Godly Passion, Holy Flame

Epaphroditus: An Unlikely Warrior

Sun, 27 Apr 2025 15:07:44 GMT

"But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, co-worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs. For he longs for all of you and is distressed because you heard he was ill. Indeed he was ill, and almost died. But God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow. Therefore I am all the more eager to send him, so that when you see him again you may be glad and I may have less anxiety. So then, welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honor people like him, 30 because he almost died for the work of Christ. He risked his life to make up for the help you yourselves could not give me."

(Philippians 2:25-30)

This episode is a chapter out of my coming book, "Being Saints" and a

recast from my other podcast, Project:Philippians (https://shows.acast.com/project-phillipians)

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The In-Between Day

Sat, 19 Apr 2025 14:00:00 GMT

A meditation from Mark 16 on the dark hopelessness that strikes between Good Friday and Easter.

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The Old Rugged Cross

Sun, 13 Apr 2025 15:00:00 GMT

This week we will be celebrating Good Friday. And, of course, words like "celebrating" and "Good" don't quite feel appropriate for the atrocious execution that took place on this day. But it's my goal today to remind you of some of the reasons that we have to "cherish that old rugged cross."

(This episode is a recast from my other podcast -- Project:Philippians. If you enjoy this material, please head on over there for a weekly deep dive into this amazing book. https://shows.acast.com/project-phillipians)

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Timothy - A Short Biography

Sun, 06 Apr 2025 22:00:00 GMT

This episode is re-cast from my other podcast: Project:Philippians (https://shows.acast.com/project-phillipians)

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Unleashed, 2025

Mon, 06 Jan 2025 05:25:33 GMT

It's that time of year to stretch our eyes to the horizons and ask the Lord, "Oh, Father! What are you doing that I can be a part of?"

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Remembering My Mom

Mon, 22 Apr 2024 01:12:12 GMT

An amazing saint went home to be with her Savior this year. This recording is just my humble attempt to pay tribute to the 57 years of love that she poured into my life.

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Tidings: A Shepherd's Story

Sat, 23 Dec 2023 23:00:00 GMT

I'd like to share with you a play I wrote years ago, inspired by the extraordinary events in the hills outside Bethlehem on the original Christmas night. Although fictionalized, this account is drawn from my research into the story and background of the Bethlehem shepherds (as recorded in Luke 2), stirred together with some holy imaginiation of what it might have been like to experience that holy night, not to mention the years that followed...

Music by Julius H. from Pixabay

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Project Philippians - Trailer (Ch 1)

Sun, 10 Sep 2023 23:00:00 GMT

Many of you have already heard about the new podcast that I began recently. This is just a little promotional trailer that I put together to try to spread the word and to encourage other disciples who might be interested in the type of "deep-dive Scriptural analysis" that Project: Philippians is aiming to be.

If you're interested in joining us on the journey, you can find the podcast here: https://shows.acast.com/project-phillipians (or just search for "Project: Philippians" on your favorite podcast app).

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Introducing: Project Philippians

Sun, 23 Jul 2023 23:29:34 GMT

Today I'd like to invite you into a sneak peak of a new project that I have been praying about for months. It is an ambitious new venture -- one that could only be accomplished if the Lord is in it. But, if He is, I believe this project may have a lasting impact in the spirtual journey of many people. In this episode, I'm announcing a brand new podcast that I'm launching today -- a podcast with one singular mission: to take listeners on a verse by verse "deep dive" into one of my favorite books in Scripture: Philippians.

For those of you who want to join me on this journey, head over to Project: PHILIPPIANS -- https://shows.acast.com/project-phillipians

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Back Forty

Fri, 19 May 2023 22:31:36 GMT

Regardless of how old you are or how many years you already have under your treads, your story is not finished yet. Neither is mine. And the challenging question that has been swirling around in my head recently is, "What am I going to do with the time I have left?" As I've been meditating on this, I've been inspired by the story of Caleb, the man who kept charging hard into God's adventures even into his eighties. That's the type of man I want to be. And, earlier this week, the Lord gave me a little glimpse of that future in a way that has made me yearn for it even more.

Joshua 14:6-14

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Something Else to be Thankful For

Fri, 18 Nov 2022 04:44:46 GMT

As Thanksgiving approaches, I want to share just a few things that I'm particularly thankful for this year. Not least of which is an amazing get-together that I got invited to by a guy named Jesus.

John 1:37-39

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(Hineni) Here I Am, Lord

Fri, 21 Oct 2022 19:03:22 GMT

Today I'd like to introduce you to one very special Hebrew word that has begun to transform my prayer life.

