Nothin' But Fine: with Emily Trotter

The Bible reads like a soap opera at some parts. “Like sands through the hourglass, these are the days of our lives.” This is going to be a fun series to get into.  Visit our website at Nothin' But Fine and learn more about this episode as well as past episodes.  Subscribe to our YouTube channel where you can watch this week's episode and catch up on past episodes! --- Check out the Noth...

A reunion five years in the making—Rev. John Fugh joins me to talk tired faith, lessons from Habakkuk, and a little nostalgia from our Mama and the Rev days.  Visit us at Nothin But Fine for the rest of this shows notes. Subscribe to our YouTube channel where you can watch this week's episode and catch up on past episodes! --- Check out the Nothin' But Fine blog and website . Follow us o...

In this heartfelt episode of Nothing But Fine , Emily Trotter shares an unfiltered stream of thoughts about heaven, hope, and what it really means to say, “Come, Jesus, come.” Reflecting on CeCe Winans’ powerful song and her own faith journey, Emily explores how our earthly need for justice and understanding fades in the light of eternity. With warmth, honesty, and wisdom, she reminds listeners th...

There has been a lot of talk about the rapture happening these days. I always knew that there was debate about when it would take place. Meaning, whether it would be before or during or after the period of tribulation the book of Revelation speaks about. I vote for the before tribulation option. I did not know until recently that there are lots of believers that don’t believe in any kind of raptur...

God says you are beloved, chosen, known, and a saint. The world says none of that. The world says if you feel weird or sad you must be wrong inside. Get skinny. Plump up. Lift this. Erase that. Like boys. Like girls. Be a boy. Be a girl. My suspicion is that if you do all or some…at least one because we all have done something to be different, you still won’t fix what ails you. I’ve lost 55 pounds...

“Money was a divine essence that could embody itself in any concrete manifestation…Because that’s what money is: all things. Or at least it can become all things. It’s the universal commodity by which we measure all other commodities.” Hernan Diaz, Trust   Having money is not evil or sinful. But money is money and should be remembered as such and treated accordingly. It isn’t the meaning of life o...

The world is a mess and we all have so many problems does God regret making us? I always have said that God does not make mistakes…but does he? First Samuel 15:11 says, “I regret that I have made Saul king”.  Does that mean what I think it means? And if he regretted Saul becoming king, anointing him, then why not just fix it? If anyone could push the rewind button it is God.  So, I called my pasto...

 As a believer all I can do is introduce Jesus.  I can only tell the facts:  born, lived a sinless life, died on the cross, rose again. What people do with that information is up to them. You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink. Continue reading the rest of this shows notes on our website  Nothin' But Fine. Subscribe to our YouTube channel where you can watch this week&apo...

Jacob wrestling God in Genesis 32:22-31 has got me asking myself some real questions. Does my “faith” get in the way of claiming or asking for a blessing? What can I learn from Jacob? Demanding a blessing from God seems…disrespectful and rude.   This story clearly says that God doesn’t mind.  Also, might kind of enjoy. I know that God could have ended the wrestling match at any time.  He could hav...

Gratitude is recognizing that we have not done everything for ourselves, but we depend on others and need to appreciate them for what they do for us. C.S. Lewis Institute   Am I expressing genuine gratitude for what I have given? Do I feel I have what I have because I deserve it? Am I entitled to it? Or worse, do I think I did myself? Does my faith feel stagnant because I have not properly, sincer...

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could always trust what people say to you? What happened to the sentiment that you are only as good as your word? Can you be trusted? They utter mere words; with empty oaths they make covenants; so judgment springs up like poisonous weeds in the furrows of the fields. Hosea 10:4 This passage from Hosea is interesting.  Israel has strayed from the Lord.  They’ve gotten to...

Notre Dame de Paris used to have separate lines for the faithful to enter. Since reopening after the fire they have said they are only open for the faithful. (Wink,wink.) Tours are not allowed at this time. (Again, wink, wink.) No tickets are being sold.  You should see all the line of all the “faithful”.  Mac and I went in March over spring break.  We actually stayed on the same street, just five...

