Focus on Christ Podcast

We're totally psyched to share this episode. Monica Kelsey is the founder and CEO of Safe Haven Baby Boxes . After you listen to this episode, you will want to check out her ministry. I want to tell you everything, but you need to hear it from Monica. Her story is deeply personal and powerful, and all of that power and passion pour into her ministry of providing a safe haven for babies and a...

One of my favorite people is a woman I met in Haiti. Her name is Matilde, which means mighty warrior. And that she is. She is no longer fighting in this realm but has journeyed on to join with the saints and angels in glory. Listen to hear her story and others. For more about Matilde, click here. Huge thanks to Mike Bridgewater our engineer,  JD Miller our musical wizard, and Mt Gilead Church our...

Jesus is the master storyteller. He is the author, editor, and publisher of our faith. And He's given all of us stories to tell. One of the things I love about doing this podcast is sharing our stories with you. I hope that this episode is like a fresh drink of ice-cold crystal-clear pure water for your soul. Huge thanks to Mike Bridgewater our engineer,  JD Miller our musical wizard, and Mt...

Find joy in every day. Too often we strive for the unreachable--for perfection. But we're imperfect, flawed. And it's way too easy to find the flaws. We don't even have to look. Our flaws are obvious and striking. Joy, on the other hand, sometimes requires work. But joy is like buried treasure. Sometimes the excitement and energy, and even the joy itself is in knowing it's ther...

Do you ever hear something wonderful, not just good news but great news? It fills your heart 'til you can't stand it. The excitement swells inside, and you're ready to burst. You have to tell someone. You have to share.  And when you do, you bless others. Huge thanks to Mike Bridgewater our engineer,  JD Miller our musical wizard, and Mt Gilead Church our home to record. Thank YOU f...

Yikes! We live in a scary world. Sometimes it can feel overwhelming.  But have no fear. Why? Because God is bigger, and He's got us in his arms. So, it doesn't matter what happens. The picture is much bigger than we can even imagine, and He sees all of it. When we know Him, when we know His nature--His love for us, we can live in freedom instead of fear. Thank you for listening. Thank yo...

In episode 11, we discussed Jesus teaching his disciples how to pray. His instruction is traditionally called the Lord's Prayer. He taught his disciples to pray "Give us this day our daily bread." What does that mean? Give us what we need not what we want? Give us just enough to get by? Or does it mean give us everything we need AND You, Oh God, ARE everything we need. When the chil...

You've likely heard the quote from Psalm 46:10, "Be still and know that I am God." Jack and John go beyond the personal application to the deeper contest of God commanding the raging nations to be still and know that He is God. To the choirmaster. Of the Sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. A Song. 46 God is our refuge and strength,     a very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we...

Church means so many different things depending on where you are, who you're talking to, your life experience. It's all over the place. Church can feel like home, or it can feel like--you fill in the blank. In this episode, Jack and John explore what it means to be the church. Huge thanks to Mike Bridgewater our engineer,  JD Miller our musical wizard, and Mt Gilead Church our home to re...

Matthew 24:12-13 "Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved." Jesus speaks his disciples about the end times. As they sit together on the Mount of Olives, they overlook the Kidron Valley and see the Eastern Gate and the Temple. Jesus tells them the temple will be destroyed, false prophets will come, and al...

I saw a meme that said "God can't use you if you're empty" or something like that. What do think? I think God can do what He wants. I think God Can! Huge thanks to Mike Bridgewater our engineer,  JD Miller our musical wizard, and Mt Gilead Church our home to record. Thank YOU for listening. We pray our efforts help you focus on Jesus the author, editor, and publisher of everyth...

This week Jack and John relate some powerful stories of forgiveness. So powerful that we needed more than the allowable 4,000 characters. Click here for more. Huge thanks to Mike Bridgewater our engineer,  JD Miller our musical wizard, and Mt Gilead Church our home to record. Thank YOU for listening. We pray our efforts help you focus on Jesus the author, editor, and publisher of everything worth...

Sometimes life is hard. Harder than you'd ever want to imagine. And life ends and leaves the living alone and emptied of soul and filled with grief.  But we do not grieve without hope. Our hope lives. Hope is everlasting. And hope is real. This week, Jack and John discuss the heartfelt words of a friend who shared the hope she felt amid her grief. Pepper Basham is a multi-published romance au...

