In Episode 57 of Joy Hour, Tom Lyman sits down with Ben Barichivich for a focused conversation about joy, happiness, service, purpose, and how to stay grounded in what really lasts.

Tom and Ben talk through the difference between happiness and joy. Happiness is often tied to what happens around us: a new purchase, a good meal, a hobby, a fun moment, or something going right. Joy goes deeper. Joy can remain even when the day is hard, the bills are real, the schedule is full, and life is still requiring faith, discipline, and endurance.

This conversation looks at the ways people often chase happiness through material things, entertainment, hobbies, accomplishments, and comfort, only to find that those things cannot fill the deeper place in the soul. Golf, a boat, a new car, a good meal, or a fun experience can be enjoyed, but they were never meant to become the source.

Tom and Ben also talk about how joy is often unlocked through serving others. Whether it is fixing something, cooking a meal, cleaning, listening to someone who needs to talk, helping a neighbor, volunteering, or simply being present, service has a way of pulling attention away from self and back toward purpose.

This episode is also a reminder that joy is connected to relationship: relationship with Jesus, relationship with family, relationship with brothers, and relationship with people who need encouragement. Sometimes the moment that fills the joy tank is not a dramatic spiritual experience, but a simple act of obedience, kindness, hospitality, or listening.

What would change if you stopped chasing happiness and started locking into joy? 

In Episode 56 of Joy Hour, Tom Lyman sits down with Kara to hear a powerful testimony of prayer, rebellion, mercy, restoration, and coming back to God.

Kara shares what it was like growing up around Endtime Ministries, prophecy, prayer, church life, and a family deeply committed to the work of God. From an early age, she learned how to pray by listening to her father, and she remembers moments where the presence of God became real to her as a child.

But her story also includes years of pain, manipulation, addiction, destructive relationships, and running from the truth she still knew was real. Kara opens up about being pulled away from God as a teenager, the choices that followed, and the guilt, spiritual conflict, and brokenness that kept trying to hold her life captive.

This conversation also highlights the power of a praying parent. Kara shares how her father went on a 40-day fast, praying for God to save his daughter, and how God began dealing with her in ways she could not ignore. Even when she was far from God, God had not left her.

Tom and Kara talk about the importance of sharing your story, praying “create in me a clean heart,” and doing whatever it takes to get right with God. This episode is a reminder that no one is too far gone, no testimony is wasted, and the same God who restores can use the broken places to help reach somebody else.

What would change if you finally prayed, “God, whatever it takes, bring me back to You”? 

In Episode 55 of Joy Hour, Tom Lyman closes out Part 8 of the 8-part Built Men series with a session on consistency beats intensity.

Built Men is a growing brotherhood of faith-based men who meet virtually every Tuesday night, stay connected throughout the week, and challenge one another to grow spiritually, mentally, physically, financially, and relationally with God at the center.

This series has given listeners a look inside the conversations happening in that brotherhood, where men are learning to stop drifting, take ownership, and live with discipline, purpose, accountability, and faith.

This episode is built around Galatians 6:9 and the reminder not to grow weary in doing well, because in due season we will reap if we do not faint. Big moments may be exciting, but they do not build strong men by themselves. Daily consistency does.

Tom talks about why intensity feels powerful but often fades quickly. A man can get excited, make big plans, buy the journal, set the goals, and still fall back into the same cycle if he does not build consistency. Small wins repeated over time create identity, trust, momentum, and long-term strength.This session challenges men to stop living in all-or-nothing thinking and start showing up daily. Time with God, exercise, obedience, one important task, one commitment followed through. Simple, daily, steady.

The homework is direct: pick three daily non-negotiables, track them for seven days, and share those commitments with another brother for accountability.

What would change if you stopped chasing intensity and started showing up daily?

In Episode 54 of Joy Hour, Tom Lyman continues Part 7 of the 8-part Built Men series with a session on stewarding time and energy.

Built Men is a growing brotherhood of faith-based men who meet virtually every Tuesday night, stay connected throughout the week, and challenge one another to grow spiritually, mentally, physically, financially, and relationally with God at the center. This series gives listeners a look inside the conversations happening in that brotherhood, where men are learning to stop drifting, take ownership, and live with purpose.

