Haven Today

Despair can loom over us like a fearsome giant. And doubt can become like a prison cell. John Bunyan envisioned both in The Pilgrim’s Progress but he didn’t forget—God has provided a means of escape.

Because he loved the world, Demas deserted Paul. So, when we read about Demas’ silver mine in The Pilgrim’s Progress, red flags go up.

It was a delight to the eyes, but deadly for the discipleship journey with Jesus. In The Pilgrim’s Progress, Vanity Fair represents the world we live in and our need to flee to Christ.

In his wisdom, Solomon wrote about how, “there’s nothing new under the sun.” And a book written 350 years ago, a Christian masterpiece, is a good example.

Christians often talk about spiritual battles, but what does God’s Word tell us about them? What do we do when we find ourselves in one?

The cross is at the very center of what it means to be a Christian. It’s a symbol of weakness and foolishness to those who are perishing, but to those who are being saved, it’s the power of God.

“Bad news sells,” they say, but only in news headlines. When it comes to the Gospel, we’re tempted to soft-pedal the bad news. Yet without that truth, there is no Gospel.

On this episode, David Wollen, with special guest Tyler Van Halteren, talk about how the storyline of The Pilgrim’s Progress maps onto the common experience of the Christian life.

It’s the most important Christian book most believers today have never read. Yet for three centuries, it was read and cherished by Christians everywhere.

What’s Revelation primarily about? Is it the future, the end of the world, the Antichrist? A closer read invites us to put our focus somewhere far better—the Lord Jesus Christ.

They’re known as the “lukewarm” church. Jesus warned them that unless they turned back to him, he would spit them out of his mouth.

Jesus told an ancient church that he held a special key in his hand and that there was a door only he could open. What did he mean by this?

When it comes to spiritual maturity, there’s a difference between reputation and reality. We often cannot discern between the two, but Jesus does. In Revelation he says, “I know your works.”

Thyatira was a bustling center of business. The church was not experiencing direct persecution, but Jesus was about to send trouble their way. Why? Just one word …tolerance.

Some cities mentioned in the Bible are familiar— like Jerusalem or Ephesus. But what about Pergamum. Jesus wrote a letter to this church and said, they were living where Satan had his throne.

Jesus makes it clear to the church in Smyrna: Some of them would be imprisoned and some would face death for their faith. But Jesus is equally clear — DO. NOT. FEAR.

Ephesus looms large in God’s Word, and the Apostle John pastored this ancient church for decades. However, Jesus had a concern and a warning for them that still applies today.

John had seen and heard Jesus more times than he could count. So why did he fall on his face in fear when Jesus appeared to him during his old age?

Near the end of his life, the Apostle John was exiled on an island. Jesus appeared to him in a vision and instructed him to write down letters for seven churches. These letters are as relevant today a

Where is your hope? And just as important for a Christian, when is your hope? In other words, is your hope in this life or in the life to come?

C.S. Lewis knew the cost of following Christ. But when he met his wife, that cost became even more personal. Tune in to hear about Lewis’ marriage and the great wedding feast of the Lamb.

When C.S. Lewis finally turned to the Lord, he faced scrutiny and rejection from many. But he had finally found joy, the joy of Christ.

A dying mother and trench warfare. Both painful experiences for CS Lewis. But in the midst of terrible suffering, God used those experiences for good.

He was a once-in-a-generation intellectual whose Christian witness impacted millions of lives. But how did C.S. Lewis come to faith?

What’s the relationship between grace and effort in the life of a Christian? And how does the humanity of Jesus enter into that question?

There simply aren’t enough hours in the day. We’ve all expressed our frustration that, despite all the time-saving technology in our world, the work is never done.

What do gratitude and lament have in common? They may seem like opposites, but in God’s Word they were made to go together. And best of all, Jesus shows us how.

In part two of their conversation, David Wollen and Dr. Kelly Kapic reflect on how embracing our limits leads us to deeper joy in Christ and faithful service to others.

Human limitations are unavoidable, but how does God feel about them? Does He want you to find a way to push past your limits, or could it be that you were never meant to do it all?

For the non-Christian, the most important message they could ever hear is the Gospel. But what about for a believer? Is it any different?

David Wollen is joined by author/pastor Milton Vincent and pastor Mike Bullmore for a discussion about the joy of a Christian who lives in the good of the Gospel.

Assurance of salvation – it’s one of those raw nerve topics that many Christians are afraid to bring up in church. But seasoned pastors know this is more common than Christians often admit.

What is the gospel? Is this primarily an evangelism question, or is there something more here for the Christian life?

Do you ever wonder what God thinks about you? Even as a Christian, are you discouraged in your efforts to stay in God’s good favor?

“Is the Lord among us or not?” It was an honest question from the nation of Israel. But when they asked it in the desert, they were not seeking him, but testing him.

It’s one thing to hear someone else’s testimony about how the Lord helped them through great difficulty. It’s quite another when you find yourself in a time of crisis.

What do you do when the bottom falls out—when the rent can’t be paid or a diagnosis shakes your world?

With seven children in tow, the Smallbone family of nine learned to pray during a very difficult time in their lives. And they watched God provide in little and big ways.

A family of immigrants from Down Under came to America in the early ’90s, hoping for a better life. But everything fell apart soon after arriving—except their faith and family.

Desperate prayer is a good thing. It’s modeled for us in the pages of Scripture by many faithful saints who came before us. But it can be hard to pray when it feels like God is silent.

Is weakness really the way? This is what the Lord told the Apostle Paul, and it holds true for us as well. But why is it that Almighty God desires us to embrace weakness?

Paul called it a “thorn in the flesh.” Exactly what it was we do not know. The point for Paul was why the Lord allowed it in the first place. This holds is a powerful lesson for us today.

On this episode, David Wollen asks pastor and author Ste Casey about why the Lord allows thorns in our lives and how we they can help us grow in Christ.

What is God up to when you pray and nothing seems to change? Or when prayers seem to go unanswered for a long time? Is God working in our waiting?

On this final day of the series, David Wollen and Danny Rojas talk about the reality of Santeria in Cuba, but also how the evangelical revival is still growing as people respond to the Gospel.

It’s a sad phenomenon in many parts of the world—Christians sharply divided along denominational lines. Yet Christ prayed for unity.

How is the Lord working? We can only see what he reveals to us, and sometimes he gives us a glimpse. A few weeks ago, this happened in a small church in Havana.

Cuba is in turmoil, struggling with food and power shortages. What’s the result? A mass exodus of its people. Yet the church continues to thrive.

In this episode, our Cuba radio host Danny Rojas joins David Wollen to talk about the light of Jesus shining in Cuba.

He was pierced for our transgressions. Though written in the Old Testament, this prophecy is clearly fulfilled by Jesus in the New.

What’s the most common objection to Jesus being the promised Messiah of the Hebrew Scriptures? It’s not the resurrection, but a prophecy about the virgin birth in Isaiah chapter 7.