Thrive in Life and Faith Podcast with Litha and Remo

Episode One hundred! On the 100th(!) episode Remo and Sonto talk about the podcast. They talk about what it means for there to be 100 episodes and about the impact the podcast has had on Remo and the impact he hopes it’s had on those who listen to the podcast.  

On this Episode Remo and Litha have a discussion about the practice of Lament. They talk about what it is, about how it’s much deeper than modern day sadness and about how it can bring us closer to God and help us heal in our communities. 

The book referenced in this episode is “God matters” by Herbert McCabe 

On this Episode we have a conversation with Jaret about Easter. We talk about what Easter is, why it’s a big deal and about how we can connect with it in better ways that will ultimately help us thrive in life and in faith. 

The philosopher mentioned in this episode is Dallas Willard 

The Scripture Jaret reads is Romans 8:1-3

Sincere apologies for some of the audio issues we are trying to get better at that.

Remo and Litha are back everybody! On this brief episode they explain why they’ve been away so long, what the plan is for the podcast moving forward and what it is they’ve learnt in the time away from the pod. 

If you’d like to hear Remo’s sermon series: 

Happy new year everybody! On this episode Litha and Remo have a conversation about the upcoming year. They talk about how instead of the usual new years goals and resolutions they want to focus on “becoming”. So who is Litha becoming or who is Remo becoming and what decisions can they make to support that journey? They explain how they believe that ultimately this is a more helpful for a thriving life and faith.

What have you learned this year?

On this episode Remo and I answer that question. We talk about learning about life being out of our control about the kind of people we can be, about how God is bigger than just right and wrong and about how we can ask more questions, and about the importance of community.

Books we mention: T

he sin of certainty by Pete Enns

This here flesh by Cole Arthur Riley

The fire Next time by James Baldwin

Episodes we reference:

Reading the bible in its original bible Ep 80

So we were reading the Bible these are our thoughts Ep 77

The philosophy of living well with Nomaswazi Kubeka Ep 76

Have you ever realised you’re living a double life?

On this episode we speak with Benjamin Ali a software developer from the DRC. He talks to us about how he tried to build a relationship with God based on lies and how that caught up to him. He then walks us beautifully through the story about how God forced him to look at the truth of his life and how in That he experienced how loving God truly is.

Have you ever wondered if worship is a big deal?

On this episode We speak to Josh Taliaferro a worship minister in Texas about all things worship. We have an incredibly deep conversation about the way Worship has touched his life and affected his spirituality and we talk about the role that worship can and is supposed to play in our own walks with God, communally and individually.

What do you have in mind when you make decisions?

On this weeks episode we talk to Kyle Plum, an evangelist from San Diego and he shares with us how to keep thriving in your faith even in a world where it is becoming increasingly more challenging to do so. Kyle talks about his own journey to becoming a follower of Jesus and then an evangelist and a lot of the lessons he learnt along the way.

Have you had God only moments?

On this episode we talk to Candice Butler, a full time minster, who shares her journey with God with us including all the ways he has shown up for her. From the beginning of her life till today she can see the hand of God in her life and that is what leads her to thrive in life as well as in faith.

What makes a friendship work?

On this Episode Remo and I discuss what it is in the friendships that we’ve had that have helped us thrive in our faith. We discuss what it means for a friendship to be a safe space, how we can truly trust each other in friendships and why it’s worth truly committing to and investing in such relationships.

On this weeks episode we speak to Dylan Peens a school teacher and teen ministry leader. He opens up about how his mental health struggles and the lessons he’s learned from have shaped his life, his view and his walk with Jesus today.

On this weeks episode we speak to Jake Graham about his life journey and his pursuit to becoming a full time minister. Jake shares about his life journey and how God has worked, along with some difficult decisions he has made to lead him into becoming the young minister he is right now.

What is church? Why do we go? What is it supposed to help us with? What is it for?

On this episode Remo and I touch on those questions on church and a lot more. We talk about what’s it’s been like growing up in church, What are some of the good and bad we’ve experienced in church, how do we treat those who are with us in church and why for us church should be and is way more than just one Sunday per week.

Are you a person who struggles to see or let God shape you? A person who wants their identity to be in God but often finds it elsewhere?

If your answer is yes then tune in to this episode! Today we speak to Sivuselele Manzini: A disciple from Nelson Mandela bay and a law student at Nelson Mandela University. We speak to her about her journey on the road to God and her journey on the road to studying law. Through these stories we get incredibly insightful lessons from her about how her need to consistently reflect and introspect helped her forge her relationship with God.

What did Jesus teach about the Kingdom of God?

