Ann was in her late eighties when her adult granddaughter asked, “Grandma, what was the very best time in your life? Ann was one of 10 kids born to Norwegian immigrants who arrived at Ellis Island and settled on the North Dakota prairie. She came from tough stock, and was raised in the kind of circumstances where you either made do — or you did without. She and her husband briefly moved to Seattle during World War 2. At that time, Ann was a real-life Rosie the Riveter, working as a riveter in a ...
Aug 09, 2021•2 min•Season 1Ep. 831
Congregations of faith all around the world use the word amen. Although many people use it in the right context, not everyone knows what this word means. “Amen” is an ancient Hebrew word, and Scripture uses this word in three primary ways: At the beginning of a sermon or important statement, the word “amen” often means “verily,” or “truly.” The Old Testament uses the word “amen” to describe God’s character as true and faithful. The most common placement of “amen” is at the end of a prayer, sermo...
Aug 06, 2021•2 min•Season 1Ep. 830
Joshua was called by God to lead the 12 tribes of Israel after the death of Moses. Those were pretty big shoes to fill, and the Lord chose Joshua because he was faithful. Joshua knew when he called on God in times of trouble, He would answer. In one powerful example, Joshua asked God to cause the moon and the sun to stand still so that he and his army could continue fighting a difficult battle by daylight. Joshua 10:12–13 says, “On the day the LORD gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said t...
Aug 05, 2021•2 min•Season 1Ep. 829
Hannah, one of the two wives of Elkanah, was unable to have children. A woman in Old Testament times who could not bear children was viewed as cursed by God. Not only was infertility heartbreaking for her as a woman and wife, but Hannah would have been looked down upon by her community for her inability to bear a child. Many of us can sympathize with Hannah. She longed to be a mother, and she was a daily witness to the children of her husband’s other wife. But Hannah didn’t give in to despair. S...
Aug 04, 2021•2 min•Season 1Ep. 828
Who are you, exactly, that God should know your name, or care to know your story? Have you ever wondered about the answer to that big question? In the great scheme of things, we sometimes feel like ants in an anthill: nameless drones, fetching and carrying, an unremarkable face among the masses. We are so much more than that to the Lord. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says simply, “Pray continually.” Written as a letter to early Christians by the Apostle Paul, this encouraging note doesn’t specify that th...
Aug 03, 2021•2 min•Season 1Ep. 827
Have you ever felt like you’ve just plain run out of juice? The book you’ve been reading seems pointless halfway through. That new sofa or lawnmower or set of wheels was pretty exciting last month, but now you’re not sure what the big deal was. Even your relationships feel lackluster. Human beings aren’t like cell phones or toy robots. We can’t rev up with a fresh set of batteries...we need other, more meaningful fuel to refill our tanks, and the energy we seek can’t be found at any store. 1 The...
Aug 02, 2021•2 min•Season 1Ep. 826
It’s harder to visualize during the hot summer months, but during Christmas of 1944, American soldiers were dug in against the Germans. The dark, frozen Belgian forest added to the bleak atmosphere. Morale was low, ammo was low, and food supplies were low. But just when things looked the worst, General Patton’s Third Army showed up almost out of nowhere. The men who fought in the Battle of the Bulge and survived remembered many things about that strangest of Christmas holidays. Mostly they remem...
Jul 30, 2021•2 min•Season 1Ep. 825
You probably know whether you’re a morning or night person. Science has some good news for you early risers: Apparently, the early bird really does get the worm. In a study of early risers versus night owls, researchers at the University of Birmingham discovered strong connections in the regions of the brain that can predict better performance and lower sleepiness; these areas were significantly stronger in study participants who identified themselves as early birds. Whether you burn the midnigh...
Jul 29, 2021•2 min•Season 1Ep. 824
Few of us enjoy chaos. It’s just too... chaotic , right? The human mind needs order and peace, yet we live in this messy world. Stuff is flying by all the time, and we duck. Our relationships are a mess, and we have to schedule that root canal...while simultaneously making dinner and cleaning the house. Is there a way out? Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of G...
Jul 28, 2021•2 min•Season 1Ep. 823
Most of us assume that if Jesus had a driver’s license, his listed name would be “Jesus Christ.” That’s kind of funny, but as usual, our puny human perceptions can’t define Him and box Him in. The Bible tells us in fact that Jesus has many names, each a shining facet of Who He is. He is called the Alpha and Omega—the beginning and the end. Elsewhere He is referred to as the Prince of Peace. Romans 10:13 says, “For, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’” His names are a remi...
