The Living Grounded Podcast

What comes to your mind when you think about God may be the most important thing about you. A.W. Tozer famously wrote, “What comes to our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us,” but our culture offers countless different pictures of who God is. In this episode, we go back to Genesis 1–3 to discover a biblical picture of God as Elohim—the eternal, all-powerful Creator;...

Why can a song reach places in our hearts that ordinary conversation sometimes can't?   In this episode of the Living Grounded Podcast, Ron sits down with Grammy-recognized, Dove Award-winning artist and songwriter Laura Story to explore why music speaks so powerfully to the human soul—and why even a culture that wants little to do with God continues to sing about love, hope, belonging, suffering,...

Wicked asks us to reconsider a story we thought we knew—and to question who really deserves to be called “good” or “wicked.” In a culture that is constantly labeling people as heroes, villains, dangerous, or righteous, who gets to define good and evil?   Ron, Tom, and Jill explore what Wicked reveals about moral truth, cultural power, judgment, personal responsibility, transformation, and redempti...

Why does a culture that increasingly says it doesn't need God keep telling stories about gods, destiny, supernatural powers, temptation, judgment, salvation—and the longing to get home? Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey gives us a fascinating window into the human heart, because Odysseus' journey is about far more than getting back to a place; it is about belonging, identity, love, and home. In this...

What happens when a culture that says it doesn't need God can't stop singing about longing, emptiness, morality, identity, sacrifice, and the search for something more?   In this episode of Living Grounded, Ron Moore, Jill Kowalski, and Tom Rojahn explore what secular music may reveal about the spiritual hunger that exists beneath the surface of our culture. From Taylor Swift and Noah Kahan, they...

Our culture may be increasingly secular, but it keeps talking about God—in our music, movies, stories, and conversations about meaning, love, justice, sacrifice, redemption, and salvation. Why does a culture that wants little to do with God keep bringing Him back into the conversation? In this episode, Ron Moore explores three biblical reasons: We are made in God’s image. Eternity is set in our he...

What shapes the things we love most? In this thoughtful episode of the Living Grounded Podcast, Ann Marie Pirnat reflects on the enduring gift of Christian friendship, the wisdom of Augustine's ordo amoris—the right ordering of our loves—and the transforming power of Scripture. Together, we explore how God's Word reshapes our hearts so that we learn to love Him above all else and love others throu...

Have you ever wondered where God is in the middle of grief, uncertainty, or spiritual dryness? In this episode of the Living Grounded Podcast, Allison Byxbe shares how journaling through Scripture became a lifeline that carried her from deep sorrow into a renewed awareness of God's presence. Drawing from her book, Journaling as a Spiritual Practice: Tracing the Lines of Grace to God's Presence, Al...

Have you ever felt like everything depends on you? In this encouraging episode of the Living Grounded Podcast, author Nichole J. Suvar shares how years of living with undiagnosed anxiety led her to discover that true peace isn't something we create—it's something we receive from God. Drawing from Genesis 2 and Colossians 1, she explains why so many of us build "false Edens" through perfectionism,...

What if the missing piece in your spiritual life isn't trying harder—but learning to delight in God? In this encouraging conversation, Stephanie Rousselle shares how her journey from atheism to a passionate faith led her to discover that delight in God is not a luxury but the very foundation of a vibrant Christian life. Together, we explore why so many believers struggle with performance-based fai...

What happens when a child who feels forgotten discovers he has never been abandoned by God? In this deeply moving conversation, Mark Spearman shares his journey through foster care, institutional living, discouragement, and the long road toward healing. Together, we explore how painful experiences shape our identity, how Christ restores what feels broken, and what it truly means to trust God in se...

What happens when following God's call leads straight into unimaginable loss? In this unforgettable conversation, David and Alicia Lloyd share the story of their family's nearly three decades of ministry in Haiti, the legacy of their son Davy, and the heartbreaking events that shook their mission and the Christian world. Rather than focusing only on tragedy, they reveal the deeper story of hope, p...

