Podcasts about God

When you receive God's blessings for your life, you will find security, freedom, fruitfulness, and favor. Pastor Alan Wright talks about the power of blessing and speaks blessings over you. Pastor Alan's book is "The Power to Bless: How to Speak Life and Empower the People You Love." Faith Radio podcasts are made possible by your support. Give now: click here

Fall asleep to special Psalm devotionals at https://www.sleeppsalms.com Tonight's prayer is from Psalm 59:16.  Welcome to "Sleep Psalms with Bishop T.D. Jakes," a tranquil oasis of serenity for your weary soul. In each episode, you'll embark on a soothing journey guided by the wisdom of the most popular book of the Bible, the book of Psalms. Bishop T.D. Jakes' calming voice and gentle prayers will lull you into a peaceful state of mind, perfect for restful sleep or deep meditation. Allow each profound devotional soothe your soul every night. Let the verses of the Psalms cradle your thoughts and provide solace, allowing you to drift into a night of tranquil slumber. Let the Lord be your shepherd tonight, and fall asleep to God's word. Join us as we embark on a profound exploration of these timeless scriptures, nurturing both your spirit and your dreams. Download the Pray.com app for more Bible stories to last a lifetime. To learn more about Bishop T.D. Jakes visit https://tdjenterprises.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Read OnlineJesus passed through towns and villages, teaching as he went and making his way to Jerusalem. Someone asked him, “Lord, will only a few people be saved?” He answered them, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough.” Luke 13:22–24 The context of this passage provides insight into Jesus' mission and His concern for each and every person. Note that Jesus was traveling toward the large and populous city of Jerusalem. But as He traveled, He passed through “towns and villages” and taught the people as He went. This might seem like a small detail, but it is also a significant one.A city like Jerusalem was large and often had wealthy, influential, and “important” people. The less-populated towns  had borders and often some form of local government. Villages were much smaller rural areas, often made up of poorer, less educated, less influential, and simpler people. One historian, Josephus, wrote that there were about 240 villages throughout Galilee at the time Jesus lived. It's interesting to note that Jesus wanted to teach everyone. He didn't care if they were wealthy and powerful people in the large city or peasant farmers and shepherds from the countryside. His mission was to all.One thing this teaches us is that we, also, must have love and concern for everyone, regardless of their social status. Each and every person is equal in dignity. From the president of a large country, to the beggar in an alleyway, everyone deserves our respect and attention in an equal way.Our fallen human nature experiences various forms of temptation. Among them are temptations for riches, power and prestige. For that reason, we tend to admire those who have obtained worldly success because we want it for ourselves. As a result, we tend to show greater respect for those who have achieved what we covet and give less attention to those who do not have that success. This, of course, goes to the heart of the problem.When you think about the people whom you have encountered recently, what comes to mind? Perhaps your “encounter” was to read about someone's great success in the financial world. Or perhaps it was to read about someone's demise in another way. Perhaps a neighbor has done well and purchased a new car, or a friend got fired from a job. Whatever the case may be, it is important to consider the level of personal respect and love you show for each person. It must be equal. Worldly status cannot determine how we treat others. This is hard to avoid.The teaching that Jesus gave to those in the towns and villages was an exhortation to holiness. “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough.” And at the end of today's Gospel, Jesus says, “For behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.” The latter statement must have especially resonated with those who felt somewhat insignificant and unimportant in life. Those who felt like they were “last” would have received a certain hope. This tells us that God never measures us by our successes from a worldly standpoint. He measures us only on the level of our fidelity to His holy will. Reflect, today, upon how you look at all people. Do you see every person in the way that God sees them? Do you see everyone with equal dignity and worth? Or do you elevate those whom you envy and whose success you covet? Seek to eliminate all worldly ways of looking at others so that you will only look at others through the lens of their dignity and fidelity to the will of God. Lord, as You journeyed through life, You looked only at the hearts of those You encountered. You treated each person with dignity and love. Please help me to shed all temptations to see others through the eyes of the world and to show full respect to all of Your sons and daughters. Jesus, I trust in You.Image: James Tissot, Public domain, via Wikimedia CommonsSource of content: catholic-daily-reflections.comCopyright © 2025 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Just as a man and woman are able to reproduce physically as God designed it out of intimacy, we are to spiritually reproduce disciples as we grow in intimacy in relationship with God. He works in us to help us grow and mature so that we can seek out others to be reborn and help them in the growing process.

Daily Study: There is a popular expression that says, “Fake it until you make it.“ Some people have applied this concept to faith; however, you can't fake faith until you get it. Pretending to be in faith doesn't give you the power to receive the things you desire. Instead, be honest with God if you lack faith, and He will help you. Partner with Us: https://churchforentrepreneurs.com/partner Connect with Us: https://churchforentrepreneurs.com                  

In this episode of Raising Gender-Confident Kids, in the Celebrate Kids podcast, hosts Wayne Stender and Dr. Kathy discuss the importance of fostering confidence, hope, compassion, and truth in children as they navigate issues of gender identity. They delve into the first chapter of Dr. Kathy's book, which sets the stage for understanding and addressing gender confusion in families. The episode emphasizes the need for courage, rooted in faith and a strong identity in God, to empower children to act boldly. Join them as they explore these essential postures and the dynamic conversations surrounding identity dysphoria. Order your copy of Raising Gender-Confident Kids>>

On today's Bible Answer Man broadcast, we present an episode of the Hank Unplugged podcast. Hank's guest is philosopher Paul Gould, author of A Good and True Story: Eleven Clues to Understanding Our Universe and Your Place in It. Hank and Paul discuss why Paul wrote A Good and True Story, if we live our lives according to a story, how evidence for God is everywhere but needs to be rightly interpreted, the non-religious stories that explain our existence: scientism, materialism, atheism, nihilism, and reductionism; the origins of the universe, and if the immensity of the universe should inspire belief in God.

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Jeremiah 31-32; 1 John 4 Click HERE to give! Get Free App Here! One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on 'The Daily Radio Bible' for a daily 20-minute spiritual journey. Engage with scripture readings, heartfelt devotionals, and collective prayers that draw you into the heart of God's love. Embark on this year-long voyage through the Bible, and let each day's passage uplift and inspire you. TODAY'S EPISODE: Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible! On this episode for August 23rd, 2025, your Bible Reading Coach, Hunter, guides us through a rich journey in the Scriptures, exploring Jeremiah 31 and 32, followed by First John 4. As we listen to God's promises of restoration, Hunter unpacks the profound declaration of a new covenant—a covenant not written on tablets of stone, but on our very hearts. We also pause with John's letter to consider the nature of true love, the assurance we have as God's children, and the freedom that perfect love brings from fear and shame. Join us for moments of scripture, insight, and heartfelt prayer as we reflect on God's everlasting love, the invitation to live in peace and gratitude, and the challenge to let love—God's own love—shape every part of our daily lives. Whether you're seeking encouragement or a deeper connection with God, this episode offers a fresh reminder: you are loved, and God has made a way for you. Let's spend these few moments together, listening and growing in the presence of the One who is love. TODAY'S DEVOTION: A new covenant, a new heart, a new hope. Jeremiah is given a prophecy from the Lord about a coming day—a day when God himself will do something entirely new. God promises to write his covenant, not just on tablets of stone, nor simply in laws and rituals, but deep within his people, written upon their very hearts. The old covenant—well-intentioned, but forever frustrated by human weakness—would give way to something greater. The life that this first covenant called for would finally be lived out in perfection, not by us, but by His Son. Jesus, the spotless Lamb, lived a life of love and obedience, fulfilling what Israel and all of us could not. By his loving sacrifice, he has reconciled us—broken, exhausted, rebellious exiles—back to God. This is God's new work: he has taken the old, hardened heart of Adam and replaced it with a new heart, a heart that desires fellowship, love, and communion with God. Where shame, guilt, and fear once reigned, God plants a new covenant, a new hope, a new person. He does not merely repair us; he remakes us. “I will put my instructions deep within them,” Jeremiah says. “I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.” This is not something we accomplish—it is something God has done for us, out of his unending love. The apostle John says it so plainly: “God is love. And all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.” God's perfect love has made a way for us to live free—free from condemnation, free from shame, free from fear. As we continue to trust, to abide, and to participate with Him, our lives are gradually transformed. Our love grows more perfect. We begin to live as those who are truly loved, loving others, and living with confidence. Fear loses its grip, because perfect love expels all fear. This good news—the news of a new covenant written on our hearts, of lives made new in love—is for us and for the world. Let us awaken each day to this reality. God's love is not just something we hear about; it has been poured into our hearts, making us new people, with a new purpose and a new hope. That's a prayer I have for my own soul, to live in this love, to participate in it, to let it drive out fear, condemnation, shame, and guilt. I pray that for my family—my wife, my daughters, my son. And that's the prayer I have for you, too. May it be so. TODAY'S PRAYERS: Almighty and ever loving God, you have brought us to the light of a new morning. Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may walk this day in peace. Guard our steps from temptation. Shield us from the weight of fear and shame, and lead us deeper into the joy of your presence, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. O Christ, light of the nations, shine in every place where shadows dwell. Call the scattered home, heal the wounds of division and gather all people into the communion of your grace. May the knowledge of the Lord cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. Amen. And now, Lord, make my hands ready for mercy. Make my eyes quick to see the hurting, my ears open to the cry of the lonely, and my feet swift to bring good news. Let me seek to bless, not to be noticed, to serve, not to be praised, to forgive, not to hold back. For in your way is life, in your mercy is healing, and in your love is the peace this world cannot give. Amen. And now, as our Lord has taught us, we are bold to Pray: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.   OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com We are reading through the New Living Translation.   Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured OTHER PODCASTS: Listen with Apple Podcast DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL  

It’s the biggest bully of the Middle East: the nation of Iran. We’ve heard all about their nuclear ambitions, but what’s daily life really like for women in Iran? This week on The Land and the Book, we'll delve into the pressing women's issues in Iran, particularly from a Christian perspective. Our guest was born and raised there. Then, Charlie Dyer's devotional reminds us that God is always right on time. Join us for The Land and the Book.Donate to Moody Radio: http://moodyradio.org/donateto/landandthebookSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).

With the Saints in Independence struggling to fulfill the Lord's command to build a temple, the Saints in Kirtland, Ohio, get the invitation from the Lord to build a temple there. The Saints in Kirtland dig in and begin construction as the miracles start to commence. Join Lynne Hilton Wilson and special guest Steven C. Harper, Church History professor at BYU, for the stories, insights and experiences surrounding the construction of the first temple of God in the latter days. In addition to learning about the historical events related to the construction of the Kirtland Temple, Professor Harper offers a deep dive into how the temple is designed to prepare us to return to our Heavenly Father. Thank you for joining us at Scripture Central! We hope that you have enjoyed this content.

