Redemption's Table with Robert Barge

Out in the New Mexican landscape three Spanish words were carved in store 442 years ago - “Pasó Por Aquí.”  Translation: “Passed this way.”  "Passed by here." Pasó Por Aquí.  You can breathe these words wherever you find yourself today. Because wherever your journey has taken you at this moment, Pasó Por Aquí is your testimony as well as mine.  It is the testimony of everyone who surrounds us.  We're just pilgrims passing through. Pasó Por Aquí.  Passed this way.  Passed by here.  It denotes the journey, not the destination.  The travel, not the arrival.  Pasó Por Aquí.  Bodies in motion walking across terra firma that never stops spinning.  Human satellites that seldom sit.  Pasó Por Aquí.  Even when standing still we're rotating at a 1000 miles per hour while speeding through space at 67,000 miles per hour.  Pasó Por Aquí.  You're not where you were when you started to read these words mere seconds ago.  Pasó Por Aquí.   Featuring "Pilgrim" by John Mark McMillan (Used by Permission through Musicbed). 

Where are the places that bring you life? If you were encouraged to come back to the places you know bring life, where would you go?  Where are the places that have awakened and reawakened you?  Where are the places that have brought deep sustenance and joy and wonder and curiosity to your life?  Where have you bumped into God? I reached out to some of my dearest friends and family members who I thought might appreciate that question, and the answers they offered are pure delight.  Special guests Lauren Myers, Andrew and Diana Barge, and Clark Cothern share their life-giving places.  And singer-songwriter Andrew Osenga gifts us with his incredible song "Beautiful Places."  This is an episode months in the making.  Come join in on this adventure of imagination and anticipation. "Beautiful Places" used by permission.

Are you picking up what God is laying down?  Are you picking it up every day, or only when you pick your Bible up?  Are you searching for treasure God places somewhere along your path each day?   Today's episode explores the spiritual discipline of journaling.  You may be surprised to discover there are many different ways to journal.  Find one that best helps you live more intentionally in your daily walk with Jesus.  Find one that can turn your life into an ongoing treasure hunt.   Today's episode features a bevy of quotes from G.K. Chesterton, Russ Ramsey, and several other authors, plus the song "Roaring Thunder" by John Mark McMillan   (Used by Permission through Musicbed).

Welcome to the first fresh Table of 2025.   A New Year is only an imaginary line on a calendar, but there's something about a fresh start that appeals to us.  I think it might be because we all know we need one.  The coming of the greatest fresh start the world has ever been offered was celebrated a few days ago.  And now, we have just stepped into a lesser one.  Brand new in some ways; same old in others.   Thanksgiving preceded Christmas and a New Year comes along like an encore to grant us one more song of gratitude.  To be grateful for the year that was.  To be grateful for whatever possibilities lie ahead.  To be grateful for the journey that will be.  One gratitude for what just happened.  The next for all we anticipate in the next 12 months.  The final gratitude for all we hope to be declaring one year from now.   Today's episode explores the season that has not quite left us yet.  The world may be hastening on; there is no need for our souls to join the rush.  You're invited one more time to "rest beside the weary road and hear the angels sing!"   Featuring "May You Find a Light" by Josh Garrels (Used by Permission through Musicbed).

Every Christmas season brings its own wisdom, so the question we all need to ask is, "Christmas, what did you come to teach me this year?"   Welcome to Christmastide!  Christmas is far from over.  The celebration of Jesus' birth extends beyond December 25th.  Today is only the fourth day of Christmas.  There are eight more days to come, plus Epiphany.  For many of us, the best Christmas gift has yet to be unwrapped.     Today's Table encourages us to pause and reflect on what just happened a few days ago - on what just happened 2000 years ago.  Last Wednesday and two millenniums back are not that far apart.  Christmas Day itself is a thin place where the reverberating echoes of angels can still be felt and heard.  Ask the Christmas question and listen quietly for God's reply.   Special thanks today to Arbo, a country band from the cajun swampland, led by brothers Stevie and Johnny Rees.  They have graciously allowed us to share their 2023 song "A Child Is Born" for this special Christmas episode.  (Used by Permission).

"The world will never starve for want of wonders; but only for want of wonder." - G.K. Chesterton   We all need to be reminded.  We can't manufacture our own wonder.  Sure, we can prime the pump to set our hearts in the right direction to receive.  But if we're looking for Christmas to be one or two specific things this year - if we're expecting something particular to happen in the next few days - and if it doesn't happen, we're going to be extremely disappointed, then we've set ourselves up.  There is a difference between expectancy and expectations.     As we walk through the threshold from Advent to Christmas, today's Table encourages us to relax, put down our expectations, and follow the bliss of what is about to unfold. We can't plan surprise for yourself.  We will miss the bliss if we seek to control the bliss.  The surprise we need and where to find it will come only from the One whose birthday it is!  Follow the bliss!   Featuring "Bethlehem (2022 Version)" by Singer-Songwriter Ross King (Used by Permission).

