The Visiting Table

What are you really worshiping—even without realizing it?

In this episode of The Visiting Table, Ken and Julie explore Paul’s encounter with the altar to the “unknown God” in Acts 17 and what it reveals about the things people seek for meaning, peace, identity, and fulfillment.

They look at the way Paul connected with people before asking them to believe: spending time with them, learning what they valued, understanding their culture, and showing them how their deepest desires pointed toward the God who created them.

Ken and Julie also share stories from Thailand, Guam, and the United States about learning to connect faith with the real questions people are asking.Then the conversation becomes personal. Where do our time, money, conversations, and affections point? What are we depending on for identity, value, happiness, or peace? Even good things can quietly become substitutes for a real relationship with Christ.

Chapters:
00:00 Hidden Idols and Two Masters
00:49 The Hole in Our Heart
01:27 A Fresh Look at Acts 17
02:55 Paul and the Unknown God
06:08 What the Altar Revealed
09:49 How Paul Connected With People
13:19 Learning What People Value
17:26 Relationship Before the Message
19:02 “Where Is Thailand in the Statue?”
20:57 Why Reaching People Takes Time
21:54 A Young Man Finds a New Identity
27:49 Paul’s Method of Connection
31:05 In the World, Not of It
33:33 What About Our Own Hearts?
33:56 What Are We Really Serving?
35:18 Where Do Your Affections Go?
36:31 When Good Things Become Altars
38:07 Paul’s Message Turns to Jesus
39:03 Was Paul’s Sermon a Failure?
40:28 Delight Yourself in the Lord



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Pull up a chair!

*The Visiting Table* is a place for honest conversations about faith, relationships, and discovering the God who meets us right where we are. *The Visiting Table* is a production of the Voice of Prophecy, a Seventh-day Adventist media ministry.

🌐 Watch Full Episodes of The Visiting Table:  
https://www.vop.com/thevisitingtable

📖 Receive free Bible studies and resources from Voice of Prophecy:  
https://www.vop.com/biblestudies

💛 Support the Voice of Prophecy and help share Christ-centered media worldwide:  
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Have you ever prayed with faith and still heard “no”—or nothing at all? What do you do when the answer you hoped for never comes?

In this episode of *The Visiting Table*, Ken and Julie explore answered prayer, unanswered prayer, and trusting God’s timing. Beginning with Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane, they uncover a simple four-part pattern: approach God as Father, believe He is able, make your request directly, and submit to His will.

They also share personal stories about a long-awaited answer, a remarkable birthday prayer that led a friend to baptism, and the peace God provided at exactly the right time. Discover why prayer is not a blank check, how it changes us, and why Jesus invites us to keep asking, seeking, and knocking.

Chapters:
00:00 A Conversation About Prayer  
00:53 An Answer That Took Years  
04:13 Why Prayer Can Be Hard to Understand  
06:09 How Abiding and Prayer Work Together  
08:42 The Prayer Jesus Prayed When God Said No  
14:18 Four Parts of Jesus’ Prayer  
17:56 Why Prayer Is a Daily Battle  
19:44 Is Prayer Really a Blank Check?  
21:29 The Birthday Prayer That Led to Baptism  
30:03 When God Says “Wait” or “No”  
31:48 Praying According to God’s Will  
33:33 Can Prayer Bring Peace in Anxiety?  
39:47 Keep Asking, Seeking, and Knocking  
43:41 Why You Should Never Stop Praying for Someone  
46:27 “Call to Me, and I Will Answer You”


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Pull up a chair!

*The Visiting Table* is a place for honest conversations about faith, relationships, and discovering the God who meets us right where we are. *The Visiting Table* is a production of the Voice of Prophecy, a Seventh-day Adventist media ministry.

🌐 Watch Full Episodes of The Visiting Table:  
https://www.vop.com/thevisitingtable

📖 Receive free Bible studies and resources from Voice of Prophecy:  
https://www.vop.com/biblestudies

💛 Support the Voice of Prophecy and help share Christ-centered media worldwide:  
https://www.vop.com/give

Why do you feel stuck in the same old habits? You love God, go to church, and try to change—so what’s the problem?

In this episode of The Visiting Table, Ken and Julie explore Jesus’ teaching in John 15 about abiding in Christ. Discover why lasting spiritual growth comes from staying connected to Jesus through His Word and prayer, rather than relying on personal effort alone.

They also discuss spiritual pruning, the transforming power of Scripture, full joy in Christ, and a timeless insight from Steps to Christ.

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Pull up a chair!

*The Visiting Table* is a place for honest conversations about faith, relationships, and discovering the God who meets us right where we are. *The Visiting Table* is a production of the Voice of Prophecy, a Seventh-day Adventist media ministry.

🌐 Watch Full Episodes of The Visiting Table:  
https://www.vop.com/thevisitingtable

📖 Receive free Bible studies and resources from Voice of Prophecy:  
https://www.vop.com/biblestudies

💛 Support the Voice of Prophecy and help share Christ-centered media worldwide:  
https://www.vop.com/give

A death threat in Thailand forces Ken to face what he truly believes, while Julie discovers that life without God has left her empty. Their separate turning points begin a journey that leads them to Christ—and eventually to each other.

Show Notes
Ken and Julie Norton begin The Visiting Table by sharing how they met Christ—and each other.
As a university freshman, Julie decided she no longer needed God directing her life. But after following her own path, she found herself alone in her dorm room admitting, “God, I’m empty.”

At nearly the same time, Ken was serving as a student missionary in Thailand. After men from a local village warned that someone would be killed if the group sang and preached again, Ken faced the possibility of death—and the truth that he knew about God without truly knowing Him. What happened next changed the direction of his life.

Their two stories eventually converge in friendship, Bible study, marriage and a shared desire to help others know God personally through His Word.

Scriptures: 

• Psalm 16:11
• John 15:1–8
• Ephesians 3:20

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Pull up a chair!

*The Visiting Table* is a place for honest conversations about faith, relationships, and discovering the God who meets us right where we are. *The Visiting Table* is a production of the Voice of Prophecy, a Seventh-day Adventist media ministry.

🌐 Watch Full Episodes of The Visiting Table:  
https://www.vop.com/thevisitingtable

📖 Receive free Bible studies and resources from Voice of Prophecy:  
https://www.vop.com/biblestudies

💛 Support the Voice of Prophecy and help share Christ-centered media worldwide:  
https://www.vop.com/give