Jul 27, 2021•1 min•Season 1Ep. 822
It’s kind of fun in those moments when the kids are in bed and the dishes are done, to think about the Big Questions. You know the list. Why am I here? What is the meaning of life? A question that people from ancient times to now have asked is, why in the world, literally, did God create people? We are a handful, as past generations used to say. We mess up. Sometimes we’re on our way to being smart then find ourselves flying down the Stupid Highway. God must get tired of us, right? 1 Peter 2:9 s...
Jul 26, 2021•2 min•Season 1Ep. 821
Nikki couldn’t leave her apartment...sometimes for days. Her anxiety about everything from health issues, to the weather, had hijacked her life. She needed help. One morning after she had talked with a friend on the phone, she heard someone outside her door, and it was her friend. The woman simply announced herself, and then pushed a piece of paper under the door. The only thing written on the paper was Psalm 94:19, which says, “When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to m...
Jul 23, 2021•2 min•Season 1Ep. 820
We all want to feel secure. We can look fine on the outside, but be something much less on the inside. And the first step to overcoming vulnerability is to feel okay with who we are. Psalm 62:5–6 says, “Only God gives inward peace, and I depend on Him. God alone is the mighty rock that keeps me safe, and he is the fortress where I feel secure.” The tension comes when we balance healthy self-esteem with our sin-nature. Can we feel good about ourselves while recognizing the need for a Savior? The ...
Jul 22, 2021•2 min•Season 1Ep. 819
When fear takes control, God just crushes it. None of us are immune from feeling unsettled at times. Circumstances have a way of knocking us off balance. How we respond not only affects our lives, but those who are watching us. In the film “The Patriot,” a Colonial militia leader sees the British kidnap his son. Taking the two younger sons with him, they wait in ambush in the forest. One of the sons is rattled and crying, so the father puts his hands on the boy’s shoulders, looks him in the eyes...
Jul 21, 2021•2 min•Season 1Ep. 818
Whenever we have to overcome an obstacle in our lives, we are thinking about a million different things. Our minds race. We might even be aware that our Creator is there to help. But have you ever considered that even when life gets tough, you can still have joy? Romans 12:12 says, “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” Sheila Walsh has said that what got her through a bout of depression was the knowledge that God the Father loved her and wanted the best for her. Today, ...
Jul 20, 2021•1 min•Season 1Ep. 817
A common theme today is that people are just bone-tired of chaos, both public and private. It’s exhausting sometimes dealing with bad relationships. Global problems are with us every day. We wonder when it will end. There is Good News for you, though. Literally Good News. 1 John 5:4 says, “For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.” This is a message to us that we don’t have to win the war ourselves. We don’t have to win a battl...
Jul 19, 2021•2 min•Season 1Ep. 816
We live in a broken world, and humanity is the most broken and imperfect of all God’s creation. The world has a permanent OUT OF ORDER sign on it, and as a result, most of us are looking for answers to our questions, and solutions to our problems, in all the wrong places. We place our trust in ourselves, in shallow standards of beauty, in money, and in our relationships with other people, hoping for meaning and completion we will never find in these sources. We are lost people, following false g...
Jul 16, 2021•2 min•Season 1Ep. 815
Family is a wonderful thing, and these relationships do so much to enrich our lives, but family makes a lousy god. People sometimes think...if only my relationship was better with my dad, or if only I found a husband or wife, or if only we had kids — then life would be complete. A picture-perfect family is a blessing, indeed, but this is not where God wants us to seek meaning in our lives. Family relationships are complicated, and since we’re talking about people – not God – we are sure to be di...
Jul 15, 2021•3 min•Season 1Ep. 814
What are you worth? This is an ugly question you’d never ask in polite company, although you may be curious about the answer. “The real measure of your wealth is how much you'd be worth if you lost all your money.” This anonymous quote serves us well in our discussion of what happens when we choose to follow dollar bills, instead of the Lord. When we judge each other, and ourselves, by the value of our bank accounts, the size of our homes, or the luxury of the things we accumulate, we are choosi...
Jul 14, 2021•2 min•Season 1Ep. 813
Annual cosmetic industry sales in the United States are about $89.5 billion dollars. That’s nearly 90 billion, with a B, spent on makeup and personal care items including skincare, haircare, perfumes, toiletries and deodorants, and oral cosmetics. For perspective, of 148 nations tracked in 2019 by TheGlobalEconomy.com, 126 of them had annual national expenditures of less than 90 billion dollars, including Israel, Switzerland, and South Africa. We spend more in this country on lotions, potions, a...