We're halfway through Advent.  Today is December 12.  And someone out there feels the crush of the season.  The thought of "only 12 more shopping days left" bears down on you like an avalanche.  You're rushing through December like Tom Cruise out to save the world one more time, caught up in an Impossible Mission.     Pause.  Take a deep breath.  There's still time to hit the Advent reset button.  There's still time to redeem the days ahead.  There's still time to enjoy the rest of the journey.  Such wonderful possibilities are woven into the very fabric of the story we now anticipate and celebrate.  And it is unfolding before you right this very moment.   Featuring "The Advent Song" by Future of Forestry (Used by Permission through Musicbed).

It's how I begin every day.  Thanksgiving is the single most spiritual practice that keeps me grounded daily in the goodness of God.   Four good friends accepted my invitation to gather at the Table this week to share their Thanksgiving for 2024.  You may notice a common theme.  All four have experienced some waves, some storms, and all four have seen Jesus at work in their lives and give Him thanks.   I am grateful for Jennifer Harris, Dr. P. Banneker Hatcherson, Rebecca Johnson, and Laura Williams for joining us at the Table today.   "Give thanks to the Lord for He is good.  His love endures forever." - Psalm 136:1   Happy Thanksgiving!   Featuring "Thanksgiving Song" by JJ Heller (Used by Permission through Musicbed).

Welcome to a different kind of Redemption's Table.  Normally our episodes are for everybody, but today's story is particularly addressed to American Christians.  It's a sojourn to a forgotten place that begins with a forgotten harvest - and harvest and Thanksgiving usually go hand in hand.   The vision begins in a field of corn in a high mountain meadow.  A harvest has come and gone, and not a single ear has been picked.  Such neglect raises curiosity.  How can this be?  Suddenly, a man dressed as a Mexican peasant emerges from the parched stalks and a mysterious journey begins.     Every American Christian needs to consider the questions raised by today's imaginative parable that was first shared 25 years ago.     Special thank you to my good friend Jeff Gore - a singer-songwriter who has been involved in cowboy ministry before there ever was such a thing as a cowboy church.  His songs "We Gather Together to Pray" and "Who's Gonna Tell Them" are used by permission.      https://www.youtube.com/@jeffgorecowboyandgospelmus4434

Have you ever been to a place where past, present, and future come together before you?  Where you can reflect on the expanse of what has already swept by and ponder the volume of all that is yet to come?  Have you ever stood on the brink of a waterfall?  A waterfall is nature's hourglass.   Host Robert Barge has stood on the brink of Lower Falls of the Yellowstone twice in his lifetime.  Once around 1972; again in 2024.  Approximately 53 years and 8 trillion, 357 billion, 40 million gallons of water has plummeted 308 feet over the top of Yellowstone's tallest waterfall in between those two visits.  And time and water have volumes to speak to anyone with ears to hear and hearts to respond.   Join us for a whimsical Table that encourages everyone to take note of the hourglass moments of life so that we may be prepared to receive the rich and creative lessons they hold.   Featuring "Fly" by Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors (Used by Permission through Musicbed).

You are a human GoPro and your soul is recording every nanosecond of your life!  To some degree, you're taking it all in.  Your internal audio and video recorders are receiving data at an incredible shutter speed.  And even though your memory capacity is enormous, you can't recall it all, but it is amazing how much your soul does remember.   Welcome to a fun Table episode.  Let your mind imagine some of the photographs your soul has taken.  Discover how to live your life like an Easter Egg Hunt.  And let gratitude help you catch more of the treasure of "the good and perfect gift variety" pouring down upon each of us every day from our Father of heavenly lights!   Your soul is taking photos even with the lens cap on, but the wider you open your aperture, the more the light gets in.   Special thanks today to Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors who inspired today's Table in a big way with their song "Soul's a Camera" (Used by Permission through Musicbed).