In this solo episode with coach Myrna, discover how prayer not only connects you with God but also rewires your brain for greater focus, empathy, and emotional resilience.  Through insights from neuroscientist Dr. Andrew Nubert, learn about prayer's impact on stress relief and neuroplasticity, empowering you to transform life's challenges into opportunities for growth. Whether you're new to prayer or looking to deepen your practice, find out how to harness its transformative power of prayer to reshape your mind and life.Key Takeaways:Prayer and the Brain: Prayer is revealed to activate the prefrontal cortex, enhancing focus and empathy while calming the amygdala, reducing fear and stress.Neuroplasticity: Consistent prayer invokes neuroplastic changes, reinforcing qualities like emotional resilience and self-regulation in the brain's structure.Power of Vocal Prayer: Speaking prayers aloud engages multiple senses, enhancing focus and embedding intentions deeply within the brain.Stress Relief: Prayer effectively lowers cortisol levels, bringing clarity and calm through surrendering challenges to a higher power.Faith and Visualization: Visualizing desired outcomes through prayer makes the brain perceive them as real, engaging the law of attraction to manifest goals.Notable Quotes:"Prayer is the master key to all our earthly problems, starting with faith and speaking into the atmosphere."Follow Coach Myrna on Twitter and InstagramSponsors of this podcast"Protect your business. Protect your community. Call Alpha Security Bureau today at 1-817-383-9098 or visit AlphaSecurityBureau.com MINT Mobile Get this new customer offer and your 3-month Unlimited wireless plan for just 15 bucks a month at MINT MOBILE.com/TRANSFORM.Shopify Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial period at SHOPIFY.COM/transform To advertise on our podcast, visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TransformyourMindor email kriti@youngandprofiting.com See this video on The Transform Your Mind YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@MyhelpsUs/videosTo see a transcripts of this audio as well as links to all the advertisers on the show page https://myhelps.us/Follow Transform Your Mind on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/myrnamyoung/Follow Transform Your mind on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063738390977Please leave a rating and review on iTunes https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/transform-your-mind/id1144973094 https://podcast.feedspot.com/personal_development_podcasts/

Shillsdale College and Should Protestants Partner with Catholics?Ministry Sponsors:Armored RepublicWe make Tools of Liberty for the defense of every free man's God-given rights: Arm yourself with body armor and a plate carrier of your choosing; build your setup with accessories, equip yourself with an armored backpack.https://www.ar500armor.com//Genesis Gold GroupFaith-Based Gold IRA: Genesis Gold Group helps Christians protect their retirement with physical precious metals aligned with scriptural stewardship principles.https://www.RightResponseBibleGold.comHeaven's HarvestGet 10% off your Heaven's Harvest order by using discount code "RRM" at checkout on their website.https://heavensharvest.com/rrmCovenant EyesGet 30-days free by using discount code "RRM" at checkout on their website.https://www.covenanteyes.com/Private Family Bankinghttps://calendly.com/familybankingnow/30-minutes-discovery-call-with-chuck-deladurantey

Spiritual abuse can shatter trust—not only in people and institutions, but sometimes even in God. It can leave survivors wondering if healing or belonging is possible on the other side of betrayal. In this conversation, Rachael Clinton Chen is joined by Brian Lee, founder of Broken to Beloved. Brian shares his story of growing up as a pastor's kid, becoming a pastor himself, and eventually facing the reality of spiritual abuse in his own life. Out of that painful journey, he has learned the daily work of reminding himself—and others—that no matter what has been taken, we are still beloved. This work doesn't happen in isolation. Brian and Rachael name the importance of the wider movement—survivors, advocates, pastors, and therapists—who are rising up to expose abuse and create spaces of honesty, care, and repair. Together they remind us that while spiritual abuse is devastating, it does not have the final word. You can learn more about Broken to Beloved at brokentobeloved.org.  Plus, this fall, we hope you'll join Brian, Rachael, and a host of other speakers at the Broken to Beloved Gathering in Richmond, VA, this October 10-11, 2025. Tickets are available at: https://www.brokentobeloved.org/gatheringinterest

Do you ever question whether God is on your side? It can be hard to believe when you're reeling from the pain of life. Pastor Joshua Ryan Butler shares from his book, “God Is on Your Side: How Jesus Is For You When Everything Seems Against You.” Faith Radio podcasts are made possible by your support. Give now: click here

There is a great need for each of us to take the reality of spiritual warfare seriously as well as the weapons that God gives us to engage in this fight for our souls. One of the most powerful weapons we have is recourse to the intercession of the saints! Charles Fraune and Patrick O'Hearn join us to explain what the Catholic Church teaches about this subject and why it is imperative that we all understand this. This SHOULD NOT be taken lightly! ------------------------------ Get your copy of The Most Powerful Saints in Exorcisms HERE: https://sophiainstitute.com/product/the-most-powerful-saints-in-exorcisms/ ------------------------------- More on Charles Fraune and his books HERE: https://slayingdragonspress.com/ ------------------------------- More on Patrick O'Hearn and his books HERE: https://patrickrohearn.com/ ------------------------------- Check out the 54 Day Rosary Novena and Rosary Coast to Coast HERE: https://rosarycoasttocoast.com/ ------------------------------- Find out more about the Rosary Coalition HERE: https://rosarycoalition.com/usgf ------------------------------- Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKZ9OefEJLEx1qYcBxgAFww/join -------------------------------- PATREON - Help support this podcast by becoming a US Grace Force PATRON here: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=25398590 -------------------------------- Check out ROMAN CATHOLIC GEAR and get amazing Catholic gear for the battle of your life! Click HERE: https://romancatholicgear.com/USGF -------------------------------- Subscribe to our NEW US Grace Force YouTube channel! US GRACE FORCE 2.0. Don't miss any new, great content!! https://youtube.com/@USGraceForce2.0?si=zq47qEqPITXnIDkg -------------------------------- Join the US Grace Force Team HERE: https://visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=001ESuSGaJpYPCG2iUdd4j4bkKwd4gkh2ZUVbam_Ty9rCn6blH6_U3cI2D8UvSLEcSzHnC4eq2UWmK1I0SbEw0SPKqnkZ2j0Z4J4D-_m4dD6CKJU9day-bBa8Qnx4dv7RLDIVlYAjL1JWsjfUTNPH2jQIVY9gbdbz4O4oMIzv5V1dT_upQsD8cX86iq_5Y-x4eLrTVtdOmA24s%3D&fbclid=IwY2xjawFRvvdleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHdo526R1rgNAIW76yyQnVbo957e1TgOoQ4RH3Tr84D8376Y7jng09gtlOw_aem_H7Y7Ej6cF6-nPyfOZ4qMTQ -------------------------------- PRAY THE ROSARY: The Joyful Mysteries: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMAR9MEN1pE&t=656s --------------------------------- The Sorrowful Mysteries: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHUkx66oAxE&t=311s --------------------------------- The Glorious Mysteries: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pg_JWsxS6EA&t=207s --------------------------------- The Luminous Mysteries: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVL5CqBr3CA&t=198s --------------------------------- The Full Rosary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44zL1kFIvP8&t=1765s --------------------------------- Be Ready Emergency Preparedness Course: Be prepared to Care for and Protect your Family in times of Natural Disasters, Emergencies, Civil Unrest, Economic Collapse, and more. Sign up for the course HERE: https://brcoalition.com/ --------------------------------- Go HERE to check out the BR Coalition and get great training Body, Mind & Soul! https://brcoalition.com/ Become part of one of the fastest growing online Catholic Membership sites. --------------------------------- Get your hands on some great US Grace Force T-shirts! https://us-grace-force.creator-spring.com/ --------------------------------- The seven promises given to St Bridget of Sweden for those who devote themselves to her Seven Sorrows. 1. I will grant peace to their families. 2. They will be enlightened about the Divine Mysteries. 3. I will console them in their pains, and I will accompany them in their work. 4. I will give them as much as they ask for as long as it does not oppose the adorable will of my Divine Son or the sanctification of their souls. 5. I will defend them in their spiritual battles with the infernal enemy and I will protect them at every instant of their lives. 6. I will visibly help them at the moment of their death—they will see the face of their mother. 7. I have obtained this grace from my divine Son, that those who propagate this devotion to my tears and dolors will be taken directly from this earthly life to eternal happiness, since all their sins will be forgiven and my Son and I will be their eternal consolation and joy.

Patrick Madrid takes a call from Matt in Huntington Beach, who asks a very relatable question: How do I keep prayer intentional when I have so many intentions that it feels like a checklist? Patrick admits right away that he’s not speaking as a prayer “expert,” but as a fellow traveler who wrestles with the same distractions. He encourages you to pray at times and in places where the noise of life is quieter -- whether that’s at home in the early morning or during a visit to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. But he also affirms that prayer doesn’t have to be limited to those moments; it can happen anywhere -- in the car, at the grocery store, or in the middle of a busy day. What matters most, Patrick says, is not the absence of distractions but what you do with them. He suggests offering those distractions to God directly: “Lord, I’m trying to pray, but my mind is scattered. I give you these distractions too.” That effort, he says, is pleasing to God because it shows love and persistence. Patrick also draws on Ignatian spirituality, recommending a prayer method that involves putting yourself into the scene of Scripture or the mysteries of the Rosary. For example, while praying the Sorrowful Mysteries, you can imagine yourself standing at the pillar as Jesus is scourged, which helps stir gratitude and deepen prayer. He goes on to outline the stages of prayer: -Discursive prayer -- the “shallow end,” made up of spontaneous prayers or rote prayers like the Our Father -Meditation -- a deeper form, where the mind and heart actively engage with the truths of the Faith -Contemplation -- the “deep end” of prayer, described by saints like Teresa of Avila as gazing on God with love, much like beholding a beautiful sunset in awe On the specific problem of prayer becoming a long “laundry list,” Patrick introduces the idea of virtual intentions. Instead of naming every single person or need individually each time, you can entrust categories of people or petitions to God: “Lord, I pray for all those I promised to pray for” or “I pray for all who have died.” This way, prayer remains heartfelt without being mechanical. Finally, Patrick recommends two spiritual classics to grow in prayer: Introduction to the Devout Life by St. Francis de Sales and The Interior Castle by St. Teresa of Avila. Both provide wisdom on moving from simple, everyday prayer to deeper intimacy with God. Patrick reminds you: the key is not perfection, but intention. As long as you’re sincerely engaging with God rather than just “clickety clacking” through words, your prayer life will bear fruit.

https://www.youtube.com/@FamilyGoalsPod?sub_confirmation=1On this week's episode, David Pollack and Pastor J take a look at a real-life Romans 12:13 moment in Pastor J's life.You are listening to David Pollack, former College GameDay Analyst, and Jonathan Howes, Lead Pastor of Graystone Church, have a weekly conversation about God, Family, and Sports.#familygoalspodcast #familygoals #christianfamilyRespond in the comments, SUBSCRIBE and CLICK THE BELL for notificationsSUBSCRIBE to The Family Goals Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/family-goals-with-david-pollack-and-pastor-j/id1585214791X: https://x.com/familygoalspodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/familygoalspod/https://bravebooks.com/familygoalsCheckout code FAMILYGOALSSpiritual Moments: 52 Devotions for Families, Couples and Small Groups: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FL3RQJVP?ref=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cp_ud_dp_65TC7ZJR8AMDVS1SNFNV&ref_=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cp_ud_dp_65TC7ZJR8AMDVS1SNFNV&social_share=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cp_ud_dp_65TC7ZJR8AMDVS1SNFNV&bestFormat=true&csmig=1Compassion International: compassion.com/familygoalsToney Financial Services: https://www.toneyfinancialinc.com/Pollack Family Foundation: https://www.pollackfamilyfoundation.com/See Ball Get Ball: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/see-ball-get-ball-with-david-pollack/id1769665459

Chapter 19 of Heroes in the Bible: David with Dr. Tony Evans is inspired by 2 Samuel 2:8-37. A Civil War Begins - David is forced to go to war with Ish-bosheth, the remaining son of King Saul. A brutal battle for the heart of God’s people begins, and there is no clear light at the end of this dark tunnel. Today's opening prayer is inspired by 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Every Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness, that each person who belongs to God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. Listen to some of the greatest Bible stories ever told and make prayer a priority in your life by downloading the Pray.com app. Sign up for Heroes in the Bible devotionals at https://www.heroesinthebible.com/ Learn more about Dr. Tony Evans at https://tonyevans.org/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