Jul 13, 2021•2 min•Season 1Ep. 812
Baal. Molech. Ashtoreth. Chemosh. Artemis. These names may not ring a bell for you, but back in biblical times, these false gods and others were known as competitors for devotion alongside our one true God — the God of Israel. If you aren’t a modern-day Bible scholar or a student of ancient history, these false gods may not be familiar, but make no mistake — just because we don’t use these same names for false gods today, doesn’t mean our culture doesn’t have any. We definitely do! Joshua 24:15 ...
Jul 12, 2021•2 min•Season 1Ep. 811
Are you eager to share Christ? If so, good for you! Your boldness is seen by God our Father, and it pleases him. Often though, we get a little frustrated, if we’re honest. It seems like not enough people are getting it. We want to see everyone find new life in Jesus! When we think about sharing the Good News, it’s important to remember that God is responsible for the harvest. We just have to be willing to be sent as his ambassadors. John 8:12 says, “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said,...
Jul 09, 2021•3 min•Season 1Ep. 810
We’ve all known kindness. It might have been a Sunday school teacher, or maybe it was Mom listening to our bad day. But how often do you actually think about the importance of kindness? Is it an active part of your day? If not, you’re missing the point. 1 Corinthians 13:4–5 says, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs." Real love compels us to...
Jul 08, 2021•2 min•Season 1Ep. 809
Jesus is always our standard. Moments after He picked the 12 disciples, Jesus was standing at the base of a mountain, teaching the people. He told them many things, but one thing really stands out: He told them how to treat each other. Jesus had a way with stories. Narrative was the way He told people what He wanted them to remember. And it was then that Jesus used an image of the good gifts God gives to those that love Him. The book of Luke tells the story. Jesus looked at His followers and sai...
Jul 07, 2021•2 min•Season 1Ep. 808
Have you ever wondered what it would have been like to be an original settler in America? As a person leaving the safety of England to come to the New World and start over? Those people came here for religious freedom and risked it all. When they landed in New England, they literally put down roots as they built and planted the beginnings of an amazing experiment that is still ongoing. Colossians 2:6–7 says, "So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him,...
Jul 06, 2021•2 min•Season 1Ep. 807
Have you ever thought about the fact that you have an obligation to defend our nation’s freedoms? You live in the Land of the Free; your contributions are needed. We all have a role. Joshua 1:9 commands us, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” Sure, maybe you’re not a Navy SEAL. Maybe you don’t fly supersonic jets in combat. You never served in the military. Most citizens haven’t, an...
Jul 05, 2021•2 min•Season 1Ep. 806
Joseph was a hardworking tradesman who God hand-picked from all the men in the world to be the earthly father of His own Son, Jesus Christ. What an honor! And in some ways, what an incredibly challenging task. Joseph wasn’t a king, a politician, or a recognized leader of any kind when he was betrothed to a young woman named Mary. A simple carpenter, he was also a man of compassion. When he learned Mary was pregnant and knew the child could not be his, he intended to divorce her quietly and send ...
Jul 02, 2021•3 min•Season 1Ep. 805
The story of the Prodigal Son is one we can all relate to. The Bible tells the story of a brash young man who leaves his home after asking for his inheritance. His loving father complies and let’s just say the son learns some valuable lessons on his travels. Eventually he humbles himself and comes home; he needs his father and his family. It is really a story of Jesus and us. Matthew 7:7, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” We scre...
Jul 01, 2021•2 min•Season 1Ep. 804
Even though most U.S. homes have at least one copy of the Bible, few know what’s in it. There are all sorts of things: wisdom for living, history, spiritual food. It’s the Bible’s practical value that hooks most people who read it. The Bible says a lot about money, how to raise kids, and even how to strengthen your marriage. It also says a lot about forgiveness. Forgiveness is mentioned dozens of times in the Bible. In Genesis 33, Esau forgives his brother Isaac’s treachery in stealing his birth...
Jun 30, 2021•3 min•Season 1Ep. 803
Many modern phrases have their origins in the Bible. A couple that come to mind are, “She’s worth her salt,” or, “He is the salt of the earth.” They remind us of what Scripture says when using salt as an analogy. Matthew 5:13 says, “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.” Tasting our favorite salty foods is a great sensory experience. Think of French fri...
Jun 29, 2021•2 min•Season 1Ep. 802
