Deeper in the RED

Do we learn more from our successes or our failures? Almost every man in the room said failures. So why are so many Christian men still afraid to fail?

In this episode of Deeper in the Red, James and Gene welcome back Pastor Sal Sberna, who brought this month's message on how to fail forward. Sal points out that nearly every major figure in Scripture had a major failure - without David's fall there is no Psalm 51 - and that failure is not proof God stopped loving you. It is pruning: a pruned vineyard looks like a field of stumps months before it hangs heavy with grapes.

Gene admits he never raises his hand asking God for the valley, and Sal agrees: embrace the suck, but don't pray for it. James turns to James 1 - consider it pure joy - because joy is not the same as happiness: every trial chisels away something in us that does not look like Christ. Sal adds that the right prayer is not "why poor pitiful me" but "Lord, what do you want out of this?"

Then Sal gets personal: as a young pastor he wanted a megachurch, got it, and found he did not want it. His conclusion is the heart of the episode: the key to any success is obedience. Jesus never said if you love me, build a great church. He said if you love me, obey my commandments. And Sal points to Peter, who went where Jesus said he could not follow and years later wrote, clothe yourselves with humility.

From there, James asks the question every leader wrestles with: where does holy patience end and delayed disobedience begin? Sal answers with a sweet tea story and Mark 1, where Jesus prays early in the morning and, when the disciples hunt Him down, moves on to the next town. Later, Sal asks what changes when you talk openly about Christ at work. For James, the answer came the day his daughter looked up at him in church and said, "Daddy, that's what you do."

In this episode:
00:00 - Welcome back: Pastor Sal Sberna joins us
00:57 - Why we call it Operating in the Red
02:38 - Do we learn more from success or failure?
03:19 - Why Christians are afraid to fail
04:38 - Pruning: stumps before the grapes
06:01 - How do you fail forward?
06:37 - Embrace the suck, but don't pray for the valley
07:57 - James 1: consider it pure joy
09:33 - Sal on James 1: testing produces endurance
11:59 - Failures are the setups for our successes
14:26 - Sal: I wanted to build a megachurch
15:26 - The key to any success is obedience
16:51 - When God gives you exactly what you asked for
18:57 - Peter: where I am going, you cannot follow
20:37 - Clothe yourselves with humility
21:24 - James 4: what if today is your last tomorrow?
23:45 - Holy patience or delayed disobedience?
26:04 - The sweet tea story: learning God's nudge
27:26 - Mark 1: Jesus prays, then leaves the crowd
30:55 - Sal rates his own prayer life a 4 out of 10
32:43 - The unforced rhythms of grace
34:39 - Early mornings: awake at 2 a.m.? Pray
37:19 - Discipline is a group exercise
41:07 - What changes when you talk about Christ at work?
46:12 - Gene: dual accountability, iron sharpens iron
51:39 - "Daddy, that's what you do"
55:08 - Mat carriers and an answered prayer
58:16 - From megachurch pastor to front-line shepherding
1:00:07 - The Human Spirit Project
1:02:19 - Closing prayer: the throne of grace

Scripture in this episode: Psalm 51, Psalm 32:1-2, James 1:2-5, 1 Corinthians 10:12, John 14:15, Matthew 11:28-30, John 13:36-38, Matthew 26:51-52, 69-75, 1 Peter 5:5-6, James 4:13-15, Mark 1:29-38, Ephesians 5:18, Genesis 2:18, Hebrews 10:24-25, Proverbs 27:17, Hebrews 4:16

Deeper in the Red is the podcast side of Operating in the Red, a men's Bible study held the first Wednesday of every month.

Why do we sin? Most of us have the answer backwards - and getting it right is the difference between condemnation and freedom.

In this episode of Deeper in the Red, James, Gene and Caleb break down the doctrine of original sin. It starts in Genesis 3, in a garden where everything was good, with a serpent who never argued that God was wrong - he only asked whether God had really said it. Doubt, then denial, then the oldest offer of all: you will be like God.

James walks through the three tactics the enemy used on Eve and still uses on us, and why Adam's passivity - standing there, knowing better, saying nothing - is the part men tend to skip over. Gene pulls the thread nobody wants to pull: God did not have to plant that tree. He knew what would happen. And He already had the solution before the problem existed.

