Grace Life

Based on Mark Batterson's book Whisper, Chris and Debby discuss the Voice of God. Plus, they describe the 10-Minute Listening Challenge!

Episode 8 — Building a Faith That Lasts

Every episode this season has been pointing to the same idea beneath all the others — that lasting faith isn't built in the big moments; it's built in the ordinary ones. In this season finale, Pastor Chris brings it all together around the image of a foundation and the words of Jesus in Matthew 7. The storms come for everyone. The only question is what you've built by the time they arrive.

Episode 7 — Midlife, Meaning, and Staying Faithful

Midlife isn't usually marked by dramatic collapse — it's marked by slow drift. In this episode, Pastor Chris speaks directly to the men and women carrying the weight of real responsibility and quietly wondering if they're becoming who they want to be. Using Galatians 6 and the image of a tree's root system, he explores why midlife is less a season to survive and more a season to find out whether what was planted actually took hold.

Episode 6 — How to Pray When You're Just Tired

What do you do when you know you should pray — but you have nothing left to say? In this episode, Pastor Chris offers relief to anyone who has felt the quiet pressure to pray correctly and come up empty. Drawing from Romans 8 and the simple image of coming home at the end of a hard day, he makes the case that honest, tired prayer isn't a failure. It's exactly what God is inviting you into.

Loving Difficult People Without Losing Yourself

Loving people is easy in theory — and genuinely hard in practice, especially with the ones who drain you. In this episode, Pastor Chris tackles one of the most common tensions in everyday faith: where's the line between loving someone and losing yourself in the process? Using Galatians 6 and the image of a lifeguard trained never to let a panicking swimmer pull them under, he offers a clear and honest framework for loving people well without going under yourself.

What To Do When Your Faith Feels Stalled

Almost every person of faith hits a season where the feeling fades — prayer feels routine, Scripture feels flat, and forward momentum seems to disappear. In this episode, Pastor Chris reframes the spiritual plateau not as a sign of failure, but as a graduation — the moment God moves you from feeling-dependent faith to decision-based faith. Drawing from Romans 5 and the image of a long-distance runner, he explains why the ordinary miles are the ones that build real endurance.

Sunday and Monday don't feel the same — and most people know exactly why. In this episode, Pastor Chris explores why the gap between Sunday inspiration and Monday reality isn't a sign that something's wrong with your faith. Using Romans 12:2 and the image of an unexpected reflection in a store window, he unpacks how the friction of everyday life is where faith is actually formed. Sunday inspires you. Monday reveals you. And what gets revealed is exactly what God wants to renew.

Easter declares that death doesn't get the final word — but it doesn't remove the grief, the diagnosis, the strained relationships, or the financial pressure. So what does resurrection hope actually look like when real life still hurts?

In this episode, Pastor Chris draws from John 11 — where Jesus weeps before raising Lazarus — to make the case that resurrection hope was never meant to be the absence of grief. It's grief held inside a larger story. You don't have to pretend. You just have to know what's on the other side.

When the Excitement Fades After Easter

The energy of Easter doesn't always last — and for a lot of people, the days that follow feel surprisingly flat. In this episode, Pastor Chris addresses one of the most common, but least talked about experiences in the Christian life: the emotional drop after a spiritual high. Drawing from Luke 24 and the image of a mountain overlook, he explains why the feeling was never meant to carry you — and why Jesus meets us not just at the peak, but on the road back down into ordinary life. If you've ever wondered why you feel spiritually flat after a mountaintop moment, this episode is for you.

Day 40 — This isn’t the end—it’s the beginning.

In the final episode of 40 Days in Mark, we pause for a closing blessing over your journey. You’ve walked with Jesus through His life, His teaching, His cross, and His resurrection.

Now it’s time to carry it with you.

This episode is a quiet sending—a reminder to live what you’ve seen, heard, and received.

One chapter. One day. One life with Jesus.