Thy Strong Word from KFUO Radio

Abram stared upward, into the endless expanse of the night sky. He was still childless and feeling the weight of doubt pressing harder than ever. Had God forgotten him? Had the promise slipped away? And then, in the darkness, the voice returned—not with rebuke, but reassurance: “Fear not, Abram. I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” Abram believed, and God counted it to him as righte...

Abram stared upward, into the endless expanse of the night sky. He was still childless and feeling the weight of doubt pressing harder than ever. Had God forgotten him? Had the promise slipped away? And then, in the darkness, the voice returned—not with rebuke, but reassurance: “Fear not, Abram. I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” Abram believed, and God counted it to him as righte...

It started with petty rulers battling for control of trade routes and cities. Four kings from the east swept into the land, crushing everyone in their path. Five local kings rose to resist and lost. Abram’s nephew Lot was caught up and carried away like plunder. Abram, armed with his 318 servants and a steadfast faith in God, sought to redeem his nephew, thus serving as a type of Christ. What foll...

From fringe ideas like the "eighth day of creation" to claims about so-called “cursed races” descending from Cain, bad theology has long been used to justify racism. These distortions often borrow biblical language but twist the message beyond recognition. In this Free-Text Friday, we take a theological sledgehammer to these harmful doctrines. Drawing from Genesis and beyond, we’ll explore what Sc...

Abram doesn’t charge forward, he turns back. After his detour in Egypt, he retraces his steps to the altar at Bethel, leading with repentance and renewed trust in God. There, he calls on the name of the YHWH. As conflict arises with Lot, Abram responds with humility, trusting not in land or wealth, but in God’s promises. In response, God invites Abram to walk the land—to explore the inheritance al...

Imagine being seventy-five years old. You’ve settled into life. You know the rhythms of the land. Your family is rooted. You’ve built a name in your father’s house and a future in your own. And then, one day, the God you’ve never known speaks to you with a command: “Go.” No map. No guarantee. Just a promise: “I will bless...” This is not just the beginning of Abraham’s journey, it is another turni...

The world spoke one language. One voice. One people. And deep down, one fear. God had said, “Fill the earth.” But they said, “Let’s stay. Let’s build. Let’s make a name for ourselves.” They built a tower, not just of bricks, but of pride and fear. They rebelled against God’s will and gathered around a monument to self-preservation. Their fear of being scattered would come to pass regardless, as Go...

If you’ve ever tried to trace your family tree, you know how complicated it can get. There are names you don’t recognize, distant relatives you’ve never met, stories half-remembered. Now imagine tracing not just your family, but tracing back to the beginning of the human race. That’s what Genesis 10 gives us. Often called the “Table of Nations,” it’s a record of how the descendants of Noah’s three...

The flood has passed. Noah and his family walk into a world washed clean. In Genesis 9, God speaks with grace and authority. He blesses Noah, reaffirms his first command for fruitfulness, and establishes a covenant with every living creature. The rainbow becomes a lasting sign of God’s promise never to destroy the earth by flood again. Yet even in this new beginning, sin is not far away. Today we...

Water covered everything. The storms and bursting springs had done their work. God had unleashed upon the world a catastrophic flood against which all future watery disasters would be judged. And when the rain stopped, there was nothing left but silence. Then, Genesis 8 begins with one of the most powerful phrases in Scripture: ‘God remembered Noah.’ Not that He ever forgot, but that He now acts o...

Look around at society today and it’s easy to see the corruption of sin. Each day it feels like the world is going further and further off the rails. Violence is rising, truth is ignored, and faith seems like a relic. But what if I told you this was nothing new? When you see faithlessness and violence rising and believers experiencing mockery and increasing persecution, know that none of this is s...

Things fall apart—our sin has corrupted God’s creation. That’s the sense you get as you open Genesis 6. The world God once called ‘very good’ is now soaked in violence, corrupted to its core. The sons of God blur the boundaries, the mighty ones take what they want, and the Lord looks and grieves. But all is not lost. One man still walks with God. This man God calls to builds an Ark while everyone...