In this weeks episode following the encounter campus retreat we talk to full time minister and biblical teacher Raj, who helps us dive deeper into what Jesus teaches about the Kingdom of God and lays out how those teachings can affect us in the communities that we live in.

What does the arrival of the kingdom look like?

In the latest instalment of our encounter campus retreat series we talk to Jacques Genis. He’s a full time campus and singles minister. In this conversation with him he helps us see how the kingdom can come through us, what sort of role we play in bringing it into earth and what that looks like in our day to day lives.

How can we experience the Kingdom of God?

Continuing in our post encounter campus retreat episode series, we talk to Paul smith. He is a church leader and a bible teacher. Paul helps us deepen our understanding of what the kingdom of God is and how we can experience it in this life.

Mentioned in the episode to research:

What is the encounter campus retreat? You may ask.

In this episode we will answer that question and so much more. We will be talking about what are some of the most convicting lessons we learnt from encounter, what are things that moved us and what are the things that helped make our relationship with God that little bit deeper.

What have you heard about the enneagram? Have you ever heard of it? Do you know what number you are?

In this episode we talk to Karen Cloete and do s deep dive into the enneagram. Karen is incredibly well versed in the enneagram and she helps take us through where it is from, why it’s helpful and what it helps us to learn about ourselves and those around us.

Are you interested in the biblical texts? Where they from and why we have them?

In this episode we talk to Jason Alexandre a church pastor who studied the biblical texts at a high scholarly level and he shares how he went deep into the study of the texts and what it is that he learnt. He shares his journey with the study of the bible at an academic level and how the bible can shape and form a people/community.

Are you a person who cannot stop and who has to produce because you believe that is how you can be worthy of Gods love? This episode is for you if you are.

On this episode we talk to Micheal Masola a campus student at the university of Johannesburg and enrolled in the school of missions (more on that in the episode so listen!). We talk to him about how he tried repay the love he received from God with sheer hard work. We explore how he was wrong and he was forced stop. But we also learn that those experiences were key in helping him see that he serves a God who yes cares about what he does but also A God who is full of Grace and who cares about his well-being.

Have you ever wondered if you have to be a specific type of person with specific types of dreams to experience a specific type of love from God?

On this episode we have Refentse May a professional performer (a very good one we’d add) and we talk to her about her journey down the path pursuing a career in the arts. We learn about some of the stigmas she dealt with the unique challenges of that world and how through it all she discovered a God who’s love is big enough for everyone

How can we live well in the face of injustice?

In this weeks episode we talk to Nomaswazi Kubeka a masters graduate in philosophy and she unpacks for us exactly how we can do that through compassion, solitude, contemplation and so much more.

Have you noticed a lot of changes in yourself and those around you since coming out of the hard covid lock downs? So have we.

In this weeks episode Remo and Litha talk about what they have seen in their worlds and the world at large post covid and some of the reasons why they think these things have appeared.

There has been a long break in the production of the podcast and I am happy to announce that we are back. The podcast is taking on its 3rd iteration and I think possibly its best iteration in the season to come. The goal has not changed, we want to come along side you to help you thrive in life as well as in your faith and actually I believe the changes to our format will make achieving that goal even more doable. 

How can you make this life count?

In this weeks episode we talk to church leader, church planter and podcaster Rob Skinner about how to make this life count.

Rob shares his journey to faith, his different roles in full time ministry and the lessons he has learnt along the way.

What does it look like to wholeheartedly pursue Gods glory while going after your dreams?

In this weeks episode we talk to Neil Robinson, former pro cyclist turned entrepreneur who shares with us his journey in trying to answer that very question.

Neil shares with us his journey to truly putting faith in Christ, facing many severe set backs and how he started a side hustle that now employs him full time.

How should we be thinking about the year ahead? We should start by looking back.

It has been said that to know where you going you must know where you are coming from.

In this weeks episode we talk to Ameer Burton about what he has learnt over the last few years as a leader and what it is that he is doing to look forward and lead his ministry forward.

Ameer Burton is a full time minister in LA, California. Him and his wife (Jewel) have served in the ministry for 6 years and they have a 3 year old son.

As we start the new year so many of us set goals and resolutions and try to figure out a direction that we would like to head in. I share my thoughts on New Years resolutions as well as what the podcast is aiming to do this year.

Here are links to the podcasts I mentioned in the episode:

Lead To Win

How can we navigate this new world we live in with so much online content to consume, friendships to have and yet living in an in person world? How can we become friends with God? How can we be influenced correctly onto a path that helps us to thrive in life as well as in our faith?