הִנֵּֽנִי

It's pronounced "hin-nê-nî", and it encapsulates, what I believe to be one of the most important postures of a servant's heart.

1 Samuel 3

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Rekindling the Fire

Fri, 07 Oct 2022 20:09:08 GMT

Have you lost the passion? Has your flame grown dim? Has the spiritual fire of your soul dwindled down to nothing but glowing embers? I've been there. I know the feeling. But today, I'd like to share with you some verses that the Lord God has placed on my heart, because I want to help rekindle that fire on the hearth of your heart. Men, I believe there is nothing more important in our spiritual lives than fanning into flame the eternal fire of communion with God.

Leviticus 6:12-13; 9:23-34; 10:1-3

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A Season of Silence

Sat, 28 May 2022 22:24:43 GMT

Welcome to the final episode in Season Two of the Holy Flame podcast. I have to say Farewell, for a while, but I just I'd leave you with you a final verse, a final challenge, and a final prayer. Hope to see you again in the Fall!

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Beholding the Glory

Sat, 21 May 2022 05:19:36 GMT

In a world filled with distractions and diversions, it is all too easy to get a hearts off track and out of focus. I'd like to share a story with you that God has used in my life to help fix my thoughts and heart back on the Son.

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Flags on the Trail

Sat, 14 May 2022 00:00:00 GMT

Sometimes all it takes to get back on the path is just a little reminder. And sometimes... the more the better. Today I'd like to share with you a few thoughts from the jogging trail that have helped keep me on the path.

Isaiah 30:21

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Epistle to the Ephesians

Fri, 06 May 2022 05:39:21 GMT

Today I want to read through another epic book of the Bible: Ephesians. I love this book because it's like a dense gem -- a summary of the entire Bible. All the major themes of Scripture converge in this one little letter. From Creation to the Cross to the Coming again; from grace, to peace, to love, to warfare. It’s all here in one condensed little book. I pray that these themes will wash over you like never before.

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Epistle to the Phillipians

Sat, 30 Apr 2022 19:28:25 GMT

The book of Philippians was written by the Apostle Paul while he sat chained in Roman custody. But it's a letter that explodes with the heartfelt enthusiasm of someone who has clearly learned how to fortify his joy regardless of his circumstances. I invite you to take the next few moments to sit at Paul's feet and listen to him as if you were hearing him speak these words for the very first time.

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Invitation to Happiness

Fri, 29 Apr 2022 23:55:22 GMT

How would your friends rate your joy level? Would your wife or your colleagues characterize you as an uncommonly happy person? I'm pretty sure that is not the first adjective that would come to my friends' minds if you asked them to describe me. But recently I started pondering those questions and thinking about how much glory God would receive if that were to somehow flip in my life. So I asked the Lord about it. And I'd like to share with you the surprising (and happy) answer that He gave me.

Romans 15:13

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Abide In Christ, by Andrew Murray

Fri, 22 Apr 2022 20:20:15 GMT

Today I want to share with you a short reading from one of the most classic books in all of Christian literature. The book is called Abide in Christ, by Andrew Murray. Murray was a great and heroic saint of the late 19th century whose books have stirred many souls through the decades. He's long been one of my favorite authors. This chapter was particularly stirring to me, so I decided to share it with all of you. I pray that it blesses you as it did me.

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Two Words

Sat, 26 Mar 2022 00:13:10 GMT

Some of you know what it's like to get to the end of yourself, after giving everything you've got, and then slam right into the brick wall of exhaustion. Long distance runners know all about it, but it's not just athletes that can deplete their resources.

I'd like to give you two words that can help you bust right through that wall.

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A Posture of Praise

Fri, 28 Jan 2022 22:00:00 GMT

Psalm 63:4 calls on us to "praise the Lord as long as we live, lifting up our hands in His name." For some of you, this gesture of raising hands to praise God might be perfectly natural for you. Others are a little less comfortable with this type of expression in their worship. But regardless of your own personal worship "style", the fact that God asks us to do it should cause all of us to ask, WHY? Why is this important to Him? What does it mean? What should it mean? These are some questions that I have been pondering this morning, and I'd love to share my thoughts with you.

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John Mark's Story, 1st Cent AD

Fri, 14 Jan 2022 21:00:09 GMT

Recently I was inspired to study the backstory of one of the little-known characters in the Bible -- but one who has had a profound impact on the history of the entire Church. What began with just some curiosity on my part turned into a major historical/Biblical research project and a short (unpublished) article along with this podcast. It's all about the backstory of John Mark, the gospel author. I had no idea, when I first started researching him, how deeply I'd be moved by his life story. I'm sure I don't to justice to it, but, then again, that's why I wasn't selected to write a gospel!