497-Living a Life of No Regrets in Marriage and Faith [Re-Release] (Previously Titled: Changing OURSELVES in Light of Eternity) Hello, listeners! As we continue to work on our recording our very first in-person trainings, we hope you will enjoy some of the re-releases from the past few years of the Delight Your Marriage podcast (It has certainly been sweet to us to re-listen and share some of our favorites with you!) For this week, we hope you will enjoy a little bit of Christmas in the summertime as we talk about living life in light of eternity. Christmas is certainly a wonderful time to remember who Jesus is and why he is worthy of our lives, but we think a balmy day in August is a good time to remember that also. Enjoy this re-release and we look forward to sharing some other favorite episodes with you soon! God bless! Marriage as Your First Assignment Before God When we think about standing before Jesus one day, many of us imagine wanting to hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” But how often do we connect that vision with our marriages? The truth is, God has entrusted you with a spouse—not by accident, not as an afterthought, but as a sacred assignment. Your husband or wife is your first ministry. Loving God by Loving Your Spouse Jesus told us the greatest commandment is to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength—and the second is like it: to love our neighbor as ourselves. And who is your closest neighbor? Your spouse. No one else can encourage your spouse like you can. No one else can pray for them, serve them, or provide safety and intimacy in the same way. Your marriage is one of the clearest ways to live out your love for God. When you choose to love your husband or wife with gentleness, patience, and sacrificial love, you are actually loving Jesus. Integrity, Intimacy, and Safety Loving your spouse well isn't just about words—it's about integrity. It's about creating true safety by guarding your heart, your eyes, and your thoughts. It's about saying no to distractions that cheapen your focus—whether that's pornography, busyness, or pouring your energy into hobbies instead of your home. When you choose discipline, integrity, and faithfulness, your spouse experiences the safety God designed marriage to provide. And intimacy—emotional, spiritual, and physical—flows from that foundation. A Life with No Regrets This life is short. One day, you and I will stand before Jesus. What will we be able to say about how we loved? Did we prioritize our marriages? Did we love our spouses as Christ asked us to? Did we make sacrifices to ensure our marriages reflected His heart? The good news is—it's not too late. Today, you can choose to love your spouse as your first assignment before God. You can choose to realign your priorities and live with no regrets. Your Invitation Your marriage is not just about you and your spouse—it's about reflecting Jesus to the world. When you love your spouse well, you glorify God. Take some time today to ask: What does it mean for me to love God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength? How can I show that love to my spouse in practical, tangible ways? What do I want to be true of me when I stand before Jesus? Friend, don't waste the life God has entrusted to you. Start with the person He's placed right by your side. Your first neighbor. You can do this. God bless you, The Delight Your Marriage Team PS - If you are ready to join our Coaching Programs, we would love to chat with you! Schedule a free Clarity Call with one of our Clarity Call advisors and discover what your marriage needs to fully connected once again. PPS - We are doing a pilot launch in churches this Fall! The Masculinity Reclaimed & Delighted Wife programs that you know and love are being adapted for in-person groups and we cannot wait to show them to you. If you'd like your church to be a part of our pilot program, please check out https://delightyourmarriage.com/church/ PPPS - Here is a quote from a recent graduate: "We were both resentful of how we treated each other. My expectations were rarely met and I could be quite cold. My moods would overflow into my parenting and even work. After 20+ years of this I had very little hope that things could change. I was not going to leave my family, but I did seek to escape through alcohol and pornography at times... [Now,] My wife has told me she feels safe. She has begun to trust that my change is not a passing fad. I have gained understanding in how to love her well. I look forward to being around her, and to pampering her and loving her well. This has overflowed into intimacy emotionally, spiritually, and physically...I didn't realize how much pain I was causing her, or how self focused I was. I was trying to get her to change and should have been working on me."

Fall asleep to special Psalm devotionals at https://www.sleeppsalms.com Tonight's prayer is from Psalm 58:11.  Welcome to "Sleep Psalms with Bishop T.D. Jakes," a tranquil oasis of serenity for your weary soul. In each episode, you'll embark on a soothing journey guided by the wisdom of the most popular book of the Bible, the book of Psalms. Bishop T.D. Jakes' calming voice and gentle prayers will lull you into a peaceful state of mind, perfect for restful sleep or deep meditation. Allow each profound devotional soothe your soul every night. Let the verses of the Psalms cradle your thoughts and provide solace, allowing you to drift into a night of tranquil slumber. Let the Lord be your shepherd tonight, and fall asleep to God's word. Join us as we embark on a profound exploration of these timeless scriptures, nurturing both your spirit and your dreams. Download the Pray.com app for more Bible stories to last a lifetime. To learn more about Bishop T.D. Jakes visit https://tdjenterprises.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Tim Whitaker from the New Evangelical joined me for one of those sprawling conversations that somehow manages to connect Christian nationalism, the Democratic Party's moral cowardice, process theology, and whether buying burritos on payment plans signals the end of civilization. We started with our upcoming "God of Justice" class and quickly dove into the bewildering reality of watching people worship a brown-skinned immigrant named Jesus on Sunday, then cheer for the deportation of brown-skinned immigrants on Monday. Tim shared his jarring experience at the DNC, where he found himself more aligned with the leftist protesters outside than the military-industrial complex celebration inside, while I vented about Democratic senators who can't figure out why state-run grocery stores aren't communist plots. We wrestled with that familiar ex-evangelical dilemma of trying not to recreate the same purity culture dynamics we escaped from, just with new villains and shibboleths. The whole thing was anchored by this persistent question that haunts anyone trying to follow Christ in empire: where exactly is God when the people wearing Jesus name tags are the ones building alligator moats, and the politicians who should know better are too bought off to acknowledge that maybe poor people deserve vegetables? You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube UPCOMING ONLINE CLASS - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The God of Justice: Where Ancient Wisdom Meets Contemporary Longing⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ This transformative online class brings together distinguished scholars from biblical studies, theology, history, and faith leadership to offer exactly what our moment demands: the rich, textured wisdom of multiple academic disciplines speaking into our contemporary quest for justice. Here you'll discover how ancient texts illuminate modern struggles, how theological reflection deepens social action, and how historical understanding opens new possibilities for faithful engagement with our world's brokenness and beauty. Join John Dominic Crossan, Peter Enns, Casey Sigmon, Aizaiah Yong, & Malcolm Foley As always, the class is donation-based, including 0. INFO & Sign-Up at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.FaithAndPolitics.net⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Theology Beer Camp ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠is a unique three-day conference that brings together of theology nerds and craft beer for a blend of intellectual engagement, community building, and fun. Guests this year include John Dominic Crossan, Kelly Brown Douglas, Philip Clayton, Stacey Floyd-Thomas, Jeffery Pugh, Juan Floyd-Thomas, Andy Root, Grace Ji-Sun Kim, Noreen Herzfeld, Reggie Williams, Casper ter Kuile, and more! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get info and tickets here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. _____________________ This podcast is a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Homebrewed Christianity⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ production. Follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠the Homebrewed Christianity⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Theology Nerd Throwdown⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Rise of Bonhoeffer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ podcasts for more theological goodness for your earbuds. Join over 70,000 other people by joining our⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Substack - Process This!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Get instant access to over 50 classes at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.TheologyClass.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow the podcast, drop a review⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, send ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠feedback/questions⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or become a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠member of the HBC Community⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Read Online“The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” Matthew 23:11–12If you were to plan out the ideal future for yourself, what would it look like? Imagine if you were not constrained by budget or resources. Imagine if you could pick to do anything you wanted, to go anywhere you wanted, and enjoy any activity that you wanted. Imagine the greatest experience you could possibly have. What would that be? Most people would immediately think about indulging in the greatest pleasures imaginable. A life of the most luxurious accommodations, the best food, the most beautiful scenery and the most relaxing and enjoyable time possible. But would that truly be the “ideal future for yourself?”The Gospel passage above is very clear. Greatness is found in servanthood. Exaltation is enjoyed only through humility. Is the ideal lifestyle one that is filled with indulgence, entertainment, luxury, and the like? Certainly not. The ideal life, the greatest life, the most exalted life is the life of the most humble service of others as possible. That's essentially what Jesus tells us in this passage. Do you believe that?Note that Jesus uses the words “greatest” and “must” in the same sentence. These two words are both quite definitive. There is no one greater than the “greatest,” and the path to that greatness requires, without exception, that the greatest be a servant of everyone else. In many ways, this truth defies most human conceptions of greatness. Most often, if someone is considered “great,” then they are served and treated with an honor and respect not given to most. For example, if you had someone of great importance over to your home for dinner, you would most likely wait on them. Of course, service in this context is much more than waiting on tables or providing a meal. Though that is a blessed way to serve others and to express love, Jesus' concept of service goes far beyond this. How do we serve as one who is truly great? We do so especially by humbling ourselves. Humility is the greatest form of service we can render another.Jesus was, without question, the humblest person to ever live. Only His mother shared perfectly in this holy virtue. Humility enables a person to break out of every selfish tendency and turn their love to the good of the other. Jesus did this first by becoming Incarnate in the womb of His dear mother. The Eternal Son of God did not become man because it somehow benefited Him in a self-centered way. He did it because He loved us and His Incarnation benefited us. The Son of God did not allow others to mock Him, ridicule Him and ultimately murder Him because it somehow benefitted Him. He did it so that He could enter death and destroy it so that we could rise with Him. He did it for us. And we could go through every passage of the Gospels and see that everything Jesus did was done for others and never done out of a selfish desire. This self-giving service our Lord offered every day was a fruit of the incredible humility that He lived. Jesus did everything He did out of His love for others and with humility so as to bring salvation and transformation to their eternal souls.In our lives, we need to make a fundamental choice. Am I going to live for myself? Or am I going to live for others? It seems as though very few people live fully for others. It is difficult to take our eyes off ourselves and turn them only to the good of others. But if we realize that living for others is also the path to our own greatness and ultimate exaltation, then it becomes much easier. Serving others, especially in a spiritual way by which you do all you can to help them grow closer to God, is what will make you great. Nothing else can do so. Believe that and live it. Reflect, today, upon a life of true greatness.Reflect, especially, upon how you can live such a life. How can you more completely serve others? How can you make their holiness your primary goal? How can you help others grow in their love of God? Humble yourself and turn your eyes from yourself to others. Doing so will make an eternal difference for others and also for yourself.My exalted Lord, You are exalted far above all others. You are Greatness Itself. The life You lived, dear Lord, was one of the greatest humility. But it was in this humility that You accomplished the salvation of the world. Help me to imitate Your greatness by making the service of others my most central mission in life. I love you, my Lord. May I love and serve others with You. Jesus, I trust in You.Image: Ford Madox Brown, Public domain, via Wikimedia CommonsSource of content: catholic-daily-reflections.comCopyright © 2025 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

The Bible tells us that we will face suffering and persecution merely for living godly lives, but that our relationship with God is more valuable than avoiding that suffering. Everyone suffers, but the difference between the world and us is that we have the power of God in us and His presence surrounding us at all times.

