Book of the Bible (Letter)
POPULARITY
Categories
Take the Survey: https://tiny.cc/cc876 BestPodcastintheMetaverse.com Canary Cry News Talk #876 - 09.15.2025 - Recorded Live to 1s and 0s Deconstructing World Events from a Biblical Worldview Declaring Jesus as Lord amidst the Fifth Generation War! CageRattlerCoffee.com SD/TC email Ike for discount https://CanaryCry.Support CHARLIE KIRK 2:04 Scripture 2 Corinthians 5:20 - Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. Colossians 3:1–2 - mIf then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 2 Timothy 2:3–4 - Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. Matthew 6:33 - But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Kash 33 hours to be precise (X) 9:55 Gov Utah 33 laugh tell (X) Kash patel update on shooter, ideaology (X) Max blumenthal article on KirK (Grayzone) Max and Tim - The Trump inner circle doesnt trust the FBI official story (X) Kash put in congressional hearing for sharing info too soon (Politico) cnn on groypers (x) max blumenthal on nick fuentes (X) Max Blumenthal on Kirk, tucker and Israel (X) nick fuentes eulogy for charlie kirk (X) Dave Smith Praises Nick Fuentes (X) Nick Fuentes thirst trap operation (X) Israel thirst trap op (rolling stone) president fears for his life max blumenthal (X) NEPAL 1:50:12 The Fleeting Fantasy of a King Who Would Return to Save Nepal (NY Times) 2025 Pro-Monarchy protests 2025 Youth Protests Nepalese Youth us ChatGPT to pick leaders (The Times) 2:02:22 AI 2:07:43 Albania unveils an AI anti-corruption 'minister' (AP) Grok, how do I run a country? Here's how AI is quietly taking over governments (RT) EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS 2:13:19 TALENT/TIME 2:24:38 END 2:42:42
SCRIPTURE- 2 Corinthians 7:10"For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.”REFLECTION- JavierMUSIC- NOTES-PRAYER OF LETTING GOTo You do I belong, O God, into Your hands I surrender my life. Pour out Your Spirit upon me that I may love You perfectly, and serve You faithfully until my soul rests in You.
** NOTE: Please forgive any audio issues, we had a lot of hurdles getting this episode to you. Thank you for your grace!**In this hope-filled episode, we explore how God often brings great harvest through seed-like sacrifices. We take a journey from personal visions and global revival signs, through prophetic words and Scripture, to a challenge: will we shrink back — or step into the new harvest God is birthing?What You'll Hear:A personal vision Jen had years ago, foretelling revival coming from unexpected places — especially among young people and families.Stunning revival statistics: Turning Point USA has received 38,000 requests in just four days to start campus chapters.Key Scriptures in NLT form, including John 12:24–25, Mark 4:20, John 16:33, 1 Corinthians 16:13, Genesis 50:20, Romans 8:28, Hebrews 10:39, and Romans 10:9.A look at Kim Clement's prophetic word about a woman rising with oil of healing for the nation — and how that might connect with Erika Kirk's story.Three life-changing takeaways from Charlie Kirk's life and death:Live boldly and without compromise.Trust that God can redeem destruction.Don't shrink back — be willing to be a seed in God's hands.A gospel invitation and a prayer for salvation, encouraging listeners to step into the harvest.Links & ContactIf you prayed the prayer of salvation, let Jen know so she can get some tools in your hands to help you grow in Jesus: jen@javawithjenpodcast.comFollow Jen's latest posts and podcast highlights on Instagram: www.instagram.com/javawithjenRead more on the prophetic word about Erika Kirk and America's healing: “Is Erika Kirk the Chosen Esther?” from Charisma Magazine → mycharisma.com prophetic revival articlePrayer Prompt:Pray for Charlie Kirk's family, and for the young people and families stirred by his legacy.Pray that any seed of loss or pain would become a powerful harvest for God's Kingdom.What looks like death can become the door to multiplied life. As Jesus taught us — unless a grain of wheat falls and dies, it remains alone. But its death brings many seeds. Let's not shrink back. Let's watch the harvest break. God wastes nothing.---------------------------------------• Join me in Greece on a special trip with my listeners! We will explore, make memories, eat great food, see biblical and historical sites & encounter Jesus. Take this 2 minute survey to help me start planning it: https://my.trovatrip.com/public/l/survey/jenilee-samuel
Wisdom of Sirach 13, 14; Psalm 68:1·20; Proverbs 14:6·10; 2 Corinthians 8
“You must not commit adultery.” (Exodus 20:14 NLT) What is adultery? The writers of the New Testament use the Greek word porneia, which translates to “pornographic” or “immorality.” The word refers to adultery, which is extramarital sex. It refers to fornication, which is premarital sex. It refers to homosexuality. It refers to incest, molestation, and even bestiality. All these things figure into the seventh commandment. God is saying, “You must not do this.” Imagine what kind of world we would live in today if this single commandment was obeyed. How many marriages would still be intact? How many fathers would still be at home? How many divorces would have been averted? I believe that historians and sociologists looking back on our era one hundred years from now will say that we were a culture obsessed with sex. Having said that, though, I must also emphasize that sex is not sinful in and of itself. Remember, God created sex. But why? Some would say for procreation. Period. That childbearing is its only purpose. But that’s not what the Bible teaches. The Bible makes it clear that God gave us this wonderful, pleasurable expression of love to be made from a man to a woman and from a woman to a man within the safety of a marriage relationship. Any other variation of it is wrong. When a man and woman have sexual relations together, a oneness takes place. Paul wrote about it in 1 Corinthians 6:15–18: “Don’t you realize that your bodies are actually parts of Christ? Should a man take his body, which is part of Christ, and join it to a prostitute? Never! And don’t you realize that if a man joins himself to a prostitute, he becomes one body with her? For the Scriptures say, ‘The two are united into one.’ But the person who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him. Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body” (NLT). So, no one can say, “It was just a one-night fling. It didn’t mean anything to me.” That’s not what the Bible says. No one can say, “As long as it’s between two consenting adults, no one gets hurt.” The Bible teaches that every time we commit sexual sin, someone else gets hurt. One day, if you live a long life, you may be sitting in a rocker on the front porch of a retirement home, thinking back on your days. In that moment, I don’t think that you’ll care all that much about how successful your career was, or what your income level was, or how great your accomplishments were. But you will celebrate the fact that you were faithful to your spouse and that your marriage stood the test of time. And in that moment, you’ll know why God gave you the seventh commandment: “You must not commit adultery.” Reflection question: What steps do you take to stay faithful in your relationship? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship! — The audio production of the podcast "Daily Devotions from Greg Laurie" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie. Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast Become a Harvest PartnerSupport the show: https://harvest.org/supportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
2 Corinthians
Latte and Laundry: A home for Catholic women, moms, and hearts
“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.” – 1 Corinthians 12:4-6. This week I speak to the heart of the working momma! Somehow, many of us have bought into the lie that to be a good momma, you should not work. However, time and time again, God has revealed that his path towards holiness is divinely unique for every one of us. It isn't about what we do; work, stay-at-home, public school, private school, or homeschool, but rather how we do it. Is our heart oriented towards heaven? Are we leaning into the magnificence of our vocation with a deep desire to love our children well, regardless of how we do it? Do we know the eternal impact of shepherding our children back to him? Have an episode idea you want to hear about? Shoot me a message here!Support the showShe Loved: Resting in the Beauty of Motherhood (New Motherhood Book with Ascension- Be encouraged and uplifted: www.ascensionpress.com/sheloved) I am convinced that God is on mission to restore and revive the beautiful vocation of motherhood right here and right now! Let's build up this community of catholic moms who are answering the call to this mighty work! If this episode blessed you, I would be so honored if you shared it with a friend, rated it, or left us a review! Support the show!!If you want to come join our community and help support the show I'd be so blessed! www.patreon.com/latteandlaundrypodcastI always love to connect :suzanne@latteandlaundry.com
Pastor and bestselling author Max Lucado joins the Built Different Podcast to talk about his newest book, Tame Your Thoughts: Three Tools to Renew Your Mind and Transform Your Life, which released August 12th and is now available wherever books are sold. We discuss what it means to take every thought captive (2 Corinthians 10:5), renew our minds (Romans 12:2), and dwell on what is true (Philippians 4:8). Max shares how Scripture can become a filter for truth, helping us identify and replace the lies of our thoughts and emotions with God’s promises. Trust me, this is a conversation you don’t want to miss. Resources & Links:
A Morning at the Office - an Episcopal Morning Prayer Podcast
Officiant: Mtr. Lisa Meirow, Psalm(s): Psalm 61, 62, Fr. Wiley Ammons, Old Testament: 1 Kings 21:17-29, Michael Kurth, First Canticle: 13, New Testament: 1 Corinthians 1:20-31, David Sibley, Second Canticle: 18, Gospel: Matthew 4:12-17, Mtr. Lisa Meirow. Logo image by Antonio Allegretti, used by permission.
Officiant: Fr. Wiley Ammons, Psalm(s): Psalm 68, Fr. Wiley Ammons, Old Testament: 1 Kings 21:17-29, Michael Kurth, First Canticle: 10, New Testament: 1 Corinthians 1:20-31, David Sibley, Second Canticle: 15, Gospel: Matthew 4:12-17, Mtr. Lisa Meirow. Logo image by Laura Ammons, used by permission.
"Understanding the Times"Colossians 2:6-8; 1 Chronicles 12:32Pastor Nate ClarkeSeptember 14, 2025The government has gone out of its lane:https://youtu.be/Kd9ZG5pMYFIShould Christians pay attention to POLITICS? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ak82aD16r04Have you heard the news about the FUTURE of Oasis Church?https://www.oasischurch.online/futureSERMON NOTES:- Colossians 2:6-8- 1 Chronicles 12:32- Understanding the Times- Wise: rejoices in and embraces the truth Foolish: ignorant of or ignores the truth Wicked: hates and attacks the truth- Encourage, spur-on, and feed the wise Correct, teach, and guide the fool Drive out the wicked- John 10:11-13- Positive World (pre-1994): Society at large retains a mostly positive view of Christianity. To be known as a good, churchgoing man remains part of being an upstanding citizen. Publicly being a Christian is a status-enhancer. Christian moral norms are the basis moral norms of society and violating them can bring negative consequences.- Neutral World (1994-2014): Society takes a neutral stance towards Christianity. Christianity no longer has privileged status but is not disfavored. Being publicly known as a Christian has neither a positive nor a negative impact on one's social status. Christianity is a valid option within a pluralistic public square. Christian moral norms retain some residual effect. - Negative World (2014-Present): Society has come to have a negative view of Christianity. Begin known as a Christian is a social negative, particularly in the elite domains of society. Christian morality is expressively repudiated and seen as a threat to the public good and the new public moral order. Subscribing to Christian moral views or violating the secular moral order beings negative consequences. - Positive World (pre-1994) Neutral World (1994-2014) Negative World (2014-present)- “We shall soon be in a world in which a man may be howled down for saying that two and two make four, in which furious party cries will be raised against anybody who says that cows have horns, in which people will persecute the heresy of calling a triangle a three-sided figure, and hang a man for maddening a mob with the news that grass is green.” GK Chesterton- Patriarchal if you believe what the Bible says about men's leadership in the home. Sexist if you believe what the Bible says about wives prioritizing the home and following their husbands leadership. Racist if you believe what the Bible says about a biblical definition of justice. Homophobic if you believe what the Bible says about marriage and sexuality. Transphobic if you believe what the Bible says about gender.- If you believe someone is mistaken, you try to persuade them. If you believe someone is evil, you feel a moral obligation to stop them. - “Bold-hearted men are always called mean-spirited by cowards who shrink from disagreeable truths that save souls.” Charles Spurgeon - So what do we do?- Recognize it is a spiritual battle. - Ephesians 6:10-12- Pray for boldness and courage.- Acts 4:29-31- “A scared world needs a fearless church.” AW Tozer- Let your light shine in grace and in truth.- John 1:14- John 8:32- 2 Corinthians 10:3-5Oasis Church exists to Worship God, Equip the believers, and Reach the lost.We are led by Pastor Nate Clarke and are located in Richmond, VA.Stay Connected:Website: https://oasischurch.online Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oasischurchva/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OasisChurchRVA/
Pillars and Practices // Connect and Engage Here are two simple reasons to stop and think about our own connectedness within the church family: 1. Connecting to the Community Puts Us in a Place to Love and be Loved1 Corinthians 12:31 (CSB)“And I will show you an even better way.” 1 Corinthians 13:13 (CSB)“Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love—but the greatest of these is love.” Colossians 3:12-14 (NIV)“Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” 2. Connecting to the Body of Christ is Essential to Living. Scripture Reveals to Us that We are Better Together than if We Stay Disconnected. 1 Corinthians 12:12-18 (NLT) “The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is withthe body of Christ. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit. Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body? If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything? But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. All of you together are Christ's body, and each of you is a part of it.” Steps to ConnectingBe PleasantBe ApproachableFind Common InterestsBe Willing to LearnBe Quick to Listen, Slow to Speak and Slow to Become AngryPractice Being Loving Enemies of ConnectingPrideInsecurityFearCriticismDivisivenessOur Own Echo Chambers of Agreement that Pit Us Against Others Who Think Differently. Jesus is Still Our Hope.
