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Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day. And here is a shout-out today to Ben Gandy from Hugo, MN. Ben, thank you for being part of Project23. Because of your faithfulness, we get to plant the Word of God in more lives every day. This one's for you. Today, we're looking at Mark 4:1-9: Again he began to teach beside the sea. And a very large crowd gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat in it on the sea, and the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land. And he was teaching them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” And he said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”— Mark 4:1-9 Jesus sits in a boat, teaching a crowd so large He has to back away from shore to be seen and heard. He launches into a story—a parable—that has echoed across history: A sower went out to sow. Some seeds land on the path. Some seeds hit the rocky ground. Some seeds fall among thorns. Some seeds land on good soil—and multiply. It's simple imagery, but Jesus isn't giving a farming lesson. He's giving a heart lesson. And this isn't a story merely about the Sower—or even the Seed. It's a story about the soil. Jesus is spading the soil of the heart of all mankind, asking: What kind of soil is your heart? Is it hard and unreceptive, like the path? Shallow and emotionally reactive, like the rocky ground? Distracted and overgrown with worry, like the thorns? Or soft and ready—like the good soil that produces lasting fruit? You see, the Seed is always good. The Word of God never fails. But the condition of the heart determines the harvest. And here's the good news of this parable: the soil of your heart doesn't have to be fixed in the hardened state. It can be plowed. Broken up. Prepared again. So if your heart's been hardened by disappointment… Or shallow from busyness… Or choked by distraction… Let Jesus work your soil. Let his pick axe, plow, and grader work on your heart. Soften it to him and let him produce results in and through you. Today—don't just hear the Word. Listen to it by changing your heart to him. #HeartCheck, #GoodSoil, #ParableOfTheSower ASK THIS: Which type of soil best describes your heart right now? What has hardened, distracted, or shallowly rooted your spiritual growth? Are you actively allowing God to break up and prepare your heart? What fruit have you seen when you've responded with a soft heart? DO THIS: Ask God to reveal one area of your heart that needs softening—and surrender it to him today. PRAY THIS: Father, break up the hard places in my heart and prepare me to receive your Word. Help me listen with surrender and grow lasting fruit through your Spirit. Amen. PLAY THIS: Word of God Speak.
May 18, 2025 | Psalm 1:1-6 | From Duty to Delight | Good Soil | Wes Moore
Ready to actually see spiritual fruit in your life? Stop aimlessly striving, and start with this sermon. In this powerful message from Pastor Simo, we're challenged to examine the fruitfulness of our spiritual lives through the lens of Jesus' Parable of the Sower from Matthew 13. This parable isn't just about salvation, but about how we receive and nurture the seeds of God's kingdom in our hearts. Are we seeing the 30, 60, or 100-fold growth Jesus speaks of? If not, what's holding us back? Discover how to transform hard, rocky, and thorny areas of your heart into fertile soil ready for God's Word, unlocking an abundant spiritual harvest.
Did you know the Hebrew word for “hear” is the same word as “obey”? Jesus asked many times, “Are you listening with your heart as well as your head? Is what I am saying sinking in? Is it making a difference in your life?” How would you answer Jesus if he asked you the same questions?