This episode is built around Ephesians 5:15–16 and the call to walk wisely, redeeming the time. Time is one of the most valuable resources a man has, and energy determines how well he uses it. A lot of men say they do not have time, but their schedule, screen time, spending, and habits often tell a different story.

Tom talks about the difference between wasting time and stewarding it, why busyness can become a distraction from purpose, and how the enemy often works through sin, overcommitment, and distraction. If a man does not control his time, something else will.

This session challenges men to audit where their time actually goes, eliminate one major time waster, and tell another man where they are making a change. Stewardship is obedience, and a man who knows his purpose cannot afford to waste his days.

What is getting your time and energy that no longer deserves it?

n Episode 53 of Joy Hour, Tom Lyman continues Part 6 of the 8-part Built Men series with a session on winning the body.

Built Men is a growing brotherhood of faith-based men who meet virtually every Tuesday night, stay connected throughout the week, and challenge one another to grow spiritually, mentally, physically, financially, and relationally with God at the center. This series gives listeners a look inside the conversations happening in that brotherhood, where men are learning to stop drifting, take ownership, and build lives with discipline, purpose, accountability, and faith.

This episode is built around 1 Corinthians 6:19–20 and the reminder that the body is the temple of the Holy Ghost. Tom talks about why the body is not separate from purpose, and why physical discipline affects spiritual clarity, leadership, energy, confidence, and consistency.

This session is not about perfection or comparison. It is about stewardship. A man does not have to overhaul his entire life in one day. He can start with one walk, one push-up, one healthier choice, one better drink, one simple discipline repeated consistently. Simple beats extreme, and daily beats occasional.

Tom also shares from his own story of recovery, sobriety, aging, energy, and learning to care for the body with a clearer why: to serve God, lead family, reach others, and have the strength to keep showing up. The body matters because there is still work to do.

This episode challenges men to move intentionally each day, choose one improvement in eating or hydration, and tell another man how they are taking ownership of their health.

What would change if you treated your body like it was connected to your calling?

In Episode 52 of Joy Hour, Tom Lyman continues Part 5 of the 8-part Built Men series with a session on winning the mind.

Built Men is a growing brotherhood of faith-based men who meet virtually every Tuesday night, stay connected throughout the week, and challenge one another to grow spiritually, mentally, physically, financially, and relationally with God at the center. This series gives listeners a look inside the conversations happening in that brotherhood, where men are learning to stop drifting, take ownership, and build lives with discipline, purpose, accountability, and faith.

This episode is built around Romans 12:2 and the command to be transformed by the renewing of the mind. Every battle starts in the mind. Thoughts shape decisions, decisions shape habits, and habits shape the direction of a man’s life. If a man does not lead his mind, eventually his mind will lead him.

Tom talks about the importance of reading, guarding what enters through the eyes and ears, rejecting lies, and replacing negative thoughts with truth. The mind is a gate. What enters gets planted, what gets planted grows, and what grows eventually produces fruit.

This session also challenges men to stop trusting every thought that passes through their mind. Mental discipline requires repetition, just like physical discipline. Scripture, silence, prayer, journaling, and accountability all help create clarity and keep the mind anchored in truth.

This episode challenges men to identify one recurring negative or limiting thought, pair it with Scripture or a clear truth, speak that truth daily, and share it with another brother for prayer and accountability.

What thought have you been allowing to lead you instead of the truth?

Built Men is a growing brotherhood of faith-based men who meet virtually every Tuesday night, stay connected throughout the week, and challenge one another to grow spiritually, mentally, physically, financially, and relationally with God at the center. This series gives listeners a look inside the conversations happening in that brotherhood, where men are learning to stop drifting, take ownership, and build lives with discipline, purpose, and faith.

This episode focuses on the first moments of the day. The way a man starts his morning often sets the tone for how he handles pressure, leads his family, responds to interruptions, and walks with God. A rushed morning can create stress, short patience, foggy focus, and reactive decisions. A protected morning creates margin, clarity, confidence, and spiritual direction.

