Wisdom for the Heart

Share a commentA young man asks a father for his daughter's hand with a promise most would never make: expect hardship, insult, and maybe a violent death. That stark beginning sets the course for Adoniram and Ann Judson's life of conviction, where truth outran comfort and a clear call survived the loss of money, safety, and applause. We follow their voyage where long hours in Scripture reshaped their beliefs, cost them their support, and sent them to Burma to start from nothing—no grammar, no dictionary, no church—only the resolve to build a language bridge strong enough to carry the gospel.What unfolds is both brutal and beautiful. Years of quiet work yield almost no visible fruit; persecution raises the stakes; the emperor tosses a tract to the floor; a child dies; a prison cell turns nights into torture; and grief carves out a hollow in Adoniram's soul that swallows even joy. He steps back from honors, digs his own grave, and writes that God is the great unknown. Then a letter about his brother's last‑minute faith lights a small fire. He returns to the desk, to translation, and to a patience forged by suffering. The tide shifts. Interest grows. A second marriage steadies the home. Among the Karens—keepers of oral traditions about a Creator, a tempter, and a promised deliverer—thousands travel for months to ask for writings that show the way of escape. Twelve years had seen eighteen baptisms; one year will bring more than a thousand.The legacy stretches far beyond numbers. Adoniram completes the Burmese Bible; grammars and dictionaries rest on his groundwork; and churches multiply where none stood. By his death at sixty‑one, hundreds of congregations gather, and estimates count over two hundred thousand believers across Burma. He returns to America only briefly and whispers the gospel when crowds beg for adventure tales, a quiet refusal that speaks louder than fame. This is a story for anyone weighing cost against calling, wondering if endurance matters when results lag. It says that a buried seed can outlive a lifetime and that conviction, language, and love can reshape a nation.If this journey moved you, subscribe, share the show with a friend, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway so others can find it too.Stephen's latest book, Legacies of Light, Volume 2, is our gift for your special donation to our ministry. Follow this link for information or to donate:https://www.wisdomonline.org/mp/legaciesSupport the showStephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

Share a commentA door splinters in Rangoon and chains bite into a young missionary's ankles, but the story starts years earlier with a valedictorian who traded faith for fashionable doubt—and then spent a sleepless night listening to a dying friend through a thin wall. That shock sent Adoniram Judson home, back to Christ, and forward into a calling that would test every conviction he held. We walk through the unlikely steps: a proposal that reads like a martyr's oath, a voyage that turns a Congregationalist couple into Baptists mid-sea, and a decade of language work without a teacher, dictionary, or church. Seven years for one convert. Twelve years for eighteen. Meanwhile, a printing press hums, pages multiply, and a New Testament in Burmese takes shape with careful, stubborn fidelity.Then the empire shifts. War erupts between England and Burma, suspicion falls, and Judson is dragged to prison as a supposed spy. We sit with Anne's grit as she bargains for scraps, delivers a baby, and begs milk from village mothers while her husband hangs nightly by the ankles. Release comes suddenly, but the cost is devastating: Anne's death, their daughter's passing, and news of his father's funeral push Judson into a dark season of silence and surrender. He gives away honors, moves into the jungle, and digs a grave beside a hut to face his own mortality. Out of that deep winter, the seed does its hidden work. The translation stands. The church survives. The scars become a map for anyone who wonders whether slow, faithful obedience still matters in a world that rewards speed and spectacle.We share this story to challenge how we measure impact and to honor the quiet craft of translation, cross-cultural ministry, and perseverance under persecution. If you've wrestled with doubt, chased purpose across false starts, or questioned whether costly conviction is worth it, Judson's path offers a bracing, hopeful answer. Subscribe for more history-grounded faith stories, share with a friend who needs courage, and leave a review telling us: what fruit would you endure for?Stephen's latest book, Legacies of Light, Volume 2, is our gift for your special donation to our ministry. Follow this link for information or to donate:https://www.wisdomonline.org/mp/legaciesSupport the showStephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

Share a commentWhat if prayer isn't about prying blessings from a reluctant heaven, but receiving the Giver himself? We follow Oswald Chambers from a teenage surrender on a country path to a wartime awakening in Cairo, then turn to Luke 11 to rethink how Jesus taught us to approach the Father. Along the way, we meet Biddy—his brilliant stenographer wife—whose shorthand preserved sermons that would outlive them both and disciple millions.We open with the unsettling simplicity of Jesus' promise: ask, seek, knock. Not to wear God down, but because the door is already open. The midnight neighbor is a contrast, not a comparison; the Father isn't irritated, he's eager. That's why Chambers hung a banner over his chapel hut: How much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask. In a camp full of soldiers who feared they would not see home, the message landed like water in a desert. Prayer became less about extracting outcomes and more about receiving presence, wisdom, and courage for the next step.Chambers' life throws the teaching into sharp relief. He abandoned art school, endured a dark night, and embraced a Spirit-led obedience shaped by mentors like Spurgeon and Alexander Whyte. He ran a Bible college on faith and famously refused a full endowment, trusting provision to fit God's will. During World War I he canceled YMCA entertainments, taught Scripture, and watched a quiet awakening spread. His death at 43 might have closed the story, but Biddy's notebooks turned a hidden ministry into a global voice. His counsel still steadies us: never make a principle out of your own experience; trust God and do the next thing.If this conversation reframed your view of prayer and faith, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs courage, and leave a review so others can find it. What's your next step of trust today?Stephen's latest book, Legacies of Light, Volume 2, is our gift for your special donation to our ministry. Follow this link for information or to donate:https://www.wisdomonline.org/mp/legaciesSupport the showStephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

Share a commentFires, riots, and a mother praying under an apron—this is the untidy ground where a spiritual movement took root. We step into the world of Susanna Wesley, a pastor's daughter who faced poverty, public hostility, and staggering loss, yet stitched her home together with steady practices and an unshakable trust in God. England sat in a moral fog, pulpits droned without conviction, and even executions sold like theater. In that setting, Susanna's daily choices created a quiet counterculture that outlasted the chaos.We trace her journey from a mud-floor parsonage to the night a neighbor's human ladder pulled six-year-old John from a burning home. We sit with a marriage marked by sharp disagreements and debt, where Samuel Wesley's misjudgments and absences deepened the strain. And we examine Susanna's small, repeatable acts of faith: the “apron over the head” prayer time, the weekly hour of one-on-one counsel for each child, the insistence on Scripture shaping minds and manners. Her story holds both pain and paradox—several children wandering or wounded, others, like John and Charles, carrying a methodical faith into streets and chapels that needed awakening.Rather than a tidy formula, we offer an honest ledger: faithful parenting without guarantees, structure without control, courage without applause. You'll hear how the famed “Methodist” method mirrored habits formed at home, how Charles's hymns trained hearts to sing doctrine, and how John's pulpit design anticipated riots sparked by sermons against slavery. The thread through it all is a woman who chose to “fill a little space” if God would be glorified, trusting that perseverance, not perfection, leaves the deeper imprint.If this story moves you, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs courage, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway. Your support helps more listeners find these grounded, hope-filled histories.Stephen's latest book, Legacies of Light, Volume 2, is our gift for your special donation to our ministry. Follow this link for information or to donate:https://www.wisdomonline.org/mp/legaciesSupport the showStephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

Share a commentA street sermon in Akron. An attic prayer. And a life that wouldn't make peace with a low view of God. We follow A.W. Tozer's journey from a teenage conversion to a ministry that challenged the church to recover holiness, embrace lordship, and set our minds on things above. Drawing a line from Peter's invitation at Pentecost to Colossians 3, we explore why a towering vision of Christ changes everything—from the way we worship to how we preach and live.I share Tozer's fiercest insights in his own words: why entertainment can't sustain a church, how “motion” often mimics growth, and what true exposition aims to do—produce moral action, not mere information. We also talk about the work behind The Pursuit of God and the need to behold the majesty of the One who sits enthroned, who calls the stars by name, and never learns because He already knows all things. This isn't a call to be louder; it's a call to be deeper.But the story isn't airbrushed. We reckon with Tozer's blind spots at home—the distance, the costs of relentless focus—and what that teaches us about holding a high view of God alongside a practiced love for people. If you've felt the ache for more than spiritual gadgets and clever slogans, consider this your invitation: raise your gaze, expand your heart, and let truth lead to action.If this conversation stirred you, subscribe, share it with a friend who needs courage, and leave a review with one way you plan to set your mind on things above this week.Support the showStephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