I first met Peter Scott when I walked into his place of business in Montgomery Alabama almost 10 years ago. His office wall was filled with photographs he had taken from Yellowstone National Park.  We struck up a conversation and became fast friends.     Pete worked in Yellowstone back during his college days.  He has since visited our first National Park multiple times and spent decades studying this incredibly diverse place.  Now, Ranger Pete is quick to tell you he's not an actual Park Ranger, but he does have intimate, first-hand knowledge of Yellowstone and he loves sharing the wonder he has found in this very special place where our creator God has some spectacular artwork on display.   Pete and I both spent time in Yellowstone this fall on separate trips.  And it's an honor to bring him to this wild conversation recorded live at El Taco Shop Restaurant in Montgomery.  Pete had the Pollo Loco and I had the best Sincronizada I've ever tasted.  https://rangerpete.org   Featuring "Let's Go Outside - Campfire Version" by The National Parks (Used by Permission through Musicbed).

There's a phenomenon that takes place within us when we spend three days in the great outdoors.  It's called "the 3-day effect."  Three days in nature can reset our brains.  And after those three days, our ability to problem solve goes up, our inductive reasoning goes up, and we become more creative.  When we step out of life as we know it and into life as we were meant to live it, it changes us.  And whenever I vacation in the wilderness, I always know when "the 3-day effect" kicks in.  It's that noticeable.     Last month I spent eight days in Yellowstone National Park.  "The 3-Day Effect" prompted me to write the following entry in my journal:             "Dying is a hard process.             Staying dead is a hard process.             And when the third day comes, you don't will yourself back to life.             Only the resurrection can do that." Featuring "Waiting For Lightning" by The National Parks (Used by Permission through Musicbed).

"Everybody I know says they need just one thing  And what they really mean is they need just one thing more." - Rich Mullins.   Everyone has a life song.  Or if you're like me, you have dozens of life songs.  But through the years, one seems to keep rising to the top.  Rich Mullins' My One Thing is that song for me.  It's a song about Jesus - my one thing.   Who or what is your one thing?  The one thing that sets the table for all the other things in your life.  That's today's big question on this special fall Table that is all about my favorite person who has ever lived.  If Jesus is not yet your favorite person, I encourage you to give a listen to discover why He might should be.   Today's episode is dedicated to the First Baptist Church of Warner Robins Youth Group - 1986-1992.     Featuring "Son of God" by Chris Renzema (Used by Permission through Musicbed).

Confluence.  A place where two or more rivers or streams merge together.  Confluences fill me with wonder.  I want to journey upstream to find the headwaters of every tributary.  A confluence is kind of like a reversed fork in the road made of water.  Wherever you are right now is a confluence.   Think back over your summer.  What were your favorite tables and favorite moments?  What has God been trying to whisper to your spirit these past three months?  Perhaps you heard it, but maybe you didn't.   Perhaps your current confluence looks more like a desert.  Perhaps you have run aground because life has become spiritually dry.  Take heart.  There is water to be found in your desert.  You only need know where to look.   Featuring "Summer of Memories" by The National Parks (Used by Permission through Musicbed).

The Holy Trinity is a wondrous mystery.  You know the certainty of the Truth of it - and yet, it blows your mind.  Absolutely amazing how Truth and Wonder come together in the glorious reality of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.   But there is also an unholy trinity that lurks beneath the surface of enough churches and denominations, it needs to be recognized for what it is - the unholy threesome of God the Father, Jesus the Son, and Religion. Because Holy Spirit has often been tossed because He cannot be controlled and replaced by a more reasonable idol we can control - our Religion.   Have you ever presumed to be Holy Spirit in someone else's life?  Have you ever presumed to be Holy Spirit while following His lead?   Featuring "Stronger" by Ellie Holcomb (Used by Permission through Musicbed).

Do you hear the song? The song that is all around you right now. Do you hear that?   It's a song being sung especially over you. It's a Voice that never ceases to sing to you. And when you hear it, it makes all the difference in how you live your life.   "And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music." - Friedrich Nietzsche   The music is real.  The dance is joyous. What is there that you do not know is there? Listen and you will hear.   Featuring "Spirit" by Judah & the Lion (Used by Permission through Musicbed).

A Conversation with Special Guest:  Steph Cherry   It is always a delight to bring Steph Cherry to the Table.  You never know what or who might wander through the conversation.  There might be a tornado in the backyard or a birthday visit with a capybara at a local petting zoo or the art of being an uncommon friend during someone else's difficult season.     There is beauty, wit, wisdom, and hope here at the Table today.  Have we missed anything yet?  Listen to see.   Life.  You must be fully present to win.   Featuring "We've Got This Hope" by Ellie Holcomb (Used by Permission through Musicbed).

