Thriving in The Word

Featuring: Judah Thomas, David LaManna, Lenny Salgado, Ben Cossette, Johnny V., Mike McHugh, and James Gowell 

Edited by: Tim Nicholson

In this deep-dive episode, we walk through all five chapters of Lamentations, one of the most raw and honest books in the entire Bible. This isn't a feel-good study. This is what real grief, real discipline, and real restoration actually look like — and why you need to hear it.

We cover:

• What you actually get when you ignore God long enough
• Prophets for sale — what happens when the voices around you are lying
• God's discipline vs. God's anger — and why the difference changes everything
• Seasons of wilderness and what God is doing inside your suffering
• So many voices — how to know which one to follow
• The perfect will of God — even in devastation
• Suffering in misery — and why the unexamined life is not worth living
• We are God's Holy Temple — and what it means when we forget it
• The capacity to unforgive — how bitterness keeps you in ruins
• We forget God when... — the pattern that leads to every collapse
• Where am I now? — an honest inventory before God
• Turn back to the Lord — because surrender is not defeat, it's the door

If you love Jesus and want to obey Jesus — this episode will show you what that actually costs, and why it's worth every bit of it.

If you surrender, all is well. Lamentations isn't just ancient poetry. It's your story. And it ends with hope.

Thriving in the Word is a Bible teaching podcast rooted in deep Scripture study, honest faith, and practical discipleship. New episodes weekly.

Search tags / keywords: Lamentations Bible study, book of Lamentations explained, Christian suffering podcast, God's discipline Scripture, how to return to God, Bible podcast for believers, what is the perfect will of God, grief and faith, wilderness season Christianity, Jeremiah Lamentations, hope in suffering Bible, how to forgive Bible, Thriving in the Word podcast

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Featuring: David LaManna, Mike McHugh, and James Gowell.

Edited by: Tim Nicholson

What do you do when everything falls apart — and God feels silent?

In Week 2 of our deep dive into Lamentations, we continue walking through all five chapters of one of the most raw, overlooked books in Scripture. This isn't a comfortable Bible study. This is gut-level honesty about sin, suffering, isolation, and what happens when you've been living far from God and the bottom finally drops out.

We talk about the loneliness that sin produces, not as a punishment thrown at you from the outside, but as the natural harvest of the seeds you plant.

We ask the hard question: Are you now a slave? 

Because Lamentations doesn't let you off the hook. Normalizing sin has a cost. Reaping what you sow is not a metaphor, it's a reality. And you can't escape judgment by being "a good person."

But here's what makes this book extraordinary: even in the pit, there's a glimmer. The suffering wasn't wasted. God was watching the entire time and that matters more than you might think.

In this episode:

• Why loneliness is often the natural result of sin, not just bad circumstances
• The danger of normalizing sin and becoming a slave to it
• The depth of suffering in Lamentations and why Jeremiah didn't sanitize it
• What it means that God is always watching
• A glimmer of hope buried inside one of the darkest books in the Bible
• You reap what you plant. Don't be misled
• The judgment question: if you're not facing God, what are you facing?

This is Thriving in the Word — real discussion, deep Scripture, no fluff. New episodes every week. Subscribe, share with someone who needs it, and leave us a review.

📖 Lamentations 1–5 | Week 2 🎙️ Thriving in the Word Podcast

Subjects Covered: Lamentations Bible study, Lamentations podcast, what does the Bible say about suffering, why do I feel lonely as a Christian, Bible study podcast, Christian podcast 2026, Thriving in the Word, reaping and sowing Scripture, sin and consequences Bible, glimmer of hope in Lamentations, Bible teaching podcast, God watching over you, deep Bible study, Jeremiah Lamentations, judgment in the Bible

More Info: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.thrive.church⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 

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Featuring: Judah Thomas, David LaManna, Lenny Salgado, Mike McHugh, Ben Cossette, and James Gowell.

Edited by: Tim Nicholson

Most people skip Lamentations. It's raw, it's brutal, and it doesn't come with a tidy bow. But what if that's exactly why you need it?

