Programs And Podcasts

Earthly cities rise and fall, but the Ultimate City stands forever. In this final message of The City, Dr. Michael Youssef points believers to the city with eternal foundations—the city prepared by God for His redeemed people.

From Abraham’s faith to the hope of every true believer, Scripture declares that we are strangers in this world. We are not called to live for temporary kingdoms, but to look toward the heavenly Jerusalem, where holiness, purity, and glory will never fade.

Dr. Youssef proclaims the heart of the Gospel: Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, came down from Heaven to redeem sinners and prepare this city for all who repent, believe, and surrender to His Lordship.

This episode calls believers to:

The city of man will not last. The City of God will stand forever—and Christ alone is the way in.

Scripture Focus: Hebrews 11:10

 If today’s teaching stirred a question, burden, or need for prayer, you don’t have to walk through it alone. 

Pastoral Care & Prayer Teams
Our trained prayer partners and pastoral care team are available to pray with you and offer Biblical support.
https://ltw.org/care

Receive personal answers to your faith questions—anytime, day or night—at:
https://myfaithassistant.com

If you’ve been blessed by this podcast, please consider a tax-deductible donation to help extend this ministry—so another person can be encouraged, prayed for, and pointed to Christ.

❤️ Support Leading The Way:
https://www.ltw.org/donate

An individual retirement account, or IRA, can be a valuable tool for long-term saving. But like any financial tool, it needs to be understood and used wisely.

Proverbs 18:15 says, “An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.”

That’s good wisdom for every area of life, including how we manage money. As stewards, we don’t want to make financial decisions simply because an account is popular or because someone told us we ought to have one. We want to understand the tools available to us and use them with wisdom, patience, and trust in the Lord.

So, how well do you really know your IRA? Let’s walk through a few common misconceptions with a simple true-or-false quiz.

True.

You can contribute to a traditional or Roth IRA even if you also participate in a 401(k), 403(b), or another workplace retirement plan.

In 2026, the total amount you can contribute across all your traditional and Roth IRAs combined is $7,500, or $8,600 if you’re age 50 or older.

You’ll need enough taxable compensation to support your contribution, and income limits may affect whether you can deduct a traditional IRA contribution or contribute directly to a Roth IRA.

The important point is that having access to a workplace retirement plan does not necessarily prevent you from contributing to an IRA. These accounts can often work together as part of a thoughtful long-term strategy.

True.

Think of an IRA as a container. The account itself provides certain tax advantages, but what happens to the money depends largely on the investments you choose to hold inside it.

Depending on your IRA custodian, those investments might include mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, stocks, bonds, money market funds, or other investment options.

That distinction matters.

Sometimes someone will say, “I bought an IRA,” when what they really mean is that they opened an IRA and then invested the money inside it. The IRA is the account. The investments within that account determine how the money is put to work.

There are also limits on what an IRA can hold. IRA funds generally cannot be invested in life insurance or collectibles. Certain precious metals may qualify if they meet specific IRS requirements and are held properly.

Self-directed IRAs can provide access to more specialized investments, but greater flexibility can also bring greater complexity and risk. As with any financial decision, it’s important to understand what you own and why you own it.

False.

An IRA allows you to name one or more beneficiaries who will receive the account when you die. Those assets generally transfer directly to the beneficiaries outside of probate.

In most cases, the beneficiary designation on the account takes precedence over what your will says.

That’s why beneficiary designations shouldn’t be treated as something you set once and forget. Review them periodically, especially after major life changes such as marriage, divorce, the death of a spouse, or the birth or adoption of a child.

Estate planning is about more than documents. It’s about making your intentions clear and preparing well for those who may one day steward what you leave behind.

True.

Traditional IRAs are generally subject to required minimum distributions, commonly called RMDs.

For those subject to the current age-73 rule, the first distribution general

The home renovation business is a 600 billion dollar industry. Reviving an old home takes some skill and a lot of hard work. Well, God has a blueprint for reviving our culture . . . and He’s looking for our involvement in the project. Today on A NEW BEGINNING, Pastor Greg Laurie continues his opening message in a new series called The Upside-Down Life. It’s a look at the part we’re called to play in bringing a spiritual renovation to the world in which we live.

—

Become a Harvest Partner today and join us in knowing God and making Him known through media and large-scale evangelism, our mission of over 30 years.

Explore more resources from Pastor Greg Laurie, including daily devotionals and blogs, designed to answer your spiritual questions and equip you to walk closely with Christ.

