Send us a text My son is almost three, and he wants to do everything on his own. "No, I do it" is his favorite expression. He came with me the other day to the butcher and it was no exception. He wanted to buckle himself, walk and not ride, help load the cart and unload the cart, etc. What took the most time is when he wanted to button his own jacket - except, there was one problem: he got the top button wrong. Of course when that happens, every subsequent button is off too. So we started from t...
Feb 09, 2023•12 min•Season 3Ep. 2
Send us a text Welcome to our very first episode of Season 3! I'm so glad you've returned, and hope that this new year finds you well! In today's episode, I lose my keys - well, my car key to be specific. I spent three hours looking for it, and just above gave up hope. That was until my daughter found it...in one of their toy bins under their bed. Hmm, I wonder how it got there. I wasn't upset, I was just relieved and overjoyed to have it back. Well...that is exactly how the Lord feels when thos...
Feb 02, 2023•14 min•Season 3Ep. 1
Send us a text Tune in for the season finale of this year. We will be taking a short break from the podcast, but we hope to see you all back in February of 2023! Until then, know that I love you, that God loves you, and may we all each and every day set our minds above! #SetYourMindAbovePodcast
Dec 15, 2022•25 min•Season 2Ep. 72
Send us a text Tune in for a special guest episode with my friend Jared Bollman, the host of the "Man Up" podcast. #SetYourMindAbovePodcast
Nov 30, 2022•11 min•Season 2Ep. 71
Send us a text Thanksgiving is tomorrow, and I certainly know that I have so much to be grateful for. It's our first Thanksgiving as a family of 5, and that is just the tip of the iceburg. We are blessed with our church family, our friends, our home, and so many other things. God has been good to us far beyond measure. It's easy to be thankful when things are good, but what about when they're not? Well...we need to learn that gratitude is not tied to God's blessings, but much rather to his uncha...
Nov 23, 2022•14 min•Season 2Ep. 70
Send us a text I recently saw a video of a man standing on the street with a sign asking for help. It said that he was hurting and discouraged and could use someone to talk to. Nobody stopped. Then he turned the sign around, and it said "free money" with cash taped all to the poster. Within seconds, a mob had formed, and under a minute, the money was gone. Isn't that the way it goes: people are more interested in being given something than giving something. Well...can we possibly bring that same...
Nov 17, 2022•14 min•Season 2Ep. 69
Send us a text I had a panic attack this week (not really, but go with me here) when a report came out that Dan Lanning, the head coach of Oregon, was interested in leaving and taking the head coaching job at Auburn. Of course Dan was asked if this was true. He set the record straight, and taught us all a lesson too. In the interview, he said he was content where he was, grateful for where he was, and the grass is not always greener on the other side. Well...how often do we forget this as Christ...
Nov 10, 2022•16 min•Season 2Ep. 68
Send us a text My daughter enjoys playing with my hair and pretending to be a hairstylist. She was working on my hair last night and asked if she was almost done. She said, "these take a long, long time...like 5-7 minutes! That's forever." I laughed. When you're a kid time moves so slow, but as you age, you realize you don't have that much left. Well...Scripture speaks to the nature of our short lives, how they are like a vapor. But rather than be discouraged by this fact, it shoudl equip us wit...
Nov 02, 2022•15 min•Season 2Ep. 67
Send us a text I find that the older I get, the less I venture with things in life. I eat the same things, wear the same things, do the same things, and listen to the same things. We are creatures of habit, aren't we? While that's not necessarily bad, it's important to recognize that sometimes that can bleed over into other things like...well...our prayer life. When do you pray? How do you pray? What do you pray? Has prayer simply become a thoughtless ritual in our life? Or is it truly an outpou...
Oct 26, 2022•16 min•Season 2Ep. 66
Send us a text Yesterday, my wife and I celebrated 8 years of marriage. As much as I loved and knew my wife the day we were married, it's nothing compared to how I love and know her now. Lord willing, I will be able to say the same years down the road. But that didn't just happen on its own. To grow in our love & knowledge, we needed to pursue each other. Well...the same goes for our relationship with Jesus. Our love for him and knowledge of him should only grow through the years, but that d...
Oct 20, 2022•11 min•Season 2Ep. 65
Send us a text I am a huge Mariners fan! We ended a 21 year playoff drought this year, and after sweeping the Blue Jays went on to face the Astros. Game 1 was tonight, and we had a commanding lead until the last inning when they allowed a walk off home run. Surely, the team is crushed. But the series isn't over yet. Yes the lost, but how will they respond to failure? Well...in our spiritual walk, we must ask the same question. We all are going to fail and sin, we are human. It doesn't excuse it,...
