Me, The Onu, and One More

My morning walk was supposed to be simple. No side recordings. No Shorts work. Just some time with God. But along the way, God interrupted my routine with a question I hadn't considered. Not a heavy, condemning one... A shocking , positive one: “God, what am I doing right?” Topics: My morning routine The question I hadn’t considered Why are we so negative? Is this even biblical? A practical exampl...

Matthew 7:23 used to scare me. In it, Jesus says, “I NEVER knew you,” and I always heard that as a scary warning. Like... Christians could be surprised to find out in the end that Jesus didn’t know us well enough, and we wouldn’t get into heaven. But what if “NEVER” is a clue? If Jesus knows me, even once, even briefly, he can’t lie and say, “NEVER.” So, what is this scripture trying to tell me? T...

Can sin time travel? I know that sounds bizarre, but it’s a question I’ve wrestled with for a long time. If Jesus died once for all, and I sin today, how is that sin covered by his sacrifice long ago? I don’t think the Bible gives us a detailed explanation of how the cross works across time. But it does tell us that Jesus’ sacrifice happened once, that it was enough, and that God still takes every...

John 15 can sound terrifying: branches that don’t bear fruit are taken away, wither, and are eventually burned. But what if Jesus is not saying, “One mistake and you’re gone”? What if the Vine and branches picture that Jesus paints is actually an invitation to grace, friendship, and the opportunity to bear fruit that comes from Him? Topics: One mistake and you’re gone? Jesus is the true vine. Who...

Is the narrow way supposed to scare us? In Matthew 7:13–14, Jesus says the gate is narrow, the road hard, and only a few find it. For a lot of us, that sounds like a spiritual tightrope - one wrong step and we’re doomed to fail. In this episode, I explore why The Way seems scary, but is actually full of grace. Topics: When Jesus keeps raising the bar Jesus as the gate and The Way “Pick Me!” Ask, s...

What does it mean to be called a friend of God? The night before Jesus died, He called His followers friends. But what does it mean to really “be” His friend? Jesus dove into that too. It’s probably not what you think. Topics: Using Dezsma to set the stage When friends stand in the way Kat’s choice and the freedom to rebel Arkuuda calls Kat her friend Jesus says, “I Call You... Friend” The upper r...

Lessons I’m still learning from my Father. My dad once told me, “If you’re going to shovel the walk, shovel the walk.” I don’t think he was trying to give me a spiritual lesson, but that simple thought has really stuck with me. In this episode, I want to explain why that phrase means so much to me, and how it led me to think about “edge-to-edge” living as abundant life in ordinary service, the kin...

Icy answers to prayer can be full of love and surprise. In this episode, I trace how a few strange ice formations in my fire pit became part of the covers for Bolmek, Verdekt, and the podcast, and how those images changed the way I think about answers to prayer. Topics: The Dezsma cover and Vince’s fire Why the book covers became black and white Hidden codes and OCLC Ice sculptures in my fire pit...

Have you ever had a dream that felt like it might be more than just a dream? After I quit my job, I was stuck. I wanted to write a novel, but was struggling to get started. Then a dream gave me a small glimpse of a character who would become the heroine of Dezsma. And whoosh! I was off. I believe that was a gentle nudge from God. Topics: Dreams, visions, and messages from God I quit my job Praying...

Have you ever felt like God told you to do something, like, right now? In this episode, I talk about one of those moments in my own life, when leaving something I loved made room for something I never saw coming. Topics: A different kind of quitting Thirty years at one church Leave "right now” What leaving “right now” made room for Quitting is not always giving up

I’ve often wondered what I’d be willing to do to help “one more” person come to Christ. That question comes out of 1 Corinthians 9, where Paul says he became “all things to all people,” hoping by all means to “save some.” And honestly, that challenges me more than I’d like to admit. I tried to grapple with this issue in The Onu Adventures novels through Croga, a honey badger who keeps trying to re...

Do you view God as generous or stingy? In this episode, I’m wrestling with whether I really see God as the God of More, or the God of less. Not just the God who gives more, but the God who is Himself More. Topics: God of More Don, David, and 2 Samuel 12 Abundant life and a God who isn’t stingy Ask, seek, and find What more am I really looking for? God of More in the books Daily bread and the livin...

What if God’s greatest adventure is not creation? Not the story of salvation in the abstract? What if it’s the ADVENTURE of getting to know each of us individually and intimately? In this episode, I wrestle with whether any of us could, or possibly should, say, “I’m God’s Greatest Adventure.” Topics: Out on a limb God wants to know us intimately Did God talk about you before He created the world?...

What does it even mean to believe God is Triune? Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. One God. Three persons. That idea is beautiful, and weird, and hard to wrap my head around. In this episode, I’ll share how I tried to process some of this in The Onu Adventures, and point to a few Scriptures behind these ideas. But I won’t claim, or pretend, that I can come close to explaining the true magnificence emb...

Would you believe God held a Hidden Council with Himself before He created the world? In this episode, I look at a few Scriptures that challenged me to contemplate this idea, then trace how they eventually led to the writing of Dezsma. Topics: A misplaced idea Discovering William Barclay Ephesians 1 and The Hidden Council Chosen in Christ before time began The mystery God made known A council of t...

Growing up, my parents were highly invested in our “small” community, and our local church was a huge part of that. Sunday School, worship, prayer meeting, testimonies, Bible study, all of these helped foster my love of Scripture and provided a firm foundation for asking deep, spiritual questions. This episode is a small homage to that world, my parents, and their impact on me and The Onu Adventur...

This is where the podcast begins. In this prologue, I talk about how the podcast connects to The Onu Adventures, why I started recording these conversations, and how a possible fourth book sparked this effort. While this series is about the books, its primary purpose is to grapple with Scripture and questions that keep pulling us toward God. Topics: Feeling led, not ordered Scripture behind the st...