Charlie Kirk was a man of deep conviction who sought to talk with those with whom he disagreed. After his murder, is this still possible? Join me for today's Daily Word & Prayer to learn more.Scripture Used in Today's Message2 Corinthians 6:14-152 Corinthians 10:4-52 Corinthians 5:18-29Romans 12:21If you've not read my book, Takin' it to Their Turf. request a copy on my website, www.CampusAmerica.com.You'll be inspired, encouraged, and learn plenty about evangelism and spiritual warfare through the 70+ stories I share of my campus evangelism experiences.We send a copy to anyone who donates to our ministry, but if you can't do so, simply request a copy by sending us an email. Who do you know that needs to hear today's message? Go ahead and forward this to them, along with a prayer that God will use it in their life.To find Tom on Instagram, Facebook, TiKTok, and elsewhere, go to linktr.ee/tomthepreacher To support Tom Short Campus Ministries, click herehttps://www.tomthepreacher.com/support************ Do you want to have all your sins forgiven and know God personally? *********Check out my video "The Bridge Diagram" at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0Kjwrlind8&t=1sCheck out my website, www.CampusAmerica.com, to learn more about my ministry and sign up for my daily email. And make sure to request a copy of my book, Takin' it to Their Turf, when you visit my website.Check out my videos on this channel to learn how to answer tough questions challenging our faith.
Join Father Kevin Drew as he preaches on this Memorial of Saints Cornelius, Pope, and Cyprian, Bishop, Martyrs. Today's readings First Reading: 2 Corinthians 4:7-15 Psalm: Psalm 126:1bc-2ab, 2cd-3, 4-5, 6 Gospel: John 17:11b-19 Catholic Radio Network
Men, it's time to get real. Are you afraid to talk about Jesus at work, with friends, or even with your family? Would anyone be surprised to find out you were a Christian at your funeral?This episode dives into one of the most powerful questions every man of faith needs to face:
In the 'Parable of the Gracious Father' (Luke 15), more commonly called the 'Parable of the Prodigal Son,' Jesus beautifully illustrates the exceedingly lavish and merciful loving grace of God enthusiastically given to anyone who turns to God through genuine repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Scripture referenced: Psalm 51:17, Isaiah 53:6, Isaiah 61:10, Luke 13:22, Luke 14:25, Luke 15:1-10, Luke 15:11-24, Luke 18:13, Luke 19:10, John 5:21, 24, John 10:14-18, 26-30, Romans 2:4, Romans 3:10-18, Romans 3:10-18, Romans 3:22-25, Romans 5:1-2, 8-11, Romans 8:1, 7-8, 16-17, 2 Corinthians 5:21, 2 Corinthians 7:10, Galatians 1:11-16, Ephesians 1:3-9, Ephesians 1:13-14, Ephesians 2:1-3, Ephesians 2:4-5
God is not outside of you just observing your life. He dwells within you. The Lord goes where you goes, experiences what you experience, and loves you in every moment. You are God's dwelling place. Laura reads and reflects on a passage from the Song of Songs chapter 3. We can understand this passage as describing not only the Temple of Solomon but also the temple that St. Paul says we are."Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought at a price. So glorify God in your body". Corinthians 6:19-20Jesus answered and said to him, “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him." John 14:23Learn more about Christ the Bridegroom at Hopesgarden.com
Text us your questions or comments!Men, look around. Confusion reigns, standards collapse, and comfort is crowned king. This is not a moment to spectate. It's a draft notice. Answer it.“Weak men drink weak coffee. If you're going to rise early, crack your Bible, and attack your day, you need fuel that hits hard. That's why we back Confined Space Coffee—real coffee for real men. Get 10% off your first order with code DANGEROUSBREW10.”QOTD: “A nation starved of strong men will be fed by tyrants.”We've trained boys to chase feeling over fortitude, platforms over purpose, and vibes over vows. The result? Homes without anchors, churches without backbone, and communities without protectors. The world doesn't need more content it needs men who carry weight, absorb shock, and do what is right when it costs.SOTD: 1 Corinthians 16:13–14 — “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.”God looks for men who will stand in the gap, do justice, love kindness, walk humbly, do the Word, and fight for their people.Ezekiel 22:30 (ESV) — “And I sought for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the breach before me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found none.”TACTICAL APPLICATION STEPSSet Your Post (Daily 20): 5 min Scripture (start in Proverbs), 10 min prayer (name your wife/kids/people), 5 min plan (top 3 duties). Track it for 7 days—no zeros.Fortify the Home: Pick one gap and fix it this week family meal you lead, budget you own, tech boundaries you enforce, bedtime blessing you pray. Put it on the calendar.Brotherhood Mission : Invite one man to church, a men's group, or a workout. Initiate the conversation, set the date, follow through.Dangerous Focus for the WeekFind a gap. Fill it before Friday. Bring a brother with you.Support the show TDMP SITE: https://dangerousmanpodcast.com/ Grab some DANGEROUS GEAR in our shop https://dangerousmanpodcast.com/shop/ Support the show for as little as $3 a month https://www.buzzsprout.com/2080275/supporters/new Follow us on X for more shenanigans https://twitter.com/TDMPodcast603 Follow us on Instagram for extra shenanigans https://www.instagram.com/thedangerousmanpodcast/ Connect with Matt Fortin & Rory Lawrence Email us at: thedangerousmanpodcast@gmail.com Remember men... Stop trying & start training! Top Men's Podcast for 2024... https://podcasts.feedspot.com/mens_podcasts/
Jase, Al, Zach, and Christian Huff dig into John's instructions for living a life of truth expressed through love in action—a message that feels more relevant than ever. Jase grades Zach's duck-calling skills with a surprising verdict. Christian relives the panic he felt when Phil read a distressing Bible verse during his and Sadie's wedding ceremony, and the guys counsel anyone facing troubles to draw near to God, trusting that He will light the way to the other side. In this episode: John 15; 1 Corinthians 7, verse 28-35; 1 John 3, verses 14–18; Philippians 2, verse 15; John 3, verse 19; John 13, verses 34–35 “Unashamed” Episode 1165 is sponsored by: https://helixsleep.com/unashamed — Get 25% Off Sitewide! http://fastgrowingtrees.com/unashamed — Get up to 50% off select plants & get 15% off your first purchase with code UNASHAMED at checkout! https://duckstamp.com/unashamed — Get your all-new digital duck stamp today. It's easier than ever! https://www.puretalk.com/unashamed — Make the switch today & save an extra 50% off your first month! http://unashamedforhillsdale.com/ — Sign up now for free, and join the Unashamed hosts every Friday for Unashamed Academy Powered by Hillsdale College Check out At Home with Phil Robertson, nearly 800 episodes of Phil's unfiltered wisdom, humor, and biblical truth, available for free for the first time! Get it on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, and anywhere you listen to podcasts! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/at-home-with-phil-robertson/id1835224621 Listen to Not Yet Now with Zach Dasher on Apple, Spotify, iHeart, or anywhere you get podcasts. Chapters: 00:00–14:12 Duck Calling 101 14:13–17:21 Zach's Duck Calling Gets Graded 17:22–26:00 Living In the World, Not OF the World 26:01–36:25 Love & Truth in Action 36:26–44:46 Troubles Are an Inevitable Part of Love 44:47–57:59 God Reconciles Our Fallen World — Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jesus Christ carries out his office of King in two different ways. He carries it out spiritually in the hearts of his people, and he carries it out cosmically in history. We're going to look now at the first of these: how Jesus Christ approaches the human heart. And 2 Corinthians 10 describes this approach in an interesting way. Let's look at this passage to see 1) what it's describing implicitly, and 2) what it's describing explicitly. This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on January 23, 1994. Series: Understanding Jesus. Scripture: 2 Corinthians 10:1–6. Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
What do you think of when you hear the word ‘church'? There's confusion and a lack of clarity about what it means to be a church, but today's guest wants to re-present the fundamentals so that we're more responsible with our witness. Dr. Eric Mason is full of wisdom and he's got a new book out September 30 called Rebranding the Church: Restoring the Image of God's People in the World. Dr. Mason says we've over-corrected in a lot of ways as Christians, going from “holier than thou” to “holiness don't mean nothing.” We aren't committed to maturing in our faith. We don't have a sober-minded view of our own sin, of other people, or of Christian leadership. We're driven by humanistic individualism, thinking we can do this life apart from the community. So let's talk about getting back to the church God intended for us to be a part of. Connect with Dr. Eric Mason: https://www.instagram.com/pastoremase/ | https://www.pastoremase.com/ Grab a copy of Rebranding the Church: Restoring the Image of God's People in the World: https://www.amazon.com/Rebranding-Church-Restoring-Image-People/dp/0593602110/ This Episode is Sponsored By: https://liberty.edu/Perry — Get your application fee WAIVED when you start your future with Liberty University today! https://www.covenanteyes.com/perrys/ — Get Victory by Covenant Eyes FREE for 30 days with promo code PERRYS Scripture references:1 Peter 4Revelation 2Ezra 7:101 Timothy 1:51 Corinthians 2:2Acts 20:27 Subscribe to the Perrys' newsletter: https://withtheperrys.myflodesk.com/zhfus4jx1sJoin Preston's discipleship community for men: https://www.patreon.com/PrestonPerry/membershipTo support the work of the Perrys, donate via PayPal: https://paypal.me/withtheperrysShop BOLD Apparel: boldapparel.shop Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
We can be assured that God is always moving and working in the world around us. In this talk, Landon Lacy guides us through 1 Chronicles 29:1-22, teaching how we can prepare our lives for God's great work.Key Verses // 1 Chronicles 29:1-22, 1 Corinthians 3:16, 1 Peter 2:4-5, 1 Peter 4:10-11, 2 Chronicles 29:5, 2 Chronicles 29:14, 2 Chronicles 29:9, Luke 16:16, 2 Chronicles 29:5 —With Passion City Online you can join us live every Sunday at 9:30a and 11:30a! Join us at https://passioncitychurch.com/dc—Give towards what God is doing through Passion City Church: https://passioncitychurch.com/dc/give —Subscribe to our Youtube channel to see more messages https://www.youtube.com/passioncitychurchdc—Follow along with Passion City Church DC: https://www.instagram.com/passioncitydc—Follow along with Pastor Ben Stuart: https://www.instagram.com/ben_stuart_—Passion City Church is a Jesus church with locations in Atlanta and Washington D.C. For more info on Passion, visit https://passioncitychurch.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
What if the very thing you fear most—suffering—was actually the place God wanted to meet you most deeply?In this episode, Jerrad opens a new series through 1 Peter, a letter written to Christians facing intense persecution under Nero. With raw honesty and pastoral encouragement, he reminds us that suffering isn't a sign that God has abandoned us—it's often the very soil where our faith takes root.Drawing from Peter's opening words, Jerrad shares personal stories of walking with grieving families, parenting through pain, and clinging to identity in Christ when the world speaks lies. More than tips or quick fixes, this episode centers us on the truth that even in suffering, we can bless God—because our hope and inheritance are secure in Jesus.With insight from 1 Peter 1:1–5 and the broader historical context, you'll discover:Why Peter calls us “elect exiles” and why that matters for your identity todayHow to hold onto hope when life feels like it's falling apartWhy remembering who you are in Christ can anchor you through hardshipThe difference between the world's identity labels and God's declaration over youNine reasons Peter gives us to bless God, even in sufferingWhether you're grieving, discouraged, or just need a reminder of where your true hope lies, this episode will help you lift your eyes to the One who guards both your inheritance and your soul.Scriptures Mentioned1 Peter 1:1–5Exodus 14–15Philippians 1:62 Corinthians 4:16–18John 16:33Psalm 34:18Resources & LinksToday's Sponsor: World Watch NewsInvite Jerrad To Speak At Your ChurchBecome A Monthly Partner
In 1 Corinthians 12:8, the apostle Paul includes the "word of knowledge" in his list of gifts imparted by the Holy Spirit. Dr. David K. Bernard explains what the word of wisdom is and how it operates. He also provides biblical examples and shares how he has seen the word of wisdom work in a modern church setting.For further study, see Dr. Bernard's book Spiritual Gifts, available at PentecostalPublishing.com. Enter promo code DKB10 at checkout to save 10 percent on your order.If you enjoy this podcast, leave a five-star rating and a review on iTunes or your preferred podcast platform. We also appreciate it when you share Apostolic Life in the 21st Century with family and friends.
