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Is Your Church Still the Right Soil for Your Family's Faith?

The soil you plant your family’s faith in matters more than we often realize. It’s not just about where you go on Sunday—it’s about the spiritual environment shaping your children’s hearts every single week. And sometimes, the signs that something’s off are easy to miss… until it’s almost too late.

In this eye-opening episode, Catherine gets real about a question that many Christian parents quietly wrestle with:

“How do I know if it’s time to find a new church home?”

Drawing from her own family’s deeply personal (and painful) church transition, Catherine walks through six red flags that might mean your current church isn’t cultivating the spiritual growth your family needs.

They are:

1. When churches skip parts of the Bible.
   If whole books or tough topics are off the table, your kids won’t get the full truth they need to stand firm in their faith.
2. When the flesh goes unchallenged.
   A feel-good message might draw a crowd, but if no one’s being stretched or sanctified, something’s missing.
3. When there’s a disconnect between evangelism and discipleship.
   Getting people in the door is important—but so is growing deep roots. If your church leans too hard one way, it leaves gaps that can stunt faith.
4. When charisma outweighs character.
   A church built around a magnetic personality rather than godly integrity can quickly become a breeding ground for spiritual fallout.
5. When the Holy Spirit has no room to move.
   Programs and polish are fine—but without the Spirit’s power, real transformation doesn’t happen.
6. When the youth group is spiritually flat.
   If the next generation isn’t fired up for Jesus, it’s time to ask some hard questions about what seeds are (or aren’t) being sown.

With honesty, compassion, and hard-won wisdom, she shines a light on issues that are often ignored—but have huge consequences.

This isn’t about being picky—it’s about being purposeful. Catherine reminds us that the stakes are high when it comes to our kids’ spiritual formation. The cost of change can be steep, but the fruit of a thriving, Spirit-led church family is worth every step.

In this episode, you’ll also learn:

• Why glossing over hard truths sets kids up for weak faith
• How to spot signs of spiritual stagnation in your home
• The warning signs of a numbers-driven, personality-centered church culture
• What to look for in a youth group that truly disciples your kids
• Encouragement for parents facing tough church decisions

She laughs too loud. He’s too messy. Why does she do that? Ever find yourself wanting others to be more like you? Jonathan Haverdink challenges us to check our focus and see people in a different light – the light of Jesus.

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Everyday Outreach  goes back to the Bible to help you discover how to share the hope of the Gospel in everyday ways with neighbors, co-workers, friends, and family - right where God has planted you. 

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“Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” — Matthew 6:21

That powerful truth from Jesus captures the heart of FaithFi’s mission and vision.

If money issues are ultimately heart issues, then we need more than financial tips—we need a heart change that helps us see God as our ultimate treasure. Today, Taylor Standridge joins us to explore the deeper purpose behind FaithFi and how you can partner in that mission.

Taylor Standridge is the Production Director of FaithFi: Faith & Finance and the co-author of Look At The Sparrows: A 21-Day Devotional on Financial Fear and Anxiety.

It’s pretty ironic that the stock market graph sometimes looks like a heart rate monitor. The point? Many people’s emotions—and even their sense of hope—are tied to their financial situation. When the market dips, so does their peace.

But Scripture offers a better way: “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God” (Psalm 20:7).

If your peace mirrors the market, it may be a spiritual warning light. Scripture calls us to set our minds on things above, not on the volatility of our savings accounts.

At the core of FaithFi is a calling to help people glorify God through wise financial decisions. But our vision shapes how we do it: to see every Christian view God as their ultimate treasure.

In Jesus's words during the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 6:21 tells us, "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Christian finance is about more than avoiding debt or giving to good causes. Those are great goals, but Jesus is calling us to something deeper: to reexamine what we treasure in the first place.

It’s not about giving more, it’s about loving God more. That’s why even the Pharisees, who gave plenty, were still rebuked—because their hearts weren’t surrendered. When Christ becomes our greatest joy, giving becomes cheerful, not dutiful.

One of the biggest struggles we see on the show frequently is the tension between trusting God and trusting in financial security.

The culture says to get more and upgrade everything. But the gospel calls us to steward our resources for God’s Kingdom. Ultimately, money can never define our worth—it can only serve as a tool when our identity is rooted in Christ.

This book reminds us that wealth, possessions, and even success are fleeting. Apart from God, they’re meaningless—just vapor, or ‘hevel’ as Ecclesiastes puts it.

But when we view money as a gift from God, not the goal, its purpose becomes clear. Ecclesiastes invites us to stop chasing what won’t last and start investing in what will.

