Altar'd Reality

Welcome back to Altar’d Reality! We are so excited to introduce you to our dear friend Cara, an attorney and fellow life-group member who has been on an incredible journey of discovering her true identity in Christ.

In this episode, we explore:

• Meet the "Happy Attorney": Cara shares how she transitioned from studying psychology and counseling to becoming an attorney who specializes in estate planning rather than the courtroom. She explains how her legal work allows her to provide counsel and help people through challenging seasons of life.
• The Trap of False Humility: We discuss how growing up in the church can sometimes lead to a misunderstanding of pride. We often think that dismissing compliments or thinking negatively about ourselves is humble, but it can actually be an insult to the Creator who made us as His masterpiece.
• A Practical Identity Framework: Cara walks us through a powerful exercise she used to reclaim her identity. Using Philippians 4:8 as a guide, she created a notebook with categories for things that are true, noble, right, pure, and lovely about herself, underlining the specific traits God has uniquely placed in her.
• Preaching to Your Soul: Drawing from Psalm 42:5, we talk about the importance of leading your own soul and telling yourself what you need to know until your feelings catch up with the truth of God’s Word.

Our Challenge to You

This week, pick up a notebook and start your own Philippians 4 exercise. Don't let your own opinion of yourself be louder than God's. Start by writing down what is true about you based on Scripture and what unique gifts the Lord has given you.

Resources & Links

• Scripture References: Philippians 4:6-8, Ephesians 2:10, and Psalm 42:5.
• Gallup StrengthFinder: A research-based tool to help you identify and celebrate your top natural strengths.
• Working Genius: An assessment tool to help you understand your areas of natural productivity and joy.
• Logos Bible Software: An incredible study tool with AI features to help you dig deeper. Use our link to sign up for Logos. You get a 30 day free trial and $10 off your purchase. If you sign, up we get a credit to our account so we can purchase more resources.

Grab your favorite cool beverage and join us as we remind ourselves that, in the end, it is Jesus over everything, always!

Welcome back! We are so stoked for today’s episode. Join us as we drop the filters and have a real conversation about who we are and, more importantly, whose we are.

In this episode, we’re diving into:

• The Look-Alike Game: We kick things off with a fun trip down memory lane. From Jen being told she looks like a character from Gotham to Tassie andLauren’s high school "pixie cut" days. And don't miss the reveal about who was called the "girl version of Jimmy Fallon".
• Identity Under Attack: We discuss how the enemy works overtime to distort our identity because he can't stand looking at God’s reflection in us. If he can make us question who we are, he wins a major battle in the seed war.
• The "Breath of God": We explore the beautiful truth from Genesis 2:7—that while our bodies are from the dust, our spirits are the very breath of God. As C.S. Lewis famously said, "You have never talked to a regular person".
• Tassy’s Journey: Tassy shares her powerful "rock bottom" testimony. After escaping an abusive relationship and moving back home with her parents, she realized that God used the love for her daughter to help her rediscover her own identity in Him.
• Jen’s Freedom: Jen opens up for the first time about childhood bullying and the "heavy yoke" of secrets she carried for years. She shares the incredible relief and physical weight that was lifted when she finally brought those things into the light with her husband and friends.
• Authority Over the Enemy: We discuss the "rank of authority" in the universe. Spoiler alert: Because you have a physical body and are made in God's image, you have more authority than any demon or the devil himself.

Practical Tips to Reclaim Your Identity:

• Morning Declarations: Lauren shares a sweet recording of her 11-year-old daughter, Isa, speaking life and scripture over herself. We should all be doing this!.
• Turn Off the Noise: Jen shares why she ditched social media years ago. If scrolling makes you feel "less than," it might be time to turn off the notifications and turn up the Word.
• Worship 24/7: Try playing worship music or scripture at a low volume in your home all day to create a "constant washing" of the Holy Spirit.

Our Challenge to You: Stop letting people who didn’t die for you tell you who you are. This week, choose to replace one lie with a truth from the Bible. If you don't know the truth, you can't use it to combat the enemy's schemes.

Resources & Links mentioned in this episode:

• The Final Flood by Larry Raglin

• Punishing the Darkness by Joseph Z

• Logos Bible Software: An incredible study tool with AI features to help you dig deeper. Use our link to sign up for Logos. You get a 30 day free trial and $10 off your purchase. If you sign, up we get a credit to our account so we can purchase more resources.

Grab your favorite cool beverage and join us as we remind ourselves that, in the end, it is Jesus over everything, always!

Welcome back to the podcast! We are diving in today with a story that basically catapults us through the entire Old Testament. Join Jen, Lauren, and Tassy as we explore the spiritual rebellion behind human history.

