Podcasts

Reach Out: Please include your email and I will get back to you. Thanks! I love great conversations! It feels awesome to listen and be heard. I love walking away feeling like I learned something and contributed. We are better friends now because of that interaction. HOWEVER, not all conversations go that way. In fact, many times they aren't rewarding at all! Why is that? Well, it turns out, there is a big difference in the elements of a good conversation verses a bad one. To help illustrate that, this episode will ask you to visualize a pocket full of balloons. As you blow one up and extend it

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Podcast Oct 3, 2019

Episode 34 - "Interveners"

This week a listener question about “interceding for others” raises lots of other questions for us. Like, how does it change us when we pray for our families, our enemies, and even strangers? When is it an empty gesture to say, “you’re in our thoughts and prayers”? And where do we get started, when everyone needs our prayers? Bryan sets it all up with a Jesus Said about praying for people who stand against us. Hope you’ll tune in today and then let us know your questions for a future episode! The Big Idea: Praying for others can make a difference in their lives (and ours!), but it’s not a subs

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Podcast Oct 1, 2019

God's lists of requirements. Union Theological Seminary. The Carter Scratch. Museum.

Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! I’ve been preaching … God’s lists of requirements. The fact that they differ so much doesn’t mean I get to pick and choose; it just means I have extra reading to do. I’ve been reading … about Union Theological Seminary. You could search for God in a place where they confess sins to plants, or you could search in the Bible. You won’t be surprised which one I recommend. I’ve been hearing … the Carter Scratch. We can argue all day about the greatest lead guitar player ever. But we can all agree that the first one was a poor country housew

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Podcast Sep 30, 2019

Ep. 73 - She Was Gonna

Reach Out: Please include your email and I will get back to you. Thanks! I heard a powerful story recently. A woman was rich and influential. She had great success in her life. However, there were a few things that she hadn't done. These were things she'd put off and things of great value. As the story was told to me, there were 3 things "she was gonna" do, and soon. Her story is a reminder to us all: if it matters to you, don't wait. You want people talking about what you did after you are gone, not just what you were gonna do. Take a walk through this story with me and then consider answerin

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Podcast Sep 29, 2019

inRoads - Coming October 7

Appian Media · Inroads

Join us for a brand new conversation about technology and the Bible. Hosts Craig Dehut and Stuart Peck talk about how we all have the ability to use today's tech tools to spread God's timeless message across the world faster and further than anything previously possible. Support the show

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Podcast Sep 26, 2019

Ep. 72 - With Great Power

Reach Out: Please include your email and I will get back to you. Thanks! Uncle Ben told Peter Parker: "With great power comes great responsibility." It took Spiderman a while to figure out what that meant. How about you? Do you understand what it means to have power? Have you figured out one of life's most unfair and critical lessons? That the strong does most of the heavy lifting. That's just the way that it is. The weak are... well... weak. That's the point. They cannot or will not carry the load. Having great ability doesn't mean supporting weakness, but it does mean being patient, caring,

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Podcast Sep 26, 2019

Replay — "That's Bad Advertising"

Programming Note: This week, we're replaying one of our favorite episodes where we talked with our wives about the challenges of comparison. We'll be back next week with a brand new episode. The ladies have arrived! This week we discover that our wives are better at podcasting than we are, as they join us to discuss the trap of comparing ourselves to others. We begin with what Jesus Said about anxiety in Matthew 6:31-34 and end with a challenge to combat comparison with appreciation. In between, Adrienne and Sharilyn talk about beauty, lawn care, swimsuits, homeschooling, and working outside t

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Podcast Sep 24, 2019

Joy. Hosea. Brie Larson. Architects of the West Kingdom.

Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! I’ve been preaching … about the joy we find in Jesus. And maybe that’s the problem with unhappy Christians — they aren’t really “in Jesus” in the first place. I’ve been reading … Hosea — a book about a man determined to make his marriage work despite his wife’s best efforts. Fidelity is a word seldom used and seldom practiced today, it seems. I’ve been hearing … people don’t like Brie Larson. I’m trying to stay neutral, but she certainly doesn’t seem to care how she comes across. Reminds me of some Christians I know. I’ve been playing

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Podcast Sep 23, 2019

Ep. 71 - Saying "Never Again"

Reach Out: Please include your email and I will get back to you. Thanks!

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Podcast Sep 19, 2019

Ep. 70 - Write It Down

Reach Out: Please include your email and I will get back to you. Thanks! Is anybody else sporting a terrible memory? Oh man, I'm probably the worst I've ever met, but I can't remember. Seriously, forgetting names, ideas, points, tasks, the names of my children... it's a big deal. But, the work still needs to be done, you know? Names still need to be recalled. Duties still need to be carried out. The Lord's work still needs to be done. Enter a life hack: Write it down! No matter a digital or paper tool, create an environment for success by documenting things you will need later. This is a cruci

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Podcast Sep 19, 2019

Episode 33 - "Tiny Toothpick Legs"

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 we try to figure it out! The Big Idea: Discernment is the art of appropriately applying all the relevant Biblical principles to a circumstance or

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Podcast Sep 17, 2019

Patience. Tornado in a Junkyard. Antonio Brown. Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective.

Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! I’ve been preaching … about patience. Patience is a choice, just like every other virtue. The trouble is, patience comes with a price tag we are often unwilling to pay. I’ve been reading … Tornado in a Junkyard, by James Perloff. If we are supposed to believe something as ridiculous as Darwinism, we really ought to have some proof. And despite what you may have heard, we don’t. I’ve been hearing … Antonio Brown still has a job in the NFL. That may change, though. Even in pro football, bad actors will often reap what they sow. I’ve been

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Podcast Sep 16, 2019

Ep. 69 - Wider or Deeper

Reach Out: Please include your email and I will get back to you. Thanks! We all have things in life we'd like to do, experiences we want to have, places to see, skills to learn, and horizons to behold. But there comes a time in life when it hits you: "I'm not going to be able to do all of that." How does it feel to realize that there are experiences and accomplishments beyond your scope, that may always be beyond your scope? Not cool. And, to be honest, realities like that have bummed me out in the past. But maybe I wasn't seeing things clearly in Christ. Maybe the constant desire to go wider,

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Podcast Sep 12, 2019

Ep. 68 - Let's Compare Ourselves

Reach Out: Please include your email and I will get back to you. Thanks! Okay, you may not agree with me on this one, but hear me out. We traditionally view comparing ourselves in a negative light. And, to be fair, comparing yourself with people you view as "better than you" can cause some serious deeds of the flesh outcomes, like jealousy and strife. Also, comparing your self to people perceived to be "worse than you" can be a pride trip and lead to unkind judgments. BUT... just because something can produce a poor outcome doesn't mean it is the wrong thing to do. In fact, there are some exce

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Podcast Sep 12, 2019

Episode 32 - "Go Milk A Cow"

Ever feel stressed out and overloaded with all the busyness of life. We sure do! So what can we do about it? This week we’re talking about margin, and how to make more time, money, and energy available to serve God and others. Two of our favorite sisters from Luke 10:38-42, Mary and Martha, show us both sides of stress. And we cover the challenges of saying “no,” the dissatisfaction we feel despite our modern conveniences, and how Jesus handled his busy schedule. The Big Idea: Saying “no” to some good things in our schedule and budget gives us the space to say “yes” to better things. Weekly Ch

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Podcast Sep 10, 2019

Godlessness and identity. Three Finger. Soft tissue. Fallout Shelter.

Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! I’ve been preaching … about our lost sense of identity. With everyone telling us God is irrelevant or imaginary, it’s no wonder so many Americans feel lost. I’ve been reading … Three Finger, a biography of hall of fame pitcher Mordecai Brown. He earned his nickname the hard way, then he made it work to his advantage. I’ve been hearing … soft tissue has been found in dinosaur fossils. Multiple times, by multiple scientists. Evolutionists struggle to explain how that could happen. But I don’t. I’ve been playing … Fallout Shelter. Being a

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Podcast Sep 9, 2019

Ep. 67 - 90 or 52

Reach Out: Please include your email and I will get back to you. Thanks! Are you a 90 or a 52? The difference is huge! The difference is not 38. The difference is more like 32,800! The difference is generational lethargy (vs) changing your life in less than two months. What's it gonna be? Let's examine the story of Nehemiah. What the people of God had failed to do for generations, Nehemiah got done in 52 days. He had an approach that we can replicate. In fact, we need to get passionate and active in exactly the same way! Let's own up to what has been overlooked and see how far we can go! It wo

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Podcast Sep 5, 2019

Ep. 66 - Say Thank You

Reach Out: Please include your email and I will get back to you. Thanks! Please and Thank You are the magic words! We all learned that as kids, but do you know it still stands? Maybe we will look at Please in a future episode. Today our focus is on that second term. The truth is, in nearly EVERY situation, there is room for a Thank You. It is often a much better choice than what might awkwardly or negatively be said instead. Let's look at how this all starts with a healthy prayer life. Then it ought to live daily in healthy relationships. But finally, we'll talk about how Thank You may even be

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Podcast Sep 5, 2019

Episode 31 - "Tongue In A Box"

Why is spiritual development like monkey bars or the American Ninja Warrior obstacle course? On this episode, we're talking about humility and learning to learn! We cover the pervasive problem of male pride, raising children in God's discipline and instruction, and the value of wounds from a friend. And we look to Jesus' perfect pattern of humility, as one who had "the tongue of those who are taught" in Isaiah 50:4-7. We also lament our kids' muddy shoes and discuss how to save a failing restaurant. The Big Idea: Hearing about our failures isn’t easy, but it’s necessary for leading us to spiri

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Podcast Sep 3, 2019

Godlessness and values. Mark Twain. Carli Lloyd. Escape: The Curse of the Temple.

Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you! I’ve been preaching … about the decline of values in a godless society. If you don’t have God defining right and wrong, there is no right and wrong. We’re proving it in America every day. I’ve been reading … quotations from Mark Twain. All this time I’ve thought I was a big Mark Twain fan. All this time I was wrong. I’ve been hearing … Carli Lloyd is thinking about trying out for an NFL team. I say, good luck. But seeing is believing, and if Ms. Lloyd is really an NFL prospect, we’ll know soon enough. I’ve been playing … Escape: Curse

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Podcast Sep 2, 2019

Ep. 65 - With You Always

Reach Out: Please include your email and I will get back to you. Thanks! Where is Jesus? With reference to where you are right now, where is He? Is He in heaven? Is He far away? Is He right there with you? How we see Jesus and where we see Jesus will have a huge impact on His imprint on our everyday lives. The Bible helps us see His presence, and asks us to acknowledge that He is always in the room. Let's explore those passages and how you can use that Truth to grow in your faith every single day! - Where is Jesus - Is Jesus in heaven or is He right here with me - How do I know that He is with

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Podcast Aug 29, 2019

Ep. 64 - Cast Your Bread

Reach Out: Please include your email and I will get back to you. Thanks! Solomon writes a lot about how unfair things are in the book of Ecclesiastes. Things don't always work out and there are always a million things we don't know and/or cannot control. However, he ultimately prescribes daily optimism and a willingness to cast your bread on the waters, even if you don't know what will happen after. If our attitude is right and our heart is committed, we can cast bread widely every single day, and in that way, make every single day exciting, and worth the living! - How to accept that there are

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Podcast Aug 29, 2019

Episode 30 - "Cry Me A River"