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He poured water on the altar on purpose. Not a little. Enough to make success impossible unless God showed up. That one choice turns Elijah’s Mount Carmel showdown (1 Kings 18) into a piercing question for our lives: do we actually trust the one true God, or do we keep a hidden escape route that protects our pride?

We sit down with Pastor David for our season one finale of 10 More Minutes and slow-walk the story behind the fire. We talk about Elijah’s “hidden place” before the big moment, when God tells him to depart and hide and then provides in a way Elijah can’t control. That quiet season becomes a blueprint for spiritual formation, prayer, and dependence on God when no one is watching. If you’ve ever felt sidelined or stuck, we explore how God can teach and shape you there.

From the soaked altar, we pivot into a common Christian cliché: “God helps those who help themselves.” Where does it come from, what’s true in it, and what does it get dangerously wrong? We dig into the balance between responsibility and reliance, then confront idolatry as it actually shows up in modern life: money, success, people-pleasing, relationships, and even a made-up version of God who exists to endorse our wants. We also highlight 2 Peter 1 and what we’re meant to “supplement” faith with so it becomes effective and fruitful.

If this conversation helps you, subscribe for season two, share it with a friend or your group, and leave a review so more people can find it. What’s one “backup plan” you need to put down so trust in God can be real?

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God asks Solomon a dangerous question: “What do you want me to give you?” Most of us can name a dozen “practical” answers in a heartbeat. Solomon doesn’t reach for power, success, long life, or wealth. He asks for an understanding heart, and that single request forces us to look at our own desires and the kind of prayers we’ve been repeating on autopilot.

Ryan Ritchie and Pastor Michael Buffaloe dig into 1 Kings 3 and connect it to Psalm 37:4, where delight in the Lord comes before the desires of the heart. We talk about why that verse is deeper than a feel-good promise, how time in God’s Word reshapes what we want, and why biblical wisdom is more than information. Along the way, we wrestle with Jesus’ promise about asking in his name (John 14 and 16) and the tension we feel when God doesn’t give the outcome we requested.

We also get practical: how to pray for things God already delights to say “yes” to, how to pray God’s words back to God, and how to wait without trying to manufacture our own answers. We compare “urgent vs important” prayers, and we challenge the habit of plugging into every other voice for wisdom while getting unplugged from the Lord. The question we leave on the table is simple and convicting: what has become your greatest pursuit?

If you’ve ever felt stuck in a prayer rut or unsure what to ask God for, press play, then share this with a friend and leave a review so more people can find it. What’s one desire you want God to realign this week?

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Devotion isn’t proved by one big moment, it’s revealed by the steady choices you make when nobody’s watching. We sit down with Pastor Ross Strickland after his message on the book of Ruth and talk about the kind of faithfulness that holds when life is painful, distracting, or just ordinary. Ross shares personal reflections from Mother’s Day, including how a parent’s devotion can shape a family for generations, and we anchor the conversation in 1 Corinthians 15:58: be steadfast, immovable, and keep abounding in the work of the Lord even when the payoff feels delayed. 

We also go deeper into Bible study and why context changes everything. Ruth being a Moabite isn’t trivia, it’s a shock that highlights God’s providence and redemption for outsiders. Even the parts we tend to skip, like genealogies, carry the story forward and remind us that Scripture is one connected narrative pointing to Jesus. Along the way, we challenge “verse of the day” habits, talk about being too easily pleased and easily distracted, and share practical ways to rebuild hunger for God’s Word through community and accountability. 

Then we pivot to something Ruth gets quoted for all the time: Christian dating. We play a red flag, green flag game with real-world wisdom, including warnings about Jesus being treated like a brand, boundary pushing, shutting out wise counsel, living like a constant victim, and fast emotional intensity. On the green flag side, we talk about staying in the right relationship stage, practicing sexual integrity, honoring family authority, looking for character over charm, and pursuing God first. If this helps you, subscribe, share it with a friend who needs it, and leave a review so more people can find the podcast.