In this episode, we’re covering:

• Theological Speculation: We circle back to the "how" of Genesis 6. Were the sons of God shape-shifters? While the Bible doesn't give a biological manual, we discuss why these Elohim (spiritual beings) and their Nephilim offspring are more than just myths, they are the real story behind Greek "demigods".

• The Human Rebellion at Babel: We look at the Tower of Babel through a new lens. It wasn’t just about being comfortable; it was a human rebellion where people built a tower to harness divine power and summon "gods".

• The Deuteronomy 32 Worldview: This is the moment God "divorced" the nations. We explain how God assigned the nations to the sons of God (our "step-gods" or "step-dads") while keeping Israel as His own allotted portion.

• The Courtroom Drama of Psalm 82: We read through God’s scolding of these "little g" gods who ruled unjustly and are now condemned to "die like mere mortals".

• Redeeming the Cosmic Geography: The best part? Jesus came back to reclaim it all! He took back all authority from those principalities and redeemed the entire "cosmic geography" of the world.

• The Real Spiritual Warfare: We challenge the idea that spiritual warfare is just yelling at demons. Following the wisdom of the late Dr. Michael Heiser, we discuss how fulfilling the Great Commission is the ultimate form of warfare.

Our Challenge to You: This week, pray for Godly discernment. Don’t just be "true to your heart"—which the Bible says can be dark, but be true to Jesus. Let the Holy Spirit guide your "spidey senses" when something feels off.

Resources & Links mentioned in this episode

• Dr. Michael Heiser: Check out his in-depth teachings on the Deuteronomy 32 Worldview and the Tower of Babel.
• THIS VIDEO on his website
• THIS ARTICLE on Logos

• Logos Bible Software: An incredible study tool with AI features to help you dig deeper. Use our link to sign up for Logos. You get a 30 day free trial and $10 off your purchase. If you sign, up we get a credit to our account so we can purchase more resources.

• Stranger Theology: Follow Joel Mudamale on Substack for more humble theologian insights.

• Blurry Creatures Podcast: For those who want to dig into the weird stuff like the Star of the Magi or the history of the Nephilim.
• THIS Podcast episode with Dr. Michael Heiser is a good one.

• The Worship Initiative: Lauren’s favorite daily worship devotional resource.

Grab your favorite cool beverage and join us as we remind ourselves that, in the end, it is Jesus over everything, always!

Welcome back to Altar’d Reality! This week, we are keeping it in the family. Lauren’s youngest sister, Danielle, joins us in the studio to share a wild, real-life encounter that sounds like it’s straight out of a movie—except it happened right here in our own backyard in Southwest Missouri.

In this episode, we’re digging into:

• Meet Danielle: She’s a "Jack of all trades"—from a former flight attendant to a current horse blanket repair specialist (yes, that’s a thing!) and a busy boy-mom with baby number two on the way. She shares her journey of growing up in the church and eventually rededicating her life to Jesus.
• The "Top Secret" Alopement: Hear the story of Danielle and her husband Alex’s "secret" Christmas-time wedding in a Bass Pro parking lot to make sure they were "living in glory".
• The Encounter: Danielle walks us through a chilling conversation with a girl who identified as a Satanist. This girl claimed to have demonic "friends" from the darkest parts of hell who she talks to regularly.
• The Seed War in Real Time: We discuss the heavy reality of the girl’s beliefs, including her claims of "spiritual pregnancies" and her view of Satan as her "protector" since childhood.
• Truth in Love: Danielle shares how she navigated this scary moment by asking for permission to share her own faith, planting a seed of God's love with grace instead of judgment.
• Hair Oil and Holy Spirit Protection: After the encounter, Danielle went home and anointed her house using hair oil because it was all she had!. We talk about why we don't need to live in fear of the occult or crystals, because we are covered by the power of Jesus’ blood.
• Ditch the Gems: We tackle the "crystal" trend, explaining why placing power in created objects is a form of idolatry and why all real power comes from only two sources: The Holy Spirit or deception.

Our Challenge to You: Use the Bible as your mirror and your lens. If you encounter something strange or spiritual, don't panic! Lean into the Holy Spirit, know that you have the authority of Christ, and look for opportunities to share the light of Jesus in the dark places.

Coming Up Next: This was just the beginning! Danielle has a list of questions about the spiritual realm, and we are diving into all of them in a future episode.

Study Tools and Resources

• Logos Bible Software: Use this link to sign up for Logos. You get a 30 day free trial and $10 off your purchase. If you sign, up we get a credit to our account so we can purchase more resources.

Grab your coffee and join us as we remind ourselves that, in the end, it is Jesus over everything, always!

