The Hall Hotline

Can someone really live their entire life apart from God, turn to Jesus at the very end, and still be saved? In Episode 144 of The Hall Hotline , Jon tackles the idea of the “11th-hour salvation loophole” by looking at one of the clearest examples of grace in the Bible: the criminal on the cross beside Jesus. While one criminal mocked Jesus, the other recognized his own guilt, recognized who Jesus...

Some days, you just aren’t feeling it. You’re tired. Unmotivated. Discouraged. Maybe overwhelmed. And sometimes that can make us wonder if something is wrong with us spiritually. But then there’s Elijah. In 1 Kings 18, Elijah stands on Mount Carmel and witnesses one of the most incredible displays of God’s power in the Bible. Fire falls from heaven. The people proclaim that the Lord is God. After...

You want to read the Bible — but after you get started, where do you go next? In Part 1 of the Bible Study Guide, we built a foundation with James, John, and Ephesians . Today, we keep building with three more books: Philippians, Romans, and Acts . We’ll look at why Paul could write about joy while imprisoned, what Philippians 4:13 actually means in context, why Romans takes us deeper into sin, gr...

Want to start reading the Bible but have no idea where to begin? Most people naturally start at Genesis. And there’s nothing wrong with that — Genesis is awesome. Then you get into Exodus and Moses, Pharaoh, the plagues and the Red Sea. You're cruising. You're crushing that Bible reading plan. And then... Leviticus. 😂 Suddenly you're reading about sacrifices, priests, dietary laws, clean and uncl...

What if prayer doesn’t change what happens around you—but changes what happens inside you? This past weekend, we took the kids to Epic Universe to celebrate Tyler’s 8th birthday. Before we even got there, Addy asked if she could pray for our day. She prayed that we’d have a great time, that nothing would get us upset, and that we’d simply enjoy being together. And then came 200+ minute lines, Flor...

What if the gift God gave you was never really meant for you? Maybe you’re an encourager. Maybe you’re a leader. Maybe you’re good with kids, good with money, a great listener, a storyteller, or simply someone people know they can trust. Maybe your greatest “gift” actually came from something difficult you survived. 1 Peter 4:10 tells us, “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to...

Is it possible to sin so badly that you’ve gone beyond God’s grace and forgiveness? Maybe you’ve confessed something from your past. Maybe you believe Jesus died for your sins. But years later, you’re still carrying the guilt, shame, regret, and condemnation. If God has already forgiven you, why are you still punishing yourself? In today’s Daily Devotional, we look at what the Bible says about for...

Today is my son Tyler’s 8th birthday, and I’m sharing a story I’ve only told a handful of people in my entire life. Eight years ago, I stood in a delivery room and watched my son enter this world gray, limp, and lifeless. The umbilical cord had been wrapped around his neck twice. I felt completely helpless. Then a woman I had never seen before walked into the room. I watched her take my son into h...

Why do we feel guilty when we slow down? Why do we call it “wasting time” when we take a break, play with our kids, sit with our spouse, take a walk, pray, rest—or simply do nothing for a little while? In this episode of The Hall Hotline, Jon starts with a little football and a Matthew McConaughey “alright, alright, alright” after the Texas Longhorns beat Jon's Buckeyes, before a classic Dave Matt...

Hard Questions About God concludes with perhaps the hardest question of all: Why does a good God allow bad things to happen? In Part 5, I wrestle with this question through a personal story of loss and explore what Scripture teaches about suffering, sin, free will, spiritual warfare, and God’s sovereignty. We’ll look at Pastor Joby Martin’s five theological explanations for suffering, Romans 8:28–...

“The Bible is full of contradictions.” You’ve probably heard that statement before. Maybe you’ve seen it in a comment section, heard it from a friend, or even wrestled with the question yourself. But before we accept the claim, there’s a simple question we should ask: Show me one. In Part 4 of our five-part Hard Questions About God series, we take on the claim that holy books — specifically the Bi...

Did humans invent God? In Part 3 of our Hard Questions About God series (Episode 133), Jon addresses one of the most popular arguments used by modern skeptics. Just because humanity has concocted countless false beliefs throughout history doesn't mean every claim about God is false. Using a simple breakdown of the "Beethoven Analogy," Jon shows why bad counterfeits actually point to the existence...

Does science eliminate God? Here is how to explain the difference between a mechanism and a Creator. When people claim that science explains nature without needing God, they often confuse how things work with why they exist in the first place. Understanding the mechanics of a machine doesn't mean there wasn't an engineer behind it. In Part 2 of this 5-part series on The Hall Hotline , Jon tackles...