We would love to pray for you! Please send us your requests here. --------Thank you for listening! Your support of Joni and Friends helps make this show possible. Joni and Friends envisions a world where every person with a disability finds hope, dignity, and their place in the body of Christ. Become part of the global movement today at www.joniandfriends.org. Find more encouragement on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube.
Wisdom of Sirach 11, 12; Psalm 67:21·36; Proverbs 14:1·5; 2 Corinthians 7
269. Questions for More Connection and Laughter in Marriage with Casey and Meygan Caston *Disclaimer* This episode contains some mature themes and listener discretion is advised. 2 Corinthians 1:4 NIRV "He comforts us in all our troubles. Now we can comfort others when they are in trouble. We ourselves receive comfort from God." *Transcript Below* Questions and Topics We Cover: Will you share three of the questions from your most recent book, specifically the ones people have told you unlocked the best conversations in their own marriage? You say you're an unlikely couple to help support marriages. Will you share a glimpse of your own backstory? What are a handful of ideas for ways couples can strengthen their connection with one another? Casey and Meygan Caston are the Co-Founders of Marriage365. Casey and Meygan were perfect examples of what not to do in marriage. Three years into marriage, they found themselves having racked up more than $250,000 in debt, fighting constantly, and were ready to call it quits. Despite the 12 failed marriages between their parents, they knew this wasn't the legacy they wanted for themselves or their children. They began reading and educating themselves on how to do marriage the right way. The result of their journey is Marriage365, where they millions of people worldwide through their books, social media, retreats, and their online streaming service, Marriage365. Marriage 365 Website Marriage 365 App Marriage 365 Books Marriage 365 Coaching Thank You to Our Sponsor: WinShape Marriage Sample of Previous Episodes on Sexual Intimacy on The Savvy Sauce: 4 Fostering a Fun, Healthy Sex Life With Your Spouse With Certified Sex Therapist and Author, Dr. Jennifer Konzen 5 Ways to Deepen Your Intimacy in Marriage with Dr. Douglas Rosenau 6 Ten Common Questions About Sex, Shared Through a Biblical Worldview with Dr. Michael Sytsma 89 Passion Pursuit with Dr. Juli Slattery 108 Anatomy of an Affair with Dave Carder 135 Healthy Ways for Females to Increase Sexual Enjoyment with Tracey LeGrand 155 Sex in Marriage and Its Positive Effects with Francie Winslow, Part 1 156 Science and Art of Sexual Intimacy in Marriage, Part 2 158 Making Love in Marriage with Debra Fileta 165 Mutually Pleasing Sex in Marriage with Gary Thomas 186 Sex Series: Enhancing Female Pleasure and Enjoyment of Sex: An Interview with Dr. Jennifer Degler 218 Secrets of Sex and Marriage: An Interview with Dr. Michael Sytsma Special Patreon Release: Protecting Your Marriage Against Unfaithfulness with Dave Carder 252 Maximizing Sexual Connection as Newlyweds to Long Term Marriages and Recovering from a Sexless Marriage with Dr. Clifford & Joyce Penner Connect with The Savvy Sauce on Facebook, Instagram or Our Website Please help us out by sharing this episode with a friend, leaving a 5-star rating and review, and subscribing to this podcast! Gospel Scripture: (all NIV) Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” Romans 3:24 “and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” Romans 3:25 (a) “God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.” Hebrews 9:22 (b) “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:11 “Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.” John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Romans 10:9 “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Luke 15:10 says “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Romans 8:1 “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” Ephesians 1:13–14 “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession- to the praise of his glory.” Ephesians 1:15–23 “For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.” Ephesians 2:8–10 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God‘s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.“ Ephesians 2:13 “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.“ Philippians 1:6 “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” *Transcript* Music: (0:00 – 0:11) Laura Dugger: (0:12 - 1:15) Welcome to The Savvy Sauce, where we have practical chats for intentional living. I'm your host, Laura Dugger, and I'm so glad you're here. Today's message is not intended for little ears. We'll be discussing some adult themes, and I want you to be aware before you listen to this message. I'm thrilled to introduce you to our sponsor, WinShape Marriage. Their weekend marriage retreats will strengthen your marriage while you enjoy the gorgeous setting, delicious food, and quality time with your spouse. To find out more, visit them online at winshapemarriage.org. Welcome to The Savvy Sauce, Casey and Meygan. Casey Caston: Thanks for having us. Excited to be here. Laura Dugger: So, thrilled to have both of you, and let's just dive right into one of your sweet spots. How can open-ended questions change a marriage? Casey Caston: (1:16 - 2:33) Yeah, well, if you think about when we first met somebody that we fell in love with, fell attracted to that first date, as you're sitting across the table, you are looking at that person with so much curiosity. Like, who is this person? What are their hopes and their dreams and their life experiences? What are they afraid of? Where are they going in life? And that curiosity drove us to ask really good open-ended questions. Like, tell me more about yourself. It's funny because we were just reading in Proverbs this morning that in a man's heart, he has a purpose, but a man of understanding draws from the deep wells to pull that out. And I just, I always think about how a great question plums the deep wells of a man's heart or woman's heart. And that attraction, that energy we feel, helps us with asking great questions. But then what happens is when we get married and we move into the wash, rinse, repeat of childcare and chores and, you know, the mundaneness of going to work, coming home, dinner, like, it can really sap all of the romance out of a relationship. And so, what happens is we fall into asking really boring questions. Meygan Caston: (2:33 - 2:34) Like, how was your day? Casey Caston: (2:34 - 2:36) What's picking up the kids? Meygan Caston: (2:36 - 2:37) What's for dinner? Yeah. Casey Caston: (2:38 - 3:18) So, we realize that when the well is dry, so to speak, you're not asking those great questions. We need prompts. We need an outside prompt because I don't think naturally we would ask great questions to spark this, you know, connecting conversation. And I will tell you too, that if you just dropped in and, you know, just ask your spouse, like, “Hey, so, tell me some boundaries we need to set up with your parents.” People are going to be like, “Excuse me, where did that question come from? And what's the question behind the question? What's your motivation here?” But those are conversations we need to have. We just need prompts. So, yeah. Laura Dugger: (3:19 - 3:32) Well, I love that response. And I'm also curious after working with so many married couples, what have you seen as that connection between these amazing prompts for open-ended questions and emotional intimacy? Meygan Caston: (3:34 - 4:20) Yeah. Well, kind of like what Casey was mentioning about, um, just that curiosity of getting to know each other. I think the other part of asking those open-ended questions and having these deeper conversations is really about intentionality. Like you still care about me. You still want to know about my heart. Well, for us, 25 years later, I still care about you. I still love you. And I think that of course, as women, we long for that emotional connection. And I don't think that men realize it, but they actually long for that too. And it's creating a safe place for spouses to share, to cry, to even, um, dream together about their future. And I think, again, if we don't give ourselves those opportunities and we're not intentional with that, we get stuck in the mundaneness of marriage. Casey Caston: (4:20 - 5:03) But, uh, and I would add to that, that curiosity, Meygan, I've talked about how curiosity is the pursuit of something. Right. And we all long to be desired to be pursued. I mean, that is, that underlying communication is so powerful in relationships, because if you think about it, if you're not being pursued and your spouse isn't curious, I mean, that's like the, the heart of apathy. It's like, I don't care. And I know that people aren't intentionally trying to communicate that, but when you feel that, like my spouse doesn't really care about what I dream about or what I'm hoping to achieve this year, they just come home and they just watch TV or they're on their phone. Meygan Caston: (5:04 - 5:18) Right. That communicates a lot non-verbally. And so, that's why these open-ended questions are something that we should never stop being a learner of each other and of ourselves. And that will provide that emotional intimacy. Laura Dugger: (5:19 - 5:45) That's so good. And obviously your resources are amazing. I would love, because you have these 365 Connecting Questions for Couples. And so, I want to just hear maybe three of these questions that come to mind for you guys, especially as you've heard, these are the ones that tend to unlock something deeper in the conversation. Meygan Caston: (5:46 - 6:07) Absolutely. So, August 3rd is, are you someone who spends a lot of time in deep thought, processing things before making a decision, or do you tend to make quick decisions? Why or why not? That question has genuinely sparked so much conversation between us and even like with our kids and other couples. Maybe you can explain why. Casey Caston: (6:07 - 6:11) Yeah. Well, I'm Mr. Impulsivity, so. Meygan Caston: (6:11 - 6:29) Yeah, you are. Where I, I don't, I wouldn't consider myself a deep thinker, but I definitely like to make pros and cons lists and think through things. But if you think about a dynamic between a husband and a wife, you know, there are so many decisions that you make together, small and large, your whole life, every day. Casey Caston: (6:29 - 6:30) Decision-making is huge in relationships. Meygan Caston: (6:31 - 6:57) And it's an everyday thing that couples are tackling. And it's important to know that no one is better than the other. It's not that a deep thinker is better than a more impulsive person. It's kind of more just naturally how you are. Have you always been this way? Do you like that about yourself? Wow. You know, well, when it comes to these bigger decisions, I do spend, make more time, you know, thinking through and pros and cons. Oh, well, with small decisions, I'm more impulsive. I mean, you could just talk about that for hours and hours. Casey Caston: (6:57 - 7:01) Yeah. But what's interesting is I tend to think more futuristic and big picture. Meygan Caston: (7:01 - 7:01) Yes. Casey Caston: (7:01 - 7:03) Even though I'm impulsive in the moment. Meygan Caston: (7:03 - 7:05) And I cannot, I can't do that. Casey Caston: (7:05 - 7:06) You are Ms. Realist. Meygan Caston: (7:06 - 7:08) Just tell me today, tell me this week. Casey Caston: (7:09 - 7:10) I can't think about this fun sponge. Meygan Caston: (7:11 - 7:11) Yes. Yeah. Casey Caston: (7:12 - 7:15) Because I'm like, let's dream big. And she's like, yeah, but what's happening today? Meygan Caston: (7:16 - 7:49) Yeah. Yeah. Another great question is January 18th. How can we romance each other during the day in anticipation of sex? Because as we all know, us ladies, we need the foreplay. But again, I think that husbands also enjoy the foreplay. But I don't think that couples are having these conversations. I think they think a foreplay is, well, once we enter into the bedroom, you know, and what we like to say is it's anything positive is foreplay. So, a thoughtful text, you know, a flirty I'm going to grab your hand to empty out the dishwasher. Casey Caston: (7:49 - 7:50) Amen. Meygan Caston: (7:50 - 7:55) Yeah. You know, it's those kinds of conversations. But like, I would never think of asking you that. Casey Caston: (7:56 - 7:56) Right. Meygan Caston: (7:56 - 7:58) Right. Thankfully for those. Casey Caston: (7:58 - 8:10) But as you know, Laura, like couples that need to talk about their sex life. And if you don't talk about your sex life, most oftentimes there's a lot of assumptions. And that leads to, you know, dysfunction. Meygan Caston: (8:11 - 9:14) Well, and missed expectations. Totally. Yeah. And then I have another question. April 25th is how do our differences help complement each other? Oh, so, kind of another one of those things, like with making decisions. Every single couple has differences. And we always tell people Casey, and I are more different than alike. I think people see us online and whatnot. And they hear, oh, we're both extroverts. We are. So, we have some similarities. We're both stubborn, very competitive, both competitive. But in the day-to-day operations of who Casey and Meygan are, we make decisions, we run our lives, run our business, run our business. We are completely opposite. And what I think it's good to do for couples is to actually own your differences rather than shy away from them or make yourselves feel bad, like, oh, I wish we were the same. I get it. You know, we actually are attracted to those things when we're dating. That's why opposites attract. But