Pastor James Crawford delivered a heartfelt sermon on unity, drawing from Romans 15. He passionately urged the congregation to set aside pride and theological differences to work together as the body of Christ in a spiritually dark world. Reflecting on his experience at a Turning Point Pastor Summit, James shared how pastors from diverse backgrounds united for liberty and God's plan, despite tensions over church size or theology. He emphasized that believers are called to bear one another's burdens, as Christ did, and to engage in humble, constructive dialogue rather than division. Through personal anecdotes about his broken home and encounters with church scandals, James highlighted the transformative power of grace, using Paul's conversion as a vivid example. This sermon, rooted in Godspeak's anchored reading program, challenges believers to live out their faith actively, fostering unity to glorify God and impact culture effectively.Reference Verses:Romans 15 verses 1–7, Psalm 69 verse 9, Romans 15 verses 8–13, Psalm 18 verse 49, Deuteronomy 32 verse 43, Isaiah 11 verse 10, Acts 9 verses 3–4, Acts 9 verse 27, Ephesians 4 verse 3, Romans 3 verses 1–31, Romans 4 verses 1–25, Romans 5 verse 12, Romans 8 verses 1–39, Romans 9 verses 1–33, Romans 13 verses 1–14, Romans 16 verses 17–20, Ephesians 4 verses 11–16, 1 Corinthians 13 verse 2Make sure you subscribe to this channel and follow us on all our platforms to always stay up to date with our latest content!And you can always head over to our website for any general information! https://godspeak.com Prayer/NeedsIf you have any needs, or have a willingness to be used to meet various need in the body, please email info@godspeak.com. Also, let us know if you need prayer for anything.Giving is part of our worship time, and in this season, the easiest way to do that is online. If you go to our website, godspeak.com, you will see the "Give" tab in the top right corner. Or you can simply click this link https://pushpay.com/g/godspeakAny questions?Please feel free to email us, comment here, or DM us on Instagram any questions that you may have.Please Subscribe to this channel and turn on your notifications to be notified when our Livestreams start so you don't miss out! We hope you are blessed by the service!-The Godspeak Team

Daily Study: God has many powerful promises in His word, like living without debt, in perfect health, and lacking nothing. These promises are accessed through our faith, but let's face it: Our faith may come up short. However, don't get in condemnation, because the promises of God are not all or nothing. God meets us at our current level of faith, so we can walk partially in His promises until we develop our faith to walk fully in them. Receive what your faith can receive now. Partner with Us: https://churchforentrepreneurs.com/partner Connect with Us: https://churchforentrepreneurs.com                  

In this episode of the Celebrate Kids podcast, host Wayne Stender introduces how some fear the vibe-shift in culture could harm those who identify as transgender. The discussion focuses on building not just gender confidence in kids, but overall identity confidence in children. Dr. Kathy explains that gender confidence is rooted in a deep confidence in God as the unique and loving creator who made each individual male or female, as outlined in Genesis 1:27. Listeners are encouraged to join the weekly podcast and explore the accompanying book to gain insights and encouragement for raising confident kids. Tune in every Saturday for valuable discussions on this important topic. Get Raising Gender-Confident Kids>>

A terrifying Christian movement, the Seven Mountains Mandate, aims to dominate every facet of society—religion, family, education, government, media, arts, and business. This blatant attempt at societal takeover, supported by nearly half of evangelicals, mirrors the very authoritarianism they claim to despise in other ideologies. It's a calculated, insidious push for Christian nationalism, leveraging media control and targeting vulnerable youth to build an ideological "army," proving that power, not piety, is the true goal. This is what fascism looks like.News Source:The Seven Mountains Mandate Is Not A Hill You Want To Die OnBy Stuart Delony for Snarky FaithAugust 6, 2025

On today's Bible Answer Man broadcast (08/22/25), Hank answers the following questions:I am a recovering alcoholic. Aren't drunkards forbidden from entering heaven? Jim - Liberty, MO (0:52)I have had several miscarriages. Will I see my children in heaven? Katie – St. Louis, MO (2:43)Can you explain how no man can see God and live? Marcus - St. Louis, MO (5:41)Can Christians serve in the military? Matt - Oklahoma City, OK (8:04)How could Satan think that he could defeat God? Bruce - Nashville, TN (16:54)Can you explain what's going on in Jude 1:9, where Michael and Satan are arguing over Moses' body? Bruce - Nashville, TN (20:03)Are only 144,000 people going to heaven? Monica - St. Louis, MO (20:57)Can you explain how dinosaurs fit in a biblical worldview? Rick - Stafford, KS (23:21)

Pastor Frederick Douglass Haynes starts the morning with a powerful message on God’s presence in tough times before Gary With Da Tea drops bombshell celebrity news about Gladys Knight responding to her son’s claims of elder abuse. The crew debates Paul Pierce’s “date a 5 or 6” comments, we get updates on Hurricane Aaron hitting the East Coast, and the sports desk lights up with Paige Bueckers’ WNBA record, Micah Parsons’ contract drama, and Jake Paul vs. Gervonta “Tank” Davis set for Atlanta. Brat wraps the hour with hot takes on Lyfe Jennings beefing with Muni Long and Offset moving on from Cardi B.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Jeremiah 28-30; 1 John 3 Click HERE to give! Get Free App Here! One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on 'The Daily Radio Bible' for a daily 20-minute spiritual journey. Engage with scripture readings, heartfelt devotionals, and collective prayers that draw you into the heart of God's love. Embark on this year-long voyage through the Bible, and let each day's passage uplift and inspire you. TODAY'S EPISODE: Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible! In today's episode, we journey together through Jeremiah chapters 28 to 30 and 1 John chapter 3. Hunter, your Bible reading coach, guides us through dramatic moments in Jerusalem—false prophets, warnings, promises of restoration, and God's faithfulness spite of exile. As we hear these ancient words, we're invited to see ourselves as God's beloved children, free from shame and regret, confident in His love and purpose. Each passage points us to the living Word—Jesus—and reminds us of our true identity as those deeply loved by the Father. Join us as we let scripture reframe our vision, encourage our souls, and strengthen us for the day ahead. Let's discover hope, together. TODAY'S DEVOTION: What do you see when you look at your life? Is it your sin, your regrets, your past, or your shame? Sometimes those things can loom so large in our vision that it's hard to see anything else, and it can be difficult to imagine ever moving past them. But John urges us to look again—this time, not at ourselves, but at God's love for us. John calls us children of God. He invites us to let that identity shape the way we see, act, and live. What you behold, what you fix your eyes on, makes all the difference in who you become. When we behold God's love—love that claims us as his own, love that is not conditioned by our performance, feelings, or even confidence—we are free to live differently. God's love for you is not built on your success or your piety; it is built on his steadfast character and the finished work of Christ. You are his child—not because you've earned it, but because he has bestowed it upon you. John reminds us that seeing ourselves through the lens of God's love will transform everything. It enables us to move beyond the lies of guilt, shame, and fear, and into the truth that we are God's beloved. It gives us the freedom and confidence to love others as he has loved us, to live as people deeply and securely loved. That's the prayer for us today: that our vision would be transformed by the Word, reframed by Jesus, so we may see the truth of who we are—children of the Father, enfolded in his love. As that becomes our vision, it changes not only how we see ourselves, but how we live in this world and how we love others. That's something I pray for myself, for my family, and for you. May it be so. TODAY'S PRAYERS: Gracious and everlasting God, you have brought us through the shadow of night into the promise of a new day. You go before us with your mercy, sustain us by your grace and keep us from wandering paths of fear or pride. Let every word we speak and every step we take be formed by the goodness of Christ. O Lord, gather your people far and near. May every tribe and tongue come to know your peace. Let justice roll like a river and healing flow where there has been division. Pour out your spirit upon all flesh and bring us closer to the day when your kingdom comes in fullness through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. And now, as our Lord has taught us, we are bold to pray: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.   OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com We are reading through the New Living Translation.   Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured OTHER PODCASTS: Listen with Apple Podcast DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL  

SCRIPTURE- Isaiah 61:10"I will rejoice heartily in the Lord. My being exalts in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and wrapped me in a robe of justice. Like a bridegroom adorned with a diadem, as a bride adorns herself with her jewels."REFLECTION- Sr. M. KarolynMUSIC- 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.

Jesus teaches that the greatest commandments are about love of God and one another. (Lectionary #423) August 22, 2025 - Cathedral Rectory - Superior, WI Fr. Andrew Ricci - www.studyprayserve.com  

In this episode of Bible Reading and Coffee Drinking, we continue our journey through Romans by diving into chapter 2. Paul challenges both Jews and Gentiles, reminding us that God's judgment is impartial and based on the heart, not just outward actions or religious labels. This chapter calls us to authentic repentance and warns against hypocrisy, showing that it's God's kindness that leads us to change. Grab your Bible and coffee, and let's explore what it means to live with a heart fully aligned with God's truth.Also, use the code "Podcast20" to get 20% off our entire store. This is a special code specifically for our podcast listeners! See all our our hoodies, t-shirts, caps and more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.livingchristian.org/store.html⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Check out this podcast and all previous episodes on Spotify, iTunes, Google more! - https://www.livingchristian.org/podcast.htmlMY BIBLE: Every Man's Bible: New Living Translation - Find it here: https://amzn.to/3MuDAUSCHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE BELOW FOR CHRISTIAN APPAREL, PRODUCTS, BLOGS, BIBLE VERSES AND MORE:Website | https://www.livingchristian.orgStore | https://www.livingchristian.org/store.htmlPodcast | https://www.livingchristian.org/podcast.htmlFOLLOW ME ON SOCIAL:Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/living_christian/Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/livechristian1 Twitter | https://twitter.com/livechristian1Pinterest | https://www.pinterest.com/living_christian/TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@livingchristianABOUT US:Living Christian believes that our Christian faith isn't just for Sunday mornings in Church. Our faith impacts every aspect of our lives and the challenges we face every day of the week. We want to connect to people who are seeking to determine what Living Christian means in their own day-to-day lives. We are focused on providing resources and products to a community of believers. We provide daily biblical inspiration, motivation and guidance through social posts, blogs and Christian apparel and products.This work contains Music Track The 126ers - Winds of Spring that is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license. Source: https://directory.audio/free-music/pop/5092-the-126ers-winds-of-springAuthor: The 126ers#christ #christian #christianity #christianblog #christianblogger #verses #bible #bibleinspiration #bibletime #jesusistheway #biblestudy #dailybible #newtestament #oldtestament #thebible #christ #jesuschrist #holybible #lukewarm #christians #christianpodcast #christmas

Welcome to Day 2702 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom Day 2702 – Wisdom Nuggets – Psalm 82:1-8 – Daily Wisdom Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2702 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2702 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Today's Wisdom Nugget is titled: The Supreme Court of the Cosmos – The Judge of All Judges - A Trek Through Psalm 82:1-8 Guthrie Chamberlain: Welcome to Wisdom-Trek, your compass for navigating the profound landscapes of faith and life. I'm your guide, Guthrie Chamberlain, and today, we open a powerful and dramatic new chapter in our journey through the Psalms. We're embarking on a trek through Psalm 82 in the New Living Translation, encompassing its entirety, verses 1 through 8. Psalm 82, like many we've explored recently, is attributed to Asaph. But after the celebratory festivals of Psalm 81 and the laments for national restoration in Psalm 80, this psalm introduces us to a truly astounding scene: God Himself, acting as the supreme Judge, standing in judgment over all other authorities. It's a divine courtroom, a cosmic tribunal, where God holds human rulers and judges accountable for their injustice and corruption. This psalm, in just eight short verses, provides a breathtaking glimpse into the heart of God's justice. It delivers a withering condemnation of those in power who abuse their authority, while simultaneously issuing a powerful command to defend the powerless. It reminds us that no matter how powerful or esteemed a human leader may be, they are ultimately accountable to a higher authority, the one true Judge of all the earth. So, let's step into this dramatic scene and listen to the verdict from the Supreme Judge of the cosmos. The Divine Tribunal and the Condemnation of the Unjust (Reads Psalm 82:1-4 NLT) God presides over heaven's court; he pronounces judgment on the heavenly beings: "How long will you hand down unjust decisions by favoring the wicked?" Interlude "Give justice to the poor and the orphan; uphold the rights of the oppressed and the destitute. Rescue the poor and helpless; deliver them from the grasp of evil people." Guthrie Chamberlain: The psalm begins by setting a truly magnificent and sobering scene: "God presides over heaven's court; he pronounces judgment on the heavenly beings." The "heaven's court" or "divine council" was a common literary motif in the ancient Near East, but here it is uniquely appropriated to show God's absolute supremacy. The "heavenly beings" (elohim) in this context are not God's divine rivals, but are often interpreted as human judges and rulers, or perhaps even angelic beings entrusted with the oversight of nations, all of whom are ultimately subordinate to God. God is the one and only supreme Judge, and He is holding all other authorities—divine and human—accountable. He is standing over all the judges of the earth, watching every decision they make. The first question God asks is