Your soul has a unique speed.  It is not in a hurry.  It does not travel at the speed of our world nor our culture.  It travels at the speed of Light - the Light of the world. Your soul is in need of nourishment.  It must be fed and there is only one real source of food.  C.S. Lewis wrote, "God designed the human machine to run on Himself. He Himself is the fuel our spirits were designed to burn, or the food our spirits were designed to feed on. There is no other." As you evaluate the first half of 2024, how are you managing the pace of your life?  How has your pace affected your soul? Join us for a few moments of soul refreshment and let your soul catch up with your body.  They both will thank you for it and you will notice the difference immediately.  Featuring "In Need" by Singer-Songwriter Ross King (Used by Permission)

It's intermission! The curtain has dropped on the first half of the movie. The band has stepped off the stage to take a break. The first half of this year's journey is about to pass the baton to the second half. It's the perfect time to re-examine where we've come from and fine tune where we're going. And all are encouraged to do just that. Let's all come to the Table and go to the lobby to get ourselves a treat.   Featuring "Rock My Soul" by Josh Garrels (Used by Permission through Musicbed).

Courtney Ellis is a bird enthusiast, a pastor, and an author. Her newest book is Looking Up: A Birder's Guide to Hope through Grief. She also hosts a wonderful podcast called The Thing with Feathers.     Today's episode is a whimsical, ornithological, and theological swoop through Jesus' beatitudes from His Sermon on the Mount.  I asked Courtney to pair a bird to match each of Jesus' eight exclamations and she soared to the challenge. It's a fun way to kick off Summer Solstice!    You can find Courtney at https://courtneybellis.com and also on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter (now called X, but birders still prefer sending Tweets).     Featuring "Songbird" by J.J. Heller (Used by Permission through Musicbed).

I remember my family's first color television.  I came home from school one day as a boy and there it was in our den.  I sprawled out in the floor and watched the Sergeant Jack Show, featuring Dick Tracy cartoons, on Channel 42 out of Birmingham.   I was enthralled.  I was drawn in to the screen and would sometimes sit so close, I could see the hundreds of multicolored dots that made up the greater image. And I heard those famous words from my parents every child has heard - "Don't sit so close to the screen; you'll ruin your eyes."   I'm grateful to say, I have yet to need prescription glasses.  But I am still being drawn in to the pixels.  Perhaps you are as well.  And if you're not, I would highly recommend it.  Because there's a lot more beauty coming at you than you realize.  But the only way you can catch more of it is to zoom in and slow down.  A life-changing mystery awaits when you do.   Featuring "Re-Enchanted World" by John Mark McMillan (Used by Permission through Musicbed).

Consider your worship.  In the first 22 weeks of 2024, what worship moments have been most memorable to you?   Worship is an easy word to ignore.  It's wrapped in plain brown paper.  We imagine we could guess the content of today's Table without opening or listening.  Yet, it's the very thing that can calm and rattle your life at the same time.   God is ready to meet you right now wherever you are.  When He does, will you take off your shoes to walk on holy ground, or will you walk on by?      Featuring "All In All" and "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus" by Josh Garrels (Used by Permission through Musicbed).

Welcome to our 150th Redemption's Table!     I am learning how to host a podcast.  I now have 150 episodes of practice.  And I think the secret is to not take yourself too seriously while taking your guest and your subject very seriously.   Come join us for some fun as the host becomes the guest and I get grilled by three of the sharpest people I know.  Along the way, I'll share a little bit of my motivation for doing this podcast and how the Table has changed since that first episode back in 2019.  Get ready to smile, to be encouraged, and perhaps hear that one thing awaiting your discovery that has the potential to change the rest of your year.    I am a host of friends and I have a host of friends.  And you are one of them.   Featuring "Let's Go Outside" by The National Parks (Used by Permission through Musicbed).

I like the word navigate.  I like the images that come to mind when I ponder that word.  It falls into a category of simplicity, of a way of life that brims with more intensity, with more pure oxygen than any artificial substitute our culture keeps seducing us to embrace.   To navigate is to know where we are, and to know where we want to go.  Once those two points are established, we follow the way.  It behooves us all to choose our path wisely.   You can navigate a trail, a river, a kayak, a surf board. But can you truly navigate your soul?  Yes, I believe you can.  Because if you don't, someone is going to.  And they might just have you believing the path you are on is where you really want to go.   Featuring "Constellations" by Ellie Holcomb (Used by Permission through Musicbed).

