Vertical Pursuit
Religion & Spirituality Podcas
Vertical Pursuit exists to help you gain the elevation between where you are and where God destined you to be. We want to inspire you to create the space to live your best life every day. In today's culture, men are defeated, isolated, beat down, and stereotyped. We also live in a time where men are hunting and hungry for the blueprint of what it means to be a man. Imagine not living a life of shame or failure. A life of defeat, regret, or insignificance. A life of isolation, fear, and loneliness. Instead, we can live a life of power and purpose that will clarify our outlook, overcome our struggles, forge our relationships, and impact our world. Vertical Pursuit podcast is about helping men find a place to be known, belong, and unlock their God-given potential. A place to move from the ordinary to the extraordinary! As we focus on manhood primarily in this podcast, we believe we can empower men to embrace Jesus-formed masculinity in a way that inspires them to be the best husbands, fathers, friends, and leaders to those around them. Mike Barrett, also known as "MB", is a former television play-by-play announcer for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association, the Portland Thunder of the Arena Football League, and the Portland Fire of the WNBA. Mike Tatlock, also known as “Tats”, is an author, NBA chaplain for the Portland Trail Blazers, and Lead Pastor of Grace Chapel in Wilsonville, Oregon.
Location:
United States
Description:
Vertical Pursuit exists to help you gain the elevation between where you are and where God destined you to be. We want to inspire you to create the space to live your best life every day. In today's culture, men are defeated, isolated, beat down, and stereotyped. We also live in a time where men are hunting and hungry for the blueprint of what it means to be a man. Imagine not living a life of shame or failure. A life of defeat, regret, or insignificance. A life of isolation, fear, and loneliness. Instead, we can live a life of power and purpose that will clarify our outlook, overcome our struggles, forge our relationships, and impact our world. Vertical Pursuit podcast is about helping men find a place to be known, belong, and unlock their God-given potential. A place to move from the ordinary to the extraordinary! As we focus on manhood primarily in this podcast, we believe we can empower men to embrace Jesus-formed masculinity in a way that inspires them to be the best husbands, fathers, friends, and leaders to those around them. Mike Barrett, also known as "MB", is a former television play-by-play announcer for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association, the Portland Thunder of the Arena Football League, and the Portland Fire of the WNBA. Mike Tatlock, also known as “Tats”, is an author, NBA chaplain for the Portland Trail Blazers, and Lead Pastor of Grace Chapel in Wilsonville, Oregon.
Twitter:
@tatlock
Language:
English
Contact:
+1 503-570-2988
Website:
https://verticalpursuit.org/
Episodes
Episode 085: Guest - Ben Lundquist
4/26/2025
Ben is a leader, speaker, pastor to pastors, and hosts the podcast Rise and Lead, which is in the top 1% of podcasts in the world. To call him simply a “life coach” is an understatement. He has spoken to large corporations, and trained faith leaders, business heads, communities, groups, and couples, in over 20 countries.
Duration:01:53:14
Episode 084: Close Encounters
4/23/2025
In this episode we share the story of our brother Isaac, who has been illuminated in a way he couldn’t have predicted. It’s been painful, and miraculous at the same time. An accident has him feeling anointed and promoted, and we can all profit from his example and story.
Duration:01:11:43
Episode 083: Getting Unstuck In Unmet Expectations
3/16/2025
What is the secret to navigating life’s trials, decisions and unmet expectations? How do we get clarity in the midst of lifes chaos and complexities? If you got everything exactly the way you wanted it, would you be happy? Or, would you immediately want more? Your suffering is not caused by things not going your way. Are we holding on to expectations of how we think things should always go? How do we break that? We can often be haunted by the deicsions we regret that keep paralyzed by fear and worry for the decisons in the now.
Duration:01:15:26
Episode 082: The Struggle With Porn
3/12/2025
From profanity to pornography, we all know the dangers of giving in to habitual sin, and these days pornography is at the top of the list. Porn can be a bear trap for men, and turns into a neurochemical addiction. You start needing a quick fix to give you that escape. We call can agree that it is destructive. So, how do we get free?
Duration:01:24:54
Episode 080: San Quentin Freedom
3/2/2025
Pastor Mike recaps a recent trip on NBA All-Star Weekend to the oldest prison in the United States, where some incarcerated men are actually discovering a freedom that is available to us all.
Duration:01:05:24
Episode 081: The Mystery Of Miracles
3/2/2025
Many of us have witnessed miraculous events, and even more of us are open to the idea of them happening. What should our reaction be to true “Jesus moments?" We dive into scripture to explore this subject and more.
