Sunday Reverb

Sunday's worship set had one thread running through it: every song was about love. In this solo episode, Joe walks through 1 John 4:16–19 and what it means that God is love, a love proven at the cross and living in us by His Spirit. Drawing on Warren Wiersbe's commentary, he looks at how perfect love casts out fear, whether it comes from the past, the present, or the future. He closes with the hymn "Because He Lives" as a reminder that, because Jesus lives, we can face tomorrow.

Joe and Shelli wrap up "Take You At Your Word" with special guests Josh and Rachel Skelly, calling in from Wesley Chapel, Florida. Josh and Rachel planted Redemption Church just north of Tampa two and a half years ago, after Josh served as youth pastor at Topeka Baptist.

They share how God called them to Florida. A phone call from Josh's brother was the first time anyone mentioned Tampa. From there, they prayed for God to open or close the door, and He opened it.

Then they get honest about the road since:

• His Word lights the narrow road. God gave them headlights, not the whole map. Rachel says He has a habit of answering right at the last minute.
• What He starts, He finishes. About 130 people came to their launch Sunday. The next week, 15 came back, mostly their own team. They talk about the slow first year and a half and keeping their eyes on Jesus like Peter on the water.
• His Word has never failed. God has provided again and again, often through people. When Josh's brother's family moved overseas, a new family showed up for their first official Sunday that same day.

They also talk about raising kids who love Sundays, Rachel wearing just about every hat at the church, and Redemption hiring its first part-time worship leader. They even admit there's one thing they miss about Topeka besides the people: the back roads.

Josh and Rachel ask listeners to pray for spiritual growth at Redemption and for God to provide their next worship space. They're hoping to share that vision with the church by their third anniversary in February. Learn more at redemptionflorida.org or @redemptionflorida on social media.

Joe and Shelli dig into "Take You At Your Word" by Cody Carnes and Benjamin Hastings. The song is built on one simple idea: if God said it, we can stand on it. But first, they take a surprise detour into those long worship outros and instrumentals. Do they help the congregation worship, or just leave everyone wondering what to do with their hands? They'd love to hear listeners' takes.

From there, they talk about how easily human promises fall through and why God's never do. They walk through three ideas from the song:

• His Word lights the narrow road, one step at a time.
• What He starts, He finishes.
• His Word has never failed.

Along the way, Shelli shares her favorite line. The two talk about their unplanned fourth child, and Joe remembers waiting nearly two decades to see his call to ministry fulfilled. Isaiah 49:16 also leaves them both a little choked up.

This week's challenge: pick one promise from the bridge and stand on it.

• Love that never gives up (Hebrews 13:5, Romans 8:38–39)
• Grace that is always enough (2 Corinthians 12:9)
• A heart that will never forget us (Isaiah 49:15–16)
• Saved and called His own (Isaiah 43:1, Romans 10:13)
• A future full of hope (1 Peter 1:3)

Next week is Part 2, with special guests Josh and Rachel Skelly, who share why this song means so much to them.

Write to Joe and Shelli at [email protected].

In this week's episode, Joe and Shelli talk about the new Dollar General in town, plug a few church podcasts, and share the gratitude app their family has been using. They also look back on Sunday night's worship night, which felt like singing around a campfire with about 120 friends.

Then they dig into "All Sufficient Merit" by Shane & Shane, which TBC sang during communion Sunday morning, alongside Pastor Mark's sermon from Mark 9. It comes down to three things: we can't, but Jesus did; disappointing Him doesn't mean He sends us away; and even when our faith is shaky, our Savior isn't. It's His merit, not ours, and that's worth being thankful for.

In today's episode, Joe and Shelli are joined by longtime friend, pastor, and fellow podcaster Steve Tucker. They set out to talk about something entirely different, but the conversation gravitated toward true repentance, confession, and forgiveness. Along the way, they touch on music being used as manipulation during altar calls, confession and prayer, addiction and the sins that so easily beset us, and the simplicity of the gospel.

This week Joe and Shelli look at the hymn "Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven," written by Henry Lyte and rooted straight in Psalm 103. We talk through what it means to preach truth to your own soul, why David makes a point of naming God's specific benefits instead of just feeling vaguely thankful, and how one 19th-century hymn writer turned a psalm into a song the church is still singing today.

Joe and Shelli record on the way home from London with special guests Chad and Debbie Issinghoff. On this episode, each of them shares how God has spoken to them in their life and reflect on the teen camp in London.

Joe and Shelli join with a couple of friends from Welling church and lead worship at the camp in London UK

"On Christ, the Solid Rock, I Stand" — The Story Behind a Hymn That Held Up a Dying Woman's Faith

This week Joe and Shelli dig into "The Solid Rock," one of the sturdiest hymns ever written. Joe shares the story of Edward Mote — a carpenter who scribbled the chorus on his way to work, finished the verses that same day, and ended up giving them to a dying woman named Sister King because her family couldn't find their hymnbook. Rooted in 1 Corinthians 3:11, Joe and Shelli talk through what it means to stand on a foundation that doesn't move — even when everything around you does.

This week, Joe & Shelli dig into the hymn "He Giveth More Grace" by Annie Johnson Flint — a woman who wrote some of the most comforting words in hymnody from the middle of debilitating physical suffering. They talk about what it looks like for God's grace to not just meet a need, but exceed it.

Then they connect it to Pastor Mark Doss's sermon "Similar Miracle; Different Lessons" (Mark 8:1–10), walking through what the feeding of the 4,000 teaches us about who Jesus is: compassionate, patient with our forgetfulness, unlimited in power, and able to truly satisfy.