Eclipse.  Last month, millions in North America migrated both near and far to fall under the wonder of a moon shadow for a few, brief moments.  A total solar eclipse.   Calypso.  A musical style which originated in Trinidad, Tobago, and spread throughout the West Indies of the Caribbean.   Eclypso.  A combination of two familiar words to inspire a brand new thought.   Eclypso.  It's the song, it's the dance of your soul before God that rises in an eclipse-like moment, as you become enthralled with awe.   Let your curiosity draw you in.  Consider the question - when was the last time your soul was caught up in the rhythm of eclypso?   Featuring "Great Sky" by The National Parks (Used by Permission through Musicbed).

Conversation with Special Guest:  Raymond Turner Recorded Live in Sparklefly Studio in CookChildren's Medical Center - Fort Worth, Texas.   We step in and out of sacred spaces every day, oft times unaware.  But every now and then, we are overwhelmed from the outside in and the inside out simultaneously, just by being where we are.     That's how I felt when I visited Raymond Turner at Sparklefly Studio in Fort Worth, Texas.  Raymond is the Recording Studio Producer at Sparklefly - a professional state-of-the-art recording space inside a children's hospital.  Talk about innovative and one-of-a-kind.  Raymond helps children battling illness write and record their own songs.  Some of Raymond's work includes taking the heartbeats of little ones in the NICU unit and lovingly turning it into music for their families.  Some of these children are either premature, struggling to survive, or have already passed away.   How incredibly redemptive is that!   Featuring "Brand New Day" and "HeartSong" - recorded and produced by CookChildren's patients and Raymond Turner (Used by Permission).

A Very Special 5th Birthday Table Episode  Featuring Special Guest:  Chris McLane Originally Recorded July 19th, 2019 - Dinner and Conversation at Mooyah's Burgers in Birmingham, Alabama.                                                                                          Originally Released July 22nd, 2019 Redemption's Table was launched 5 Years Ago today - April 22, 2019.  And since then, 146 episodes have been released.  The original idea was simple.  Invite a special guest each week to share a meal at a restaurant of their choosing and record a conversation with them in the restaurant after the meal.  That idea and this podcast almost didn't happen - until I had a conversation with one very special person I already knew.  My good friend - Chris McLane.   I met Chris at Brother Bryan Mission in downtown Birmingham. He was truly one of a kind. A brilliant mind and sharp wit. I saw a theologian or a Christian apologist within. We often met at Vulcan Park to walk the trail from Vulcan to Green Springs and back.  Those walks were good, rich conversation. I was grateful to have been present when Chris went under the waters of baptism at Redeemer Church in Avondale.   Chris stepped into the presence of Jesus last summer.  And I'm one of many who miss him.  But I know Who Chris knew, I know Who Chris trusted, and I know where Chris is because Chris surrendered to Jesus.   I owe Chris an enormous debt. I think of him almost every week as each new podcast episode is released. Without Chris, this podcast idea would probably still be sitting on the runway. His computer expertise made it happen and he co-produced and edited the first 36 episodes. And somewhere in the archives, waiting to be found again, was Chris' own episode - "If I Don't Have to Be Me Anymore."   It suddenly came to me last night where Chris' story might possibly be.  And when I checked, there it was.  So on this 5th anniversary of the Table, I can think of no other story that represents better what Redemption's Table has always aspired to be.  I believe this release honors Chris and honors Jesus.  It's Chris' authentic account of his story and how Jesus redeemed him.   I think of something often said by author Brennan Manning - "God loves you unconditionally, as you are and not as you should be, because nobody is as they should be."  That's especially true for me.  That's my story.  That's Chris' story.  That's all of our stories.

Lunch and Conversation with Special Guest:  Larry Cobb Recorded Live at Salsarita's Fresh Mexican Grill in Montgomery, Alabama.   I believe my good friend Larry Cobb has discovered the secret sauce of fatherhood.  During today's live table over Salsarita's two taco special, Larry never uses the term "secret sauce," but I think he's found what it is.  He's a 3-D dad.  His three children were born in 3 different decades.  Twenty years of continual fatherhood has gifted Larry with perspective and one particular parenting skill every child craves from their father.  Larry listens to his children.   And you're invited to listen as well.  Grab a taco and some tomatillo sauce.  We saved you a seat.   Featuring "Only You" by Antoine Bradford (Used by Permission through Musicbed).

Thomas was one of Jesus' 12 disciples.  He has unfortunately been labeled as a doubter.  He missed Jesus' first post-resurrection appearance to His disciples.  He had a backstage VIP pass to the greatest event in all of history and he didn't even show up.  One Sunday later, Jesus and Thomas finally came face to face.   Thank God for the oddball and the outlier.  Otherwise, we all would have missed one of Jesus' final blessings.  A resurrection beatitude that potentially has our names written all over it.   "O the bliss of everyone who has not seen Jesus walking around resurrected with their own eyes, and yet have believed." (John 21:29)   Featuring "I Will Never Be the Same" by Ellie Holcomb (Used by Permission through Musicbed).

