Coffee To Go Episodes
Coffee to Go is a regular feature on Faith Unfiltered Podcast that invites listeners into the sacred rhythm of the Christian liturgical year. Hosted by Karin Peter and Blake Smith, each episode offers a thoughtful reflection on the seasons, scriptures, and holy days that shape our spiritual journey.
Whether you’re on your morning commute, taking a walk, or pausing for a quiet moment, Coffee to Go provides a companionable space for grounding yourself in the story of God — one sacred moment at a time.
Because sometimes, the Spirit speaks best in the spaces between… and a little coffee doesn’t hurt, either.
Whether you’re on your morning commute, taking a walk, or pausing for a quiet moment, Coffee to Go provides a companionable space for grounding yourself in the story of God — one sacred moment at a time.
Because sometimes, the Spirit speaks best in the spaces between… and a little coffee doesn’t hurt, either.
June 29, 2025
862 | Coffee to Go | Proper 8 | Year C
When it comes to invitation, there’s a fine line between allowing time and space for others to join in or simply moving on to someone else. The cost of discipleship is high, and everyone can’t make snap decisions on matters of consequence. In this week’s passage from the Gospel of Luke, Jesus seems to be in the “move on” mode. Join hosts Karin Peter and Blake Smith as they journey with Jesus. Determine for yourself how you can walk that line between relationship and discipleship. When does the i...
June 22, 2025
859 | Coffee to Go | Proper 7 | Year C
Change is often hard and even uncomfortable. It can also be threatening when someone else’s change for the better makes us look bad, or when the change challenges our own sense of power and/or control. In this episode of Coffee to Go, hosts Karin Peter and Blake Smith explore the Gospel of Luke's account of Jesus healing a demon-possessed man, highlighting the political and social implications of Jesus' actions and emphasizing the importance of recognizing and challenging oppressive systems. Do...
June 15, 2025
856 | Coffee to Go | Trinity Sunday | Year C
Scholars have been working for centuries to figure out the Trinity, so don’t feel discouraged if the topic makes you scratch your head in wonder. You are not alone. Karin and Blake don’t have the answers, but they do offer a couple of things to help you navigate through this week in the lectionary. There is a light at the end of the tunnel... or maybe it’s just a little light in the darkness. Either way, there’s a blessing in it for you. Download Transcript Thanks for listening to Faith Unfilt...
June 8, 2025
853 | Coffee to Go | Pentecost Sunday | Year C
On this first Sunday after the 2025 Community of Christ World Conference, where many have experienced a “Pentecost” experience in the coming together of people from many nations, cultures, and languages... we celebrate Pentecost. Join hosts Karin Peter and Blake Smith for a dive into the Pentecost passage from the Book of Acts. Imagine yourself in the place of those who gathered from all over to hear the message of love and inclusion, and explore how you can carry that into the places you live a...
June 1, 2025
851 | Coffee to Go | Ascension Sunday | Year C
It’s time to get some new “clothes.” Who doesn’t like that? Right? But there’s a small catch... we have to wait a little bit. Just stay here and wait, Jesus says ... until you are clothed in the Holy Spirit. The reality is that we could all use an excuse to get a little rest. It is in resting that we are able to receive the blessing of the Spirit's presence. Join hosts Karin Peter and Blake Smith as they rest in the Gospel of Luke for this Ascension Sunday episode of Coffee to Go. Rest and be bl...
May 25, 2025
848 | Coffee to Go | Sixth Sunday of Easter | Year C
We could all use a little reminding every once in a while. In the midst of chaos and hectic schedules, the call to do something uncomfortable is easily shrugged off with extremely relevant rationalizations as to why we can’t. That’s why Jesus promised an advocate. Unfortunately, however, the advocate of whom he spoke is not there to speak on our behalf, but rather to remind us of our call and conviction. We have been given the peace of Christ to reside in us, and that, believe it or not, is enou...
May 18, 2025
845 | Coffee to Go | Fifth Sunday of Easter | Year C
It is perhaps one of the easiest commandments to speak, and yet one of the hardest to put into action. We live in a world where it seems to have become easier to build walls than to sit and listen to one another... much less love one another. In many arenas, people are attempting to define diversity as a bad thing. The idea of unity in diversity, to them, seems impossible. But, Jesus reminds us to love one another, just as he loved us. Join hosts Karin Peter and Blake Smith for a conversation ab...
May 11, 2025
842 | Coffee to Go | Fourth Sunday of Easter | Year C
Who doesn’t like a good festival ... especially one that calls for renewal? No doubt, we could all use a little time for renewal. Well, this week’s episode of Coffee to Go finds us in the Gospel According to John, and it’s time for a festival of renewal. Unfortunately, this time of renewal isn’t about taking a day off, it’s about renewing your commitment and dedication to God. The great news is that there’s nothing more renewing than resting in God’s presence... even if it means more work. Watc...
May 4, 2025
840 | Coffee to Go | Third Sunday of Easter | Year C
What’s your “go-to” when you get stressed out? When things aren’t going your way, or when you’re feeling alone or lost, what, or where, brings you comfort? For Peter and the disciples, it was fishing. For some, it’s a hike in the mountains or a stroll on the beach. No matter where it is, Jesus meets us where we are. Join hosts Karin and Blake for a closer look at the disciples’ response to Jesus’ appearance in John 21:1-19. Download Transcript Thanks for listening to Faith Unfiltered! Follow u...
April 27, 2025
837 | Coffee to Go | Second Week of Easter | Year C
Thomas, often referred to as ‘doubting Thomas,’ often gets a bum rap. He just wanted to have the same experience that everyone else had. He had an intimate relationship with Jesus and all he was asking for was a chance to see it for himself. We, too, have our own personal relationship with Christ and with the Divine. There is absolutely nothing wrong with asking God for the kind of experience you need in order to strengthen your relationship with the Divine. Join hosts Karin Peter and Blake Smit...
April 20, 2025
834 | Coffee to Go | Easter | Year C
He is risen! On this episode of Coffee to Go, Karen and Blake look closely at Mary Magdalene's experience at the tomb – from darkness and weeping to a personal encounter with the risen Christ. They ask: How do our expectations limit us from seeing God at work? And have you felt the Spirit call you by name? Discover the significance of being called by name and challenge yourself to see the Divine in the everyday. Download Transcript Thanks for listening to Faith Unfiltered! Follow us...
April 19, 2025
833 | Coffee to Go | Holy Saturday | Year C
As we wait in the darkness between the events of Good Friday and the coming resurrection, we have the opportunity to consider the cost of discipleship. Join hosts Karin Peter and Blake Smith for a brief Coffee to Go episode to hear the scripture, to receive a blessing, and to wait. Don't rush to the resurrection just because you know how the story ends. Sit in the darkness ... and wait. Download Transcript Thanks for listening to Faith Unfiltered! Follow us on Facebook and Instagram! Intro an...
April 18, 2025
832 | Coffee to Go | Good Friday | Year C
The lights have all gone out. The unimaginable has happened. The one we love is gone. What will we do now? On this Good Friday, hosts Karin Peter and Blake Smith offer only a scripture and a blessing. Sometimes, it is all we can do to sit in the rage, the disappointment, the loss, the grief... wondering if the light will return. In those moments, it has to be enough to wait. The darkest part of the night is right before the dawn, but the dawn does come. Download Transcript Thanks for listening...
April 17, 2025
831 | Coffee to Go | Maundy Thursday | Year C
The room has been chosen. The table is set, and as you enter, Jesus kneels to wash your feet. What would your reaction be? Remember, Jesus knows you better than you know yourself, so will you try and refuse as Peter did, or learn from the experience? Join hosts Karin Peter and Blake Smith on this Maundy Thursday for a close look at a very intimate event in which Jesus makes a final attempt to teach the disciples a valuable lesson. Don’t worry, it’s not “goodbye.” It’s more like “see you later!” ...
April 13, 2025
829 | Coffee to Go | Palm Sunday | Year C
Palms waving, disciples lining the road and calling out, cloaks thrown on the ground to pave the way. It’s political pageantry at its best ... and its most humble. All the way to the end, Jesus keeps us guessing by doing the unexpected. Join hosts, Karin Peter and Blake Smith, for a deeper dive into this week’s passage from the Gospel of Luke, where stallions are replaced by beasts of burden, and cries of “save us” turn to “Crucify Him.” It’s going to be a long week, but at least we know how the...
April 6, 2025
827 | Coffee to Go | Fifth Sunday of Lent | Year C
Can you smell that? When Mary anointed Jesus’ feet with pure nard, the scriptures tell us that “the room was filled with the smell of the perfume. Mary spared nothing to do what she thought was right in the moment... to take a prophetic risk. On this final week of Lent, hosts Karin Peter and Blake Smith explore the significance of Mary anointing Jesus' feet with costly perfume, highlighting the sensory experience and the intimacy of the act. Grab some perfume or a fragrant bar of soap and join i...
March 30, 2025
825 | Coffee to Go | 4th Sunday After Lent | Year C
Choose joy! It may be hard sometimes, but the alternative will just tear you down. In this episode of Coffee to Go, hosts Karin Peter and Blake Smith take a look at the story of the Prodigal Son from the Gospel of Luke. While the young man was ready to receive what he deserved... nothing ... the father was more focused on the joy of his return. That’s how God feels when we “return home.” For some of us, it’s probably good we don’t get what we really deserve. Instead, we get welcomed with open ar...
March 23, 2025
822 | Coffee to Go | Third Sunday of Lent | Year C
You can almost hear the kids saying, “Are we there yet?” And the answer is NO! We are still on the road to Jerusalem with Jesus, and Jesus is still encountering people asking questions to which he has already given answers. And yet, he tells a parable that reinforces just how merciful and patient he is with those who haven’t borne fruit, even though he has shown them the way...God’s way. Join hosts Karin Peter and Blake Smith for a conversation about the importance of turning and going “another”...
March 16, 2025
820 | Coffee to Go | Second Sunday of Lent | Year C
Are you going to be a fox or a hen? Before you answer that question, stop and take a few minutes ... it is Lent after all ... to engage in some honest self-reflection. The world may suggest that it’s better to be a fox, but Jesus would likely disagree. You can decide as you listen to this episode of Coffee to Go with hosts, Karin Peter and Blake Smith. This week they’re with Jesus in the Gospel of Luke. See what Jesus has to say about power and oppression, then spend some time figuring out in wh...
March 9, 2025
817 | Coffee to Go | First Sunday of Lent | Year C
It’s the first Sunday of Lent... a time for looking inward. Be advised, you can’t blame everything on the devil. Well, you could, who would you be fooling? Sometimes you have to take responsibility for your own actions. Making responsible choices is up to you. Join hosts Karin Peter and Blake Smith as they enter the wilderness with Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and a special “visitor” to see how Jesus will respond when the pressure is on. Download Transcript Thanks for listening to Faith Unfiltered!...
March 5, 2025
815 | Coffee to Go | Ash Wednesday | Year C
It may seem strange that on a Christian Holy day where many disciples will walk around with a smudge of ash on their foreheads for all to see, we have a scripture passage that tells us to pray and fast privately in our “closet.” Why don’t we wear the smudge of ash in a place where only we and God can see it? Well, the smudge is a symbol of the condition of our hearts ... repentant, mortal, humble. What matters is not the words we say or the significance of what we gave up for Lent (our act of fa...
March 2, 2025
814 | Coffee to Go | Transfiguration Sunday
We all have those special places where we’ve experienced God’s presence (the Holy Spirit), and for some reason we let ourselves believe that we need to return to that place to find God again. It’s in those places that we want to “pitch our tent” so to speak. If we’ve learned nothing else in this season of Epiphany, we know that God is up to something, and when God reveals God’s self, it may just be so we’ll have the courage to come down off the mountain and get to work. Today’s passage takes us ...
Feb. 23, 2025
811 | Coffee to Go | Seventh Sunday after Epiphany | Year C
We sing about it, we talk about, we say that it is at the heart of God, but when it comes to sharing it with those we find undeserving, we have second thoughts. “It,” of course, is LOVE. In this week’s Coffee to Go, hosts Karin Peter and Blake Smith return to the Gospel of Luke and Jesus’ Sermon on the Plain. Join them for a look into the difficult-to-swallow list of those Jesus tells us we should love. Then, take a look at your own list of “lovable” people and see who needs to be added ... no m...
Feb. 16, 2025
808 | Coffee to Go | 6th Sunday After Epiphany | Year C
There’s no better place to give a sermon about community than on a plain (aka a level field). All communities may not put everyone on the same level, but in God’s Kingdom, every field is a level playing field. The blessings and woes of such a community ought to be felt by all. In today’s passage from the Gospel of Luke, Jesus lays it on the line with the disciples...proclaiming both blessings and woes. What’s left for us to decide is if we’re going to come down on the blessing side or the woe si...