Shoes Off

Send us Fan Mail In Week 4 of The Story Behind The Song , Ray Slavens shares the deeply personal story behind the song "Wonderful Peace."   Inspired by the beloved hymn of the same name and his own lifelong journey with anxiety, this episode explores the difference between the peace the world offers and the peace only Christ can give. Diagnosed with severe anxiety as a teenager, Ray open...

Send us Fan Mail In Week 3 of The Story Behind The Song , Ray Slavens shares the deeply personal story behind the song "Her Last Breath." Written in memory of his sister Jessica, this song was inspired by her long battle with illness, pain, and the effects of trauma. For more than twenty years, Jessica faced health challenges that eventually led to her passing. Yet through it all, one qu...

Send us Fan Mail In Week 2 of The Story Behind The Song , Ray shares the inspiration behind Crooked Nail Cabin,  a place tucked away in the Kentucky hills where fathers, sons, and men gather to step away from the distractions of life and focus on God, His creation, and each other. More than a song about a cabin, this episode explores the importance of godly friendships, intentional discipleship, a...

Send us Fan Mail Join Ray Slavens in this special 8-week series, The Story Behind The Song , as he shares the inspiration, Scripture, and life lessons behind some of the original songs he has been blessed to write. Each episode takes listeners beyond the lyrics and into the stories that shaped them, from family legacies and personal faith journeys to seasons of struggle, redemption, hope, and God&...

Send us Fan Mail Life can be hard. The pressures of work, family, finances, health, relationships, and simply trying to keep up can leave us exhausted and wondering if we’re doing something wrong. In this episode of “Jesus Never Said…” , we explore one of the biggest misconceptions in modern Christianity: the belief that following Jesus should make life easier. The reality is that Jesus never prom...

Send us Fan Mail “God helps those who help themselves.” It’s another common phrases people associate with the Bible, but Jesus never actually said it. In this episode of “Jesus Never Said…” , we discuss the difference between self-sufficiency and dependence on God. We also explore how modern culture pushes people toward self-reliance while Scripture continually points us toward grace, humility, an...

Send us Fan Mail “Money is the root of all evil.” It’s one of the most repeated phrases connected to Christianity but it’s not actually what Scripture says. In this episode of “Jesus Never Said…” , we unpack what the Bible really teaches about money, greed, contentment, and the condition of the human heart. Because the issue was never money itself.  The issue is what we love… trust… and worship. A...

Send us Fan Mail “Just follow your heart.” It’s one of the most common pieces of advice in culture today but Jesus never actually said it.  In this first episode of our new series, “Jesus Never Said…” , we unpack the decision between following our feelings and following Christ. Culture tells us: trust yourself, live your truth, do what feels right. But Jesus taught something very different:  👉 “F...

Send us Fan Mail What does it actually mean to be ready for Jesus’ return? In the final episode of our series “The Kingdom of Heaven is like…” , we unpack one of Jesus’ most sobering parables—the ten virgins in Matthew 25:1–13. All ten looked prepared.  All ten were waiting.  All ten had lamps. But only some were truly ready. In this conversation, we discuss:  The context of Matthew 25 and why Jes...

Send us Fan Mail In week three of our series “The Kingdom of Heaven is like…” , we dive into the wheat and the weeds (Matthew 13:24–30, 36–43). At first glance, it raises a difficult question: If good seed was planted… where did the weeds come from? Jesus doesn’t avoid the tension, he explains it. In this episode, we break down:  Why this parable is about the world   The reality of both good and e...

Send us Fan Mail What would you give up… if you truly understood what you’ve found? In week two of our series “The Kingdom of Heaven is like…” , we look at two of Jesus’ shortest—but most challenging—parables: the hidden treasure and the pearl of great price (Matthew 13:44–46). In both stories, the response is the same: everything is given up… for one thing. Why? Because when the value becomes cle...

Send us Fan Mail What if the most powerful work God is doing in your life… looks small? In this first episode of our new series, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like…” , we unpack two of Jesus’ simplest—but most overlooked—parables: the mustard seed and the yeast. Jesus doesn’t describe the kingdom with something big, loud, or impressive.  He points to something tiny.  Something hidden.  Something easy...

