The Ordinary Way: Life and Holiness

"God helps those who help themselves." It's one of the most quoted "Bible verses" that isn't actually in the Bible. In this episode, we explore where this popular saying originated, why so many Christians assume it's biblical, and how its message actually points in the opposite direction of the gospel. Together we discuss: The surprising history behind the phrase Why it resonates so deeply with ou...

Episode 20: Follow Your Heart? Maybe Not. "Just follow your heart." It's one of the most common pieces of advice in modern culture. We hear it in movies, songs, graduation speeches, and across social media. It sounds empowering, but is it actually biblical? In this episode, we unpack where the phrase "follow your heart" came from, why it's so appealing, and what Scripture actually teaches about th...

We all want transformation to happen quickly. We want breakthrough, maturity, healing, and spiritual growth right now. But throughout Scripture, God consistently works through processes: 🌱 Seeds 🌱 Farming 🌱 Pruning 🌱 Abiding 🌱 Walking In this episode, we explore why spiritual growth is often slow, hidden, and difficult to recognize in the moment. We discuss: Why people become discouraged by s...

Many Christians genuinely love God, but their relationship with Him rises and falls based on how they feel. We pursue God when we're inspired, challenged, or emotionally moved. But what happens when life gets busy, emotions fade, and spiritual excitement wears off? In this episode, we explore why feelings are a gift from God but a poor foundation for faith. We discuss the difference between spirit...

Many Christians long to experience God's presence more consistently, yet often feel spiritually distracted and disconnected. In this episode, we explore a simple but powerful truth: God is present far more often than we realize. Together we discuss: • Why silence feels uncomfortable in modern life • The difference between being quiet and being attentive to God • How distraction affects our awarene...

Many Christians genuinely believe in God but still feel spiritually dry. In this episode, we explore why so many of us hunger naturally for entertainment, distraction, affirmation, and noise while struggling to hunger for God. We talk about: How distraction reshapes our desires Why constant stimulation weakens spiritual sensitivity The connection between silence and spiritual awareness What to do...

Many of us trust God with eternity… but struggle to trust Him in everyday life. In this episode, we continue our conversation about relational faith, surrender, and the deeper barriers that keep us from fully walking with God. We talk honestly about control, fear, self-reliance, and why trusting God often feels difficult in real time. We explore: Why surrender feels risky The fears that drive our...

Many of us trust God with eternity but we can live disconnected from Him in our everyday lives. In this episode, we wrestle with a hard question: Is it possible to believe in heaven, but not actually want God? We explore the difference between transactional faith and relational faith, and how easy it is to reduce Christianity to a one-time decision instead of an ongoing relationship. We talk about...

Last episode, we diagnosed the problem. In this episode, we talk about the solution: multiplication. If the goal isn’t just gathering people, but sending them, then everything has to change. We dive into: The shift from gathering to sending Why disciple-making—not programs—is the starting point The difference between developing leaders and just filling roles What it really takes to move from addit...

Jesus never called His followers to simply gather, He called them to multiply. In this episode, we take a hard look at what it really means to move beyond the walls of the church and into a life of multiplication. Not just growing attendance, but making disciples who make disciples. We talk through: The difference between addition and true multiplication Why most churches unintentionally settle fo...

Most churches today have small groups, but what if we’ve missed what made them powerful in the first place? In this episode, we explore the difference between modern small groups and the historic Wesleyan class meeting model, a movement built not on information, but transformation. At the center of it all is one simple, uncomfortable question: “How is it with your soul?” We talk about: Why many ch...

What if one of the biggest misunderstandings in the church today isn’t about belief, but about calling? In this episode of The Ordinary Way: Life and Holiness , we unpack what it really means to live with a culture of calling . Not just for pastors or leaders, but for every believer. Too often, we think calling belongs to someone else. The “more qualified,” the “more spiritual,” or the ones on sta...

It’s easy to build a life centered around comfort, control, and personal success, our own little “castle.” But what happens when that mindset collides with the call of Jesus? In this episode, we unpack the tension between building our own kingdom and living fully in God’s Kingdom. Jesus didn’t invite us to simply add Him into our lives, He calls us to reorder everything around Him. We talk through...

What does faithfulness look like when God’s people are in a season of waiting? In this episode of The Ordinary Way: Life and Holiness , we continue our discussion on the Firebrand article “The Coming Re-Formation of the Church” and explore the posture believers should take when God seems to be preparing something new. Scripture repeatedly shows that God forms His people in seasons of waiting. Abra...

In this episode of The Ordinary Way: Life and Holiness , we continue our conversation on church re-formation by exploring the difficult but necessary practice of honest self-examination . Why is it so hard for individuals and churches to take a hard look in the mirror? What traditions or “sacred cows” keep us from asking the questions we need to ask? And what would it look like for a church to gen...

In this episode, we begin our discussion on “The Coming Re-Formation of the Church” . We explore the visible symptoms of dysfunction in today’s church, declining attendance, young people leaving the faith, politicization, superficial discipleship, and moral failures in leadership. But rather than blaming culture alone, we ask a harder question: Is the church perfectly designed to produce the resul...

In Episode 5 of the Ordinary Way Podcast , we continue our discussion on Grace & Salvation with Part 2, focusing on Justifying Grace and Sanctifying Grace . What does it mean to be declared righteous? How is that different from actually becoming righteous? If justification is a one-time event, what does sanctification look like over a lifetime? We explore: The difference between justification...

In this episode of the Ordinary Way Podcast , we begin a new conversation about God’s saving grace and how it works in our lives long before we realize it. Using John Wesley’s framework, we explore the three interconnected expressions of grace, Prevenient Grace, Justifying Grace, and Sanctifying Grace, and how they guide the Christian journey toward holy love. This episode focuses on Prevenient Gr...

In It Begins with Grace: Pt. 2 , the conversation moves beyond grace as forgiveness and into grace as power. Drawing from Romans 6:14, the episode emphasizes that grace doesn’t merely cover sin, it breaks sin’s control by empowering believers through the Holy Spirit. The discussion challenges common assumptions about holiness, especially the idea that it comes from external rule-following rather t...

In this episode of The Ordinary Way: Life and Holiness , we begin a multi-part conversation on grace and why everything truly begins there. Using a powerful sermon clip from Alistair Begg reflecting on the man on the cross, we’re reminded that grace has a human face and His name is Jesus. We unpack what grace really means, why holiness is not something we earn through effort, and how forgiveness i...

Our focus is on fundamental themes appropriate to everyday life of Christians. It is an active life that responds to God's divine grace and in community with the church/other believers compelling us to devote all our efforts to the spiritual and material development of those around us.