YOU Podcast

Often when we have friends over, they will introduce my family to a new board game. I have learned to only be mildly competitive. If I have never played a specific board game before, and I do not know the rules; I will request a practice round before the “real” game begins. But even afterwards, the rules still have not sunk into my memory, I participate and enjoy the fellowship, I almost never win. Once we get to the end of the game, I find out that I would have been closer to winning had I remembered one of the rules. The saddest part is that everyone else will be ready to move on to another game and | never get the chance to improve.

We can trust that once we have “learn the rules of the game,” once we have grown in Christian maturity, we will be able to obey God in ways that bring blessings to ourselves, our families, and people in our local communities and churches.”

When it comes to listening to God, we might find ourselves feeling the same way at the beginning or when hardships come. However, because God is consistent, we can trust that once we have “learn the rules of the game,” once we have grown in Christian maturity, we will be able to obey God in ways that bring blessings to ourselves, our families, and people in our local communities and churches.

The post HOW GOD SPEAKS – God Speaks and We Respond (YOU-Fall’26, Study 1, Session 6) appeared first on YOU.

I have listened to several podcasters, preachers, and political pundits explain how Americans have become more tribal over the last few years. They have all pointed to social media as the culprit because it provides us with a sound board for our own thoughts. When social media connects people around something that is sinful, we grieve over their lostness. But social media can also point people towards the direction of Jesus and the Church.

God designed His Church to be a place where people from every tribe and language could gather and discuss the wonders of God.”

Not every tribal commitment is bad. God designed His Church to be a place where people “from every tribe and language” (Rev. 5:9) could gather and discuss the wonders of God. Imagine being at a family reunion where everyone’s favorite food is prepared, no one is tired from the preparation because everyone helped, and the conversation is lively since everyone wants to talk to everyone else.

This might sound like a fairy tale or a dream, but this is what the Church can be, When we focus on listening to God’s voice, as we engage with His word, empowered by His Spirit; we can evaluate our circumstances in Christian community-God speaks through His Church.

The post HOW GOD SPEAKS – God Speaks through His Church (YOU-Fall’26, Study 1, Session 5) appeared first on YOU.

As the father of four children, I challenge my children to consider their circumstances, I often allow a particular situation to play itself out to see where they are on the pathway to maturity, I am always surprised when one of them wants their siblings to share something and then they are unwilling to share with another sibling, I intervene when I think it is appropriate to remind them of the earlier circumstance and challenge them to consider how they felt. I am cautious about comparing my own fathering techniques to God’s but even Jesus compared the innate nature of human fathers to that of our heavenly Father (see Matthew 7:7-12).

God the Father orchestrates the circumstances of our lives with a similar, but greater, purpose in mind.”

Every good father wants to see how their children will respond to their situations in the hope of congratulating them because they have listened to the instruction they were given, I am cautious about comparing my own fathering techniques to God’s but even Jesus compared the innate nature of human fathers to that of our heavenly Father, God the Father orchestrates the circumstances of our lives with a similar, but greater, purpose in mind. He wants to give us opportunities to grow and implement what we have learned about His nature into our lives and communities, He is on our side and knows which circumstances will help us thrive. He always intervenes at the right time.

The post HOW GOD SPEAKS – God Speaks through Circumstances (YOU-Fall’26, Study 1, Session 4) appeared first on YOU.

Have you ever wished life came with clearer instructions? Maybe you’ve stood in the middle of a big decision-whether to take a job, repair a relationship, or just figure out how to get through the week-and thought, “I just need to hear from God.” You’re not the only one. Surveys show that most adults feel unsure about the “right next step” in daily life, even though we’re surrounded by more information and technology than any generation before us. Phones track our habits, watches monitor our sleep, apps guide our diets, and yet people still feel spiritually directionless.

Have you ever wished life came with clearer instructions?”

And that’s where a deeper question emerges: How is the Holy Spirit superior to any technology we can comprehend? For all our devices can do, none of them can comfort us in grief, convict us of truth, or whisper wisdom into the quiet places of our hearts. In this session, we’ll discover how God still speaks today-and why the Holy Spirit offers guidance no technology could ever match.

The post HOW GOD SPEAKS – God Speaks through His Holy Spirit (YOU-Fall’26, Study 1, Session 3) appeared first on YOU.

Imagine getting a meaningful text from a close friend-something you read twice because it hits you at just the right moment. Messages like that help us feel connected, understood, and grounded, God designed us for that kind of connection. Communication and community are at the heart of our human experience. We constantly seek conversations-at events, over lunch, through messages-because they make us feel known. But even in our best efforts, we forget things. That’s why we write them down.

God gave us Scripture so we could clearly hear Him. His written Word guides us even better than an audible voice ever could.”

In the same way, God gave us Scripture so we could clearly hear Him. His written Word guides us even better than an audible voice ever could. When we talk about hearing God, many of us wish He would just speak out loud and make things simple. But one of the clearest, most consistent ways God speaks is through the Bible. Scripture isn’t just an old book-it’s God’s voice captured in words we can return to again and again. As we read, reflect, and apply what we learn, we begin to recognize how God guides, encourages, and shapes us through His Word.

The post HOW GOD SPEAKS – God Speaks through the Bible (YOU-Fall’26, Study 1, Session 2) appeared first on YOU.

Relationships require effort and the people involved must agree to communicate regularly. The same conditions are needed for a good company to thrive, for a church to prosper, and for married couples to be joyful. But these conditions do not just appear out of thin air. Someone must take the initiative and vulnerably communicate, hoping their efforts are reciprocated. I find myself doing this every time I visit a new church or get invited to a social event.

