We talk about how parents are made complete for the work of parenting by the hope and help offered by the Scriptures. 
• trusting Scripture as the foundation for parenting wisdom 
• distinguishing formative training from corrective discipline 
• building Deuteronomy 6 habits through daily instruction 
• practicing obedience in calm moments to prepare for hard moments 
• modeling what we teach so our actions match our words 
• managing expectations about toddler foolishness to stay calm 
• treating parenting as a full-time vocation not a side gig 
• rejecting a culture that treats children as an inconvenience 
• remembering long-term fruit comes from thousands of hours 
• calling fathers to lead at home without dominating 
• pursuing consistency and first-time obedience to reduce anger 
• inviting feedback from spouse and church to spot blind spots 

Send us an encouragement, question, or critique.

If this episode was helpful, please share it with a friend or member from church and discuss it with them!

We talk through staying committed to a local church in the midst of turbulence; Matt shares how discipleship clicked for him when doctrine moved from the bookshelf to the heart through beholding Christ, not chasing penance. 

• long-haul church membership as a deliberate choice, not inertia 
• loyalty and responsibility when you are leading through change 
• simplifying the church calendar to fight burnout and free up real fellowship 
• pushing discipleship back into the home with parents, not programs 
• resisting church consumerism and clarifying what we should expect from a church 
• balancing orthodoxy with love for people and honest heart work 
• learning to fight sin by loving God more than the sin 
• escaping the “do better, try harder” self-atonement lane 
• encouragement from seeing kids stay close to parents and keep the faith 

Send us an encouragement, question, or critique.

If this episode was helpful, please share it with a friend or member from church and discuss it with them!

We walk through Pastor Matt Fudge’s story from Sitka, Alaska to Bakersfield to Nebraska, and how a simple church invitation helped move him from cultural Christianity to genuine faith. We also talk about marriage, parenting, work in the operating room, and what it looks like to grow into church leadership with humility. 

• growing up across the West Coast and feeling the pull to leave 
• being nominally Christian while missing the gospel 
• a friend’s straightforward invite to church and why asking works 
• wild restaurant work stories that reveal immaturity and hindsight 
• meeting Amy, getting challenged on basic Christian beliefs, hearing Romans 
• early marriage tension, learning headship without control, Amy’s conversion 
• how kids expose selfishness and push daily sanctification 
• leaving the psychology path, finding sales work, landing in Medtronic spine implants 
• what it’s like supporting surgeons in the operating room 
• moving from serving to leadership, stepping down as deacon, training toward elder 
• church planting turnover, conflict over vision, and lessons in shepherding 

Send us an encouragement, question, or critique.

If this episode was helpful, please share it with a friend or member from church and discuss it with them!

We talk through what a gospel community is, why we do it at Emmaus, and the fruit of being in a GC. We also name the real costs and the lasting joys so you can step into the year with clear eyes and real hope. 

• defining gospel community as believers in a home listening, opening Scripture, and praying 
• clarifying what GC is not, not a substitute for Sunday church or the Lord’s Supper 
• why love for one another needs a weekly context to be practiced 
• how GC serves busy seasons by helping us serve and be served 
• fruit from reading the Bible together, asking better questions, and growing in sanctification 
• fruit from interceding in prayer and watching God answer prayer over time 
• how kids are formed by seeing a spiritual family live the faith in ordinary homes 
• costs of time, money, tiredness, listening well, and relational friction that exposes pride 
• joy of deep relationships, honest exhortation, and singing together through trials 

Send us an encouragement, question, or critique.

If this episode was helpful, please share it with a friend or member from church and discuss it with them!

We trade stories about the moments that shape a life, from marriage and children to leadership transitions, grief, and mission work. We also step back to talk about how reflecting on God’s providence helps us make sense of our past and walk forward with hope. 

• marriage as a major tool God uses to shape character 
• waiting, dating, and the surprising kindness of matchmaking friends 
• the joy of children and grandchildren and the perspective that comes with time 
• miscarriage, grief, and facing death in a personal way 
• the quiet shame many women feel and the need for tender, biblical care 
• moving away from home as a refining season for marriage and calling 
• becoming a senior pastor through uncertainty, trust, and congregational affirmation 
• sermons that convict, humble, and comfort in seasons of sin and weakness 
• living closely with another family and learning a model of parenting and discipline 
• missions as the mission of the church and the conflict missionaries often face 

Send us an encouragement, question, or critique.

If this episode was helpful, please share it with a friend or member from church and discuss it with them!

We share the books that most shaped our faith, our ministry, and our growth in holiness, from Puritans to modern writers. We also explain why older Christian books are uniquely helpful and how reading together can strengthen the culture of a church. 