In this episode of Nothin' But Fine, host Emily Trotter speaks with Carrie Pittman Hill, an artist from Birmingham, Alabama. Carrie shares her journey from a career in corporate communications and pharmaceutical sales to finding her true calling in art. They discuss her struggles with identity, failures, and eventual discovery of painting as a source of healing and self-expression. Carrie ope...

In this episode of Nothin' But Fine Reverend Dr. Shane Green dives deep into Luke 4 and Jesus’ identity and mission. We explore how Scripture speaks directly to us—not just to people 2,000 years ago. Shane walks us through how the categories Jesus names in Luke 4— the poor, the captive, the blind, and the oppressed —go beyond physical conditions. They're metaphors for spiritual poverty ,...

In this episode, we explore the balance between accepting others with love and grace while trusting God to place people where they truly belong in our lives. Through prayer and discernment, we learn how to welcome others without forcing connections, setting healthy boundaries as we rely on God to guide our relationships. It’s a reminder that while we’re called to love everyone, not everyone is mea...

I saw theologian Joel Muddamalle post something about is there judgement for sin here on earth right now back in January. We were in the midst of watching California burn. During those times the question of how a good God can allow things like this to happen always comes up. Along with the editorial comments of “well, God is punishing them for wayward ways.” Joel said, in a nutshell, that yes ther...

Grace recognized. I came across this phrase a few months ago. I loved it immediately and the more I have sat with it, the more I have come to appreciate it. Grace is a word we hear and use a lot. The authors of scripture use it as a greeting and as a goodbye. Have you ever said, “We will see you tomorrow, by the grace of God.” Have you stopped to weigh just what that word means?  In the Greek: cha...

The coolest thing about Jesus…after the whole He died for our sins thing, of course…is that he is fully aware that we are going to mess up. We have a new rooster, Louis. He crows all the time. Happy? Crows. Disgruntled? Crows. Freaked out by the stupid bird dogs that sometimes circle the coop if left unattended? Crows. Demanding treats? Crows. There is no rhyme or reason. It is not a strictly sunr...

There is a story in Luke 4 about Jesus going back to his home church.  He has just been baptized and in the desert.  He is beginning his public ministry.  He reads scripture during the service.  (FYI he was probably asked by the priest to do this.  This was his priest after all.  He grew up at this synagogue.)  Luke tells us that “the eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him.”  They...

For we have this hope as an anchor… Hope in the Greek means not only hope, but also expectation, trust, confidence.  Is that how you define hope?  Or do you think of it as more of wishful thinking?  If you hope for something do you expect for it to happen?  Are you confident? The writer of Hebrews tells us that we have hope as an anchor and Warren Wiersbe goes further to say anchored heavenward. ...

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds… James 1:2  Well, that’s happy isn’t it. How in the heck are you supposed to count it as joy when you are fighting for your life?  By remembering who your joy is rooted in. Our joy is in Christ and he is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. He is our anchor. So when trials come, we know they are going to, that’s where we...

The Bible does not promise us happiness.  It does promise joy.  Yes, there is a difference.  Happiness is a feeling.  Joy is a state of being.  The Greek word used in the New Testament for joy is chara and "it is used to describe a deep abiding sense of joy and gladness that is rooted in spiritual realities rather than external circumstances.  It is often associated with the presence of the H...

Satisfied.  That is what we are striving for, right?  If you could just get to…everything would be great.   Then you could relax.   I don’t want to be content in that way.  I want to be content the way Paul was content.  He says in Philippians 4:11 that he has “learned to be content whatever the circumstance.”  He says he learned it.  In looking up the Greek I discovered that using learned here sh...

Surrender is a sacrifice.  For us to do what we know, or at least think, God wants us to do we have to let go of what we want or think we want to do.  The baptism of Jesus is such a beautiful picture of this.  At this moment of Jesus’s life, he was leaving his privacy behind and starting his public ministry.  This was the beginning of the end.  Baptism is a death of sorts.  And a birth.  You bury...

I’ve been thinking.  If my purpose is to bring glory to the Lord in all that I do and I am delighting myself in the Lord, trusting in him and seeing the desires of my heart change…what next? The point of striving for this is the peace that will come.  And it’s not the peace that we think of.  It’s not the lack of strife and conflict.  It is a peace that surpasses all understanding.   And the peace...