Redemption's Table with Robert Barge

Where have you seen God today? Where has He shown up in your life this week? Did you recognize Him when the moment came and went?   Join today's table podcast as we explore a little Latin phrase you've possibly never heard before. Coram Deo. It means "before the face of God" or "in the presence of God." All of life is lived out under the gaze of God.   God is watching u...

A Conversation with Special Guest: Joël Malm   Joël Malm has one of the coolest ministry jobs of anyone I know. As founder of Summit Leaders, he helps people conquer mountains. Some of those mountains appear on topographical maps; some arise in the mind or the heart   In October 2025, Joël released his 7th book -  Hiking the Clouds , subtitled  The Journey to Mature Faith.  And according to Joël,...

Welcome to the first fresh Table of the year!   During the 12 days of Christmas, I came across a sentence fragment recorded on my Notes App back in 2024. Just five words -  "On the Precipice of Everything."  And I wondered - "What was going in my life in that season that drew me to such a pinnacle of hope?" And then I thought, "Is there not a single solitary hour of our li...

Sometimes we all need to be still and let our souls catch up with our bodies. The One Who created the earth and everything in it, including you and me, designed us that way.  And our world, and our culture, and the news, and social media, and our phones, and our jobs and our choices and even our churches and good ministries are adding to that need for our souls to catch up.  We are not made for th...

A Conversation with Special Guest: Andrew Osenga   I first met Andrew Osenga earlier this year at a retreat I was attending.  I walked up to him and asked, "How do you feel about Jesus' beatitudes?"  His ecstatic response led to an on-the-spot invitation to come to The Table.   Andrew is a prolific creator.  He's a singer-songwriter who has released 3 albums that I know of within...

There's a quote from one of my favorite western movies I have taken to heart these past few months in light of all the escalating tension across our nation and around our world.  In a way I've never considered before, it sets the table for what might take place if we dared to follow Jesus' challenge of accepting Beatitude #7 -  "Blessed are the peacemakers." (Matthew 5:9)   &...

Out in the New Mexican landscape three Spanish words were carved in stone 442 years ago - “Pasó Por Aquí.”  Translation: “Passed this way.”  "Passed by here."   Pasó Por Aquí.  You can breathe these words wherever you find yourself today. Because wherever your journey has taken you at this moment, Pasó Por Aquí is  your testimony as well as mine.  It is the testimony of everyone who surr...

Where are the places that bring you life?   If you were encouraged to come back to the places you know bring life, where would you go?  Where are the places that have awakened and reawakened you?  Where are the places that have brought deep sustenance and joy and wonder and curiosity to your life?  Where have you bumped into God?   I reached out to some of my dearest friends and family members who...

Are you picking up what God is laying down?  Are you picking it up every day, or only when you pick your Bible up?  Are you searching for treasure God places somewhere along your path each day?   Today's episode explores the spiritual discipline of journaling.  You may be surprised to discover there are many different ways to journal.  Find one that best helps you live more intentionally in yo...

Welcome to the first fresh Table of 2025.   A New Year is only an imaginary line on a calendar, but there's something about a fresh start that appeals to us.  I think it might be because we all know we need one.  The coming of the greatest fresh start the world has ever been offered was celebrated a few days ago.  And now, we have just stepped into a lesser one.  Brand new in some ways; same old i...

Every Christmas season brings its own wisdom, so the question we all need to ask is,  "Christmas, what did you come to teach me this year?"   Welcome to Christmastide!  Christmas is far from over.  The celebration of Jesus' birth extends beyond December 25th.  Today is only the fourth day of Christmas.  There are eight more days to come, plus Epiphany.  For many of us, the best Christmas gift has...

"The world will never starve for want of wonders; but only for want of wonder."  - G.K. Chesterton   We all need to be reminded.  We can't manufacture our own wonder.  Sure, we can prime the pump to set our hearts in the right direction to receive.  But if we're looking for Christmas to be one or two specific things this year - if we're expecting something particular to happen in the next few days...

We're halfway through Advent.  Today is December 12.  And someone out there feels the crush of the season.  The thought of "only 12 more shopping days left" bears down on you like an avalanche.  You're rushing through December like Tom Cruise out to save the world one more time, caught up in an Impossible Mission.     Pause.  Take a deep breath.  There's still time to hit the Advent reset button. ...

It's how I begin every day.  Thanksgiving is the single most spiritual practice that keeps me grounded daily in the goodness of God.   Four good friends accepted my invitation to gather at the Table this week to share their Thanksgiving for 2024.  You may notice a common theme.  All four have experienced some waves, some storms, and all four have seen Jesus at work in their lives and give Him than...

Welcome to a different kind of Redemption's Table.  Normally our episodes are for everybody, but today's story is particularly addressed to American Christians.  It's a sojourn to a forgotten place that begins with a forgotten harvest - and harvest and Thanksgiving usually go hand in hand.   The vision begins in a field of corn in a high mountain meadow.  A harvest has come and gone, and not a sin...

Have you ever been to a place where past, present, and future come together before you?  Where you can reflect on the expanse of what has already swept by and ponder the volume of all that is yet to come?  Have you ever stood on the brink of a waterfall?  A waterfall is nature's hourglass.   Host Robert Barge has stood on the brink of Lower Falls of the Yellowstone twice in his lifetime.  Once aro...

You are a human GoPro and your soul is recording every nanosecond of your life!  To some degree, you're taking it all in.  Your internal audio and video recorders are receiving data at an incredible shutter speed.  And even though your memory capacity is enormous, you can't recall it all, but it is amazing how much your soul does remember.   Welcome to a fun Table episode.  Let your mind imagine s...

I first met Peter Scott when I walked into his place of business in Montgomery Alabama almost 10 years ago. His office wall was filled with photographs he had taken from Yellowstone National Park.  We struck up a conversation and became fast friends.     Pete worked in Yellowstone back during his college days.  He has since visited our first National Park multiple times and spent decades studying...

There's a phenomenon that takes place within us when we spend three days in the great outdoors.  It's called "the 3-day effect."  Three days in nature can reset our brains.  And after those three days, our ability to problem solve goes up, our inductive reasoning goes up, and we become more creative.  When we step out of life as we know it and into life as we were meant to live it, it changes us. ...

"Everybody I know says they need just one thing  And what they really mean is they need just one thing more."  - Rich Mullins.   Everyone has a life song.  Or if you're like me, you have dozens of life songs.  But through the years, one seems to keep rising to the top.  Rich Mullins'  My One Thing  is that song for me.  It's a song about Jesus - my one thing.   Who or what is your one thing?  The...

Confluence.  A place where two or more rivers or streams merge together.  Confluences fill me with wonder.  I want to journey upstream to find the headwaters of every tributary.  A confluence is kind of like a reversed fork in the road made of water.  Wherever you are right now is a confluence.   Think back over your summer.  What were your favorite tables and favorite moments?  What has God been...

The Holy Trinity is a wondrous mystery.  You know the certainty of the Truth of it - and yet, it blows your mind.  Absolutely amazing how Truth and Wonder come together in the glorious reality of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.   But there is also an unholy trinity that lurks beneath the surface of enough churches and denominations, it needs to be recognized for what it is -...

Do you hear the song? The song that is all around you right now. Do you hear that?   It's a song being sung especially over you. It's a Voice that never ceases to sing to you. And when you hear it, it makes all the difference in how you live your life.   "And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music." - Friedrich Nietzsche   The...

A Conversation with Special Guest:  Steph Cherry   It is always a delight to bring Steph Cherry to the Table.  You never know what or who might wander through the conversation.  There might be a tornado in the backyard or a birthday visit with a capybara at a local petting zoo or the art of being an uncommon friend during someone else's difficult season.     There is beauty, wit, wisdom, and h...

Your soul has a unique speed.  It is not in a hurry.  It does not travel at the speed of our world nor our culture.  It travels at the speed of Light - the Light of the world. Your soul is in need of nourishment.  It must be fed and there is only one real source of food.  C.S. Lewis wrote, "God designed the human machine to run on Himself. He Himself is the fuel our spirits were designed to b...