The Journey

This week on The Journey, we talk about a fascinating tension between professing Christianity and living a transformed life. Has our faith moved beyond intellectual acknowledgment into genuine life transformation? Are we becoming more like Christ today than we were yesterday? When we claim to follow Jesus, the old self should be passing away and something new should be emerging.

WATCH ON YOUTUBE

What does it mean to experience more of God, and how do we navigate the tension between spiritual restlessness and contentment?

This week on The Journey, we dive deep into the struggle many of us face when we sense there’s something more in our relationship with God but can’t quite grasp what that looks like.

We talk about how letting the Spirit control our minds leads to life and peace, yet the question remains: are we seeking God for the right reasons, or are we driven by pride and the need to be seen as spiritual?

Galatians 5 reminds us that when we live by the Spirit, we won’t gratify the desires of our sinful nature, but finding that balance between active pursuit and surrendered trust is where the real work begins.

This week on The Journey, we explored the tension between wanting more of God while struggling to define what that "more" looks like in our daily lives. We examined how our Western mindset often seeks to systematize our relationship with God—creating formulas and processes—while the mystical (or supernatural) aspects of faith resist being contained in boxes. The conversation revealed that experiencing God isn't about finding the "right" method, but about recognizing that He meets each of us differently based on our unique design, background, and current season of life. The challenge isn't choosing between systematic study and Spirit-led experience, but learning to be content in our pursuit of God while remaining open to however He chooses to reveal Himself to us.

WATCH ON YOUTUBE

This week on The Journey, our discussion centered on the tension between control and trust. Stress often reveals our lack of trust in God's sovereignty, and our natural response is to try to manage everything ourselves rather than surrender to His plan. But the truth is that God is protecting us by His power (1 Peter 1:5), even when circumstances feel chaotic and uncertain. Faithfulness and obedience—rather than perfect control—are what God calls us to, and sometimes our stress comes from trying to play God in our own lives instead of resting in His provision.

This week on The Journey, we're once again joined by our very own Doug Faulk to recap his experience at the Eagle Wings Conference. Doug reminded us that our everyday activities and hobbies aren't just recreational—they're mission fields. The conference centered on Mark 2 and the story of the paralytic man lowered through the roof by his four friends. This challenged us to identify specific people in our lives who need to encounter Jesus, and to use the things we're passionate about as bridges to gospel conversations. Whether it's disc golf, trading cards, hunting, or any other hobby, these aren't just pastimes—they're opportunities to walk alongside people and introduce them to Christ.Takeaways:- Be intentional about naming your "mat" - Don't just think generally about evangelism. Write down specific names of people God has placed in your path. Doug shared how he immediately reached out to someone on his list after the conference, and that person committed to attending next year's event.- Your hobbies are ministry opportunities - We often separate our "church life" from our recreational life, but God can use disc golf courses, hunting trips, or any shared interest as natural contexts for spiritual conversations. The key is moving from being a spectator to being active in ministry, just like the four friends who carried the paralytic.- Community multiplies impact - Doug started a prayer text group with people from six different states to pray for each other's "mats." We don't have to minister alone. Having others pray for and encourage our evangelistic efforts makes us bolder and more faithful.

WATCH ON YOUTUBE

This week on The Journey, we explored the deeply personal nature of engaging with Scripture and challenged some common assumptions about Bible reading. The key insight is that Scripture isn't a textbook to be mastered for a test, but rather a means of knowing God more deeply. Takeaways:- There's no one-size-fits-all approach to Scripture. Whether you're reading multiple chapters daily or meditating on a single verse, what matters is that you're engaging with God's Word in a way that works for your current season of life. - The goal is knowing God, not accumulating information. We often approach the Bible as if we need to extract practical applications or memorize facts, but the deeper purpose is relational—to know the character, heart, and ways of our Creator. - Repetition shapes us more than we realize. Even when you don't feel like you're "getting anything" from your reading, the consistent pattern of immersing yourself in Scripture is forming you spiritually in ways you won't fully recognize until years later.

WATCH NOW ON YOUTUBE

We finally made it to video!

