Heaven and Hale

What a weekend we had with the Hope Kids! We are praising God for FOUR kids who were filled with the Holy Ghost, and two kids who were baptized in Jesus' name! I'm breaking down everything Kids' Revival by talking about what happened BEFORE, DURING, and my reflections AFTER. Why did we decide to do a revival instead of VBS? How do we prepare for something like this? How can we be mo...

Remember how exciting yesterday was? Yeah... hold on to that feeling. The message of the gospel means nothing to the person who doesn't recognize their own sin. Today's passage of scripture is going to help us recognize our need!  I'm using notes from one of my favorite commentators, Warren Wiersbe, in today's episode. He calls this section of scripture "The Devolution of...

Welcome to DAY ONE of our Summer Reading Plan! Today, we're reading Romans 1:1-17.  Did you know the apostle Paul had a letter form? He was a great writer, and all of his letters follow the same template: Opening Addresser Adressee Benediction Thanksgiving Body Paranaesis (Practical Application) Closing Today, we're talking about the opening, and it is LOADED. Paul doesn't play arou...

Tomorrow begins our "Summer Reading Plan" or "SRP" on the book of Romans, but you definitely want to START HERE FIRST! In this episode, I'm explaining how the plan will work, and I'm giving some background information on the book of Romans. I believe in using Jen Wilkin's "Five Ps" of Bible study: prayer, process, perspective, purpose, and patience. Thi...

I'm recapping Sunday morning, the "Times of Refreshing" Minister's Conference, and y'all know I'm STILL talking about Camp. I'm covering everything in this episode, starting with how we need to align our expectations of what God can and will do with His word. Do you know what a stronghold is? Probably not, because it's a word we use in church, but not in reg...

I'm baaaaaack! From San Diego to Hot Springs, and on the way to Illinois, I'm doing my best to share some of the highlights of the past few weeks with you all in today's episode. I am truly encouraged by the determination and authenticity I saw from the teens at Camp Mulberry this past week, and I'm alarmed by what I've seen elsewhere. This episode isn't a recap of ev...

What is Pentecost Sunday? Why are we celebrating? Why do we need the Holy Ghost? Who can get the Holy Ghost? All great questions-- and they're all answered on this episode. We had a great day celebrating the work God is doing in our local congregation and around the world. We heard from a visiting missionary who encouraged us to share the gospel with urgency.  You ARE a Bible reader. You CAN...

In this episode I'm sharing SIX books that have stuck with me like good oatmeal. Whether you're a reader or not, you might find a book in this episode that will interest you (can I recommend an audio book?) Here's a list of the books I discuss in this episode: Women of the Word  by Jen Wilkin Hinds Feet in High Places by Hannah Hurnard The Ministry of Ordinary Places by Shannan Mart...

Matthew 11:28 says, "Then Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest." In this Sunday recap, I'm talking about the sermon from this morning, "I will give you rest." It's three simple points: Come to me, take my yoke, and learn of me. I'll share part of my grandmama's testimony about how this verse...

I'm back with more Bible study tips and tools, and today we're talking about memorizing scripture! But first, today is a very special day. You will have to listen to the podcast to find out why. In this episode I'm sharing a story about something that happened in my third grade classroom, and I'll discuss why it's so important to hide the word of God in your heart, and giv...

"I'll be here when you get home!" In this episode, I'm recapping our Mother's Day service at church, which included three messages from three moms in our church, and y'all... they were AMAZING! So hang out with me while we talk the book of Ruth, letting people into your heart, and the assurance that Jesus will always be waiting for us when we decide to come "home...

I’m on the road home from church in Mississippi, and I’ve got revival on the brain! In this episode, recording from my car, I’m sharing my thoughts on what revival looks like, the warning signs that you might need revival, and what to do if you do! I’ll be reading from Psalm 69, and referring back to two messages I’ve recapped recently on the leper and the prodigal son.  You ARE a Bible reader. Yo...

