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This week, Ray and Isaac continue the What’s Growing in You? series with Goodness.

What does it really mean to be a “good person”? And how is biblical goodness different from simply avoiding bad behavior?

Ray and Isaac explore Paul’s words in Galatians 5, Romans 3’s reminder that none of us can claim righteousness on our own, and why goodness doesn’t earn salvation — it grows out of salvation.

They also look at the importance of healthy roots, because what feeds us eventually shapes what grows from us.

Good fruit comes from healthy roots — and true goodness begins with God.

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This week, Ray and Isaac continue the What’s Growing in You? series with Kindness.

Is being nice the same thing as being kind? What did Paul mean when he used the Greek word chrēstotēs, and why was kindness so important in a divided Galatian church?

Ray and Isaac explore how biblical kindness goes beyond politeness. It notices, helps, gives, forgives, and seeks the good of the person in front of us. They also look at Romans 2:4, where Paul says God’s kindness leads us to repentance—showing us that kindness is not weakness and does not require avoiding hard truth.

Kindness is love made visible in the way we treat the person in front of us.

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This week, Ray and Isaac continue the What’s Growing in You? series with Patience.

We’ve all heard the saying, “Patience is a virtue.” But in Galatians 5, Paul calls it something more specific: fruit.

Ray and Isaac explore what biblical patience really means, the difference between being patient and having patience, and why the Greek word makrothymia carries the idea of being “long-tempered” — having a long fuse with people.

They also look at why patience mattered so much in the divided Galatian church, how God Himself is described as slow to anger, and what happens when we’re forced to wait on people, circumstances, or even God.

Patience isn’t simply how long you’re willing to wait. It’s who you become while you’re waiting.

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This week, Ray and Isaac continue the What’s Growing in You? series with Peace.

What does biblical peace really mean? Is it simply feeling calm, or is it something deeper? Ray and Isaac explore the Greek word eirēnē, the Old Testament idea of shalom, and the difference between having peace with God, experiencing the peace of God, and becoming someone who brings peace into the lives of others.

From Isaiah’s promise of “perfect peace” to Jesus sleeping through the storm, they wrestle with a powerful question:

Can we have peace before our circumstances change?

Because biblical peace isn’t the absence of a storm. It’s security in knowing who is with you in the middle of it.

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This week, Ray and Isaac continue the What’s Growing in You? series with the second characteristic Paul names in Galatians 5: Joy.

What’s the difference between joy and happiness? Can you still have joy when life is painful, disappointing, or uncertain? And what does it really mean to “choose joy” without pretending everything is okay?

From Paul and Silas worshiping in prison to James’ challenge to “consider it pure joy,” Ray and Isaac explore how biblical joy is rooted deeper than circumstances and why it may have less to do with the smile on our face and more to do with the foundation under our feet.

Can you have joy even when you’re not happy?

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This week on Shoes Off, Ray and Isaac continue the What’s Growing in You? series with the first characteristic Paul names in Galatians 5: love.

Why did Paul put love first? What does the Greek word agapē really mean? And what did love look like in a divided Galatian church that was “biting and devouring” one another?

We also wrestle with a harder question: Do we simply say we love people, or do our actions actually look loving, especially when love costs us something?

From truth and disagreement to forgiveness, boundaries, and difficult people, this episode challenges us to ask whether love is becoming visible fruit in our lives.

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What’s growing in you?

In this new Shoes Off series, Ray and Isaac are taking a closer look at the Fruit of the Spirit from Galatians 5:22–23 — love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

But this isn’t just a series about becoming a “better person.”

Paul’s words to the Galatian church were about something much deeper: the difference between trying to earn righteousness through works and living a life that is genuinely led by the Spirit.

Because fruit is evidence of what is happening beneath the surface.

Over the next 10 weeks, we’ll explore what each of these qualities really means, how they show up in everyday life, and what they reveal about our relationship with Christ.

In Week 1, “What’s Growing in You?”, we set the foundation by looking at Galatians 5:16–25, the struggle between the flesh and the Spirit, and Jesus’ reminder in John 15 that healthy fruit begins with staying connected to the vine.

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In Week 4 of The Story Behind The Song, Ray Slavens shares the deeply personal story behind the song "Wonderful Peace."  Inspired by the beloved hymn of the same name and his own lifelong journey with anxiety, this episode explores the difference between the peace the world offers and the peace only Christ can give.

Diagnosed with severe anxiety as a teenager, Ray opens up about the quiet battles many people never saw—the fear, the racing thoughts, and the search for peace through prayer, Scripture, worship, and moments of solitude. While following Jesus didn't remove every struggle, it taught him that God's peace isn't found in the absence of hardship, but in His faithful presence through it.

If you've ever felt overwhelmed, discouraged, or wondered where to find peace in the middle of life's storms, this conversation is for you.

Because sometimes the greatest miracle isn't that God calms the storm...

It's that He calms our hearts while we walk through it.

🎧 Join us as we explore the story behind the song and the Savior who still offers "peace that surpasses all understanding." (Philippians 4:7)

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In Week 3 of The Story Behind The Song, Ray Slavens shares the deeply personal story behind the song "Her Last Breath."

Written in memory of his sister Jessica, this song was inspired by her long battle with illness, pain, and the effects of trauma. For more than twenty years, Jessica faced health challenges that eventually led to her passing. Yet through it all, one question she often asked remained the inspiration behind this song:

"What's it going to be like when I die?"

The answer was always found in God's Word:

"To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord."
— 2 Corinthians 5:8

In this episode, Ray reflects on the relationship he shared with his sister, the gift of reconciliation during their later years, and the hope Christians have in the promise of eternal life.

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In Week 2 of The Story Behind The Song, Ray shares the inspiration behind Crooked Nail Cabin, a place tucked away in the Kentucky hills where fathers, sons, and men gather to step away from the distractions of life and focus on God, His creation, and each other.

More than a song about a cabin, this episode explores the importance of godly friendships, intentional discipleship, and building a legacy that rests on a firm foundation—God's Word.

Because sometimes the places that shape us most aren't built with wood and nails, but with faith, fellowship, and the investment of one generation into the next.

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