Then comes the statement that reframes everything: we are not sinners because we sin. We sin because we are sinners. If that sounds like bad news, James argues it is the opposite. If you doubt it, go babysit a two-year-old - nobody teaches a baby to be angry. Getting the order right kills condemnation, produces humility, and puts you in the only posture that can receive a savior.

The back half is the war after conversion: Romans 7, the chisel and the hammer, why struggling is a good sign, and why the most miserable man alive is not the lost one but the saved one out of fellowship with God.

In this episode:
00:00 - Welcome to the September edition
00:54 - Why we call it Operating in the Red
01:42 - This month: the doctrine of original sin
02:42 - Genesis 3: the man and the woman sin
05:11 - Doubt, deny, desire: how the enemy works
08:03 - God did not have to plant the tree
10:16 - Free will, and why God wanted us to choose
13:38 - Adam was passive, and what that costs men
14:24 - The enemy corrupts good things: authority, money, hobbies
18:06 - Who the serpent actually was
19:27 - Shame, fear, blame, broken relationships
20:09 - Romans 5: why Adam's sin became our problem
22:01 - We sin because we are sinners
22:45 - If you doubt it, go babysit a two-year-old
23:18 - Why that is freedom, not a life sentence
25:09 - It is not your fault, but it is your problem
27:47 - Condemnation vs conviction
29:46 - The most dangerous words: I've got this
30:55 - The war within: Romans 7
35:09 - Sanctification: the chisel, the hammer, the refining of gold
38:02 - Dead men don't fight
39:32 - How to war against sin: pray, confess, repent
42:19 - The most miserable man alive
44:33 - David: restore the joy of my salvation
50:03 - The second Adam: 1 Corinthians 15
55:10 - He never sinned - and we cannot last a morning
58:03 - Revelation 19: the King you are actually following
60:07 - Closing: conviction or condemnation

Scripture in this episode: Genesis 3, Romans 5:12-19, Psalm 51:5, Romans 7:18-25, 1 John 1:8, Psalm 32:3-4, 1 Corinthians 15:21-22, 45, 2 Corinthians 5:21, Revelation 19:12

Deeper in the Red is the podcast side of Operating in the Red, a men's Bible study held the first Wednesday of every month.

What if you never decided to walk away from God - you just quietly drifted?

James, Gene and Caleb open with an honest confession: sitting down to prepare August's men's Bible study, James had a blank page. No topic, no verse, nothing stirring. That blank page became the message. Hebrews 2:1-3 warns us to listen carefully to the truth we have heard, "or we may drift away from it" - and drifting is never a decision. It is what happens when you take your hands off the wheel.

James tells the story of a fishing trip out of Orange Beach: 20 miles offshore, the autopilot pump burned out, the engines locked hard left, and the boat sat dead in the water on a calm, beautiful night. Six hours later the tow boat radioed that they were at his coordinates and could not see him. He had drifted six miles - and never felt it move.

That is the danger. The man who deliberately walks away knows where he stands. The man who drifts has no idea.

In this episode:

The question we left the men with, and the one we leave with you: what is God calling you back to this week?

If you are on the mountaintop right now and none of this is you - fantastic. That is the best time to write your plan. Pick the book, pick the chapter, put it in your notes app, so the day the warning light comes on you already know where to go.

Verses referenced: Hebrews 1, Hebrews 2:1-3 | James 4:8 | Luke 15:20 | Zechariah 1:3 | Ezekiel 37 (dry bones) | Galatians 5:22-23

In this episode of Deeper in the Red — the podcast companion to our men's Bible study, Operating in the Red — Gene and James kick off the summer season with five practical Proverbs every man can commit to memory and live out year-round.

Summer brings travel, vacations, and busy schedules that can pull us away from the vine. This conversation is about staying rooted no matter where life takes you. We unpack five short, powerful verses and the real-world wisdom behind them:

• Proverbs 1:7 — Why the fear of the Lord is the foundation of all true knowledge
• Proverbs 4:23 — Guarding your heart, because everything you do flows from it
• Proverbs 27:17 — How iron sharpens iron through godly friendship and friction
• Proverbs 12:11 — Diligent work vs. chasing fantasies, and what "working your land" really means
• Proverbs 16:18 — Pride goes before destruction, and how to fight it with humility
• Proverbs 18:21 — The tongue holds the power of life and death

Along the way we get into the difference between God being disappointed in us versus hurt for us, why there's no condemnation in Christ, the trap of shame from the enemy, and a practical challenge to speak life into five people this week.

