Confluence.  A place where two or more rivers or streams merge together.  Confluences fill me with wonder.  I want to journey upstream to find the headwaters of every tributary.  A confluence is kind of like a reversed fork in the road made of water.  Wherever you are right now is a confluence.

Think back over your summer.  What were your favorite tables and favorite moments?  What has God been trying to whisper to your spirit these past three months?  Perhaps you heard it, but maybe you didn't.

Perhaps your current confluence looks more like a desert.  Perhaps you have run aground because life has become spiritually dry.  Take heart.  There is water to be found in your desert.  You only need know where to look.

Featuring "Summer of Memories" by The National Parks (Used by Permission through Musicbed).

The Holy Trinity is a wondrous mystery.  You know the certainty of the Truth of it - and yet, it blows your mind.  Absolutely amazing how Truth and Wonder come together in the glorious reality of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

But there is also an unholy trinity that lurks beneath the surface of enough churches and denominations, it needs to be recognized for what it is - the unholy threesome of God the Father, Jesus the Son, and Religion. Because Holy Spirit has often been tossed because He cannot be controlled and replaced by a more reasonable idol we can control - our Religion.

Have you ever presumed to be Holy Spirit in someone else's life?  Have you ever presumed to be Holy Spirit while following His lead?

Featuring "Stronger" by Ellie Holcomb (Used by Permission through Musicbed).

Do you hear the song?

The song that is all around you right now.

Do you hear that?

It's a song being sung especially over you.

It's a Voice that never ceases to sing to you.

And when you hear it, it makes all the difference in how you live your life.

"And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music." - Friedrich Nietzsche

The music is real.  The dance is joyous.

What is there that you do not know is there?

Listen and you will hear.

Featuring "Spirit" by Judah & the Lion (Used by Permission through Musicbed).

A Conversation with Special Guest:  Steph Cherry

It is always a delight to bring Steph Cherry to the Table.  You never know what or who might wander through the conversation.  There might be a tornado in the backyard or a birthday visit with a capybara at a local petting zoo or the art of being an uncommon friend during someone else's difficult season.  

There is beauty, wit, wisdom, and hope here at the Table today.  Have we missed anything yet?  Listen to see.

Life.  You must be fully present to win.

Featuring "We've Got This Hope" by Ellie Holcomb (Used by Permission through Musicbed).

Your soul has a unique speed.  It is not in a hurry.  It does not travel at the speed of our world nor our culture.  It travels at the speed of Light - the Light of the world.

Your soul is in need of nourishment.  It must be fed and there is only one real source of food.  C.S. Lewis wrote, "God designed the human machine to run on Himself. He Himself is the fuel our spirits were designed to burn, or the food our spirits were designed to feed on. There is no other."

As you evaluate the first half of 2024, how are you managing the pace of your life?  How has your pace affected your soul?

Join us for a few moments of soul refreshment and let your soul catch up with your body.  They both will thank you for it and you will notice the difference immediately. 

Featuring "In Need" by Singer-Songwriter Ross King (Used by Permission)

It's intermission!

The curtain has dropped on the first half of the movie.

The band has stepped off the stage to take a break.

The first half of this year's journey is about to pass the baton to the second half.

It's the perfect time to re-examine where we've come from and fine tune where we're going.

And all are encouraged to do just that.

Let's all come to the Table and go to the lobby to get ourselves a treat.

Featuring "Rock My Soul" by Josh Garrels (Used by Permission through Musicbed).

Courtney Ellis is a bird enthusiast, a pastor, and an author. Her newest book is Looking Up: A Birder's Guide to Hope through Grief. She also hosts a wonderful podcast called The Thing with Feathers.  

Today's episode is a whimsical, ornithological, and theological swoop through Jesus' beatitudes from His Sermon on the Mount.  I asked Courtney to pair a bird to match each of Jesus' eight exclamations and she soared to the challenge. It's a fun way to kick off Summer Solstice! 

You can find Courtney at https://courtneybellis.com and also on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter (now called X, but birders still prefer sending Tweets).  

Featuring "Songbird" by J.J. Heller (Used by Permission through Musicbed).

I remember my family's first color television.  I came home from school one day as a boy and there it was in our den.  I sprawled out in the floor and watched the Sergeant Jack Show, featuring Dick Tracy cartoons, on Channel 42 out of Birmingham.   I was enthralled.  I was drawn in to the screen and would sometimes sit so close, I could see the hundreds of multicolored dots that made up the greater image. And I heard those famous words from my parents every child has heard - "Don't sit so close to the screen; you'll ruin your eyes."

I'm grateful to say, I have yet to need prescription glasses.  But I am still being drawn in to the pixels.  Perhaps you are as well.  And if you're not, I would highly recommend it.  Because there's a lot more beauty coming at you than you realize.  But the only way you can catch more of it is to zoom in and slow down.  A life-changing mystery awaits when you do.

Featuring "Re-Enchanted World" by John Mark McMillan (Used by Permission through Musicbed).

Consider your worship.  In the first 22 weeks of 2024, what worship moments have been most memorable to you?

Worship is an easy word to ignore.  It's wrapped in plain brown paper.  We imagine we could guess the content of today's Table without opening or listening.  Yet, it's the very thing that can calm and rattle your life at the same time.

God is ready to meet you right now wherever you are.  When He does, will you take off your shoes to walk on holy ground, or will you walk on by?   

Featuring "All In All" and "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus" by Josh Garrels (Used by Permission through Musicbed).

Welcome to our 150th Redemption's Table!  

I am learning how to host a podcast.  I now have 150 episodes of practice.  And I think the secret is to not take yourself too seriously while taking your guest and your subject very seriously.

Come join us for some fun as the host becomes the guest and I get grilled by three of the sharpest people I know.  Along the way, I'll share a little bit of my motivation for doing this podcast and how the Table has changed since that first episode back in 2019.  Get ready to smile, to be encouraged, and perhaps hear that one thing awaiting your discovery that has the potential to change the rest of your year. 

I am a host of friends and I have a host of friends.  And you are one of them.

Featuring "Let's Go Outside" by The National Parks (Used by Permission through Musicbed).