Welcome back to the podcast! We are officially through the "intro phase" and settling in as your favorite three peas in a pod (or maybe the Three Stooges, depending on the day.) Jen, Lauren, and our favorite "third little pea," Tassy. Before we jump into the heavy stuff, we take you behind the scenes of our preshow pump-up ritual involving prayer, coffee, and a lot of energy drinks.

In this episode, we conclude our deep dive into the Seed War and discuss how to stand firm today:

• The Enemy’s Strategy: We unpack the three-part playbook the enemy is running right now: deception, division, and destruction.

• The Trap of Offense: We talk about how the "spirit of offense" is being used to isolate believers and destroy community. If you feel constantly offended, it might be time to check out John Bevere’s The Bait of Satan.

• Mirror vs. Lens: Using wisdom from Josh Howerton, we discuss why the Bible must be both a mirror for our own hearts and a lens for the world. If you don't use the Bible as a lens, you will inevitably be unbiblically influenced by the world.

• The Seed War in 2026: We get real about how the ancient battle for the "seed" is manifesting today through identity confusion, the rise of "strong delusions," and even a chilling real-life encounter Lauren’s sister had with a Satan worshiper.

• The Great Deception: We take a bold look at the rise of Islam, exploring how the biblical description of the Antichrist mirrors the Islamic "Messiah" (the Madi) and why we must be on guard against this "angel of light" deception.

• Is "Church Hurt" Real? We tackle the controversial idea that the term "church hurt" is actually a tactic of the enemy to keep us isolated from the body of Christ. We remind ourselves that while people are flawed, the church is a hospital for the broken, and we shouldn't let the enemy use our hurt to pull us away from God’s plan.

Our Challenge to You: Stop being a "coasting" Christian! Ask the Holy Spirit to give you discernment—the ability to distinguish between what God creates and what Satan counterfeits.

Videos We Reference

• Josh Howerton: Youtube Video, "Megachurch Pastor Reacts to Tucker Carlson on Trump, Iran, and Islam" - He speaks about the "Mirror/Lens concept" and the realities of Islam.
• Joel Muddamalle: Interview by Lisa Bevere and show notes.

Study Tools and Resources

• John Bevere's Book: The Bait of Satan
• Logos Bible Software: Use this link to sign up for Logos. You get a 30 day free trial and $10 off your purchase. If you sign, up we get a credit to our account so we can purchase more resources.

Grab your coffee and join us as we remind ourselves that, in the end, it is Jesus over everything, always!

Welcome back to another episode of Altar’d Reality! This week, we are joined by our good friend and official "third wheel" wingman, Tassy. Tassy is a homeschool mom of three who loves to hang out with us and talk about the strange, shocking, and sometimes dark parts of the Bible.

In this episode, we explore:

• Handling the Weirdness: We talk about how we used to glaze over the bizarre parts of Scripture, while Tassy shares her "fake comedy routine" based on the Bible's most traumatic stories—like the infamous concubine story in the book of Kings.
• Why the Strange Stuff Matters: These "glitches" aren't fairy tale filler; they are signposts to God's big story. We discuss how the "weird" parts are often where the gold is hidden, revealing a redemption arc that is interwoven from Genesis to Revelation.
• The Seed War Kickoff: We dive into the "Seed War," a term for the cosmic battle that began in Genesis 3:15. We look at how Satan has spent all of history trying to destroy the "promised seed"—Jesus—to stop the plan of salvation.
• The Nephilim and the Bloodline: We tackle the "sons of God" in Genesis 6, the mysterious heavenly beings who had offspring with human women. We discuss how this was a demonic scheme to corrupt the human bloodline, why Noah’s "pure" line was preserved, and how this history was common knowledge to the ancient biblical authors.
• War Throughout History: From Sarah and Hagar to Pharaoh’s genocide and Herod’s attempt to kill the infant King, we trace Satan's repeated attempts to wipe out the line of the Messiah.
• The Victory: While the war rages on today in the unseen realm, we don't live in fear. We share the "Secret Service" analogy—if you know the real Jesus so well, the counterfeit enemy becomes easy to spot.

Our Challenge to You: This week, find a "strange" spot in your Bible and don't skip it. Stop, journal, and ask God how that weird moment points back to Jesus and His unrelenting love for us.

Podcasts and Media

• Stranger Theology: This is a Substack and podcast featuring Joel Mudamale and the creators of the Blurry Creatures podcast. We are currently going through this resource because it focuses specifically on the "stranger things" in the Bible.
• Blurry Creatures: This podcast is our favorite for exploring supernatural topics.
• The Bible Project: Jennifer and Lauren recommend this as an "amazing resource," particularly for those who are visual learners.
• Chris Harrison's article, "Bible Cross References" that includes an image of every time that the Bible references itself.