Support the show: https://bit.ly/anbsupport

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ever notice how when relationship trust feels shaky, everything else gets harder? Therapist and author Ron Deal and his wife Nan pull back the curtain on what helps people feel deeply loved, genuinely safe, and truly connected—and why so many couples are missing it. Whether you're carrying resentment, struggling to feel seen, or wondering why your relationship feels stuck, uncover what's fueling the disconnect.

Show Notes and Resources

• Find The Mindful Marriage by Ron and Nan Deal on our shop.

• Also get Vertical Marriage by Dave and Ann Wilson

• Find information on The Worship Initiative at  theworshipinitiative.com

• Come to a Weekend to Remember Marriage Getaways by visiting weekendtoremember.com

• Thanks to the Christian Standard Bible for sponsoring this episode. Learn more at CSBible.com.
• Follow us on all social platforms: Facebook | Instagram | YouTube
• Find resources from our podcast at shop.familylife.com.
• Download FamilyLife's app!
• Help others find FamilyLife. Leave a review on Apple Podcast or Spotify.
• Check out all the FamilyLife's podcasts on the FamilyLife Podcast Network

See cru.org/us/en/about/privacy FamilyLife’s Privacy Policy

On today’s edition of Family Talk, Shayne and Sheila Pitcock offer hope to couples facing emotional distance, broken trust, and years of hurt feelings.

The post Shayne and Sheila Pitcock: A Story of Redemption, Restoration, and Purpose, Part 2 appeared first on Dr. James Dobson Family Institute.

Do you wish you were spiritually stronger? Or that you had more courage to talk about God? In this program, Chip addresses these deep-seated insecurities. Learn how the Apostle Paul’s final words on Earth can give us the hope and direction we need.

Resources

• Message Notes
• Special Offers

Connect

• 888-333-6003
• Website
• Chip Ingram App
• Instagram
• Facebook
• YouTube

Partner With Us

• Donate Online
• 888-333-6003

Man, everywhere you look guys are wearing baseball caps. And girls and women are wearing them too! More often than not, the caps really don't have anything to do with baseball! From school, to church, to everyday life you’ve got more and more people wearing those caps.

Every once in a while I would say to my sons, “Hey, guys, you look so good without a hat. You look better.” I usually got a simple explanation, (I’ll bet you know.) “Bad hair day, Dad!” Well, there are those days you don’t have time to wash your hair or get it to look right, so you just cover it with a hat, right? Which leads to an interesting moment in Christian youth meetings when it’s time to pray, because of course hats come off when you pray, right? No matter how bad your hair looks. I guess if you time it right, you can take it off after every eye is closed, hope no one peeks, and put it back on just before anybody’s got their eyes open.

I’m Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about “No Secrets in the Throne Room.”

Our word for today from the Word of God begins in Hebrews 4:12. It says, “The word of God is living and active. Sharper than any two-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.” In other words, your hat is always off.

What we’ve managed to cover up from everyone else God sees. The covering comes off when you pray…or it ought to. But we have a tendency to get all dressed up for God, and we come to Him with this flowery prayer language. We talk to Him about religious stuff. But real prayer begins when you come into God’s presence with the real you; the one who isn’t together like everybody else thinks you are, the one who’s struggling and honest about it, the one who’s hurting, the one who’s doubting, or the one who’s grieving, the one who’s sinning. Maybe you’re falling. Maybe you’re giving out or maybe even giving up.

See, the first reason to come to God honestly is this: God already knows. That’s what this says, “All things are uncovered and laid bare.” There’s no point in coming to impress God. You come, not as you ought to be, but as you are. Then in verse 15 we’ve got a second reason we can come honestly to God. “We do not have a high priest who’s unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have One who has been tempted in every way just as we are yet without sin.” God really understands. You’re talking to the God who’s been here. He’s been hurt, He’s been lonely, exhausted, and criticized. Jesus was abandoned, slandered, tempted, betrayed, He was beaten, He was murdered. What a Savior! We can come uncovered to this Lord because He’s walked this road. Jesus gives us someone who laughs with us, who struggles with us, who cries with us.

And there’s one more reason to come honestly. God really responds to it. Verse 16 says, “Let us then approach the Throne of Grace with confidence that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” No condemnation; and not just understanding. God sends two supernatural resources in response to our honest sharing; mercy and grace aimed right at the honest need you just poured out to Him.

But God doesn’t impose himself. He only comes by invitation. You’ll only know the empowerment of God’s grace in an area that you have totally opened up to Him. Remember, bring the real you to God. Like the hymn says, “Just as I am without one plea, but that Thy blood was shed for me.” The you that has been hidden from everyone else is the you God wants. He wants to carry and He wants to heal that person.

A bad hair day is one thing; it’s the bad heart days that Jesus is concerned about. And when you pray, woul