Join Brian and Jon as we explore the opening focus of 1 John — to illuminate the truth of who Jesus really is and to ground believers in reality, not opinion, outcomes, or labels.

And since it’s Faith Forward, we’ll remind ourselves of the core rhythms that help us stay anchored in that truth: daily devotion, prayer, sacrificial generosity and service, freedom from strongholds, sharing our story, and celebration and worship. Not as checklists or quotas, but as relational practices that make it harder—though not impossible—to be misled in a confusing and noisy world.

As John reminds us, knowing the truth isn’t just about information; it’s about relationship. And when truth is lived, not just learned, it brings freedom.

If God is speaking, how do we know what His voice sounds like? In this final conversation of the Encounter series, Brooke and Jon explore the heart behind the voice — the Father who longs for connection, gives direction through relationship, and brings correction that restores rather than shames.

Scripture paints a consistent picture of a Father who adopts with delight, forgives with compassion, and removes our sins with a fullness that is almost unfathomable. Yet many of us struggle to hear God clearly because we’ve learned the Father wrongly — through wounded experiences, distorted teaching, or our own stories of fear, striving, or abandonment.

Jesus’ story of the father with two sons becomes the central lens: a Father who runs toward the rebellious, pleads with the resentful, and invites both into relationship. Whether we’ve wandered, worked to earn what’s already ours, or held disappointment in our hearts, the invitation is the same: risk coming home.

This episode closes the series by calling us to learn how to live as sons and daughters — not employees, not orphans — and to let the Father’s true heart redefine how we hear His voice.

If God really communicates with us, how do we recognize His voice? In this conversation, Brian and Jon walk through why hearing God matters — for direction, correction, and most importantly, connection. Scripture paints a picture of a God who speaks, guides, reveals, and leads His people into truth.

We explore the many ways God communicates — visually, auditorily, kinesthetically — and how each of us can grow in our capacity to hear. But hearing God also requires discernment: His voice always aligns with Scripture, reflects His character, produces spiritual fruit, and is confirmed in community.

Finally, the episode addresses the barriers that make hearing difficult: hurry, self-sufficiency, pride, sin, unforgiveness, and fear. Learning to listen, obey, and rest becomes a way of life that opens us to deeper relationship with God and growing spiritual maturity.

If we live in a world at war, why don’t we feel it? In this episode, Brian and Jon uncover where the real conflict is happening — in the realm of words, thoughts, and truth. Scripture describes a spiritual battle not fought with physical weapons, but with ideas, voices, and agreements.

God’s words create life; the enemy’s words distort reality. We see this tension from Eden to the life of Peter to the everyday choices we make. Every voice we listen to shapes the life we live.

This episode explores how to recognize the competing voices at work in our thoughts, how lies take root, and how the “rhema” word of God becomes both shield and sword in spiritual warfare. Ultimately, we become the servants of whatever voice we obey. Learning to discern — and choose — God’s voice is central to living in victory.

Before we can understand who Jesus is, we need to understand the story He stepped into. In this episode, we explore the larger backdrop of Scripture — a world created in love, invaded by an enemy, and desperately in need of rescue. Genesis 3 reveals what humanity lost: connection with God, life in the Spirit, and the authority we were meant to exercise.

But it also reveals why Jesus had to come — not to make bad people good, but to bring dead people back to life. Brian and Jon walk through how Jesus restores what was lost: reconciling us to the Father, restoring the presence of the Spirit within us, and reawakening our original calling to partner with God in a world at war.

This episode sets the stage for our entire journey with God: understanding the story we’re in, the enemy we face, and the salvation Jesus offers.

In this final conversation of the Thankfulness series, Brian and Jon explore how gratitude becomes more than a moment or a holiday — it becomes a steady rhythm of life with God.

Thankfulness begins by naming what is good and who is good, grounding gratitude in God’s character rather than our circumstances. It grows as we taste and see for ourselves, noticing how gratitude heightens our awareness of God’s presence. And it deepens into submission and surrender, where obedience flows naturally from a thankful heart.

Ultimately, thankfulness becomes transformative when it remains honest, non-transactional, and attentive — bringing both what’s good and what’s not yet good to God, and learning to listen for His response.

In this Faith Forward conversation, Brian and Jon explore how thankfulness becomes more than a feeling — it becomes a way of living with God. Psalm 100 reveals that gratitude isn’t passive; it’s a rhythm that reshapes the heart.

True thankfulness begins with honesty — naming what is good, what is hard, and what is not yet good. Gratitude invites us to bring both praise and pain into God’s presence without pretending or minimizing.

From honesty, thankfulness moves us into connection. We enter God’s presence with joy and discover that serving others becomes a lived expression of gratitude, not just a sentiment.

Ultimately, gratitude grows into submission. A thankful heart learns to trust God’s character enough to obey Him with confidence and delight, choosing life with Him rather than simply life for Him.

At every stage, thankfulness anchors us deeper in who God is — shaping a life that is honest, connected, surrendered, and grounded in His goodness.

It’s easy to give thanks when life feels good — but what about when it doesn’t? Gratitude that only thrives in comfort isn’t gratitude at all; it’s relief.

In this Faith Forward conversation, Brian and Jon explore what it means to give thanks because of who God is and what He has done, is doing, and will do — even while acknowledging pain and disappointment.

True thankfulness isn’t denial; it’s defiant trust.

It grows from a heart grounded in God’s character, not in outcomes or circumstances. Gratitude, then, becomes both a declaration of trust and an act of resistance — a way of refusing to let fear or loss rewrite our understanding of God’s goodness.

You don’t accidentally become more like Jesus. Spiritual formation isn’t automatic—it’s rhythmic. God built celebration and worship into the rhythm of life not just as events, but as anchors that reorient our hearts toward Him.

In this episode, we explore Celebration and Worship as direction, rest, connection, and defiance—a rhythm that trains the soul to trust God daily, both individually and in community.

* Direction: Worship aligns our focus on God alone—confessing and celebrating who He is and what He has done.

* Rest: Celebration becomes an act of surrender in the face of busyness and striving.

* Connection: True worship draws us into friendship and intimacy with God, not performance or ritual.

* Defiance: Both celebration and worship stand as acts of spiritual rebellion against fear, loss, and despair.

We don’t worship because everything is great—we worship because God is good, and because it’s going to be good, even when it’s not yet right.

Sharing your story isn’t about efficiency or outcomes—it’s about connection and transformation. When we share what Jesus has done in our lives, we invite others to discover the same source of life and relationship that changed us.

In this episode, Mike and Jon explore how sharing your story helps others encounter the transforming power of a shared life with God and with each other. What does it mean to share with authenticity, vulnerability, and transparency—revealing where we’ve been wrong before talking about what’s right.

Your story matters—not because it’s perfect, but because it reveals a perfect God who is still writing it with you.