Joy Hour

In Episode 64 of Joy Hour, Tom Lyman talks about the joy that comes from making someone else feel seen, valued, encouraged, and loved.

Acts 20:35 reminds us that “it is more blessed to give than to receive.” Sometimes that giving looks big, but often it is something simple: a phone call, a sincere compliment, a helping hand, a prayer, or taking time to actually listen.

Tom talks about how serving others can shift our attention beyond our own problems. The problems may still be there, but helping someone else reminds us that we still have something to give. It also creates opportunities for the kind of healthy joy that comes from connection, service, and living with purpose.

This episode also goes deeper than simply making somebody smile. People need places where they can say they are struggling, admit they have fallen back into an addiction, talk honestly about depression, or finally say out loud what they have been hiding. Sometimes healing begins because one person was willing to ask, “How are you really doing?” and stay long enough to hear the answer.

Tom shares how relationships through BUILT MEN, Celebrate Recovery, ministry, work, and everyday life have reinforced the importance of slowing down and listening. Nobody can fix another person, but people can help carry each other to the One who can.

The challenge is simple: before today ends, intentionally encourage one person. Tell them what you appreciate. Offer practical help. Ask how you can pray for them. Take the time to make someone feel seen.

Who could you encourage today that may need it more than you realize?

In Episode 63 of Joy Hour, Tom Lyman talks about finding joy when life does not look anything like what you expected.

Romans 8:28 reminds us that all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose. That does not mean everything that happens is good. Pain is real. Disappointment is real. Regret is real. But God is still able to work in the middle of what we do not understand.

Tom shares from his own recovery journey and the consequences of choices he wishes he could change. He talks about rehab, relapse, outpatient treatment, counseling, Celebrate Recovery, accountability, and the process of rebuilding a life one faithful step at a time.

This episode is also about refusing to stay trapped in shame. The past cannot be changed, but it can be surrendered. What once brought embarrassment can become an honest conversation that helps somebody else take a step toward freedom.

Sometimes the goal is not to understand the entire road ahead. Sometimes the next step is simply to tell the truth, ask for help, keep a commitment, stay connected, and obey what you already know to do.

Where has life taken an unexpected turn for you, and what is one faithful step you can take today?

In Episode 62 of Joy Hour, Tom Lyman talks about the little things that often bring the biggest joy.

James 1:17 reminds us that every good and perfect gift comes from God. But sometimes those gifts become so familiar that we stop noticing them.

A quiet morning. A cup of coffee. A conversation with someone you love. Laughter with your kids. A few minutes to pray before the day begins.

Tom talks about how easy it is to get focused on the next job, the next bill, the next responsibility, or the next big moment and completely miss what is already good in front of us.

He also shares about a recent Sunday morning spent in the backyard with a cup of coffee, thinking about Jesus and the men in BUILT MEN. There was no big event happening. It was simply a moment to recognize the people God had placed in his life and to be grateful for the relationships that had already become meaningful.

Joy often requires attention. You can be physically present and still miss the moment if your mind is always somewhere else.

The challenge in this episode is simple: put the phone away for one ordinary moment today. Enjoy the meal. Listen to the story. Notice the person sitting across from you. Thank God for what is already there.

What blessing have you been walking past because it looked too ordinary?

In Episode 61 of Joy Hour, Tom Lyman talks about what it means to choose joy even when life does not feel joyful.

Philippians 4:4 says, “Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.” Paul wrote those words while imprisoned. His circumstances were not easy, but his joy was rooted somewhere deeper than what was happening around him.

Tom explains the difference between happiness that responds to circumstances and joy that is rooted in Jesus. Choosing joy does not mean pretending everything is fine, ignoring pain, or forcing a smile. It can simply mean being honest about a difficult day and still choosing to turn toward God.

Tom also shares from his own life about a season when he avoided early morning prayer because he knew surrender might require sacrifices he was not ready to make. Today, prayer, time with God, and physical discipline have become part of his morning rhythm. The responsibilities are still there, but he is learning to bring them to Jesus before allowing everything else to consume his attention.