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“Be strong and courageous” can sound like a motivational poster until you realize God ties courage to something specific: his presence and his Word. Ryan and Marty McGinn look back at Joshua 1 and the moment Joshua steps into leadership after Moses, carrying an assignment that feels bigger than his own ability. We talk about the promise “just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you” and why that kind of assurance is meant to steady your next step, not inflate your ego. 

From there, we get honest about what often gets skipped when we read the passage: obedience. The story of Jericho is inspiring, but the setback at Ai shows how quickly we can move without God’s Spirit, assume we’re guaranteed success, and then wonder why we’re stuck. We connect that to everyday Christian living, spiritual disciplines, and leadership development in the church, including why accountability matters when you’re trying to “keep” God’s commands instead of treating them like handcuffs. 

We also dig into a surprisingly practical tool for Bible meditation: singing Scripture. Marty shares how putting God’s Word to music helps it stick, and we talk about how worship forms us all week long, not just on Sunday. The episode ends with a simple challenge that fits real life: take ten uninterrupted minutes with God, phone away, and let his presence reset your courage for whatever you’re facing. If this helped you, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review. What’s one area where you need to stop rushing and start walking in step with God?

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We reflect on Moses in Exodus and trace how real confidence grows when we stop fixating on ourselves and start trusting God’s presence. We challenge the way insecurity masquerades as humility and land on a simple practice: remember what God has done and tell your story. 
• the difference between humility and self-doubt 
• why God answers with presence instead of ego boosts 
• confidence rooted in God’s image on our lives 
• Moses versus Israel in Exodus 14 and misplaced confidence 
• how fear can make us confidently wrong 
• why faith can isolate us from the crowd 
• practical application for workplace witness 
• remembering God’s past faithfulness through testimony and journals 
take what you’ve heard and carry it with you and continue to take 10 more minutes. 

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Most of us don’t plan to blow up our integrity. We just get comfortable living near a boundary and calling it “fine.” Ryan Ritchie and Pastor David Rogers slow down Cross Point Church’s Sunday message to look closely at Joseph in Genesis 39, where temptation isn’t theoretical, it’s personal, persistent, and costly. Joseph’s choice to flee Potiphar’s wife becomes a clear picture of Christian integrity that’s rooted in wisdom, not bravado. 

We talk honestly about sexual temptation and why Scripture treats sexual immorality as a category you don’t play with. That includes the hidden battles many people fight alone, from lust to pornography, and why “distance” is sometimes the most spiritual decision you can make. We also unpack Jesus’ warning in Matthew 26 to “watch and pray,” showing how awareness of danger and dependence on God work together when the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. 

Along the way, we get practical about spiritual disciplines, daily resolve, and the kind of accountability that actually helps, the kind built on transparent relationships and biblical community. A simple tape-on-the-table illustration challenges the habit of “how close can I get without crossing,” and reframes righteousness as walking with God, turning our eyes toward what is truly beautiful. If you’ve ever felt stuck in shame after failing, there’s hope here: you can turn back and walk toward God again. 

Subscribe for more conversations like this, share it with a friend who needs encouragement, and leave a review so more people can find the podcast. What’s one temptation you want to stop managing and start fleeing?

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God tells Abram to leave everything familiar and walk into an unknown future and Abram goes. That one sentence in Genesis 12 confronts the way we treat obedience as either a personality trait or a religious checklist, because real obedience usually involves loss, uncertainty, and a decision to trust God’s voice over every other voice competing for our attention.

We talk through why Abram’s calling may have landed so deeply at age 75, how purpose can show up when life feels stuck, and what Scripture reveals when you trace Abraham’s bigger story beyond a Sunday morning window. We also unpack two sides of obedience that belong together: obedience to God’s mission in the world and obedience to God’s commands in everyday life. Love God and love people sounds simple, but it reshapes how we think about holiness, temptation, and the spiritual disciplines that keep us grounded.

From there, we get practical about the “authority battle” happening in a normal week. How do you recognize God’s voice instead of anxiety, culture, online noise, or your own inner narrator? We explore why time in the Bible and prayer isn’t just a habit but a way to build discernment, and why “small” choices like entertainment, words, and relationships can quietly set the direction of your life over time.