Share a commentThe story starts with a stubborn five-year-old asking God for blue eyes and ends with a sanctuary where hundreds of children found a new birthday. Between those moments lives a fierce kind of obedience that refused to bow to fashion, caste, or fear. We trace Amy Carmichael's arc from an Irish home marked by loss to a calling forged by Scripture—especially Paul's warning that our work will face the fire—and a conviction that “go ye” is a command with a name on it.You'll hear how early mentorship in the Keswick movement and a rejected application to China set the stage for a different path: a brief, painful stint in Japan, then a one-way voyage to India. There, Amy shed European dress, learned Tamil through setbacks, and followed compassion past respectable lines. The turning point arrives with Preena, a child sold to a temple and branded for wanting freedom. When ritual masks brutality, Amy builds a refuge. Donavur becomes a living argument against the caste system and a haven where rescued girls and boys claim a “coming day” as the start of their true lives.The journey isn't tidy. Reports home are “too shocking,” legal threats loom, a board relationship frays, and a fall leaves Amy bedridden for twenty years. Yet the work deepens. From her room, she writes books and poems that still ignite courage: a faith that asks not for softer winds but stronger hearts, a mission that promises only “a chance to die” and somehow gives life. We reflect on what endures—gold, silver, precious stones—and how ordinary choices become extraordinary when tested by fire. If you've ever wondered whether conviction can outlast convention, or how one life can push back on entrenched injustice, this story offers a clear, bracing answer.If this episode moves you, follow the show, share it with a friend who loves true courage, and leave a review telling us the moment that challenged you most.Support the showStephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

Share a commentA God who cries at a graveside and prays through sweat and sorrow isn't distant from our pain—and that truth frames one of the most breathtaking true stories of mission and redemption. We start where many believers secretly live: wondering whether tears are wasted and whether apparent failure means God has gone silent. From the compassion of Jesus at Lazarus's tomb to the anguish of Gethsemane, we ground the journey in a Savior who validates grief and transforms it into hope.Against that backdrop, we walk with David and Svea Flood into the Belgian Congo: malaria, shut gates, and a single boy allowed to sell eggs at their tent. Svea shares the gospel with him; soon after, she dies following childbirth. David, shattered, buries her on the hill and abandons faith, convinced the mission failed. Their newborn, Aina, is adopted, brought to the United States, and grows up with only fragments of her story. Years later, a Swedish magazine lands in her mailbox with a photo of a simple cross: “Svea Flood.” Translated lines tell of the boy who became a teacher, won his village, and helped plant a thriving church.What unfolds next is restoration. Aina finds her father in Sweden, bitter and broken. She tells him the truth: the seed did not die in vain. Hope returns; grace does its quiet work. Then, at a London conference, Aina meets the very man her mother led to Christ—now a national church leader representing more than a hundred thousand baptized believers. Together they journey back to the hill, to the grave beneath the palm, and to a village alive with faith.This is a story for anyone who has sown in tears and seen nothing bloom—yet. It's about unseen seeds, long timelines, and the God who weeps with us while turning loss into a harvest beyond our imagination. Listen, share with a friend who needs courage today, and if this moved you, subscribe and leave a review so more people can find hope.Support the showStephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

Share a commentSupport the showStephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

Share a commentSupport the showStephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

Share a commentSupport the showStephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

Share a commentSupport the showStephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

Share a commentSupport the showStephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

Share a commentWhat happens after the shepherds go home? We pick up the story in Luke 2 and walk with Mary and Joseph into the temple, where obedience, irony, and revelation collide. Our aim is simple: show how the child who fulfilled Moses' law also fulfilled the deepest hopes of Israel and the nations, and why that still changes the way we live and the way we face death.We start with the law. Jesus is born under it, and his parents present him through two ancient ceremonies—redemption of the firstborn and purification after birth. The details matter: five shekels paid to “buy back” a son who already belongs to God; forty days of protected recovery that reveal God's care for mothers, marriages, and homes. Then the striking image: a poor couple brings two birds because they cannot afford a lamb, yet they carry the Lamb. This is the kingdom's signature—glory dressed in humility, strength hidden in weakness, fulfillment walking in with ordinary parents.Simeon steps in with a promise in his bones and a song on his lips. He holds the child and finds peace strong enough to face death. Then he looks outward: Jesus shines as a light for revelation to the Gentiles and glory to Israel, turning on the light in a dark world. But light divides. Simeon warns Mary that a sword will pierce her soul and that many will stumble or rise over her son. Jesus becomes the great intersection, revealing hearts and forcing a choice. Right then, Anna the prophetess arrives, gives thanks, and tells everyone waiting for redemption. Still, the crowd mostly walks by, brushing past the living fulfillment of their temple symbols—the bread of life, the true light, the mercy seat embodied.If you're hungry for a faith that is rooted, thoughtful, and honest about both hope and cost, this story past the manger is for you. Listen to hear how ancient law, human longing, and divine promise meet in a single moment—and decide what you'll do with the light. If this resonates, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a quick review to help others find these conversations.Support the showStephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

Share a commentHeadlines shouted about emperors, decrees, and peace from the point of a sword. We turn the camera 1,500 miles away to a dusty road, a tired couple, and a manger that upends everything we assume about power, timing, and hope. By walking through Luke 2, we explore how a taxing order from Caesar becomes the unlikely path that lands Mary and Joseph exactly where an ancient promise said the Messiah would arrive—Bethlehem. What looks like political control is actually providence in motion.We also dig into the startling choice of first witnesses. Angels bypass palaces and pulpits and light up a field of shepherds, men considered unclean and unreliable in court. The message they carry is the core of the Christian claim: good news of great joy for all people. Savior, Christ, Lord—each title is loaded with truth, announcing both rescue and reign. The sign is not luxury or status but a feed trough, a picture of humility that does not diminish glory. It reframes peace from a Roman promise into a reality that reconciles hearts to God.From there we follow the shepherds' simple pattern: go, see, tell. They become a living model for how ordinary people share extraordinary news. No formal training, just firsthand wonder and a clear message. We reflect on Mary's quiet pondering, the mixed responses of the crowd, and the long arc of history that outlives Rome's slogans. Augustus dies without a resurrection; Jesus will rise and validate every promise sung by that angel choir. If you're feeling pushed around by headlines and mandates, this story steadies your steps: God is awake, purposes are intact, and peace is nearer than it seems.If this conversation encouraged you, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs hope, and leave a quick review to help others find it. What part of the story spoke to you most today?Support the showStephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

Share a commentA bleak world. A silent heaven. Then—astonishingly—music. We open on Israel's long night, four centuries without a prophet, and watch the first rays of dawn spill into ordinary lives: a teenage girl in Nazareth who sings scripture by heart, an old priest who writes “His name is John” and finds his voice, and a village stunned into awe. This is not a story about spectacle at the center of power; it's about grace arriving where no one's looking and turning quiet rooms into choruses.We walk through the drama of the eighth-day ceremony, where custom demands Zechariah Jr. but obedience insists on John, “God is gracious.” That one name reframes the silence. From there, Zechariah's song rises in three movements: salvation declared with prophetic certainty, a father's tender charge to his son to prepare the way, and the radiant promise of the “sunrise from on high” guiding our steps out of darkness and the shadow of death into the path of peace. Along the way we unpack vivid images—mud tracks becoming highways for a King, hearts leveled by repentance, light replacing confusion—that make ancient words feel urgent and near.We also explore the split reactions the light always brings. Some don't recognize it. Some reject it. Some receive it and become children of God—and children sing. Threaded through the conversation is Handel's own breakthrough, composing Messiah after a season of pain, tears on the page as scripture ignites music. By the end, the theme is unmistakable: grace names us, obedience steadies us, and the sunrise changes how we see everything. Listen, share with a friend who needs dawn more than answers, and if this moved you, subscribe and leave a review so others can find their way to the light.Get our magazine and daily devotional: https://www.wisdomonline.org/lp/magazineSupport the showStephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

