Sandy Creek Stirrings

Church Member 101 is an extremely practical and applicable series meant to help ordinary Christians think biblically about their place in the local church. The purpose is not to scold church members or make faithful people feel unappreciated, but to encourage all of us to examine how we can better love, serve, strengthen, and support the work of God in our church. Hebrews 13:17 teaches us that eve...

Church Member 101 is an extremely practical and applicable series meant to help ordinary Christians think biblically about their place in the local church. The purpose is not to scold church members or make faithful people feel unappreciated, but to encourage all of us to examine how we can better love, serve, strengthen, and support the work of God in our church. In this opening episode, we begin...

Sandy Creek Stirrings is entering an exciting new season of ministry. After six years of podcasting with the desire to stir up Christians for the cause of Christ, the Lord has opened the door for that burden to expand into print through the launch of Sandy Creek Stirrings Press. The heart behind the press is simple: the written word still matters. The Lord has used truth in print to stir my own he...

Every Christian life moves through seasons. There are times when the fruit is visible, the harvest is joyful, and the blessing of God seems easy to see. But there are also “out of season” times—days of planting, watering, waiting, suffering, and serving when little seems to be happening. In this episode, we look at the spiritual seasons God brings into our lives and the promise that gives strength...

In our final part - Part 4 - of  “Fight Like Jesus” , we continue our thought on how to fight FOR your spouse – not just FIGHT your spouse. When conflict comes, many couples know how to fight each other, but they have never learned how to fight for each other. Before we can handle harsh words, wounded feelings, frustration, and unmet expectations, we must first learn from the greatest example of a...

In Part 3 of  “Fight Like Jesus” , we continue our thought on how to fight FOR your spouse – not just FIGHT your spouse. When conflict comes, many couples know how to fight each other, but they have never learned how to fight for each other. Before we can handle harsh words, wounded feelings, frustration, and unmet expectations, we must first learn from the greatest example of all: Jesus Christ. I...

In Part 2 of "Fight Like Jesus" , we continue our thought on how to fight FOR your spouse - not just FIGHT your spouse. When conflict comes, many couples know how to fight each other, but they have never learned how to fight for each other. Before we can handle harsh words, wounded feelings, frustration, and unmet expectations, we must first learn from the greatest example of all: Jesus...

In this opening episode of "Fight Like Jesus" , we step onto a battlefield most people never recognize—the battlefield of marriage. When conflict comes, many couples know how to fight each other, but they have never learned how to fight for each other. Before we can handle harsh words, wounded feelings, frustration, and unmet expectations, we must first learn from the greatest example of...

What happens when a relationship that once felt vibrant, warm, and full of life now feels cold, broken, and beyond repair? When hurt was left unattended, distance settled in, and what once lived now seems dead—what do you do then? What do you do when everything has changed, hope feels gone, and trying again seems pointless? In this episode, we confront that painful reality and try to help spouses,...

We’ve seen him in Scripture. We’ve recognized him in today’s world. Now, we deal with him. In this episode, we uncover what the Pharisee spirit is truly costing you—far beyond what can be seen on the surface. The price is far greater than most realize. But it doesn’t stop there. We also walk through how this spirit is conquered. This is where recognition turns into surrender and surrender into vic...

After tracing the eight Scriptural earmarks of the historic Pharisee, one piercing question now stands before every one of us: Am I a Pharisee? Join me as we uncover what the Pharisee looks like today—inside the church and out in the world, sitting in the pew or walking in public, seen openly or concealed behind closed doors. We will expose how the modern Pharisee sounds, how he appears, and how h...

He stood in the temple, prayed the right words, and looked every bit the part—but heaven wasn’t listening. In this opening episode, we step into Luke 18:9–14 and uncover the true identity of the Pharisee—not just as a religious group from 2,000 years ago, but as a mindset that still walks among us today. His language sounds spiritual. His life appears clean. His confidence seems justified. But ben...

