On this episode of the Room for Joy Podcast, Tory and Tony are joined by Jim Lee, the CEO and founder of Grad Solutions. Grad Solutions is a business that allows anyone a way to earn their high school diploma.

Jim believes that every student can accomplish great things with dedication, guidance, hard work and caring support! His background is in finance, management, and education and he stays active in volunteering for causes he believes in.

He has 8 children and a wonderful wife that supports his vision to create the premier dropout recovery provider and to help create graduation success stories, one student at a time. Listen in as Jim and your hosts discuss how you can make an impact on generations to come by impacting just one at a time.

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This episode is a very special interview with Chris Cheney of Gilbert AZ. Chris thought he was just "helping out" at a charity event, but when people started getting up on stage and tell their stories of what Room For Joy did in their lives, found himself irresistibly compelled to get involved. Hear his story and how his time "tending bar" turned into a passion for helping children. 

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In this episode, we wrap up our series on Romans 13 with how we are to respond to a multitude of confusing decisions in modern society. These last verses, (8 - 14) summarize the context of Romans 13!  But there are some strict warnings about what not to do and what we must do. Listen in as we uncover the truth about walking upright as modern day believers.

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God’s laws are outward expressions of His love. Therefore, we can easily see that being obedient to the laws that are righteous and honor God, are a demonstration of our love for God. This is where our conscience comes into play. Submitting to authority is a matter of conscience, because we instinctively know what is right and wrong as human beings, created in the image of God.  So, if we know the difference between them, our conscience is our guide to discerning between them and that includes things related to government action.

Should we be in submission to human authorities because we know, as Christians, that it is the right thing to do? Is part of the Christian sense of humility that we are not the ultimate authority, so we ought to be submissive to those in power over us?

Of course that’s correct! We should do everything for the glory of God. That means submitting using God’s laws as the guide for our conscience. With this in mind, following our conscience can put us in a position of rebelling against evildoers, even within our governing bodies. But what is our ultimate responsibility towards government rule? Journey with us in this episode to find out. 

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On this episode of the Room for Joy show we are taking a break from our Roman's 13 series to chat with a SPECIAL GUEST, Jeremy Wood of Phoenix, AZ

Jeremy has been an entrepreneur since the age of 24. In 2006 he founded a home improvement, design and building store in NE Phoenix, called “Improve Home Center” where he serves as the CEO. He graduated from Southwestern Bible College in 2002 with honors and a degree in Biblical studies with an emphasis on pastoral ministries.

He was a pastor in his early 20’s and has extensive leadership experience with church and parachurch ministries over the past 20 years, and has been happily married to his beautiful wife, Karina since 2004. They have 3 amazing children, and most recently he is the Founder of Great 48!

Great 48 is a movement to protect and restore our constitutional freedoms during times of crisis. 

Jeremy's movement has attracted the attention and participation of tens of thousands of people, many of whom aren't clear on what Great 48 is trying to do and why. So, we sat down with Jeremy to hear his story and why he is so passionate about protecting our freedoms here in Arizona.

Let us know you're listening and what you think.

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This is the second episode in our series on Romans 13. A relevant discussion in light of the decisions we all must make in a world where we are faced with confusing and often terrifying situations. In our first episode, we covered the deeper issues behind verse 1 and what it means to be subject to governing authorities. If you missed it, go back and listen to the podcast and get caught up.

In this episode, we are moving on to verse 2 which says, “Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgement on themselves.” 

“Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgement on themselves.” 

Once again, at first glance, this seems pretty straight forward:

Don’t resist authority or you will bring judgement on yourself!

If we go back to who qualifies as a true “governing authority” then we must also ask, will I bring judgement for resisting an ungodly authority?

During World War II, Oskar Schindler, an industrialist and member of the Nazi party, resisted the governing authorities and saved the lives of over 1,200 Jews by smuggling out from the regime. His resistance to governing authorities most certainly didn’t bring judgement upon himself but blessings as he was being obedient to God, whether or not he knew it is not the issue.

Right and wrong are inherent values in human beings. We were created in His image and we naturally understand the differences between good and evil.

How are we to respond to authority in today's economic and political climate?

Listen in and together we will find some answers.

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This is the first in a multi-episode series that steps into a little deeper water than normal on the RFJ podcast. Today starts a series delving into the topic of Romans 13 (pasted below) and how it can and should be used as a guide for the way people of God should respond to authority.

Do we blindly obey what we are told to do by the authorities in our lives or do we make waves? What is the appropriate response?

Join us and we take a journey into Romans 13 and uncover practical truths, one section at a time.

Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2 Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. 4 For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience. 6 This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. 7 Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor. 8 Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”10 Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

11 And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12 The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. 14 Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.

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Prayer is one of those basics of our Christian life but can be difficult to implement. A lot of Christians say they need to pray more but struggle to make prayer a daily habit.

Learning to pray and pray consistently is just like any other positive habit you try to implement, it may be tough at first, but the only way to make it part of your life is to just start.

In this episode, Tory and Tony share their experiences with prayer and offer insights and suggestions to make it more fruitful.

Here are some tips that they did not share during this episode:

Use the Lord's Prayer, found in Mathew 6: 9-13 as a guide if you are unsure where to start or how to pray.

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There isn't a person on the planet that doesn't face adversity. We can either deal with it on our own strength or relying on God to bring us through it.

Relying on God will always bring us closer to Him and build our faith.

Over the years, through meeting the families who are always going through a personal struggle dealing with a chronically ill child, we have always been inspired by their strength.

Everyone has a different story and each family and member copes in different ways. They all, with few exceptions, are the strongest, most courageous, God-fearing people we have ever met!

If you have been joining us for a while, you have had the privilege of hearing some of their stories. Some have made us cry, some have made us laugh but all, I hope, have inspired us. They show us how to weather the storm!

On this episode, we talk about ways to weather the storm when adversity strikes.

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