God loves us with great intent and great abandon. He sets his mind on his lost child and casts off all distractions to seek and to save his lost lamb.  Is it work for God to love us? Isn't love his very nature? What if we could love like God does? Huge thanks to Mike Bridgewater our engineer,  JD Miller our musical wizard, and Mt Gilead Church our home to record. Thank YOU for listening. We p...

When I'm discouraged, I have to find my focus, reset, and turn my thoughts toward Jesus. Pause and think about what he endured and why, then find your courage and find your joy. Because he did it for you and me. He endured the opposition of those who were supposed to be the spiritual leaders, those who should have loved him and welcomed his kingdom, but they despised and rejected him. They we...

Even if you never attended Sunday School, you've probably heard someone quote John 11:35, "Jesus wept." It's the shortest verse in the Bible, but one that packs a punch. We think of God as strong and mighty, the all-powerful ruler of the Universe, the King of kings, and Lord of lords. But it's harder to imagine Him crying? What makes Him cry? Huge thanks to Mike Bridgewate...

It's hard to know how you might respond when your clock starts winding down. Jack tells a moving story of a man who had lost hope as his life began to fade. But turning his thoughts toward his Savior changed everything. Huge thanks to Mike Bridgewater our engineer,  JD Miller our musical wizard, and Mt Gilead Church our home to record. Thank YOU for listening. We pray our efforts help you foc...

Listen as Jack and John unlock and unpack the Lord's instruction on prayer. Does it seem strange that Jesus' disciples had to ask him how to pray? I would have guessed prayer to be a normal part of first-century Jewish culture, but his closest followers asked him how to do it. I imagine they expected him to sound similar to one of the Pharisees. Big voice. Bold stance. Arms stretched tow...

We only scratched the surface of the story of the lost son in Episode 8. Today, we take a closer look at the three stories Jesus used to confront the scribes and Pharisees. These teachers of the Law would have understood and related to the stories of the lost lamb and the lost coin. Any one of them, where they a shepherd, would certainly leave the rest of their flock secure in the fold to seek, re...

Jack and John tackle a big topic this week. "God, where are you?" When the world feels like it's falling apart, it's easy to wonder if God is there. Is He here? Is He listening, watching? Does He care? Tough questions, and these questions bring to the forefront the character and nature of God. Who is He? What is He like? In this episode, Jack and John scratch the surface of who...

Jesus told a story about a father and his two sons. The younger son asked his father for his inheritance. In first-century Hebrew culture, the son may as well have said, “I wish you were dead, so I can get what’s mine.” Those listening would have thought little of the son. I imagine the tension rippling through the crowd as Jesus spoke.  When He tells of the father giving his hateful son his full...

Jack traveled and sang for much of his career. As you can imagine, the road is full of humorous stories. I asked Jack to share one of my favorites. A funny thing happened beneath the baptistry. 😂 Huge thanks to Mike Bridgewater our engineer,  JD Miller our musical wizard, and Mt Gilead Church our home to record. Thank YOU for listening. We pray our efforts help you focus on Jesus the author, edit...

"Why Me?" Do you ever feel like that?  Or... "Why me all the time?" Everyone suffers sometime, but why do some suffer more than others? One of our listeners asked why some families suffer more than others.  We don't pretend to have all the answers, but we can certainly relate to the question and the surrounding emotions. This episode is our attempt to empathize with the hu...

Jack and John discuss The Chosen, a new groundbreaking video series that draws viewers into first century Israel.  Imagine what it was like. See Jesus for the first time. See the lame walk, a leper healed, sins forgiven. Water turned into wine—a wedding feast saved.  Hearts changed. Hope born.  Give us a listen and join the conversation with your comments and suggestions, and please share us with...

Why is it so hard to study the Bible? Is it so difficult? Not enough time? Not enough reason? Is it that word? Study? We all have our reasons, our excuses? But we live in an age when most people can have the Bible in their hands at any given moment on their phone. We have audio versions, podcasts, study Bibles, and every tool imaginable to help us dive in deep. So let's cast off our excuses a...