SURPRISE WIDE OPEN All around the world tonight the ultimate Table of Redemption will be remembered and celebrated.  The bread and the wine Jesus shared with His disciples would become the flesh and the blood sacrificed for all, less than 24 hours after they shared the meal.   It's Holy Week!  A week full of surprise.  Surprise wide open.   When it comes to the biblical accounts of Jesus, there will always be surprises.  In our 21st century encounters with Him, how could we think it would be any less different?   Featuring "There Will Be Surprises" by Singer-Songwriter Drew Miller (Used by Permission).

Spring arrived a little early this year.  It happened Tuesday night - March 19 at 10:06 pm CST. We crossed the equatorial line once again where day and night are everywhere on earth, for just a brief moment, of approximate equal length.  Of course, we didn't literally step across that line.  Earth glided across like a curling stone, and you & I - well, we're just along for the ride. Spring is already whispering and bringing gifts.   What gifts will Spring bring you this season? The birds are singing its song. The flowers are dancing its rhythm. And the Lamb is preparing a welcome banquet for all who will accept His invitation. Featuring "Deliver Me" by John Mark McMillan (Used by Permission through Musicbed).

Today is March 14, 2024.  It's just an ordinary day.  It's not the Oscars.  Not yet the Ides of March or St. Patrick's Day.  A little too early for Spring Equinox or Palm Sunday.  It's just an ordinary day in your life.  Or is it? Do you know what happened on all the March 14ths of your life? Because what you can do today, you can do the other 365 days as well. Take a day - any ordinary day - and go on a treasure hunt into the back pages of your journey.  You might just be reminded how extraordinary an ordinary day can be. Featuring "Brand New Day" by Ellie Holcomb (Used by Permission through Musicbed).

Complete this sentence: I delight in ........   I posed this open-ended declaration to several of my friends.  And as their responses came tumbling in, I knew today's Table was gonna truly be something special!   Delight is a word most of us don't use often enough.  Gratitude is like the map of our entire journey; delight is the buried treasure.   So, come along with us as we get high on Life with a little help from my friends!   Featuring "Love With a Crown" by John Mark McMillan (Used by Permission through Musicbed).

All of us find ourselves in seasons where it seems our lives are struggling upward through the dark.   Angels Landing in Zion National Park is often considered one of the most dangerous trails in the National Park System.  I hiked it in the dark with rain in the forecast at a time when my climbing legs were not in peak physical condition.  I almost didn't, and if I hadn't. I would have missed one of my best hiking days ever.  I would have also missed a trail lesson that continues to change the way I live my every day.   It is difficult trudging upward through the pitch with just enough light to chase the daunting up the trail a few feet beyond your beam.  But such is life if you are ever really going anywhere worth arriving.  Come join us for this high table adventure.   Featuring "Canyons" by Cory Asbury (Used by Permission through Musicbed).

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a curio is "something considered novel, rare, or bizarre."  A memento is "something that serves to warn or remind."   Today's light hearted episode encourages you to look around; go on a treasure hunt and search for curios, mementos, and everyday Ebenezers.  Don't know what an Ebenezer is?  We're glad you asked.   Today's podcast also includes two special guest cameos - my brother Dwight Kidd and one of my best friends, Jeff Gore.  And hopefully, after coming to today's Table, your souvenirs will start speaking to you every time you look their way.    Featuring "Look For Miracles" by JJ Heller (Used by Permission through Musicbed).

Before you awakened this morning, God was in His kitchen preparing fresh, new recipes of steadfast love and mercy, and Jesus was already setting the table for your day as it began.  Don't miss the meal.  The greatest opportunity you may have to taste something unbelievably wonderful this week, could be the one you far too readily overlook.     Let Jesus set the table of your day with Himself.  Allow yourself plenteous opportunity to fill yourself with the best dish this life has to offer.  This table is for everyone.  There is a place card with your name on it.  Come join the party!   Featuring "At the Table" by Josh Garrels (Used by Permission through Musicbed).

