Everyday Theology In Plain English

Ever wonder if God still does miracles — or if that kind of thing stopped somewhere back in the New Testament?

After a heavy episode, we're shifting gears to a question that gets people fired up in every direction: do miracles still happen? We'll define what a miracle actually is, walk through the real (and respectful) debate between "cessationists" and "continuationists," and learn to spot the difference between a miracle and God's everyday providence — without landing in either ditch of pure skepticism or chasing a miracle behind every coincidence.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL DISCOVER

• What a miracle actually is — a rarer, more startling version of the same work God's always doing, with a purpose, not just a show
• The real, respectful debate between "cessationists" and "continuationists" — and what both sides actually agree on
• The difference between a miracle and God's everyday providence — both are real, one's just more visible

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

• Keep praying expectantly — an unanswered prayer isn't proof God has stopped acting
• Weigh miracle claims with both an open heart and a clear head, instead of swallowing everything or sneering at it
• Don't miss God's ordinary, steady faithfulness while you're scanning the horizon for the dramatic

YOUR ASSIGNMENT THIS WEEK
Think of one situation where you've quietly stopped praying with real expectation. Bring that request back to God honestly and specifically this week. Then spend a few minutes each day noticing one piece of God's ordinary, sustaining faithfulness you'd normally walk right past.

💬 COMMUNITY QUESTION
Have you ever experienced something you believed was a genuine, direct answer to prayer — something that felt miraculous to you? Or are you in a season right now of wondering whether God still works that way? Email us at [email protected] or just hit the "Send us a text" link below!

Follow the show so you don't miss the next episode, and share this with someone who's wondered whether God still shows up like this!

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Where is God when life falls apart — when it feels like he's either not powerful enough to stop it, or not good enough to want to?

This episode goes to a place that touches real pain, so we're walking it slowly and honestly instead of handing you a tidy explanation. We'll look at what the Bible actually says about how God relates to suffering and evil — how he can be completely in control of a broken world and never, ever the one behind the evil in it. No easy bow on this one. Just solid ground to stand on.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL DISCOVER

• Why God did not create evil and is never behind it — it entered through the rebellion of his creatures, not his own doing
• The real difference between God ordaining good and permitting evil — and why that distinction actually matters
• Why the Bible doesn't explain every "why" (not even for Job) but gives you full permission for honest, unfiltered lament

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

• Bring your honest grief to God without editing it into something more "spiritual" first
• Resist the urge to explain someone else's suffering for them — presence beats explanation, every time
• Let God's track record, not a full explanation, be what steadies you (Romans 8:28, read rightly)

YOUR ASSIGNMENT THIS WEEK: If you're walking through something painful right now, give yourself permission to bring it to God honestly, without editing it into something more spiritual-sounding first. If you're not in a hard season, check in on someone who is — not with an explanation, but with your presence.

💬 COMMUNITY QUESTION: Without sharing more than you're comfortable with — has there been a season of suffering where you later saw even a glimpse of how God was working through it? Or are you still in the middle of one, still waiting? Email us at [email protected] or just hit the "Send us a text" link below!

Follow the show so you don't miss the next episode, and share this with someone who's carrying something heavy right now.

Want to go deeper? Grab the Season 3 companion guide book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3V8JFOY

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Get The Books! Grab your copy of the Season Companion Guides from Amazon.com...

Everyday Theology In Plain English: Season 1 Companion Guide

Everyday Theology In Plain English: Season 2 Companion Guide

Everyday Theology In Plain English: Season 3 Companion Guide

You can find ALL of Pastor Charlie's books on Amazon:

CLICK HERE to see Pastor Charlie's books

Thanks for listening to Everyday Theology In Plain English!

Ever laid awake replaying an old decision, wondering if you knocked yourself off God's plan for good?