then when we get married, it's like, why doesn't he do everything the same way? I do it because I do it the right way. That's what we think. Right. Casey Caston: (9:15 - 9:21) Well, you heard the joke that marriage is about becoming one. And in the earlier years, it's about which one. Meygan Caston: (9:21 - 10:14) Yeah. Which one? Which figure out? Yeah. And so, that question really allows you to identify your differences, but then go, how do they balance each other out? And I think for me, as someone who is organized, type A Casey's very spontaneous. If we were both type A and structured, we wouldn't have a lot of fun. We really wouldn't. His spontaneity really brings out that side of me. But if we were both spontaneous, our bills would never be paid, and we'd be broke. So, you know, I'm a I'm a saver. He's a spender. You can see the balance in that. It's good that we're both those things. Right. I'm on time. He's late. We could continue going on and on and on and on. But I think that he's a risk taker. I'm a complete play it safer. And so, those really draw out a beautiful balance in our marriage versus trying to change one another. So, I hope that question sparks listeners to really ask your spouse that and have fun with the conversation. Laura Dugger: (10:15 - 11:03) Well, you chose three great ones. I love it. And they draw out such different parts of our personality. You highlighted where Casey's more futuristic. Meygan, you're more present. Some people will connect with questions that direct them more past oriented. And so, our orientation to time comes out and the meta conversations, the talking like having the conversation about your conversation. Just so much goodness. And yes, especially with sexual intimacy. So, many couples report that it is much harder to engage in conversation about sex rather than just have sex. And like you said, missed expectations can be one of the blow ups there, among many other things. So, you have questions that don't shy away from all forms of intimacy. Meygan Caston: (11:04 - 11:10) Yeah. And to also say we have a lot of fun questions, too. Like, tell me about what your bedroom looked like when you were a teenager. Casey Caston: (11:11 - 11:12) That's a great one. I love that one. Meygan Caston: (11:12 - 11:47) Let's talk couples. If you had a really hard day with the kids or at work, pick a fun question. You don't have to go by the date. If you don't like the question, it's triggering, then flip to the next one. But going back to that emotional intimacy and connection that you were talking about, Laura, is you have to have those deep questions and those conversations. And you did when you were dating, because if you went on a date with your husband and you were like, hey, tell me, you know, what do you want to do when you retire? And he was like, I don't know. Yeah, you'd be like snooze fest. This guy's boring, right? Or if he was on his phone the whole time, there was something intriguing about your spouse. Casey Caston: (11:47 - 11:48) I don't know. I don't know. Meygan Caston: (11:48 - 12:01) Yeah, there was something intriguing about your spouse when you were dating and you were asking those questions that should never stop. Just like we hear that quote, never stop dating your spouse. Well, never stop learning about your spouse. It's the same thing. Absolutely. Laura Dugger: (12:02 - 12:16) And I love how you two have such a humble approach because you say that you're a very unlikely couple to help support marriages. So, will you let us in on your own backstory? Meygan Caston: (12:17 - 12:46) Yeah, well, can I just start off by saying this? We live in a county that has one of the highest divorce rates in the nation. So, it's 72 percent divorce rate where we live. We also come from there's 12 marriages between our parents. So, we come from so much divorce and trauma. And then we also got married very, very, very young. So, all those statistics were against us on top of that. I'm just going to start off by saying that. Casey Caston: (12:46 - 13:18) Yeah, my mom's been married six times. So, when by the time I hit junior high, I had probably like nine different iterations of home life and different dads and step siblings and half brothers. And all of that between both of our parents. There's just there's some mental illness. There's affairs. There's all this trauma that was really unprocessed. But then when Meygan and I saw each other, it was like we knew the wounds that we shared. It was like almost like a trauma bond. Meygan Caston: (13:19 - 13:19) Yeah. Casey Caston: (13:19 - 14:08) Like, oh, I've got abandonment. So, do you. And, you know, let's do it's like, wow. So, let's make each other happy. And dating was just all the fun stuff, right? It was long walks along the beach. It was going to street fairs or, you know, going out and having fun. And then we're like, if this is what life could be like, then we should do this forever and ever and ever. And just, you know, we were so doe eyed of like and optimistic about how marriage life would look like. So, then once we did get married, done, done, done, we had to like work through stuff. Now, I was so conflict avoidant because I was afraid if there was conflict, then that means that there's going to be distance between Meygan and I and she might leave me. Meygan Caston: (14:08 - 14:24) Oh, there's another there's another difference. I'm a fighter. He's a fighter. So, anytime we would have conflict triggers, you know, emotional regulation, I was like, we're going to go for it. Now, of course, my fighting tactics were not healthy. I yelled. I blamed. I was very aggressive, assertive. Casey Caston: (14:24 - 14:37) Conflict was very scary for me. Now. Now, Meygan, she's like wanting to deal with issues. And here I am, like trying to run for the hills. And she's like, he doesn't care about me. And I'm like, I'm trying to protect the marriage by not dealing with it. Meygan Caston: (14:37 - 14:49) So, you never really resolved anything. We would fight really bad. We broke all the fighting rules. And then there was no true resolve, no apologies, no remorse. And you just kind of move forward. Casey Caston: (14:49 - 15:06) And so, then we piled ourselves like we had over two hundred fifty thousand dollars of debt when we started to try to work on getting pregnant. We we dealt with infertility. We I have ADHD, so that creates a lot of that's fun. A lot of fun for the marriage. Meygan Caston: (15:06 - 15:08) The divorce rate is very high with ADHD. Casey Caston: (15:08 - 15:10) My life gets to teach you patience. Meygan Caston: (15:11 - 15:11) Yeah. Casey Caston: (15:12 - 16:44) But and then we have a child with special needs as well. So, we we had like if there's something that could go wrong, it it went wrong. We had you know, once we got married, there was toxic in-laws that boundaries that were crossed. So, it just nothing for us came easy. And so, that's why we were the least likely to succeed in marriage. I mean, if we there was a couple doomed from the get go, it was Meygan and I believe a hundred percent that God used those trials, those hardships to create marriage. Three sixty five. He gave us the strength to, you know, have the courage to say we're not going to follow in our parents footsteps. We're going to change that. You know, it ends with us literally like we are going to change and break this generational sin because it goes back many, many generations for both of us. Our whole family is littered with divorce. And now like when we approach marriage, it because of where we've come from, it wasn't all flowery. It was really tough. We have to be practical and very tactical with our advice, because when you're sitting across from a couple that's angry and resentful. We have to sit there and go, we know what that's like. And here's exactly what you need to do next. I'm not going to give you a platitude. I'm not going to give you some flowery statement or we're not going to just talk through it. No, we're going to give you a tool and an action step that's going to help you. Laura Dugger: (16:46 - 18:56) Let's take a quick break to hear a message from our sponsor. Friends, I'm excited to share with you today's sponsor, WinShape Marriage. Do you feel like you need a weekend away with your spouse and a chance to grow in your relationship together at the same time? WinShape Marriage is a fantastic ministry that provides weekend marriage retreats to help couples grow closer together in every season and stage of life from premarital to parenting to the emptiness phase. There is an opportunity for you. WinShape Marriage is grounded on the belief that the strongest marriages are the ones that are nurtured, even when it seems things are going smoothly so that they're stronger if they do hit a bump along their marital journey. These weekend retreats are hosted within the beautiful refuge of WinShape Retreat, perched in the mountains of Rome, Georgia, which is a short drive from Atlanta, Birmingham and Chattanooga. While you're there, you will be well fed, well nurtured and well cared for. During your time away in this beautiful place, you and your spouse will learn from expert speakers and explore topics related to intimacy, overcoming challenges, improving communication and more. I've stayed on site at WinShape before, and I can attest to their generosity, food and content. You will be so grateful you went to find an experience that's right for you and your spouse. Head to their website, winshapemarriage.org/savvy. That's W-I-N-S-H-A-P-E marriage dot org slash S-A-V-V-Y. Thanks for your sponsorship. I'd love to hear even more into the redemption part of it, because Marriage 365, you had shared before we had recorded that you launched that in 2013. So, just to get the timeline straight, had you already done some work and some counseling before you launched that? Meygan Caston: (18:56 - 19:26) Or what was that journey? Yeah, so, we always say we it took us two years to fall in love and get married. It took us three years to destroy our marriage, and it took about four or five years to repair our marriage. It was, as you know, Laura, it is not a quick fix when your marriage is as bad as ours. And so, our story is unique in the sense where we were both not wanting to get help for our marriage. I love you, babe, but he was resistant. He didn't want to go to therapy. His family didn't go to therapy. That wasn't normalized. Casey Caston: (19:26 - 19:31) Well, my faith background said that therapy is bad from the from the devil. Meygan Caston: (19:31 - 19:38) It was specifically your parents. But from the devil. Yeah, because I have a faith background, too. And my parents went to therapy. But that's what I was saying. Casey Caston: (19:38 - 19:40) My background was that you don't do that. Meygan Caston: (19:40 - 21:16) Yeah. So, I was wanting to get divorced and he wouldn't divorce me. He was like, no. So, if you're going to do it, you got to do it. And so, I got help for myself. And I had the most amazing woman who a therapist who just walked me through basically how to save my marriage by myself. And she goes, listen, you know, at the end of the day, if you want to make a better marriage, it starts by making a better you. You have zero control over Casey. You have 100 percent control over you. He's not here. You are. I can show you how to communicate, how to forgive him even without getting an apology. I can show you how to bring to his defenses down. I can show you how to create boundaries so he doesn't yell at you anymore. I mean, and that's literally for 13 months I worked on myself. And I believe that that is what genuinely changed everything. And that's really the message behind Marriage 365 is if you want to make a better marriage, it starts by making a better you. Stop waiting around for your husband or your wife to get on board. They may never. Then you're only going to build resentment while you sit there and wait. At the end of the day, you're responsible for how you show up. And so, in that 13 months, the hope was, of course, that I would positively influence Casey, which I did. And he saw the change in me. Everything changed. I mean, like we both used to be yellers, right? We would both yell and scream. And I was like, I'm not going to yell anymore. Like, I just I don't want to be a yeller of a mom. I don't want to be a yeller of a wife. Like, I don't like this part of me. My mom was a yeller. I mean, oh, yeah, I hate this. And I just remember like one day he came walking in and he was all heated and frustrated and he started yelling at me. And do you remember what I did, babe? Casey Caston: (21:17 - 21:33) Yeah. She looked at me and calmly said, you know, I can tell that you're very upset. I really want to have to listen to what you want to share with me. Why don't you go outside, take a break, come back in? We're going to sit back on the couch. We can talk about it. I'm here for you. And I was like, what a change. Meygan Caston: (21:33 - 22:07) Who is this person? I changed the way that we did marriage. I did that. And I tell people that I didn't do that once. I didn't do it twice. I did that for months because we had habits we had created. But I was like, that was like a new boundary. I'm like, I'm not going to engage with him when he's angry. It's been triggered. Nothing good is coming from this. So, it was all of that we started to really adopt and learn together because he's like, you're a different person. Like, it was obvious we were doing the tango. And now I was doing the rumba and he was over there doing the tango. And I'm like, come join me in the healthy rumba over here because it's way better. Casey Caston: (22:07 - 22:09) And so, for toxic tango. Meygan Caston: (22:09 - 23:20) Yeah, we went to a marriage. Yeah, we went to a marriage intensive. And we did some therapy. We did a lot of self-help. But through that journey, this is kind of where we started Marriage 365 is. First off, we couldn't afford therapy. We needed to pay off all that debt that we had with a lot of student loan debt, a lot of stupid debt. What do you do if you can't afford therapy? What do you do if you don't have a good therapist? What do you do if you have a bad experience with therapy? What do you do if the books aren't enough? And that was there was a really big hole and missing part in the marriage. I don't say industry, but in the marriage space, where were all the online resources? Because this was back again in like 2010 when like podcasts weren't even around, social media was just becoming a thing. And it was really hard. We were really disappointed with the lack of resources there were for marriage. And it felt like every church you go to, there was, you know, the missions ministry and the children's ministry and the youth groups. And all those are great. Where in the world are all the marriage ministries? Then we found out only 3% of churches have actual paid marriage ministries. And I thought, that's messed up. That's reverse. It's supposed to be the opposite, because then everything else will work itself out, as we know, with what research shows. Casey Caston: (23:20 - 23:21) Same with men's ministry, by the way. Meygan Caston: (23:21 - 23:22) Yes, same with men's ministry. Casey Caston: (23:22 - 23:23) Men's and marriage. Meygan Caston: (23:23 - 23:26) That's like the stepchild. Casey Caston: (23:26 - 23:33) Tech guy slash men's guy slash, you know. Children's persons can also do marriage. Meygan Caston: (23:33 - 23:40) So, we really just started helping our friends out. Obviously, people could see the change. Then people would come to us. We started helping couples at our church. Casey Caston: (23:40 - 23:48) And we had a ghoul pool. Like people were like, we give you guys another like ten months and then we're expecting you. Meygan Caston: (23:48 - 23:51) Yeah, everyone that knew us thought we'd get divorced. Casey Caston: (23:51 - 23:52) We were messy. Meygan Caston: (23:52 - 23:58) We were bad. Yeah. So, to see the complete transformation. And again, I go back to that work we did was on ourselves. Casey Caston: (23:58 - 25:31) And I just have to say that if you want to make a better marriage, it starts by making a better you. If you're hearing that. And you're kind of in a one sided marriage right now, I got to just say, I know that message sucks because it's a message that says you have to go first. And that's not fair. In a marriage, you're supposed to be a team. But I do want to say there's so many couples that are stuck. Waiting for their spouse to join them on the let's get healthy train. So, their spouse doesn't join them. And then what they do is they kind of lean back, fold their arms and go, well, I guess we're stuck. But I want to say that that's there is a message of empowerment to say you do have influence and the ability to steer your marriage in a healthy way. I have lots of regret that I did not join that train much sooner. But the story is that Meygan, you know, became the hero of our journey. And that is something that I work actively so that I'm never in that place again, that I am the one that's always actively trying to improve myself, that I'm a better communicator, that I'm not a yeller, which we've ditched that a long time ago, that that I'm considered of Meygan's needs. And I'm even like attuned to like, what is she feeling? And how do I meet her where she's at? Laura Dugger: (25:32 - 25:54) Which is amazing that watching Meygan, it was compelling enough for you to join in. And it's admirable on both sides, the work that you've done. And are there any specific areas that you grew in that now you teach couples? I'm thinking specifically under conflict and repair or communication. Casey Caston: (25:55 - 27:42) Yeah. So, I remember those early years and every single week was chaos to chaos. Like coming home, it'd be like, what's for dinner? I'm hungry and we need to make a decision now. Or, you know, it's Friday night or Saturday morning. What's going on this weekend? Or where's all our money going? It was very, it was very reactionary. And I remember reading through Stephen Covey's, you know, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. And the first habit is be proactive. You cannot be intentional with your life. You cannot create purpose and meaning unless you are proactive with your life. So, Meygan and I, you know, I'm working in a company and every single week we get together and we go through what are everyone's goals? What do we need to accomplish this week? We find alignment and the week goes really well. We've got KPIs. We've got all these like, hey, as a team, you know, work team, here's what we're trying to accomplish this week. And it just kind of dawned on us like, well, why don't we do that in marriage? Why don't we do that for a family? You got a family of six. You got six people running around the house. All have agendas. And you are trying to find alignment so that, hey, this is what the family is all about this week, right? We've got tournaments. We've got parties. We've got projects. We've got meals. And I think for so many couples we talk to, they live. Life with purpose on like building their career or their business or purpose with other areas of their life. And then when it comes to family, they wing it. Meygan Caston: (27:42 - 27:43) They just wing it. Casey Caston: (27:43 - 28:31) Yeah. And it's like, well, if it's meant to be, it's meant to be. It's the winging attitude creates chaos. And so, Meygan and I love to teach this tool called the Weekly Marriage Business Meeting. And it is all of the logistics of our relationship schedules, meal plans, budgets, connection time, sexy time, alone time, self-care time. Yeah. And and we kind of set with intention the week ahead for us. And we go through all the decisions of who's going, what, where, when. And all of that's done. So, when you walk into the day, you're not like stressed about what's supposed to be happening. There is alignment and there's no missed expectations. Meygan Caston: (28:31 - 29:27) Yeah, there's no fights anymore about, well, you said you'd be home at six. No, I didn't. I said I'd be home at seven. We sync our calendars. And I think, too, a big thing with this is we've noticed we fight when we don't do this now. It's one of those tools that it's prevented most of conflict. I mean, we say it will on average for the most couples that use it. We have at least over 10,000 couples we know right now currently using it that are our members that they say it cuts conflict in half in half, because what you're doing is you're even scheduling that connection time or date night time where you're like, no matter how busy we are, when are Casey and Meygan going to get to be Casey and Meygan? And that's so important, because again, if you're winging it and you're just trying to find time to connect, well, you've got four kids, we've got two teenagers. It's never going to happen. Right. And so, the weekly marriage business meeting is definitely one of the amazing and favorite worksheets and tools that we've taught and that we use ourselves because it works. Casey Caston: (29:28 - 29:28) Yeah. Laura Dugger: (29:28 - 29:59) What a game changer. That is awesome and so practical, so intentional, which we're all about. But then also we had talked about emotional intimacy earlier and emotional intimacy is interconnected with sexual intimacy and communication is the root issue. And that's what you teach couples. So, what are some conversations that couples can begin so that they can grow in both of those types of intimacy and enjoyment? Casey Caston: (30:01 - 31:34) Yeah, so, I feel like I have to start off by saying I got this so wrong when we were first married. It's OK. I forgive you now. Yeah, because, you know. Let's just let's be we'll be we'll be completely transparent. So, Meygan and I waited to have sex until we were married. So, now I actually waited till I was married to have sex. And I thought that under that purity guideline, I was promised maybe by a youth group, maybe by a convention, that if you withhold sex and remain pure, God is going to bless you with the best sex life when you're married. And that just simply did not happen. Like when we first got married, I really got went into the bedroom thinking. I don't know what foreplay is, but let's have intercourse until I come and then we're done. And that's sex. That's our sexual intimacy. And we missed out on so many intimate ways of knowing each other and sex being an obligation and something like I just was demanding of it from Meygan. And. What I've come to discover and what I love to teach other men is that sex is so much more broader than just having intercourse. I mean, there was this total understanding like, well, I feel good during intercourse. This feels very stimulating, which means that Meygan must feel the exact same way while we're having intercourse. Meygan Caston: (31:35 - 31:35) Nope. Casey Caston: (31:36 - 32:35) Because that's because listen, I never had sex before. But anytime I watched a rom com, you know, the guy threw up, you know, against the wall or they're having intercourse and she's going and he's going and they're having a great time. Like this must be what sex is all about. And what I've discovered now and I get to teach other men is that emotional intimacy is kind of the birthplace of sexual expression of love, right? That we we create safe places for our wives to to open up. And because of that, they become more willing and wanting that that sexual expression rather than us just coming in and saying, OK, it's time for sex. Let's go. And so, when we talk about just this book, this 365 Connecting Questions for Couples, I tell my guys, I'm like, hey, if you want to have great sex, start here because that is foreplay. Meygan Caston: (32:35 - 33:48) That's start here. It's good to know my heart, not just use me for my body, which can feel like that for a lot of people. And I think going back to the emotional intimacy, I think that, again, you had that when you were dating or you wouldn't have gotten married. There was no way you were. If the person was boring, closed off, if, you know, your spouse was just completely on their phone every time, you wouldn't have had that second, third, fourth date. So, there was emotional intimacy at some point, which means you can't ever say we never had it. You can always get it back, but you can have to be intentional. And I think a great way is we call it connection time. I think date night scares a lot of people. I think it's the idea of. We have to go to a restaurant, we have to spend money, we have to find a babysitter, all these hurdles that you have to go through to make it happen, so then couples just don't even do it. So, we're like, listen, if you if that's overwhelming to you, then try connection time. And really what that is, it's still undivided, you know, attention and time with you and your spouse. Maybe it's smaller, maybe it's 15 minutes, 30 minutes. And I know for when our kids were little, we played board games and card games and they'd go to bed, you know, at 7:30 or 8:00 PM. And we would bring out Yahtzee. Casey Caston: (33:48 - 33:51) There'd be a lot of trash talking over chutes and ladders. Meygan Caston: (33:52 - 34:29) But we would play. We would play games. And it was our time to connect. And when we didn't talk about the kids, you know, we just chatted about our day and again, going through some of these connecting questions that didn't even really exist yet, but they were in our heads. Taking a walk with the dog and, you know, going to a little local coffee shop, even if it's just 30 minutes and sharing and talking and exploring that emotional intimacy should never stop again. And that's going to give people opportunities to then go into the bedroom, like Casey mentioned, more willing and more excited to be intimate to each other because it's like, oh, that's right. We like each other. We're still married. We're still friends. Casey Caston: (34:29 - 35:15) You bring up a great point. Like I said, I think sitting down over the table, staring at each other can be intimidating for a lot of guys, because especially if this is not a regular habit in your relationship and taking a walk for guys when we're doing something and maybe it's less intimidating because we're not even staring at each other. But that kind of like getting the, you know, oxytocin going, like getting moving, like that kind of adrenaline can actually stimulate guys for good conversations and processing things. And so, what we hear from a lot of couples that take our book, maybe they'll take a picture of the question and they'll go, Hey, let's take a walk. And then they'll use the question on their walk. Meygan Caston: (35:15 - 35:15) Yeah. Casey Caston: (35:15 - 35:24) And that gets conversations going. So, if that's like a on ramp onto this, that's a that's a great starting point for a lot of people. Laura Dugger: (35:24 - 36:48) Oh, that's so good. And I love how you say just an on ramp, because the goal is more intimacy overall together to know one another, be known. And I love that you're showing this is not a manipulation factor. This isn't ask these questions so we can be more active in the bedroom, regardless of whichever spouse is the higher desire one. But this is to really enhance all levels of your relationship. And as you talk about oxytocin, it just makes me think such an interesting cycle that the Lord created where