Send us a text And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” Luke 5:10 Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. John 21:3 From Peter's first call as a disciple to the end of John (chapter 21), we see a return to the thing he was doing before Jesus found him: fishing. It may have been a return to what was comfortab...

Send us a text This last Christmas podcast and last podcast of the year is actually a throwback to a blog written in 2018 (of the same title). This episode poses the question: what if the heart, mind, and attitude of Christmas was something we pressed into and actually lived year round? We can be dismayed and depressed when the presents are over. When the trimmings are taken down. When January hits. But if our emotions are just based upon physical thin...

Send us a text This is a special "Christmas Edition" of the Hymns That I Love series. This episode features the hymn O Little Town Of Bethlehem. Written and published in the 1860s, there is a rich history to this song...a history that begins with a visit to the Holy Land for a Christmas Eve service. Pastor Phillips Brooks and his organist, Lewis Redner, collaborated to combine lyrics and melody. The song was originally used as a children's choir piece for a Christmas E...

Send us a text As we wrap up 2025 and start thinking about 2026, it is a natural time of the year to look at goals, priorities, and overall direction in life. As Christians, we must do this evaluation through the lens of Scripture. As we hear God's heart, how does it move us forward into next year? Where does He want us to focus? Certainly evangelism and preaching the Gospel are top priorities. We are also called to dream big dreams with Him and ask that He helps...

Send us a text Thanksgiving is the subject of this week's episode (part of the "Let's Talk About It..." series). As we think about thankfulness, how do we develop the sort of spirit that the Biblical writers had; an attitude that was thankful in all circumstances despite the difficulties they faced? We know some of hardship, maybe persecution, and pushback in our world. The New Testament writers knew of it all too well. Yet they were encouraged to say, "Be thankful."&n...

Send us a text The beloved hymn Rock Of Ages by Augustus M. Toplady was published in the late 1700s and came out of England. The hymn itself is still popular and sung worldwide, all these years later. While the hymns is well-known, some of the backstory and context surrounding Mr. Toplady is not. Toplady and evangelist John Wesley had a very public feud over something that is still being debated today: Calvinism vs. Arminianism. Toplady as a Calvinist had strong ...

Send us a text I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world. John 16:33 In recent weeks and months, a thread through many news events and stories seems to be violence and hatred against Christians (whether in the US or other parts of the world). This hatred has escalated to a point in which we must not only be aware of it but also prepared to deal with it in practical, Biblical way...

Send us a text Let's talk about it! A quick 15-20 minute episode to jumpstart some thoughts to consider in your day. Life is busy but we want to mindful of the reason God placed us on this earth. One of those reasons is to share our faith in Jesus. Today we want to talk about why this is hard and also identify some ways we can push back against the barriers that keep us from sharing. Is there some commonality here between us (Derek and the audience -- you!)? ...

Send us a text As we think about sharing the Gospel, are we aware of just how short our time on this earth really is? Is that something that propels us forward to share, knowing that life is short but eternity is forever? This episode reminds us to be ready to share and have a heart that shows Christ's compassion. All the while, we rely on the Holy Spirit's leading and guidance. He will speak as we step out in obedience. May we understand we carry an urgent messa...

Send us a text LET'S TALK ABOUT IT! A new recurring series that is meant to be a quick 15-20 minute episode centering on a theme that is relevant to the life of the believer. These are meant to be topical and applicable...in the midst of your busy day and busy week! Our first episode is a discussion about INTEGRITY. What is the definiton and what does the Bible have to say about it? As Christians, we are called to live private lives that are the same as who we are in p...

Send us a text When they heard these words, some of the people said, “This really is the Prophet.” Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “Is the Christ to come from Galilee? Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?” So there was a division among the people over Him. John 7:40-43 In the Book of John, we see a growing division occurring surrounding Jesus as we come to chapter 7. There a...

Send us a text After this summer's sabbatical and break from AS BOLD AS LIONS content, Derek is back with a new episode taking us into the fall. Into this season, God is saying "It is time to go back to school." This is timely and a reminder that in life, we need God's Word and truth daily. We need to be students of Scripture, approaching it with humility and able to teach others. When we have a love for the Word like David had, we find that it causes us to want to see...

Send us a text Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for Him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! Psalm 37:7 What does it look like to "rest expectantly" or to rest with expectation? This episode considers this idea against the backdrop of several verses in Psalm 37. As we come into the summer, we often trade one level of busyness and "over-programming" for a season that moves at the same pace (just with a ...

Send us a text In Acts 17:16-34, we see Paul's encounter in Athens at the Areopagus. This was a center of philosophical thought, higher learning, and judicial proceedings. It was a place to go to discuss ideas and to debate. Paul was invited to share about his God and his beliefs in front of an audience at the Areopagus. Within this chapter, we see Paul makes inroads and finds common ground with his audience. He follows the right "evangelical" course, yet some we...

Send us a text When we look at the holiness of God and how we can get it wrong, we need not look any further than the example of Ananias & Sapphira in the early Acts church. As we come to Acts 5, we see the church in line with the Lord's leadership -- it is seeing miracles occur, needs taken care of, and God is adding to their number. Suddenly the brakes are hit as we learn of Ananias & Sapphira, their sin and choice to withhold from God the full truth of their donation.&n...

Send us a text In the account of 1 Samuel 13-15, we see the demise and downfall of King Saul, the first king of Israel. His undoing involved his unwillingness to wait for the Lord, his decision to make rash vows before Him, and the fact that he chose sacrifice over obedience. In the mistakes he made, he allowed for compromise in the way he treated the holiness of God. God takes holiness very seriously and we can look at various players in Scripture and learn from the mistake...

Send us a text This week being Holy Week, we are contemplating the meaning of Easter. With any major holidays around the church calendar (Christmas included), it can be easy to go through the motions and simply "check the box" by attending a service, participating in worship, and so on. But what is the deeper meaning of these things and why do we celebrate, especially the death and resurrection of our Lord? Today's episode reminds us of some of truths that accompany Easter; ...

Send us a text 5 loaves of bread and a couple fish. How would it ever be enough to feed the large crowd that stood before Jesus and the disciples? Today's episode takes us to John 6:1-15, the account of Jesus feeding the 5000. This passage can become very familiar to us; so much so that we miss the weight of just how powerful God is and what He can do. In our lives God will often place before us a need that seems too big to imagine any solution. In that process, ...

Send us a text Mega church pastors falling into moral failure. Epstein lists and Diddy files coming out into the open. Government admission of misleading Americans during the COVID response. Exposure and potential exposure is all around us. When we focus on what we see and hear, we can get discouraged and perhaps even have our own faith shaken. But if we are focused on the Lord, we don't lose heart. Essentially, exposure must first start with us -- allowing...

Send us a text Exposure is a term we've been hearing a lot lately. But when it comes to what God is doing and revealing, how do we respond? How does it affect our faith? Today's episode is part 1 of a 2-part series. It focuses mainly on the Biblical and Scriptural support for exposure and realizing that today, God is still doing the same things we see in the Bible. We have to trust what He is doing and even partner with Him to be agents of change in our world. Th...