In this episode, we're tackling a question that sounds like a philosophy exam but actually shapes how you pray, decide, and handle regret: if God is completely in control, do your choices actually matter? We'll walk through what "sovereignty" and "human responsibility" really mean, look honestly at the two ways faithful Christians have held them together, and land on why both can be fully true at once — and why that's good news, not a headache.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL DISCOVER

• What "sovereignty" and "human responsibility" actually mean — and why they're not fighting each other
• The two honest, faithful ways Christians read passages like Genesis 50:20 and Acts 4:27-28
• Why Scripture affirms both truths at full strength without fully explaining how they fit

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

• Get free from the paralysis of "did I miss God's plan?" — no decision derails God's purposes
• Pray about decisions like it actually matters, instead of treating God like a vending machine
• Own your regrets honestly, knowing nothing is outside what God can redeem (Romans 8:28)

YOUR ASSIGNMENT THIS WEEK: Think of one decision you've been putting off because you're anxious about "getting it wrong." Pray for wisdom about that specific decision using James 1:5 as your model. Then make the call, trusting your genuine choice is exactly what God works through.

💬 COMMUNITY QUESTION: Where has the fear of "messing up God's plan" shaped a decision you've made — or a decision you're facing right now? Email us at [email protected] or just hit the "Send us a text" link below!

Follow the show so you don't miss the next episode, and share this with someone who's frozen up over a decision, wondering if they'll get it wrong!

📖 Want to go deeper? Grab the Season 3 companion guide book on Amazon:
COMING SOON

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Get The Books! Grab your copy of the Season Companion Guides from Amazon.com...

Everyday Theology In Plain English: Season 1 Companion Guide

Everyday Theology In Plain English: Season 2 Companion Guide

Everyday Theology In Plain English: Season 3 Companion Guide

You can find ALL of Pastor Charlie's books on Amazon:

CLICK HERE to see Pastor Charlie's books

Thanks for listening to Everyday Theology In Plain English!

Ever worry that loving science and following Jesus don't actually mix — that deep down, you have to pick one?

In this episode, we're tackling a question that quietly pushes more people from their faith than almost anything else: can you take the Bible seriously and still take science seriously? We'll unpack why science and Scripture are usually answering different questions altogether, how "general revelation" and "special revelation" both come from the same God, and where faithful Christians actually land on the different views of origins — without turning any of it into a test of who's a real believer.

"The heavens and the Scriptures aren't two rival witnesses contradicting each other in court. They're two witnesses telling the same story — one in pictures, one in words."

In This Episode, You'll Discover:

• Why science and Scripture are usually answering "how" and "who/why" — not competing for the same job
• How general revelation (creation) and special revelation (the Bible) come from the same God and can't ultimately contradict
• The three major Christian views on origins — and the one thing that actually unites all of them

Practical Applications:

• Stop being scared of good science — studying the world closely is paying attention to how God reveals himself
• Hold your view on origins with conviction, without turning it into a test of who's a "real" Christian
• Learn to spot when a worldview assumption is hitching a ride on "the science," in either direction

Your Assignment This Week: Pick one question about origins that's honestly nagged at you, and spend twenty minutes reading one thoughtful source on it from a Christian who takes both the Bible and science seriously. Don't go looking for an argument to win. Go looking for understanding.

💬 Community Question: Has there ever been a moment when science and your faith felt like they were pulling you in opposite directions? What helped you work through it — or what's still unresolved for you? Email us at [email protected] or just hit the "Send us a text" link below!

Follow the show so you don't miss the next episode, and share this with someone who's ever felt like they had to choose between their mind and their faith!

📖 Want to go deeper? Grab the Season 3 companion guide book on Amazon: Coming Soon

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Get The Books! Grab your copy of the Season Companion Guides from Amazon.com...

Everyday Theology In Plain English: Season 1 Companion Guide

Everyday Theology In Plain English: Season 2 Companion Guide

Everyday Theology In Plain English: Season 3 Companion Guide

You can find ALL of Pastor Charlie's books on Amazon:

CLICK HERE to see Pastor Charlie's books

Thanks for listening to Everyday Theology In Plain English!

