Love God First

Noah did an amazing thing. He built an ark. And that is mostly what we focus on when we talk about Noah. But the guy was also a stellar man of God! In this episode we are going to look at one of the elements that made Noah unique in his generation: he was blameless. And we are going to find that being blameless is actually achievable and essential for us too!

We are hearing the conclusion of our family story about how we followed God's leading to move to another state and start serving at a whole new level of ministry in Oregon. We were living out the concept that God initiates, and we respond. That's what the great forefathers and foremothers of faith modeled in the Bible for us, even in Chapter 5 of Genesis where we read through what seems to be just...

There are all kinds of examples in the Bible of the Lord giving a profound promise to someone and then waiting for a really long time to fulfill it. In this episode, I share a family story where we saw that exact truth played out. Hopefully it will build your faith and help you to persevere when He does that in your life too!

Sometimes it is easy to wonder if the Lord is actually doing anything in our lives. Is He working in us or in our circumstances to fulfill the promises He has made? This episode focuses on a chapter in Genesis where it is difficult to see the Lord's active involvement, but the truth is God was indeed working and doing something amazing. And if we wait long enough in our own lives, we too will see...

We are taking a short break from Genesis and jumping over to Joshua 1 to finish up this study on courage and how to practice it in our lives as we walk in faith with God. What do we do when fear rises up? How can we train our minds to turn from it? We'll look at some practical helps and hopefully lay down any fears that have become too large in our lives in the process!

Who doesn't need more courage? Between sickness, responsibilities, children, parents, money, accidents, and regular life, I think we would all agree there is enough to worry about and have fear over. So what's the solution? A good first step is to take a look at a person in the Bible who could have had a lot of potential fear of his future and then see what God told him to do. In this episode and...

We wrap up our conversation with Dr. Steve Schell today on discipleship. We continue discussing the question: how do I become a disciple? And we also talk about how to stay a disciple our whole life. Pastor Steve brings his usual deep insights to any conversation, so you don't want to miss this episode!

Our very special guest, Dr. Steve Schell, is going to help us in this episode to truly understand how to become a sold out disciple of Jesus. Prepare to be engaged and challenged! 

We are taking a break from Genesis so that we can talk about a really important topic: the baptism with the Holy Spirit. This episode is a preparation episode to help get listeners ready for our next two episodes which talk about discipleship. On this episode we will be covering three questions: What is the baptism with the Holy Spirit? Why do I want it? How do I get it? And by the end, you will b...

How can we learn to worship God at a higher level? On this episode we are looking at the phrase "to call on the name of the Lord" from Genesis 4. By studying what it looks like to call on the name of the Lord, we can become even deeper worshippers of our Savior. And why does that matter? Listen to this episode to find out!

You have probably never heard of Lamech in your life, but this guy from Genesis has some things to teach us, not because he was some model of upright behavior, but because he was such a violent, vengeful man. What on earth can we learn from a guy like that?! You'd be surprised at how a non-example can be a great teaching tool for us to remember how important it is to forgive and NOT take matters i...

How did Cain move to a city after he left his parents? And where did his wife come from? People struggle with these kinds of questions about the Bible, and if we do not deal with the struggle, it can begin to erode our faith level in the Bible and even in God. So let's deal with these questions biblically, and let's arrive together to stand on the mountaintop of a faith that has a firm, secure fou...

In this episode my guest (and husband) Marc Hagman reminds us from where evil and hardship truly come. This episode also gives us some good practical tips on how to comfort another believer with our words when tough times hit! 

How much does God control the circumstances of our lives? And why does it even matter to us? We are delving into this huge topic based on our last episode with Cain and Abel, so listen in on the discussion with our guest Marc Hagman as he explains the difference between God's sovereignty and God's control and why we should care about it!

Cain has just murdered his brother Abel. Have you ever wondered why God didn't stop that from happening? After all, Abel was a good guy! We are talking today about where God is in the midst of circumstances that seem really unfair, even evil, on planet Earth. How do I as a Christian explain and deal with the evil I may see or hear about? And what's my response going to be when it comes into my own...

We all have moments where we struggle with temptation. We really want to give in to doing something even though we know it is wrong. So how do we overcome those strong desires? In this episode, we watch Cain murder his brother, but he could have chosen not to. Learn some practical steps to overcome temptation that really work!

All of us at one time or another have done something wrong. And all of us will do more wrong things in the future too! So how do we deal with that? And where is God when we sin? Does he leave us? Is He disappointed and angry with us, or does He have another response? Today we are looking at God's actions after Adam and Eve have sinned as they get ready to leave the Garden of Eden.

Our attitude is really the only thing we have control over in life. In this episode, we are going to watch Adam as he deals with the pronouncement God makes to him after Adam and Eve have sinned. What will Adam's attitude be as he deals with the consequences of his wrong choices? And what will our attitude be when we encounter our own hardships in life? Let's learn from Adam's response and figure...

We are looking at Eve's consequences in the garden of Eden and what it reveals about God's character. How will the Lord respond to Eve now that she has sinned? Watching His interaction with Eve gives us a glimpse into how God deals with His children. What kind of a father is He truly? Listen to find out!

What can we learn about God from His interaction with Adam, Eve and the serpent after the forbidden fruit has been eaten? In the moment where the Lord is pronouncing judgment over the serpent, we get a glimpse into God's character, and we can see a little bit more of what He is truly like, and what He is willing to do to bring us back to Him.

We are talking today about the best ways to go about praying and building our prayer life with God. Nancy Hill, Prayer Ministry Leader at Dayspring Community Church in Oklahoma, will give us insight into her own struggles and breakthroughs in prayer and will give some practical tips for those who want to step it up in their prayer times! And make sure to listen all the way to the end when she pray...

Listen in on a conversation with Nancy Hill, Prayer Ministry Leader at Dayspring Community Church in Oklahoma, as we talk about why we pray and what the Lord does in us through prayer. And hear some remarkable stories and prayer answers! If you are a person who struggles with prayer or think God doesn't want to hear from you, please listen to this episode!

Does prayer really accomplish anything? To answer that question, we have to understand what happened with the temptation of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, and we have to understand how God designed humanity's role on earth. As we look closer, we will discover not only that our prayers matter, but that they are crucial to stopping the devil's plans (and yes, the devil is real and does have pla...

How does a person get right with God? Is it by feeling really sorry for something I did? Is it going to church? Or is it something else entirely? Thankfully, Adam and Eve reveal the answer in the garden of Eden. 

Have you ever wondered how in the world to choose a future spouse? Where do you find a good candidate? What qualities are you looking for? And how do you know if a person is THE ONE? Join me as we continue our conversation with Shari Kiffe where we discuss the answers to these very important questions!