Subject: Good Soil Speaker or Performer: Pastor Joshua Morrison Scripture Passage(s): Matthew 13:1-9 Date of Delivery: May 14, 2025
On this throwback Tuesday episode we share the journey of Emma Witz, the founder of Good Soil Theatre, based in Cleveland, TN. They are provide live theatre experiences in the city. Utilizing unactivated buildings and spaces they are using the arts to create unique interactive and dynamic experiences for audiences. She shares her love of theatre, the rigors of being a creative entrepreneur, and being resourceful. She talks about funding for theatre which can be tough to find and how she makes it work. Upcoming performances and more. Emma gives a valuable creative tip for aspiring creators that you need to hear, and what she would tell her younger self if she had the chance. For more info, upcoming performances, auditions, and ways to donate go to: https://goodsoiltheatreco.com You can follow Good Soil on IG @goodsoiltheatreco and FB @ Good Soil Theatre Company SHARE, SUBSCRIBE, COMMENT AVAILABLE ON SPOTIFY, SOUNDCLOUD, APPLE PODCASTS Video Episode at YouTube@quantallangford SUPPORT THE SHOW: BEHIND THE SCENES CONTENT + SPECIAL DEALS + BONUS EPISODES www.buymeacoffee.com/TheCreativeBrew My new art book Worlds within Worlds available in digital form at: https://books.apple.com/us/book/worlds-within-worlds/id6502226996 Or get the physical book at: www.langfordesign.com/ebooks/ or locally at Studio Ace Artshop in Oceanside, CA. Oceanside Comic Stronghold, Oceanside, CA. Mystic Ritual Shop, Oceanside, CA. SPONSORS Baba Coffee Baba roasts their coffee beans each week and offer only the freshest coffee. Have an espresso, latte, cappuccino, pour over or drip coffee. Try cold brew coffee, nitro cold brew or a bulletproof coffee. We serve hot tea, cold brew teas, and boba milk teas. They also have an assortment of delicious food (try their Avocado Toast), mimosas, wine or beer. Open: Sun-Thurs. 6am-6pm + Fri 6am-9pm + Sat. 6am-7pm
Risen Nation Church is united by a vision to see the fulfillment of Acts 15:16—the rebuilding of David's tabernacle. Our deepest desire is to create a space where we can minister to the Lord through worship and where people can become a true dwelling place for His presence. Join us in worship: Sundays at 10:00 am (Doors open at 9:00 am) Location: 1711 Keller Pkwy, Keller, TX 76248 Text “dallas” to (817) 587-1735 for updates. Support Our Mission: Help us grow and reach more people. Give here(https://www.risennatio...)
May 11, 2025 | Acts 1:12-14 | We Have God's Ear! | Good Soil | Craig Fortunato
May 4, 2025 | Psalm 95; Romans 12:1-2 | We Grow by Singing | Good Soil | Zack Yarbrough
April 27, 2025 | Luke 8:4-15 | Fruitful | Good Soil | Wes Moore
West Michigan author and preacher Jeff Chu took the long way to the seminary. And once he got there, faith led him farther than he expected back out into the world. It all started with a compost pile on the seminary farm. On this episode, we’ll talk to Chu about his new memoir–titled Good Soil: The Education of an Accidental Farmhand–which details his journey into community, stewardship, and love of the land. GUEST: Jeff Chu, journalist, preacher and author of Good Soil: The Education of an Accidental Farmhand Looking for more conversations from Stateside? Right this way. If you like what you hear on the pod, consider supporting our work. Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
On This Week at Charlestown Road, Jason and Roger revisit Sunday morning's sermon, “An Honest and Good Heart,” digging deeper into Jesus' parable of the sower and the “good soil” our hearts ought to be for God.
Matthew 13:1-23 English Standard VersionThe Parable of the Sower13 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea.2 And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3 And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them.5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, 6 but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8 Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 He who has ears, let him hear.”The Purpose of the Parables10 Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” 11 And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14 Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says:“‘“You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.”15 For this people's heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed,lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their earsand understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.'16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. 17 For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.The Parable of the Sower Explained18 “Hear then the parable of the sower: 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. 20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away.[b] 22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 23 As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”English Standard Version (ESV)The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
What happens when a journalist-turned-seminarian finds God in a pile of rotting vegetables? You get Jeff Chu—writer, pastor, and accidental theologian of compost. In this tender and funny conversation, Jeff and Kate talk about what it means to be changed—by grief, by love, by the kind of calling that makes zero practical sense. They talk about complicated families, appropriate smallness, and what it means to belong to one another in just-because texts, foreign potato chips, and a rice cooker packed in a suitcase. Sometimes resurrection doesn’t look like a clean slate. Sometimes it looks like compost. Hope grows slowly. But oh, it grows. In this conversation, Kate and Jeff discuss: Why God’s call often doesn’t add up (and still won’t leave us alone) The theology of compost: how death, rot, and loss make way for new life How to live like we are beloved—even when life doesn’t feel that way Why small, ordinary graces are how we build the world we want Watch clips from this conversation, read the full transcript, and access discussion questions by clicking here or visiting katebowler.com/podcasts. Follow Kate on Instagram, Facebook, or X (formerly known as Twitter)—@katecbowler. Links to social pages and more available at linktr.ee/katecbowler.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Recorded live at One Heart Church (Tumby Bay) at the 4pm service on the 30th of March, 2025.