The challenge in this episode is simple: before tomorrow becomes busy, take five minutes to pray and thank God for something specific.

Your circumstances may take time to change, but where will you choose to turn today?

In Episode 60 of Joy Hour, Tom Lyman sits down with his wife, Lana Lyman, and her parents, Kathy and Glen Williams, for a conversation about faithfulness, calling, service, purpose, and what a successful life really looks like.

Glen and Kathy have spent decades serving others through ministry, teaching, pastoring, Christian education, recovery work, and countless ordinary acts of service that were never about recognition. They share how calling often does not begin with a detailed plan from God. Sometimes it begins by simply being available, doing what is in front of you, and continuing to say yes.

The conversation also challenges the idea that ministry success is measured by platforms, numbers, titles, or influence. Glen shares why he never wanted to chase the stage and how learning to serve the people God placed in front of him became more important than trying to imitate someone else's ministry. Kathy reflects on more than four decades of teaching and the sacrifices their family made because they believed Christian education and ministry were worth investing in.

Lana also explains how understanding temperament can help people stop comparing themselves to others and start recognizing who God actually created them to be. When a person understands their strengths, weaknesses, needs, calling, and purpose, they can stop exhausting themselves trying to become somebody else.

Through stories of ministry, parenting, financial sacrifice, serving when nobody noticed, and staying faithful when the results did not always look impressive, this episode comes back to one central idea: God never said, “Well done, good and successful servant.” He said, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”

What would change if you stopped measuring your life by success and started measuring it by faithfulness?

In Episode 59 of Joy Hour, Tom Lyman sits down with his wife, Dr. Lana Lyman, for a conversation about what it means to be fully alive instead of simply going through the motions.

Inspired by Lana’s writing, Alive or Only Breathing, this episode explores how easy it is to become good at functioning while losing the ability to experience joy. A person can go to work, raise a family, pay bills, attend church, and fulfill every responsibility while quietly feeling like they are only surviving.

Tom and Lana also open up about their own marriage and the years of addiction, betrayal, and uncertainty they experienced. Lana shares what it was like to lose her joy during those seasons, the difficulty of feeling safe enough to enjoy life again, and how she learned that joy and pain can exist at the same time. Joy does not require pretending that everything is okay.

The conversation also looks at the difference between genuine joy and the temporary relief of entertainment, shopping, scrolling, or other distractions. Lana explains how gratitude helps people recognize what is still good in the middle of difficult circumstances, rather than postponing joy until everything gets better.

Along the way, Tom and Lana share some lighter moments about their family, favorite things, and what brings them joy today. Their challenge is simple: identify one thing that genuinely brings joy and make room for it this week.

Are you fully alive, or have you been so busy surviving that you have forgotten what brings you joy?

In Episode 58 of Joy Hour, Tom Lyman sits down with Michele McDonald for a powerful conversation about addiction, recovery, healing, surrender, and the God who restores broken pieces.

Michele shares how her life began with faith, church, and a Bible-believing family, but how pain, divorce, anger, and a lack of real relationship with God led her into a dark season she never expected. What started as searching for relief quickly became a life of addiction, isolation, abuse, shame, and brokenness.

This episode is honest about how fast darkness can take over when someone begins entertaining what they know is destructive. Michele talks about meth addiction, denial, losing relationships, feeling hopeless, and reaching a moment where she believed there was no way out.

But her story did not end there. Michele shares the moment God reached for her in the middle of despair, the decision to leave that life behind, and the long process of recovery, restoration, and healing that followed. Nearly 11 years clean and sober, she now teaches recovery, leads others toward freedom, and helps people understand that healing often happens in steps.

Tom and Michele also talk about forgiveness, inventory, counseling, accountability, recovery groups, and why relationship with God matters more than religious attendance. This episode is a reminder that no story is too broken for God, no person is too far gone, and no testimony is wasted when it is surrendered to Him.

What would change if you stopped believing you were too far gone and started trusting God with the broken pieces? 

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?