CIAM Radio

It’s Mailbag Friday! You’ve got questions, we’ve got answers!

Segment 1:

• Is it possible to hear God’s voice audibly today—or is that a spiritual red flag?

• Do Christians need to dress up for church—or is that just tradition?

• Should I bother debating Christians who believe the Earth is flat?

Segment 2:

• Should elders rotate or stay in leadership long-term?

• Is artificial intelligence being influenced by demons—or are we overreacting?

Segment 3:

• How do I recognize when I’m crossing the line into anxiety?

Segment 4:

• How do Todd and Jimmy plan sermons and Bible lessons effectively?

• What’s the real difference between being “evangelical” and just Christian?

___

Thanks for listening!

Wretched Radio would not be possible without the financial support of our Gospel Partners.

If you would like to support Wretched Radio we would be extremely grateful. VISIT https://fortisinstitute.org/donate/

If you are already a Gospel Partner we couldn’t be more thankful for you if we tried!

Why do bad people seem to get ahead while good people struggle? Dr. John tackles this frustrating question through Psalm 37, exploring our natural tendency to worry and feel jealous when evil seems to be winning. David reveals six essential commands for believers during tough times: don't worry, trust God, find joy in Him, commit your path to Him, be patient, and don't get angry. Dr. John emphasizes that the wicked's success is only temporary, while those who trust God will ultimately inherit lasting peace.

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, "Go Ahead and Laugh." Enjoy!

Suppressing the truth incites the wrath of God, but embracing the truth invites the righteousness of God. Tune in to hear Pastor Chuck Swindoll teach on the idolatry, immorality, and iniquity of the early church as seen in Romans 1.

From the Series: Romans: The Christian’s Constitution

read more

Psychologist. Author. Speaker. Family Man. When Dr. James Dobson founded Focus on the Family in 1977, nobody knew he would impact the lives of millions and become synonymous with trusted advice to help families thrive in Christ. With Dr. Dobson’s passing on August 21, 2025, Focus on the Family President Jim Daly presents a pre-produced tribute to honor the founder, with treasured memories from Dr. Dobson’s cousin, the late Rev. H.B. London, Ray Vander Laan, Kay Coles James, Kim Meeder and others. Tune in to learn about the hope, healing, and loving advice Dr. Dobson provided for decades, couched in Biblical principles. It’s a loving tribute to our founder as we all mourn the loss of Dr. James Dobson on this special edition of Focus on the Family with Jim Daly.

We don’t have to go very far to find danger. The Bible warns about danger and teaches us how to avoid it. When we listen to these warnings we don’t become victims who end up paying the consequences.

I was watching on TV the anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing, and my mind raced back to this unforgettable personal visit I had to the site of what was a very deadly tragedy. My guide for my visit to the memorial made it really special and very moving, because he's a state trooper. He was one of the rescuers that day. His recollections of the joy of rescues and the heartbreak of lives lost I'm not going to ever forget.

Of course, all the traces of that bombed-out building are gone now. The site is now a beautiful lawn with a stone chair for each of the victims. What was the street that day is now a reflection pond. Nothing remains there from the day the world stopped at 9:02 A.M. - nothing, that is, except the tree. On an embankment across from what was the building site stands a big old tree, still partially blackened by the bomb blast. We stood there, my rescuer friend and I, and we prayed beneath those branches that somehow had endured the blast. They call it The Survivor Tree.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "How to Survive When Everything's Coming Down."

One indestructible tree - that's all that survived the most powerful blast that city had ever known.

For 2,000 years, men and women who are reeling from blasts that seem to have blown apart everything in their lives, have made it - because of one indestructible tree. The Survivor Tree; the one the Bible talks about when it says that Jesus Christ "bore our sins in His own body on the tree" (1 Peter 2:24). That tree is, of course, the cross where the greatest act of love in human history took place - the one and only Son of God dying in our place, paying for our sins so we would never have to. In that cross - in the unspeakable love that it makes available - so many have found the one life-anchor that nothing can take from them.

Every one of us has seasons in our life when a massive blast suddenly rips through everything around us. You could be in one of those seasons right now. Maybe you've been betrayed by a love you thought would always be there, your parent's marriage is coming apart, or you've lost someone who has been an anchor in your life. Sometimes we are victims of the destruction that comes from our own bad choices, which leaves you devastated by the shame of what you've done. Or it may not be what you've done. It may be the wrongs that have been done against you. The blast that changes everything can be financial, medical, etc.

It is in those moments that we look for something to hold onto, something that can withstand what has rocked our life. And it is in moments like these that many of us have finally run to The Survivor Tree - the cross where Jesus died for us, where we can experience the "never leave you" love of Almighty God. That's the day you discover the miracle that's described in our word for today from the Word of God in Ephesians 2:13-14. "You who were once far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace."

That peace is within your reach this very day; maybe at a time when peace seems so impossible because of what you've lost. It may be that very loss will finally bring you to the one love you'll never lose. Jesus stands right now with arms wide open, waiting to forgive every sin of your life, to transform your dark side, and to heal what's broken inside you as only He can. He's waiting only for you to tell Him that you're turning from the sin that put Him on that cross and that you're putting all your trust in Him.

Tell Him today, "Jesus, I'm yours." I would love to give you information that will help you secure this new beginning with Jesus Christ. And it's at our website - ANewStory.com. Would you check it out today?

Take your stand by the tree - by the

On Chantale’s thirteenth birthday, after hours of joyful celebration in her quiet home village, gunfire shattered the peaceful evening. Chantale and her siblings ran into the forest, obeying their mother’s frantic command to hide. All night, they huddled underneath the sanctuary of a tree. “The sun appeared in the morning. But not our parents,” Chantale recounts. She and her siblings were now orphans and refugees, joining tens of thousands in a refugee camp.  

When we hear stories like Chantale’s, it can be tempting to turn away from such overwhelming loss. But those who believe in the God of Scripture believe in a God who never looks away from suffering, who attentively “watches over the foreigner and sustains the fatherless and the widow” (Psalm 146:9).

The “Maker of heaven and earth . . .  remains faithful forever” (v. 6), ever at work “uphold[ing] the cause of the oppressed” and providing “food to the hungry” (v. 7).

Chantele Zuzi Leader, who founded an organization to educate refugee girls, says her experience taught her that “anyone can become a refugee—to lose that place of safety they once had.”

May our response to those who’ve lost a place of safety reflect the heart of the God who is an ever-faithful “refuge for the oppressed” (Psalm 9:9), who “lifts up those who are bowed down” (146:8).