Double Take

Divorce divides. Obviously. But not just spouses, but it can cause division between friends, families, and within churches. Whether you’ve been through a divorce, or know someone who has, we hope to help you understand, and to encourage you by sharing what we believe is God’s heart on this issue.

As we’ve said before, Rick is the “Big Picture” guy, and I am the “Practical” girl. He’s been flying the Freedom Plane, so now I’m going to attempt to land it. What specifically can freedom look like in our lives?

When we say yes to Jesus everything changes. We become a new creature. Not just washed or covered. Jesus didn’t put on a pair of rose-colored glasses so He could tolerate looking at us. Jesus doesn’t stand between us and God so He can apologize for our bad behavior. No, He made us new. Something that didn’t exist before. We are now the place where Holy Spirit abides. We replaced the Holy of Holies...

Every new year begins with us wishing each other a Happy New Year. I have begun wondering what exactly a happy year looks like. What would it take to live the entire year happy? 

Sweet little baby Jesus in the manger, calm and quiet, halo around His head, with arms outstretched. That’s how we see Him portrayed in every nativity scene. It’s beautiful and peaceful and we get the point. But every mother knows how unrealistic that picture is.

The shepherds and the wise men are mentioned in another very familiar passage about the birth of Jesus. Here is a bit of storytelling about those nameless but favored people that were chosen to be major players in this supernatural event. 

We know her story well. And because the verses are so familiar we tend to tune out as they are recited each Christmas. But today we take another look at this innocent young woman who loved God with all her heart.

Obscurity is the fate of most men. Some travel a road that’s level and predictable, well posted with directions and destinations. Some build roads that cut through mountains of solid rock, and build bridges that span canyons and rivers, with nothing but determination and calloused hands. Some men travel roads up mountainsides carrying backpacks filled with dreams and hopes, up lanes with a promise...

Life hurts sometimes. But “the joy of the Lord is your strength,” so why are you still sad? What happens when the simplistic “churchy” answers aren’t working? In today’s episode Lori introduces you to Rachel Williams, who has experience with this from both sides of the pew. She shares her own struggles and how church, and we as believers, can help each other.

We talk a lot about “the things of this world” and there seems to be some confusion about that. What exactly are those things? Now it’s Lori’s turn.

Rick goes first and shares with you what he thinks about “the things of this world.”

Faith: where does it come from? How much is enough? How does it affect my life as a Christian? Today we attempt to answer some of these questions.

Which is the church (little “c”) and the Church (big “C”). How does each function? What about leadership? And, what could be done better?

The Bible is the inspired word of God. But what does that mean? And where does Holy Spirit fit in? 

Although this is supposed to be about things we used to believe we still do believe a lot of this, and more. Sometimes it’s fleeting – in the moment, depending on what’s going on at the time. Triggers from the past. Current conflicts. New losses.

We are always growing in our faith and understanding. What we believe now is likely different than it was five years ago. Asking questions and searching the scriptures is important and necessary. In this series we share some truths we have learned.

As we move through this season of highly charged emotional disagreements over who should be our next president, we find ourselves involved in exchanges of opinions that can drive a wedge of beliefs that will divide, loosely translated from Luke 12:53 “father from son and mother from daughter.” Engaging in debates can be helpful if the discussions remain calm and the different ideas and disagreemen...

Today we present a short recap of the entire series (Oneness, Identity, Flesh Patterns, About Women, About Men, Communication, Forgiveness). How do we put it all together when an argument begins? 

In the last podcast we talked about different, more accurate ways to define forgiveness. Today we are going to go a bit deeper. Let’s explore some things we may believe about forgiveness that aren’t true, and reasons we can find it difficult to choose to forgive. Understanding the truth about forgiveness helps us to make that healthy decision that is a fruit of our new nature in Christ.

It is normal in human interactions to experience anger – even in marriage (maybe especially in marriage)! The main cause of anger is blocked or unmet expectations.  A natural fruit of oneness is learning to give up our expectations and rights to God, and therefore prevent inappropriate expressions of anger. Acknowledging that it is God who promises to meet all our needs allows us to give up expect...

While communicating it is important to look for what you or your spouse is really trying to get out of the other.  For example, during one conversation a husband was trying to figure out whether or not his spouse valued his opinion and his decisions.  During the same conversation the wife was wanting to know if he heard her and cared for her.  Can you see why communication could be so difficult?  ...

Communicating with someone of the opposite sex can be quite perplexing.  You see, men think that women think like men, and women think that men think like women.  Of course, this is not true, and it would be almost comical if the differences didn’t cause so much misunderstanding and hurt.  

The more we understand the way men think and process information, the better women can support and love them in the way we need to be loved.  Also the reverse is true. The more we understand the importance of how women think and process the more we can hear them and love them the way they need as well.

Lori shares her recipe for a summertime cheesecake using strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and a little lemon.

Men and women are different. I know – crazy but true. Either men think they don’t understand their wives, or they think they do. Either way, you’re wrong. So let us help you out.