Share a commentA messenger bypasses palaces and arrives in a forgotten town. That's where the story turns. We walk through Luke 1 with fresh eyes, meeting Mary not as a stained-glass icon but as a poor teenager who receives a staggering promise and answers with a brave, uncluttered yes. Gabriel's greeting reframes the moment: grace received, not merit earned. From there, eight prophecies cascade—conception, birth, the name above names, divine Sonship, David's throne, Israel's restoration, and a kingdom that doesn't end—and we trace what has been fulfilled and what still stretches ahead in God's timeline.Along the way, we open the meaning of “overshadowing” and why Luke connects Mary's miracle to the Shekinah presence over the tabernacle and the blaze of the transfiguration. We sit with Mary's honest question, then linger on her surrender: “I am the Lord's servant.” That surrender doesn't smooth the road; it introduces complications—whispers in Nazareth, a shaken betrothal, flight from Herod, and years of scarcity—yet it also unveils the faithfulness that meets us in the hard path. God even provides a companion in Elizabeth, whose Spirit-stirred child leaps for joy, confirming that Mary now carries the Son of God.We close by drawing out what this means for us: grace chooses the unlikely, obedience often increases the stakes, and God is not looking for polished resumes so much as ready hearts. If you've ever wondered how to trust when the details are thin and the cost is high, Mary's story offers a clear, courageous pattern—sign the blank page and let God write. Listen now, share it with a friend who needs hope, and if this conversation speaks to you, follow the show, leave a review, and tell us: where is grace inviting you to say yes today?Get our magazine and daily devotional: https://www.wisdomonline.org/lp/magazineSupport the showStephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

Share a commentStart with the claim many never hear in church: Christianity does not ask you to turn off your brain. We walk through Luke's opening lines to show how a Gentile physician set out to build certainty, not wishful thinking—an orderly account anchored in eyewitness testimony, historical markers, and the patient rigor of a doctor who performs an “autopsy” on the facts of Jesus's life, death, and resurrection.From there, we drop into the harsh days of Herod the Great, where politics are brutal and religion is corrupt. In that setting, a country priest named Zechariah receives a once-in-a-lifetime assignment and, at the altar of incense, meets the angel Gabriel. After 400 years of prophetic silence, the message lands with mercy and precision: your prayer has been heard. Elizabeth, long past the age of childbearing, will conceive a son—John—whose calling will prepare the way for the Messiah. Personal longing and national hope converge in one promise kept.We talk through doubt and discipline, the difference between asking how in faith and demanding a sign in unbelief, and why Gabriel's answer—I stand in the presence of God—reframes every impossible situation. Along the way, we spotlight Luke's unique voice: the beloved physician who loves details, prizes verification, and uses words like rejoice and praising God more than any other New Testament writer. The takeaway is clear and hard-won: God remains in control when culture sidelines him, God is aware when he seems absent, and God is able when life feels impossible. If this encourages you or challenges your assumptions, share it with a friend, subscribe for future deep dives, and leave a review to help others find the show.Get our magazine and daily devotional: https://www.wisdomonline.org/lp/magazineSupport the showStephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

Share a commentWhat if the name you carry changes everything about how you face fear, loss, and ordinary days? We explore the surprising claim that Christians don't steal an identity; they receive one—an identity gift in Jesus that opens access to grace, strength, and a future that outlasts every headline. Drawing from 1 Peter, we walk through why scattered, marginalized believers are called profoundly privileged and how that perspective reshapes daily life.First, we look back to the prophets who spent their lives hunting down the meaning of salvation with incomplete pieces. They saw the suffering and the glory but longed to know the person and the time. We now know the name Jesus, study his words and works, and feast at a table they set. That clarity isn't a luxury to hoard; it's a compass for hard seasons.Next, we turn to preaching as a Spirit-charged work. The gospel is announced “by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven,” reminding us that real fruit never comes from clever outlines or new angles. Whether you teach, share your faith at work, or lead your family, you mine the text faithfully and trust the Spirit to make it live. Culture's breaking news fades; the living Word still breaks through.Finally, we widen the lens to the angels, those radiant witnesses who marvel at redemption. They've seen creation, judgment, and rescue, yet they never sing as the forgiven. They watch your story with holy curiosity, celebrating every conversion and every steady act of faith. Your routine labor is not small; heaven leans in.If prophets longed for your clarity, preachers rely on your Companion, and angels study your story, then you're better off than you think. Wear Christ's name with quiet courage, draw on his account with gratitude, and step into the week knowing you're seen, supplied, and sent. If this encouraged you, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs hope, and leave a review to help others find it.Get our magazine and daily devotional: https://www.wisdomonline.org/lp/magazineSupport the showStephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

Share a commentA smear campaign can travel faster than truth, and the first Christians felt it—accused of treason, atheism, immorality, even cannibalism. We open that history not to chase outrage, but to ask a harder question: what profile should the world see when it looks at followers of Jesus today? Rather than staging a public-relations blitz, Peter writes to scattered believers with a steadier strategy—endure with joy, live with integrity, and let the gospel rewrite minds one person at a time.We walk through Peter's surprising claim that Christians can “greatly rejoice” even while distressed by trials. That joy isn't a mood hack; it's rooted in a living hope, a living Lord, and an inheritance that can't fade. We draw a sharp line between happiness and joy, share Joni Eareckson Tada's vulnerable morning prayer, and name four truths that reframe suffering: trials are not eternal, never wasteful, always painful, and relentlessly refining. From helicopter parenting to the goldsmith's fire, the pictures are plain: God doesn't swoop in to spare us from every hardship; he forges endurance and maturity through them.The heart of the conversation lands here: loving an unseen Christ. You haven't seen him, yet you love him; you don't see him now, yet you believe and rejoice. That unseen loyalty is the test—do we love Jesus or just the good life we hope he gives? By holding joy and sorrow together, Peter offers a resilient, hopeful profile for a skeptical age: gracious, grateful, future-focused people who endure with courage and reflect the face of Christ through the heat. If this resonates, subscribe, share the episode with a friend who needs sturdy hope, and leave a review to help others find the show.Get our magazine and daily devotional: https://www.wisdomonline.org/lp/magazineSupport the showStephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

Share a commentWhen the day feels like a blizzard—cold, bitter, and disorienting—gratitude can sound unrealistic. We open 1 Peter 1:3–5 and discover why praise becomes our most honest response: mercy meets us, the risen Jesus anchors us, and an unfading inheritance steadies us for the long road. This isn't about positive thinking or spiritual spin. It's about certain hope tied to a living Lord.We walk through Peter's doxology and unpack four pillars that carry weary people. First, God's great mercy causes us to be born again—undeserved, unearned, and utterly transforming. Second, hope is alive because Jesus is alive, a certainty stronger than cynicism and deeper than denial. Third, our inheritance is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, reserved in heaven and never subject to loss, decay, or boredom. Finally, God's power guards us through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed, reminding us that justification, sanctification, and glorification are parts of one secured story.Along the way, a mother's search for her runaway daughter paints a vivid picture of grace: wherever you are, whatever you've become, come home. That's the gospel invitation—home for wanderers, cleansing for the ashamed, courage for the exhausted. If you've felt scattered, sidelined, or forgotten, this conversation will steady your heart and lift your eyes to the certainty that you belong and you're being brought safely home.If this encouraged you, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs hope today, and leave a review so others can find it. Your words help more wanderers hear the call to come home.Get our magazine and daily devotional: https://www.wisdomonline.org/lp/magazineSupport the showStephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

Share a commentStart with the headlines if you want, but the deeper story is bigger than outrage. We explore how scattered believers can live with courage and clarity by seeing salvation through the lens of the Trinity: the Father who foreloves and places us, the Spirit who sanctifies and empowers us in the present, and the Son who commands our obedience while cleansing our failures. Instead of treating exile as an accident, we reframe it as assignment.We walk through 1 Peter's opening lines and draw out what foreknowledge really means, why it's more than prediction, and how that truth transforms fear into assurance. From there, we get practical about the Spirit's daily work—opening Scripture, fueling worship that doesn't depend on mood or music, prompting prayer when words fail, and exposing the folly of trying to run a life or a church on human power alone. If you've felt more foreign in your own city, we show why that ache can be a signal of grace: you're being set apart for a different kingdom.Finally, we center on Jesus: obedience not as legalism but as loyal listening, paired with the strong comfort of His sprinkled blood. Old Testament echoes—covenant, priesthood, cleansing—come alive and point to a joy that guilt can't mute. The result is not escapism, but steadiness: grace and peace multiplied, not because the world calms down, but because our reconciliation with God holds firm. If you need a framework to stand steady in a shaky moment, this conversation offers it.If this resonated, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs courage today, and leave a quick review so more exiles can find their footing.Get our magazine and daily devotional: https://www.wisdomonline.org/lp/magazineSupport the showStephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

