Podcasts

Reach Out: Please include your email and I will get back to you. Thanks! Taking initiative, doing things your way, showing personal strength - these all can be great qualities! However, you and I have to admit something important: we don't know everything. In fact, we may not have the knowledge, experience or strength to solve our OWN problems! This doesn't have to be bad news. It just means we need to learn how to Seek Wise Counsel. Firstly, we need the humility to admit this and seek help. Then, we must learn the process for truly getting with the right person, having the right conversation,

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Podcast Jan 23, 2020

Episode 48 - "They Be Trippin'!"

This week, we’re on fire! Or at least we’re talking about fire a lot. We go looking for Jesus in this week’s readings and find a strong man casting fire on the earth. Our Scripture du Jour has us rethinking our dinner invitations and trying to stay salty. And a Psalm 9 edition of Poetry in Motion has us praising the God who sees us, maintains justice, and gives us a stronghold. The Big Idea: Understanding fire of God’s judgment on evil brings the humble heart to repent. Weekly Challenge: Get together with someone you would normally not invite. Show Notes Into the Book - Week 3 Into the Book Pr

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Podcast Jan 21, 2020

CHICK FIL-A: Leadership. Withdrawn Support. "My Pleasure." Lanterns: The Harvest Festival.

Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! I’ve been preaching … about leadership. Chick fil-A #01389 trains its employees to be “leaders,” both inside and outside the workplace. And it shows. I’ve been reading … about Christians withdrawing their support for Chick Fil-A because of changes in their charity policy. We have got to get a grip on who the good guys and bad guys are in this culture war. I’ve been hearing … “My pleasure.” A lot. Is there a difference between “My Pleasure” and “You’re Welcome”? I think there is, and I’ll tell you why. I’ve been playing … Lanterns: The

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Podcast Jan 20, 2020

Honoring Your Values

Reach Out: Please include your email and I will get back to you. Thanks! So far in this season we have made some big decisions on who we want to become. We have selected some lofty goals that will take all year to reach. We have even figured out how to break that progress down into months, weeks and days. But it is worth noting: unless those goals align with your core values, they aren't worth the effort. Have you ever accomplished something big, only to feel like it didn't matter like you thought it would? Have you ever abandoned a goal because it just didn't seem important anymore? Well, the

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Podcast Jan 16, 2020

Replay — "Tiny Toothpick Legs"

Programming Note: This week, we're replaying one of our favorite episodes on spiritual growth. We'll be back next week with a brand new episode. This week, we answer a listener question about going from milk to meat and find that the next step of growth is different for all of us. The conversation takes us from muscle men with toothpick legs to babies with giant heads, as what Jesus Said in Mark 8:14-21 reminds us that the Lord expects us to follow an appropriate growth curve. How do we overcome spiritual stagnation and keep moving forward, both as Bible students and as disciples? Join us as w

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Podcast Jan 14, 2020

CULTURE: The Fear of God. Faith for This Moment. Changing with the Times. Mombasa.

Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! I’ve been preaching … about the fear of God in a godless world. Sinners do not fear God; we know that. But there may be a bigger problem — that there is not enough fear of God in us. I’ve been reading … Faith for This Moment, by Rick McKinley. It is our job as Christians to present the gospel to the world. But if we think it is merely a tool to make the world less worldly, we are missing the whole point. I’ve been hearing … the Lord’s church must change with the times to accommodate changes in culture. Funny, I’ve always thought it was

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Podcast Jan 13, 2020

Winning the Week

Reach Out: Please include your email and I will get back to you. Thanks! We kicked off season two with an episode on January 6th - Building Your Ladders. You were encouraged to think BIG! To come up with awesome ideas of who you would like to become, and then identify big year long goals that would certainly prove that progress. We talked about how you break that down into ladder rungs, monthly rungs, and work you way through the year. However, many have tried that approach and failed. Why? In short, because they are losing weeks while trying to win the month. If you learn how to Win the Week,

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Podcast Jan 9, 2020

Episode 47 - "You Snakes!"