Ever secretly wondered if you're just filler — background noise in a story God didn't really need you for?

In this Season 3 premiere, we're asking the most basic question of all: why did God create anything in the first place? Was he lonely? Bored? Missing something only a universe (and you) could fill? We'll walk through what Genesis 1 actually says about creation "out of nothing," why the Trinity was already completely happy before anything existed, and what all of that means for how much you're actually worth. This isn't abstract theology — it changes how you see your worth on your worst, most "unproductive" day.

"God didn't create because he was running on empty. He created because he was overflowing. That's the whole ballgame — the difference between filling a need and giving a gift."

In This Episode, You'll Discover:

• Why "creation out of nothing" matters — and what it rules out about who God is
• How the Trinity's completeness before creation changes the whole "was God lonely" question
• Why creation exists to display God's glory, and why that's generosity, not ego

Practical Applications:

• Settle the question of your worth at the root — not by how useful you were this week
• Swap "be productive" for "reflect him" as your actual purpose, even on quiet, unnoticed days
• Learn to give out of overflow instead of fear, the way God does

Your Assignment This Week: Finish this sentence honestly: "I've been living like my worth depends on being useful when it comes to ______." Then read Colossians 1:16 slowly and let it push back on what you wrote.

💬 Community Question: Where in your life have you felt like you're only here to fill a gap or meet someone's need — and how might it change things to see yourself instead as someone God freely chose, not someone he needed? Email us at [email protected] or just hit the "Send us a text" link below!

We're kicking off Season 3 — "God's World and God's People" — and YOUR voice matters as we explore why God made the world and what it means to be human. Follow the show so you don't miss the next episode, and share this with someone who needs to hear they're not just filler in somebody else's story!

📖 Want to go deeper? Grab the Season 3 companion guide book on Amazon: Coming Soon

Send us Fan Mail

Watch our podcast episodes on YouTube. Follow our channel right HERE

Get The Books! Grab your copy of the Season Companion Guides from Amazon.com...

Everyday Theology In Plain English: Season 1 Companion Guide

Everyday Theology In Plain English: Season 2 Companion Guide

Everyday Theology In Plain English: Season 3 Companion Guide

You can find ALL of Pastor Charlie's books on Amazon:

CLICK HERE to see Pastor Charlie's books

Thanks for listening to Everyday Theology In Plain English!

Picture the churches Paul wrote to. What do you see? A building with rows of seats? A platform up front? A screen showing today's message? That's not what was there.

🎙️ Bonus Episode — This is the last of our August bonus episodes, and I've been using these summer weeks to share ideas from a book close to my heart: Strategically Small: Why a Bigger Church Was Never the Point. One more time at the kitchen table.

In this final bonus episode, we're going back. Way back. To where the church actually started — living rooms. Thirty or forty people gathered in someone's home, sitting close enough to pass the bread, listening as Paul's letter got read aloud to a group of friends and neighbors who all knew each other by name. If your church is small, this episode might change how you see yourself in the pages of Scripture forever.

"That's what you're part of. Not a lesser version of church. The oldest version of church."

In This Episode, You'll Discover:

• What the first-century church actually looked like — and why the modern picture doesn't match
• The two-thousand-year pedigree of the small church — closer to the original than most megachurches we picture
• A powerful reading exercise for Philippians that will change how you experience the New Testament

💬 Community Question: Have you ever read a New Testament letter and pictured it being delivered in a modern church setting — a stage, a screen, a crowd? What happens when you re-imagine it the way it was first heard: read aloud in a living room, to thirty people who know each other, who are going to share a meal together when the reading is done? Try it this week and share what shifts. Email us at [email protected] or just hit the "Send us a text" link below!

If that stirred something in you, I'd love for you to read the whole book. Strategically Small is available now on Amazon in paperback, hardback, ebook, and audiobook — link below. You can also head to strategicallysmall.com for more about the book, small group resources, and free tools to walk your whole church through it together.