This week's challenge — say these to 5 different people:

1. "I believe in you."
2. "I'm proud of who you're becoming."
3. "You're not alone in this."
4. "I was wrong — please forgive me."
5. "Let's build something meaningful together."

Grab a Bible, take some notes, and join us as we dig into God's Word together.

New episodes monthly. Subscribe so you don't miss the next study.

In this special Easter edition, hosts James Durham and Gene Thompson take a deeper look at what's often covered only at a surface level during Holy Week — the seven final statements of Jesus Christ from the cross. Drawing from that morning's Operating in the Red Bible study, James and Gene walk through each statement with honesty, personal reflection, and a genuine desire to go beyond the highlight reel of Easter Sunday.

From the radical forgiveness of Luke 23:34, to the promise made to the thief on the cross, to the gut-wrenching cry of Matthew 27:46 — "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" — the guys unpack not just the theology, but what these moments mean for real life today. They tackle heavy questions: Can you lose your salvation? Is God disappointed in you when you fail? What does it really mean that it is finished?

This episode is raw, personal, and full of the kind of conversation that happens when two guys who don't have it all figured out decide to go deeper anyway — and that's exactly the point.

Happy Easter. He is risen.

On this episode of Deeper in the Red, the conversation centers around self-reflection, humility, and staying grounded in your faith.

The discussion explores what it means to remain true to who you are as life and responsibilities grow. From vision and personal growth to humility and openness, this episode highlights how faith can guide the way we live, lead, and continue learning along the journey.

It's a reminder that growth isn't just about moving forward — it's about staying humble, staying open, and remaining rooted in the values that shape who we are.

In this powerful episode of Deeper in the Red, we sit down with special guest Morris Morrison — a dynamic business leader, motivational speaker, and a man of unwavering faith.

Morris shares his journey of leadership, resilience, and purpose, as well as what it means to fully trust God's calling in both life and business. As he prepares to be inducted into the West Virginia Hall of Fame, he reflects on how faith has shaped his success and grounded his leadership.

On this podcast we believe business and scripture are not separate paths. When we align our work with God's Word, we grow stronger as leaders, families, and communities. This conversation dives into how purpose is not accidental — it is created and cultivated by God.

God creates purpose in our lives. The question is — are we walking in it?

In this episode of Deeper in the Red, we sit down for an honest conversation about what it really means to love and lead our wives in a Christ-centered way. As men, we acknowledge that none of us lives up perfectly to the biblical standard of marriage. That's why we point back to Jesus Christ — the only one who was perfect — and the grace and forgiveness we have through Him.

We talk about practical truths that challenge us, open our eyes, and encourage us to grow into more Christ-like husbands. This episode is about humility, growth, and the daily commitment to becoming better men through faith.

Growth in faith often begins with honest reflection. Not rushing to answers, but sitting with God in the questions.

In this episode of Deeper in the Red, we open Scripture together and explore what it looks like to walk closely with God through uncertainty, refinement, and trust. This Bible study invites us to slow down, reflect deeply, and recognize God's hand at work even in seasons that feel unclear.

We'll talk about listening for God's voice, responding with obedience even when clarity feels incomplete, and allowing His Word to shape our perspective rather than our circumstances. It's a reminder that faith isn't about having everything figured out — it's about staying rooted, receptive, and willing.

This conversation is an invitation to slow down, lean in, and let God meet you right where you are as He continues His work in you.

Healing doesn't mean pretending the scars never existed.

It means allowing God to restore what was broken — and trusting that those healed places can serve a greater purpose. In this Bible study, we reflect on how Jesus didn't hide His scars after the resurrection. Instead, He showed them as proof of who He is and what God had done.

In the same way, our own scars — emotional, spiritual, or physical — can become testimonies of God's faithfulness when we surrender them fully to Him. We'll talk about what it means to search for the right answers, rather than quick fixes. How to resist numbing what still needs healing and how being prepared — spiritually and intentionally — allows God to use our story to help others.

This is an invitation to look honestly at your wounds, trust God's healing work, and walk forward with purpose and confidence in Him.