Letting Go Of Second Best For Something Better

Work, Rest, Worship, And Play (For Leaders); The Rhythm Of A Balanced Life

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1747843/fan_mail/new] We talk about why Kingdom leadership flips the usual top-down model and calls us to serve from underneath as we lift people up. We also get practical about spiritual rhythm, showing how rest and play protect leaders from burnout and bring our relationship with God back to life.  • servant leadership as the culture of the Kingdom of God  • a balanced rhythm of work rest worship and play  • how “the shoulds” turn worship into a checklist  • Sabbath as a gift and rest as worship based on Mark 2:27  • learning to rest with God in a replenishing relationship  • why staying guarded in relationships drains us over time  • trusting God as our shield instead of self-defense  • play as a way to release creativity and renew imagination  • balancing privilege with responsibility to avoid entitlement or harshness  • integrity through obedience in small things and keeping our word  If you have any thoughts, questions, concerns, please feel free to drop us a line at life around the fire at gmail.com, or you can type in Life Around the Fire and look us up on the web. We'd love to hear from you.  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.

Letting Go Of Second Best For Something Better

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1747843/fan_mail/new] Two words can quietly shrink your life: always and never. When we say “it’s always going to be like this” or “I’ll never change,” we turn a passing struggle into a permanent sentence. We pull those words apart and put them where they belong, not on our temporary feelings, but on God’s unchanging character: He is always God, always good, and never anything less than who He is.  From there, we get practical and personal about spiritual growth and surrender. We talk about the moments when God asks us to set aside something familiar so we can receive something better, even when it feels like loss. Think of the simple picture: if you want a dog to drop the hot dog, you offer a steak. That’s often what change feels like in real life, letting go of what’s immediate so we can embrace what’s greater.  We also open Scripture to Numbers 11 and the Israelites’ craving for Egypt’s food while God provides manna. It’s an honest look at cravings, nostalgia, and how easy it is to romanticize an old life while forgetting the bondage that came with it. Along the way, we reflect on addiction recovery, why our bodies make great servants but terrible masters, and how the Holy Spirit empowers us to lead our desires instead of being led by them.  If you’re in a hard season, feeling stuck, or tempted to compromise, let this be a reminder: it’s temporary, and God can use it to bring you into something better. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs hope, 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.

Why The Bible Still Drives Modern Revival

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1747843/fan_mail/new] God doesn’t need better rumors about Him, He reveals Himself. We lean hard into that conviction as we talk about why Scripture is the bedrock for Life Around The Fire and why the written Word of God still carries power for real life today. We’re not chasing religious noise or nostalgia for another era. We’re watching God move now, and we want our faith to stay anchored, honest, and alive. We unpack what we mean by awakening, reformation, revival, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, using Ezekiel’s river as a vivid picture of depth that keeps increasing until it overwhelms everything. We also get blunt about the difference between healthy spiritual disciplines and dead religion. The goal isn’t a scripted performance or a checklist. The goal is relationship, intimacy, and a life that makes God recognizable to the people closest to you. One of the most personal moments is a testimony from our own home: how our daughters once associated Jesus with lifeless church, but over time encountered real faith through consistent witness and the Holy Spirit’s work. We remind you that salvation is the crowning jewel, then we encourage you to stop fearing opinions, yield your gifts, and trust the strength of God within you when pressure hits. We close by praying for courage, power, love, and a sound mind. If this encouraged you, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find the podcast. 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.

Kingdom Leadership That Serves And Raises Others

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1747843/fan_mail/new] Leadership is under strain, and a lot of what passes for “strong leadership” is really just status, volume, or branding. We go a different direction and talk about Kingdom of God leadership: the kind that carries values, practices, and priorities aligned with Jesus, and that leads people into deeper relationship with the Lord and radical obedience that goes all the way to the root. One of the most challenging ideas we share is simple and costly: if we want to advance in God’s way, we have to become willing to become “a nobody” again. That means loosening our grip on recognition, privileges, and being seen as the person with the track record, so we can come underneath emerging leaders and lift them higher. We unpack why this is not a demotion but a Kingdom promotion, where servant leadership, humility, and surrender create the space for the next generation to begin where we left off and go further. We also name some less obvious pitfalls that pull Christian discipleship off course: the “isms and itties.” When liberalism, conservatism, legalism, or other ideological extremes become identity markers, they can quietly replace allegiance to the Kingdom. From there we dig into a sharp distinction between cultural Christianity and true new birth. Jesus did not come to create a watered-down religious label. He announced the Kingdom of God, opened the way to the Father, and invites us into real kingdom citizenship now, marked by righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. If you’re hungry for clearer spiritual leadership, deeper transformation, and faith that is more than a label, listen through to the closing prayer. Subscribe, share this with a leader you trust, and leave a review so more people can find the conversation. 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.

You Cannot Lead Well If You Need Everyone To Like You

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1747843/fan_mail/new] Leadership has a way of bruising you in places no one can see. After nearly five years of podcasting, we slow down to thank everyone who’s been listening around the world and especially those who have been praying, because that support keeps ministry from turning into sheer self-effort. Then we get honest about what many pastors, church leaders, and spiritual leaders learn the hard way: the longer you lead, the more you’ll face moments that sting. We talk about “sheep bite” the painful reality that hurt can come from the very people you serve. The early honeymoon of leadership can make you feel unstoppable, until criticism, offense, and misunderstanding show up and you realize you were never trained for every relational hit. We share practical leadership advice for handling praise and critique, why you should believe about half of both, and how to stop chasing affirmation from people who can’t reliably carry that weight. We also dig into emotional health for leaders: why stuffing frustration can turn into depression, how “information creates emotion,” and why venting to the wrong person can feed gossip and chaos. A childhood story about a made-up rumor drives home how fast words can move and how deeply they can affect others. Finally, we look to Jesus under false accusation and what real authority looks like when you refuse to retaliate and choose to endure for the long haul. If you lead in ministry, serve on a team, or carry responsibility for others, listen and take notes, then subscribe, share this with a leader who needs it, and leave a review that helps more people 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.