That’s why we’re excited about the release of our latest study, Wisdom Over Wealth: 12 Lessons from Ecclesiastes on Money, authored by John Cortines. Ecclesiastes speaks so much to our modern struggles with wealth, showing us both the futility of placing our hopes in riches and the true path to a life grounded in God’s wisdom. You’ll find that this study will challenge you to rethink your relationship with money and inspire deeper trust in God’s provision and sovereignty.

To get your copy, you can either pre-order it at FaithFi.com/Shop or request a copy to be sent to you when you make a gift of $35 or more to the ministry of FaithFi at FaithFi.com/Give. 

FaithFi isn’t just about biblical theory—it’s about real-life application. There are several ways

In this episode, Dr. John Neufeld reflects on the passing of time in the life of Abraham and Sarah. As they near the end of their journey, we’re reminded that no matter our age, God continues to call us to trust Him fully. Discover how faith matures through the years—and how God's purposes never grow old.

Confident Faith: In this 4-week series on Genesis 18-25, Dr. John Neufeld looks at the life of Abraham and unpacks the topic of faith. How is faith formed? How does faith mature? And how can faith help us trust in what God has promised, even though we can’t see it yet.

How the Bible Was Formed E1 — If you’ve ever compared a Protestant Bible to a Catholic Bible, you may notice some additional books in the Catholic Bible, such as Tobit, Judith, 1 and 2 Maccabees, etc. These books, called the Deuterocanon by Catholics and the Apocrypha by Protestants, are Jewish Literature from the period after the Babylonian exile but before the time of Jesus. The Jewish people were back in the land, being ruled by Syria and other empires descended from Alexander the Great. As they read the Hebrew Bible, they created many new literary works, reflecting on stories in Scripture and what was happening in their own day. So how do we understand the status and value of these books when compared to the Hebrew Bible and New Testament? In this episode, Jon and Tim explore the background, history, and content of this Second-Temple Jewish literature.

CHAPTERS

1. Multiple Bibles on the Shelf (00:00-21:10)
2. History of the Protestant Apocrypha (21:10-34:35)
3. How Jesus and the Apostles Engaged With These Books (34:35-43:05)
4. Why We’re Talking About the Deuterocanon/Apocrypha (43:05-57:36)

OFFICIAL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

View this episode’s official transcript.

REFERENCED RESOURCES

• The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha by James H. Charlesworth
• Old Testament Pseudepigrapha: More Noncanonical Scriptures, edited by Richard Bauckham, James Davila, Alex Panayotov
• You can view annotations for this episode—plus our entire library of videos, podcasts, articles, and classes—in the BibleProject app, available for Android and iOS.
• Check out Tim’s extensive collection of recommended books here.

SHOW MUSIC

• “Pure Joy ft. John Lee” by Lofi Sunday
• “Chillbop ft. Me & The Boys” by Lofi Sunday
• “Answered Prayers ft. PAINT WITH SOUND” by Lofi Sunday
• BibleProject theme song by TENTS

SHOW CREDITS

Production of today’s episode is by Lindsey Ponder, producer, and Cooper Peltz, managing producer. Tyler Bailey is our supervising engineer, who edited today’s episode and also provided the sound design and mix. JB Witty does our show notes, and Hannah Woo provides the annotations for our app. Our host and creative director is Jon Collins, and our lead scholar is Tim Mackie. 

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Is it possible to have a happy marriage without there being a spiritual component? Many non-Christians have good marriages; but dealing with the stresses of life can be a whole lot easier if you look to God's Word for His wisdom and guidance.

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Today on BOLD STEPS, Pastor Mark Jobe concludes a powerful message on healing from father wounds, and finding your true identity, in God’s eyes. We’re wrapping up our three-part message called The Daughter Factor, where we’ve been exploring how our relationship with our earthly father shapes how we see our Heavenly Father.  Even though Mark first shared this at a women’s retreat, these truths really apply to anyone who’s struggled with father wounds or rejection.  Today, we’ll discover how to break free from those harmful patterns and start seeing ourselves the way God sees us.

Bold Steps Gift: LIES GIRLS BELIEVE: AND THE TRUTH THAT SETS THEM FREE

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The Naples City Council rightfully voted down exposing children to lewd, indecent, or sexually explicit displays. Constitutional expert, lawyer, author, pastor, and founder of Liberty Counsel Mat Staver discusses the important topics of the day with co-hosts and guests that impact life, liberty, and family. To stay informed and get involved, visit LC.org.