Duration:01:06:01
Episode 079: Embrace the Uncomfortable
2/10/2025
When God wants you to grow, he makes you uncomfortable. No pain, no gain, right? This is a fundamental teaching, but it’s easier said than done. How do we really reach the point where we are lacking nothing? It sure isn’t by being satisfied with always being comfortable.
Duration:01:04:56
Episode 078: Equally Yoked
2/9/2025
The Bible tells us to spend time, and our lives, with people who share our same vision. But, where is the line? Aren’t we supposed to go make disciples, even among non-Christians? What about close friends, and even prospective spouses?
Duration:01:00:54
Episode 076: Progressing Toward Truth
1/19/2025
Could we actually be on the verge of coming out of a very cloudy time where the truth was suppressed, shaped, and controlled by a select few, and into a time where there is power in consensus, and that’s easier to access?
Duration:01:06:56
Episode 077: Power In Numbers?
1/19/2025
What do Biblical numbers mean, and what do we do with this topic? Also in this episode we wrestle with the idea of a wrath of God, and what that could look like in today’s world. Are natural disasters God's judgment today?
Duration:01:01:16
Episode 075: Conspiracies, Drones, And Ghosts
12/20/2024
This episode is weird, hopefully in a good way. At times we make “going off on tangents” an art form, and this episode certainly falls under that heading. We start with the drone drama, and that took on to an off ramp of strangeness, viewed through a lens of faith, of course.
Duration:01:12:54
Episode 074: Who Gets In?
12/18/2024
Not everything we read in the Bible is warm and fuzzy, and some is downright scary. And, that’s okay to admit. Are we doing enough? Will I make the cut? And, if I’m living in sin, does God even hear my prayers? Ugh.
Duration:01:04:38
Episode 073: Cracking The Code
11/20/2024
If over 90% of men believe in God, why do only roughly 35% of men in the U.S. regularly attend church? Many of our female listeners have not only noticed this, but have asked for advice on how to get their men on the road to an abundant Christian life.
Duration:01:10:17
Episode 071: Who Are You?
10/26/2024
Actually, the question shouldn’t be "who are you,” but rather "WHOSE are you?” Paul sets this example for us in Ephesians by identifying that he is not bound to his past, and instead identifies himself by whose he is now, through Christ. That can help remove the pressure of our past mistakes, which leads to freedom.
Duration:01:05:54
Episode 072: Controlling the Uncontrollable
10/13/2024
We often choose to hold on tightly to anxiety and worry, thinking that we’ll be able to at least have some measure of control over our circumstances. We do not gain control through fear, but our fear ends up controlling us. The gap between our illusion of control and our reality then gets filled with anxiety. What do we do with this?
Duration:01:06:58
Episode 069: Vintage Masculinity
10/11/2024
There can be some confusion about what both of these words mean, and certainly negativity, these days, about anything referring to anything masculine. But, in this episode we discuss a new book that sets the record straight on both, and gives practical advice, and a Biblical perspective to the true meaning of masculinity, and what we should aspire to be.
Duration:01:09:06
Episode 070: Deception Perfected
9/28/2024
It says in scripture that the one who is in control of the deception will literally blind the eyes of mankind. How can we not relate that directly to what we see (or not see) in today’s world? What do we do with that? And, what role does the government, and the vote, play in a Christian’s life? Buckle up, cowboy.
Duration:01:06:53
Episode 068: The Undisputed
9/28/2024
We live in a world of distraction and deception. As a result, we’re seeing a hunger for foundational truth, especially in young people. Foundational truth is Biblical truth. Some of the lost are actually calling for the Bible to be labeled ‘misinformation’ these days. Is that a cause for concern? Yes. Should we worry? No.
Duration:01:07:33
Episode 067: Why Doesn’t He?
9/15/2024
The three young men who stood their ground against King Nebuchadnezzar are legends. Why? Because their faith wasn’t based on an outcome. They believed, even if their prayers weren’t answered. They understood that this isn’t a transactional adventure, and God isn’t a genie in a bottle.
Duration:00:57:03
Episode 066: Allegiance And Idols
9/14/2024
Do you have idols in your life, or things that are becoming idols? Where do your thoughts go by default? What outcomes or dreams are always on your mind? Purging idols is not easy, but anything that consumes too much of your thinking is taking the place of the Lord. Changing these habits is possible.
Duration:01:04:24