I will speak more stereotypically that where women require the emotional connection and then they open up and enjoy sex more. But then men, once they've had sex and they just have this like 500 percent increase of oxytocin in this neurochemical bath that opens them up emotionally. And we could see it even as we view our differences. You could be upset because they're opposite or we can see it as a gift that they can fuel one another. And then we get more of a holistic picture of overall intimacy. So, I'll also link to quite a few episodes because we do about one per month where we dive deeper into sexual intimacy. S o, I can link all of those in the show notes. But Casey, were you going to say something? Meygan Caston: (36:49 - 36:50) I want to say something to it. Casey Caston: (36:51 - 37:16) He loves. Well, so, we're talking chicken and egg, right? Like who gets the emotional intimacy, who gets the physical intimacy first? And I just think that there's if we approach our relationship with selfishness, well, then neither people get satisfied. But if we are in an approach to serve one another and be selfless lovers. So, men would be like, you know what? I want to meet my wife's emotional needs. Meygan Caston: (37:16 - 37:16) Yeah. Casey Caston: (37:17 - 37:38) Like and I do believe that men are the spark of initiation. If you're a husband out there listening to this, like that one of your greatest gifts to marriage is initiation. You were the one who asked for the first date. You were the one who got down one the knee. You are the spark of initiation. And I believe that God's created women as nurturers of that initiation. Meygan Caston: (37:39 - 37:41) And to clarify, you're not talking just about initiating sex. Casey Caston: (37:41 - 37:43) Well, yes. Just everything. Meygan Caston: (37:43 - 37:55) Initiating, just initiating, initiating a weekly marriage business meeting. Women are so turned on by when a husband's like, hey, I don't necessarily know what we want to do for a date night, but I want to take you on a date. Can I get an amen, Laura? Laura Dugger: (37:55 - 37:56) Right, sister? Meygan Caston: (37:57 - 38:14) Hey, women are turned on. Listen, men, women are turned on. If you say, you know what? I know that like this has been an issue with my parents and I don't even know how to handle it, but I really want to have that conversation. Oh, my gosh. Just initiating the conversation is all we're looking for. It's OK that you don't have all the answers. Casey Caston: (38:14 - 38:14) Yeah. Meygan Caston: (38:14 - 38:23) But for men that avoid stonewall, escape, numb out, busy themselves, it is such a turnoff. It is so not what we want. Laura Dugger: (38:23 - 39:55) I want to make sure that you're up to date with our latest news. We have a new website. You can visit theSavvySauce.com and see all of the latest updates. You may remember Francie Heinrichsen from episode 132, where we talked about pursuing our God given dreams. She is the amazing businesswoman who has carefully designed a brand-new website for Savvy Sauce Charities. And we are thrilled with the final product. So, I hope you check it out there. You're going to find all of our podcasts now with show notes and transcriptions listed a scrapbook of various previous guests and an easy place to join our email list to receive monthly encouragement and questions to ask your loved ones so that you can have your own practical chats for intentional living. You will also be able to access our donation button or our mailing address for sending checks that are tax deductible so that you can support the work of Savvy Sauce Charities and help us continue to reach the nation with the good news of Jesus Christ. So, make sure you visit theSavvySauce.com. Okay, so, then continue the conversation with just overall intimacy. What are some examples of de-escalation techniques that you recommend to couples who are in conflict, ones that can maybe help the strained relationships so that they can be repaired? Yeah. Meygan Caston: (39:55 - 42:19) Yeah. So, a big thing that I've learned as someone who's very direct, I can tend to be on that, like I mentioned, fighter side. And I know a lot of women, studies have shown 75 percent of us ladies are the ones that typically bring up the issues. So, just be aware that there is a gender difference there. And if you're a dude, there's nothing wrong with you if you're in, you know, that 75 percent or 25 percent. But I think the biggest thing I've recognized is to remind your spouse in the very beginning of the conversation, why you're having the conversation. You know, I love you. I love us. I want to see us be the best people that we can be. I want to see us enjoy marriage and enjoy life. I love you. Like bring the positivity and the reminder that you're better together than apart. And really, that's part of what we call a soft startup, right? There's a lot of different soft startups you've heard of. You know, I feel when you I need those work to but I like to take it a little bit deeper to say, remind your spouse how much that you love being married to them. Or again, whatever the issue is like we have the most. Let's say it's parenting. Casey and I are very different in our parenting styles. Last night would have been a great difference of how that happened. But like reminder that like we both love our children. We both want the best for our kids. No one doubts that. We both have made we made two beautiful, wonderful, quirky children. Right. And so, even you can start the conversation with that. But I wish that more people did that because I think people are are, you know, I'm really upset about something. OK, well, the second you say that defenses, sorry, but defenses are going to go up. We want to keep the conversations defenses low, guards low, right, de-escalation. And so, use soft startups, use kind, positive language. But I think another thing behind that would be come to the conversation processed. Do not have these conversations 11 o'clock at night when you're tired or when you're hungry. Do not have these conversations when it just happened and you haven't had the time to just like stop. Think about what do I really need? Why did that trigger me? What am I hoping to achieve? Why is my husband acting this way? Oh, is he under a lot of stress? Yeah, we got to give ourselves time to sit and process before we even use those soft startups. So, that would be my advice for de-escalation. Casey Caston: (42:20 - 43:04) And mine actually would be an apology. I think that we all make mistakes. And when you think about a couple that's maybe living reactively, just winging it, I doubt that there's ever an apology that's given on either side because it takes a little it takes awareness to recognize, gosh, you know what? My that little comment I just made that probably had a little zing to it. Or, you know, I really let my spouse down by not parenting the children the way she would want me to. Or, you know, I said I was going to do something and I didn't. And I let my partner down. You want to de-escalate a tense situation. Apologize. Meygan Caston: (43:04 - 43:04) Yeah. Own it. Casey Caston: (43:05 - 43:12) When you apologize, you know, you're taking all of the heat out of the fire. They really are. Meygan Caston: (43:12 - 43:16) And you're validating your spouse's feelings. Who doesn't want to be validated and seen? Everybody does. Casey Caston: (43:16 - 43:38) And then you're taking responsibility and accountability for your actions, which is the trust builder for relationships. So, that's why when you talk about high conflict relationships, there aren't a lot of there's not a lot of trust there. It's not a safe place anymore. So, to create that safety, we want to we want to build trust back into the relationship. Laura Dugger: (43:39 - 43:50) Those are fantastic. And do you guys just have maybe a handful of ideas for ways that couples can strengthen their marriage with one another? Meygan Caston: (43:51 - 44:09) Absolutely. I would say, obviously, the weekly marriage business meeting. I mean, I know we talked about it, but the important thing is to schedule it, put it in the calendar because you don't want to wing it. And that way it's showing, oh, you're prioritizing us. Taking walks has been a big one for us. Playing games is a big one. Casey Caston: (44:09 - 45:18) The 60 second blessing is where we intentionally spend time. 60 seconds reminding our partner of how much we love them, using our words to say, like, I saw how hard you work for the family. I love how you take care of the kids and kind of reminding your partner, like I see the goodness in each other. I think it's really important because. Day to day life, we can just be very transactional, and if we again, we have any sort of criticism or, you know, our words just are not flavored with life, well, proverb says, you know, our words have the power to give life or to give death. Right. So, the words that we speak, if we evaluate. Are we producing what I call weed seeds? Or are we planting fruit trees? Because weed seeds choke out the garden. Those sharp, critical words can leave your garden looking pretty shabby, whereas being intentional by speaking positive over each other. It's like planting fruit trees. And who doesn't like a good, juicy orange? Right. Meygan Caston: (45:18 - 47:15) Well, and the 60 second blessing, you know, you start off by writing five to seven positive things you love about your spouse. And so, one spouse shares their list for 60 seconds and then the second spouse shares their list. And it's this habit that we actually started doing after our marriage intensive that we did as we were repairing our marriage because we had yeah, we had we had spoken such mean and harsh words or just a lot of roommate stuff. And we needed that positivity. And it's a great foreplay tip, by the way, just to sit, sometimes sit down and go, I just need to tell you how wonderful you are. Like, who doesn't want to hear that about themselves? I think another thing that Casey and I have recognized it is the only thing, by the way, Laura, in our marriage, the only thing that has ever stayed consistent. That's we have fun together. We laugh a lot, even in hard times. Yeah, it wasn't as enjoyable, but we still had fun. And, you know, again, fun is different for everybody. We don't ever want to judge someone else's fun. But we are constantly like we we are sarcastic. But that's for us because we have high trust levels. I usually tell couples if you're, you know, in a fair recovery or you have low trust levels, sarcasm is probably not great. But we're very playful. We have again, we play a lot of fun games and we play ping pong and cornhole and we take our dogs on our dog on a walk. And we, you know, we're going to try to go ax throwing in April. We've never done that before. Like there are fun that we've taken dance lessons. So, we like to think out of the box and do new things or things that we know that like how many games of Yahtzee have we played? I don't even know. I mean, we've lost count. Or gin rummy, you know, I mean, we just play Sequence or Rummikub like we play them all. And for that for us, that's really fun. We dance a lot. We love the 90's music. Like get out your favorite playlist and just dance and sing and be goofy. Like I think if couples were to laugh and enjoy each other more and be able to laugh with themselves, I think that there would be more marriages that would stay together. Laura Dugger: (47:16 - 47:39) That is something that I've even experienced in this time together. You guys are so fun to be around. And that's very life giving to others. But I can see where it starts in that secret place between just the two of you, your best friend. And you share a lot of this goodness with Marriage 365. So, can you let us know all the different things that you have to offer? Casey Caston: (47:40 - 48:48) Yeah, I would probably say the number one way that people experience all of the resources that we've created over the years is through our mobile app. So, we have an app that has over a thousand pieces of videos, workshop, worksheet, excuse me, courses, challenges. We even have a checkup so you can actually rate kind of your marriage. And that is a great way for people to be able to have access, you know, on the spot if they're dealing with an issue, they don't know how to get through and they're looking for a tool or a conversation to help them work through that. That our app provides such a valuable resource. I mean, beyond that, you know, some couples need a little bit more hands on approach. So, we do coaching. We have a coaching staff actually to handle all the incoming couples that are saying, hey, can you can you help us out? And again, I just want to say coaching is really, really focused on giving action plans and homework and accountability to our clients. And coaching is really, really helpful if you're like, I just need to know what to do next. Meygan Caston: (48:48 - 49:17) Yeah. We do intensives for couples that are in crisis, you know, there that are seriously considering separation or divorce or an affair recovery and that we have an over 90 percent success rate because we went through an intensive when we were struggling and it was something we knew we wanted to get trained on and do. And it's a full two days with Casey and I. I mean, two days back-to-back. We know you. We get Christmas cards from all of our couples, you know, every year. We love it. And it's they become almost I mean, yes, they're our clients, but they almost become like our friends. Casey Caston: (49:17 - 49:45) Yeah. And then probably personally, one of my favorite things that we do is we host our own couple's getaway. And this is a