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What if the manger only makes sense in the light of the cross? We follow the “trail of the Lamb” across Scripture to show why Christmas is neither accidental nor sentimental, but the unveiling of God’s long-promised Passover Lamb. From Micah’s prophecy to Bethlehem’s fields, we connect the dots between shepherds, a stable, and the larger story of redemption that began before the world and reaches its fullness at the cross.

We walk through key waypoints: Adam and Eve’s covering that exposed the limits of self-made solutions; Abel’s accepted offering that highlighted the necessity of innocent blood; and Abraham and Isaac on Moriah, where a thorn-caught substitute points forward to a willing Savior. Then we arrive in Egypt, where a meek lamb defeats a serpent-crowned empire and a nation learns that rescue comes through applied blood, not good intentions. The Passover doorposts form a rough cross, and the shared meal forms a people—freed slaves who carry the lamb within as they step into a new identity.

Along the way, we explore why the New Testament calls Jesus the Lamb so often, how songs of the Lamb shape Christian worship, and why “Christ in you, the hope of glory” turns faith from performance into participation. Christmas becomes a doorway, not a detour: a planned moment where the ruler from Bethlehem arrives as a Lamb, whose life and death unite prophecy, sacrifice, and victory over the serpent. Join us as we rediscover the season’s depth and let the Lamb reshape our hope, courage, and worship.

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The word that changes everything isn’t go—it’s come. We open Genesis 7:1 and step into Noah’s world of long silence, steady hammer blows, and an outrageous promise that demanded decades of obedience before a single drop fell. As the animals gather and the sky darkens with a first taste of lightning, we follow the thread of how faith becomes action, how action becomes righteousness credited by God, and how an invitation reshapes a family’s future.

We wrestle honestly with a question many of us carry: where does my choice meet God’s choice? Scripture speaks with both voices—election and responsibility—and we hold those parallel truths without flinching. Along the way we trace the pattern of household salvation through Cornelius, Lydia, and the Philippian jailer, unpacking the weight and privilege of spiritual leadership at home. Influence matters, but compulsion has no place; each person must decide to walk through the open door. Noah’s sons didn’t inherit faith by proximity—they demonstrated it by stepping into the ark.

If you’re facing a long season of quiet, this conversation offers a way to live: build before the storm, trust when the sky is clear, and be ready to move when God’s invitation arrives. We share practical ways to lead your home with Scripture, prayer, repentance, and courage, while urging a posture of humility in mysteries we cannot solve. More than anything, we end with gratitude—grace that finds us, calls us, and keeps us when our understanding runs thin. If this encouraged you, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs hope, and leave a review so others can find these conversations too.

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A concrete-walled hospital, two open wards, and a handful of nurses training students to shoulder the work—our story begins there, in late-1970s Gaza, where medicine, faith, and friendship intersected with daily need. Carlotta shares how a verse in Luke moved her from homebody to journeyman nurse, and how routine dawn rounds gave way to something bigger: home health across packed refugee camps, conversations over wound care, and a classroom that doubled as a laboratory for courage.

We pull back the curtain on a Christmas Eve few imagine. As part of Israel’s lone Christian choir, Carlotta sang carols in Bethlehem at 11:30 pm, under searchlights and the watch of soldiers on rooftops. The square buzzed, the wind cut hard, and yet the message held steady: hope can speak over noise. That season stretched further with a Perry Como recording near Jerusalem’s walls, a surreal bridge between Western audiences and the stone and stories of the Holy Land.

The heartbeat of the episode lands in the quiet weeks that followed: a small Bible study that grew, two Greek Orthodox students discipled deeply, and then a surprise—22 Muslim students professed faith over several months. One young woman described a dream of blood like rain, recognized as Christ’s forgiveness, sealing a change that shaped her life. We reflect on safety, politics, and the complex mix of admiration and suspicion toward America at the time, while holding fast to the ordinary aims we all share: to work, to care for family, to find meaning that lasts.

Our path to long-term overseas service closed with a glaucoma diagnosis at 23, but that detour opened decades of short-term missions, community work, crisis pregnancy centers, and church planting at home. If this story resonates, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review—then tell us which moment stayed with you after the credits rolled.

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Faith that never moves is just talk. We open Genesis 6:22 and watch Noah turn belief into lumber, nails, and a century of resolve, then follow Hebrews 11 to see why obedience is the natural language of trust. From there, Abraham’s journeys and knife-edge obedience force an honest question: what good is faith that never risks, reaches, or builds?

Together we map a simple, durable path for living love out loud. We start with what Jesus loved. He treasured the Word, answering temptation with Scripture, so we lay out a practical plan to read through the Bible in a year and a weekly rhythm for memorizing and reviewing verses until they live in your heart. We move to prayer the way Luke tells it—Jesus slipping away to quiet places—and share how to carve out daily solitude that turns worry into worship and aligns your will with the Father’s.