In today's episode, I provide some tips for Preacher Boys - young men who have surrendered to the call to preach. These tips are not super deep or extravagant, but you will find them to be very practical and, hopefully, extremely helpful. These are not "my" tips - they are based on Biblical truth and things that your own pastor might tell you, as you prepare to serve the Lord in the...

There has never been a time in history when people had more information — and trusted it less. Secret plots. Hidden agendas. Powerful people pulling the strings behind the curtain. Information that has been withheld... The internet is full of theories claiming to expose what the world doesn’t want you to know. But what about Christians? Should believers involve themselves in conspiracy theories at...

What if one of the greatest threat to a youth ministry isn’t culture… What if it's you? Absalom didn’t start with open rebellion. He started with handshakes. Conversations. Sympathy. He built loyalty quietly — and by the time anyone realized what was happening, hearts had already shifted. He wasn't loud. He wasn't dramatic. He was subtle. If you have influence over young people, the Ab...

Revelation 19 says something unusual: “His wife hath made herself ready.” That’s an interesting phrase. How does the Bride make herself ready? What part does she actually play? And what does that say about Christ? This episode isn’t about timelines or prophecy charts. It’s about a single phrase — and what happens when you stop and actually think about it. Join me, as we slow down and look carefull...

You love the King James Bible. A friend asks you why. You know the arguments. You’ve read the material. You’ve heard the debates. You’re ready. But somehow… the conversation doesn’t end the way you hoped. Maybe it gets tense. Maybe it turns circular. Maybe you walk away thinking, “That didn’t land like it should have.” So what can you change? In this episode, we’re not re-arguing the entire manusc...

There is a quiet failure that rarely makes headlines, rarely gets confronted, and yet quietly shapes the direction of homes, churches, and generations. In this episode, we examine a habit that feels small in the moment but carries enormous weight over time. What happens when correction is common but encouragement is rare? What happens when condemnations are clear but affirmation is scarce? And wha...

Some values are dismissed today with a wave of the hand: “That’s old-fashioned.” “That’s outdated.” “We’ve moved past that.” But have we? In this episode, we stir the pot a little as we take a fresh look at ten practical convictions that many assume belong to another era. Join me as I ask a simple question: Did culture move on… or did we drift away from something biblical? From the structure of th...

Here is another “Things I Think” episode! This episode is a completely different format than what we usually record on Sandy Creek Stirrings. In this episode, I share with you a few random thoughts that have been on my mind – some musings, some “ponderings”, some things that I have been meditating on. Like: - Why I believe the "copyright issue" is a, relatively, non-issue in the Bible ve...

If the Christian home died, it can be revived. In this capstone episode of our "What Failed America?" series, we move from identifying what failed America to addressing what restores it. We examine key reasons children remain faithful into adulthood and the practical, biblical decisions that shape lasting faith. This is a straightforward conversation about parenting, priorities, and rebu...

If the church did not fail America, then what did? In this episode, we move past easy accusations and familiar talking points and ask a harder, more uncomfortable question. History shows the church was active, vocal, and evangelistic during the very decades when America began to drift spiritually. So the explanation for where we are today must lie somewhere deeper—and closer to home. This conversa...

Did the church fail America? It’s a question often asked with frustration, sarcasm, or blame—but rarely examined honestly. In this episode, we step back from easy accusations and take a careful look at history, Scripture, and the Christian witness of the last century. Using Paul Harvey’s famous “If I Were the Devil” as a jumping-off point, we explore whether America’s spiritual decline can truly b...

At a recent conference, someone asked me: "Why the name 'Sandy Creek Stirrings'?" In this episode, I answer that question. To begin, we travel back to 1755 and meet a largely forgotten Baptist preacher whose obedience shook an entire continent. From a quiet conversion under George Whitefield to a blazing church-planting movement that spread from a tiny North Carolina settlement a...

In this stirring revival message, we step into Leviticus and watch as God Himself sends fire from heaven to light the very first sacrifice on the altar. Then comes the surprising command: that God-kindled flame must never go out. From there, Dr. Bachman turns that ancient scene into a mirror for our own hearts, asking a hard question—has your fire gone out? With vivid stories, humor, and convictio...