In this week's episode of Thriving in the Word, we kick off a brand-new series walking through all five chapters of Lamentations — and we're starting with a truth that will reframe how you face every hard season: your enemy doesn't have the intel he thinks he has.

Jeremiah wrote Lamentations in the wreckage of Jerusalem's destruction. No filter. No silver lining forced in too soon. Just a man holding the rubble and still reaching for God. And inside that grief, there's a theology of identity your adversary can't calculate — because your life is hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3).

Satan can observe your circumstances. He cannot read your covenant.

This episode covers:

• Why Lamentations belongs in your spiritual toolkit
• The structure and purpose of this often-overlooked book
• What Jeremiah's grief reveals about God's faithfulness
• How your identity in Christ creates a warfare advantage your enemy never sees coming

Whether you're in a season of loss, confusion, or just hungry for deeper Bible teaching, this series is for you.

New episodes drop weekly. Subscribe, share, and bring someone into the Word with you.

Thriving in the Word is a Bible teaching podcast for believers who want more than surface-level faith — verse-by-verse, Spirit-led, and always practical.

More Info: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.thrive.church⁠⁠⁠⁠ 

Give: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.thrive.church/give/⁠⁠⁠⁠ 

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Featuring: Judah Thomas, David LaManna, Lenny Salgado, Mike McHugh, and James Gowell.

Edited by: Tim Nicholson

In this final episode of Thriving in the Word and the Hall of Faith series, Judah opens by reading the closing verses of Hebrews 11 and the section following. In this section the writer shifts from naming names to describing the unnamed. No introduction. No backstory. Just a list of what they did, what they suffered, and what they never received in this lifetime.

The crew shares the stunning contrast at the heart of this passage; men and women who conquered kingdoms and raised the dead sitting alongside men and women who were sawed in two, driven into caves, and stripped of everything. Same chapter. Same faith. Same God. The world called them losers. God called them too good for it.

The crew unpacks what it means that these heroes died without receiving the promise and why that's not a tragedy, it's a theology. God wasn't slow. He was building something bigger than one lifetime could hold.

The team digs into the closing charge: if these people ran their race without ever seeing the finish line, what does that mean for us? What does faithfulness look like when the reward isn't coming in your lifetime?

After 8 months in Hebrews 11, this is the episode that ties it all together. The Hall of Faith isn't a museum. It's a mirror.

Whether you are finishing this journey with us or jumping in for the first time, this episode will challenge you to run your race with everything you have. The Thriving in the Word podcast explores many books of the Bible verse-by-verse to make your Scripture reading practical and transformative. Hit subscribe on your favorite platform to keep studying the Bible with us every week, and please leave a review to help other believers find the show!

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Featuring: David LaManna, Lenny Salgado, Johnny V., Mike McHugh, and James Gowell.

Edited by: Tim Nicholson

In this episode of Thriving in the Word, David kicks us off by reading the section of Hebrews where Barak and several others are mentioned without description. David then reads stories from the Book of Judges where we learn about Barak.

James then gives some historical background, how God spoke to the Prophet Deborah, promising victory and how Deborah selects Barak to carry out the battle. We learn about the opponent having iron chariots (modern day tanks) and how Barak was terrified to carry out this mission. God selected Barak into the Hall of Faith, not for never having fear, not for never doubting, not for questioning Him, not for wanting backup from Deborah...because Barak went anyway...trusting God that He is who He says He is...trusting God that the battle was one.

Mike then shares about God speaking to Deborah and Barak recognizing and trusting that we also have to trust others when we see Him speaking through them.

The crew stirs the crockpot of Faith by sharing other examples of powerful faith and how God's record of 7,000+ promises in Scripture and fact that God's record is 7,000 wins and 0 losses.

We even get into the tent peg...yes, that tent peg! We cover almost ALL that there is to discuss about Barak and more.