Share a commentThe ground under our feet is shifting, and pretending otherwise only makes us dizzy. From Russia's anti‑missionary law to rising pressure in workplaces and schools, we're watching the culture say out loud what it actually believes—and that clarity, while costly, can be a gift. We step into that reality with 1 Peter, written to people called aliens and scattered, people who lacked legal standing, social welcome, and safety, yet carried a living hope that made idols look small.We draw lines between the first century and now: how Christianity lost its protective umbrella in Rome, how distinction replaced camouflage, and why today's debates over God, Scripture, marriage, gender, truth, judgment, and eternity require us to start at the level of definitions, not assumptions. History backs the strategy. Pliny the Younger recorded pagan temples standing empty in Bithynia because the quiet, persistent witness of believers reshaped the moral landscape. That kind of influence doesn't come from outrage; it comes from a steady presence—working, blessing, warning, and praying with courage and grace.At the heart of the conversation is a single word that steadies the soul: chosen. We treat election the way Scripture does—as comfort, not combat. God's initiative doesn't erase human responsibility; it enables genuine repentance and faith. If you have looked to Christ, your calling and election are sure, not because you feel it but because he holds you. That assurance fuels perseverance when jobs are on the line, when definitions collide, and when you feel like a stranger in your own town. Aliens and scattered isn't a sentence; it's a strategy. Your placement is purposeful. Your distinctness is the point.Join us as we rethink witness for a pre‑Christian world, draw courage from the first century, and recover a resilient identity: rejected by the world, welcomed by God. If this speaks to you, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs steady hope, and leave a review to help others find it. Where do you feel the tension most—and how might God use you there?Get our magazine and daily devotional: https://www.wisdomonline.org/lp/magazineSupport the showStephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

Share a commentThe air smells like smoke and rumor, and the faithful are bracing for a storm. Against that backdrop, we follow Peter's unvarnished journey—sharp insight, spectacular missteps, a rooster's indictment, an empty tomb's quiet proof, and a bold voice that helped launch the church. This is not a highlight reel; it's a field guide for people who have promised too much, failed too fast, and still ache to be useful.We start with Peter's confession—“You are the Christ”—and the whiplash turn to presumption as he tries to correct Jesus. Then we sit with the ache of his denials and the shock of the resurrection details John preserves: linen left in its form, a face cloth folded as a royal signal of return. The angel's words land like grace with a name tag: “Tell the disciples and Peter.” From there, Pentecost breaks open. Peter's courage replaces bluster, his message names Jesus as both Lord and Christ, and thousands respond. The journey arcs forward to an older Peter who writes about prayer that doesn't always prevent failure, humility that replaces swagger, and sober-minded calm that steadies a panicked church.We connect Peter's lessons to our moment: how to hold mission when culture feels hostile, why the church does not need applause or power to be fruitful, and how to exercise rights without making them our refuge. We talk about leaders better than a nation deserves, worse than it merits, and exactly what it has become—and why none of that cancels the call to plant seeds of the gospel. Through it all, one theme threads every scene: entrust your life to a faithful Creator who always does what is right. If your expectations have shattered and you're unsure what to do with the pieces, this conversation offers clear hope, grounded in history and aimed at courage.If this resonated, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs steady hope, and leave a review to help others find it.Get our magazine and daily devotional: https://www.wisdomonline.org/lp/magazineSupport the showStephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

Share a commentFire tore through Rome and a rumor finished the job. As the city smoldered, Nero's propaganda machine named Christians as arsonists, and what had been scattered suspicion hardened into open hostility. Into that pressure cooker, Peter writes like a seasoned shepherd, urging believers to hold their confession without panic and to choose a defiant, settled joy that makes the world curious.We walk through why the shortest creed, “Jesus Christ,” is both the church's anchor and culture's stumbling block. Peter stakes the claim that Jesus is the anointed Messiah and God the Son, echoing Acts 4:12 and the earliest preaching of the apostles. We contrast the apostles' experience with Paul's sudden encounter on the Damascus Road, unpacking why he often says “Christ Jesus” and how that reinforces the same confession from a different angle. The thread running through it all is grace: not a cushion for comfort but solid ground that cannot be shaken by mockery, loss, or marginalization.To bring the theology to life, we zoom in on Peter himself. He's brave, impulsive, corrected often, and yet restored—exactly the kind of flawed follower grace can turn into a pillar. From the Mount of Transfiguration, where his words drift into nonsense, to Caesarea Philippi, where his insight nails the truth, we see how God shaped him to sign his letter, “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,” with a steady hand. Along the way we get practical: why the end of casual Christianity can be good news, how joy functions as evangelism, and why a rooted local church is a lifeline for worship, teaching, prayer, and mission when the cost of faith rises.If you're sensing that cultural comfort and Christian conviction no longer fit together, you're not alone—and you're not without a map. Press play to learn how to stand firm in true grace, keep a clear confession, and live with a luminous joy when the lights go out. If this resonated, share it with a friend, subscribe for more, and leave a review to help others find the show.Get our magazine and daily devotional: https://www.wisdomonline.org/lp/magazineSupport the showStephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

Share a commentIf assurance feels out of reach, this conversation invites you into a steadier place. We open with Queen Victoria's honest question—can anyone know they are going to heaven?—and follow the thread through Romans 5:9–11, where Paul ties our confidence to three gifts: safety from wrath, certainty through Christ's living intercession, and the deep enjoyment of God that flows from reconciliation. The point isn't motivational uplift; it's theological bedrock that supports real life.We walk the text slowly. Justification by Christ's blood means the verdict has already been rendered, and that promise reaches into the future with a firm “we shall be saved.” Then we unpack Paul's greater-to-lesser logic: if God reconciled us when we were enemies by Christ's death, much more will he save us by Christ's life. Hebrews 7 sharpens the edge—Jesus saves forever because he lives forever. That turns assurance from a self-managed feeling into a Savior-anchored certainty. Along the way we clarify the difference between the consequences of sin we may experience now and the ultimate wrath believers are spared, keeping the conversation both honest and hopeful.Finally, we turn from safety and certainty to enjoyment. Reconciliation doesn't end with relief; it blossoms into praise. We talk about what it means to exalt in God with clear heads and full hearts, and why joy is not optional flair but the aim of being made right with him. A lighthearted Einstein story ties it together: it's not enough to be recognized—you need to know where you're going. By the end, you'll have a clearer grasp of who holds your future and why that changes how you worship today. If this encouraged you, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs confidence in Christ, and leave a review to help others find it.Get our magazine and daily devotional: https://www.wisdomonline.org/lp/magazineSupport the showStephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

Share a commentWhat if the love you most crave met you at your worst rather than your best? We walk through Romans 5 and uncover a pattern that upends instincts and expectations: God's love finds the helpless, embraces the sinner, and reconciles the enemy—then proves it in blood. This isn't motivational varnish or a call to try harder. It's a rescue story where the lifeless are lifted, the guilty are pardoned, and the hostile are made family.We thread Scripture with lived stories and hymn lines—an asylum wall that birthed a stanza, a barge on a stormy lake, firefighters who run toward flames—to show why even our finest examples of courage are only faint echoes of the cross. Paul's tight phrases work like keys: while we were helpless, while we were sinners, while we were enemies. Add the two words that change the plot—“but God”—and assurance stops being a mood and becomes a fact. If love arrived when we deserved nothing, it will not leave when we fail again.So we talk about receiving, not achieving. Drop the second savior of self-effort and take the gift with empty hands. Then we lean our weight on it when suffering raises hard questions, remembering that love already did the hardest thing. Along the way, we revisit classic lines—“Amazing love, how can it be”—not as nostalgia, but as theology you can sing when your courage is thin. Press play for a clear, tender tour through the gospel's core: grace for the unworthy, security for the anxious, and hope that holds because it rests on God, not us.If this conversation steadied you, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs hope, and leave a review telling us your “but God” moment.Get our magazine and daily devotional: https://www.wisdomonline.org/lp/magazineSupport the showStephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

Share a commentEver wonder why some days faith feels like pushing a stalled car uphill while other days it moves with quiet power and clarity? We explore the difference the Holy Spirit makes when we stop treating Him like a vague force and start knowing Him as a person who indwells, teaches, and leads. Anchored in Romans 5:5, we unpack how God's love is poured into our hearts through the Spirit and why that truth changes how we pray, decide, and serve.We walk through the personhood of the Spirit—His mind, will, and emotions—and why that matters for real life. You'll hear how spiritual gifts are distributed as He wills, why His indwelling presence is permanent, and what it truly means to be “filled with the Spirit”: not topped up like a tank, but joyfully influenced in speech, thought, and action. Along the way, we dismantle common myths and hype, trading “secret power” promises for the sober beauty of daily surrender that magnifies Jesus and builds a healthy, unified church.Finally, we get practical with a three-part rhythm: listen to the Spirit through Scripture-shaped desires, learn from the Spirit as He convicts and comforts, and lean on the Spirit for help in ordinary pressures at home, at work, and in the body of Christ. No Spirit, no gospel life; with Him, love becomes real, hope holds steady, and obedience gains traction. If this conversation helps you see the Spirit more clearly and trust Him more fully, subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review to help others find the show.Support the showStephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