We are better  together  and that applies to our Bible reading too! Join me in this episode as I break down why it's important to read the Bible with friends, and how to get a home Bible study started.  You ARE a Bible reader. You CAN understand God's Word. You WILL be changed by what you learn. And, in turn, the Word of God will change your family, your community, and your world. SOCIAL...

Apparently I think everything should be a "recap," so in this episode I'm recapping what I've been studying lately. I'm going to walk you through how I use the five "Ps" of Bible study: prayer, purpose, perspective, patience, and process. Listen along to find out how the church today is a lot like the church at Corinth, what it means to follow the Word of God rat...

In this episode, I start by telling everyone what happens BEFORE Sunday service ever starts, and I'm hoping there are some listeners out there who can relate. I'll talk about the effort that goes into selecting songs for the worship service, and why it's important, and finally I'll recap Sunday's message. The sermon this Sunday was from Luke 5 (again) when Jesus reaches ou...

I'm back with more Bible study tips, and today I'm talking about one that is the hardest for me (and I imagine I'm not alone): PATIENCE. When we read our Bibles, we are in communion with Jesus-- and just like any other relationship, you can't know everything about Him overnight. In this episode I'm discussing (again) why Biblical literacy is so important, something disturb...

In this episode I'm talking about what it means to be a "Fisher of Men." God has given us all gifts and talents, and we get to use them to lead people to him! I'll share a sweet story of a child in our church who invited her babysitter to church, and I'm trying to recap some of Grandad's fishing stories, but I'm not really up to par on my fishing jargon.  "A...

I'm here to recap Easter weekend AND celebrate the podcast's 20th episode by having my first podcast guest: my husband, Joseph! I thought we would just recap the absolutely PACKED Easter weekend we had at our church, but we covered all kinds of topics. Listen along with us as we talk about the role of the church in the community, what it will be like when we are raised from the dead, and...

I'm sharing some of my favorite verses about the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, starting with 2 Corinthians 1:20, "All God's promises find their yes in him." All of scripture points to Jesus. The Old Testament points forward to Him, and the New Testament points back to Him and what He did at Calvary. As the world grows darker and darker, we have a living hope that is...

I'll be honest, I was more long-winded than the preacher today! I'm recapping every part of our service from the mission report from South Africa, to the praise and worship set, to the importance of children participating in church. Then, I'm recapping the sermon, and let's just say... I REALLY enjoyed it. I've got a lot to say about today's message about the events l...

It's the episode that I have been SO EXCITED to get out to you all, because I'm unloading all the basics on The Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. I'm putting my New Testament Tutor hat back on for this one! In this episode I'm talking about when the books were written, who wrote them, who they wrote them for, where they got their information from, and why the wrote them....

Probably my favorite Sunday Recap yet (am I going to start saying that every week, maybe). In this episode I'm talking about revival, and what that even means, the meaning behind some of the songs we sang today, and I'm recapping Pastor's message on the parable of the prodigal son.  You ARE a Bible reader. You CAN understand God's Word. You WILL be changed by what you learn. An...

In this episode I'm sharing my experience at a very interesting church service I attended while in college. I admit, I'm going to get on my soap box about the work of the gifts of the Spirit in the modern church (we're talking mostly prophecy and tongues here), and then I'm sharing several scriptures from the Old Testament that point to Jesus in the New Testament.  Scripture Re...

I can't believe Sunday has come and gone again! In today's episode I'm sharing about the importance of fellowship, why we sing songs about the blood, the details on my brother-in-law, JJ's mission trip, and recapping the message preached at our church this Sunday by Bro. Dee Stone. It's a packed episode that you don't want to miss! "Are you going through the moti...

I'll start this episode off by sharing with you all how I'm doing with my Bible reading plan. Then, I accidentally turn this episode into a little bit of a recap-- but you've got to hear about the lesson from a couple of Wednesday nights ago and how it applies to Bible reading. I'm sharing a parable from the book of Luke, which compares the Word of God to a seed, and I'm t...