Things fall apart—our sin has corrupted God’s creation. That’s the sense you get as you open Genesis 6. The world God once called ‘very good’ is now soaked in violence, corrupted to its core. The sons of God blur the boundaries, the mighty ones take what they want, and the Lord looks and grieves. But all is not lost. One man still walks with God. This man God calls to builds an Ark while everyone...

Some say it’s a rookie mistake to try and read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. Why? The “begats.” There are plenty of places in the Bible where we get lists of genealogies, inventories, and other detailed records. It’s easy to get stuck in these places or skip over them. Genesis 5 is like those, but it is more than a record of who begat whom, it’s a slow drumbeat of mortality following the f...

The fall didn’t end at the garden gate. Sin followed humanity into the next generation, and its consequences turned deadly. In Genesis 4, we meet two brothers. One offers his best to the Lord in faith. The other offers his sacrifice unworthily. One is received. The other is warned to do good and seek to please God. And when that warning is ignored, the first human blood is spilled in anger. But th...

Adam and Eve lived in a world untouched by pain, guilt, or fear. They walked with God. They knew only the good of God’s creation and His will for them. But in Genesis 3, a voice enters the garden. We are introduced to one who would be our Accuser, the enemy of God and God’s people. The woman considers the serpent’s question, “Did God actually say..?” And for the first time ever she seeks to fulfil...

Genesis 1 gave us the wide-angle view of creation—majestic, ordered, cosmic. But Genesis 2 zooms in. Here, the Creator gets His hands dirty. He forms man from dust, breathes life into his lungs, and places him in a garden unlike any other. This chapter isn’t a second creation account—it’s a deeper one, more personal, more intimate. Meet the first man and the first woman, their first vocation, and...

Before there was light, sky, sea, or land, and before time itself ticked its first second, there was only God. Not a god of myth or imagination, but the living Creator who speaks, and by His Word, worlds are born. In this opening chapter of Genesis, the foundations of everything—truth, order, purpose, even the Gospel—are laid bare. And it’s not just ancient history. It’s your story too. Join us as...

Genesis isn’t just the start of the Bible; it’s the foundation of everything. Creation, sin, judgment, grace, covenant, and promise all take root in this remarkable book. The stories are ancient, but their truths are eternal. In this new series from Thy Strong Word, Pastor Phil Booe and his guests walk verse by verse through Genesis, exploring how God reveals Himself as Creator, Judge, and Redeeme...

As Hebrews comes to a close, we’re reminded again: Jesus is our altar, our sacrifice, our High Priest. We are called to bear His reproach, to live in obedience, and to trust in God’s work in us. This is no ordinary farewell—it’s a final charge to stand firm in grace. Let’s finish the race well. The Rev. Robert Smith, pastor emeritus in Ft. Wayne, IN, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Hebrews 1...

Holiness. Brotherly love. Contentment. Hebrews calls us to live as those who belong to an unshakable kingdom. The author sharpens his focus: ‘Pursue peace… see to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God… offer worship that pleases Him.’ These verses are a call to live the faith we confess in community, in love, in steadfast trust in the Christ who never changes. Yet, the warning is clear:...

What do a marathon runner, a seasoned coach, and a disciplined father all have in common? According to Hebrews 12, they each offer a glimpse into the Christian life—a race run with endurance, a life shaped by correction, and a goal always in sight. Today, we lace up our spiritual shoes and step into the challenge: what does it mean to run with perseverance, especially when the path is uphill and t...

Hebrews 11:23–40 continues the powerful “Hall of Faith,” highlighting men and women who trusted God in the face of danger, hardship, and uncertainty. From Moses’ parents defying Pharaoh to the prophets who endured persecution, this passage celebrates those who chose faith over fear, obedience over comfort, and eternal hope over temporary safety. Some saw great victories; others suffered and died w...

Did you know the biblical authors used cultural references in their inspired writings? From Greek poets to Jewish folklore, the apostles Paul and Jude make some surprising references. Are they just using familiar stories to make a point? Or are they giving those stories some kind of authority? And what does it mean for how we use fiction, folklore, or pop culture in sermons and teaching today?  Th...

Hebrews 11 introduces the “Hall of Faith” by defining faith as the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen. The Holy Spirit leads us through the lives of key figures from the Old Testament—Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph—who lived by faith in God’s promises, even when those promises seemed distant or impossible. Their stories reveal a pattern...