breaking it down on the dance floor at a wedding. Take a listen and enjoy!

It’s officially the month of October, and that brings so many of our favorite things: sweater weather, beautiful foliage, chili-making, and more. In honor of this very best month, we’re spending some time for the next few weeks talking about all things Presbyterian and Reformed. With Reformation Day at the end of this month, Abby and Joey spend some time talking about what the big deal is with being Reformed. In particular, they talk about why the re-discovery of the Gospel that took place through the Reformation is such a good gift to us. Listen in!

This week on the podcast: meet our brand-new Director of Men’s Discipleship, Ken Pierce! Abby and Joey sit down with Ken in the studio and get to know Ken. We hear about the story of his marriage to his wife Aisyah, how God is at work when we do the next faithful thing he has for us, and why he is so excited to work with men at Signal Pres. Special bonus: learn about Ken’s brief career as a ranch hand in a town where they drop turkeys from airplanes. (Really!)

This week on the podcast we have not one but TWO guests. Becky Cox and Courtney Armstrong from Kids Discipleship join us. They’ve been BEGGING us to be on the podcast (not really) and they’re naturals behind the mic. They talk about where they serve with our kiddos, how you can support the discipleship of kids here at Signal Pres, and more. Someone may or may not snort laugh and good fun is had by all along with learning more about Signal Pres’ heart for kids. Join us!