In a world that often feels overwhelming, where systemic challenges can paralyze us into inaction, I sat down with Jeff Chu - a journalist, preacher and storyteller who understands that transformation happens through small, beautiful acts of grace. Jeff's journey is anything but ordinary. From the bustling newsrooms of Time and Fast Company to the contemplative acres of Princeton's farminary, he discovered profound wisdom in the most unexpected place: a messy, rotting compost pile. There, amid liquefying spinach and decomposing vegetables, Jeff learned that death and resurrection aren't just theological concepts - they're living, breathing realities happening beneath our feet. Jeff, like all of us navigating this world, has every reason to be cynical. Instead, he chooses love. He chooses curiosity. He invites us to channel our anger not into destruction, but into small, ordinary graces that can fundamentally reshape our world. In this conversation, we'll explore how we might move from transactional relationships - with land, with each other, with God - to something more beautiful. We'll talk about rest, about poetry, about seeing each other as God's beloved creation. So join us, open your heart, and prepare to be transformed by a radical vision of grace. Jeff Chu is an award-winning journalist and editor-at-large at Travel+Leisure. He is the author of Does Jesus Really Love Me? and the co-author, with the late Rachel Held Evans, of the New York Times bestseller Wholehearted Faith. Chu is a former Time staff writer and Fast Company editor whose work has also appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, and Modern Farmer. In his weekly newsletter, “Notes of a Make-Believe Farmer,” Chu writes about spirituality, gardening, food, travel, and culture. He lives with his husband, Tristan, in Grand Rapids, Michigan.Jeff's Book:Good SoilSubscribe to Our Substack: Shifting CultureConnect with Joshua: jjohnson@allnations.usGo to www.shiftingculturepodcast.com to interact and donate. Every donation helps to produce more podcasts for you to enjoy.Follow on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Threads, Bluesky or YouTubeConsider Giving to the podcast and to the ministry that my wife and I do around the world. Just click on the support the show link belowEmail jjohnson@allnations.us, so we can get your creative project off the ground! Support the show
Emmy and Natalia welcome Jeff Chu to talk about his new book, Good Soil. Get Jeff's Book: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/729761/good-soil-by-jeff-chu/ See Jeff on his book tour: https://byjeffchu.com/tour www.patreon.com/cafeteriachristian
Mark Reeves In this important parable, Jesus compares the effectiveness of the Word of God in the life of an individual to seed sown on different surfaces: The Path, Rocky Ground, Among Thorns, and Good Soil.