Whether you are looking for a deep Bible study podcast or diving into the Hebrews Hall of Faith with us today, this episode will strengthen your walk with God. The Thriving in the Word podcast explores many books of the Bible verse-by-verse to make your Scripture reading practical and transformative. Hit subscribe on your favorite platform to keep studying the Bible with us every week, and please leave a review to help other believers find the show!

More Info: ⁠⁠https://www.thrive.church⁠⁠ 

Give: ⁠⁠https://www.thrive.church/give/⁠⁠ 

Need prayer? ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

This is a presentation of Thrive.Church.

© All Rights Reserved.

Featuring: Judah Thomas, David LaManna, Lenny Salgado, Johnny V., Ben Cossette, Mike McHugh, and James Gowell.

Edited by: Tim Nicholson

In this episode of Thriving in the Word, we continue our deep-dive Hall of Faith series by exploring one of the most relatable and unlikely heroes in all of Scripture: Gideon.We open in Hebrews 11:32, where the writer highlights a band of imperfect judges who "turned weakness to strength" and "became powerful in battle". Behind that single verse lies the dramatic story found in Judges 6 through 8. We peel back the layers of Gideon’s story—stepping past the Sunday School flannel graphs to see the reality of a terrified man threshing wheat in an underground winepress, hiding from the oppressive Midianites.

But this episode isn't just about fleece, tests, or reducing an army from 32,000 to 300 men. It’s about how God meets us in the middle of our doubts and calls out the warrior within us, long before we see it ourselves.

In this episode, we unpack:

• Gideon's Calling: What it means when God calls you a "mighty warrior" while you're still hiding in fear.
• The Process of Faith: How Gideon’s faith grew not from absolute certainty, but from a growing willingness to trust God's Word.
• Testing & Obedience: Why God whittled down Gideon's army and what that means for relying on God’s strength instead of our own.
• Application for Today: How to navigate our own seasons of spiritual exhaustion and cultural pressure by fixing our eyes on God's promises.

Grab your Bible, pull up a seat, and join our table as we slow down to study scripture book by book, verse by verse. Discover how God patiently calls, equips, and transforms even the most reluctant servants for His glory.

More Info: ⁠https://www.thrive.church⁠ 

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Featuring: Judah Thomas, David LaManna, Lenny Salgado, Johnny V., Ben Cossette, Mike McHugh, and James Gowell.

Edited by: Tim Nicholson

In this episode of Thriving in the Word, we continue The Hall of Faith series and land on one of the most unlikely heroes in all of Scripture — a woman the world had already written off, living in a city God was about to bring down.

We open in Hebrews 11:31, where Judah reads the actual text — just one verse. But behind that one verse is a story that rewrites everything you think you know about who God uses and why.

James opens things up by painting a scene. Think Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds — that opening farmhouse interrogation. Hans Landa, the Jew Hunter, sitting across from a terrified man who knows exactly what's hidden beneath his floor. The pressure is unbearable. The fear is suffocating. And the man folds.

Rahab didn't.

Soldiers showed up at her door. The king's men. The most powerful city in the region behind them, and two foreign spies hiding on her roof. She had every reason to hand them over, every incentive to protect herself — and she looked the authorities dead in the eye and lied through her teeth for the God she was just beginning to believe in.

That's not recklessness. That's raw, unpolished, courageous faith.

We dig into Jericho — one of the most fortified cities in the ancient world, surrounded by a wall so massive that homes were literally built into it. Rahab's house was in that wall. Possibly an inn. A woman on the margins, living on the edge of everything, in more ways than one. And yet God sent His spies directly to her door. That wasn't coincidence. That was a divine appointment.

From there, we explore one of the most staggering threads in all of Scripture — Rahab's place in the lineage of Jesus. A Gentile. A former prostitute. Listed by name in Matthew 1, honored in Hebrews 11, and woven into the bloodline of the Messiah. We talk through several angles on what that means, why it matters, and what it says about a God who doesn't just tolerate the imperfect — He chooses them.

This episode asks the hard questions: What walls are you afraid of? What would it cost you to protect what God has placed in your hands? And are you willing to let your past be the very thing God uses to build something eternal?