What does it mean to truly journey through Scripture, and can we find fresh perspective in familiar passages? There’s no single ‘right’ way to encounter Scripture; rather, we’re called to discover what draws us closer to God in our current season. Whether we’re finishing our first read-through of the Bible or our fiftieth, the question remains the same: What does God want us to do next? How is He calling us to grow? The beautiful truth is that we never truly ‘finish’ with Scripture—there’s always more to discover, always deeper intimacy with God to pursue, and always new ways He wants to transform us through His Word.

WATCH NOW ON YOUTUBE AND SUBSCRIBE

This week on The Journey, we explored the transformative power of genuine conversation and liturgical practices in our spiritual formation. We discussed how podcasting and long-form conversations help us understand others more deeply, even when we disagree, and examined the profound symbolism of the candlelight service—a liturgical way of proclaiming that Christ, born at Christmas, is the light who enters and overcomes the world’s darkness. The conversation reminded us that whether through structured liturgy or personal spiritual disciplines, we are all creatures of habit seeking to encounter God through meaningful practices.

Takeaways:

* Conversations Build Understanding: Spending extended time listening to others—even those we disagree with—helps us see them as people created in God’s image rather than just opposing viewpoints. This doesn’t mean compromising truth, but it does mean approaching disagreements with humility and respect.

* Liturgy and Routine Have Formative Power: The “motions” we practice—whether reciting creeds, lighting candles, or maintaining family worship routines—can shape us spiritually when done with intentional hearts. The key isn’t avoiding routine, but ensuring our routines point us toward deeper relationship with Christ rather than becoming empty religion.

* The Light Overcomes Darkness: The candlelight service symbolizes a profound truth: Christ entered our dark world as the Light. As we light candles from a single flame representing Jesus, we physically enact the Christmas gospel—reminding ourselves that His light continues to spread through us into a world that desperately needs it.

This week on The Journey, we explored the balance between two seemingly opposing ideas - the call to work diligently and pursue our God-given purposes versus the need to slow down and eliminate unhealthy hurry from our lives. The key insight is that both perspectives have merit depending on our season of life and context. The biblical pattern of working six days and resting one isn’t meant to be replaced by either constant busyness or perpetual rest. Rather, we’re called to work hard at what God has uniquely positioned us to do while also being wise about distractions and maintaining healthy rhythms.

Takeaways:

* Define your work biblically, not culturally. Ministry and many modern jobs look different from traditional manual labor, which can create guilt or confusion about productivity. Remember that important kingdom work isn’t always measured by a time clock - conversations, preparation, and responding to unexpected needs are all valuable, even when they disrupt our plans.

* Eliminate distractions, not ambition. The goal isn’t to avoid all hurry or eliminate all ambition, but to ruthlessly cut out the things that drain our souls without adding value - particularly excessive social media consumption and constant digital noise. Consider what tools (like app blockers or scheduled “bricks”) might help you protect your focus for what matters most.

* Match your season with appropriate expectations. Younger people building careers and families may need to embrace ambitious seasons of hard work, while those further along may need to pull back from unsustainable pace. Be honest about which season you’re in and extend yourself grace accordingly.

This week on The Journey, we explored how we often limit spiritual growth to traditional disciplines like morning quiet times and Bible study, when God actually uses every circumstance—especially marriage, parenting, and daily responsibilities—as vehicles for our sanctification. Drawing a little bit from Gary Thomas’s book Sacred Marriage, we examined how the messiness and sacrifice of everyday life can be just as spiritually formative as structured devotional time, challenging us to recognize God’s work in all contexts and seasons.

Takeaways:

* Spiritual growth happens in context, not just in quiet times. Whether you’re single, married, or parenting, God meets you where you are. The key is recognizing that rocking a baby at 3 AM or serving your family breakfast can be just as sanctifying as an hour of Bible reading.

* Marriage and family are designed for holiness, not just happiness. These relationships force us to deny ourselves, confront our selfishness, and grow in ways that solitary spiritual disciplines cannot. The interruptions and demands aren’t obstacles to spiritual growth—they are the path.

* Perspective matters more than perfection. Rather than feeling guilty about what we can’t do spiritually, we should prayerfully consider what level of sacrifice allows us to “live well in this season” while remaining open to God’s work in every moment of our day.