four-day experience. It's not your it's not like a typical retreat where you're sitting in a conference room, you're just getting lectured all day. We're actually facilitating tools and then giving couples opportunities to work on them. Then some free time to really spend some time making great memories. We have a dance party. It is a ton of fun. Meygan Caston: (49:45 - 49:55) We make sure. Yeah, we make sure it's fun. It's more it's definitely more for couples who are doing OK or want to do better, not they're not ideal for couples in crisis because it's going to be very uncomfortable. Casey Caston: (49:55 - 49:56) I love our retreats. Meygan Caston: (49:56 - 49:57) I know. Casey Caston: (49:57 - 49:58) I love interacting with her. Meygan Caston: (49:58 - 50:05) And of course, we have our social media. You can just search Marriage 365 and then we have our website, too. And we have our books, of course. Casey Caston: (50:05 - 50:09) Oh, and I have a men's group. I know I launched a five-week men's reset. . Meygan Caston: (50:09 - 50:34) Needless to say, Laura, we're really busy. I do a lot. I think that's what's funny, right? I think that people see us online and they think that we just have an Instagram, or we just have Facebook. And I'm like, we've been doing this for 12 years and we have a staff of 12 people. So, we reach a lot of people. And we because marriage is never a one stop, you know, one size fits all. It's it's true. There are so many different dynamics, and we want to be able to help as many people as we can. Laura Dugger: (50:35 - 50:59) Wow. Thank you for sharing that. We will add all of those links. I love all these different offerings that you have and that will meet people in whatever phase they're in. But you two already know we are called The Savvy Sauce because savvy is synonymous with practical knowledge. And so, as my final question for both of you, what is your Savvy Sauce? Meygan Caston: (51:00 - 51:47) Mine would be I would want every single person to think about becoming more confident. And that starts with becoming more self-aware. I think that that is completely changed who I am. And I'm we're raising two kids, and I see the confidence that they have. And we're modeling that but also walking them through how to be self-aware. And really, that starts with having to be one with your thoughts, turning off the phone, sorry, turning off the podcast, sometimes turning off the music and just actually sitting and really going. Do I really know my thoughts, my feelings, my values, my personality, my good, my bad, my ugly? And we don't do this enough. We are busy ourselves. We're distracted constantly. And I think that it's really harming our mental health. And so, that would be my savvy sauce. Casey Caston: (51:47 - 52:30) Hmm. I love that, babe. It's kind of hard because we find so much alignment. I mean, I would that's exactly what I would say, too. Um, I, you know, my focus in twenty, twenty-five has really been turned towards helping husbands. And there's a quote that Henry David Thoreau says that many men live lives of quiet desperation and they die with their songs still inside them. And most guys are terrified of stopping and evaluating. And so, for me, creating space too. Listen, I do a 10, 10, 10 practice in the morning. Meygan Caston: (52:30 - 52:32) That's what I thought you were going to say. Casey Caston: (52:32 - 52:32) Yeah, yeah. Meygan Caston: (52:32 - 52:36) Well, I was like, I bet you he's going to talk about it because it's been life changing for you. Casey Caston: (52:36 - 53:01) Yeah. So, I spend 10 minutes of scripture reading. So, that's input. Then I spend 10 minutes of quiet meditation where I'm sitting and I'm in a listening posture. And I mean, I think about everything from lasagna to the last wave I serve to. But there's intentionality about just opening myself like here I am. I'm ready to be downloaded on like what you have for me today. Meygan Caston: (53:01 - 53:02) God be one with your thoughts. Casey Caston: (53:03 - 53:18) Yeah. And all sorts of things come up. And then I spent 10 minutes journaling. And that process is just and that's like the output. Right. So, now I've got input. I've been listening and now I get to write stuff out. And that's been a huge game changer for me. Laura Dugger: (53:19 - 53:43) Wow, I love both of those. You two are just refreshingly vulnerable and such an incredible mixture of intentional and lighthearted. And it has been so great just to sit under your teaching today. So, thank you for sharing your story and for helping all of us. And thank you just for being my guests. Meygan Caston: (53:43 - 53:45) Oh, you're welcome. It was a pleasure to be here. Casey Caston: (53:45 - 53:49) Yes, you asked great questions that plumb the deep wells of Casey Meygan. Laura Dugger: (53:52 - 57:35) One more thing before you go. Have you heard the term gospel before? It simply means good news. And I want to share the best news with you. But it starts with the bad news. Every single one of us were born sinners, but Christ desires to rescue us from our sin, which is something we cannot do for ourselves. This means there is absolutely no chance we can make it to heaven on our own. So, for you and for me, it means we deserve death, and we can never pay back the sacrifice we owe to be saved. We need a savior. But God loved us so much, he made a way for his only son to willingly die in our place as the perfect substitute. This gives us hope of life forever in right relationship with him. That is good news. Jesus lived the perfect life we could never live and died in our place for our sin. This was God's plan to make a way to reconcile with us so that God can look at us and see Jesus.
2 Corinthians
Every generation has faced tragedy, but every generation has also carried a voice that refused to be silenced. From Stephen's bold witness in Acts to Paul's transformation on the road to Damascus, God has always raised up a new voice to carry His truth forward.This message is a call to the next generation: to rise with courage, to stand for Christ, and to let your voice be heard. The blood of the martyrs is not wasted, it becomes the seed of revival. Even in heartbreak, God is raising up a generation that will not bow, that will not be silent, and that will not compromise.Scriptures:• Acts 7:54–60 (NIV)• 2 Corinthians 12:15 (NKJV)• Revelation 12:11In This Message• The devil wants to silence the church, but God is raising up bold voices in the next generation.• Saul became Paul: proof that God can transform even the most unlikely into a world-changing voice.• Every tragedy carries purpose, God never wastes pain, He uses it to shape the future.• We must serve God in our generation so it's clear what we stood for.• The testimony of the next generation will overcome the enemy.
In this message, Pastor Khalid teaches from 1 Corinthians 5:1-13, reminding us of the importance of confronting sin and distancing ourselves from corrupt influences—even within the church. As believers, we are called to pursue holiness and guard the integrity of the body of Christ.#TraumatizedSeries #ConfrontingCorruption #RedemptionChurchFW #Holiness #1Corinthians5Support the show
Detoxing My Thinking Part #2 of Series: Detoxing Your Life – Healing Habits For Healthy Relationships September 13 - 14, 2025 - Pastor Kerry Shook Who God Says I Am I am His masterpiece (Ephesians 2:10 NLT) I am His chosen (Ephesians 1:3-4 NIV) I am righteous and forgiven (2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV) I am completely loved (1 John 3:1 NIV) I am strong and courageous (Philippians 4:13 NIV) I am more than a conqueror (Romans 8:37 NIV) Scriptures: 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, 2 Corinthians 10:5b, John 8:44, 2 Corinthians 10:4, 2 Corinthians 10:5a, John 8:32 Topics: Life, Detox, Faith
In this deeply personal episode of Soul Inspiring Business, host Kara Chaffin Donofrio reflects on processing tragedy and finding purpose through faith during difficult times. Following the assassination of Charlie Kirk, Kara shares how we can transform grief into compassionate action, align with our God-given gifts, and use our businesses and daily interactions as opportunities to spread love and healing in a divided world.Episode Topics:Processing tragedy and finding meaning in difficult timesAligning with your highest purpose and God-given giftsUsing business and work as a vehicle for mission and serviceBreaking down divisive boundaries through compassion and understandingThe power of quiet solitude, prayer, and meditation in daily lifeBecoming a "living prayer" in whatever work you doChoosing connection over isolation in an increasingly divided culturePractical ways to start each day with spiritual intentionInsights:Our highest purpose is aligning with who God made us to be and using our gifts to do good in the worldEvery business interaction is an opportunity to show love and compassion to othersQuietness and trust accomplish far more than constant activity and hustleWe become more powerful by drawing closer to God through daily spiritual practicesInstead of creating boundaries and labels, we should approach others with understandingTragedy can propel us toward a better future if we choose compassion over divisionSimple acts like putting phones down and having real conversations can open doors to abundanceStarting the day with intention through prayer or meditation creates strength for serving othersHighlights:00:00 Welcome and Intro 01:10 Compassionate Leadership and Purpose 07:42 Intentional Living and Compassionate Leadership 16:40 Abundance in All Forms 18:27 Podcast episode ended Resources:"Jesus Calling" devotional book by Sarah YoungBiblical passages referenced: John 14:27, Isaiah 30:15, 2 Corinthians 10:4Commit to starting each day with quiet intention, putting down your phone to connect with others, and looking for ways to be a gift to someone else today.Connect with Kara to share your thoughts on the series:Website - http://www.kcdrealestate.com/ Email - kara@kdcrealestate.com Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/karachaffindonofrio/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/karachaffin1?_rdc=1&_rdr YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/KaraChaffin LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/karachaffin/ Don't forget to visit freegiftfromkara.com for our special giveaway, the Dynamic Life Journal to help you maintain your authentic voice and intuitive wisdom while navigating the balance between technology and human connection in your business and personal life.Special Listener Offer: Unlock Your Soul-Aligned Brand with Jen...
Episode #288 of 15 Minutes and a Big Idea. A Podcast by The Mended Collective. In this episode, we examine 1 Corinthians 11:4-6 Part 1. Big Idea: Honor Your Head 1) What is the Covering for Men? 2) Which Head is Disgraced? 3) What is the Covering for Women? Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/15bigidea/?view_public_for=110691360592088 The Mended Collective: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSlUSkU2N0UEy4Bq1HgpFEQ Email: 15bigideapodcast@gmail.com Theme Music: "Advertime" by Rafael Krux
Mauro Cezar, Arnaldo Ribeiro, Eduardo Tironi, José Trajano, Juca Kfouri e Danilo Lavieri analisam a rodada do Brasileirão que teve fim de tabu para o Flamengo, goleada do Palmeiras, gaúchos em crise, São Paulo e Corinthians sonhando com vaga na Libertadores, Neymar decepcionando e o Botafogo mais distante dos líderes
This past week, the news has been heavy and unsettling. In the wake of tragedy and fearful headlines, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and weighed down by negativity. But you don’t have to stay stuck in fear. In this week’s episode, Bonnie shares how to break free from negativity’s grip and discover how God renews your mind with peace. Through scripture, science, and soul care practices, you’ll learn how to quiet the noise, recognize the small new beginnings God is planting in your life, and take one step that brings clarity, calm, and hope. Friend, you don’t need to figure out the whole picture. You just need one faithful step—and the reminder that God’s power shines through you, even in jars of clay. Key Takeaways:Why negativity bias makes painful news cling to us more than positive experiences How focusing on meaningful, positive action rewires your brain for peace and resilience What Jesus’ parable of building a tower teaches us about releasing and rebuilding with Him Why you are called to be Christ’s ambassador in this generation A simple soul care practice: take one small step toward the “tower” God is building in your life Breath Prayer: Inhale: We have this treasure in jars of clay… Exhale: to show this surpassing power is from God Scripture:“Now we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this surpassingly great power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.” – 2 Corinthians 4:7–9 Gen Z Leads Church Attendance Articles & Reserach:https://www.christianitytoday.com/2025/09/study-gen-z-leads-church-attendance-average/https://www.barna.com/research/young-adults-lead-resurgence-in-church-attendance/ → Take the FREE Soul Care Quiz at soulcarequiz.comGet your free personal wellness assessment and learn which area of wellness you need most. Join NEW Wellness Course: Breathe Joy with Jesus: Creating Happy Healthy Habits with God's Promises Register at mysoulcareschool.com Connect with Bonnie: Bestselling Books by Bonnie:https://amzn.to/3NpVYQd Join the Soul Care Newsletter:https://thebonniegray.com/subscribe Watch Weekly YouTube Devotionals:https://youtube.com/thebonniegray Follow Bonnie on Instagram & Facebook:@thebonniegray Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.
