Morgan Proudfoot was brought up with an unstable childhood. From inner city Seattle to the cornfields of Pennsylvania, his only understanding of “Jesus” was as a word of profanity. As a teenager, his elderly neighbors undeterred by the generational gap, invited him to know Jesus in a new way: as God himself. When life did not become easier, he clung to the belief that God was loving, and that a loving God would not abandon him in suffering. Morgan is now a pastor of Grace Harbor Church, a recently planted church in New Bedford, Massachusetts, In this episode, Morgan chats with the Stoop crew and reflects on how God brought him through insurmountable challenges and has been at work throughout his entire life. Morgan now hopes to display the gospel to an underserved city and share this hope of Christ with the lost and broken.

“I’ve gotta get myself together,” is a refrain which aptly marks our present culture. It can be a point of pride, and a stumbling block for any who believe they have to “arrive” before meeting to Jesus. Must we reach a certain standard, accomplished by their own power, before coming to God? We think outward to appearances, when change can only come through the inward work of Christ. And while “I gotta get myself together” can be a works-based salvation, it can also simply be an excuse. In this episode, Joel, Eric, and Stephanie discuss some of the narratives that drive this false gospel, the barriers we put up, and excuses we make to put off the clear call of the true Gospel.