Breakfast and Conversation with Special Guest:  Alex Hettinga Recorded Live at Vintage Cafe in Montgomery, Alabama.   It doesn't take long to hear the heart of today's special guest Alex Hettinga.  His conversation always weaves back to family and fatherhood.  Alex is a husband, a father of two children, a classical violinist and violist, and the Senior Manager of Fatherhood and Family Programs at Care Net - a national Pro Abundant Life Ministry.   If you're a father, if you know a father, if you have a baby on the way, if you love classical music or know someone who does, if you are a fan of Johann Sebastian Bach, get ready for a feast.  This episode has something for everyone and was recorded live in the midst of the unpredictable ambience of life.   It's classical.  It's stylish.  It's vintage.  It's current.  And we saved you a seat and a menu.  The avocado toast comes highly recommended.    www.carenetu.org   Featuring "Skye (Bach Violin Partita No. 3 in E Major Bwv 1006)" by Abilene (Used by Permission through Musicbed) and "Meditation" from Thais by Jules Massanet and performed by Alex Hettinga (Used by Permission).

It is February and I am still singing Christmas songs.  One carol in particular I sing all year long because of two words in its title that deeply connect with my soul.  Wonder and wander.  "I wonder as I wander out under the sky."     Today's episode ponders three questions: - How often are you struck with wonder? - What evokes wonder in you? - Do you connect deep wonder and curiosity with worship and awe of God?   Today's episode features a cameo visit with my absolute favorite special guest of all 136 episodes - my daughter Lauren.  Lauren Myers.  Barge Barge to her friends. Take a load off your hiking boots and spend a few moments getting lost in wonder.   Featuring "Has It Been You" by John Mark McMillan (Used by Permission through Musicbed).

Soul down.  Not as in, "Why are you downcast, O my soul?" (Psalm 43:5), but more like "Slow your soul down."  You are carrying way too much weight.  You are accelerating at way too fast a speed.  Soul down.  You will need a deeper anchor to navigate all you are called to do in any given day, as well as all the activities the world pitches your way.  Soul down.   Today's episode asks three questions: - What are your deep spiritual practices? - How do you stay deep in your relationship with God in the midst of the constant vortex of a world that keeps trying to pull you away? - How do you keep your soul anchored?   We've set the Table with soul food today and we saved you a seat! Featuring "8th Wonder - Campfire Version" by The National Parks (Used by Permission through Musicbed).

A Conversation With Special Guest:  Steph Cherry   The year is barely begun and most New Year's resolutions are still being pursued.  How are you doing with yours?   I am delighted to sit down with Special Guest Steph Cherry.  Steph is a therapist, life coach, chef to the homeless, a well of deep wisdom, and my good friend.  And today we will be encouraging all our Table guests to choose words over resolutions, as in "What's your word of the year?"  So get ready to chow down and word up!   Featuring "The Well" by JJ Heller (Used by Permission through Musicbed).

Twenty-five years ago, I came across an article about Taos Pueblo in Northern New Mexico.  Every year the Pueblo Indians who live around Taos observe "the time of being still."  From December 15th to January 15th, the pueblo shuts down from the normal hustle and bustle of everyday life and observes a whole month of silent contemplation.   Imagine an entire month to be still in the presence of God for the soul purpose of spending time with Him.  What if we contemplated Christmas afterwards equally as intense as we anticipated Christmas before we celebrate?   Today's episode includes a cameo visit with therapist and life coach Steph Cherry, and features the music of R. Carlos Nakai and William Eaton performing "Silent Night (with Navajo Chorale)."   (Courtesy of Canyon Records) Welcome to a new year at the Table!   https://www.thebohotable.org https://canyonrecords.com https://rcarlosnakai.com https://www.jamiewinship.com

On Christmas Day, I found myself slipping into a booth at my local Waffle House and was immediately struck how it felt like slipping into a church pew.  The Spirit of Jesus was present amidst the eggs, bacon, and waffles. Where are the places and when were the moments when Christmas found you this year? What spoke Christmas to you, and what did it say when it spoke? Join me on a Christmas journey acknowledging one of the greatest presents of Christmas - the gift of good memories.  As I reminisce over my Granny's sweet muffins and luminarias in New Mexico, perhaps you'll recall a covey of good moments all your own. I'll drop a quarter in the Waffle House jukebox and we can listen to Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors sing "Joy to the World" (used by permission) as we share Christmas brunch. I recommend bacon and sausage because .... it's Christmas!

Tonight is the longest night of the year!  Winter Solstice!  This special seasonal episode offers three perspectives on this dark night.  First, there is the phenomenal wonder of nature that tonight is.  Something magnificent is happening in our ecliptic journey through space tonight.  Second, there is a personal story about the joy of this night for me and my family.  And finally, there is a deeper application for many of us, as this dark night symbolizes our own personal dark night of the soul.   Lean in and hear the voice of The Light!  Soak up Ross King's wonderful song.  And anticipate the coming of Christmas - just four more sleeps away. Featuring "Bethlehem (2022 Version) by Singer-Songwriter Ross King.  (Used by permission).

