CrossCurrent Podcasts

When you first put your faith in Jesus, there was no doubt a passion in your eyes. You wanted everyone to know the hope that you had found. But as the years go on and life gets in the way, that light may have begun to left your eyes. Kim Meeder uses her powerful storytelling to re-ignite your passion for your Creator. She gives you ideas for embracing freedom, love, and true joy, in order to start a revival in your heart that spreads to all of those around you. 

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A two year war ends and the expected collapse…never comes.

Evan Liberman, founder of Wise Money Israel, sits down with Kurt and Kristen Luidhardt as Israel’s market outperforms during conflict, forcing investors to reconsider long held assumptions about risk.

Valuations remain lower than US markets even as returns climb, while the shekel continues strengthening through long term structural demand. That disconnect exposes a gap between how Israel is priced and what has already changed beneath the surface.

Biblical investing adds another layer as conviction-driven capital begins aligning with economic opportunity. Foreign institutions have started moving, but broader market sentiment has not fully caught up.

The next phase depends on regional agreements tied to trade, energy, and defense that are still not priced in.

That delay leaves a narrow window before perception, capital, and pricing fully align.

0:00 Intro

00:40 Wise Money Israel

05:36 International Diversification Strategy

10:42 Strength of the Israeli Shekel

15:43 How to Invest in Israel

19:15 Biblically Responsible Investing Framework

23:10 Financial Alignment With Faith

26:40 Building a Congregation in Israel

34:43 Post October 7 Market Shift

40:26 Lightning Round

Resources Mentioned:

Wise Money Israel

https://www.wisemoneyisrael.com

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/libertyspenders

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/libertyspenders

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/libertyspenders

• Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/c-6192506

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXn-vzlA03r59neWZD0ofJA

• X: https://x.com/LibertySpenders

Connect with Kurt and Kristen Luidhardt:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/luidhardts

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luidhardts

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/luidhardts

• Truth Social: https://truthsocial.com/@luidhardts

• X: https://x.com/luidhardts

Liberty Spenders™ Podcast

Join Kurt and Kristen, founders of Liberty Spenders™ on a groundbreaking podcast that unveils the secrets to tapping into the immense potential of the faith-based conservative market. With an estimated $5 trillion in annual spending power, this loyal and engaged consumer base represents a golden opportunity for businesses seeking rapid growth and increased customer loyalty. In each episode, Kurt and Kristen share their deep insights and proven strategies for authentically connecting with the Liberty Spender audience. Drawing from their extensive experience in political campaigns and their unique, data-driven approach, they guide listeners through the 5 Ps process: People, Positioning, Passion, Proof, and Product Launch.

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Thomas Huxley's Atheism-lite. 

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Make a gift by May 8th to receive Dr. Carl Trueman's new book, The Desecration of Man at colsoncenter.org/april.

“You can be anything you want to be!” It’s the mantra of our age—a message pumped into children by movies, books, and even well-meaning parents. But is it true? Is it biblical? Or is there a deeper, more fulfilling truth that Christian parents should pursue with their kids?

In this weighty and relatable episode, Catherine unpacks the ever-present cultural myth that our kids can become whoever—or whatever—they dream, simply with enough hard work and imagination. Drawing from a heartfelt conversation with a devoted fellow parent at the ballfield, Catherine dives into the pressures parents feel to support every whim and wish, regardless of reality, gifting, or God’s design.

What Listeners Will Discover

• The distinction between cultural slogans and biblical truth—and why not every dream is planted by God.

• How the “follow your heart” advice is more Hallmark than Holy Scripture (04:43), and what happens when Christian parents simply echo the world’s encouragements.

• The story of Catherine’s baseball-loving young son, who declared, “God made me to play baseball,” and how it led Catherine to wrestle with what she should tell a child with a passionate, even possibly divinely inspired longing (06:57).

• A thoughtful review of the Christian film The Hill, which draws on the motif of David and Goliath but falls into the “prosperity gospel” trap, promising that faith alone guarantees earthly success (14:00). The real-life epilogue is more sobering—and more biblically honest.

• What it actually means to “do all things through Christ who gives me strength” (18:48), as Catherine carefully walks parents through the context of Philippians 4 and the secret of contentment, regardless of whether dreams come true.

• A practical, grace-filled response any Christian parent can use when their child dreams big—pointing them toward pursuing God’s purpose above personal ambition (22:49).

Notable Moments

“When my fourth child sat on my lap at the ripe age of six and told me he wants to be a Major League baseball player, he actually said, ‘Mom, God made me to play baseball.’ … I do know this: You can be whoever God created you to be, and whoever that is is amazing and awesome and it’s going to fulfill you more than anything else in life.” (23:28)

As a powerful takeaway, Catherine urges parents to help their kids seek to become who God designed them to be—not just anyone or anything the world applauds—reminding listeners that “God’s plan is the best plan,” even when it diverges from childhood dreams or cultural scripts.

Reflect & Respond

How can you encourage your children to dream boldly, while also helping them discover and pursue God’s unique calling for their lives? What steps can you take to align your parenting with God’s larger story, even when it means letting go of your own or your child’s expectations?

Tune in for real-life wisdom, biblical encouragement, and practical steps to parent with hope, faith, and purpose in a world full of crazy (and not always truthful) messages.

Episode Links

• The Hill (2023)

• Rudy (1993)

• The Rookie (2002)

• Philippians 4 – Bible Gateway

Susanna Elm and Kristina Sessa, War and Community in Late Antiquity (Cambridge UP, 2026)

Late Antiquity (ca. 250–600 CE) was a world at war: barbarian migrations, civil wars, raids, and increasingly porous frontiers affected millions of its inhabitants. While military and political historians have long grappled with this history, scholars of late antique society and culture rarely interrogate the consequences of near constant warfare on civilian populations, fighting forces, and the built environment. War and Community in Late Antiquity responds to this oversight by assembling archeologists, art historians, social historians, and scholars of religion to examine the impact of war on communities (households, cities, religious groups, elites and non-elites) and their reactions to ongoing stressors. Topics include the violence of everyday life as backdrop to that of war; the rhetoric of warfare and its significance for Christian authors; the effects of captivity and billeting on households; communal agency and the fortification of civilian spaces; and the challenges of articulating Christian imperial power in wartime.

New Books in Late Antiquity is presented by Ancient Jew Review

Susanna Elm She is the Sidney H. Ehrman Professor of European History at the Department of History at the University of California, Berkeley.

Kristina Sessa is Professor of History at The Ohio State University

Michael Motia teaches in Classics and Religious Studies at UMass Boston

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When you first put your faith in Jesus, there was no doubt a passion in your eyes. You wanted everyone to know the hope that you had found. But as the years go on and life gets in the way, that light may have begun to left your eyes. Kim Meeder uses her powerful storytelling to re-ignite your passion for your Creator. She gives you ideas for embracing freedom, love, and true joy, in order to start a revival in your heart that spreads to all of those around you. 

Receive Revival Rising and an audio download of "Reigniting Your Passion for Jesus" for your donation of any amount!

Get More Episode Resources 

If you enjoyed listening to Focus on the Family with Jim Daly, please give us your feedback.

Anything can be programmed to be intelligent, but wisdom is uniquely human. 

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Share how Dr. Os Guinness' writing or speaking has impacted your faith at colsoncenter.org/tribute.