This is a reboot of a past episode #734 of the Men in the Arena Podcast. Calling all WILD MEN! You know you're called to be a strong Christian man, so why does the Bible tell you to be “meek?” And why does God keep calling WILD, UNRULY men to his cause? This world wants to break men like you, but God has different plans. This week, Men in the Arena founder Jim Ramos is joined by evangelist Ryan Miller, known on Instagram as “Dude with the Good News” @dudewithgoodnews for a deep dive into what WILD Christian masculine strength really looks like.  This episode is sponsored by Kids Outdoor Zone, an outdoor ministry for the men in your church. Watch your men come alive as they pass on their outdoor skills to the fatherless children in your church. Get your Outdoor Ministry Guide, and KOZ's World Famous Meat Rub, at kidsoutdoorzone.com/arena. This episode is sponsored by MTNTOUGH Fitness Lab, a Christian-owned fitness app. Get 6 weeks free with the code ARENA30 at MTNTOUGH.com. Every man needs a locker room. Join a brotherhood of like-minded men in The Locker Room, our bi-monthly live Zoom Q&A call! We meet in the Locker Room twice a month for community, fellowship, laughter, and to help each other find biblical answers to life's difficult questions. Sharing community with these amazing men is one of the most enjoyable things I do. - Jim Ramos https://patreon.com/themeninthearena Get Jim Ramos' USA TODAY Bestselling book, Dialed In: Reaching Your Full Capacity as a Man of God (https://tinyurl.com/dialedinbook)

[Season 6, Episode 15] We're stepping into a new episode with a declaration of courage and compassion: I AM Sharing My Faith Boldly.You are a light in this world, a witness to God's goodness, and unashamed of the gospel. In this episode, we anchor ourselves in Romans 1:16, Matthew 28:19–20, and 2 Timothy 1:7 reminding ourselves that sharing our faith is not about pressure, but about love, kindness, and obedience to God's call.Join Erin Marie, @bwfwoman, as she leads you through an affirmation that stirs divine courage, helping you speak truth with grace, love people where they are, and point every heart back to Jesus.Whether it's planting seeds of faith through your story, letting your actions reflect Christ, or trusting the Holy Spirit to guide your words, you have been equipped with power, love, and a sound mind. You don't have to strive, you simply shine.✨You are not timid. You are a living testimony. You are sharing your faith boldly.Support the showIf you enjoyed this episode, rate this podcast and subscribe! For inquiries, email info@manifestherdaily.com.Learn More About manifestHERdaily: https://www.manifestHERdaily.comFollow manifestHERdaily on YouVersion: https://bit.ly/MHDYouVersionWatch manifestHERdaily on YouTube: https://bit.ly/MHDonYouTubeStart Getting Erin Marie's Inspirational Texts: https://bit.ly/MHDaffirmationsFollow manifestHERdaily on Instagram: https://bit.ly/MHDInstagramJoin Erin Marie's Inner Circle: https://bit.ly/MHDComeCloser

The post “If AI troubles you, we’re going to fix it.” appeared first on Key Life.

Women's health is complicated, isn't it? Between stress, hormones, and all the changes that come with midlife, it can feel like we're constantly trying to put puzzle pieces together without seeing the full picture. That's why I loved sitting down with Dr. Margaret Christensen to talk about what's really going on beneath the surface. She's sharing a perspective on health, intimacy, and connection that every woman deserves to hear.   Dr. Margaret walked this journey herself. After facing serious health challenges from toxic mold exposure, she shifted from being a traditional OB-GYN to a leader in functional medicine. Now she helps women uncover the root causes of what's draining their energy, throwing off their hormones, and leaving them feeling disconnected. In our conversation, she opens up about midlife changes, hormone therapy, and how we can reclaim both our vitality and our joy.   What really struck me was how she talks about sexuality and connection, not as something to be hidden or ignored, but as a powerful force for healing. We cover everything from navigating menopause to rekindling intimacy to why relationships are so key for our health. If you've ever felt like you're just pushing through midlife instead of thriving in it, this is a conversation you won't want to miss. And if you're ready for a little extra support, I'd love to have you in my 10-day Breeze Through Menopause masterclass, just $17 at dranna.com/breeze.   Key Timestamps: [00:00:00] Introduction. [00:03:42] Sacred sexuality discussion. [00:06:03] Spirituality and health connection. [00:08:14] Clinical experience vs. published studies. [00:10:18] Chronic stress and hormonal disruption. [00:14:11] Autoimmunity increase post-COVID. [00:17:51] Post-midlife love story. [00:19:32] Sacred sexuality and body appreciation. [00:23:27] Power of creativity in aging. [00:24:57] Hormone replacement therapy considerations. [00:30:14] Hormonal rewiring during menopause. [00:33:08] Pressure cooker of our lives. [00:35:47] Weight gain and biotoxins.   Memorable Quotes: "Sacred sexuality is really honoring our God-given gifts and our bodies." [00:20:54] – Dr. Margaret Christensen   "We are energetic beings, we are energetic bodies, everything is made of energy." [00:34:07] – Dr. Margaret Christensen   Links Mentioned: 10-Day Masterclass: https://dranna.com/breeze GLP Herbal: http://dranna.com/glpherbal   Connect with Dr. Margaret Christensen: Website: https://margaretchristensenmd.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drmargaretchristensen/ & https://www.instagram.com/carpathiahealth/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CarpathiaCollaborative   Connect with Dr. Anna Cabeca: Website: https://drannacabeca.com/pages/show Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegirlfrienddoctor/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thegirlfrienddoctor TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drannacabeca   Produced by Evolved Podcasting: www.evolvedpodcasting.com

Could a layperson on a desert island take on the role of a priest? It's time for more listener weird questions with Jimmy Akin and Cy Kellett of Catholic Answers Live, including topics like aerial toll booths in the afterlife, whether Balaam's donkey had a rational soul, whether God could have become incarnate as multiple races in Middle Earth, and more.

Pastor Dru highlights the Transfiguration where Jesus' divine glory shines, fulfilling the Law and the Prophets, and points to his suffering, resurrection, and the indwelling presence of God in believers. He calls us to listen to Jesus and live from his radiance.

Head to https://squarespace.com/jonsolo to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code JONSOLO! Thanks to Squarespace for sponsoring the show!

John 10: 1-30:Jesus the True Shepherd, Part 1 of 2.   If you are blessed by today's Bible study, please support my channel by liking, subscribing, commenting, and sharing with your friends and family!  I am not a Pastor, and agree with God's word that women are not supposed to be Pastors.  However, all people are called to share the gospel. It is perfectly acceptable and Biblical for women to lead Bibles studies outside the church as an ancillary addition to the church, and especially if it is a viable avenue for study of the Word on a daily basis, like I'm doing on this show, and paving the way for all of us to be closer to the Lord and become more knowledgeable of the Bible.  If you care to contribute to my work with the Daily Bible study and sharing the Gospel, as part of your tithes and offerings, you can do so through PayPal by sending it to my PayPal address of: ReneHoladay@gmail.com  Thank you for watching and God Bless you all! ;() --------------------- The primary study bible that Rene' uses is the 'Spirit-filled Life Bible, by Jack Hayford, and is available in hard cover or faux leather on Amazon at:  https://amzn.to/434fBnQ You can watch this episode on Youtube at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2v9ekffu7ds Please be sure to LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, COMMENT, and SHARE!

In this milestone 100th installment of Vos Group, Camden Bucey and Lane Tipton turn to page 381 of Geerhardus Vos's Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to explore the “two-sided conception of the kingdom.” Together they unpack Vos's insights into the already/not yet dynamic of the kingdom of God—its present spiritual reality and its future consummate glory. Along the way, they engage with historical-critical objections, consider the role of John the Baptist, reflect on the meaning of Jesus' parables, and highlight the religious nature of the kingdom as forgiveness, communion with God, and eternal life in Christ. This discussion not only brings clarity to Vos's redemptive-historical vision but also deepens our understanding of Christ's reign now and in the age to come. As the Vos Group nears completion of Biblical Theology, Camden and Lane also share exciting news about what's next: a new series through Vos's The Teaching of Jesus Concerning the Kingdom of God and the Church.

Ever feel stuck in your faith—like God feels far away no matter what you do? I've been there too. In this episode, I share why the rhythms we keep with God—like church, quiet time, and prayer—are life-changing, and what often gets in the way of consistency (like pain, distraction, or cultural voices). Plus, I'll give you practical steps to rebuild intimacy and trust with Him. If you've been drifting, this will help you take your next step back toward God. love, Brittany    Ready to become a peaceful wife and Mama? Sign Up for the Pain to Peace Academy HERE. Come say hi and join the Morning Mama Facebook Group! I would love to hear your story and know your name.    ALL THE LINKS FOR ALL THE THINGS! Morning Mama Website Pain to Peace Academy Morning Mama Facebook Group Follow Us on Instagram Find a Restoration Therapist Come say hi by emailing hello@morningmamapodcast.com

Is anything too difficult for the Lord? Join Rabbi Schneider as he expounds on God's name El Shaddai in Abraham and Sarah's story.  **** BECOME A MONTHLY PARTNER - https://djj.show/YTAPartner   **** DONATE - https://djj.show/YTADonate  **** TEACHING NOTES - https://djj.show/ffo   Visit our website at DiscoveringTheJewishJesus.com