Thank you for spending these August weeks with me. Season 3 is coming soon — follow the show so you don't miss the launch, and share this with someone who needs to hear that their small church isn't a lesser version — it's the oldest version!

📖 Grab Strategically Small on Amazon: https://a.co/d/06lBOSiD 

🌐 Learn more at: https://strategicallysmall.com

Send us Fan Mail

Watch our podcast episodes on YouTube. Follow our channel right HERE

Get The Books! Grab your copy of the Season Companion Guides from Amazon.com...

Everyday Theology In Plain English: Season 1 Companion Guide

Everyday Theology In Plain English: Season 2 Companion Guide

Everyday Theology In Plain English: Season 3 Companion Guide

You can find ALL of Pastor Charlie's books on Amazon:

CLICK HERE to see Pastor Charlie's books

Thanks for listening to Everyday Theology In Plain English!

"Why aren't we growing?" It's the question hanging over parking lot conversations, business meetings, and quiet Monday mornings in small churches everywhere. But what if the question itself is built on an assumption we've never stopped to examine?

🎙️ Bonus Episode — Season 2 is officially in the books, but I'm using a few of these August weeks to talk about something close to my heart — a book I wrote called Strategically Small: Why a Bigger Church Was Never the Point. Still no fancy studio — just me at the kitchen table again.

In this second bonus episode, we're pushing back on one of the most quietly damaging assumptions in the church world: that small is a stage. A phase. A waiting room you're supposed to grow out of. Because when we treat small like the cocoon a caterpillar has to escape, a church of fifty starts to feel like a church that's failing to become a church of five hundred. What if that whole framing was wrong from the start?

"Small is not a stage you're trying to escape. It might just be the strategy all along."

In This Episode, You'll Discover:

• Why the question "Why aren't we growing?" carries a hidden assumption most of us have never examined
• How Jesus chose twelve disciples on purpose — not as a stepping stone to twelve hundred, but because those twelve were the point
• The difference between grudging peace with your size and actually seeing that size as strategy

💬 Community Question: Have you ever felt that Monday-morning ache — that quiet sense that your church should be bigger by now, that you're somehow behind? What would it look like to genuinely believe you're right where you're supposed to be, doing something the big room can't do as easily? Your honest reflection might free someone else who's been carrying the same weight. Email us at [email protected] or just hit the "Send us a text" link below!

If that landed with you, I'd love for you to read the rest of the book. Strategically Small is available now on Amazon in paperback, hardback, ebook, and audiobook — link below. You can also head to strategicallysmall.com for more about the book, small group resources, and free tools to walk your whole church through it together.

Follow the show so you don't miss the next bonus episode, and share this with a pastor or church leader who needs to hear that small might have been the strategy all along!

📖 Grab Strategically Small on Amazon: https://a.co/d/06lBOSiD 

🌐 Learn more at: https://strategicallysmall.com

Send us Fan Mail

Watch our podcast episodes on YouTube. Follow our channel right HERE

Get The Books! Grab your copy of the Season Companion Guides from Amazon.com...

Everyday Theology In Plain English: Season 1 Companion Guide

Everyday Theology In Plain English: Season 2 Companion Guide

Everyday Theology In Plain English: Season 3 Companion Guide

You can find ALL of Pastor Charlie's books on Amazon:

CLICK HERE to see Pastor Charlie's books

Thanks for listening to Everyday Theology In Plain English!

"Church family." "Brothers and sisters in Christ." "The family of God." We say it so often we've stopped hearing what it actually means. But what if the New Testament isn't just handing us a warm feeling — what if it's making a claim?

🎙️ Bonus Episode — Season 2 is officially wrapped, but I couldn't disappear for the whole month of August without saying hello. So for the next few weeks, I'm sitting down at my kitchen table — no fancy studio, no big production — to share some ideas from a book I've been working on called Strategically Small: Why a Bigger Church Was Never the Point.