Share a commentWhen trouble hits without warning, most of us scramble for a way out. We take a different path: we ask how hardship can become formation rather than failure. Walking through Romans 5, we show how tribulation can be a surprising gift that produces perseverance, proven character, and a hope that does not disappoint. This is not a call to pretend pain is pleasant. It is a call to see God's steady hand when life bends in ways we would never choose.We begin by naming two truths: pain is unavoidable and pain is essential. Drawing from medical insights on Hansen's disease, we reveal why the absence of pain can do more damage than pain itself, and we apply that insight to the heart. From there, we confront the prosperity myth with Ecclesiastes 7: God authors days of prosperity and allows days of adversity. The goal is not to escape every valley but to learn the art of walking through it with wisdom. We outline six common trial patterns that unsettle expectations and point to Christ's own path of rejection, injustice, and endurance as the shape of faithful discipleship.Then we build the framework Paul gives: tribulation produces perseverance, perseverance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. Think athlete, furnace, and horizon. Training strengthens through resistance. Heat reveals and removes impurities until the refiner sees His reflection. Hope lifts our gaze beyond immediate relief to the promised restoration under Christ. Along the way we share lived examples, including Fanny Crosby, to show how God can turn limitation into lasting influence. If you're weary, perplexed, or pressed, this conversation offers clarity and courage to keep going with eyes on eternity.If this encouraged you, subscribe, share it with a friend who's under pressure, and leave a review telling us where you need hope to hold. Your story may help someone else endure.Support the showStephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

Share a commentWhat if the most radical thing about your faith was simple access? We walk through Romans 5 and uncover why peace with God is not a mood but a verdict—rooted in Christ's finished work and expressed as real-time access to the Father. No courtyards. No curtains. No spiritual middlemen. Just the one Mediator who ushers us into grace and teaches us to stand there.We start with a hard look at “almost righteous” religion and why it breaks people. Justification isn't wishful thinking; it's a complete declaration that wipes the record clean. From there we trace the torn temple veil and the end of barricades—moving from a culture of distance to a life where prayer is a direct line and worship is personal, intimate, and bold. Along the way, we call out the modern impulse to rebuild walls through celebrity spirituality, pay-to-pray gimmicks, and the myth of special access.Standing in grace becomes our new jurisdiction. We explore what it means to live as citizens of grace—investing in the work of grace, interpreting life through hope, and resisting the schemes that seek to push us around. Grace is not only a status; it becomes a spirit that turns a church into a harbor. Gossip gives way to kindness, suspicion to benefit-of-the-doubt, and isolation to encouragement that literally puts courage into people. By the end, joy feels plausible and even contagious, the kind of gladness that might start rumors of aisle-dancing because the war within has ended.If this encourages you, share it with a friend, subscribe for more teaching, and leave a review with one takeaway you're going to practice this week.Support the showStephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

Share a commentWar ends where the cross begins. We explore why peace keeps slipping through human fingers—from Pax Romana to modern headlines—and why Romans 5:1 offers something the world can't manufacture: objective peace with God, secured by Jesus and received by faith. Not a mood, not a placebo, but a settled verdict that ends enmity and opens a new life.We trace the difference between the peace with God that never changes and the peace of God that rises and falls with prayerful surrender. You'll hear how counterfeit calm can soothe for a season while justice still stands, and why the gospel is not self-help but victory news from a battlefield already won. Drawing on Scripture and vivid stories, we show how Christ “made peace by the blood of His cross,” why you don't make peace with God—God makes it for you—and how that truth steadies anxious hearts when feelings fluctuate.Finally, we lean into our calling as ambassadors. In the Roman world, ambassadors delivered terms of surrender from the victorious army; in the same way, we carry God's gracious terms of peace to a world at war with Him. If you're weary of trying to earn approval, learn how justification by faith ends the oldest conflict. If you already believe, be equipped to share the good news with clarity and courage.If this conversation helps you see Jesus more clearly, tap follow, share it with a friend who needs hope, and leave a rating to help others find the show. Tell us: what kind of “peace” have you chased that never lasted?Support the showStephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

Share a commentA royal claim stands or falls on proof, and for a thousand years Israel kept receipts. We walk through Matthew's carefully structured genealogy to see how Jesus' pedigree validates His right to David's throne and why that matters for faith, history, and hope. Three clean sets of fourteen names anchor the story from Abraham to David, through the Babylonian exile, and finally to Christ, forming a legal and theological map that first-century readers could memorize and trust.The twist arrives in AD 70, when Rome burned the temple and with it the national genealogies. From that day forward, no living claimant could prove priestly or royal descent. Yet one lineage survived in inspired Scripture, recorded by a meticulous tax collector-turned-disciple. That survival makes Jesus the last verifiable heir to David—an astonishing claim made even more remarkable by the Jeconiah problem. We unpack how Luke and Matthew trace different branches back to David: Mary through Nathan provides the bloodline; Joseph through Solomon provides the legal right. Adoption secures the title; the virgin birth secures freedom from the curse. Providence didn't salvage a mistake—it designed a perfect fit.Grace is the other headline. Matthew refuses to airbrush the family tree, naming kings both faithful and corrupt, and highlighting four women—Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and the wife of Uriah—whose stories range from scandal to steadfast loyalty. Their presence isn't a footnote; it's the point. The Messiah comes through sinners to save sinners, unashamed of His ancestors and unashamed to call us family. The genealogy becomes a doorway into the gospel: promises kept, curses overcome, and outsiders welcomed as heirs. By the end, the throne of David points to the throne of the heart, inviting us to trust the only King who can prove His claim and redeem our name.Enjoyed this deep dive into Scripture's receipts and grace? Follow the show, share this episode with a friend who loves biblical history, and leave a review with your favorite insight so others can find us too.Support the showStephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

Share a commentA royal claim is only as strong as the proof behind it, and Matthew opens his Gospel with precisely that: a pedigree designed to be tested. We explore why this oft-skipped genealogy may be the most audacious opening in ancient literature, walking through Abraham to David, the Babylonian exile, and the arrival of the Messiah with a precision that reads like both history and legal argument.We look squarely at a problem that would disqualify any pretender today: the temple archives burned in AD 70, erasing the official records that once verified tribal identity and royal descent. Against that backdrop, Matthew's written genealogy stands out as the surviving witness, making Jesus the last verifiable heir to David's throne. We also tackle the Jeconiah dilemma from Jeremiah 22: if Joseph descends from a cursed king, how can Jesus inherit David's throne? The answer unfolds through adoption and ancestry: Joseph confers the legal right through Solomon's line, while Mary provides David's bloodline through Nathan. The virgin birth isn't a poetic flourish; it's the exact hinge that preserves legitimacy without inheriting the curse.But Matthew doesn't airbrush the story. He includes Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and the wife of Uriah—women, Gentiles, and complicated histories woven into royal lineage. He lists kings both faithful and faithless, refusing to hide the fractures of Israel's past. The result is a portrait of providence that preserves a throne through judgment, exile, scandal, and grace. If you've ever wondered whether faith rests on blind leaps or on a tested line, this conversation invites you to weigh the evidence, see the design in the details, and consider what it means for a king to claim not just David's seat but your heart.If this challenged you or clarified something you've wondered about, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway so others can discover it too.Support the showStephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

Share a commentWhat if the most breathtaking gift can't be weighed, priced, or fully described? We open Isaiah 9 and follow the thread from a simple manger to a sweeping claim: the child given to us is Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. This isn't seasonal poetry; it's a portrait of a Person whose nature makes sense of our longings, our questions, and our hope.We start with the tension everyone feels around Christmas: some gifts sparkle, but they don't satisfy. Isaiah's titles give language for why Jesus does. As Wonderful, His character doesn't fade when the lights come down. As Counselor, He knows the heart before we speak and offers wisdom that never needs revision. As Mighty God—the mighty El—He holds the paradox of power wrapped in humility, strong enough to carry a cross and still stronger to rise. As Everlasting Father, He stands as ruler and originator of the ages, reminding us that time is in His hands and our seasons aren't wasted. And as Prince of Peace, He brings peace with God now and promises a future where justice and joy dwell openly under His reign.We also unpack a striking image: “the government shall be upon His shoulder.” Drawing from Jewish wedding customs, picture a bride placing her veil over the groom's shoulder as a sign of trust and care. That's the invitation of Advent—placing the government of our lives on Christ's shoulders. Dreams, griefs, plans, and fears find their weight carried by Someone able and willing. If your holidays feel divided or your hope feels thin, this conversation will steady your faith and warm your imagination for the King who counsels, carries, and comes.Want to go deeper? Grab our free digital booklet, An Indescribable Gift, and share it with someone who needs encouragement today. And if this episode helps you see Jesus more clearly, follow, rate, and share the show so others can find it too.Support the showStephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

Share a commentA birth announcement shook the night sky and reset history: a child in Bethlehem who is Savior, Messiah, and Lord. We walk through Gabriel's lightning-fast message, the sheer scope of the angelic host, and the quiet courage of a young woman who said yes to God, even when it meant being misunderstood for life. Along the way, we connect the temple, the throne of David, and the promise of a kingdom without end to the gritty, hopeful ground of daily faith.We start with the contrast between human breakthroughs in communication and a form of delivery that never fails—messages sent by angels. From there, we linger with Mary as Gabriel speaks two powerful currents into her life: grace and greatness. Grace means undeserved favor; greatness means God's unstoppable plan. Mary's honest question about how a virgin can conceive meets a temple-shaped answer: the Spirit will overshadow her, as glory once filled the Holy of Holies. That image reframes us, too—believers become living temples who carry Christ into ordinary spaces with purpose and humility.Then the fields around Bethlehem come alive. Likely temple shepherds, charged with raising lambs for sacrifice yet barred from worship as unclean, hear first. Gabriel's announcement is precise and bold: the Deliverer has come, the Anointed King stands in David's line, and this child is God incarnate. Born for you. Not for angels—for people on the margins, for the devout in the temple, for anyone ready to receive grace. The Creator who once wrapped the universe in darkness now lies wrapped in swaddling clothes, and the Father fills the sky with a choir no earthly parent could hire.The closing challenge lands close to home: angels announced, but now we advance. If we carry Christ, then we carry his message—clearly, kindly, and courageously. Listen, reflect, and share the hope: Jesus is Savior, Messiah, and Lord. If this moved you, follow the show, leave a review, and send the episode to someone who needs good news today.Support the showStephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

Share a commentThe hush before the first carol was not empty—it was charged. We step into the holy place with Zacharias, incense curling upward, when Gabriel appears and declares that the long night is ending. This is where Christmas begins: with a promise spoken into fear, a calling placed on an aging couple, and the first shockwave of good news that will roll from a quiet temple to a manger and beyond.We walk through the world of Herod's Judea and the deep ache of barrenness that marked Zacharias and Elizabeth, showing how faith endures when culture misreads suffering. Then the scene opens: a once-in-a-lifetime priestly duty, a famous messenger blazing with authority, and a message rooted in Malachi's prophecy. Their son will prepare the people, turn hearts, and ready a nation for the Messiah. Along the way, we explore why angels matter without making them the main act—how Scripture positions them as servants of God's redemptive plan and why the first New Testament use of “good news” comes from an angelic voice.Doubt doesn't disqualify; it gets refined. Zacharias asks for proof, and Gabriel answers with presence: I stand in the presence of God. The sign is silence—hard, humbling, and holy—until promise becomes reality. When John is born, the sunrise from on high is named and the dawn truly breaks. If you've wrestled with unanswered prayers, wondered about angelic ministry, or wanted to see how the Christmas story actually starts, this journey through Luke 1 will steady your hope and sharpen your vision.If this story stirred your faith, share it with a friend, subscribe for part two on Gabriel's message to Mary, and leave a review so others can find the good news that still breaks the dark.Support the showStephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

Share a commentA world obsessed with winning, suing, and asserting runs on the fuel of rights. We went another way today, opening Philippians 2 and tracing how Jesus willingly laid down four divine rights—living like God, acting with unrestrained power, appearing in obvious glory, and being treated as a king—to give us something we could never earn: the right to become children of God.We begin with the cultural mirror: headlines about lawsuits and entitlement that make humility feel foreign. Then we move into the gospel's counterintuitive center, where the Son “emptied Himself.” Not of deity, but of the independent use of it. The hands that formed the cosmos took up tools in a carpenter's shop. The One who could command angels borrowed beds, boats, a room, and even a tomb. Isaiah's portrait reminds us He didn't arrive with royal sheen; He came as an ordinary man whom many missed, and some despised.Finally, we face the cross—a punishment designed to humiliate. Before Pilate, Jesus chose silence over self-defense. He accepted injustice without calling down fire, because love had already chosen the path to our rescue. That voluntary surrender reframes Christmas and our lives. Adoption into God's family is the right that outlasts every claim and counters every insecurity. Worship, then, is not coerced; it's the fitting response to a King who came low so we could be lifted.If this message moved you, share it with a friend who needs hope, subscribe for more gospel-centered teaching, and leave a review to help others find the show. And if you're ready to respond, take a quiet moment and tell Him so—He still welcomes those who come.Support the showStephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

Share a commentMeaning doesn't arrive with speed, applause, or another adrenaline spike; it arrives when we finally face the One Shepherd and let His words both prod and secure us. We walk through Solomon's closing pages in Ecclesiastes 12 and trace a simple, beautiful arc: worship God, keep His commands, and prepare for the moment when every hidden thing comes to light. Along the way, we unpack why fearing God is not terror but nearness, how gratitude dismantles the myth of self-made lives, and why Scripture's “goads and nails” are the mercy we need to change direction and stay grounded.You'll hear how Solomon weighed, studied, and arranged sayings that still cut through modern noise, and why their power lies in their source—not clever phrasing but the voice of the Lord. We talk about reading widely without drifting, testing every idea against the truth that endures. Then we turn to the heart of obedience: not box-checking but love in motion, the kind of devotion Jesus describes when He ties affection to action. Finally, we look forward with sober joy, remembering that for those in Christ the debt is already nailed to the cross, and preparation becomes stewardship, not dread.If you're ready to move from drifting to direction—anchored by wisdom, animated by love, and aimed at eternity—this conversation will help you start now, not someday. Listen, share it with a friend who needs clarity, and tell us the one command you're ready to nail down this week. Subscribe, leave a review to help others find the show, and visit wisdomonline.org for the full Ecclesiastes series and study resources.Support the showStephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

Share a commentEternity isn't a someday topic; it shapes how we handle youth, aging, and the last breath we take. We open Ecclesiastes 12 and let Solomon's poetic realism guide us through trembling hands, dimming eyes, careful steps, and the startling truth that death is not sleep but awakening. Along the way, we name the cultural story that says you're an accident without accountability and confront it with the better story: you are created, known, and carried by God from the womb to gray hair.We start with the call to remember your Creator in the days of youth. That simple act of remembrance protects against drift, nihilism, and the brittle chase of meaning in achievement or appetite. Then we face the realities of aging with clear eyes and strong comfort: Scripture captures the losses we feel—fading strength, quieter songs, slower recovery—without mocking them, and sets them inside Isaiah's promise that God bears and carries His people into their later years. Finally, we walk through Solomon's images of death's suddenness—the snapped cord, the broken bowl, the stopped wheel—and talk plainly about what follows: dust returns to dust, and the spirit returns to God.You'll hear why these truths are not morbid but freeing: purpose clarifies, courage grows, and ordinary days matter. For believers, the hope is specific and solid—absent from the body, at home with the Lord—and for seekers, the door of grace stands open now. If life is a vapor, wisdom is to live with heaven in mind and holiness in hand, trusting that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.If this message helped you think, hope, or pray differently, share it with a friend, subscribe for more Bible teaching, and leave a review to help others find the show.Support the showStephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

Share a commentYou're younger today than you'll be tomorrow, which makes now the best time to build a joyful, intentional life. Drawing from Ecclesiastes 11, we share Solomon's surprisingly hopeful counsel to the young—and to anyone ready to reset their path: rejoice on purpose, pursue what stirs your heart, and live within the kind of boundaries that keep freedom sweet. Along the way, we talk about how to fight discontent with gratitude, why accountability doesn't crush passion but channels it, and how God's design protects your future joy.We open with a bold idea: joy is not a suggestion but a command anchored in trust that God sees the whole tapestry when we only see a thread. From there, we explore what it means to follow your desires with a clear fence line—living in a way you'll be glad to own before your Creator. You'll hear stories of wasted years, warnings our culture won't say out loud, and practical steps to start small: daily thanks, honest evaluation of pursuits, and wise limits that make long-term joy possible.We also face a hard truth with compassion: there's no such thing as safe sin. We outline the hidden costs of sexual brokenness and the mercy of God's boundaries, not as prohibition but as protection. If you're young, this is your edge; if you're older, this is your invitation to begin again. By the end, you'll have a simple framework: enjoy your season thoroughly, invest your years wisely, and guard your heart and body carefully so your story grows richer with time.If this resonated, share it with someone who needs courage for the next step, subscribe for more wisdom journeys through Scripture, and leave a review to help others find the show.Support the showStephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

Share a commentWaiting for everything to line up before you move? Ecclesiastes 11 cuts through the hesitation with a wise and freeing tension: plan with care, act with courage, and trust the God who works beyond what we can see. We walk through Solomon's vivid images—merchants sending cargo, farmers sowing under uncertain skies, and the mystery of life in the womb—to show how real faith engages a risky world without demanding guarantees. Along the way, we share practical rhythms for diversifying your efforts, starting earlier, finishing stronger, and making peace with outcomes you cannot control.We also lean into joy—not as a smile pasted over hardship, but as a steady practice that honors the gift of another sunrise. Light is sweet, Solomon says, and it's sweeter still when we remember the dark days without letting them dim today's work. You'll hear how “you do not know” becomes a liberating refrain: it removes the burden to predict and replaces it with a call to sow widely, serve faithfully, give generously, and leave results with God. Expect stories that surprise, including a moment when a tossed New Testament still found its mark and changed a life.If you're stuck waiting for perfect conditions, this conversation offers a path forward. You'll get clear steps to act wisely under uncertainty, encouragement to keep casting seed when returns seem slow, and a hopeful vision for building a life that is diligent, courageous, and joyful. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs a nudge to start, and leave a review to tell us the one step you're ready to take today.Support the showStephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

Share a commentEver notice how a life can look successful on the outside while quietly unraveling from within? We dig into Ecclesiastes 10 to expose five habits that sabotage character, corrode communities, and leave even gifted people vulnerable: indulgent comfort, chronic neglect, shallow love of money, a loose tongue, and aiming at the wrong target with flawless precision. Through a vivid story of the Great Wall of China and Solomon's piercing proverbs, we connect breached empires to bribed gatekeepers and then to our own hearts, where integrity—not image—guards the door.We shift the spotlight from “those leaders out there” to the influence each of us carries at home, at work, and in our circles of faith. Solomon's contrast is sharp: pampered rulers who feast at dawn versus disciplined leaders who feast for strength. We talk about what dignified leadership looks like in ordinary life—self-control, service over self, and a steady refusal to let appetites set the agenda. We challenge the cultural chorus that “money answers everything,” unpack why wealth can amplify a voice but cannot grant wisdom, and show how indifference turns small leaks into structural collapse.The turning point is repentance—literally a change of direction. We explore how re-aiming your life begins with admitting the wrong target, then building practices that keep you aligned: daily intake of truth, timely restraint, relational maintenance, and words that heal more than they harm. From social posts to private thoughts, we learn to guard the tongue and steward influence with humility and courage. Walk away with a clear grid for decisions, a renewed aim for your ambitions, and hope that change is possible today.If this conversation helped you refocus, share it with a friend, subscribe for more, and leave a review to tell us which “leak” you're fixing first.Support the showStephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

Share a commentEver notice how the days that define you rarely feel epic at the time? We zoom into the small moments that quietly steer a life—an angry boss, a rushed job, a careless sentence—and unpack Solomon's grounded counsel from Ecclesiastes 10 for walking wisely when the pressure hits. The through-line is practical and hopeful: wisdom isn't a single heroic act; it is a habit of attention to details, timing, preparation, and tone.We start with authority and anger. When a leader overreacts, the impulse is to quit or fire back. Instead, Solomon prescribes calm steadiness—staying at your post and refusing to mirror a fool's heat. From there we tackle “misguided appointments,” those unjust promotions that put the wrong person in the saddle. Through real-world examples—an airline scandal and the Great Molasses Flood—we show how painting over problems and rewarding shortcuts breeds disaster, while care, integrity, and competence build durable trust.Then we break down five “dangerous assignments” that translate to any modern workplace: be protective when digging pits, patient when breaking walls, perceptive when quarrying stone, prepared when splitting logs, and punctual when the timing is everything. Each scene whispers the same truth: slow is smooth, smooth is fast. Finally, we turn to speech. The wise speak grace; the fool multiplies words about a future only God knows. We offer a simple reset for daily talk—less prediction, more humility; less volume, more clarity; less self, more service—so your words heal instead of harm.If you're ready to trade hurry and heat for skill, steadiness, and grace, this conversation will give you tools you can use today. Subscribe, share with a friend who needs a calm voice at work, and leave a review telling us which “small thing” you're choosing to change first.Support the showStephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

Share a commentWhat if the real steering wheel of your life isn't your plans but your heart's hidden lean? We explore Ecclesiastes 10 with vivid images—dead flies in perfume, a fatal leap from the Eiffel Tower—to show how “small” follies corrode trust, reshape direction, and eventually announce themselves through our actions. This isn't about fear-mongering; it's about the kind of uncommon common sense that protects what matters most: integrity, clarity, and a life anchored in truth.We walk through three unforgettable illustrations of folly and turn them into practical guardrails: how tiny compromises stain a good name, why a heart trained by God's Word leans toward blessing and stability, and how behavior reveals belief long before we speak. Along the way, we contrast the modern chase for meaning—hedonism, nihilism, self-made purpose, and even cosmic searches for life—with the grounded wisdom of Scripture. Exploration and sincerity are good; a faulty premise is not. When we ignore the Creator, we jump with a broken parachute, then call it courage.The conversation culminates with a clear invitation from Jesus: “I am the light of the world.” Wisdom is not just advice; it's a Person who brings forgiveness, authority, and hope. If your reputation feels fragile, if your inner compass drifts, or if your actions keep telling a story you don't want to live, this message offers a reset. Guard your heart. Reclaim your aroma of integrity. Let the Light realign your steps for this life and the life to come.If this resonated with you, share it with a friend, subscribe for more studies in Ecclesiastes, and leave a review to help others find the wisdom they're searching for.Support the showStephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

Share a commentWhen life doesn't play by the rules, most of us feel disoriented and a little angry. Ecclesiastes 9 names that ache with startling honesty: the fastest runner loses, the strongest army falls, the most skilled employee gets passed over. We take you into Solomon's world to confront five jarring truths about outcomes, chance, and the limits of control—and then we show why choosing wisdom is still the most reliable way to live.We unpack the story of a poor, wise man who saves a small city from a great king and is quickly forgotten. It's a gut punch that exposes how often quiet, faithful wisdom gets ignored while loud leaders win the spotlight. Yet Solomon insists that a few words of wisdom are better than the shouting of fools. We explore what that means in homes, workplaces, churches, and public life, where volume and virality often masquerade as authority.From there, we trace the source of true wisdom back to God himself. Christ is the wisdom of God, and Scripture forms the instincts we need for right decisions, right reasons, right timing, and right motives. This isn't a promise of easy outcomes; it's a call to steady faithfulness when time and chance derail our plans. If you've felt overlooked, outpaced, or blindsided, this conversation will ground you in what's better than applause: a life aligned with God's Word, lived with clean hands and a quiet conscience.If this encourages you, subscribe, share it with a friend who needs steady footing today, and leave a review to help more people find the show.Support the showStephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

Share a commentWhat if the path to real courage runs straight through the truth we most avoid—our own mortality? We open Ecclesiastes 9 and find not despair but a daring invitation: live fully under God's hand, receive simple gifts with gratitude, cherish your closest relationships, and throw your whole heart into the work before you.We start by reframing control. Your deeds are in the hand of God—not erased, not micromanaged, but dignified within His sovereign care. That clarity quiets the frantic need to prove yourself and frees you to pursue excellence with integrity. From there, we face Solomon's blunt claim that the same event—death—comes to everyone. Denial breeds bravado; wisdom breeds joy. When you accept the appointment, you stop numbing out and start paying attention to the meal on your table, the laughter in your home, and the purpose in your craft.Then come the imperatives: go, eat, drink, rejoice, love, and work. We talk about why bread and wine, clean clothes and oil, become symbols of defiant hope; how enjoying life with the spouse you love builds a resilient heart; and why “whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might” is a daily rule for vocation, service, and creativity. Along the way, we explore how ordinary delights act as appetizers of heaven—small foretastes of a world beyond the curse where feasting, relationship, and meaningful service never end.If you're ready to trade anxious striving for joyful obedience, and vague optimism for concrete practices, this conversation will meet you where you live—at the table, in your marriage, at your desk, and in your neighborhood. Listen now, subscribe for more wisdom woven from Scripture, and share this episode with someone who needs courage to savor today. And if it helped you, leave a review so others can find it too.Support the showStephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