Books and Authors

• Dr. Michael Heiser: The late scholar is a primary influence for the show. We recommend his book The Unseen Realm, as well as his other works titled Angels, Demons, and The Supernatural.
• The Book of Enoch (Enoch 1): We discuss this historical text at length, noting that while it is not considered "canon" or "God-breathed," it was common knowledge for biblical authors like Jude and Peter. They specifically highlight a version of the book put out by the Blurry Creatures team and Timothy Alberino that features helpful footnotes and commentary.
• Timothy Alberino: It is often said that Tim is a real life Indiana Jones. He is a researcher and author who collaborated on the Blurry Creatures edition of the Book of Enoch.

Study Tools and Resources

• Logos Bible Software: Use this link to sign up for Logos. You get a 30 day free trial and $10 off your purchase. If you sign, up we get a credit to our account so we can purchase more resources.
• The Bible Recap: This is a helpful resource for those looking for a structured approach to reading the Bible. You can read through the bible in a year with host Tara-Leigh Cobble who will have you seeing how every part of the Bible points us to Jesus because "He's where the joy is."

Welcome back to the very first official episode of Altar’d Reality! We are officially past the intro and ready to dive into the deep end together. We are just a couple of ride or die friends and homemade theologians who want to bring you a taste of what we are learning as God alters our perspective on this chaotic world.

In this episode, we catch you up on our lives and then get into the heart of why context is everything when reading the Bible.

What is happening in our worlds:

Lauren is officially a basketball mom now, which means she is putting all that worship leader vocal training to good use by shouting in the stands. Her son Jude also just turned 13, so she is officially navigating the world of teenagers.

Jennifer is leaning into her role as a pro-level Lego mom, with a growing collection of sets in her office. She is also busy trying to keep the house clean, which her mom wisely described as being like shoveling snow while it is still snowing.

Why context matters:

We talk about how the Bible was written for us, but not necessarily to us. It was written to specific people in a specific culture and language, and when we ignore that, we miss the true meaning. We share how our own realities shifted when we started looking at the historical and cultural background of familiar stories.

The Christmas Story: We break down how the wise men weren’t actually at the manger with the shepherds; they were a massive group that arrived much later when Jesus was likely a toddler.

The Dog Comment: We look at the story of the Canaanite woman in Matthew 15 where Jesus seemingly calls her a dog. By digging into the context, we see it was a common idiom of the time and that her clever, persistent faith actually turned the moment into a beautiful model of how the gospel is for everyone.

The Wedding Garment: We tackle the confusing parable in Matthew 22 where a man is kicked out of a feast for not wearing the right clothes. When you realize the King provided the garments at the door, the story transforms into a powerful lesson about accepting the righteousness that Jesus provides for us.

Our challenge to you:

We want to be a community that wrestles with the hard questions instead of skipping over the weird parts of the Bible. If you run into something strange in your reading, dig in! Use study Bibles or even AI as a tool for facts and history, but always ask the Holy Spirit to help you with the application to your life.

We would love to hear from you! If you have a story of how God has altered your reality, or if you found a piece of context that blew your mind, please write in and share it with us.

Grab your coffee and let's keep digging deeper together.

Welcome to the very first episode of Altar’d Reality! We are so excited to start this journey with you as we move beyond surface-level faith and start digging into the Word deeper than we ever have before.

In this intro episode, we’re diving into:

• Moving past the "Terms and Conditions": We’re tired of skimming the Bible like it’s the world's longest terms and conditions. We want to know what’s actually happening in the unseen realm and what Jesus was doing besides making the "best wedding beverage ever".
• The Altar and the Alter: We share the meaning behind our name—it’s about bringing our traditions, preconceived notions, and religious legalism to the altar so God can alter our reality and restore our vision.

Getting to know us:

• Lauren: The extroverted "rock star" homeschool mom who also holds down a job. She’s a "yes" person who requires a hot tub at every Airbnb she visits.
• Jennifer: The introverted boy-mom and California transplant. She’s a master baker (ask about her cakes!) who would almost always rather stay home than go out.
• Our Mission: We aren't theologians or experts, and we might even get things wrong sometimes. We’re just two friends who grew up in the church and want to shout truth from the rooftops while using the Bible as our lens.
• What’s coming next: We’re getting ready to tackle the "mind-bending" stuff, including the Nephilim, giants, end times, and biblical context.

Grab your favorite cup of coffee and join us as we step out of the chaos and into the mysteries and awe of God. We’re here to wrestle with the hard questions and see what He has for us when we finally get out of our own way.

Come along with us—we’re so glad you’re here!