FOCUS RALEIGH Devotional Podcast

Kelly opens up one of her favorite passages in Hebrews 4, where we learn why you can't spell "Priest" without R-E-S-T (sorry, she had to).  

Though we tend to either run from negative emotions or feel shame for having them, Abigail opens up several passages to show that God not only meets us in our moments of fear or weakness but transforms the way we deal with them - embracing them rather than denying them.

James unpacks the difference between leisurely rest and active rest, compares the way we rest to eating 4 donuts at a time (and not in a good way) and helps us see ourselves in the woman in Mark 5 who has been searching for soul rest her whole life, only to find it in Jesus.

Ryan takes us back to the very beginning of the Bible, because you can learn a lot about people from their origin story. If even the God who made us rested, what does that say about us?

Gracie shares some thoughts from Mark 8, where Jesus gives the difficult call to any who would follow him: take up your cross. How can we find rest even in the midst of this calling? Good news: we don't have to do it alone (and aren't meant to).

Caroline shares her thoughts on Luke 10, where two sisters show us the ways that we often react to Jesus - working to impress him, or resting with him - and reminds us not to miss chances to do the latter.

Kelly walks us through a familiar passage, Psalm 23, but helps bring out an emphasis in the Psalm that you may not have seen before: a heavenly father who wants to give us rest, no matter the circumstances.

Curt opens up Matthew 11 for us with just three simple verses that show us how taking time to spend with Jesus actually helps us rest as we move on to other things.

Caroline leads us through Matthew 6, where Jesus invites us away from worry and shows us that rest is connected to trust in Him.

Welcome back FOCUS Raleigh! This semester on the podcast we will be bringing you one devotional a week on the topic of "respite" - how in the midst of times that are difficult, God calls us to come away and find relief in Him. 

Ryan is joined by two of Raleigh's most interesting people, Dan and Grace Casey, as they reflect on who Jesus is to them. Grace reflects on her calling as a creative and the ways God is reflected through her work, and Dan shares how coaching football has given him a perspective on how God encourages us. 

Former FOCUS Raleigh staffer Amy Moreau joins the pod with Caroline (who used to be one of her students!) to talk about what it means to really believe Jesus when he promises life to the full. Amy gives some examples from her time in youth ministry as well as from the perspective of a parent, and even goes back to her own experiences of those first years of faith. 

Kelly is joined by musician and worship leader Tyler Wright as he shares why seeing Jesus as his advocate means so much in a world where weariness and trying to prove ourselves worthy is the norm. They discuss being okay with lament, the beauty of having Jesus speak on your behalf, and even preview a short clip of an unreleased song by Tyler. 

Math teacher Eric Whitfield joins Ryan to discuss seeing God's design in a subject that lots of people (Ryan included!) work hard to avoid in high school.

Kelly is joined by Vintage Church pastor Jordan Penley to talk about the simple observation that the Bible posits to Jesus asking "who do you say that I am?": Jesus is, in fact, God. It's a statement we are probably all familiar with and yet haven't often thought about what it really means for our lives, so listen in as Kelly and Jordan unpack why this realization means so much.

Continuing our series asking "Who do you say that I am?", Kelly is joined by FOCUS alum and therapist Rachel Wakeford as examine the ways Jesus heals, the encouragements of more people speaking openly about mental health, and the ways the Bible addressed psychological wellbeing long before our current cultural moment.

Seminarian Brandon Russell stops by the podcast to share why it's important not to consider God someone that we wrestle with - we talk about suffering, struggle, relationships and ultimately why it's a good thing that we don't always just get the easy answers.

Ryan is joined by Duke physician and FOCUS parent Andy Alspaugh as he discusses why, as someone working with illness and disease every day, it matters to say that Jesus is Life. They also discuss how we have an environment where more people feel comfortable admitting they are thirsty and broken, and the choices that we face to drink the water of life or stay thirsty.

And we're back! Time to kick off a new series on the FOCUS Raleigh devotional podcast where this winter we're exploring the question that Jesus asks his disciples directly: "who do you say that I am?"

There are some stories we've heard so many times, we become numb to how incredible and surprising many of the details are. For our last Advent podcast, Ryan and St. David's student Tom DeLoache highlight unexpected details in a familiar story - the narrative of Jesus' birth - and ask big questions like why God would choose to come in this way and what it says about who He is.

Kelly is joined by FOCUS GWA staff Toddy Hyman to talk through Luke 1, where we see the promise of John the Baptist gives us a blueprint for how God is at work even when it seems like he is silent.

FOCUS Raleigh alum Thomas Sigmon joins Ryan to discuss the story of the disciple Thomas (and his two unfortunate nicknames) and why doubt happens in isolation while faith needs community to help it flourish.