Is there physical proof of God? Here is how to answer your kids when they ask hard questions about faith. When our children ask tough questions about God, science, or the Bible, we shouldn't panic, shut them down, or make them feel guilty. Doubt isn't the enemy—it's an invitation to search for truth together. In Part 1 of this 5-part series on The Hall Hotline , Jon tackles the claim: “There is no...

The seed has been planted. The roots have grown deep. The storms have come. The pruning has hurt. Now comes the harvest. In Episode 130, Daniel Mejia joins me one final time as we wrap up our week exploring his book, The Tree: A Manual for a Life of Purpose, Faithfulness and Legacy. But the harvest isn’t simply about finally getting everything you worked for. Money, success, accomplishments and po...

Sometimes growth begins where nobody can see it. A seed gets buried in darkness, and from the outside, it can look like nothing is happening. But underneath the surface, transformation has already begun. Dan Mejia joins me again as we continue our conversation inspired by his book, The Tree: A Manual for a Life of Purpose, Faithfulness, and Legacy. We talk about patience, stewardship, spiritual gr...

Everybody wants the fruit. We want the blessing. The success. The stronger relationships. Better habits. More discipline. A deeper faith. But fruit doesn’t just appear. In today’s episode , Dan Mejia joins me again to continue our conversation around his book, The Tree: A Manual for a Life of Purpose, Faithfulness and Legacy. We talk about why you can’t keep trying to change the visible fruit of y...

Daniel Mejia is back on the couch for Part 2 of our conversation! Today we talk about where Dan believes God is leading him next and why he’s focused less on chasing more and more on stewarding what God has already placed in his hands. That leads us into a conversation about something a lot of us struggle with: discipline. Dan shares how his fitness journey has affected far more than his physical...

Welcome to a special week of The Hall Hotline! Today I’m joined on the couch by my good friend and brother in Christ, Daniel Mejia — father, businessman, fitness enthusiast, member of our men’s group, and author of “The Tree.” In Part 1 of our conversation, we get to know the man behind the book. Daniel shares his journey from being raised Catholic to developing a deeper personal relationship with...

What if the baggage you’ve been carrying was packed by somebody else? In Episode 125 of The Hall Hotline, Jon tackles one of the hardest commands Jesus gives us: forgiveness. Someone hurt you. Maybe they betrayed you, abandoned you, lied to you, broke your trust, or left a wound you’re still carrying years later. But here’s the question: Why are you still carrying what they did? Using Ephesians 4:...

Have you ever wondered why Jesus actually had to die? If God loves us and has the power to forgive us, why couldn’t He simply say, “You’re forgiven”? Why did there have to be a cross? In Episode 124 of The Hall Hotline, Jon shares an old Christian illustration recently retold by Pastor Josh Howerton about a loving king, a guilty daughter, and a punishment that had to be carried out. When the king...

Sometimes your biggest victory happens on the exact same day as someone else’s disappointment. In Episode 123 of The Hall Hotline, Jon shares a real-life moment from his real estate business: multiple families wanted the same house, but only one could hear the words, “Your offer was accepted.” One family celebrated. Others were disappointed. Same house. Same night. Two completely different experie...

What if the mountain in front of you isn’t there to stop you… but to shape you? In today’s episode of The Hall Hotline , we wrap up our Hidden Gospel series with Miley Cyrus’ The Climb and a powerful reminder from Scripture: following Jesus doesn’t mean the road will always be easy. There will always be another mountain. Another uphill battle. Sometimes we’ll stumble. Sometimes we’ll lose. And som...

Have you ever prayed for someone for so long that you started wondering if God was even listening? In Episode 121 of The Hall Hotline, we continue our Hidden Gospel series with Morgan Wallen’s “Thought You Should Know”—a deeply personal song written as a tribute to his mom and the prayers she prayed for him through the years. One lyric captures the heart of today’s devotional: “All those prayers y...

What if the dream God placed on your heart hasn’t expired? In Episode 120 of The Hall Hotline, we continue our Hidden Gospel series with Aerosmith’s classic “Dream On.” Steven Tyler’s lyrics about aging, losing, winning, and the reality that tomorrow isn’t promised point us toward some powerful biblical truths. We’ll look at Joel 2:28, James 1:2–4, and Psalm 90:12 to talk about how God can use our...