The elderly man was taking a long time looking at the children’s backpacks in the store. He told me, “It’s my granddaughter’s birthday. I hope she likes my gift.” At the check out, he clutched a pink backpack with a cartoon character design. He looked excited.

Later in a restaurant, I saw him again with a little girl and her parents. When the child opened her gift, she said, “I don’t like this character! And I hate pink!” Her parents made her apologize, but she still complained. My heart broke for her grandpa.

I was reminded of how I sometimes respond to God’s gifts. I complain because I want something different, failing to see the miracle before me—that God Himself has lovingly given something for me. The Israelites behaved similarly. God had kept His promise to them: “I will rain down bread from heaven for you” (Exodus 16:4). God’s faithful provision in the wilderness was sure: “When the dew settled on the camp at night, the manna also came down” (Numbers 11:9).

 But instead of being thankful, the Israelites complained about God’s expression of loving provision: “We never see anything but this manna!” (v. 6). Instead of humbly requesting other food from God, they wailed over His gift.

I still remember the hurt look in the grandfather’s eyes that day. It made me think of how our heavenly Father must feel when we complain. Let’s be grateful for the gifts He’s given us.

Vietnamese collector Pham has salvaged twenty church clocks from around Europe, many of which had been replaced with electronic versions. One clock, made in Italy, dates back to 1750 and, remarkably, still keeps time accurately. Pham enjoys restoring and preserving the timepieces, saying they remind him of how precious time is and to savor each moment.

In James 4, the writer encouraged his readers to recognize the preciousness of time by reminding them that their lives are like “a mist that appears for a little while” before vanishing (James 4:14). James warned against making plans to “go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money” (v. 13) without consulting God. Instead of presuming on God for the timing and success of their ventures, he reminded them that they “do not even know what will happen tomorrow” (v. 14). Designing our own successes is actually boastful and arrogant if it leaves God out of the picture.

When we recognize the brevity of our lives, we’re able to hold our plans for the future more loosely and better embrace the present moment. We live and work according to God’s design and purpose, which means we can humbly entrust our future to Him and savor each day as the gift from Him it truly is—no matter what it may hold.

In this episode, I’m joined by Craig Detweiler and Elijah Davidson for our Best Movies of 2025 conversation. We count down our top films of the year and explain why each one made our list. We talk about the themes that stood out in 2025 movies, including grief, violence, faith, memory, creativity, and what it means to be human. We also discuss overlooked films, shrinking theatrical releases, genre storytelling, and how personal experiences shaped the way we watched and ranked these movies. This episode offers a thoughtful, honest look at the year in film and the cultural moment behind it.

Elijah’s List:

10. Hamnet/Predator: Badlands

9. Frankenstein

8. Avatar: Fire and Ash

7. Train Dreams

6. Sinners

5. Presence

4. One Battle After Another

3. Black Bag

2. Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning

1. 28 Years Later

Craig’s List:

10. The Phoenician Scheme

9. Roofman

8. Weapons

7. Wake Up Dead Man

6. The Ballad of Wallis Island

5. It Was Just an Accident

4. Train Dreams

3. Sinners

2. One Battle After Another

1. The Testament of Ann Lee

Joshua’s List:

10. The Ballad of Wallis Island

9. The Life of Chuck

8. Blue Moon

7. 28 Years Later

6. Sinners

5. Train Dreams

4. One Battle After Another

3. Sentimental Value

2. It Was Just an Accident

1. Wake Up Dead Man

Connect with Joshua: [email protected]

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Thank you for listening! Your support of Joni and Friends helps make this show possible. Joni and Friends envisions a world where every person with a disability finds hope, dignity, and their place in the body of Christ. Become part of the global movement today at www.joniandfriends.org.

Find more encouragement on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube.

Satan tried to write his own story in which he was the hero and God is an afterthought. He admitted as much: “I will ascend to the heavens…I will make myself like the Most High” as quoted in Isaiah 14:13-14. Satan wanted to take God’s place, but God wasn’t—and isn’t—moving. Satan wants to win you to his side, but God will never let you go. You have his word!

Even more, you have his help. Scripture says, “For our high priest (Jesus) is able to understand our weaknesses…he was tempted in every way that we are, but he did not sin. Let us then…come before God’s throne where there is grace…to help us when we need it” (Hebrews 4:15-16). You don’t have to face Satan alone. We shout, and God runs—at the right moment.

Read more God's Story, Your Story

For more inspirational messages please visit Max Lucado.

We live in a world where the internet forgets nothing—every photo, post, and blog entry is seemingly stored forever. One major search engine, however, introduced a privacy feature allowing users to request the removal of personal data like phone numbers, home addresses, and more. While this doesn’t erase the data from the internet entirely, it significantly reduces its visibility, giving people a sense of control over their digital footprints.

This idea of “scrubbing” the past echoes the prophet’s words in Isaiah 43:18-19. God said, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing.” These verses were spoken to Israel during their exile in Babylon—a period of deep despair and longing for restoration. God commanded His people to not fixate on their past failures or the pain of captivity but to look forward to the new work He was about to do—a new and more significant exodus—their deliverance from Babylon and return to their homeland. He wasn’t just erasing the past but “making a way” (v. 19) to a future filled with hope and purpose.

Instead of dwelling on failures or regrets, let’s trust that God has “scrubbed” our past sins, regrets, and shame and—though Jesus’ sacrifice (Hebrews 10:10)—“remembers [our] sins no more” (Isaiah 43:25). God propels us toward the future He’s preparing.

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Thank you for listening! Your support of Joni and Friends helps make this show possible. Joni and Friends envisions a world where every person with a disability finds hope, dignity, and their place in the body of Christ. Become part of the global movement today at www.joniandfriends.org.

Find more encouragement on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube.

Where do you feel empty? Are you hungry for attention, craving success, longing for intimacy? Be aware of your weaknesses. Bring them to God before Satan brings them to you.

Satan will tell you, as he did when tempting Jesus, to turn stones into bread. In other words, to take matters into your own hands. If Satan convinces us to trust our works over God’s word, he has us dangling from a broken limb.

Do what Jesus did. In Satan’s temptation of Jesus, three times Jesus repeated, “It is written…” “It also is written…” “It is written…” God’s book was enough. Jesus overcame temptation, not with special voices or supernatural signs, but by remembering and quoting Scripture. Do the same. Let God’s words silence Satan’s lies and see what happens.

Read more God's Story, Your Story

For more inspirational messages please visit Max Lucado.

On December 9, 1987, a squirrel chewed through a power line in Connecticut, and the NASDAQ’s vast financial machinery blinked, sighed, and went dark. Some of the world's largest corporations stood limp and listless. Global economies watched, sweating bullets for nearly an hour and a half. All because of one tenacious, furry rodent.

Scripture tells many stories of something or someone small making a big impact. But God can turn meagerness into something mighty. John recounts how Jesus fed a hungry crowd (five thousand men, probably fifteen thousand with women and children included) when “a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish” handed over his small lunch (John 6:9). In the Old Testament we remember that a young shepherd boy named David trusted God and slayed a giant (1 Samuel 17). And Christ repeatedly insisted that the kingdom of God is something like a mustard seed, “the smallest of all seeds” (Matthew 13:32).

When we ponder the many complex global crises in addition to the bewildering concerns in our own neighborhoods and families, we’re tempted to believe that our seemingly small efforts lack power. But Scripture tells us to act in obedience and trust as God helps us—assured that with Him, small things can become mighty (John 6:10-12).