We close with a challenge to consider how God may be uniquely calling you right now and to let this message become a springboard into deeper Bible study and spiritual growth. If the conversation helps you, subscribe to Ten More Minutes, share it with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find it.

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Easter Sunday moves fast, but the empty tomb deserves more than a quick drive-by. We sit down for a longer, calmer conversation about the resurrection of Jesus and why it still lands with force, even when you have heard the story for years. We also share a behind-the-scenes glimpse of what it takes to welcome thousands, and why serving matters when the room is full of people at every point on the faith spectrum, from first-time guests to long-time believers who need the gospel to feel alive again.

We dig into a counterintuitive idea: real spiritual growth often comes from being reminded, not being impressed by something new. The human heart drifts, quietly and naturally, until truth feels distant. That is why the angel’s words at the tomb matter so much. The disciples were not given a novelty, they were brought back to what Jesus already said. We talk about how that same dynamic plays out in preaching, in daily Bible reading, and in the slow work of discipleship.

Then we shift to the trustworthiness of the resurrection account and why certain details strengthen it. Why would women be featured as the first witnesses in that culture if someone were inventing a believable myth? We also explore other classic evidences for the resurrection of Christ, including eyewitness testimony, early Christian creeds, the transformation of the disciples, and the stubborn question of the missing body.

We close by getting personal about the assumptions we make when life hurts. Money pressure, relationship fallout, and seasons that feel final can trick us into deciding God is done. One restoration story proves how wrong that can be. If this encouraged you, subscribe, share it with a friend who needs hope, and leave a review so more people can find the conversation.

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Palm branches and cheering crowds are only the beginning. The middle of Holy Week holds some of the clearest, most challenging snapshots of Jesus’s heart and mission, and we slow down to walk through Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday with fresh eyes as we head toward Good Friday and Easter.

We start with Monday’s temple cleansing and the uncomfortable question it raises: what happens when worship turns transactional? Jesus flips tables, confronts corruption, and calls God’s house back to prayer and reverence, then we connect that moment to the New Testament claim that believers are now God’s temple through the Holy Spirit. From there we move to Tuesday, where Jesus spends his final days teaching, answering traps, and then privately preparing his disciples in the Olivet Discourse with a simple message that still lands today: judgment is coming, so be ready.

Silent Wednesday brings a surprising theme: stillness as a measure of trust. We talk about waiting quietly for God, what we do when God feels silent, and how Judas’s betrayal shows the danger of filling quiet with our own plans. Thursday is packed with meaning: Jesus washes feet, shares the Last Supper, gives a new command to love as he loves, and then heads to Gethsemane where the arrest sets the cross in motion. If you want a deeper Holy Week devotion, practical discipleship, and a clearer view of Jesus as Servant King, listen now, then subscribe, share, and leave a review.

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A kid walks up after church and says, “Pastor, I want to be baptized.” That kind of moment stops you in your tracks because it’s simple, bold, and honest, which is exactly the posture Jesus points to in Luke 18 when He tells His disciples not to hinder children from coming to Him. We talk about what childlike faith really means, how those church hallway conversations can become a catalyst for deeper discipleship at home, and why families are one of God’s most powerful tools for evangelism.

We also get into the behind-the-curtain side of ministry: the spiritual weight of preaching, the anxiety of wanting to speak God’s words instead of our own, and the role prayer plays in choosing a sermon series that serves a church well. You’ll hear why encouragement from the faith family matters, how a church vision for prayer, evangelism, and outreach connects to this passage, and how children’s ministry volunteers quietly shape the next generation’s view of Jesus.

Then we go deeper into humility as a core mark of the kingdom. Philippians 2 shows Jesus humbling Himself in full, not halfway, and Romans 12 brings it down to street level: don’t think too highly of yourself, live as one body, and practice a transformed mind. We close with practical habits you can try this week, including daily dependence on God and a simple rhythm for growth: confess, repent, repeat. If this encouraged you, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find the show.