Love for Jesus also shows up in love for His people and for the lost. We talk frankly about belonging to a local church, serving with your gifts, and dropping the lone-ranger mindset. Then we head to a Samaritan well and the streets of Pentecost, where hearts full of the Spirit can’t keep quiet about grace. If you’ve wondered how to turn belief into a life that holds steady under scorn, pressure, and change, this conversation offers a clear framework: read, pray, belong, and share.

Listen for practical steps, honest questions, and a steady refrain: trust and obey. If this resonates, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs courage, and leave a quick review so more people can find it. What’s the first action your faith will take this week?

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Five books. One lively conversation that jumps from genetics to law, from compassion to culture, from jungle missions to a CEO’s second chance. We pulled together a year-end stack that refuses easy answers and invites deeper thinking, practical wisdom, and real hope.

We start with Traced by Nathaniel T. Jeanson, a lay-friendly tour through genetics and human migrations that challenges assumptions about where we come from and how we got here. Then we turn to Vaccines Amen by attorney Aaron Siri, who opens the courtroom door on depositions, evidence standards, and the places where health policy starts to look more like dogma than science. The point isn’t to burn it all down; it’s to build trust through transparent data, honest limits, and accountability.

Ali Beth Stuckey’s Toxic Empathy presses on a tender nerve: compassion can harm when it drifts from truth. We unpack how that plays out in debates over abortion, immigration, and LGBT policy, and why wise love needs clear definitions, moral courage, and Scripture-saturated thinking. From there, Gary Dawson’s Gringo Mamo of the Amazon drops us into the Orinoco basin, where language, friendship, and spiritual conflict shape a raw portrait of mission work that is anything but tidy. Finally, Mike Lindell’s What Are the Odds traces a bruising path through addiction, gambling, entrepreneurship, and, eventually, a genuine encounter with faith that reorders everything.

Threading through our conversation is a simple conviction: readers are leaders. Daily Bible reading anchors us; thoughtful books expand us. If you’re setting goals for the new year, this list offers challenge, comfort, and a few jaw-dropping stories to keep you turning pages. Join us, take notes, and then tell us what you’re reading next.

If this conversation sparked a new title on your list, tap follow, share with a friend who loves a good book, and leave a quick review so others can find the show. Your feedback helps us choose the next stack.

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A global flood unlike any other, a covenant that anchors hope, and a cascade of questions modern listeners still ask—this conversation moves from the text of Genesis 6:17–21 into the texture of real life. We read the passage, sit with the gravity of mabul and kataklysmos, and consider what it means for God to sit as king over catastrophic waters while preserving life through a promise.

We walk through the covenant with Noah and why its first mention shapes everything that follows. From there, we tackle the thorny logistics that critics raise and the curious love: How did the animals arrive? Why does the text say they came to Noah? Migration offers a living analogy, from birds navigating continents to a firsthand story of Yucatan flamingos that vanished days before a hurricane struck and returned after the coast cleared. The interplay of instinct, providence, and timing offers a fresh window on ancient claims.

Capacity and kinds take center stage next. We explore the difference between “kinds” and modern species counts, the role of juvenile large animals, and how genetic diversity can flow from a common ancestral pair—think dogs ranging from coyotes to Great Danes. By framing the ark’s volume in practical terms and acknowledging average animal size, the math becomes less mythic and more methodical. Finally, we consider survival across 150 days: hibernation and dormancy as built-in strategies that lower metabolic demands and point to a creation wired with contingency.

Across the hour, the thread holds: judgment does not erase mercy; authority does not cancel compassion; preparation and obedience still matter when the sky hasn’t opened yet. If you’re drawn to Scripture, science questions, or the meeting point between them, this episode offers a steady, respectful path through debates and into hope. Listen, reflect, and share with someone who’s asking the same questions. If this resonated, follow the show, leave a review, and pass it along to a friend who loves big ideas and clear answers.

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Gratitude sounds simple until stories from the field reset your compass. We open the pantry, feel the mattress under our back, turn a clean tap, and then remember widows in Haiti boiling roots to calm a hollow ache. The contrast isn’t meant to shame; it’s meant to wake us up. When abundance becomes invisible, we forget how to see it—and how to share it.

I walk through the everyday mercies that carry us: food security, a roof that keeps out the rain, sanitation that quietly prevents disease, and shoes that protect every step. Along the way, I share moments from medical missions in Haiti and Central America—dirt floors, charcoal fires, open rivers used for drinking and washing—that reframe complaints about convenience. We talk about health in plain terms, from foot fungus to clean water, and why infrastructure may be one of the most compassionate forms of care. Then we turn to the gifts stitched into our bodies: eyes that take in sunrise, ears that catch laughter, a voice that can praise.

The story widens to formation and faith. I reflect on being raised by Christian parents, learning Scripture, finding mentors, and discovering a lifelong hunger for biographies of believers and missionaries. That heritage could have been otherwise; many are born where the gospel is absent or opposed. Which brings us to the heart of the conversation: the surpassing worth of knowing Jesus. If life held loss from start to finish and still ended with redemption, it would not be wasted. Possessions, achievements, even family cannot answer the final question; grace does. Gratitude becomes more than a mood—it becomes an anchor strong enough for joy and sorrow.

If this resonates, share it with someone who needs perspective today. Subscribe for more stories and biblical insights, and leave a review to help others find the show. What ordinary gift are you most thankful for right now?

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A world soaked in violence. A warning no one wanted. A colossal barge with one door and a promise that judgment would not have the final word. We open Genesis 6:13–16 and follow the details many skip: gopher wood, three decks, precise dimensions, and a sealing pitch that does more than waterproof—it whispers the first hint of atonement. Along the way, we share a striking story from the Middle East, where a nursing student’s night vision of flowing blood confirmed the gospel she’d heard and pulled belief from possibility into surrender.

We talk plainly about how God speaks now—through the written Word, preached and taught—and how extraordinary moments like dreams never replace Scripture but can press its truth home. Then we dig into the ark’s design with clear, accessible reasoning: why a barge for stability and capacity, how cubits translate into modern terms, and why feasibility matters for an honest reading of the text. The symbolism deepens the structure: one door in the ark, one door to the sheepfold, one way to the Father. This isn’t narrow for its own sake; it’s a coherent rescue plan in a world of false exits.

Finally, we challenge the quiet creed of our age: that everything continues the same, untouched by the living God. Creation, the worldwide flood, and the resurrection say otherwise. Noah built when rain had never fallen. Faith looked foolish until it was the only wisdom left. We ask you to choose a foundation—scientism and uniformitarianism, or the God who speaks and saves—and to live like people who expect Him to act. If this stirred new questions or fresh courage, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a review so others can find these conversations.

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A veteran narcotics investigator pulls back the curtain on how major drug cases really come together—without the TV gloss. We sit down with Chad Murray, a former local narcotics leader and ATF task force officer, to map the routes, decisions, and human stakes that define modern drug enforcement across the Southeast.

Chad explains how I‑85 and Atlanta act as arteries for meth, guns, and cash, and why “force multiplier” task forces matter when small counties don’t have the budget for long, meticulous investigations. You’ll hear how a tip can spark a simple interdiction, how conspiracies are built over months through surveillance and informants, and why federal prosecution—screened by assistant U.S. attorneys—rarely collapses in court. We get candid about the realities behind the numbers: multi‑agency coordination to protect larger cases, the surprising limits of undercover work in tight‑knit communities, and the sentencing ranges that push most defendants to plead rather than roll the dice at trial.

The story deepens when we talk burnout and balance. Chad shares practical ways to set boundaries, leave the job at the door, and stay effective over decades. We also highlight redemption: when drug court turns a pain‑pill spiral into a second chance or when a neighbor’s hug proves a search warrant changed a block for the better. It’s a grounded look at justice that needs both teeth and heart—firm on trafficking, compassionate when recovery is possible, and honest about what it takes to keep communities safe.

If this conversation gave you a better lens on how cases truly work, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a review. Your support helps more listeners find thoughtful, real‑world stories that matter.

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A world once drowned in corruption and violence feels uncomfortably familiar. We open Genesis 6:11–13 and ask hard questions about what God saw then and what He sees now—how cultures drift toward destruction, how violence gets normalized, and why judgment, though severe, is the just response of a holy and loving God. Along the way, we linger on Noah’s family, the power and limits of godly influence, and the honest reality that every child chooses a path. Influence forms, but it does not force; that truth should keep us humble, hopeful, and persistent.

From there, we widen the lens. Psalm 139 and Hebrews 4 remind us that nothing hides from God’s sight—every motive, every secret permission, every public celebration of harm. We connect the ancient term for violence, hamas, to modern headlines and to the cultural liturgies we often overlook: entertainment that prizes brutality, sports that trade long-term health for short-term spectacle, and online tribes that turn neighbors into enemies. The point isn’t outrage; it’s clarity. What we cheer, we become.

Yet the story does not stop at diagnosis. We talk about the restraining presence of the Holy Spirit in the church—the salt-and-light influence that slows decay and holds back waves of judgment. Scripture paints the flood as a global, cataclysmic reckoning, a real answer to real evil, and also a warning written for our hope. If mercy still holds the door open, then our task is simple and costly: like Noah, build in public and speak with patience. Share your testimony. Trust the gospel’s power more than your eloquence. Think of the names already rising in your mind and take one faithful step toward them today.

If this conversation stirred you, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review so others can find it. And tell someone your story this week—there’s still time, and there’s still room.

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