Doug O'Malley opens a series on four encounters with Jesus in Luke 7, starting with the Roman centurion — a powerful, well-respected man who understood authority better than most, and whose humility turned out to be the thing that genuinely amazed Jesus. Speaker: Doug O'Malley

Brad Dufault examines Jeremiah 2:13, where God accuses Israel of two sins: forsaking him as the spring of living water and digging broken cisterns that can't hold water. He explains that turning from God always involves forgetting his rescue, while idolatry—whether ancient or modern—inevitably fails because it's not grounded in reality. Dufault makes a pragmatic case for putting God first, arguing that while a God-first life isn't necessarily easy, it produces lasting impact and peace that broken cisterns like money, family, or image can never provide. Speaker: Brad DuFault

Brad Dufault examines Philippians 2:13, unpacking two distinct ways God works in believers: giving power to act on good desires, and actually changing what we want in the first place. He addresses a common misunderstanding—that we can wait to feel like obeying before we act—arguing instead that trust is proven through action, even when our desires haven't caught up yet. Dufault closes with an encouraging reframe: personal weakness and resistant desires don't limit what God can do, because both the willing and the acting come from him. Speaker: Brad DuFault

Brad Dufault unpacks Jesus' vine and branches metaphor from John 15:5, breaking it into four elements: Jesus as the source of life, believers as dependent yet valuable branches, abiding as an ongoing relationship of trust and communication, and fruit as the resulting impact on others. He clarifies that fruit doesn't create our connection to Christ but reveals it—we're not saved by good works, but saved for them. Dufault closes with a practical challenge: the best gift you can offer the people you want to influence is your own walk with God, not just time spent serving them directly. Speaker: Brad DuFault

Brad Dufault examines Romans 8:32, tracing Paul's logical argument that since God didn't withhold his own son, he will graciously give us all things. He addresses the natural tension this raises—why does life still involve suffering and confusion if God gives us everything—and argues that the cross remains the clearest picture of God's heart toward us, regardless of unresolved questions. Dufault closes with a practical challenge: examine whether your view of God actually matches the extravagant price he paid to rescue you. Speaker: Brad DuFault

Conrad wraps up the series in Mark 10 with Jesus' answer to all the striving — a kingdom where greatness looks like servitude, not dominance. The reason Jesus could wash his disciples' feet, and the reason we can serve without keeping score, comes down to the same thing: a standing that can't be earned or lost. Speaker: Conrad Hilario

Conrad continues in Mark 10, adding two more distinctions to the anatomy of striving for superiority — excellence versus superiority, and being better versus being recognized as better. With examples ranging from Magic Johnson and Larry Bird to Simon and Garfunkel, he makes the case that this drive is more pervasive and more destructive than we typically admit. Speaker: Conrad Hilario

Conrad traces a thread through Scripture that runs from Cain and Abel all the way to James and John angling for seats at Jesus' right and left — the persistent human drive toward superiority. Drawing on Mark 10, he works through the difference between comparison and competition, and why the competitive mindset is more destructive than we tend to think. Speaker: Conrad Hilario

Ben Foust wraps up the series in Philippians 4 with Paul's final instruction: discipline your focus. You can't turn off anxious thoughts, but you can displace them — and research backs up what Scripture has always said about how much our habits of thought actually shape our experience. Speaker: Ben Foust

Ben Foust works through Philippians 4:6-7 and the practical question anxious people actually ask: what am I supposed to do with my fears? Paul's answer isn't to ignore them or obsess over them — it's to pray them, using a simple framework of telling God, giving thanks, and asking him to act. Speaker: Ben Foust