Share a commentEver feel like you're working a thousand-piece puzzle and the last piece is missing? We walk through Ecclesiastes 8 and name the frustrations most of us carry in silence: leaders who misuse power, public saints who live private lies, justice that moves like molasses, and rewards that seem to land on the wrong people. Instead of pretending these tensions don't exist, we bring them into the light and ask what anchors a sane life when outcomes are unfair and answers don't arrive on schedule.From Solomon's journal we trace four puzzles and hold them up to a larger horizon. We talk about the grief of seeing hypocrisy praised and how religious performance can mask a restless heart. We look at the slow grind of human courts and then widen the frame to a final court where the record is complete, the verdict is flawless, and every mouth is silenced. That's where we meet the best news of all: an Advocate who has already satisfied holy justice, who speaks for the guilty, and who sets sinners free because he bore the sentence himself.Then we get practical. Gratitude for ordinary gifts—food, drink, work, clothing—reframes our days, and trust for the unseen corners steadies our nights. You don't need every answer to move forward; you need the One who holds the final piece. If your life picture feels incomplete, come sooner to the hand that keeps it. Listen now, share this with a friend who needs hope, and if the message strengthens you, subscribe and leave a review to help others find it.Support the showStephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

Share a commentWork can feel like a battleground where unfair treatment, clumsy policies, and flawed leadership test our convictions. We walk through Ecclesiastes 8 to explore how authority truly works, why obedience matters, when to say no, and how patience and wise speech can turn tense moments into redemptive ones. Along the way, a World War II story of a farm-shattering bomb that uncovered a life-giving stream reframes setbacks as surprising channels of provision—and challenges us to look for God's quiet work beneath loud disruptions.We dig into three anchors for your nine-to-five: obey God first, honor legitimate authority, and trust providence when outcomes are beyond your control. You'll hear why loyalty to the office doesn't mean endorsing evil, how to choose the right time, tone, and words, and how refusing to retaliate can become a powerful witness. We also map the hard limits of power—no one commands the wind, chooses their day of death, escapes the battles of life, or dodges the consequences of sin—and how those truths free both leaders and followers to act with humility and courage.This conversation blends practical workplace wisdom with spiritual clarity, offering a calm, grounded way to navigate bosses, teachers, and governing officials. If you're wrestling with bad leadership, bureaucratic frustration, or ethical gray zones, you'll find steady guidance for responding with integrity and hope. Listen, share with a friend who needs perspective at work, and if this helped you, subscribe and leave a review so others can discover it too.Support the showStephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

Share a commentWhen life doesn't play by the rules—when the righteous suffer, the wicked prosper, and laughter feels thin—wisdom becomes more than a virtue. It becomes survival. Walking through Ecclesiastes 7, we explore how Solomon, late in life, turns from image and excess to a rare, grounded wisdom that faces sorrow honestly, embraces humility, and trusts God's sovereignty when answers stay out of reach.We unpack four patterns that reshape everyday living. First, wisdom rejects perfectionism: no one arrives at moral flawlessness, and the gospel frees us to repent quickly and grow steadily. Second, wisdom refuses to be paralyzed by criticism: we learn to sift words with courage and humility, asking what might be true and letting God use it for change. Third, wisdom recognizes the limits of intellectualism: knowledge is precious but not ultimate, and discernment blooms where prayer and thought meet. Fourth, wisdom resists hedonism's empty promises: Solomon's pursuit of pleasure drained his capacity for covenant joy, reminding us that ordered loves—rooted in God—turn desire into durable delight.Along the way, we draw a surprising line to Johann Sebastian Bach, whose marked-up Ecclesiastes 7 and quiet margin prayers reveal why sorrow can tutor the heart better than easy days. The benefits of wisdom prove practical and visible: a unique steadiness in a noisy world, clearer choices amid life's riddles, and a softened face that signals a softened heart. If you've felt the tension of unanswered questions and the pull of quick fixes, this conversation invites you to a wiser way—one that steadies your steps, restores purpose, and keeps you close to the God who knows the end from the beginning.If this message helps you think and live more wisely, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs courage today, and leave a review so others can find it.Support the showStephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

Share a commentWhat if the most life-giving classroom is the house of mourning? Solomon's counsel in Ecclesiastes 7 doesn't flatter our egos; it sharpens our focus. We walk through four “better” choices that transform how we navigate an unpredictable world: contemplate your casket, choose your companions, cultivate your character, and consider your Creator. Along the way, we uncover why a good name outlasts surface impressions, why rebuke is a gift, and how nostalgia steals the chance to glorify God today.We share candid stories, practical examples, and Scripture-saturated insights to help you trade the crackle of temporary thrills for the steady warmth of wisdom. You'll hear how flattery dulls growth, why cutting corners backfires, and how patience outlives pride. We tackle the lure of the “good old days,” the danger of unmanaged anger, and the reality that wealth without wisdom often destroys what it promised to secure. Rather than offering quick fixes, this conversation builds a framework for making slow, strong choices that endure.Most of all, we lean into humble trust. God authors the crooked stretches as well as the straightaways, the bright days and the hard ones. Joy in prosperity and reflection in adversity are not competing aims; they are a single life of worship under God's sovereign care. If you're ready to exchange noise for depth, applause for honest counsel, and control for confidence in your Creator, this is your roadmap to living wisely under the sun.If this encouraged you, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs courage for a crooked path, and leave a review to help others find these conversations.Support the showStephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

Share a commentA bold promise with no map changed Abraham's life—and it can reframe ours. We dive into Romans 4 to show how justification rests not on pedigree or performance but on faith in the risen Christ, and we press that theology into everyday decisions where obedience often arrives before explanations. Along the way, we challenge the modern habit of waiting for perfect clarity, make peace with imperfection as we “press on,” and adopt a realistic view of hardship as the training ground where faith grows stronger.We explore seven grounded lessons from Abraham: trust the promise when it feels too good to be true, obey without a full briefing, expect resistance after courageous steps, and redefine faithfulness as many small acts rather than a single heroic moment. A vivid illustration with the Washington Monument reframes salvation as a gift you cannot buy but, in Christ, already possess. Then a quiet story about a seventy-year-old new believer who made tea for homesick students shows how steadfast, ordinary love can lead many to Jesus over time. Through Scripture, poetry, and practical examples, we invite you to become the kind of person others can safely imitate—visible light in a culture short on models.If you've been waiting for more details before you move, this conversation is your nudge to take the next faithful step. Listen to be equipped, encouraged, and challenged to exchange a grand gesture for a roll of quarters and to treat daily choices as holy ground. If this resonates, subscribe, share it with a friend who needs courage today, and leave a review to help others find the show.Support the showStephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

Share a commentWho really belongs to Abraham's family—those with the right ancestry, or those with the right faith? We follow Paul's lead and ask a simple question that cuts through centuries of argument: what do the Scriptures say? From Romans 4 to Galatians 3, the promise to Abraham narrows to a single point of focus—the Seed—and widens to welcome the nations through faith in Jesus Christ.We explore the historical rise of Islam, from Muhammad's early claims and adoption of Jewish forms to the later pivot toward Mecca and distinctive rites. That backdrop sets the stage for a frank, respectful comparison of core doctrines: the identity of God, the person of Jesus, and the cross. When Christ's crucifixion and resurrection are denied, the gospel itself is removed. When Christ is confessed as the promised Seed, Abraham's blessing becomes a living reality, not a contested storyline. This is more than religious trivia; it is the hinge of assurance. Abraham believed God was able to perform what he promised, and that same assurance rests on the finished work of Christ.We also turn the lens on ourselves. Respect for Muslim neighbors must be real—patient listening, clear words, genuine friendship. Recognition must be firm—Allah is not Elohim, and the Jesus of the Quran is not the Jesus of the Bible. And rededication must be practical—recovering habits of prayer, fasting, public witness, and heartfelt worship that match our message. Passion without truth misleads, but truth without passion misrepresents. Abraham's true heirs are those who trust the Son, and their lives should carry the sound of that promise kept.If this conversation helps you think more clearly and live more boldly, subscribe, share the episode with a friend, and leave a review to help others find the show.Support the showStephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback