If the Pursuit of Pleasure and Avoidance of Pain Is Making You Spiritually Numb Something is Out of Order

Covenant With Jesus

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1747843/fan_mail/new] You can have the whole world and still feel empty. We go straight at that lie with a personal story that spans more than 50 years: a teenage encounter with Jesus that changed everything, the painful quiet that followed, and the long detour into a hard and fast life that looked like it would end in ruin. If you’ve ever thought, “I went too far,” or “I wasted my best years,” we want you to hear this clearly: God didn’t leave, and your story is not finished.  We talk about covenant relationship with Jesus as an all of life exchange, not a religious label. That includes the raw honesty of addiction, the weight of shame, and the moment God answers the cry, “I’ve created a monster,” with a shocking promise of purpose. We also share why the cross is not abstract theology to us, but personal love, and why being made clean is possible even after years of destruction.  Then we turn to a practical blueprint for Christian living and discipleship from Ephesians 5:15 to 20: be careful how you live, make the most of every opportunity, refuse drunkenness and debauchery, and be filled with the Holy Spirit with worship, gratitude, and encouragement. If you want freedom that lasts and wisdom for daily decisions, this is a passage to live in. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs hope, and leave a review so more people can find it. What’s one “premature conclusion” you’re ready to lay down? Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1747843/support] Loving Yeshua/Jesus, Loving people... Come as you are and you will be loved!  Feel free to check out our website by typing in lifearoundthefire.com or Life Around The Fire ... We think you'll find some beneficial stuff to look at and apply to your life.  Shalom to you and your home.

A Simple Practice That Changes Every Gathering

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1747843/fan_mail/new] Most of us walk into a room quietly asking, “What am I going to get out of this?” We wanted to offer a reset that’s short, direct, and practical: the next time you get together with friends, family, or other believers, plan on being a giver. We talk about what Christian generosity can actually look like in real life. Yes, sometimes it’s money. Just as often it’s a word of encouragement, a moment of prayer, or the courage to let God use you to strengthen someone through the gifts of the Spirit. The goal isn’t a one-time act. We’re aiming for a lifestyle of giving, not because we have to, but because we get to. From there, we tie generosity to discipleship and the example of Jesus. God gives, Jesus gives everything, and we’re called into that same pattern of love. We also push back on a shallow “faith equals getting stuff” mindset and name the bondage of scarcity and begging. We want abundance for a reason: so we can be free to give. Even if it starts small, it starts with a decision. We wrap with a prayer asking God for wisdom to maximize the life and provision He’s entrusted to us, so we can show the world what giving looks like. If this encouraged you, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find the show. Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1747843/support] Loving Yeshua/Jesus, Loving people... Come as you are and you will be loved!  Feel free to check out our website by typing in lifearoundthefire.com or Life Around The Fire ... We think you'll find some beneficial stuff to look at and apply to your life.  Shalom to you and your home.

God’s Power Shows Up When We Surrender

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1747843/fan_mail/new] Control feels like safety until it starts costing you peace. We sit with one of the most personal challenges in spiritual growth: surrender to God. Not the vague kind that sounds nice on a coffee mug, but the real kind where you hand over your plans, your “rights,” your need to be understood, and your fear of what might happen if you stop managing everything. We explore why surrender feels unnatural in a culture shaped by rugged individualism, and why Scripture points us toward covenant trust instead. Along the way we bring in Ecclesiastes and the ache many of us carry when achievement still feels empty. We talk about the kingdom of God as a lived reality marked by righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit and how that shalom peace pushes back on anxiety, pressure, and lack. Then we go straight at the obstacle that stops most people cold: the fear of prolonged pain. We unpack Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” from 2 Corinthians 12 and the shockingly honest promise that God’s grace is sufficient and that his power is made perfect in weakness. We also share how surrender in suffering can lead to deeper intimacy with Jesus and to a life that can carry real spiritual authority with unity, love, and endurance. If you have been asking God to take something away and nothing is moving, this will give you language, hope, and a next step. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs strength, and leave a review with the biggest takeaway you heard. Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1747843/support] Loving Yeshua/Jesus, Loving people... Come as you are and you will be loved!  Feel free to check out our website by typing in lifearoundthefire.com or Life Around The Fire ... We think you'll find some beneficial stuff to look at and apply to your life.  Shalom to you and your home.

Why God’s Presence Matters More Than Programs

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1747843/fan_mail/new] If you have ever done all the “right” Christian things and still felt empty, we are going straight at that tension. We talk openly about how easy it is to slip into dead religion: programs, repetition, and spiritual language without the felt reality of God’s presence. Being a decent person is not the finish line, and going through the motions cannot satisfy the hunger for real faith, real hope, and real love rooted in relationship with God.  We also make a vulnerable announcement. We have been building toward a teaching series on King David, the life of David, and the Tabernacle of David, including the prophetic relevance many people connect to 24/7 worship and the soon return of Jesus Christ. But we are not launching it yet. Why? Because we do not want to deliver something that is merely presented. We want it to be birthed, shaped by prayer, humility, discernment, and the accompanying presence of the Lord, not just a well-made outline.  That is where you come in. We ask for intercession, strategic prayer, and a growing base of prayer support so what we share stays alive, God-centered, and strong enough to carry fruit without toppling. We close by praying for intercessors to be raised up and for God’s kingdom to be expressed with power and clarity. If this resonates, subscribe, share the episode with a friend who feels stuck in routine, and leave a review so more listeners can find these conversations. Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1747843/support] Loving Yeshua/Jesus, Loving people... Come as you are and you will be loved!  Feel free to check out our website by typing in lifearoundthefire.com or Life Around The Fire ... We think you'll find some beneficial stuff to look at and apply to your life.  Shalom to you and your home.

Guest Speaker Dr Bill Hurst, Part 2: (The Life of King David) What If Mercy Is The Real Revival

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1747843/fan_mail/new] You can talk about the Tabernacle of David all day and still miss the point if you only mean music. We sit down with Dr. Bill Hurst for part two and treat David’s story as a blueprint for a worship lifestyle that forms something rare: a heart God calls “perfect.” That’s not a personality type or a stage gift. It’s the fruit of years of honest relationship with God.  We walk through why Amos 9:11 and Acts 15 connect the restoration of David’s tabernacle to God drawing in the Gentiles, and why that restoration includes far more than a worship portion. David teaches us to worship through every kind of season: obscurity, monotony, danger, betrayal, leadership pressure, family conflict, and deep disappointment. We also get painfully practical about sacrifice, including Hebrews 13 and the forgotten “sacrifices” of doing good and communication, the kind that can save a home and mature a church.  From there we lean into mercy, repentance, and the “sure mercies of David,” asking what it looks like to become people who carry God’s character and dispense mercy with authority from the throne of grace. We close with a clear-eyed look at prophetic ministry today: revelation is not the hardest part, interpretation and application are, and God is purifying the prophetic so accuracy does not inflate pride and mixture does not dilute truth.  If this helped you, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find Life Around the Fire. What part of David’s pathway feels most real to you right now? Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1747843/support] Loving Yeshua/Jesus, Loving people... Come as you are and you will be loved!  Feel free to check out our website by typing in lifearoundthefire.com or Life Around The Fire ... We think you'll find some beneficial stuff to look at and apply to your life.  Shalom to you and your home.