Jess here! A while back, Sarina and KJ talked about how much they enjoyed Tess Gerritsen's novel, The Spy Coast, and Sarina reassured KJ she'd enjoy book two of the series even more. I had never read a Tess Gerritsen novel, and while I'd heard her name before and vaguely understood she wrote thrillers, I was starting from square one when I downloaded the audio version of The Spy Coast. Now, I'm not an international spy thriller kind of gal. In the abstract, I understand the allure of books like Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy or Six Days of the Condor. Spies! Intrigue! International [almost exclusively men] of mystery! But they have never really floated my proverbial boat. That said, I loved Tess Gerritsen's spies and the world they inhabit. There's a sense of place - nay, a downright LOVE of place - and a retiring, rural New England domesticity that spoke to this retiring, rural New England reader. Book two, The Summer Guests, is even more rooted in Maine, on its history and the social dynamics of its natives and its summer people. Once I tore through those first two books, I went back to Gerritsen's first book, The Surgeon, one of Time Magazine's top 100 thriller/mystery books of all time and the first in the Rizzoli & Isles series, consequently made into a long-running television series. Gerritsen has a fascinating career trajectory, lots to talk about regarding pantsing and plotting, where the ideas come from, and lots of other geeky details about the writing life. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. Find Tess at Tessgerritsen.com, or on Bluesky, @TessGerritsen Transcript below!EPISODE 462 - TRANSCRIPTJennie NashHey everyone, it's Jennie Nash, founder and CEO of Author Accelerator, the company I started more than 10 years ago to lead the emerging book coaching industry. In October, we'll be enrolling a new cohort of certification students who will be going through programs in either fiction, nonfiction, or memoir, and learning the editorial, emotional, and entrepreneurial skills that you need to be a successful book coach. If you've been curious about book coaching and thinking that it might be something you want to do for your next career move, I'd love to teach you more about it, you can go to bookcoaches.com/waitlist to check out the free training I have—that's bookcoaches.com/waitlist. The training is all about how to make money, meaning, and joy out of serving writers. Fall is always a great time to start something new. So if you're feeling called to do this, go check out our training and see if this might be right for you. We'd love to have you join us.Multiple SpeakersIs it recording? Now it's recording, yay. Go ahead. This is the part where I stare blankly at the microphone. I don't remember what I'm supposed to be doing. All right, let's start over. Awkward pause. I'm going to rustle some papers. Okay, now—one, two, three.Jess LaheyHey, this is Jess Lahey, and this is the Hashtag AmWriting Podcast. This is the podcast about writing all the things—short things, long things, poetry, prose, narrative nonfiction, fiction, creative nonfiction, queries, proposals. This is the podcast about writing all the things. More than anything else, this is the podcast about the writing life and about getting the work done. I am Jess Lahey. I'm the author of The Gift of Failure and The Addiction Inoculation. And you can find my journalism at The Atlantic and The Washington Post, and my bi-weekly (formerly bi-weekly) column at The New York Times, The Parent-Teacher Conference, ran for about three years I am joined today by Sarina Bowen, who has written 50-odd books. She has written lots and lots of romance, and her most recent addition to the world of publishing has been her thrillers, Dying to Meet You and The Five Year Lie. And she has a book coming out this fall called Thrown for a Loop. The reason I am recording this intro on my own—which, as you may know if you've been listening, is highly unusual for us—is because I know myself. And I know when I'm really excited to talk to someone on the podcast; I'm going to flub the intro. I'm going to forget something. I'm going to forget to introduce them altogether. So today, I'm doing that first, so I don't mess it up. A while ago on the podcast, you may have heard Sarina and KJ read some books by an author named Tess Gerritsen. I had heard of Tess Gerritsen, but I had never read any of her books. I just hadn't yet. I haven't read Nora Roberts yet. I haven't read—there are lots of authors I haven't read yet. And sometimes you don't even know where to start. So when Sarina and KJ recommended Tess Gerritsen's new series set in Maine—the first one being The Spy Coast and the second one being The Summer Guests—I figured I had a good place to start. And you know, as a New Englander, I love a good book about New England, and that was the start of my interest in Tess Gerritsen's work. I have gone back to the beginning and started with her book The Surgeon, which was her first book in the series that became the Rizzoli and Isles Series, as well as a television show. Tess Gerritsen has a—she's written through 33 books at this point. And as I now know, she has also directed a documentary called Magnificent Beast about pigs, which I listened to this morning while I was vacuuming the house. I loved it. She also—she has a lot to say about genre, about publishing, about second careers, about a writing place, and about process. So let's just jump right into it. I am so excited to introduce to you today, Tess Gerritsen. So from the perspective of what our listeners love—this podcast, the Hashtag AmWriting Podcast —is super geek. People who love the nuts and bolts and the dorky details of the writing life. Sarina has a past life in finance, and so she tends to be, like, our “no, but let's talk about the numbers” kind of person. I'm just the research super dork, which is why I spent my morning watching your documentary about pigs.Tess GerritsenOh my god! (Laughing)Jess LaheyMagnificent Beast. I—I've joked in the past that if I could, I would probably just research things in—in, you know, maybe there'll be a book out there, maybe there won't, but I would research things and—and just learn as much as I could. And so I loved—loved—your Magnificent Beast documentary. I thought it was fantastic. But one of the reasons that we wanted to talk to you, just from the very beginning, is that we feel like you do some pretty incredible world-building and relationship-building with your places and your characters. And so I just—I would love to start there, mainly with the idea of starting with the real nuts and bolts stuff, which is, like, what does an average writing day look like for you? And how do you, sort of—how do you set that up? What does it look like, if you have an average writing day? Maybe you don't.Tess GerritsenWell, it's hard to describe an average writing day, because every day is—there are days when you sit at your desk and you just, you know, pull your hair. And there are days when you get distracted by the news. And there are many days when I just do not want to write. But when I'm writing, the good days are when my characters are alive and talking to me. And it's—it's—you talked about world-building and character-building. That is really key to me. What are they saying to me? Can I hear their voices? And it sounds a little—a little crazy, because I am hearing voices. But it's those voices that really make characters come alive.Jess LaheyI—You have said in other interviews that you are very much—sorry to those of you who hate the terms—that you are very much a pantser. And you are sitting on this interview with a consummate plotter. Sarina is our consummate plotter. So could you talk a little bit about how those character—how those voices—influence, you know, the pantsing of the—of the book, and—and how that works for you?Tess GerritsenWell, I mean, it is weird that I am a pantser. And it's funny—I think that people who are plotters tend to be people who are in finance or in law, because they're used to having their ducks lined up, you know. They—they want everything set up ahead of time, and it makes them feel comfortable. And I think a large part of becoming a pantser is learning to be comfortable with unpredictability. Learning to just let things happen, and know you're going to take wrong turns, know you're going to end up in blind alleys—and yet just keep on forging ahead and change direction. So I suppose that what helps me become a pantser, as I said, is hearing a character's voice. If, for instance, when I wrote The Spy Coast, the first thing I heard about that book was Maggie Bird's voice. And she just said, “I'm not the woman I used to be.” And that's an opening there, right? Because you want to find out, Maggie, who did you used to be? And why do you sound so sad? So a lot of it was just—just getting into her head and letting her talk about what a day-to-day life is, which is, you know, raising chickens and collecting eggs and becoming—and being—a farmer. And then she does something surprising in that very first chapter. There's a fox that's killing her chickens, so she grabs her rifle and kills it with one shot. And that opens up another thing, like—how are you, a 62-year-old woman, able to take out a rifle and kill a fox with one shot? So it's—it's those things. It's those revelations of character. When they come out and they tell you something, or they show you they—they have a skill that you weren't aware of, you want to dig deeper and find out, you know, where did they get that skill?Sarina BowenAnd that is a really fun way to show it. I mean, you're talking today with two people who have also kept chickens.Multiple Speakers(All laughing)Jess LaheyAnd had foxes take their chickens, actually.Sarina BowenOh yes, because the two go together.Tess GerritsenYes.Sarina BowenBut yes, I admit I have never shot a fox, and maybe wouldn't.Jess LaheyI have yelled very loudly at a fox, and he actually—I have to say—really mad respect for the fox, because he took one look at me—he did drop the chicken that I was yelling at him for grabbing—and then he went across the street, around the neighbor's house, around the back of the other neighbor's house, and came at the exact same chicken from the other side of the house, where I couldn't see him out the window.Tess GerritsenOh, they are so smart. They are so smart.Jess LaheySo smart. Sarina, it sounded like you had something— you had something you wanted to add, and I interrupted you when we were talking about pantsing and we were talking about world-building and characters speaking to you.Sarina BowenWell, I just had thought that it was a lovely moment to explain why I was so excited to read this book after I heard Tess speak at Thriller Fest 2024, in a packed room where there was nowhere to sit except on the floor. You told the audience a little bit of a story from your real life that—that made you want to write that book. And I wonder if you could tell us what that was, because for me—I mean, we were only five minutes into your talk, and I'm like, oh, I'm—I'm going to download that tonight.Tess GerritsenWell, yes, it was. A lot of my books come from ideas that I've been stewing over for years. I have a folder called the ideas folder. It's an actual physical manila folder. And if I see something in an article or a newspaper or a magazine, I'll just rip it out and stick it in there, and it sometimes takes a long time before I know how to turn this into a book. So the idea for The Spy Coast is a little bit of obscure knowledge that I learned 35 years ago, when I first moved to Maine. My husband is a medical doctor. He opened up a practice, and when he would bring in new patients, he would always get an occupational history. And he used to get this answer—this very strange answer—from his new patients. They would say, “I used to work for the government, but I can't talk about it.” And after he heard that three times, he thought, what town did we land in? And who are these people? And we later found out that on our very short street, on one side of us was a retired OSS person, and on the other side was retired CIA. A realtor told us that our town was full of CIA retirees. So, I mean, of course you want to ask, why did they get here? What are they doing here? What are their lives like? I knew there was a book in there, but I didn't know what that book was. I needed 35 years to come up with the idea. And what I really needed to do was become old and—and realize that as you get older, especially women, we become invisible. People don't pay attention to us. We are over the hill. You know, everybody looks at the young, pretty chicks, but once you start getting gray hair, you fade into the background. And with that experience myself; I began to think more and more about what it's like to be retired. What is it like to be retired from a job that was maybe dangerous, or exciting, or something that you really risked your life to—to achieve? So that was—that was the beginning of The Spy Coast. What happens to CIA retirees—especially women—who are now invisible? But that makes them the best spies of all.Jess LaheyYeah, and we have—we did this really cool thing, this really fun thing for us on the Hashtag AmWriting Podcast. It's like a supporter-only thing, where we call First Pages, where very brave authors—very brave writers—submit their first page to us, and we talk about it and decide whether or not we'd want to turn the page. And you have an incredible skill on your first pages. You're very, very good at first pages. And I was thinking about The Summer Guests, that you had this wonderful line that I'm going to read now:Purity, Maine, 1972. On the last day of his life, Purity police officer Randy Pelletier ordered a blueberry muffin and a cup of coffee at the Marigold Café,Which immediately reminded me of my very, very favorite line from all of literature—my very favorite first line—which is Irving's first line from A Prayer for Owen Meany, in which he ruins the story for you right there in the first line:I am doomed to remember a boy with a wrecked voice—not because of his voice, or because he was the smallest person I ever knew, or even because he was the instrument of my mother's death, but because he is the reason I believe in God.There is this incredible power to first lines. And I'm sort of wondering where—how first lines happen for you. Do they happen first? Do they happen last? Do they happen along the way?Tess GerritsenFirst lines usually happen last. I—it's—I will write the whole book, and I'll think, something's missing in that first chapter. How do I open this up? And, you know, there are things that make lines immediately hypnotic, and one of those things is an inherent contradiction—something that makes you think, wait, okay, you start off this way, but then all of a sudden, the meaning of that line switches. So, yeah, it starts off with, you know, this guy's going to die. But on that last day of his life, he does something very ordinary. He just orders coffee at the local café. So I think it's that contradiction that makes us want to read more. It's also a way to end chapters. I think that—that if you leave your reader with a sense of unease—something is about to go wrong, but they don't know what it is yet—or leave them with an unanswered question, or leave them with, as I said, a contradiction—that is what's page-turning. I think that a lot of thriller writers in particular mistake action for—for being—for being interesting. A car chase on the page is really very boring. But what's interesting is something that—you could feel that tension building, but you don't know why.Sarina BowenI have joked sometimes that when I get stuck on a plot, sometimes I will talk at my husband and—and say, “you know, I'm stuck here.” And he always says, “And then a giant squid attacked.” And it—of course I don't write books that take place where this is possible, so—but it never fails to remind me that, like, external action can sometimes be just, you know, totally pointless. And that if you're stuck, it's because one of your dominoes isn't leaning, you know, in the right spot. So...Tess GerritsenYeah, it's—it's not as much fun seeing that domino fall as seeing it go slowly tilting over. You know, I really learned this when I was watching a James Bond movie. And it starts off—you know, the usual James Bonds have their cold open to those action and chasing and death-defying acts. I found that—I find that really, in that movie anyway—I was like, Ho hum. Can we get to the story? And I found the time when I was leaning forward in my theater seat, watching every moment, was really a very quiet conversation aboard a train between him and this woman who was going to become his lover. That was fascinating to me. So I think that that transfers to book writing as well. Action is boring.Jess LaheyYou and Sarina do something that I feel, as a writer; I would probably not be very good at, which is creating that unease. I—Sarina in particular does this thing... I've read every one of Sarina's books, as a good friend is supposed to do. And I text her, and I say, Why don't they just talk about it and just deal? Get it out in the open! And she's like, you know, we just got to make these people uncomfortable. And you both have this incredible talent for helping—keeping the reader, uh, along with you, simply because there is this sense of unease. We're slightly off-kilter the whole time. And yet in me, as a people pleaser, that makes me very uncomfortable. I want people to be happy with each other. So how do you—if you get to a place where you feel like maybe things aren't off-kilter enough, or things aren't off-balance enough—how do you introduce a little bit of unease into your—into your story?Tess GerritsenWell, I think it comes down to very small points of conflict—little bits of tension. Like, we call it micro-tension. And I think those occur in everyday life all the time. For instance, you know, things that happen that really don't have any big consequence, but are still irritating. We will stew about those for—for a while. And, you know, I used to write romance as well, so I understand entirely what Sarina is doing, because romance is really about courtship and conflict. And it's the conflict that makes us keep reading. We just—we know this is the courtship. So there's always that sense of it's not quite there, because once the characters are happy, the story is over, right?Sarina BowenYeah.Multiple Speakers(All laughing)Sarina BowenAlso, writing the ends of romance novels is the least interesting part. Like, what...? Once the conflict is resolved, like, I cannot wait to get out of there.Tess GerritsenRight, exactly. You know, I—I pay attention to my feelings when I'm reading a book, and I've noticed that the books that I remember are not the books with happy endings, because happiness is so fleeting. You know, you can be happy one second, and then something terrible will happen. You'll be unhappy. What lasts for us is sadness, or the sense of bittersweet. So when I read a book that ends with a bittersweet ending—such as, you know, Larry McMurtry Lonesome Dove—I ended up crying at the end of that book, and I have never forgotten that ending. Now, if everybody had been happy and there had been nobody to drag all those miles at the end, I would have forgotten that book very quickly. So I think—I try—I always try to leave the end of the book either bittersweet—I mean, you want to resolve all the major plot points—but also leave that sense of unease, because people remember that. And it also helps you, if you have a sequel.Sarina BowenThat's so interesting you've just brought up a couple of really interesting points, because there is a thriller—I actually write suspense now—and one of the books that so captured my attention about five years ago was killing it on the charts. And I thought it was actually a terrible book, but it nailed the bittersweet ending. Like, the premise was solid, and then the bittersweet ending was perfect, and the everything between the first chapter and the last chapter was a hot mess, but—but—um, that ending really stuck with me. And I remember carrying it around with me, like, Wow, they really nailed that ending. You know, and—and maybe that has, like, legs in terms of, like, talking about it. And, you know, if it—if—if it's irritating enough, like, the tension is still there—enough to, like, make people talk about it—it could actually affect the performance of that book. But also, um, one thing that I really love about this series—you have—what is the series title for the...?Tess GerritsenMartini—The Martini Club.Sarina BowenThe Martini Club, right? So The Martini Club is two books now. I inhaled the first one last summer, and I inhaled the second one this summer. And The Martini Club refers to this group of friends—these retired spies. And of course, there are two completely different mysteries in book one and book two. And I noticed a couple of things about the difference between those mysteries that was really fun. So in the first case—or in one of the two cases, let's see—in one of them, the thing that happens in their town is actually, like, related to them. And in the other one, it's kind of not. So to me, that felt like a boundary expansion of your world and your system. But also, I just love the way you leaned into the relationship of these people and their town in such a way. And how did you know to do that? Like, how—what does your toolbox say about how to get that expansiveness in your character set? Like, you know, to—to find all the limits of it?Tess GerritsenThat—you know, so much is like—it's like asking a pole-vaulter how they do it. They just—they have just—I guess its muscle memory. You don't really know how you're doing it, but what I did know was—with age, and because I love these characters so much—it really became about them and about what is going to deepen their friendship? What kind of a challenge is going to make them lean into each other—lean on each other? That's really what I was writing about, I think, was this circle of friends, and—and what you will do, how much you will sacrifice, to make sure your friends are safe. No, you're right—the second book