Topics include: Hall of Faith, Hebrews 11:31, Rahab, Joshua 2, faith under pressure, Jericho, walls of Jericho, Rahab and the spies, divine appointment, God uses the imperfect, Rahab in the lineage of Jesus, Matthew 1, genealogy of Jesus, Gentiles in the Bible, faith and fear, courage in Scripture, hiding the spies, women of faith in the Bible, scarlet cord, redemption, imperfect people God used, Inglourious Basterds, Hall of Faith series, Thriving in the Word, Thrive Church, Christian podcast, Bible teaching, Bible study on Rahab, Old Testament faith, faith in action, what is faith, spiritual formation, faith-based living, New Testament connections to the Old Testament.

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Featuring: Judah Thomas, David LaManna, Lenny Salgado, Johnny V., and Mike McHugh.

Edited by: Tim Nicholson

In this episode of Thriving in the Word, we continue The Hall of Faith series and we stop at one of the most iconic figures in all of Scripture — but we start with two people whose names most people never learned.

We open in Hebrews 11:23–26 and trace back through Exodus 2, where two unnamed parents made a faith decision that changed the trajectory of an entire nation. No platform. No spotlight. No credit. Just a basket, a river, and a God they trusted with the impossible.

From there, we follow Moses — raised at the apex of power, educated in the greatest empire on earth, an adopted heir to a throne built on the backs of his own people. And then, at the height of everything the world could offer, he walked away from it.

That's not weakness. That's the most radical act of faith in the room.

We dig into what it looks like to refuse the identity the world hands you, to choose suffering with God's people over the temporary pleasures of sin, and to protect your heart when prestige, comfort, and status are all screaming at you to stay. Moses kept his eyes on the eternal reward — and it cost him everything Egypt could offer. We talk about putting leaders on pedestals, the danger of confusing worldly status with Kingdom standing, and why the turnover of life is faster than most of us are ready for.

That leads us into some honest questions: What are you holding onto that God is asking you to let go of? Are you storing up treasure in the right place? And when the world offers you everything — are you rooted enough in eternity to say no?

Topics include: Hall of Faith, Hebrews 11, Moses, Exodus 2, faith vs. worldly status, Moses' parents, unnamed heroes of faith, no names of the Kingdom, adopted heirs, apex of power, eternal rewards, temporary pleasures of sin, protecting your heart, storing treasures in heaven, generational faith, faith and identity, refusing the world, eternal perspective, looking ahead to eternity, life is short, what is faith, faithfulness in obscurity, man of faith, Christian podcast, Bible teaching, Bible study on Moses, endurance, walking with God, Kingdom values, spiritual formation, faith-based living.

More Info: https://www.thrive.church 

Give: https://www.thrive.church/give/ 

Need prayer?[email protected]

This is a presentation of Thrive.Church. 

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Featuring: Judah Thomas, David LaManna, Lenny Salgado, Ben Cossette, Johnny V., Mike McHugh, and James Gowell
Edited by: Tim Nicholson

In this episode of Thriving in the Word, we continue The Hall of Faith series and arrive at one of the most beloved figures in all of Scripture: Joseph. But instead of focusing on the colorful coat, the dreams, the pit, the prison, or even the palace, Hebrews 11 points us to a much different moment. Joseph's place in the Hall of Faith comes down to a dying man's confidence that God's promises would outlive him.

We walk through Genesis 37-50 and Hebrews 11:22, where Joseph, nearing death, instructed his family to carry his bones out of Egypt when God eventually brought Israel into the Promised Land. It's a strange detail to spotlight in a life filled with dramatic twists and miraculous turns, but that's exactly the point. Joseph's greatest act of faith wasn't his rise to power. It was his unwavering belief that God would do exactly what He said He would do, even if Joseph would never live to see it happen.

The crew explores Joseph's transformation from a favored and arrogant young man into a humble leader shaped by betrayal, slavery, false accusations, imprisonment, and years of waiting. We discuss the jealousy of his brothers, the dreams that set everything in motion, and the incredible reality that God used every setback to prepare Joseph for a purpose far greater than he could have imagined.

