Ever felt the weight of religious expectations but missed the warmth of being known by name? We lean into the story of Zacchaeus to show how Jesus flips the script—choosing invitation over condemnation and relationship over performance—and why that shift still disrupts our assumptions today. Grace moves first, and when it does, real change follows without manipulation or pressure.

We unpack how curiosity can position us to see Jesus, but only surrender transforms us. From there, we talk about what love looks like on the ground: obeying Jesus because we trust him, loving our neighbors without strings, and refusing to let opinions drown out kindness. If love is our measure, then the loudest microphone in our lives should be the way we treat people—especially those on the same team. Scripture guides the way: love God with everything, love your neighbor as yourself, and let kindness lead to repentance.

Then we get practical. Compassion starts by noticing people, not just their choices. Faith shows up as rides given, meals shared, schedules interrupted, and apologies offered. We challenge a common shortcut—inviting friends to church before sharing our own stories—and encourage a better way: invite people into your life first. Discipleship grows in proximity, on car rides and coffee tables, where the good, the bad, and the ongoing work of grace can actually be seen. If you’re hungry for a faith that feels honest and a church that meets real needs, this conversation will give you language, courage, and a next step.

If this resonates, share it with a friend, subscribe for more, and leave a review telling us where you’ve seen grace produce real change.

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The ladies dive into 1 Peter and what it means to be a "Submissive Wife." Listen in for a great conversation! 

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/s5-e32-subversive-submission-unpacking-1-peters-radical/id1564127400?i=1000688469845

 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/s5-e33-subversive-submission-unpacking-1-peters-radical/id1564127400?i=1000690782823 

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Wendell sits down with us to trace a jagged path from a strict church upbringing to years lost in addiction, from chasing belonging in all the wrong places to raising his hands in a hallway at home and discovering that surrender is the only kind of strength that holds. What follows is a raw, deeply hopeful conversation about purpose, identity, and the stubborn power of prayer.

We talk about how a surprise welcome at LCC changed everything—familiar faces from an old worship team, a new community that felt like home, and a place to put his gifts to work. Wendell opens up about overdoses averted, the cost of pride, and the moment he stopped caring who was watching and started praising God anyway. He shows us how service can anchor recovery, why tears on stage are testimony not shame, and how mentors—from a gracious young leader to a steadfast uncle—helped him rebuild the habits that shape a life.

If you’re a parent of a teen, you’ll find practical wisdom: say “you’re loved” every day, protect car time for real talk, listen more than you fix, and turn small moments into sacred ground. If you love someone wrestling with addiction, Wendell’s plea is simple and fierce—don’t stop praying. He names the people who covered him daily and credits their faith with pulling him back when his own will faltered. For anyone hesitating at the edge of surrender, there’s a bold challenge: prove your toughness by lifting your hands, not your defenses.

Subscribe, share this episode with someone who needs hope, and leave a review to help others find these stories of grace, grit, and second chances. Who are you praying for today?

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Start with a better question than “What’s my plan?” Try this: “Is my relationship with Jesus flourishing?” Everything else—work, money, marriage, even vacations—looks different when your soul moves from dormant to blooming.

We explore a clear, four-step path rooted in Ephesians 1 and framed by the vivid image of Death Valley’s rare super bloom. First, know God intimately—beyond Sunday routines and head knowledge—to a heart-level relationship that reshapes your days. Second, find freedom by letting God clear the “eyes of your heart,” so past hurts stop coloring present choices; real healing grows in honest, prayerful community. Third, discover purpose as you see the hope you’re called to carry. Purpose stops being a job title and becomes the unique role you play in sharing the redeeming work of Jesus. Finally, make a difference by investing where God counts riches: people. Neighbors, coworkers, and family become the field where hope is planted and futures change.

Along the way we anchor in Psalm 92’s promise that those planted in God’s house flourish, and Psalm 16’s vision of a path that leads to fullness of joy. We talk practical habits that change your environment—consistent time in Scripture and prayer, joining a small group for accountability and healing, serving with your gifts, and taking courageous next steps that align with calling. We also unpack why church growth matters only as a byproduct of transformed lives: when people find freedom and purpose, rooms fill, and capacity must grow to serve more stories of renewal.

If you’re ready to trade striving for flourishing, this conversation offers a simple map: know God, find freedom, discover purpose, make a difference. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs hope, and leave a review telling us which step you’re taking next.

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We look back on 15 years of growth, celebrate 130 baptisms, and lay out a clear vision for 2026 built on family, accountability, and courage. We talk miracles, foster care, crisis care teams, and a dream that’s bigger than any building.

• remembering early days and first-parade stories
• why baptisms keep the focus on Jesus
• growth in leadership through anxiety, miracles and trust
• foster care, learning, and loving beyond comfort
• a God-sized dream and 57 acres without hype
• how a church lasts through Scripture and courage
• family expectations: love, serve, disciple, give
• reframing church hurt as people hurt and healing in community
• building Life Rescue Teams for crises
• praying for wisdom and a future beyond us

Tap the QR codes to join Life Rescue Teams or One Life Relief

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The ladies are back and this time they are back in their women of the Bible. They spend this episode discussing the life of Sarah in the Bible. Listen in for a great conversation! 