is much more of a classic mystery. Yeah—a girl disappears. I mean, there was—there were—there were CIA undertones in that, because that becomes an important part of the book. But I think that what people are—when people say they love this book—they really talk about the characters and that friendship. And we all want friends like this, where we can go and—and—and have martinis together, and then if we—one of us needs to—we'll go help them bury a body.Multiple Speakers(All laughing)Tess GerritsenThat's—they all have shovels, and they're willing to do it. That's the kind of friendship—friends—we want.Jess LaheyWell, and that's funny you mention that—I had an entire question—it wasn't even a question, it was a statement—in here about friendships and being grateful to you for the reminder about the importance of relationships. And this entire podcast was born out of the fact that we were talking writing all the time, and we just wanted an official way to sit down once a week and actually talk about the work. And your work is suffused with just these incredible relationships—whether that's the Rizzoli and Isles—you know, in your first—in the one of your other series—and I'm just—I'm very grateful for that, because we—especially—I think I re—I really crave books about female relationships, especially about older female relationships. And I have been loving your books, and I've—like, as I may have mentioned to you in my initial email—I had—I'm so sorry—never read your books before. And I admitted in the introduction that there are lots of very, very famous authors whose books I have never read. And it's always so exciting to me to dive into someone's series and realize, oh, this person really touches on themes that mean a lot to me, and I can already tell that I'm going to be enjoying a lot of their books to come forward. So thank you for all of the great descriptions of relationships and how we do rely on each other for various aspects of just how we get through all of this stuff.Tess GerritsenYeah—get through life. But you know what's funny about it is that it didn't start that way. For instance, let's go back to Rizzoli and Isles. The very first time they both appear in a book is in The Apprentice. And they don't start off being friends. They start off being—they're so different. As the TV producer once said, “you've really written about Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock.” That's okay—they are—in the books. They are not natural friends. But like real-life friendships, sometimes—just kind of develop slowly, and—and they have their ups and downs. So there are times when—when Jane and Maura are barely speaking to each other because of conflicts they have. But by the time book twelve comes around—or maybe book seven comes around—you know that they would risk their lives for each other. So I think that if you're writing a series like Rizzoli and Isles, or like The Martini Club, it really helps to develop the friendship on the fly and see how they react to certain stresses. The next book, which I just turned in, called The Shadow Friends—it even put—pushes them even further, and it really—it really strains a marriage, because it's—it's more about Ingrid, and an old lover comes back into her life. She used to—they were both spies—and he is, like, hot, hot, hot—Antonio Banderas kind of guy. And here's Ingrid, married to Lloyd, you know, who's just a sweet analyst who cooks dinner for her every night. And I—when I was coming up with that story, I thought, I want to write a book about their marriage. So it wasn't—the plot wasn't about, oh, you know, international assassinations, even though that does occur in the book. It's really about the story of a marriage.Jess LaheyAnd it gives you, it gives you added unease. You know, if you have your two characters not speaking to each other, and you know your readers love those characters and crave those characters to be getting along at some point, then that's just another reason that we're following along. I was just thinking about, uh, Michael Connelly, uh, book the other day, because I really, really like the series he did with Renée Ballard and her relationship with the Bosch character, and how that series is totally about crime, but yet it's also very much about the relationship. And I think I follow—I continue to read those because of the relationship between those two human beings, and less so because of the murder mystery sort of stuff.Tess GerritsenI think it really becomes important if you're dealing also with Hollywood television series. I still remember what the producer first said when he called me up about Rizzoli and Isles. He said, "I love your girls, and I think they belong on TV.” He didn't say, I love your plots. He didn't say, I love your mysteries, you know, all your intricate ups and downs. It was really about the girls. So if you hope to sell to a television series, really, it's about characters again.Jess LaheyAbsolutely.Sarina BowenI was going to ask about longevity, because you have so many books, and you're so obviously still invigorated by the process, or there wouldn't be a book three that you just turned in. So how have you been able to avoid just being sick to death of—of writing suspense novel after suspense novel?Tess GerritsenI refused. That's what it is. You know, I—I don't—I guess I could say that I have a little bit of ADHD when it comes to—to the books I write. I cannot—after 13 books of Rizzoli and Isles, I just had a different idea. And it takes—it takes a certain amount of backbone to say no to your publisher, to your editor, to people who are going, well, when's the next one in this series coming out? And to be able to say, I need a break. I need to do something completely different. So over—how many years I've been a writer—almost 40 now—I've written science fiction and historicals and a ghost story and romantic suspense and spy novels and medical thrillers and crime novels. I've been all over the place, but each one of those books that took me out of what I was expected to do was so invigorating. It was a book that I needed to write. As an example, I wrote a book called Playing with Fire. Nobody wanted that book. Nobody expected that book. It was a historical about World War II, and about music—about the power of music—and having to do with the death camps. I remember my publisher going, "What are you doing?" And, you know, it's—it's true—they're—they—they are marketers, and they understood that that book would not sell as well, and it didn't. But it still remains one of my favorite books. And when you want to write a book, you need to write that book. That's all—even—even if nobody wants it.Jess LaheyI actually was—I'm so pleased that this came up, because that was actually going to be my question, because both you and Sarina have done this—done, you know, 90 degrees—whether it's out of, you know, one genre into another—and that, to me, requires an enormous amount of courage. Because you know you have people expecting things from you. And you in particular, Tess, have people saying, "No, I want the next one. I love this relationship. I want the next one." And—and dealing—you're not just dealing with the disappointment of whether it's an agent or an editor, but the disappointment of fans. And that's a pressure as well. So when I used to do journalism, I remember a question I asked of another journalist was, "How do you continue to write without fear of the comment section?" And essentially, for us, that's our—you know, those are our readers. So how do you find that thing within yourself to say, no, this really is the thing that I need to be writing now?Tess GerritsenWell, that is a really—it's a really tough decision to buck the trend or buck what everybody's expecting, because there's a thing in publishing called the death spiral. And if your book does not sell well, they will print fewer copies for the next one. And then that won't sell well. So you start—your career starts to go down the drain. And that is a danger every time you step out of your tried and true series and do something out of—you know, completely out of the ordinary. I think the reason I did it was that I really didn't give a damn. It was—it was like, Okay, maybe this will kill my career, but I've got to write this book. And it was always with the idea that if my publisher did not want that, I would just self-publish. I would just, you know, find another way to get it out there. And I—I was warned, rightly so, that your sales will not be good for this book, and that will—it will hurt the next contract. And I understood that. But it was the only way I could keep my career going. Once you get bored, and you're—you're trapped in a drawer, I think it shows up in your writing.Jess LaheyI had this very conversation with my agent. The—my first book did well. And so then, you know, the expectation is, I'll write like part two of that, or I'll write something for that exact same audience again. And when I told my agent—I said, "You know, this book on substance use prevention and kids—I—it's—I have to write it. And I'm going to write it even, you know, if I have to go out there and sell it out of the trunk of my car." And she said, "Okay, then I guess we're doing this." And yes...Tess Gerritsen(Laughing) They had their best wishes at heart.Jess LaheyAnd honestly, I love—I loved my book that did well. But The Addiction Inoculation is the book I'm most proud of. And, you know, that's—yeah, that's been very important to me.Tess GerritsenI often hear from writers that the book that sold the fewest copies was one that was—were their favorites. Those are the ones that they took a risk on, that they—I mean, they put their heart and soul into it. And maybe those hurt their careers, but those are the ones that we end up being proud of.Jess LaheyI like to remind Sarina of that, because I do remember we text each other constantly. We have a little group, the three of us, a little group text all day long. And there was—I remember when she first wrote a male-male romance, she was scared. She was really scared that this was going to be too different for her readers. And it ended up being, I think, my favorite book that she's ever written, and also a very important book for her in terms of her career development and growth, and what she loves about the work that she does. And so I like to remind her every once in a while, remember when you said that really scared you and you weren't sure how your readers were going to handle it?Sarina BowenRight? Well, I also did that in the middle of a series, and I went looking for confirmation that that is a thing that people did sometimes, and it was not findable. You know, that was...Jess LaheyWhat? Change things up in terms of—change things up in the middle of a series?Sarina BowenIn the middle of a series. And anyway, that book still sells.Tess GerritsenThat is a great act of courage, but it's also an act of confidence in yourself as a writer. There are ways to do it. I think some writers will just adopt a different pen name for something that's way out there.Jess LaheyIt's funny you should say... it's funny you should say that.Sarina BowenWell, no, and I never have done that, but, um—but anyway, yeah, that's hard. I, uh...Jess LaheyYeah.Sarina BowenIt's hard to know. Sometimes...Jess LaheyWe entertain it all the time. We do talk about that as an option all the time. Shouldn't we just pick up and do something completely different? One of the things that I also—I mentioned at the top of the podcast about, you know, you went off—not only have you done lots of different things in terms of your writing—but you went off and you did an entire documentary about pigs. I have—I have to ask you where on earth that came from and why. And it is a total delight, as I mentioned, and I have already recommended it to two people that I know also love the topic. But, you know, to go off—and especially when you usually, as some of us have experienced—our agents saying, so when am I going to see more pages? or when am I going to see the next book? And you say, I'm really sorry, but I have to go off and film this documentary about pigs.Tess GerritsenYes. Well, you know, I was an anthropology major in college, and I've always been interested in the pig taboo. You know, back then, everybody just assumed it was because, yeah, it was disease or they're dirty animals—that's why they're forbidden food. It never quite convinced me, because I'm Chinese-American. Asia—you know, Asia loves pork. Why aren't they worried about all that? So I was in Istanbul for a book tour once, and I remember I really wanted bacon, and, you know, I couldn't get bacon. And then I thought, okay, I really need to find out why pork is forbidden. This is a—this is a cultural and historical mystery that never made sense to me. The explanations just never made sense to me. It cannot be trichinosis. So I told my son that—my son is—he does—he's a filmmaker as well. And he just said, "Well, let's do it. Let's—we will pose it as a mystery," because it is a mystery. So it took us probably two years to go and—you know, we interviewed anthropologists and pet pig owners and archaeologists, actually, just to find out, what do they say? What is the answer to this? And to us, the answer really just came down to this cultural desire for every—every tribe—to define us versus them. You know, they eat pigs. They're not us, so therefore they're the enemy. And it was fascinating because we—we ended up finding out more about pigs than I was expecting, and also finding out that people who have pet pigs can sometimes be a little unusual.Jess LaheyAnd the people who purchase the clothes for the pigs are also crazy.Tess GerritsenYes. Sew outfits for their pigs and sleep with their pigs. And there was—there was one woman who had—she slept on the second floor of her house, so she had an elevator for her pig who couldn't make it up the stairs, and, you know, ramps to get up onto the bed because they've gotten so fat—they've been overfed. But it was—for me, at the heart of it was a mystery.Jess LaheyAs a nonfiction author whose whole entire reason for being is, "I don't know—let's find out," I think that's just the most delightful thing. And I loved your framing as, "I don't know, we have this question, let's go out there and just ask people about it and find the experts." And that's—oh, I could just live on that stuff. So...Tess GerritsenSo could I. You know, research is so enticing. It's enticing. It is—it can get you into trouble because you never write your book. Some of us just love to do the research.Jess LaheySarina actually has taken skating lessons, done glass blowing—what else have you done? Yoga classes and all—all kinds of things in the pursuit of knowledge for her characters. And I think that's a delight.Sarina BowenYes. If you can sign up for a class as part of your research, like, that is just the best day. Like, you know, oh, I must take these ice skating lessons twice a day for five months, because—yeah—or twice a week, but still.Tess GerritsenYou must be a good ice skater then.Sarina BowenI'm getting better.Tess GerritsenSo you never gave them up, I see.Jess LaheyWell, it's fun because she usually writes about hockey, but she has a figure skater coming up in this book that's coming out this fall. And she's like, "Well, I guess I'm just going to have to learn how to figure skate."Tess GerritsenYeah.Sarina BowenI also—one time I went to see Rebecca Skloot speak about her big nonfiction The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.Tess GerritsenOh, okay.Sarina BowenAnd she said that all her best ideas had come from moments in her life when she went, "Wait, what?!"Tess GerritsenYes. Yep.Sarina BowenIncluding for The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. Like, she learned about the cells in high school—she was in high school biology class—and the teacher said, like, "This woman died in the '60s, but we're still using her cells," and she said, "Wait, what?!" And that's—that's what you made me think of with the pigs. Like, I think...Jess LaheyWell, and also your folder of ideas. I mean, I immediately texted Sarina after listening to a podcast where I heard an ad, and the ad made me go, "Oh that could be creepy." And then I'm like, "Okay, this is—this is a plot. This is going in the folder somewhere." And so you have to just think about how those things could unfold over time. And I love the idea of—and even in journalism—there are articles that I've written where I said, this just isn't their time. And then, like, five years later, I'll hear something out there, and I'm like, okay, finally, it's the time for this thing. And there's a reason you put that article in your idea—in your paper—manila folder of ideas.Tess GerritsenWell, I think writers are—we have to be curious. We have to be engaged in what's going on around us, because the ideas are everywhere. And I have this—I like to say I have a formula. It's called "two plus two equals five." And what that means is, sometimes you'll have a—you'll have a piece of information that, you know, there's a book here, but you haven't figured out what to do with it. And you wait for another piece of information from some completely different source, and you put them together, and they end up being like nuclear fusion—bigger than the…Sarina BowenYes!Jess LaheyYes!Tess GerritsenSome of the parts.Sarina BowenMost every book I've ever written works like that. Like, I have one idea that I drag around for, like, five years, and then I have this other idea, and one day I'm like, oh, those two things go together.Tess GerritsenYep.Jess LaheyYeah, absolutely. I think Stephen King mentioned that about Carrie. I think it was like, telekinesis, and that usually starts about the time of menstruation, and it was like, boom, there was Carrie. You know, those two things came together. I love that so much. So you mentioned that you have just handed in your next book, and we don't—we do not, as a rule, ask about what's next for an author, because I find that to be an incredibly intimidating and horrifying question to be asked. But I would love to hear; you know, is this—is this series one that you hope to continue working on? The main series, mainly because we have quite fallen in love with your little town in Maine—in Purity, Maine. Fantastic name for your town, by the way. It's really lovely. It creates such a nice dichotomy for these people who have seen and heard things during their careers that maybe are quite dark, and then they retire to a place called Purity. Is this a place where we can hopefully spend a little bit of time?Tess GerritsenWell, I am thinking about book number four now. I have an idea. You know, it always starts with—it starts with an idea and doodling around and trying to figure out what—you know, you start with this horrible situation, and then you have to explain it. So that's where I am now. I have this horrible situation, I have to explain it. So, yeah, I'm thinking about book four. I don't know how—you never know how long a series is going to go. It's a little tough because I have my characters who are internationally based—I mean, they've been around the world—but then I can't leave behind my local cop who is also a part of this group as well. So I have to keep an eye out on Maine being the center of most of the action.Sarina BowenRight, because how many international plots can you give Purity, Maine?Tess GerritsenThat's right, exactly. Well, luckily…Jess LaheyLook, Murder, She Wrote—how many things happened to that woman in that small town?Tess GerritsenExactly, exactly. Well, luckily, because I have so many CIA retirees up here, the international world comes to us. Like the next book, The Shadow Friends, is about a global security conference where one of the speakers gets murdered. And it turns out we have a global security conference right here in our town that was started by CIA 40 years ago. So I'm just—I'm just piggybacking on reality here. And—not that the spies up here think that's very amusing.Sarina BowenThat is fantastic, because, you know, the essential problem of writing a suspense novel is that you have to ground it in a reality that everyone is super familiar with, and you have to bring in this explosive bit of action that is unlikely to happen near any of us. And those two things have to fit together correctly. So by, um, by putting your retired spies in this tiny town, you have sort of, like, gifted yourself with that, you know, precise problem solver.Tess GerritsenYeah, reminding us.Sarina BowenYeah.Tess GerritsenBut there's only so far I can take that. I'm not sure what the limits... I think book four is going to take them all overseas, because my local cop, Jo, she's never been out of the country—except for Canada—and it's time for her dad to drag her over to Italy and say, "Your dead mom wanted to come to Italy, so I'm taking you." And, of course, things go wrong in Italy for Jo.Jess LaheyOf course, of course. Well, we're going to keep just banging on about how much we love these books. I think we've already mentioned it in three podcast episodes so far in our “What have you been reading lately that you've really loved?” So we're—we're big fans. And thank you so much for sitting down to talk with us and to—you know, one of the whole points of our podcast is to flatten the learning curve for other authors, so we hope that that's done a little bit of that for our listeners. And again, thank you so much. Where can people find you and your work if they want to learn a little bit more about Tess Gerritsen—her work?Tess GerritsenYou can go to TessGerritsen.com, and I try to post as much information there as I can. But I'm also at Bluesky, @TessGerritsen, and what is now called “X”—a legacy person on X—@TessGerritsen, yes.Jess LaheyThank you so, so much again. And for everyone out there listening, keep your butt in the chair and your head in the game.The Hashtag AmWriting Podcast is produced by Andrew Perella. Our intro music—aptly titled Unemployed Monday—was written and played by Max Cohen. Andrew and Max were paid for their time and their creative output, because everyone deserves to be paid for their work. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amwriting.substack.com/subscribe

