CIAM Radio

On a warm evening, I met up with friends in a downtown area. We were excited to eat at a restaurant that offered live jazz music outside, but when we arrived the patio was full. Disappointed, we left and had to walk several blocks to find another place to eat.

On earth, disappointments come in all sizes, both big and small. Beloved pets pass away. Careers fizzle. Health problems occur. We lose relationships with loved ones. In our setbacks, we have God’s comfort, but our life stories don’t always contain the blissful endings we long for. Believers, however, have the hope of a joyful eternity.

The book of Revelation records God giving John a breathtaking vision. John saw “the Holy City, the new Jerusalem” (21:2). “Prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband” (v. 2), it radiated God’s glory. God would inhabit the place along with all His people. In His city there would be no crime, no darkness, and no fear (vv. 25–27). Light, peace, and goodwill would abound.

On the night I met my friends for dinner, we ended up walking back past the first restaurant. White lights lit the sidewalk, and we stopped to listen to the music as we ate ice cream. I savored the moment, but we know that no earthly joy can compare with the ultimate ending believers will enjoy forever.

Segment 1:

• John MacArthur’s memorial service featured a booklet he wrote on finishing well.

• Reflecting on legacy forces us to ask: Am I prepared to end faithfully?

• Warm fellowship at the memorial reminds us the Christian life is a community journey.

Segment 2:

• Dr. MacArthur urged believers: don’t just grow old—finish strong.

• Intellectual pursuit is good, but love for Christ, and others, must not grow cold.

• Purity in thought and conduct matters, especially when nobody’s watching.

Segment 3:

• Celine Dion’s documentary reveals how idols fail when life gets tough.

• Six diagnostic questions to help uncover hidden idols of the heart.

• If Christ isn’t enough without your idol, He won’t be enough with it.

Segment 4:

• Church isn’t just a hospital—it’s also a training ground.

• Practical biblical principles help households navigate sin and struggle.

• Gratitude and gospel-centered living prevent families from falling into cycles of dysfunction.

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Thanks for listening!

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Sometimes our pain comes from our own poor choices, and God uses that suffering to bring us back to Him. In this study of Psalm 38, Dr. John examines how David honestly faces the illness and isolation that followed his sin. Friends have abandoned him, enemies are circling, yet David shows the way forward: turn toward God instead of away, stay quiet under criticism, and simply confess without making excuses. This message brings hope to anyone feeling disgraced by their failures.

Reasons for Worship: In a world of political turmoil, personal struggles, and the apparent prosperity of evil, where should believers place their trust? Dr. John’s series on Psalms 33–41 called “Reasons for Worship” explores God’s faithfulness amid life’s challenges. From David’s escapes to his reflections on the wicked, these psalms offer practical wisdom for trusting God, finding hope in desperate circumstances, and keeping faith when evil seems to prevail. This series brings both comfort and challenge, pointing to the God who is completely trustworthy in every season.

Listen to today's Laugh Again with Phil Callaway, "Bad News Day." Enjoy!

Pastors Justin and Trisha Davis share their incredible marriage journey — recovering from Justin’s infidelity and the generational sins of their parents. The Davises describe “cycles of sin” like shame, blame, hiddenness, and unforgiveness, and how we need to get to the root of these issues before God can heal our lives.

Romans 2 focuses on the righteous judgment of God. Pastor Chuck Swindoll teaches that God alone knows the hearts of all people. He is the righteous judge, not us.

From the Series: Romans: The Christian’s Constitution

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We all have a desire to be important. But life isn’t about satisfying our desires. It’s about leaving a legacy of a well-lived life. And God has made it plain how to do that.

What if the hardest parts of parenting were actually opportunities for growth? On this inspiring episode of FamilyLife Today, Dave and Ann Wilson sit down with Abbie Halberstadt, author of Hard Is Not the Same Thing as Bad. Through candid stories - from the overwhelming joy and challenges of parenting twins with sensory issues to societal assumptions - Abby unpacks her powerful philosophy: difficulty in life isn't negative, but an opportunity for growth and sanctification.

Show Notes and Resources

• Learn more about Abbie on her website 
• Read Abby’s book, Hard Is Not the Same Thing as Bad, to dive into tools for sanctifying hardship

• Find resources from this podcast at shop.familylife.com.
• See resources from our past podcasts.
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Our daughter's got this thing about lighthouses. Thanks to her family indulging that passion at Christmas and birthday time, she's got lighthouses all over her house. She's got lighthouse stationery, lighthouse rugs, and lighthouse books; sad to say, even a lighthouse on the cover of her commode. In many places, real lighthouses are mostly reminders of the maritime past when lives actually depended on seeing the light that marked the shore and the rocks. Sometimes lives still depend on them, as in the case of a Greek ferry called the Express Samina.

There were 540 passengers aboard that September evening, sailing from Athens to an Aegean Island. An hour out, the wind came up and the temperature suddenly dropped. Five hours into the voyage, passengers felt the ferry's engines surge, and most of them assumed they were getting close to their destination. They were wrong. The crew was frantically trying to steer clear of this small, rocky island, two miles from their destination. Tragically, the ferry plowed right into those rocks. It took only thirty-eight minutes to sink. Rescue vessels got there quickly, but eighty people died that night, and you know, it didn't have to happen. There was a functioning lighthouse, sitting atop that rock, warning vessels away. It could be seen for several miles around. For some reason, the ferry just kept heading straight for the rocks.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Light Right In Front of You."

It's possible to have the light right in front of you and miss it - with tragic results. It's been happening to nice church folks for a long time. If you're a nice church folk, it could happen to you. There are a lot of great things about growing up in a Christian environment, or of being a part of a church where you hear about Jesus a lot. But there are some dangers, too; like missing the light that's right in front of you.

Jesus had some sobering things to say to some of the most religious people of His day. They are still sobering words for those of us who are Bible folks - church folks. Here are the words of Jesus from John 5:39-40, our word for today from the Word of God: "You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about Me, and yet you refuse to come to Me to have life." You can have the light of the Bible, the light of the Gospel in front of you your whole life, and yet you could still miss Jesus. When you miss Jesus, you miss God and you miss heaven. Jesus made clear that many people who have lived for years in sight of the lighthouse will miss heaven's destination and sail right into the rocks of eternal punishment for their sins.

The Bible describes eternal life as "the gift of God" (Romans 6:23). You can know all about a gift, you can appreciate a gift, and you can have the gift right in front of you and still miss the gift because you never took it for yourself. Could that be you? Somehow, there's never been a time when you actually reached out and personally took Jesus into your life for yourself. For all you know, you don't know Jesus. For all you've experienced, you've never experienced Him. Don't you want to?

God, in His great love for you, has laid this on my heart so you could have this chance to know Him for real. It's probably going to be hard to admit that you've missed Jesus all this time, but it's not nearly as hard as an eternity without Him. Don't let your pride, don't let your self-deception make you miss heaven. Right where you are, tell Him, "Jesus, I've never actually put my trust in You to be my own Savior from my own sin. But today I am. Beginning this day, Jesus, I'm Yours."

I want you to be sure beyond any shadow of a doubt that you belong to Jesus for now and for eternity. That's why our web