Where did you see God?

In episode 173, Jack Maher's story leads us to consider when the simple, the random, and the coincidences may actually be the God of the universe communicating to us. After the sudden loss of his wife, Jack encountered God in unexpected ways, and found himself in deeper relationship than ever before.

In what simple or random ways is God speaking to you today?

Connect with Jack:

https://www.sandgoatmanorpublishing.com/

http...

In episode 172, Dub Karriker helps us explore the reality that we can be authentically "all in" for Jesus, and then... not. Through his story, we explore the journey aspect of a relationship with Christ that extends beyond the initial "yes", and how we can learn what it really means to be "all in" for him, even amidst doubt and hardship

Is God inviting you to a deeper commitment?

Connect with Dub:

In episode 171, Andrea Herzer invites us to discover the ministry in the midst of lament. When hardship hit, it can be easy to spiral in emotion, and miss the blessing healthy lament can bring. What if God wants to do something beyond us in that space? What if He is actually equipping us to love and serve others, even while we long to be loved and served? This is what Andrea discovered through several challenges, and what she share...

In episode 170, Nic shares the importance of creating space for doubt. "Doubt" has a stigma on it in the church; yet if "the wisdom of God is foolishness to man", it shouldn't be surprising that we wrestle with understanding. Unfortunately, that stigma can lead to shame and rejection rather than love and presence. After a difficult season where he felt abandoned by the church, Nic had no desire to return, ye...

In episode 169, Aaron challenges us to confront our understanding of what it means to be "all-in" with discipleship; we may think we are committed, but what if we aren't? And if we aren't "all-in" for Jesus, how can we get there? Pulling from his experiences in combat, Aaron has learned what it means to put your life on the line, and wants the Church to have that same mindset as they represent Christ

Is ...

In episode 168, Ty-Shaun-Dra Davis invites us into her step of obedience: allowing God to make her a city on a hill that can't be hidden. She isn't one to pursue the spotlight, yet over and over God has invited her to come out of the shadows and "let her light shine." She's come to discover that when she trusts Him, He is able to do amazing things with that light... of which He is the source!

Where has God inv...

In episode 167, Dr. Leoma Gilley pulls from her decades of experience with Wycliffe Bible Translators and ministry in the Sudan to press us into our understanding of the Word and prayer. More, she invites us to consider that it's perhaps not about the "how", but the "Who"; when we recognize that relationship with God is the point, it gives freedom for those seasons when reading and praying is difficult.

In episode 166, Miriam Washington accepts God's invitation to share her story, but it was not easy. Health issues, hospital stays, and even a mic refusing to connect became obstacles to what she sensed God saying: "share of your faith amidst disability and chronic illness." Throughout her life, Miriam has known hardship, yet she's known something greater in the midst: God's faithfulness. No matter how broken-...

In episode 165, I break the months-long hiatus to reveal that this is not a podcast... at least not as you understand it. What you are hearing is a by-product of the true ministry: an authentic, accessible space -- with a twist -- to process who God is, who He's made us to be, and what that means for life.

This space is for anyone -- perhaps for you -- because it is not about making an "episode", but real, Spirit...

In episode 164 -- the series finale -- we address what is the quintessence of suffering, hell, through an unexpected conversation. For nearly 17 years, my wife Becca Granger has been navigating something that is difficult -- if not impossible -- to share, yet arguably one of the heftier experiences of suffering we've explored this season. She shares of the moment she fell into an experience of hell so real that it disrupted her...

In episode 163, we do something different. I felt like God was inviting me to have one more guest before the finale, and I had several exciting options in mind. Then, every single one said no. I was left with a sense there was one more episode, but no clue who to invite. Then, on the morning of my self-determined deadline, I felt like God wanted me to read the verse of the day, and immediately I knew who the guest would be: the &...

In episode 162, Blaine Lay helps us process how -- amidst suffering -- we're not just invited to engage with community, but engage AS community. Scripture invites us to step in to the hardships around us as a Body, and through God's wisdom and power we can see Him do amazing things. But how do we engage as a community? What makes it difficult? Why does it matter?

How has God invited you to engage as community?

You can lea...

In episode 161, Colleen Faul hits us early with a phrase that would catch many off-guard: "blessed with special needs." When she describes her daughter's journey with Infantile Spasms and Tuberous Sclerosis Complex, she is aware many would see Gracie's life as unfortunate; yet God has shown her and her family how He is doing abundantly more than they could ask or imagine. You may see things in your own life that s...

In episode 160, Susan Johnson invites us to confront how we understand Bipolar Disorder and other mental health conditions. As we've explored in several episodes, mental health conditions are frequently stigmatized, misunderstood, and seen as disqualifying. What if, though, God is calling us to serve Him not INSPITE of our struggles, but WITH them in mind? What if the things we see as limiting actually give us the capacity to ...

In episode 159, Marti and Louis Williams share how not even near-death experiences could keep them from being "one" in the midst. Hardships have a tendency to isolate us, but the reality is that God has created us to be in relationship with one and with others; while isolation can weaken us, oneness can bring us to abundantly more than we could ask or imagine. How do we remain one in the midst, though, when the suffering ...

In episode 158, Dan Coe shares how a season of suffering seemed to strip them of a thriving ministry... until they discovered a new ministry in the midst.  We've heard often this season of folks who held traditional jobs, experienced suffering, and landed in a new ministry after; but what if you're already IN a ministry, and the hardship bring things to a halt?  Dan and his family experienced this, as an unexpected c...

In episode 157, Donna Tashjian shares a story that helps us confront our struggle with trust.  After all, it's hard to trust when others have hurt you, or not shown up when you needed them; and it's hard to trust God when He didn't protect you from the hardship.  When Donna was 14, someone close to her family hurt her in such a way that she found herself a teenage mother, leaving her stigmatized and struggling.  ...

In episode 156, Beth Thorp helps us know what it means to find meaning in the midst of our suffering.  Her family was thrust into hardship when a mystery illness struck her son Mitchell and upended their lives.  Their thoughts became filled with questions -- for doctors, for God -- that too often went unanswered.  Yet God heard them, and more than answers, He desired to reveal the deeper meaning He was inviting ...

In episode 155, Coach Jonathan McLernon invites us to embrace starting over again as an opportunity.  Starting over can feel daunting and unjust, and so many of us have found ourselves there despite our best efforts.  Jonathan takes us on a journey through an attempted murder, to a pursuit of weight-loss, to a costly betrayal, and how along the way he often found himself -- whether practically or spiritually -- back ...