Along the way, we examine the parallels between Joseph and Jesus, the significance of Joseph's bones making the journey from Egypt to the Promised Land, and what it means to trust God's plan when the road ahead doesn't make sense. Joseph's story reminds us that faith isn't just believing God for today. It's believing Him for a future you may never personally witness.

That leads us into some honest questions: What promises of God are you trusting even when you can't see the outcome? Are you willing to let God shape your character through hardship? Can you still believe He's working when it feels like you've been forgotten in the pit or the prison? And if your story isn't finished yet, what might God be preparing you for right now?

Topics include: Hall of Faith, Hebrews 11, Joseph, Genesis 37-50, Joseph and his brothers, Joseph's dreams, Joseph in Egypt, Potiphar's house, Joseph in prison, forgiveness in the Bible, faith in God's promises, Joseph's bones, Promised Land, Exodus connection, Joseph and Jesus parallels, God's providence, suffering and faith, endurance through trials, trusting God's timing, biblical leadership, redemption, reconciliation, God's plan in hardship, faith that lasts beyond your lifetime, Christian podcast, Bible teaching, Bible study, Hall of Faith series, Hebrews study, spiritual growth, walking with God, and Thriving in the Word.

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Featuring: Judah Thomas, David LaManna, Lenny Salgado, Ben Cossette, Johnny V., Mike McHugh, and James Gowell 

Edited by: Tim Nicholson

In this episode of Thriving in the Word, we continue The Hall of Faith series and we stop at a man who spent most of his life running — from his brother, from his past, from himself — and still somehow ended up in the Hall of Faith, leaning on a staff at the end of his days, blessing the next generation.

We walk through Genesis 25, 27, 28, and 32 and trace it all the way into Hebrews 11:21, where Jacob, by faith, blessed each of Joseph's sons and worshiped as he leaned on top of his staff. The crew goes everywhere — from the "No Fear of God" mentality that marked Jacob's early years, to the night everything changed at Peniel, the wrestling match that left him with a limp and a new name, to the reminder God permanently built into his body that you don't walk away from an encounter with the Living God the same way you came in.

Jacob is the deceiver who became Israel. He grabbed his brother's heel in the womb, stole a birthright over a bowl of soup, wore goat skins to trick a blind father, and spent twenty years getting played by his father-in-law. And yet — at the very end of his life, leaning on that staff, hip wrecked and days from death — he crossed his hands over two boys and spoke a blessing rooted not in what he could see, but in what God had promised generations before he was born.

That's not clean faith. That's broken, limping, hard-won faith — and it still counted.

We talk about what it looks like when God marks you, when the turning point in your life isn't a highlight reel but a dislocated hip and a new name you didn't earn. We talk about what it means to carry the blessing into the next room even when you're barely standing, and why Jacob's limp wasn't a punishment — it was a permanent reminder of who showed up when the fight was over.

That leads us into some honest questions: What does the fear of God actually look like when it becomes real in your life — not religious, not routine, but real? What's your Bethel? What's your Peniel? And when you're at the end, will you still be reaching forward, speaking blessing over people who will outlive you?

Topics include: Hall of Faith, Hebrews 11, Jacob, Genesis 25, Genesis 27, Genesis 28, Genesis 32, wrestling with God, Peniel, Bethel, Jacob and Esau, Jacob and Israel, name change in the Bible, no fear of God, fear of the Lord, Jacob's hip, faith and suffering, turning point faith, generational blessing, limping faith, broken people in the Bible, what is the fear of God, faith that costs you something, blessing the next generation, hard-won faith, covenant promise, stairway to heaven, God's faithfulness, Christian podcast, Bible teaching, Bible study on Jacob, Hall of Faith series, endurance in faith, wrestling with God in prayer, faith-based living, walking with God, Thriving in the Word.

More Info: ⁠⁠https://www.thrive.church⁠⁠ 

Give: ⁠⁠https://www.thrive.church/give/⁠⁠ 

Need prayer? ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

This is a presentation of Thrive.Church.

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