Can you recall the times in your life that you have felt most accepted by your family, peers or coworkers? They were most likely times of joy and fulfillment. We long for a sense of belonging because God built us to live in community. Today on The Bible Study Hour, Dr. James Boice will explain how Christ's work on the cross gave us access to the greatest community that exists – His family! To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/81/29

In this compelling episode of the Meditative Prayers podcast, hosted by the insightful Zach Clinton and accessible on Pray.com, we delve into the profound theme of embracing our spiritual convictions—a pursuit that deeply resonates within our Christian community. Throughout our spiritual journey, there are moments when holding onto our beliefs and nurturing our unwavering faith becomes a paramount desire. These moments not only fortify our spiritual resolve but also strengthen our relationships, propelling us toward the realization of our individual dreams. The reassuring truth remains constant: with the Lord as our unwavering guide, we possess the innate capacity to uphold these convictions, uncovering renewed hope and purpose in our journey. Drawing profound inspiration from sacred scriptures, we embark on an exploration of this transformative human experience. For those who seek guidance in upholding their spiritual convictions along their path of faith, we extend a heartfelt invitation to explore the Pray.com app. By simply downloading it today, you can embark on a transformative journey of faith and resilience, firmly rooted in the steadfast presence of the Divine. Together, let us wholeheartedly embrace the incredible potential for conviction within us, finding boundless inspiration and strength during our shared spiritual pilgrimage. We invite you to join us in this enlightening episode as we venture toward a profound understanding of upholding our spiritual convictions and discovering the extraordinary sense of unwavering faith that resides within each one of us.Embracing the practice of praying before slumber is more than just a routine; it's an avenue to recenter your heart, aligning it with God's purpose. Let Pray.com's Meditative Prayer be a nightly companion, deepening your bond with the Almighty and settling your spirit for a serene night's rest.Zach Clinton is from the American Association of Christian Counselors, for more information please visit: https://aacc.net/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.