On this episode we share the journey of Emma Witz, the founder of Good Soil Theatre, based in Cleveland, TN. They are provide live theatre experiences in the city. Utilizing unactivated buildings and spaces they are using the arts to create unique interactive and dynamic experiences for audiences. She shares her love of theatre, the rigors of being a creative entrepreneur, and being resourceful. She talks about funding for theatre which can be tough to find and how she makes it work. Upcoming performances and more. Emma gives a valuable creative tip for aspiring creators that you need to hear, and what she would tell her younger self if she had the chance. For more info, upcoming performances, auditions, and ways to donate go to: https://goodsoiltheatreco.com You can follow Good Soil on IG @goodsoiltheatreco and FB @ Good Soil Theatre Company SHARE, SUBSCRIBE, COMMENT AVAILABLE ON SPOTIFY, SOUNDCLOUD, APPLE PODCASTS Video Episode at YouTube@quantallangford SUPPORT THE SHOW: BEHIND THE SCENES CONTENT + SPECIAL DEALS + BONUS EPISODES www.buymeacoffee.com/TheCreativeBrew My new art book Worlds within Worlds available in digital form at: https://books.apple.com/us/book/worlds-within-worlds/id6502226996 Or get the physical book at: www.langfordesign.com/ebooks/ or locally at Studio Ace Artshop in Oceanside, CA. Oceanside Comic Stronghold, Oceanside, CA. Mystic Ritual Shop, Oceanside, CA. SPONSORS Baba Coffee Baba roasts their coffee beans each week and offer only the freshest coffee. Have an espresso, latte, cappuccino, pour over or drip coffee. Try cold brew coffee, nitro cold brew or a bulletproof coffee. We serve hot tea, cold brew teas, and boba milk teas. They also have an assortment of delicious food (try their Avocado Toast), mimosas, wine or beer. Open: Sun-Thurs. 6am-6pm + Fri 6am-9pm + Sat. 6am-7pm
A message from our Associate Pastor Harrison. For more information, visit hills.elevationchurch.com.au/ --- Follow Elevation Church Hills: Instagram: @elevationchurchhills http://hills.elevationchurch.com.au/
7 Signs You Are Good Soil - Morning Prayer
The Power of Good Soil - Morning Prayer
Good SoilMark 4:1-20
Pastor Clay NeSmith explores how to thrive with God's word in our lives through the lens of Jeremiah 29 and Jesus's parable of the sower. Drawing parallels between good soil and the condition of our hearts, Pastor Clay explains how God's vision, proper stewardship, and commitment are essential for producing a spiritual harvest. He emphasizes that God has good plans for His people, but these plans require the right heart conditions to flourish. Using the historical context of Israel's Babylonian captivity, Pastor Clay illustrates how God sometimes uses challenging seasons to recalibrate our hearts for greater purpose.
GOOD SOIL GROUPS 1. Illuminate our Lives (vv. 16-17) 2. Guard and Give Grace (v. 18) 3. Turn Crowds into Family (vv. 19-21)
Week 1 of our Devoted Series
Pastor LeFlore breaks down how the sabbath day of rest still plays into our lives today as Christians. Pastor LeFlore has been on the front of the pro-life movement for decades, has fought for the US as a marine, and now pastors Spirit of Liberty church in Markham, IL. He is the executive director of Public School Exit and is the founder of the Good Soil, Good Seed foundation. … Continue Reading
In this edition of Spotlight, Monte Larrick talks with Caesor LeFlore, pastor of Spirit of Liberty Church, founder of Good Soil, Good Seed and Executive Director of Public School Exit.… Continue Reading
Listen to weekly sermons from Velocity Church in Lawrence, KS. Velocity is a vision-fueled and faith-filled community changing lives and transforming a city with the message of Jesus. For more information visit www.findvelocity.org
Listen to weekly sermons from Velocity Church in Lawrence, KS. Velocity is a vision-fueled and faith-filled community changing lives and transforming a city with the message of Jesus. For more information visit www.findvelocity.org
Listen to weekly sermons from Velocity Church in Lawrence, KS. Velocity is a vision-fueled and faith-filled community changing lives and transforming a city with the message of Jesus. For more information visit www.findvelocity.org
Listen to weekly sermons from Velocity Church in Lawrence, KS. Velocity is a vision-fueled and faith-filled community changing lives and transforming a city with the message of Jesus. For more information visit www.findvelocity.org
You may have heard someone say before that they've put down deep roots. Usually, they're not talking about gardening, but about the roots of their lives. Family. Friends. A career. A church home.We all want to belong. We want to be planted deep in the soil of community.Colossians 2:6–7 says, “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.”If you're searching right now, wondering where you should be, consider this verse. In it, we find that Christ our great Savior has a deep desire to keep us growing in good soil. Spiritually, we are to put down deep roots where He has planted us.If you find yourself far from family, either geographically or because of hurt and conflict, turn to Jesus and tell Him how you feel.His strong hands will carry you to the place He has waiting just for you, where you will belong. And He will plant you deep.Let's pray.Lord, thank you for caring about us as individuals, and knowing exactly what we need and when. We love you. In Jesus' name, amen.Change your shirt, and you can change the world! Save 15% Off your entire purchase of faith-based apparel + gifts at Kerusso.com with code KDD15.