Vertical Pursuit

When you don’t know the truth, you settle for the lie. So many things in our lives attempt to steal our freedom. And, we’re not just talking about power-hungry governmental players. We’re talking about the true enemy who hates the idea of us being free. When you seek Jesus, he gives you TRUE freedom. 

Israel has the attention of the world right now. The reaction, following the brutality of attacks by Hamas has the world divided and confused. Since most of this nation now gets its history lessons from biased media outlets, in this episode it was necessary to walk things back from a Biblical perspective. 

We all have friends in our lives who live in denial, deal with distractions, and cling to the comfort that whispers to them that they don’t need God. It’s not that they don’t believe in something, it’s that they don’t feel the motivation to press past the surface. Are there tools available to us to help them, and ourselves, get unstuck

In this episode we go all manly, with hunting stories, identity issues, and what men today feel they are lacking. Be it a lack of purpose, drive, or vocational call, a heavy dose of masculinity can sometimes be just what the doctor ordered. Ask God to stir a new war in you.  

Where is your home built? What is it built on? Do you practice preventive maintenance on the things that hold up your walls and roof? Life throws storms at us, some worse than others, and it is up to us to make sure we have crafted an internal protection system. But, how do we do that?  

The chase of money leads to moral compromise, we all know that. It’s such an evil master. So, who is your master? In this episode we dive into the common question, and have some thoughts on how to shake it. At the end of the day, it’s a heart issue and nothing more.

What is the truth anymore? Social media has given us too much access to too much, and it’s completely overwhelming. We know our traditional messenger, the media, is completely corrupt, and following a chosen narrative has left us desensitized to seemingly everything. Wash the skeptic away, and re-ground yourself in the one truth we know we can lean on.

We’re always told to be weary of being of this world. But, if you spend any time on social media, it’s easy to fall into the trap of virtual culture. Taking every thought captive, and always saying anchored to the real truth, is our foundation.

What’s with the sudden influx of UFO/UAP content lately in the world? Real? Fake? A campaign of distraction? We take a walk through some of the recent news, and give thoughts on what it all means.

There are many different kinds of blessings, and some can come in the form of inanimate objects. The power of these blessings can often be the stories behind them, and then it’s up to us to use them to model friendship and love.

If nothing logical is adding up, and people have gone next-level evil, we have to remember who runs this world and probably shouldn’t be that shocked. But that doesn’t make it easy. It’s not a culture war; it’s a spiritual war. In this episode, we expose the source of darkness behind the scenes and Armor up, as we’ve been told.

Our faith, and the way we live it out, always has peaks and valleys. When that roaring fire turns into just a small flame, what do we do? How do we get unstuck in our walk?

It’s easy to say, ‘don’t put your identity in anything you can lose.’ But living that out is a bigger challenge and one that not everyone achieves. Where your identity is grounded is the key.

It’s uncomfortable and difficult, but sacrifice, suffering, and even death are essential in our journey. Yet, in today’s world we do just about anything to avoid pain- often at our own peril. So how do we navigate seasons of trials and suffering without resorting to medicating and coping in unhealthy ways?

We have all read stories of people whose success and promotion outpace their character. The result is a tragic fall into ruin. The same character that sustains us during times of promotion, simply has to be up to the challenge of sustaining us in seasons of non-promotion. Step one is building that character on solid rock. 

Is it really this simple? Choosing to sit at the eternal table versus the earthly table? It is if we truly take possession of the promise. But, even once we’ve done that, how do we stay there? In this episode, we take a look and examine this challenge.

Many have predicted that what this country needed to re-center was a good shaking. Well, we got one. But it didn’t take a war, a natural disaster, or even a loss of life. It took Demar Hamlin, Monday Night Football, and athletes leading the way through humility. The result was a national awakening led by the mainstream media... What?

In today’s world, we are constantly tempted to compare and contrast our lives with others, mainly on social media. If not managed and checked, it can send you down the road of envy, which “rots the bones.” In this episode, we give tools to help you learn to see it and stop it before you end up on that path.

As uncomfortable as it may seem, we are often called to bypass an easier road for one where we’ll feel outnumbered. Nineveh wasn’t for the faint of heart, but Jonah’s obedience led to massive transformation. This is a deep dive into the forces dividing our society and why lighting a candle always beats simply cursing the darkness. 

We often think of posture as the way we stand, sit, or a practice of a physical correction. But, in Episode 17, we discuss mental and physical posture, as it relates to truly changing the way people see us, and in turn, how they react to us. 

Anger is something we all experience, and battle. But, the mature individual is one who learns to control outbursts, and defuse our own instincts, when we see and feel a storm on the horizon. 

"Rugged individualism” is a neat, tough-sounding phrase. But, this can simply mask “selfish individualism.” Since we can all admit we were born sinful, shouldn't we start realizing that we might be rooted in the wrong place? Self-denial is in our self-interest.

When we lose sight of our creator’s design for us, we have an identity crisis. As the role of men is mocked in culture, the search for their identity can spin out of control. We attach it to things we can lose, which is always a recipe for disaster.

In this episode, the phrase “it’s better to give than receive” gets flipped on its head. Receiving is an art that makes us uncomfortable and takes practice. Do you value yourself enough to receive? Are you willing to start accepting the truth?

Why do you believe what you believe? That’s apologetics- the art of making reasoned arguments in justification of your faith. How do you make a case for the reliability of the Word?