Oct 12, 2022•16 min•Season 2Ep. 64
Send us a text We read a news article this week from pediatricians suggesting students with lice should not be sent home, because 1) it's not really poor hygiene and 2) it can cause pyschological stress to a student because of the stigma. Um, what? So 1) Yes, parasites crawling in your hair is poor hygiene, and 2) so we just ignore the problem and let is spread because a student might get embarrassed? Wrong answer. Well...don't Christians often treat sin the same way? We try to lessen the danger...
Oct 05, 2022•11 min•Season 2Ep. 63
Send us a text We are getting used to a family of 5 now with the addition of our third child, and of course it is chaos but in a beautiful way. One thing our oldest two are getting used to is how much a newborn cries. On the way home the other night, they each had very different reactions to her ongoing screams in the car. My daughter, in a motherly way, was trying to talk to her sweetly and calm her down. My son? Well, he was covering his ears and telling her to "shhhh". Well...their polar oppo...
Sep 29, 2022•16 min•Season 2Ep. 62
Send us a text We have one final guest episode before I resume my work from paternity leave. I am excited to share this one with you. Hal Hammons is no stranger to this program, he is a good friend and the host of the Citizens of Heaven podcast. Today, he teaches us how tortillas - and how you choose to pronounce it - has a great deal to teach us about fellowship. Are we trying to be more like Jesus, or just trying to make others more like me? #SetYourMindAbovePodcast...
Sep 21, 2022•14 min•Season 2Ep. 61
Send us a text Join us for a special guest episode with my good friend and mentor, Scott Beyer, as he shares some important lessons from an all time favorite book of his "Where the Red Fern Grows". Who knew that a racoon, a log, some nails, and a ball of tinfoil could teach us so much about ourselves in our walk of faith? #SetYourMindAbovePodcast
Sep 13, 2022•18 min•Season 2Ep. 60
Send us a text Join us for a guest episode, as Jacob Hudgins talks about the spiritual lessons we can take away from those pesky, frustrating Crepe Myrtles. #SetYourMindAbovePodcast
Sep 02, 2022•13 min•Season 2Ep. 59
Send us a text I will be on paternity leave starting with next weeks episode since our baby girl is coming by next week, but we will have guest speakers for the next several weeks! They bring a different perspective, which is exactly what I brought to lunch today. Bella, our friend Brianna's daughter, wouldn't eat her chicken. No matter what Brianna tried, Bella refused. Then I gave it a whirl, and wouldn't you know it, she at it. Same fork. Same chicken. But a different person offering it. Aren...
Aug 30, 2022•14 min•Season 2Ep. 58
Send us a text Fantasy football is starting back up, and I couldn't be happier! I love everything football. I can debate it all day long, talk the ins and outs of the game, and even enjoy studying the technical aspects of football from time to time from experts. But here is the catch...I've never played football. Ever. There is a huge difference between knowing about football, and actually playing it. Well...the same thing could be shared about sharing the gospel. We know a lot about evangelism,...
Aug 24, 2022•11 min•Season 2Ep. 57
Send us a text We are about three weeks away from baby time, and we have been working hard to get things ready. Some things aren't as fun to get ready like all the laundry, cleaning, etc. But getting her room ready? That has been a joy. We've been working hard to get a place ready for her, and even though she won't understand what's waiting for her or appreciate what we've done, we do it because we love her and this will be her home. Well...isn't that the journey ahead for all of us Christians? ...
Aug 17, 2022•12 min•Season 2Ep. 56
Send us a text I've got good news and bad news. The bad news is: my wife, who is 32 weeks pregnant, contracted covid & has been really miserable. The good news? God's people have overwhelmed us with love. I don't know how people make it in this life without the church, I know I sure couldn't. And it's not just us, our church family does this for so many time and time again. Well...that's the way it should be. God has designed his people to be those that have been changed from the inside out ...
Aug 10, 2022•15 min•Season 2Ep. 55
Send us a text A friend shared a video with me about a man and his newborn daughter, just a few minutes old. She was crying, afraid, and confused. But when her father spoke, suddenly she calmed. And when he told her he loved her, she then opened her eyes for the first time. Well...of all the voices clamoring for our attention in this world, there is only one voice that can bring us peace: the voice of the Father! While long ago he spoke to the prophets directly, now he speaks to us through his S...