In this first bonus episode, we're unpacking one word: family. And why it might be the single most important word for how your church understands itself. If you've ever wondered whether a small church is just a "big church that hasn't grown yet" — this one's for you.

"Your church is a family. And families don't have to be big to be real. They just have to be faithful."

In This Episode, You'll Discover:

• Why Paul chose the word "household" over audience, organization, or movement — and what that changes
• How God has always worked through family — from Abraham, to Israel's twelve tribes, to Jesus choosing twelve disciples
• Why family is the highest thing a church can be — not a consolation prize for the church that "couldn't grow bigger"

💬 Community Question: Has "church family" ever felt like just a phrase to you — or have you experienced it as something real? What's one moment when your church truly acted like family — when someone noticed you were missing, showed up when you were hurting, or knew you by name? Your story might encourage someone else who's longing for that kind of belonging. Email us at [email protected] or just hit the "Send us a text" link below!

If any of this stirred something in you, I'd love for you to read the whole book. Strategically Small is available now on Amazon in paperback, hardback, ebook, and audiobook — link below. You can also head to strategicallysmall.com for more about the book, small group resources, and free tools to walk your whole church through it together.

Follow the show so you don't miss the next bonus episode, and share this with someone who needs to hear that family is the highest thing a church can be!

📖 Grab Strategically Small on Amazon: https://a.co/d/06lBOSiD 

🌐 Learn more at: https://strategicallysmall.com

Send us Fan Mail

Watch our podcast episodes on YouTube. Follow our channel right HERE

Get The Books! Grab your copy of the Season Companion Guides from Amazon.com...

Everyday Theology In Plain English: Season 1 Companion Guide

Everyday Theology In Plain English: Season 2 Companion Guide

Everyday Theology In Plain English: Season 3 Companion Guide

You can find ALL of Pastor Charlie's books on Amazon:

CLICK HERE to see Pastor Charlie's books

Thanks for listening to Everyday Theology In Plain English!

Is the Trinity really relevant to your Monday morning — or is it just an abstract puzzle you file away in the "mysteries of the faith" folder and move on?

In this Season 2 finale, we're answering the question that ties everything together: Why does the Trinity actually matter for your daily life? Because far from being impractical, the doctrine of the Trinity is the foundation for love, relationships, community, and your very purpose. We'll unpack four reasons the Trinity touches everything that matters most to you — from why loneliness hurts so deeply to why you were made for something greater than yourself. What a journey Season 2 has been — and this episode ties it all together.

"This is why you long for connection. This is why loneliness hurts so deeply. This is why relationships matter so much to you. You're not wired for isolation — you're wired for community because you bear the image of the God who is community."

In This Episode, You'll Discover:

• Why God has always been relational — love existed before creation because God is Trinity
• How the Trinity defines love — self-giving, other-centered, delighting in the beloved
• Why the Trinity is the model for unity in diversity — in marriage, in the church, in society
• Your ultimate purpose — to be drawn into the eternal fellowship of Father, Son, and Spirit

Practical Applications:

• Reshape your relationships — stop keeping score and start loving the way the Trinity loves
• Redefine community — you can't fully reflect the Trinitarian God as an isolated individual
• Anchor your identity and purpose in the God who made you, saved you, and will never let you go

Your Assignment This Week: Reflect on what you've learned about God throughout this entire season — from his existence, to his attributes, to his character, to his triune nature. How has your understanding of God grown? And more importantly, how has knowing God more deeply begun to change how you live? Write down your reflections, and if you're willing, share them with a friend or in our community.

💬 Community Question: As we close out Season 2, what's one thing you've learned about God that has most impacted you? Maybe it was an attribute you'd never really considered before, or a fresh understanding of the Father, Son, or Spirit. How has this season changed how you think about God or relate to him? Your reflection might encourage someone else who's on the same journey. Email us at [email protected] or just hit the "Send us a text" link below!