In this weeks episode we speak to Jaret Luna who lives and works remote. He is a bible teacher, a faithful follower of Jesus, a student and house husband. He is navigating this life in a sense of the new normal. He shares a lot of what it is that he is working on and learning while sharing incredible insights to thrive in this life as well as in his faith.

Here is a link to Jaret first episode on the podcast:

How did Christianity make it onto the African Continent? Who actually brought Christianity to the continent? How do African spirituality and Christianity mix or oppose each other?

These are just some of the questions that young people on the African continent are trying to make sense of and in this weeks episode we speak to Solomon Kganyago who is a biblical teacher in a church in Johannesburg. He shares with us the insights of his learning and reading around this topic and helps us to wrestle with some other questions.

Ep 39 - Fred Musimi

Self care. This is such a popular topic these days but where did it come from? What was its purpose and how did it become so popular today?

In this weeks episode I cover these questions and so much in a hopes to encourage us to pursue Christ through all the tools at our disposal and not get drawn into how the world is doing things.

If you love coffee I have good news for you. You can receive a discount on any of the single origin coffee by using my discount code: FAITH at the checkout.

Have you ever thought of starting a YouTube channel or doing a podcast or even writing a blog, anything in content creation really? If you have this is a great episode for you. If you have ever wondered how you can encourage your creator friends to keep creating, this episode is also for you.

We talk to a young content creator, Luca Joseph ‘LJ’ Toronga, who is doing great things in the world of content creation and he shares sincerely how the journey has been for him. From starting something new to fighting off burn out and so much more. We go all over the place in this conversation.

Luca Joseph ‘LJ’ Toronga is a photographer, podcaster and YouTube channel host just to name a few of the things that he does. He is the man behind megapicsouls which is the name under which you can find most of his work.

If you looking to find Lj online here are some key links:

Being able to go from being a literal rockstar to being a full time minister, going from being a recording artist performing all over the US and opening for a number of big names to leading worship and preaching the word. This seems like a very wild switch of pace and desire but that isn’t the case in Ross Lippencott’s story.

In this weeks episode we talk through Ross’s journey in this life from a rebel kid growing up in church, singing songs with his dad, starting a band, being called into full time ministry and soo much more. Ross shares honestly about the challenges he’s faced and the things that he’s felt throughout his journey but how through it all God has helped him to thrive in his life as well as in his faith.

This is a song I mention in the conversation:

Have you ever wondered what the kingdom of God is? Where it is? How it works? And how we are meant to interact with it?

In this episode with podcaster, biblical teacher and author Michael Burns we dive into the deep well that is the kingdom of God and try to wrap our minds around it.

Michael’s Podcast is called the ‘All things to all people podcast’. It is available on most platforms:

Do you ever feel like you can’t see what God is doing in you life?

In this weeks episode, I unpack a sermon series done over Isaiah 43:18-21. There is so much in the passage but the ideas of forgetting what is behind us, enjoying the journey we are on and experiencing Gods incredible grace to walk through life with us.

If you love coffee I have good news for you. You can receive a discount on any of the single origin coffee by using my discount code: FAITH at the checkout.

How do you make the best decisions for your relationships, your life and faith?

In this weeks episode Jade Barter shares his story with us in which he has learned how to keep pursuing Gods lead in all the decisions he makes and being able to enjoy the full life that Christ has promised in the scriptures.

Mentioned in the podcast:

Have you ever wondered about how your cultural background and christianity can both be true for you? Zamalinda has had to wrestle with these very thoughts and many more and she shares vulnerably how she has been able to thrive in life as well as in her faith through all the questions.

Zamalinda Xulu is a wife, mother, sister and leader in the church. She has followed Christ for more than two decades now and in this weeks episode she really shares some deep wisdom from her journey.

If you love coffee I have good news for you. You can receive a discount on any of the single origin coffee by using my discount code: FAITH at the checkout.

Have you ever read stories about Jesus and not liked him? That is how a young Samantha Witt felt but as she got to know him more she was able to fall in love with him and decided to follow him with her whole heart.

In this weeks episode we talk to Sam about her journey from growing up in the church to not liking Jesus to being a disciple who is thriving in life as well as in her faith. Sam loves Jesus, spending time with my family, hanging out with friends, music, playing volleyball, and being around people in general.

If you love coffee I have good news for you. You can receive a discount on any of the single origin coffee by using my discount code: FAITH at the checkout.

The podcast has now released 54 episodes which means there has been enough content for a whole year of content and that’s all thanks to the incredible guests that have come onto the podcast as well as and mostly importantly every individual who has listened, liked and subscribed to the podcast.

In this weeks episode, we take a look down memory lane a little and we look forward to what is to come.

If you love coffee I have good news for you. You can receive a discount on any of the single origin coffee by using my discount code: FAITH at the checkout.