'Tis the season for familiar stories.  George Bailey returns to the battle of Bedford Falls as Charlie Brown continues his search for the perfect Christmas tree.  And Mary and Joseph journey once again to the little town of Bethlehem.  The true Christmas story of the birth of Jesus is the story bizarre.  It is a mysterious, wonderful gift that invites equal parts ponder and scoff. Jesus came down from heaven and stepped into our story.  His story seems bizarre to us because we have often made a mess of our own.  We chase a story perfect in denial of our own version of the story bizarre.   Welcome to today's special Advent table featuring Ellie Holcomb's song, "Hope Is Alive"  (Used by Permission).

Welcome to the concluding episode of a six-part series from 2021 - "Wrestling with God in the Season of Job." In the final chapters of his arduous journey, Job is down for the count. God shows up in a fury. All of Job's questions dissolve in a storm of generous mercy.  Perhaps the ashes & questions are still fresh in your story. Perhaps it seems God has abandoned you. Wherever you find yourself on this mid-November day, there is hope. And beauty for ashes. And a God who never leaves.Featuring Jill Phillips' song "Generous Mercy" (Used by Permission).

You have a voice.  You have a voice print.  You've been given a voice no one else has, because it flows out of a heart uniquely created in you by Your Creator.     Today's episode encourages us to spend some time curiously pondering, "What is my voice?"  "What are the themes in my life that resonate deep within?"  "How can I use my voice to encourage others?"  And along the way we'll hear a new song by one of our favorite musical voices - Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors.   Seek your Creator's voice and you will find your own.    Featuring the Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors song "Find Your People"  (Used by Permission).

THE WELL OF THE SOULS   A few October days in Yosemite found me sitting on the edge of a valley full of thought pondering faith, boring Christianity, and a lack of curiosity among the faithful.  I listened to God breathe in the solitude and babble in the waterfall.   Indiana Jones crashed through my reverie on his way to freedom and a hippie prophet popped out of a pit toilet with a word from the Lord.  You might just wade through this unusual episode and hear something said to help you realize you are not alone.  Or you might just dismiss it due to a lack of curiosity   Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is guaranteed to at least introduce you to two great songs by Becca Jordan, a singer-songwriter you need to know.     Come sit on the edge of your faith with us and look into the well of your soul.   Featuring "Same Old" and "Everywhere I Go" by Becca Jordan. (Used by Permission) https://www.beccajordanmusic.com

Welcome to the fifth session of a six-part series from 2021 - "Wrestling with God in the Season of Job." Back then, the world was emerging from a year-long hiatus.  It was one of the harshest seasons many of us had ever known and it brought a lot of pain to the surface of our lives. Today's episode begins towards the end of Job's story.  He is ready to throw in the towel.  His friends refuse to listen or understand; God just doesn't seem to be listening.  If you are feeling any or all of this right now, you are at the right place.  And we have reserved a special place for you to join us - at the Table of Redemption.   Featuring Jimmy Baker's song "All I'll Ever Need" (Used by Permission).

Welcome to the fourth session of a six-part series from 2021 - "Wrestling with God in the Season of Job." The world was emerging from a year-long hiatus then and many felt as though they were living this story. I am convinced many still are. And that's what makes Job's story relevant for our generation. Today's episode begins halfway through Job's story. We know that. Job did not. The one living the difficult season never does. They don't know how close they are to breakthrough. They don't realize yet how close God already is. Some give up on God. Others give up on life. Both have yet to discover - it is always too soon to give up on God. Always. Featuring Ross King's song "Golden" (Used by Permission). Photo by Andrew Barge (Used by Permission).

I met my first sequoia tree a little over a year ago.  If you want to feel young on your birthday, visit a sequoia.  He was over 1600 years older than me.     Today's episode is about trees and autumn - my favorite season of the year.  It's about the mystery of watching God's dream unfold in ways you never could have imagined.  It's about birthdays and sequoia cones and Rich Mullins and Jesus holding all of this spinning planet together.  It's an eclectic blend of fresh ponderings and Spirit wind in the trees.  And John Mark McMillan's powerful song poem encouraging us to not only consider the magnitude of the seeds we sow, but the harvest that is to come as a result.   Come and sit a spell beneath the trees.  We saved you a seat.   Featuring the John Mark McMillan song "The Roads, the Rocks, and the Weeds" (Used by Permission).