Aug 04, 2022•15 min•Season 2Ep. 54
Send us a text We went to the Ark Encounter a few days ago, and I was shocked to find that something was distracting my daughter from the animals in the zoo. What was it? Gravel. She wanted to pick up rocks rather than see the animals she could only find at the zoo. When it was time to leave, she changed her mind, but by then it was too late. Well...how often we do chose the worthless things over this world over fixing our eyes on Jesus? Despite being given chance after chance, we continue pursi...
Jul 27, 2022•15 min•Season 2Ep. 53
Send us a text Have you ever come home smelling like work? When you are immersed in a distinct smell, like on a farm, or working fast food, you end up coming home smelling like what you were immersed in. This has happened to me many times, as I am sure it has happened to you. Well...a shepherd should smell like their sheep. Leaders of the Lord's church do not do so from a distance. They are immersed in the flock that is literally to be among them. They are serving, assisting, teaching, and build...
Jul 19, 2022•12 min•Season 2Ep. 52
Send us a text We are currently undergoing a lot of changes. We are prepping for the new baby, which will of course be the biggest change. The kids are starting to share a room. We sold our small car. We changed auto, home, and health insurance. There is a lot happening over here. New beginnings and endings can be scary, but they are inevitable. Well...Solomon teaches us that there is a time for everything. We must see the blessings both in the beginning and the end of a thing. If we constantly ...
Jul 13, 2022•16 min•Season 2Ep. 51
Send us a text Tonight is full of anticipation, and that's because my three day men's golf trip begins tomorrow. 12 of us are headed to Tennessee to hit 72 holes over 3 days. But it's not about the golf, as we always say, "It's about the food and fellowship." I'm excited about this trip because of how I will bond with these men, and be encouraged by them. I won't remember the golf details, but I will remember our time spent together. Well...the first century church models for us the importance o...
Jul 07, 2022•11 min•Season 2Ep. 50
Send us a text I am so done with Facebook marketplace and these other platforms. We are trying to sell our vehicle, but nearly every message is a dead end. They never answer, never show up, or low ball you. But the worst? The scammers. The one's that intentionally are out to deceive you and steal from the unsuspecting. Educating yourself about their tactics is essential. Well...the greatest con artist is Satan. We seeks to deceive and destroy us. However, we are not ignorant of his schemes. We m...
Jun 29, 2022•13 min•Season 2Ep. 49
Send us a text We have two toddlers and one on the way. So, why not get a puppy, that sounds completely sane...right? We are crazy. How we got this dog was crazy. We drove 5 1/2 hours each way up into Northern Ohio to get him on a whim. We didn't get home until well after midnight, and why? Because parents will do some crazy things for the children they love. Well...how much more so does God love his children? Is there anything more crazy than becoming a part of his own creation and subjecting h...
Jun 22, 2022•18 min•Season 2Ep. 48
Send us a text Well, just as soon as I’m back from vacation, I’m turning right around and going back out of town once again. I’ll be wheels up tomorrow in route to Colorado, where I will be heading up a youth lectureship with the Pratt Parkway Christians that meet in the in city of Erie. I am so looking forward to my time there, not only to catch up with some old friends, but to make many new ones as well. As I like to frequently say about the Lord’s church, “It’s a small world, and a big family...
Jun 07, 2022•15 min•Season 2Ep. 47
Send us a text We will be returning from our vacation tomorrow, but are still enjoying our time in the mountains! So, today, you have another special treat for the second week in a row. My good friend Hal Hammons of the Citizens of Heaven podcast is taking up the microphone today. Who knew a dog's special diet that excludes chicken could teach us so much about our spiritual diet and what we take in? You don't want to miss this episode! Thank you Hal - you have greatly encouraged me and all of ou...
May 31, 2022•10 min•Season 2Ep. 46
Send us a text We are currently on vacation! But that's not stopping the podcast thanks to a few good friends. Today, Dr. Kenny Embry from the Balancing the Christian Life Podcast takes the microphone up. He shares with us a story about pulling up their carpet, taking everything out, and learning what needs to be put back in. Who knew that something as simple as replacing your carpet could teach us such profound lessons about Jesus and his Kingdom? You won't want to miss this! Be sure to tune in...
May 24, 2022•16 min•Season 2Ep. 45