• Puritan life and practice through Worldly Saints 
• Seeing Christ’s majesty and fighting sin through John Owen 
• A theology of preaching shaped by Martyn Lloyd-Jones 
• Learning boldness and endurance through Spurgeon biographies 
• Confessing sin and pursuing purity with Finally Free 
• Fighting anxiety and walking faithfully with Follow The Lamb 
• Pastoral grace and wisdom through The Letters Of John Newton 
• Building theological clarity with Berkhof’s systematic theology 
• Understanding early church history as Protestants with Nick Needham 
• Strengthening the home with worship, work, and wisdom from The Family Economy 

Send us an encouragement, question, or critique.

If this episode was helpful, please share it with a friend or member from church and discuss it with them!

We talk about prayer as a garden: the weeds that choke it, the water that grows it, and the tools that help the work. We look to Jesus’ example and teaching to move from self-sufficiency toward steady dependence, gospel confidence, and communion with God. 

• Jesus’ pattern of prayer in the Gospels as our model 
• John 17 and the Lord’s Prayer as God-centered guides 
• Moving from “I have to pray” to “I get to pray” 
• Practical obstacles like time, place, interruptions, and phones 
• Heart-level obstacles like self-sufficiency, pride, and disordered affections 
• Using ACTS to widen and steady our prayers 
• Repentance and bringing sin into the light to renew desire 
• Scripture and prayer as linked means of grace, including praying the Psalms 
• “Pray Until You Pray” and building warm, honest momentum 
• Tools and resources, plus “boots-on” and “boots-off” prayer habits 
• Remembering answered prayers and thanking God to fuel faith 

Send us an encouragement, question, or critique.

If this episode was helpful, please share it with a friend or member from church and discuss it with them!

We talk about why couples keep getting stuck in the same marriage conflicts and how “peace” can be a cover for avoidance, manipulation, or attack. We lay out a biblical path toward real peacemaking, with practical questions, specific repentance, and hope rooted in the gospel and the sufficiency of Scripture.
• Common wrong fixes like distraction, rug-sweeping, denial, and “happy spouse happy house” thinking
• The Slippery Slope framework: peacebreaking attacks, peacemaking responses, peacefaking flight responses
• Wisdom on when avoiding a topic is maturity and when it is sinful avoidance
• Key texts for biblical conflict resolution: Philippians 2 humility, Ephesians 5 marriage purpose, Matthew 18 forgiveness
• Handling conflict around children, including when to step away and when to repent to them
• Disarming a conflict through questions, refusing to assume motives, and self-examining first
• Specific confession that owns sin without excuses, leading toward real forgiveness
• Long-game habits: time stewardship, idols, pursuing your spouse, and why “divorce is not an option”
• Realistic expectations for sanctification, revisiting issues, and getting help when needed

Send us an encouragement, question, or critique.

If this episode was helpful, please share it with a friend or member from church and discuss it with them!

We open the Bible to explain why marriage conflict is normal and what its real causes are. We trace the root to sinful desires and blame shifting, then point toward humble accountability, the leadership needed from men, and real hope through the gospel. 
• Conflict entering marriage through the fall in Genesis 3 
• James 4 and passions at war within the heart 
• The world’s false roadmaps like blame shifting and “blame it on the brain” 
• Why misdiagnosing conflict removes hope for change 
• Godly sorrow versus worldly sorrow in apologies 
• Unmet expectations and why they fuel recurring fights 
• Husbands leading in peacemaking without peace faking 
• 1 Peter 3 and the warning about hindered prayers 
• Encouragement for couples to use the means of grace and seek wise help 

Send us an encouragement, question, or critique.

If this episode was helpful, please share it with a friend or member from church and discuss it with them!

We open Deuteronomy 6 and answer 12 questions and objections to family worship. We then set expectations so you don’t burn out.

 
• What if I don’t think I know enough?
• Are my kids too young for family worship? 
• Training wiggly kids with patience and long-term thinking.
• Guidance on length and frequency without making a new law.
• Choosing a time of day that supports consistency.
• Keeping the Bible central while using catechisms and helps 
• What moms can do when dads are deployed or absent.
• Whether children who are not professing faith should pray.
• Responding to the fear of forcing religion on kids.
• Defining success as ordinary faithfulness over time.
• Recommended resources and simple frameworks for leading 

Resources for family worship:

Joel Beeke, Family Worship Guide (Insights and devotional questions for every chapter of the Bible): https://a.co/d/0f80sFR5

Donald Whitney, Family Worship: https://a.co/d/0i39pZ8q

Jonathan Gibson, Be Thou My Vision: A Liturgy for Daily Worship: https://a.co/d/09GFN2jS

Charles Spurgeon, Morning and Evening: https://a.co/d/01QDTE8o

Send us an encouragement, question, or critique.

If this episode was helpful, please share it with a friend or member from church and discuss it with them!