For anyone who would like the full text of this article, you can find it here.

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Lean In -- 2022

Sat, 01 Jan 2022 20:39:43 GMT

In today's episode I'd like to offer a years-end challenge to the men who are on a journey with the King. Join with me as we pause for just a few moments on the side of the trail to take stock of where we've been and a gander at where we need to be going.

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Unto Us A Child (Isaiah 9)

Fri, 17 Dec 2021 22:00:00 GMT

[First published: Aug 2019]
Some passages of Scripture can become so familiar to us (especially those that we hear every holiday season) that they are at risk of losing their impact in our hearts. It is my prayer that Isaiah's famous "Christmas prophesy" might be rescued from such a fate, because it is truly one of the most astounding portraits of our Savior in all of the Bible.

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While it was Still Dark (Mark 1:35)

Fri, 19 Nov 2021 22:56:29 GMT

What is the first thing you do in the morning? When the snooze alarm is finally silenced, what is the first thing that you've got to get into your system? Because, whatever it is, it says a lot about you as a man -- about your character, about your values, about what really matters to you. Which is why I find this early morning picture of our Savior so captivating. So grab a cup of coffee, open up to the book of Mark, and take the next few moments to see what really mattered to the Messiah.

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The Battle of Prayer

Fri, 16 Oct 2020 19:50:00 GMT

I can guarantee you that there has been nothing more critical to my own spiritual formation then learning to cultivate an intensity of intercession. This week I learned that this type of battle can literally shake the heavens. On 10/10 at 10am, two dozen men braved pneumonia to gather on the summit of a stormy mountain and intercede for our city. I think it changed us all.

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Lessons on Needing God

Fri, 18 Sep 2020 21:27:00 GMT

Today I'd like to share some of the painful, hard-won lessons that I've learned recently about what it means to really "need" God and why the spiritual life is sometimes just so blisteringly difficult.

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Whatchya Looking At?

Fri, 22 May 2020 21:15:40 GMT

From our series on Isaiah, today we are thinking about the focus of our eyes and heart. (Isaiah 1:4-8)

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Quenching a Parched Thirst (Ps 63)

Fri, 03 Apr 2020 22:02:34 GMT

AW Tozer once wrote, "Come near to the holy men and women of the past and you will soon feel the heat of their desire after God. They mourned for Him, they prayed and wrestled and sought for Him day and night, in season and out, and when they had found Him the finding was all the sweeter for the long seeking."

Today, I'd like to spend a few minutes drawing near to one of those holy men of the past: Listen to the words of King David as he describes what his soul felt like when it had lost the vital connection it was designed to depend upon. He wrote, in Psalm 63, that the isolation and loneliness that comes from being disconnected from intimacy with God reminded him of the desperate drudgery of living in a hot, dry desert. Thankfully, he also left behind some clues to help the rest of us in our desperate efforts to quench our own thirsty souls.

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A Life Transforming Encounter with God (Isaiah 6)

Fri, 20 Mar 2020 22:21:08 GMT

Let the prophet Isaiah be your tour guide as we take a journey into the holy presence of God, and discover that one single glimpse of the Lord God Almighty will transform your life forever.

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Whispers

Sat, 20 Apr 2019 04:05:49 GMT

Sometimes the Lord explodes our hearts with audaciously big dreams. But not always. Sometimes, the dreams He gives us are very, very small.

1 Kings 19:12

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Make Your Case

Fri, 29 Mar 2019 22:05:58 GMT

If Christianity is true -- I mean really, actually, capital "T" True -- how should that impact your heart? What would your life look like if you genuinely believed it all? Can you articulate the life-changing benefits of belonging to Jesus? Recently, I had the opportunity to have that conversation with someone, and in this episode, I'd like to try to express some of my answers to those questions.

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First Podcast (Recast from 2019)

Fri, 08 Mar 2019 22:40:00 GMT

The "Godly Passion, Holy Flame" podcast started out years ago as a simple way for me to share what's on my heart for the guys in my life and community. It's all about what God has been teaching me, and what I'd love to say to the men who share my hungry heart. Here's my first-ever cast, recorded on my smart phone almost 3 years ago. It still captures the heartbeat of my desire to stir up the fire and fan the flame in the lives of men who are seeking the King.

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