The Nonmicrowaved Truth With C.L. Whiteside

New Year's resolutions are built on expectations, and expectations change everything. Ever seen someone who holds everyone else to the fire but then makes excuse after excuse for themselves? Or how about those who just have no clue what "good" actually is? Both these thought processes ingrain our minds from time to time. The Bible has some great lessons on what to expect from ourselves and shows u...

The idea of Santa Claus is intriguing and loved because Santa is all about giving us what we want. God, on the other hand, is not like this; God's desire is to give us what we need. With Christmas passing us by, C.L. takes a look at some mindsets and desires we want to check. The wrong Christmas "spirit" can have us in a Christmas funk. Our God/Savior >  Santa Claus         Matthew 2      Matth...

There is a good amount of frustration, distrust, and misunderstanding surrounding the Bible. The Bible has some very intriguing warnings and insights though. There are some common reasons people don't trust the Bible that C.L. addresses. Have you ever put the Bible to the test and actually read it so you can't be manipulated, tricked, and/or lied to? We put so many other things to the test, but fo...

"You need to be a leader!" is a message we hear all the time in our culture. Lots of people don't even know when to lead or when to take a back seat. All of us have different roles and different hats we wear. As you listen to this episode, evaluate your ability to handle these different roles by looking at some people in the Bible who thrived and struggled with their leadership and sidekick roles....

Special guest Pastor Jeremy Mattek joins C.L. in this episode. People joke around about being on "demon time," but demons aren't anything to play with. Most would admit we are spiritual creatures, and most would admit there are bad spirits out there. This episode unpacks the spirits and demons that are out there to destroy us.  1 John 4:4  1 Timothy 4:1  Luke 11:14  Luke 13:16  John 13:27  Acts 5:...

The final episode in this three-part series stresses the importance of not conforming to our culture. Patterns of this world are identified, along with steps to take to transform and renew our minds. C.L. has Romans 12:2  tattooed on him to remember how to be a transformer.  Romans 12:2     Genesis 39-47      2 Chronicles 1:7         Esther    About "The Nonmicrowaved Truth": How fast do you have...

Another passage from Galatians 6 that C.L. has a tattoo of is a reminder to stop planting garbage. Destruction comes when we plant the wrongs things and our focus is in the wrong place. Weeds can grow almost anywhere; and especially in our culture, they will be prevalent. Godly growth takes time and intentionality.  Galatians 6:8      Galatians 6:1-10     Genesis 4:2-16    Acts 5:1-11 About "The N...

How much do you love things of this world? What do you love about this world? Our culture promotes and encourages us to become "worldly." Not falling prey to that concept is so important to C.L. that he has a Bible verse tattooed on him that focuses on not showing love to the wrong things. Listen to why he is leery about falling in love with something most are not even concerned about. This is the...

There are many reasons why people don't give the Bible a chance. One reason is that their first encounter with the Word of God is not with actual Scripture but with those who claim to follow Jesus and his teachings in the Bible. If someone interacted or looked at you, would they see the Bible in you? This episode explores why some may or may not view you as a Christian. John 13:34,35     Ephesians...

What's the price you're willing to pay in order to hear a sermon that relates to you and keeps your attention the entire time? C.L. gathers information from spiritual leaders of different backgrounds and denominations to see how they would respond to a person who thinks the sermons are boring and unrelatable. C.L. has noticed that pastors rarely recommend other spiritual leaders for their members...

Have you ever thought to yourself, "I wouldn't mind if this person burned in hell"? The recent Netflix series on a serial killer has made this a talked-about topic. It's easy to feel like you are a lot better than a serial killer, but there is a monster inside all of us. Even Jeffrey Dahmer wondered if God could forgive him. Is there such a thing as too much grace?       Romans 12:19      Romans 3...

Our culture is all about declaring what's "mine," but what does God say about this? Join C.L. as he explains why it's important to be a steward and how he thinks we can be great stewards. Also find out what C.L. chooses for his "Word for the Year," a tradition he started years ago.  Psalm 24:1   1 Corinthians 4:2      Matthew 25:21        Proverbs 3:9    Deuteronomy 8:17   Colossians 3:23,24 About...