In this powerful sermon, Pastor Jonathan Galvan addresses the weight of a broken world and the urgent need for repentance, emphasizing that true repentance involves recognizing sin, grieving over it, turning away, confessing, and rejoicing in God's forgiveness through Christ. Drawing from 2 Corinthians 7, he contrasts godly sorrow, which leads to salvation, with worldly sorrow, urging believers to embrace a life transformed by the gospel. Stay Connected with Redeemer: Website: redeemermidland.org Instagram: instagram.com/redeemermidland Facebook: facebook.com/RedeemerMidland At Redeemer, we seek to be a Gospel-Centered, Missional Family. We sing songs to worship our Lord, we preach the Word of God from the Bible, and we love one another. We would love to see you on a Sunday morning at 9:00 or 11:00 am at 3601 N. Lamesa Rd in Midland, Texas.
Hunter Witcraft explores the idea of theological method. What is it? How do we develop one? And, how can we do the work to put a good theological method into practice?--Scriptures Explored: Exodus 34:6-7; Nahum 1:2-3; Jonah 4:2; Joel 2:13; John 1:29; Mark 1:7; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4--Hunter Witcraft is married to Willa; we have two boys: Graham (3) and Benjamin (1). I have a M.Div. from Corban University, a MA in Christian Ministry from GCU, and a Post-Graduate Certificate in Biblical Languages from GCU. The Bible is God's Word to us, and for that reason, it is important for us to understand it (yes, we even have to work on the hard parts and the tricky parts). The Bible itself is a gift of grace from God to us – He was under no obligation to give it to us, and yet in it He has given us everything needed for life and godliness (2 Pet. 1:3). The Holy Spirit is active when we preach the Scripture and when we hear the Scripture, glorifying God and drawing us to Him; for that reason, I do what I can to accurately deliver the Word of God.--Connect with Us:contact@parableministries.comParable MinistriesInstagram--If you feel led to give to Parable Ministries, please visit: DonateMusic created by Chad HoffmanArtwork created by Anthony Kuenzi
Brian White | 1 Corinthians 1:18-31
2 Corinthians 7:1 says, “…let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.” There are so many things that are toxic to our souls. How can we be holy in such a corrupt and contaminated world? ________________________________________________________________________________________________ Look for HOPE is Here: - at www.HOPEisHere.Today - on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/HOPEisHereToday - on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/hopeisherelex/ - on X (Twitter) - https://www.x.com/hopeisherelex - on TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@hopeisherelex - on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtJ47I4w6atOHr7agGpOuvA Help us bring HOPE and encouragement to others: - by texting the word GIVE to 833-713-1591 - by visiting https://www.hopeisheretoday.org/donate #Lexington #Kentucky #christianradio #JesusRadio #Jesus #WJMM #GregHorn #GregJHorn #suicideprevention #KentuckyRadio #HOPEisHere #Hope #HopeinJesus #FoodForThoughtFriday #MondayMotivation #FridayFeeling #Motivation #Inspiration #cupofHope #FYP #ForYouPage #SuicideAwareness
There is a BIG difference between conviction and condemnation. Pastor Dallas Cox preaches on the conviction of the crowd in Acts 2 in response to Peter sharing the Gospel.Scripture in this message: Acts 2:37-38, Joel 2:28-29, Matthew 3:17, Psalms 16:10-11, 1 Corinthians 15:6, Romans 8:1,Watch this message on YouTubeJust starting your Jesus journey? Let us know by filling out this form so we can connect with you personallyHello Card Tithes & OfferingsPlease consider giving to help us spread the life giving message of Jesus to the 920 and beyondGive Here --Follow Life Church on socialsLCGB Facebook LCGB Instagram LCGB YouTube
Current Sermon Series The Politics of Jesus: Following Christ Beyond Left and Right September 7 – October 12 In our polarized world, Christians often feel pressured to choose between political tribes. But Jesus offers a third way that transcends partisan divisions. This series explores how Christ's kingdom values challenge both conservative and progressive assumptions, calling us to a higher allegiance. We'll examine how Jesus' cross dismantles systems of domination, how his economics challenge both capitalism and socialism, and how his community of disciples embodies a new social order. Rather than baptizing political ideologies, we'll explore how the gospel can shape our civic engagement, finding unity in Christ while navigating complex social issues with wisdom, grace, and prophetic imagination and courage. September 7 | The Jubilee Revolution • Luke 4:16–30 September 14 | The Way of the Cross • Mark 8:31–38, Luke 9:51–56 September 21 | A New Social Order • Acts 2:42–47, Acts 4:32–37 September 28 | The Powers and Principalities • Ephesians 6:10–20, Colossians 2:13–15 October 5 | Revolutionary Subordination • 1 Peter 2:13–25, Romans 13:1–7 October 12 | The Politics of the Table • Luke 14:7–24, 1 Corinthians 11:17–34
Send us a textStrong Women Strong WorldWhataboutism | Part 10 Senior Pastor Keith StewartSeptember 14, 2025Step-by-step throughout this entire series, we've been laying the foundation for Biblical, female leadership. We've looked at the two most commonly cited Scriptures (1 Corinthians 14.34-35 and 1 Timothy 2.12) that have been used to prohibit women from teaching or leading in church. What followed were 8 of the best examples of women who did in fact teach and lead, explaining their stories with the same detail Scripture affords each of them. As we wrap up the series, we're going to examine a handful of other Bible passages that are often misunderstood and misapplied as it relates to women in leadership. These messages have been an opportunity for us all to let Scripture speak for itself, sharpen our study skills and celebrate how God has used women and men throughout history for His kingdom purposes. _______________ 1. At the close of the series, Pastor Keith addressed some of the other more frequently asked questions regarding women in leadership? Have you ever been asked any of these questions? Which questions challenged you most? Would you answer any of these questions in a different way? 2. To be able answer objections to our faith, we need to be good students of the Word. In 2 Timothy 2.15 (New Living Translation), Paul reminded Timothy, “Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.” How do we become better students of the Bible? How do we find answers to questions we're asked? What resources have you found most helpful? 3. Christianity, especially in its earliest days, enjoyed tremendous popularity with women. Many had never heard or experienced such a liberating message. To this day, women still make up the majority of professed Christians. What do you think draws women to the faith? Do you think the Church (as in the universal church or as it exists in the USA) is still valuing women like they were in the New Testament or are things changing? What has been your experience in church as a woman? 4. What impact, if any, has this message or series had on you personally? Do you feel better equipped to address the question of female leadership in the Bible? Which messages stood out to you most and why?
Before moving onto the next chapter of 1 Corinthians, we pause to do a deep dive into each of the gifts mentioned by Paul. What are they, and how can they be used at The Town Church?
Part 6 - The Impermanence of Sorrow Psalm 30:5 1. God Brings Healing from Hurting Psalm 30:8–9; Psalm 30:10; Psalm 23:6; Psalm 30:1–4 a. An Appeal — Psalm 30:10 b. An Admiration — Psalm 30:1–3 Psalm 150:6 c. An Aim Psalm 30:4; Psalm 107:2 2. God Brings Rejoicing from Weeping Psalm 30:5 2 Peter 1:19 2 Corinthians 5:8 3. God Brings Wanting from Well-Being Psalm 30:6–7 Psalm 16:8 4. God Brings Dancing from Mourning Psalm 30:11 2 Corinthians 4:17 5. God Brings Singing from Suppressing Psalm 30:12 Romans 8:18 Malachi 3:3
"Let not your heart be troubled." - Jesus In the face of tragedy, we have a choice: let fear win or let faith rise. Today's message reminds us that even in our darkest moments, God's peace can guard our hearts. The enemy may scheme, but he just woke a giant - the Church. We're called to be bold in our faith, to cast our cares on Him, and to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. Remember: You are built to live by faith. Don't let your heart be troubled. Replace worry with worship. Your strength comes from the joy of the Lord.
We reflected on our spiritual identity as strangers and pilgrims in this world, called to fix our focus on Christ rather than earthly distractions. Through scripture and discussion, we were reminded that Jesus, fully divine yet clothed in humanity, became the spotless sacrifice to reveal God's unfailing love. We explored how sin is a choice of the will, but true freedom comes when we submit to God's will, cast our burdens on Him, and trust His eternal plan. In the end, we found assurance in His love, His preparation for us, and the reminder that our lasting rest and treasure are only in Christ.Themes:We are strangers and pilgrims, called not to settle here but to live for Christ (1 Peter 2:11)Jesus, though outwardly unimpressive, was inwardly perfect and pleasing to the FatherGod's unfailing love assures us that if He is for us, no one can be against usSin is a choice of the will, but submission to God brings true freedom (1 John; Romans; Genesis)Casting burdens on the Lord brings peace and endurance in life's race (Psalm 55:22; Hebrews 12:1)God's plan is not about earthly greatness but about eternal life with HimTrue Christianity is intimacy with Christ, finding rest in His love (Matthew 11:28–30; 1 Corinthians 13:12)We are the church, not a building, and are kept safe under Christ's authority (Revelation 2:17)Looking away from distractions helps us run our race with eyes fixed on JesusGod's personal love shapes us like diamonds, preparing us for eternityScripture References: 1 Peter 2:11; 1 John; Romans; Genesis; Psalm 55:22; Hebrews 12:1; Matthew 11:28–30; 1 Corinthians 13:12; Revelation 2:17
9/14/25. Five Minutes in the Word scriptures for today: 2 Corinthians 5:13. Misunderstood Devotion. Resources: biblehub.com; logos.com; ChatGPT; and Life Application Study Bible. Listen daily at 10:00 am CST on https://kingdompraiseradio.com. November 2021 Podchaser list of "60 Best Podcasts to Discover!" LISTEN, LIKE, FOLLOW, SHARE! #MinutesWord; @MinutesWord; #dailybiblestudy #dailydevotional #christianpodcaster #diversity https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCK9zaXqv64YaCjh88XIJckA/videos https://m.youtube.com/@hhwscott
Today's Devotional "Generous in My Giving"2 Corinthians 9lmjministries.org9/15/25Join us for coffee, conversation and community.
Pastor Clay NeSmith addresses the hurt and pain we face in our world and personal lives. In this powerful message, he explores the biblical concept of God's "kavod" (glory/weight) and explains why we weren't designed to carry God's glory alone.Through Scripture from Genesis, Deuteronomy, and 1 Corinthians, Pastor Clay reveals how sin entered the world and separated us from our divine purpose, but how Jesus Christ's sacrifice provides redemption and restoration.This message offers hope and healing for anyone struggling with personal pain while calling believers to unite in reflecting God's glory to the world.
Send us a textWe are living in turbulent times. The tragic assassination of Charlie Kirk is evidence of that fact. Therefore, it is important that Christians keep their focus on Christ and the eternity He has prepared for believers. A “then” focus (as this message calls it) will help us replace anger with mercy, revenge with forgiveness, and hatred with God's love. God is moving in unprecedented ways in our country and throughout the world. It is imperative that God's people be about the Father's business. As the title of this sermon contends, where you focus your attention matters.2 Corinthians 4:16-18; 1 John 2:15; Hebrews 11:16; Revelation 21:1-7"Yet I still dare to Hope..." - Lamentations 3:21 PODCAST HOME: daretohopepodcast.buzzsprout.com/ EMAIL: hope@dare2hope.life FACEBOOK: Dare to Hope Ministries WEB: www.dare2hope.life