Menlo Church Podcasts

Many people believe that if they just follow the "rules" (The Ten Commandments, the Golden Rule), they will be right with God. We look at the rich history of Judaism and the 613 laws intended to guide God's people. However, the Law was never meant to be a ladder to heaven; it was meant to be a mirror showing us we can't get there on our own. 

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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, coun...

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...

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, ca...

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...

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).

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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 li...

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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Welcome back to the Menlo Midweek Podcast! This week, host Matt Summers and Phil EuBank sit down to reflect on a truly special standalone weekend across our campuses: Baptism Weekend. Whether faith feels deeply familiar to you, totally unfamiliar, or honestly a little complicated right now, we hope this conversation meets you right where you are.

We’re diving deeper into the weekend message, looking at baptism not just as a church tradition or a religious box to check, but through the epic biblical story of Joshua 3 and 4. Israel is standing on the edge of a promise, fa...

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Welcome to a very special Mother's Day edition of the Menlo Midweek Podcast! This week, we have a takeover in the studio: Rachelle Summers steps in to host, and she is joined by special guests Allison Li and Joan Parker.

In an episode aptly titled "No one ever told me," these three women sit down for an honest, refreshing, and deeply relatable conversation about the realities of motherhood. They also unpack the highlights and raw moments from this past weekend's Sunday panel, which featured Phil and Alyssa EuBank alongside Vince and Jo Vitale.

📍 In This Epi...

We want moms to be seen, valued, and know that their work is invaluable. And they are not alone.

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Welcome to the Menlo Midweek Podcast! This week, we are incredibly excited to kick off a brand-new series titled "GLITCH." Host Matt Summers sits down with special guest Joey Odom (co-founder of Aro) to talk about the system errors in our modern lives—specifically, our relationship with our phones and technology.

In this opening episode, "Digital Thorns," Matt and Joey explore how the constant hum of digital distraction is causing a glitch in the most important parts of our lives, our relationships, and our faith.

📍 In This Episode:
The Modern Thorns: We look at Jesus...

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Welcome back to the Menlo Midweek Podcast! This week, Matt Summers and Phil EuBank continue our series, "God, If You’re Real," by stepping into the heart-wrenching and hope-filled story of Jairus and his daughter (Luke 8).

When we are in the middle of our most desperate prayers, one of our biggest questions is often: “God, are you even paying attention? And if you are, why are you taking so long?”

📍 In This Episode:
The Interruption: We explore the tension of the story—Jesus is on his way to save a life, but He stops to address...

Jairus risks his reputation to plead with Jesus. And when all hope seems lost, Jesus still shows up. This message is for those on the edge—wondering if it’s too late.

Welcome back to the Menlo Midweek Podcast! In this episode, Matt Summers and Phil EuBank unpack the raw, honest, and often desperate place where faith meets our most challenging life circumstances. Following up on this past weekend’s message, "If You’re Real, Help Me," we take a deep dive into the story of the woman with the issue of blood in Luke 8.

This conversation is for anyone who has reached the end of their own resources and is ready to move from the armor of cynicism to the vulnerability of faith.

📍 In This Episode:
The...

The bleeding woman reaches for Jesus with no words, no plan—just pain. And Jesus stops everything for her. This message speaks to those who are suffering silently, unsure if God notices.

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Welcome to the start of a brand-new series at Menlo Church! This week, Matt Summers and Phil EuBank kick things off by leaning into the tension, the doubt, and the honest curiosity that many of us carry. In a world that often demands certainty, we’re starting a conversation titled "God, If You’re Real."

This episode focuses on a core value at Menlo: Giving people permission to ask questions. Whether you’ve been a follower of Jesus for decades or you aren’t even sure if God exists, this series is a safe space to bring your "wh...

Thomas is remembered for his doubt, but maybe he should be remembered for his honesty. Jesus doesn’t scold him—He shows up. This message affirms that doubt is not the enemy of faith. It’s often the doorway to deeper trust.

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Happy Easter! In this climactic episode of our "I AM" series, we gather to celebrate the most life-changing news in history. But we aren’t just looking at an empty tomb; we’re looking at the God who meets us in the shadows of grief and confusion.

Hosts Matt and Phil dive into John 20:1-18, focusing on a moment so personal it changes everything: the moment the resurrected Jesus stands in the garden with Mary Magdalene.

📍 In This Episode:
The Darkness of the Morning: We explore why Mary was at the tomb while it was sti...

The women come to the tomb expecting closure. Instead, they meet the risen Christ—alive, personal, and present. The darkest place in history becomes the dawn of eternal nearness. God is not distant. He is risen, and He is here.

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Welcome to a powerful and timely episode of the Menlo Midweek Podcast. This week, host Matt Summers is joined by special guest Vince Vitale to unpack a message that hits home for anyone feeling the weight of the world on their shoulders.

As we continue our "I AM" series, we travel to the Garden of Gethsemane. It’s here we see the ultimate contrast between the crushing weight of human expectation and the sustaining presence of God.

📍 In This Episode:
The Atlas Complex: We discuss the myth of the Greek god Atlas, sentenced to carry...

In Gethsemane, Jesus prays “not my will, but yours.” Even as God in flesh, He wrestles—and chooses intimacy over escape. This week, we follow Jesus into the garden where closeness to the Father led Him toward the cross.

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Welcome to a very special edition of the Menlo Midweek Podcast! This week, we reach a beautiful and intimate turning point in our series, "I AM: The God Who Gets Close." Taking inspiration from Luke 22:14-30, Phil and Matt move the conversation from the mountain-tops and caves directly to the dinner table. In a uniquely cinematic weekend message featuring four chairs—each representing a different perspective at the Last Supper—we explore how Jesus chooses to be with us in our moments of greatest transition, tension, and even betrayal.

📍 In This Episode:
The Table Setting: We discuss...

Jesus shares a table with tax collectors, sinners, and doubters. The intimacy of a shared meal breaks down shame and separation. God doesn’t wait for our perfection—He sits with our mess.

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Welcome back to the Menlo Midweek Podcast! This week, hosts Phil EuBank and Carly O'Rourke go behind the scenes of our current series, "I AM: The God Who Gets Close." We’re moving past the "big and loud" moments of faith to explore the profound truth that God meets us personally and unexpectedly—not just in theory, but in the middle of our real, often quiet lives. This episode centers on the story of Elijah from 1 Kings 19 and what happens when we find ourselves waiting for God in the silence.

📍 In This Episode:
The Elijah Journey: Phil an...

Elijah’s moment on Mount Horeb shows that God isn’t always in the loud, dramatic, or obvious. Sometimes He comes as a whisper. For anyone who feels forgotten or ignored—this week is a quiet reminder that presence doesn’t have to shout.

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This week, we continue our "I AM" series by stepping into one of the most iconic stories of the Old Testament: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. When life gets "seven times hotter" and the pressure to conform feels overwhelming, where is God? We’re looking at Daniel 3 to discover that God’s nearness isn't proven by the absence of the fire, but by His presence in it.

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Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego weren't delivered from the furnace—but in it. The fourth figure in the fire reminds us that God’s nearness isn’t proven by avoidance of pain, but by faithfulness through it.

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This week on Menlo Midweek, we dive into the second installment of our "I AM" series, focusing on the powerful promise: I am with you in the fight. Whether you’re facing internal struggles or external challenges, we explore what it means to wrestle with God.

It was also a high-energy weekend across our campuses as we celebrated Baptism Weekend and Student Weekend! We witnessed incredible stories of transformation and welcomed the next generation into the heart of our church.

📍 In This Episode: The Fight: A deeper look into this week's message...

Jacob’s story at the riverbank is not about winning—it’s about being seen. God shows up in the form of a wrestling match, not a throne room. Sometimes closeness comes through confrontation—and God still blesses us in the limp.

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We start off our series I Am: The God Who Gets Close–a Lenten journey through the character of God as revealed in Scripture. From Moses' burning bush to Jesus' outstretched arms, we’ll explore how God's name isn’t a cold doctrine—it’s a living invitation.

In this episode we talk about recognizing His nearness in the stories of the Bible and the quiet corners of your life.

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God calls Moses from a burning bush—not in Egypt, not in the promised land, but in the desert of exile and shame. God introduces Himself not with instructions, but with presence: “I Am.” The journey of closeness begins not in clarity, but in confusion.

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Our world treats sex like a product or a secret shame. But God created it as covenant glue, a powerful and sacred act that shapes souls, not just bodies. This week invites us to dismantle lies about sex and reclaim God’s design for intimacy, holiness, and flourishing.

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This week we dive further into the story of Ruth, and Jevon shares how our upbringing, culture and learned love can be at odds with or in step with a biblical picture of love. Want to love better? This is for you.

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Many treat dating as trial-and-error shopping for “the one.” But Scripture frames it as a process of discernment, boundaries, and patience. Ruth and Boaz remind us that God honors faithfulness, integrity, and trust. Love is worth waiting for, and God uses waiting seasons to shape us.
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