Have you experienced trauma?

Have you wondered how yo process the trauma well?

Sarah-Jayne or Sj as she is known is a young lady who has gone through some serious trauma in her life and has managed to process through it all well. As opposed to allowing it to swallow her up or break her she has come through it all more resilient and faithful.

In this episode we hear her story of trauma and her journey towards healing. She shares vulnerably about her victories and losses towards in her journey towards thriving in her life as well as her faith. Sj’s journey has even lead to her studying psychology and pursuing ways to help others deal with their trauma.

Here are the 3 books mentioned in this podcast:

Finding His Footsteps in the Sand by Erica Kim

It’s not supposed to be this way by Lysa Terkeurst

Get out of your head by Jennie Allen

How should we as young people deal with visual media in our lives?

Does it help us thrive in life and faith or not?

Nate Taliaferro studied film in university and even had the opportunity to work in Hollywood. He now runs a very successful YouTube channel that serves the Church and non-profit organisations. He has loved visual media for as long as he can remember but has also unfortunately found himself on the dark side of media. We talk about all of this and more in this weeks podcast.

What do young people need to thrive these days?

How can you change your world and the world at large?

We all need to move in confidence and embrace being uncomfortable in our daily lives. In this episode with Jesse Ghoman we chat about these ideas and so many more on being able to thrive in life as well as in our faith as young people.

Jesse Ghoman is a full time minister from Boston, Massachusetts who now leads a church in Charleston, South Carolina. He is married and has two little girls.

Have you been thinking about a lot of how things could be done better or differently??

Well me too and in this episode I address how we can take action instead of being theorists and how we can focus on our own good instead the masses.

What is the story of the church throughout history?

Why does it matter now?

What role should the church play in my life.

In this weeks episode we begin a two part conversation with Dr. James Lappeman wherein we dive into the incredibly deep and confusing topic of church history and from there we go into a number of different spaces related to our thriving in life and faith as it is connected to the church.

James is a former full time church minister who still helps to teach a course about christianity at the University of Cape Town and shares his wealth of knowledge and insight in this conversation around church history.

Have you ever wondered if being into physical training is a spiritual issue??

Well in this weeks episode this is just one of many questions we talk through around the connection of physical training and spirituality. The guests talk about how they got involved with sports and training, their motives for still doing it and how their journey with Christ connects in it all.

Valerie Mhere is featured in this episode and she has been on the Podcast before and you can catch that episode here:

In this weeks episode we talk to Abigail Strachan. A young lady who is navigating life and faith in a new country as a campus student. Abigail shares her life with us in an open and very real manner. We get to learn from her story and resonate with her feelings of not knowing what she is doing while living this life thing. She is certainly a young person who is thriving in life and in her faith but not perfect at all.

Have you deconstructed your faith? Have those around you deconstructed your faith? What do we do with this?

Deconstruction of our faith is an important part of our journey as young people. The opportunity to be able to learn what it is that we truly believe in and where it is that we learnt it from is imperative in helping us grow, take ownership and share our truest faith.

In this weeks episode I share some of the things that I am processing and learning about this process of deconstruction of our faith as well as how to search for truth in a wholesome way that is counter cultural to what is going on around us.

Do you feel like you not sure if your faith is you own?

Sonto Motimele shares how she developed her own faith through the years and how she maintains her own personal walk with Christ.

Sonto is a deeply spiritual woman with a great amount of wisdom about faith and life. She is single and ready to mingle. Always ready for a good time and desiring to please God with her life.

Have you noticed all that God has done in you life?

We are all living out a story whether we recognise it or not and God is the one heavily involved in helping us write our story.

In this episode with Twaambo Chikoye we talk through his life and all the ways God has worked to bring him to the position in life that he now holds. From childhood up and to this point God has actively been at work to guide Twaambo to every next step.

Have you experienced transition in you life and in your faith?

Fred Musyimi has been there. In this episode he shares very honestly and vulnerably how it has looked for him to continue to be a christian from High School through Campus and into the work place and then he even went to serve in a church outside of his home nation.

Fred is an active artist working in the art space in Nairobi, Kenya while following Jesus and trying his best to thrive in life and in faith.

Please give him a follow on Instagram:

Do you feel like your identity and worth are wrapped up in what you do?

Kalah Haley has felt this way before too and she has been able to work through it and become an accomplished business owner while still being secure in who it is that God has made her to be.

Kalah is the CEO of her own business start up called ‘Saint Rock Media’ this company has made it through Covid with new business and influence in the media space. Kalah is an incredible leader is doing a great job leading her company.

If you would like to look in to Saint Rock Media click here: