In Episode 7 of The Cutting Room Floor, Clay Monkus sits down with “resident scholar” Christian Nichles for a real, unfiltered conversation about gratitude when life absolutely does not go the way you planned.

Fresh off our “Grateful Anyway” message series at Next Level Church, they talk honestly about brain injuries, job rejection, losing stability, church hurt, financial struggle, and how easy it is to let bitterness take over instead of thankfulness. Christian shares more of his story from the Sunday message, and Clay opens up about his own season of losing everything he thought made him “successful.”

Along the way they dig into:

If you’re in a season where life just kind of… sucks, but you want to trust God anyway, this conversation is for you.

👉 Watch the full “Grateful Anyway” series and our Sunday messages on our YouTube channel. @nextlevelclt

👉 Join us in person at Next Level Church (Matthews, NC).

We've reached the final week of our "Grateful Anyway" series, and Lead Pastor Clay Monkus brings us to the foundation that makes lasting gratitude possible.

In Psalm 100:4–5, we encounter a worship song sung by God's people as they entered the temple courts. This wasn't just a feel-good moment—it was a declaration rooted in deep theology. The psalmist calls us to give thanks and praise, but notice where the focus lands: on God's goodness, His enduring love, and His faithfulness that spans every generation.

Here's the truth: gratitude anchored in circumstances will always be fragile. When life is good, we're thankful. When life gets hard, our gratitude wavers. But when we transfer our gratitude from the gifts to the Giver—from what God does to who God is—everything changes. That kind of gratitude grows deep roots that can withstand any storm.

This message will challenge you to build your thankfulness on the only foundation that never shifts: the unchanging character of God. His love doesn't fluctuate with your circumstances. His faithfulness doesn't depend on your performance. And His goodness endures forever.

Series Theme: This series explores how to find and express thankfulness even when circumstances are far from perfect. True gratitude isn't based on circumstances—it's rooted in the character of God, which never changes.

Scripture: Psalm 100:4–5

As we close this series, our prayer is that you'll discover a gratitude that goes deeper than your circumstances—a gratitude anchored in the God who never changes.

Welcome to the launch of our new series, "Grateful Anyway: A Choice That Can Transform Your Life."

In this opening message, Bradley Medford takes us to one of the most challenging settings imaginable—a Roman prison—where the Apostle Paul penned some of the most hope-filled words in Scripture. In Philippians 4:6–7, Paul connects prayer with thanksgiving and reveals how this combination unlocks a peace that defies logic.

What does it look like to be thankful when life feels like a storm? How can we experience God's peace when our circumstances haven't changed? And what if gratitude isn't about what's happening around us, but about who God is in the midst of it all?

This message will challenge you to replace worry with prayer and discover how thankfulness—even in the hardest seasons—can transform your perspective and bring supernatural peace.

Series Theme: This series explores how to find and express thankfulness even when circumstances are far from perfect. True gratitude isn't based on circumstances—it's rooted in the character of God, which never changes.

Scripture: Philippians 4:6–7

Whether you're in a season of blessing, uncertainty, or somewhere in between, we pray this message encourages you to choose gratitude anyway.

Episode 6 of the Cutting Room Floor podcast takes a deeper dive into Part 1 of our Grateful Anyway sermon series. Clay, Christian, and Brad sit down — in full “this is what it’s like when we hang out” mode — and talk about why gratitude isn’t something that magically shows up just because life is good.

We get real about emotions, frustration, discouragement, and how easy it is to believe the lie that “I’ll always feel this way.” Instead, the guys unpack what happens when we slow down long enough to process what we’re feeling, tell God the truth, and look for gratitude even when life doesn’t give us anything to feel grateful for.

This episode is funny, honest, and way too relatable — and it’ll help anyone who’s trying to figure out how to be grateful even when life isn’t going to plan.

For five weeks, we've been pulling back the curtain on the supernatural realm—exploring what the Bible reveals about angels, demons, spiritual warfare, and heaven's response to our prayers. But if all of that knowledge doesn't change the way you actually live, what's the point?

In this series finale of "Supernatural: Why What You Don't See Matters," Lead Pastor Clay Monkus answers the most important question: How does seeing the unseen reality transform your everyday life?

Through the magnificent vision of Colossians 1:15–20, you'll discover that Christ is not only the visible image of the invisible God—He's also the one through whom all things in heaven and on earth were created. He holds the entire cosmos together, seen and unseen. And when you begin to see life through the lens of His supernatural kingdom, everything changes.

Your prayers become more confident because you know heaven is listening and responding. Your hope deepens because you see that God's cosmic plan is unfolding even when circumstances seem chaotic. Your purpose becomes clearer because you realize you're part of a story far bigger than your own life. And your struggles take on new meaning when you understand the unseen forces at work—and the sovereign God who rules over them all.

This message isn't about becoming obsessed with the spiritual realm. It's about living fully awake to reality as God designed it—visible and invisible, earthly and heavenly, physical and spiritual. It's about walking through your days with eyes wide open, alert to God's presence, His purposes, and His supernatural kingdom breaking into your world.

If this series has expanded your understanding of Scripture and the unseen realm, this finale will show you how to live differently because of it. The goal has never been just to know more—it's to see clearly and live boldly in light of God's bigger story.

In this episode of The Cutting Room Floor, Clay Monkus and Christian Nichles talk through all the content that couldn’t fit into Sunday’s message, When Heaven Fights for You — part 4 of our Supernatural series.

We dive deeper into the armor of God from Ephesians 6 — not as a list of spiritual objects, but as something practical we can do.

We talk about:

This is a deeper, more practical conversation about spiritual warfare, faith, and how to live steady when life feels like a battle. If you’ve ever felt like life is harder than it should be, or wondered what’s really happening when you pray — this one’s for you.

Have you ever wondered why certain struggles in your life feel disproportionately difficult? Why some battles seem to drag on far longer than they should? Why prayers that should have simple answers take months or even years to resolve? The answer might be more than circumstantial—it might be supernatural.

In week 4 of our series "Supernatural: Why What You Don't See Matters," Lead Pastor Clay Monkus pulls back the curtain on spiritual warfare and reveals a truth that changes everything: you're not fighting alone. When you pray, heaven responds. God's supernatural help is already at work on your behalf, even when you can't see it yet.

Through the lens of Ephesians 6:10–18 and Daniel 10:12–13, you'll see that spiritual warfare isn't just a metaphor—it's the unseen reality behind many of the battles you face. Daniel's story reveals that from the moment he began to pray, heaven was already fighting for him. But unseen spiritual forces delayed the answer for 21 days. The battle was real, but so was heaven's response.

This message will equip you with practical tools to stand firm in spiritual strength. You'll learn how to put on the full armor of God, recognize when you're in a spiritual battle, and trust God's supernatural help even when you can't see immediate results.

If you're tired of fighting in your own strength, this episode will give you hope and practical guidance. The unseen realm is active, the battle is real—but heaven is fighting for you.

In this episode, Clay and Christian unpack one of the most fascinating and misunderstood ideas in Scripture—the Divine Council. What is it? Who’s in it? And what does it reveal about God’s rule, evil, and our place in the story?

Drawing from Dr. Michael Heiser’s research in The Unseen Realm and Scripture itself, they explore how the Bible consistently shows God working through a heavenly family—spiritual beings who serve His purposes—and how rebellion in that realm still affects ours.

More importantly, they talk about what it means for us today: how Jesus reclaimed authority, why we don’t have to live afraid, and how understanding the unseen world actually deepens our trust in God’s goodness.

If you’ve ever had questions about angels, demons, or what’s really happening in the supernatural story of the Bible—this one’s for you.

The unseen realm isn't empty, and it's not neutral. It's filled with spiritual beings—some fiercely loyal to God, others in open rebellion against Him. And the cosmic conflict between them has been shaping human history from the beginning.

In week 3 of our series "Supernatural: Why What You Don't See Matters," Christian Nichles explores one of Scripture's most fascinating and misunderstood themes: God's divine council. Through Psalm 82:1–2, we see that God presides over spiritual beings and brings judgment when they fail in their assignments. And in Revelation 12:7–9, we witness a war in heaven where Michael and the angels defeat the dragon and his rebellious forces.

But this isn't ancient mythology or symbolic poetry—it's the biblical reality behind the spiritual battles we face today. Understanding who's loyal to God and who's working against Him isn't just interesting; it's essential for discerning truth, resisting deception, and aligning yourself with God's purposes.

This message will challenge the way you read Scripture and equip you to see the bigger story at work. You'll learn how to recognize the players in the unseen realm and why that awareness changes how you pray, how you fight, and how you live out your faith.

If you've ever wondered about the spiritual forces at work behind the scenes of your life, this episode will give you clarity and confidence to stand on the right side of the battle.