Tom shares how watching his dad pray in the mornings left a lasting example, and he challenges men to take an honest look at their own morning routine. Winning the morning does not have to look the same for every man, but it should include intention, time with God, movement, and a refusal to let the day begin in chaos.

This session also connects winning the morning to winning the night. A stronger morning usually starts the evening before with better decisions about sleep, screens, routines, and what gets attention before bed.

This episode challenges men to choose a consistent wake-up time, spend at least 10 minutes each morning in Scripture, prayer, or quiet time with God, and message another man after completing the routine for accountability.

What would change if the first 30 minutes of your day belonged to God instead of chaos?

In Episode 50 of Joy Hour, Tom Lyman continues Part 3 of the 8-part Built Men series with a session on building daily structure.

Built Men is a growing brotherhood of faith-based men who meet virtually every Tuesday night, stay connected throughout the week, and challenge one another to grow spiritually, physically, financially, and relationally with God at the center. This series gives listeners a look inside the kinds of conversations happening in that group, where men are learning to stop drifting, take ownership, and build lives with purpose.

This episode focuses on the importance of structure. Freedom may sound like doing whatever feels good in the moment, but a life without structure usually leads to chaos, frustration, missed priorities, and inconsistent growth. Structure is not restriction. Structure protects what matters.

Tom walks through why so many men live reactively instead of intentionally, confuse busyness with progress, and give their best energy to work while leaving their family, faith, and personal growth with the leftovers. Daily structure helps create margin, reduce decision fatigue, build confidence, and make room for the things that actually matter.

This session challenges men to choose one daily non-negotiable, write down the three most important actions for each day, and share that plan with another man for accountability. Simple done daily beats complex done rarely.

What would change if your days were built by design instead of default?

In Episode 49 of Joy Hour, Tom Lyman continues Part 2 of the 8-part Built Men series with a focused session on killing drift.

Built Men is a growing brotherhood of faith-based men who meet virtually every Tuesday night, stay connected throughout the week, and challenge one another to grow with discipline, purpose, accountability, and God at the center. This series gives listeners a look into the conversations happening inside that group, where men are learning to stop drifting, take ownership, and build lives that hold steady.

This episode is built around Hebrews 2:1 and the warning to give careful attention to what we have heard, so we do not let it slip. Drift rarely happens all at once. No man plans to drift away from God, his marriage, his purpose, his health, or his convictions. It usually starts quietly: skipping what once mattered, lowering standards little by little, getting too comfortable, becoming too busy, and tolerating what once would have been rejected.

Tom talks about the cost of drift, including lost clarity, lost momentum, weakened leadership, and damaged relationships. He also explains why discipline is the anchor that keeps a man grounded. You do not fix drift with emotion. You fix it with awareness, intentionality, and action.

This episode challenges men to identify one area where they have drifted, recommit to one discipline they stopped or softened, and tell another man where they are resetting.

Where have you drifted, and what discipline do you need to return to?

In Episode 48 of Joy Hour, Tom Lyman begins Part 1 of an 8-part Built Men series with one of the most important foundations of growth: discipline over motivation.

Built Men is a growing brotherhood of faith-based men who meet virtually every Tuesday night, stay connected throughout the week, and challenge one another to grow spiritually, mentally, physically, financially, and relationally with God at the center. This 8-part series gives listeners a glimpse into the kind of conversations happening inside that group, where men are learning to stop drifting, take ownership, and build lives marked by consistency, purpose, obedience, and accountability.

This first part focuses on why motivation cannot be trusted. Feelings change. Energy comes and goes. Excuses show up easily. But discipline responds to commitment, not emotion. A man does not become strong because he feels ready every day. He becomes strong because he decides what matters, puts it on the calendar, and follows through when no one is watching.

Tom also connects discipline to humility, leadership, and personal integrity. It is not enough to teach, lead, or encourage others from theory. Real influence comes from lived experience, consistency, and the willingness to do the work before asking others to do the same.

This episode challenges men to choose one daily discipline, follow through no matter how they feel, and invite another man to hold them accountable. Discipline is not punishment. It is preparation.

What would change in your life if you stopped waiting to feel motivated?