What does it mean to suffer well without pretending that pain is good? In this honest conversation, Brittany Allen and I explore the biblical practice of lament, why comparing grief only deepens our isolation, and how God's unchanging goodness meets us in our deepest suffering. Together we reflect on the lives of Jesus, Paul, and Elijah to discover that healing isn't found in having all the answer...

Christian nationalism has quickly become one of the most talked-about—and misunderstood—topics in America today. In this episode, Ron Moore interviews Joe Melaragno to explore what Christian nationalism is, how it differs from biblical Christianity and healthy patriotism, and why the conversation has become so significant in our cultural moment. Together they examine its historical roots, theologi...

Knowing who we are in Christ is more than a theological concept—it is the foundation for everyday Christian living. In this episode, we continue our conversation on spiritual identity by exploring what it looks like to live from the truth of our union with Christ instead of being driven by performance, approval, failure, or fear. Together, we examine how our identity in Christ transforms the way w...

In this episode, we explore one of the most foundational questions of the Christian life: Who am I? Our culture encourages us to build identity on success, relationships, achievement, and personal story—but Scripture offers a radically different foundation. We unpack what it means to have union with Christ and how that truth reshapes our understanding of significance, security, acceptance, forgive...

In this deeply personal episode of The Living Grounded Podcast, I sit down with Bob Gilbert to discuss his journey through the loss of two wives, Debbie and CJ. Bob shares candidly about the fear, loneliness, questions, and unexpected challenges that accompany grief.  Together, we explore how suffering impacts faith, prayer, relationships, and one's understanding of God's purposes. Bob offers prac...

Why do some people embrace Christ while others reject him? If salvation is entirely by grace, what role does human response play? And what do we do with passages that seem to emphasize both God's sovereign initiative and our responsibility to believe? In this episode, Ron Moore and Tom Rojahn join host Jill Kowalski to explore some of the Bible's most thought-provoking passages concerning salvatio...

Ron Moore and Tom Rojahn are joined by host Jill Kowalski to discuss God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility. The conversation engages J.I. Packer’s idea of antinomy, discusses the dangers of overemphasizing either divine sovereignty or human responsibility, and considers why mystery in theology is not the same thing as incoherence.

For three decades, Ed Glover and his wife Tammy have faithfully served Pittsburgh’s North Side through a ministry rooted in presence, discipleship, and holistic transformation. In this deeply personal conversation, Ed shares the story behind Urban Impact — from his own journey to Christ and calling into ministry to the early days of reaching youth with faith and obedience. This episode explores: -...

What’s the difference between being sorry you got caught and genuinely repenting before God? In this episode of The Living Grounded Podcast, Ron Moore and Jill Kowalski discuss the recent public controversy surrounding NFL coach Mike Vrabel and sports journalist Dianna Russini—and why stories like these often reveal a deeper spiritual issue: the difference between regret and repentance. Using Psal...

In this important and timely episode of The Living Grounded Podcast, Jill Kowalski, Kyle Zacour, and Ron Moore discuss the growing crisis of loneliness, isolation, and disconnection impacting families, teenagers, and communities across America. More importantly, they ask: What does Scripture teach about why humans were created for relationship? Why are teens and young adults struggling to feel see...

Megg Hondru and Luke Mantzell join host Ron Moore to discuss the challenges teens face today that look nothing like they did a generation ago.  Through personal stories, frontline experience, and honest conversation, we explore: - Where a passion for reaching teens begins - The hidden pressures teens carry that most adults miss - How parents can start difficult conversations around shame, mental h...

What are the biggest digital threats facing your kids right now—and what can you do about them today? In this focused episode, Ron Moore breaks down ten essential insights every parent needs, from managing screen time and preventing addiction to fostering trust and teaching identity in Christ. This episode is practical, urgent, and deeply encouraging for parents navigating today’s challenges.

Tyler walked away from his faith and into a life marked by substance abuse, searching for something to fill the void. What began as distance from God eventually led to an overdose that could have ended everything. But it didn’t. In this powerful and honest conversation, Tyler shares how one constant never wavered—his dad’s unconditional love. That steady presence became a lifeline, guiding him bac...