God always takes the initiative and does this for our benefit. He is not distant. He desires to bring us closer to Himself.”

In my younger days, I would often think that no one cared about my presence at church or the gathering because no one came and spoke to me. I would hang around, endure some of the awkwardness for a while, and swiftly exit once I felt it was appropriate, I have learned that situations like this can often be avoided when I take the initiative and engage with people. But I must force myself to act lovingly for the benefit of my neighbor. God always takes the initiative and does this for our benefit. He is not distant. He desires to bring us closer to Himself. Moses is just one of the many individuals who have experienced God’s loving initiative.

The post HOW GOD SPEAKS – God Speaks to His People (YOU-Fall’26, Study 1, Session 1) appeared first on YOU.

When an epidemic hit the Roman Empire around 260 AD, it was horribly bad. The only thing people could do to avoid getting sick and dying was to run away, literally. Dionysius, a third-century bishop, wrote this about “the heathen,”

“At the first onset of the disease, they pushed the sufferers away and fled from their dearest, throwing them into the roads before they were dead and treated unburied corpses as dirt, hoping thereby to avert the spread and contagion of the fatal disease,”

Christians, on the other hand, took a wholly different approach, Dionysius wrote, “Most of our brother Christians showed unbounded love and loyalty … They took charge of the sick, attending to their every need and ministering to them in Christ,
and with them departed this life serenely happy; for they were infected by others with the disease … Many, in nursing and curing others, transferred their deaths to themselves and died in their stead,”34

A key difference between Christians and those of other faiths is the expression of love and the willingness to love unconditionally, faithfully, no matter what.”

A major key difference between Christians and those of other faiths is the expression of love and the willingness to love unconditionally, faithfully, no matter what, In this final session, we will see how we are to love even as Christ has loved us.

The post ESSENTIALS FOR CHRISTIAN LIVING – A Love for Others (YOU-Sum’26, Study 2, Session 7) appeared first on YOU.

We like the image of the rugged individual. The guy who stands on his own two feet, The woman who built a successful business by working hard and persevering, It’s what many believe made our country great, right? We love the stories of those who found opportunity and blazed their own trails: Daniel Boone, George Washington Carver, Amelia Earhart, Kehinde Wiley, and Dr. Mae Jemison. These individuals inspire us because they show what willpower and courage can accomplish.

Herbert Hoover coined the term “the rugged individual” during his 1928 presidential campaign, encouraging Americans to embrace the notion of rugged individualism and take care of themselves, In politics and business, rugged individualism can drive innovation, as seen in Madam C.J. Walker, who rose from poverty to become a self-made millionaire through hard work and persistence.

God equips us to support one another, True strength comes from unity within the body of Christ.”

But rugged individualism fails miserably in the Christian life. As followers of Christ, we are not called to go it alone. In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul paints a picture of the church as one body-the body of Christ. Each member has unique gifts, and God equips us to support one another, True strength comes from unity within the body of Christ.

The post ESSENTIALS FOR CHRISTIAN LIVING – A Way to Serve (YOU-Sum’26, Study 2, Session 6) appeared first on YOU.

In February 2015, a user from Tumblr, a social media platform, posted a photo of a dress with the question: “What colors do you see?” The image went viral as people perceived different colors; some saw blue and black, while others saw white and gold, I remember seeing a blurry white color, Within hours, family, coworkers, and friends were arguing over the color of the dress, Over 11 million tweets in 24 hours surrounding the hashtag #TheDress generated many heated discussions.

There is a scientific explanation that a person’s brain interprets ambiguous lighting differently based on individual perception patterns, However, the emotional response revealed a deeper human nature that we want to defend our perspective, even when it’s meaningless, If we fight over trivial dress colors, imagine how much more insistent we are on matters that will affect our lives,

Christian living is doing what benefits others and letting go of what we want.”

Sometimes, we insist that others see things our way, Paul understood this nature and taught the Corinthians an alternative: sometimes we are to voluntarily set aside what we want for the sake of others, In this passage, we will discover that one of the essentials for Christian living is doing what benefits others and letting go of what we want.

The post ESSENTIALS FOR CHRISTIAN LIVING – An Outward Focus (YOU-Sum’26, Study 2, Session 5) appeared first on YOU.

When you are proud of your work, you want the whole world to see and know it. That’s how one employee of the Pinakothek der Moderne felt, The Pinakothek der Moderne is an art museum built by Stephan Braunfels in Munich, Germany, with approximately 20,000 art pieces, It is one of the world’s leading institutions for painting, sculpture, photography, and new media, But one employee thought something was missing. Despite being surrounded by works from Picasso, Magritte, and Dalí, this 51-year-old freelance artist believed the museum needed something else-his own painting, Surely, as people stared with wonder at some of the magnificent 20,000 art pieces in this museum, they would become equally enamored with this guy’s work,

Pride usually doesn’t end well. But for those who follow Jesus, humility is not just helpful-it’s essential.”

Well, he certainly got noticed, and he was promptly fired, It is unclear if he was fired for his bad art or the fact that he drilled two holes in a wall to hang his two feet by four feet picture. But one thing is clear: humility could have saved him from embarrassment and losing his job.

His story is a funny reminder that pride usually doesn’t end well. But for those who follow Jesus, humility is not just helpful-it’s essential.

The post ESSENTIALS FOR CHRISTIAN LIVING – A Humble Attitude (YOU-Sum’26, Study 2, Session 4) appeared first on YOU.