We've built something amazing together in Season 2 — "Getting to Know the Unknowable God" — and YOUR voice has mattered every step of the way. Season 3 is coming soon, exploring "God's World and God's People" — creation, providence, what it means to be human, and why sin is such a big deal. Follow the show so you don't miss the launch, and share this final Season 2 episode with someone who needs to know the Trinity isn't just theology — it's the foundation of everything!

📖 Want to go deeper? Grab the Season 2 companion guide book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3Nvi2fk

Send us Fan Mail

Watch our podcast episodes on YouTube. Follow our channel right HERE

Get The Books! Grab your copy of the Season Companion Guides from Amazon.com...

Everyday Theology In Plain English: Season 1 Companion Guide

Everyday Theology In Plain English: Season 2 Companion Guide

Everyday Theology In Plain English: Season 3 Companion Guide

You can find ALL of Pastor Charlie's books on Amazon:

CLICK HERE to see Pastor Charlie's books

Thanks for listening to Everyday Theology In Plain English!

When you pray, who exactly are you talking to? When the Bible says God saved you, which person did the saving? And is the Trinity really more like a divine corporation with different departments — Father in planning, Jesus in redemption, Spirit in "spiritual stuff"?

In this episode, we're exploring how the three persons of the Trinity actually work together. Because Father, Son, and Spirit aren't three disconnected beings coordinating from separate offices — they act in perfect unity in creation, in your salvation, and in your daily life. Understanding this divine teamwork will transform your assurance, deepen your prayer life, and change how you see yourself as God's child. If the Trinity has ever felt more like three separate gods with different jobs, this episode changes that.

"When you doubt your salvation, remember: you're not held by the strength of your own grip on God. You're held by the grip of the Father, Son, and Spirit — and they don't let go."

In This Episode, You'll Discover:

• The theological principle that "all external works of the Trinity are undivided" — and why that matters
• The consistent pattern across Scripture — the Father plans and initiates, the Son accomplishes and reveals, the Spirit applies and completes
• How all three persons are actively involved in creation, in your salvation, and in your daily walk with God

Practical Applications:

• Rest in complete confidence — your salvation is a coordinated work of all three persons, and the Trinity doesn't fail
• Transform your prayer life — you pray to the Father, through the Son, in the power of the Spirit; prayer is a Trinitarian conversation, not a monologue into emptiness
• Model your relationships after the Trinity — distinct persons bound together in self-giving love is what you were made for

Your Assignment This Week: Pay attention to how all three persons of the Trinity are at work in your life. When you pray, consciously acknowledge each person — thank the Father for receiving you, thank the Son for giving you access, and ask the Spirit to help you pray. When you read Scripture, look for how all three persons are involved in the passage. Practice Trinitarian awareness and see how it deepens your experience of God.

💬 Community Question: Have you ever thought about how the Father, Son, and Spirit work together? How does understanding their unity change how you think about your salvation or your prayer life? Or is there an area where you still find their relationship confusing? Share your thoughts — your reflections might help someone else see something they hadn't noticed before. Email us at [email protected] or just hit the "Send us a text" link below!

Follow the show so you don't miss the next episode, and share this with someone who needs to know that all of God — Father, Son, and Spirit — is committed to keeping them!

📖 Want to go deeper? Grab the Season 2 companion guide book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3Nvi2fk

Send us Fan Mail

Watch our podcast episodes on YouTube. Follow our channel right HERE

Get The Books! Grab your copy of the Season Companion Guides from Amazon.com...

Everyday Theology In Plain English: Season 1 Companion Guide

Everyday Theology In Plain English: Season 2 Companion Guide

Everyday Theology In Plain English: Season 3 Companion Guide

You can find ALL of Pastor Charlie's books on Amazon:

CLICK HERE to see Pastor Charlie's books

Thanks for listening to Everyday Theology In Plain English!