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A casual holiday opener quickly gives way to one of the most arresting testimonies we’ve hosted: Mike’s path from a fractured childhood and counterfeit models of manhood to the discipline of the military, the shock of Iraq, and a visceral encounter with Christ that ended fence-sitting for good. He takes us through Al Kut under siege, the gnawing fear of not coming home, and the moment a sculptor’s hammer at a men’s retreat made Jesus’ suffering feel present, undeniable, and deeply personal.

We talk about what happens when you inherit no blueprint for marriage or fatherhood and try to fake it with cultural scripts. Mike shares how structure, mentorship, and the humility to start over helped rebuild trust with his family during a rocky reentry marked by paranoia and anger. He describes seeing Ur’s ziggurat from base, standing near Babylon, and teaching Genesis with the conviction that Scripture reads like eyewitness history, not bedtime tales. That shift—from “stories” to “accounts”—changed how he leads, loves, and serves.

This conversation is both a challenge and a comfort to men who feel stuck between belief and obedience. Mike’s invitation is clear: your influence is larger than you think, your gifts are needed now, and eternity is the real horizon for your decisions at home, at work, and in your church. If you’ve been waiting for a sign to step up, confess, mentor, or simply show up with consistency and courage, consider this your nudge. Subscribe, share with a friend who needs hope, and leave a review to help more people find stories that spark real change.

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Nick grew up under the weight of fear, traded pain for weed and whiskey, and spiraled into a front-porch fire, a stack of felonies, and 120 days that could have become 10 years. He walked out determined to live, then drifted back into alcohol and cocaine until shame and a father’s stinging letter nearly broke him. Hannah’s steady presence kept him breathing. A friend’s invite got them through the church doors. A simple prayer, offered without prying, planted a seed.

We walk through the moments that turned a fragile seed into a rooted life: confession after an all-nighter, quiet pastoral care, serving on the safety team, and a new routine that replaced the bar with the gym and the Word. Nick names the guilt that haunted him, including an abortion in his past, and the sentence that cut through it—“You’re forgiven, bro.” Change didn’t erupt; it accumulated. Finish work, move the body, eat, read, sleep. Call a brother. Pray honestly. Show up again.

There’s restoration, too: nicotine gone, alcohol gone, anxiety managed with better tools, and a family beginning to heal. A father who once wrote a letter of disgrace later teared up with pride at a rehearsal dinner. Marriage and baptism marked the milestones; daily choices did the heavy lifting. Even on the road in Memphis, Nick chose discomfort over drift, knocking on a church door to find a new group because growth requires people and practice.

If you’re searching for faith-based recovery, men’s small groups, coping strategies for anxiety, or a way back from shame, this story offers a clear map: do what you can, pray often, and give it to God. Listen, share with a friend who needs hope, and leave a review to help more people find these stories.

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What if the best news of Christmas isn’t that you finally got it together, but that Jesus came for you before you could? We set aside the noise to read John 1 and talk honestly about the gap between our holiday expectations and the reality of frozen cinnamon rolls, missing batteries, and complicated feelings—and why that gap is exactly where grace shines.

We walk through the first Christmas as it actually happened: a birth in a stable, an announcement to night-shift shepherds, and a God who moved toward ordinary people in ordinary places. From there we press on a liberating shift—Scripture doesn’t call us seekers; it calls us lost. Lost people don’t need tips. They need to be found. That’s the difference between religion and Jesus: one demands cleanup before you belong; the other changes you from the inside out. We explore belief versus acceptance with a simple chair metaphor, showing how trust moves from opinion to surrender, and how sons and daughters live from identity, not for it.

You’ll hear about faith that holds when we don’t, a Savior who doesn’t shout directions from heaven but steps in, and a quiet, powerful moment where the room fills with candlelight. Darkness doesn’t leave first; light is shared. That’s how hope spreads. If you’re tired of pretending, curious about what it means to be found, or ready to trade performance for grace, this conversation will meet you where you are and invite you to take a real step toward Jesus.

If this encouraged you, subscribe, share it with a friend who needs hope, and leave a review to help more people find the message. Where do you need light to break in today?

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We trace Isaiah’s promise of Emmanuel through Matthew’s Gospel and show how Jesus’ four names answer fear, division, and doubt during the Christmas season. Presence, not performance, sits at the center: grace given, peace established, and hope made concrete in a person.

• Isaiah’s prophecy to a nation in darkness
• Emmanuel as the promise of presence
• Grace as a gift received not earned
• Government on his shoulders as true authority
• Wonderful Counselor as wisdom beyond human limits
• Mighty God as power restrained and victorious
• Everlasting Father as faithful, unfailing care
• Prince of Peace as authority that calms and confronts
• Invitation to respond in prayer and trust

There’s people right over here on the floor. Maybe the person next to you, maybe you just need to say, hey, listen. I need someone to pray with me.

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