Send us Fan Mail Over the past few weeks, we’ve sat in awe listening to real stories from Joe, Cierra, and Cody, each one a powerful reminder that God is still working, still restoring, and still transforming lives today. But this week, we take a step back and ask a deeper question: Why does our testimony matter so much? In this episode, Ray and Isaac walk through Mark 5:1–20....the story of the m...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the Shoes Off Podcast , we continue our Real Talk – Testimonies series with our friend Cody, who shares a raw and honest story of faith, struggle, and ongoing transformation. This episode is not about having everything figured out. It’s about the reality that God meets us in our darkest places and continues to work in us, even when the journey is messy and ongoi...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the Shoes Off Podcast , we continue our Real Talk – Testimonies series with our friend Cierra, who shares a powerful and deeply personal story about identity, family, and the faithfulness of God. Cierra was adopted and later began a journey that led her to discover more about her biological family.  But this conversation goes far beyond a story about adoption. ...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Shoes Off Podcast , we continue our series called Real Talk – Testimonies , where we sit down with people to hear the real stories of how God has worked in their lives. Our guest today is Joe , whose journey to faith didn’t begin early in life.  Like many people, Joe spent years walking his own path before eventually encountering the truth of the gospel in a way...

Send us Fan Mail In this first Real Talk Testimony episode of Shoes Off , Ray and Isaac step into the conversation themselves. No scripts.  No polished production.  No pretending. Just two men sharing their personal journeys — how they came to salvation, the seasons that shaped them, the moments that tested their faith, and where they stand today. This episode walks through honest questions about...

Send us Fan Mail If you could restore one thing in your life… what would it be? A relationship? A season? A decision? A part of your heart? In this final episode of God’s Promises , we explore the promise that ties every other promise together: Restoration . Throughout Scripture, God doesn’t just forgive — He restores. He restores the joy of salvation (Psalm 51:12). He restores life after trouble...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of God’s Promises , we explore what Jesus really meant when He said: “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) If nearly one in five adults experience anxiety each year, what does it mean for believers to live in peace? Is peace the absence of trouble? Is it emotional calm? Or is it something deeper? In this conv...

Send us Fan Mail Let's be real.....many of us believe God forgives us, but wonder if real change is actually possible. In this episode of God’s Promises , we explore one of the most hopeful assurances in Scripture: God’s promise to transform us .  Transformation isn’t instant, dramatic, or driven by willpower.  It’s a faithful, God-led process that happens from the inside out. Using passages...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of God’s Promises , we talk about one of the most freeing — and most misunderstood — promises in the Bible: God’s promise to forgive . Many believers quietly wonder if they’ve said “sorry” enough, confessed enough, or remembered every sin. But Scripture tells a much better story. God’s forgiveness is not fragile.  It is complete! Through passages like Psalms 103, 1...

Send us Fan Mail What does it really mean when God promises to provide? In this episode of God’s Promises , we look at Jesus’ simple but powerful prayer: “Give us this day our daily bread.”  This promise was never about wealth, excess, or guaranteed financial success.  It was about trust — daily, faithful dependence on a God who sees and cares. From manna in the wilderness to Jesus pointing to the...

Send us Fan Mail Have you ever been going through something hard and realized the problem wasn’t that you didn’t have answers — it was that you felt alone? In this episode of God’s Promises, we focus on one of the most repeated and most needed promises in Scripture: God’s promise of presence . From Joshua standing at the edge of the unknown to Jesus’ final words to His disciples, God consistently...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 2: God’s Promise to Abraham What happens when God makes a promise… and then asks you to wait? In this episode of God’s Promises , we turn to the story of Abraham and the promise of Isaac — a promise that took decades to fulfill.  God spoke clearly, repeated His word, and never changed His mind — even when time passed, faith wavered, and human impatience complicated the pro...

Send us Fan Mail What happens after the storm has passed? In this first episode of our new series, God’s Promises , we begin where Scripture begins again — not with excitement or certainty, but with mercy.  After the floodwaters recede, Noah steps into a quiet, broken world. And it’s there — after judgment, after loss, after survival — that God makes one of His most foundational promises. The rain...