Ryan is joined by Spencer Hathcock of Neighbor to Neighbor to unpack the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10, where in a conversation with Jesus one man slowly realizes he isn't supposed to identify with the good guy (and, spoiler alert: we aren't either). Spencer challenges us to not just look away from everyday needs around us, and not shy away from admitting our own neediness as well. You won't want to miss this one.To learn more about Neighbor to Neighbor or get involved in their work, check out www.n2noutreach.org.

In this episode of Conversations with Jesus, we look at a woman in Luke 7 who didn't even have to say a word to communicate exactly how she felt about Jesus. While those who looked couldn't understand, Jesus spells it out for us in a parable that helps us think about how we ought to follow in the woman's footsteps today. What are you willing to risk to be in the presence of Jesus?

This week, we welcome not just one guest but THREE as Caroline, Caroline and Gracie - three roommates at NC State who all also happen to be FOCUS leaders - talk about what it actually means to care for one another as Christian friends. Tune in to hear why Jesus-centered friendships are so crucial to helping you grow in your faith, and what it looks like to live out loving one another day by day when you're in the same house.

We don't often think of Jesus' words on the cross as a "conversation," but this week's Conversation with Jesus highlights what we can see about his character even as he interacts with people in the moments before his death. Volunteer Jack Tanner takes us through Luke 23, as we see a suffering king still working to save those around him as he's crucified - and what does seeing him this way mean for the way we can interact with Jesus ourselves?

Wondering how you can get from old school Disney to talking about nasty Birkenstocks and Jesus on the cross all in less than 10 minutes? Kelly Vine has you covered in this discussion of John 13, where Jesus shows just how far he will go for the people he loves, and how it inspires us to do the same.

Want to hear how a giant carrot relates to having a loving heart? You picked the right episode! Ryan Collier takes us through the story of the rich young ruler in Luke 18, where a man who seems to be asking the right questions and doing the right things turns out to just be in it for himself. Unfortunately it's all too easy to recognize that tendency in ourselves, too - this week Ryan offers us a chance to reflect whether our conversations with God show that we're just in it for ourselves, or we recognize the goodness of the one we're talking to and His desire for us to be with him.

In this conversation with Jesus, we hear former FOCUS Raleigh staffer Danny Howard unpack Jesus' encounter with a paralyzed man in John 5. Jesus' direct questions to the man almost seem insensitive, but he's actually engaging in a way that we often fail to in the world. Of course all of us want to get well... but how willing are we to enter in to others' suffering when we see someone who needs help to get well?

Taking a little break from our usual Monday podcast format, this week we have Kelly Vine interviewing Caroline Kunkel, who as a college student and FOCUS Raleigh alum still vividly remembers what the various pressures of senior year feel like. Caroline shares her perspective on struggling through your reality looking different than what you wanted and trusting God through it all. Even if you're not a Senior, this will help give you perspective on the journey towards graduation and how the Gospel reshapes the way we can think about the college process!

What matters most to you at the end of the day - what you accomplished, or what kind of person you were and who you spent time with? In our productivity-obsessed world, it's worth thinking about what we're missing out on when we just focus on looking good and getting things done. Of course, as Kelly Vine shows us in this episode, this isn't a modern problem - Jesus has exactly this same kind of conversation with two sisters in Luke 10: 38-42. Come listen in and see how we can have confidence to come to Jesus just as we are.

In this week's conversation with Jesus, Ryan Collier takes a look at the story of the woman at the well as we examine where each of us is trying to quench our thirst, and why it might be leaving us empty. Fortunately, Jesus offers us an alternative.

This week we get to hear from FOCUS Raleigh royalty as former Area Director Amy Moreau opens up Mark 5:21-42 and helps us see two people who seem vastly different on the outside, but have a lot in common as both the powerful and powerless come to Jesus in moments of crisis. Amy encourages us in our own struggles and also asks us to consider how, once we meet Jesus, we can become agents of healing to others around us.

This week we look at a conversation between Jesus and his disciples in Matthew 10:5-10 as Caroline Kunkel helps us understand that while what Jesus calls his followers to in these verses may seem intimidating at first, really it's as simple as loving him and loving those around us. And the best part is, he empowers us to do both. Listen in with us as we consider how to live out the calling of a disciple in our world today.

In our second Conversation with Jesus, Kelly Vine takes us through a story in Mark 9 where Jesus meets a man asking him to work a miracle for his ill son. At the moment Jesus questions him, he replies "I do believe - help my unbelief!" All of us at any given moment are a mixture of belief and unbelief - so how do we admit that honestly to Jesus and bring him both our faith and our doubts simultaneously?

Welcome to the FOCUS Raleigh Devotional Podcast! This semester we'll be looking at Conversations with Jesus, as Area Director Ryan Collier takes us through Luke 19:1-10, where we see Jesus' interaction with someone who's lonely and isolated get transformed by simple connection. During this challenging time, maybe we could all stand to do the same - seek Jesus, ask him our questions, listen to his, and see what happens.