I Wanted to Know Him

I Wanted to Know Him

Have you ever known a lot about God but realized you didn't really know Him? In this episode of Conversations in the Barn, Rachel shares a conversation she still thinks about — a night after church with two friends when she finally admitted what she'd been carrying. Years of Bible studies, a religion degree, and all the right answers, and still something was missing. We're spending time in Colossians 1:9, where Paul prays something that reframes everything — that the knowledge of God is a gift before it becomes a responsibility. And Rachel's hailstorm-battered garden might just say it better than any theology textbook could. This one is quiet. Personal. And it might name something you've never said out loud. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Gospel, Growth, & Fruit

What if accepting Christ is not the finish line, but the beginning of the journey? In this episode, we explore Paul's prayer for the Colossae believers and discover God's desire not only to save us, but to transform us. Drawing on the familiar image of training a horse, we consider how spiritual growth unfolds over time. Just as a horse is not fully trained after its first lesson, followers of Jesus are invited into a lifelong process of learning, yielding, and surrendering to God's leadership. Paul prays that believers would be filled with the knowledge of God's will through the wisdom and understanding that comes from the Holy Spirit. This is more than information. It is the kind of knowledge that changes how we think, live, and respond to God each day. The standards Paul describes can feel overwhelming. Living worthy of the Lord, pleasing Him in every way, and bearing fruit in every good work may seem impossible. Yet that is exactly the point. God never intended us to accomplish these things in our own strength. He empowers us through His glorious might, giving us the endurance, patience, and courage we need for the journey. Join us as we talk about spiritual growth, surrender, and the difference between trying harder and learning to rely on God's strength. The Christian life is not about reaching the finish line on our own. It is about allowing God to do His transforming work in us, one step at a time. Scripture: Colossians 1: 9- 12 ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

The Legacy We Leave

Not everything handed down from one generation to the next is worth keeping. Some families pass down strong faith. Others pass down silence, patterns, or pain that echoes for years. Most of us inherit a mixture of both. In this episode, Rachel reflects on a Father's Day sermon from Deuteronomy 6 and what it means to receive a complicated story and still choose a different direction. Using the image of an old saddle hanging in her shed, she explores how grace goes ahead of us, how God starts with us exactly where we are, and why the first act of a new legacy isn't speaking. It's surrender. Whether you come from a strong foundation of faith or you're the first in your family to turn toward God, this conversation is for you. Black Hills Cowboy Church | Conversations in the Barn ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Delightful Duty of Dads

What does it take to pass faith from one generation to the next? In this Father's Day message, we explore Deuteronomy 6 and God's vision for generational faith. The passage paints a picture that reaches beyond ourselves to our children and their children. Yet the journey begins with a simple but challenging question: Is God's Word written on our hearts first? Whether you come from a long line of believers or a family history marked by brokenness, Scripture offers hope. You can become the first faithful generation. God's story in your family doesn't have to be defined by the past. It can begin today. Together, we'll discuss what it means to love God with all our heart, soul, and strength, and why faith is often caught in everyday moments rather than formal lessons. From conversations around the dinner table to challenges faced along the way, ordinary life becomes the setting where the next generation learns what it means to follow Jesus. Join us as we reflect on the beautiful responsibility of living our faith out loud and investing in a legacy that reaches far beyond our own lifetime. Scripture: Deuteronomy 6: 4- 9 ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Hope Anchors Everything

We assume faith comes first and hope follows as a kind of bonus. Paul flips that order in Colossians 1: our faith and love actually grow out of hope, a settled confidence that God hasn't finished His work in us yet. In this episode, we look at Peter in Acts 10, walking into a Gentile's home before he fully understood why, and ask what that same pattern looks like in something as ordinary as a baptism Sunday. How often do we see a category where God is already at work in a person? Colossians 1: 3-5 | Acts 10 ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.