How self-aware are you as an individual? Self-awareness may be the greatest characteristic people lack today. It's to the point where some people are flat-out delusional. In our era of "You can be anyting you want to be!" and "You are enough!" it's tough to maintain a healthy balance of confidence and acceptance of our shortcomings. This episode explores how you can keep from being delusional.  Pr...

Our culture consistently tells us to pursue happiness. There is a godly happiness, and then there is a worldly happiness. We often get the pursuit of pleasure mixed up with the pursuit of happiness. There's a noticeable difference in earthly happiness and godly happiness; godly happiness is a fruit of the Spirit that is noticeable especially in difficult situations.  Proverbs‬ ‭21:17‬  Matthew 19:...

The American Dream is all about going from rags to riches. The story of Joseph in the Bible is one of those feel-good narratives we love becaue he ends up being wealthy and prosperous despite some major hardships. Moses, on the other hand, lost his royalty and ended up being blessed in other ways—he went from riches to rags. Which life would you rather have when comparing these two men?    Deutorn...

Is your life broken and lost? Or is your life part of a bigger plan? Too many people answer based off their past, when in reality God has shown he can take any type of past or background and use it for his glory. This episode dives into the fact that although we are all broken, that is not our final fate or form.   Exodus 2   Genesis 38  2 Corinthians 5:21    Jeremiah 29:11    Joshua 2, 6        2...

You are guilty! There's no need to be offended or sensitive to this fact because we all have been found guilty. How do you respond to guilt though? Let's look at how we can live lives free of guilt. In this episode we will look at how guilt's grasp wants to have control over our lives and also how we should respond to the fact that we are guilty.        Matthew 6:33   Romans 2:15      John 20     ...

This is the final episode in our three-part series on the Parable of the Lost Son, which is found in the book of Luke. The father's love is unique and pretty countercultural based off how the sons treated him and wanted from him. We at times are like one or both of the sons. However, the love of the father can change lives and bless us in a way that the world wants us to overlook.  Luke 4:30     ...

This era is about self-discovery, freedom, and living it up; but maybe that's nothing new. In the parable of the lost son, there is a younger, wild brother who any of us can relate to because who doesn't want to have fun and enjoy life? We all fall, but how to get up and what we turn to is everything. This is the second episode in our three-part series that looks at the distinct difference in "fre...

This is the start of a three-part series on the parable of the lost son. If you view yourself as a pretty good person and believe you have a high moral standard, there are some dangers you could be susceptible to. How you view others and how you view God are keys to being the brother and sister whom God intended you to be. There's really only one true obedient brother.  Luke 5:31,32  Luke 15:2  Lu...

Friends should be able to talk about the most important things in life; our Christian brothers and sisters should be in this category of friends. For whatever reason, we at times avoid discussing God's Word with our friends. Should talking about God be a point of emphasis with our friends even if we know we believe the same thing? Comfortability plays a factor, and there are ways we can all become...

Do you know how to love like Jesus? There's nothing wrong with conveniently loving someone but there is another level we can go to. The way to sacrificially love has to be learned from Jesus. God is love and his love changes lives for the better.  1 John 4:7-21  Acts 9:1-19  Genesis 1:27  About "The Nonmicrowaved Truth": How fast do you have to have "IT"? Our culture tells us to find a microwave t...

Jesus didn't stay only in the temples and churches preaching and praying. He was out and about connecting with people. Let's talk about some of the experiences Jesus had and learn what you and I can take away from his experiences. This episode looks at some of Jesus' worldy experiences that are similar to ones we should be encountering as well.  Mark 2:13-17 Matthew 9:9-13 Luke 5:27-32 Matthew 11:...

Labels are supposed to help catergorize things. We put more labels on people than we do on "things" nowadays though. Who controls the narrative of labels? Let's look at some individuals in the Bible who may have similar labels to you and me. There's one label in particular that is special and can propel us to new heights in life. Verses in today's episode: Judges 13-16 Judges 2 & 6 John 20:24-...

Just because someone does something in the name of Jesus doesn't make it approved by Jesus. The lines may seem blurry when trying to distinguish between a cult, group, or Christians. There are some distinguishing characteristics for a cult. And there are also some distinguishing characteristics for Christian doctrine. About "The Nonmicrowaved Truth": How fast do you have to have "IT"? Our culture...