Why is it so hard to talk to people about the gospel? How can we engage people in real dialogue about the truth? Join us for a discussion about the gospel, as we seek to understand it and share it. And as we talk about the first week’s reading on this episode, it’s still a great time to start reading through the New Testament with us! With the new year, we’ve also changed up the format — Finding Jesus in every passage we read and offering our Scripture du Jour from the week’s reading. Hope you’ll join us! The Big Idea: Reasonable dialogue can open opportunities for sharing the gospel, where on

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Podcast Jan 6, 2020

Building Your Ladders

Reach Out: Please include your email and I will get back to you. Thanks! Welcome to Season 2! Last year we collected 82 episodes designed to help you grow in faith, deepen relationships and get the most out of the life God has given you. Now, we head into this New Year ready to use all of that experience to reach new heights! Firstly, you have to decide who you want to become. What does a better you look like? Secondly, you must be specific, in terms of a goal to reach that proves that commitment. Then, you pray for God to provide the pieces that you need to get there. Finally, if you can buil

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Podcast Jan 6, 2020

GUNS: God-Given Rights. Epitaph (3). White Settlement. Bang! The Dice Game.

Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! I’ve been preaching … about God-given rights. They are not as “self-evident” as the founders asserted. And they certainly are not as important as the right God actually endowed us with. I’ve been reading … Epitaph, by Mary Doria Russell. Again. The OK Corral incident was all about gun-control laws. They didn’t work then, and they don’t work now, because they don’t deal with the real problem. I’ve been hearing … about the White Settlement shooting. In all the talk about concealed carry permits and church security, we have ignored the re

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Podcast Jan 2, 2020

Episode 46 - "Into the Book"

Happy 2020 — are you ready to get Into the Book? We’re kicking off a new focus for this year, journeying through the New Testament, reading one chapter every weekday. Have you ever read through the Bible in a year? Maybe you do it every year or maybe you (like us!) have had some difficulty making it through. Either way, we hope you’ll join us! The Big Idea: Reading through the Bible in a year is a marathon, not a sprint, so we designed this plan to give you the flexibility to make it to the finish line! Weekly Challenge: Start the weekly reading plan. Show Notes Into the Book Bible Reading Pla

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Podcast Dec 31, 2019

HOLIDAYS: The Little Drummer Boy. "A Christmas Carol." "Baby, It's Cold Outside." Wildstar Chicken-foot.

Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! I’ve been preaching … about The Little Drummer Boy. This is not a beloved icon of the season; it’s an example of everything that’s wrong in the church today, and I’ll be glad to tell you why. I’ve been reading … A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens. The spirit of giving manages to escape many of us. Surely the story of Jesus should be enough to make us think of someone other than ourselves. I’ve been hearing … Baby it’s Cold Outside. And I’ve been hearing the backlash, and the backlash against the backlash. Well, here’s my backlash ag

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Podcast Dec 30, 2019

S1 Ep7 - Using Media to Evangelize

Appian Media · Inroads

Once you've got a great piece of media content what next? Craig & Stu give some tips for using media to help spread God's word in the 21st century. They will share some of their favorite resources and talk about why it's important to use these tools to spread the Gospel in today's world. Support the show

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Podcast Dec 26, 2019

Episode 45 - "Feelin’ Satisfied!"

How would you sum up your year in one word? As we complete 2019, we encourage you to reflect on your year with us, considering what happened and what you learned. We share some of the books that impacted us, what our goals were (and how we failed at them!), and discuss the important difference between a goal and an intention. And as usual, we kick things off with something Jesus Said — a promise that we will be satisfied in Matthew 5:6. Join us as we put a bow on The Year That Was: 2019! The Big Idea: When we deal well with our past we’re better prepared for our future. Weekly Challenge: Answe

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Podcast Dec 24, 2019

The Terry Francis Episode (2): Do the Work. Tennessee Football.

Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! I’ve been hearing … the good work Terry does in cooperation with Philip Martin on the popular Do the Work podcast. If you’re on Facebook, look it up. It will give some excellent insight in to the work of an evangelist — helpful for preachers and non-preachers alike. In the “I’ve been Playing” segment, we will discuss Terry’s lifelong obsession with the football program at the University of Tennessee. He’s had a rough go of things in recent years, but that’s what being a fan is all about — sticking it out through good times and bad.Are

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Podcast Dec 19, 2019

Episode 44 - "Stereo Instructions"

In this episode, we're diving into one of the most "singable" psalms — Psalm 8 — talking about God's majesty and love for us. What's our role on this earth? What does nature teach us about the Creator? Let's listen to the voice of the little ones in Matthew 21:14-16! And we wrap it all up with a few of our favorite things, including movies, books, and quiet moments alone in the woods. We hope you’ll join us — it's way better than listening to stereo instructions! The Big Idea: We may be small, but the Creator of the universe loves us. Weekly Challenge: Stop and reflect on God’s glory in nature

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Podcast Dec 17, 2019

The Terry Francis Episode (1): Non-traditional familes. The Tipping Point.

Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! In this special two-part episode, I will be speaking with Terry Francis, who preaches for the Chelsea church of Christ in the Birmingham, Alabama area. Terry cohosts the popular Do the Work podcast with his colleague, Philip Martin. I was able to sit down with Terry recently. Here is some of what we talked about: Terry has been preaching … about the role non-traditional families play in the local church. Every church craves more young families with children. But the church is here to serve. And often it is single-parent families that n

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Podcast Dec 16, 2019

S1 Ep6 - Creating Content vs Fundraising

Appian Media · Inroads

We know this content can't get made without money... but how do we balance the content creation with the fundraising and what is our long term goal for Appian Media? Craig and Stu also share tips about how they were able to raise the funds for Following the Messiah & Searching for a King, two multi-episode documentary series. Support the show

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Podcast Dec 12, 2019

Episode 43 - "You Player!"

We’re closing out our “Young folks” series with our Top 4 Proverbs on the subject along with some closing advice to our younger selves. How do you find great friends and a great spouse? Why is tending to your own heart such a big deal? And (sorry!) we had to get into every grown up’s favorite word to repeat to teenagers: “responsibility!” From some timeless words of Jesus in Matthew 26:41 (“Watch and pray”) to a silly saying by Ryan’s Grandpap (“Wherever you go, there you are”), we are grasping for all the wisdom we can find to pass onto “Little Bryan” and “Little Ryan.” So join us for one mor

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Podcast Dec 10, 2019

THE WILD WEST: The Magnificent Seven. Epitaph (2). "The Alamo." Dice Town.

Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! We will discuss what I call “The Magnificent Seven,” Biblical characters that remind me of the heroes from the classic film. We will discuss Epitaph, by Mary Doria Russell, again. Josie Marcus was determined that the world see her man, Wyatt Earp, as the man she knew him to be. We should be equally protective of Jesus’ reputation We will discuss John Wayne’s “The Alamo,” a film he saw as his commentary on freedom and communism. The stand he took, both behind the scenes and on the big screen, should inspire us to stand for Christ. We wi

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Podcast Dec 5, 2019

Episode 42 - "Hormonal Thunderstorm"

This week we continue our series for “young folks” with advice to our younger selves about “matters of the heart.” What kind of decisions can guide a Christian’s dating life towards a great, godly marriage? How do we protect ourselves (and our dates!) from decisions we’ll regret? What Jesus Said about plucking out your eye in Matthew 5:27-30 leads to what Job said about making a covenant with his eyes, and we can’t help but notice how uncomplicated these issues really are, if we’re honest. From establishing better guardrails to asking better questions, the only way any of it works is when we d

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Podcast Dec 3, 2019

GOVERNMENT: Assurance. Epitaph. Impeachment. Council of Verona

Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! We will discuss placing our faith in government. Only God can give assurance in the matters Christians truly care about. If that isn’t enough for us, an ineffectual government is the least of our worries. We will discuss Epitaph, by Mary Doria Russell. There is the Wyatt Earp who played by the rules and lost, and the Wyatt Earp who broke the rules and won. Which one is your hero? We will discuss the impeachment process, and why people seem to be pursuing an impossible goal. Turns out, so-called pointless fights say more about the fight

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Podcast Dec 2, 2019

S1 Ep5 - Creative Process of 'Searching for a King' Documentary Series

Appian Media · Inroads

Stu & Craig discuss the process for developing 'Searching for a King'. Jet Kaiser, the director of photography for the series joins in the conversation they discuss pre-production, production & post production and this was the next project after 'Following the Messiah'. Support the show

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Podcast Nov 28, 2019

Episode 41 - "It’s Not Trigonometry!"