During a late-night binge over Christmas break, an unexpected Sermon on the Side moment emerged from an unlikely place: Stranger Things. In a quiet but powerful exchange, Eleven wrestles with the belief that she’s a monster - haunted by her past and the things she’s done. Her father challenges her to do something difficult but necessary: to remember all of it - the good and the bad - because wholeness doesn’t come from denial, but from honesty. That is a powerful concept! In...

We made it to Episode 50 — and we’re welcoming the New Year together. In this special New Year’s Day episode of Sermons on the Side, Richard and Brad pause to celebrate 50 episodes of conversation, reflection, laughter, and grace. But in true Sermons on the Side fashion, the celebration gives way to a quieter, deeper story. The Sermon on the Side comes from a New Year’s Eve in 2009, when Richard found himself in a difficult and uncertain season of life. Instead of noise, resolutio...

Merry Christmas! This week, we’re keeping things short and sweet so you can get back to what matters most - celebrating Christmas with family and loved ones. In true Sermons on the Side fashion, we take a brief look back at some of our favorite moments from the past year, highlighting what we’re calling “Christmas sightings.” These are episodes that - whether we realized it at the time or not - carried themes of hope, waiting, grace, redemption, and light breaking into ordinary life.&n...

With just one week to go until Christmas, Richard and Brad kick off this holiday-themed episode of Sermons on the Side with playful banter about the countdown to Christmas, the excitement building in their homes, and the different Christmas Eve and Christmas Day traditions their families are looking forward to this year. But as is often the case, a Sermon on the Side comes from an unexpected place. While battling a major head cold, Richard shares a rather gross - but relatable - s...

In Episode 47, Brad and Richard share a simple Advent moment that has stayed with Richard for years. At a monthly gathering of local pastors just a couple weeks before Christmas many years ago, Father Bill stood to pray before the meal and offered a line that quietly reshaped the room - and Richard’s understanding of Advent: “Help us to remember what Christmas teaches us, that You will always come to us.” Fast forward to 2025, that short prayer sparked a deeper conversation betwe...

Coming off a week of Thanksgiving festivities - with crowded tables, family stories, and full hearts - we shift right into the Christmas season with the first of several holiday-themed episodes. This week’s conversation centers on a very real, very recent story from Richard’s trip to Boston to visit his son, daughter-in-law, and new grandbaby. What should’ve been a simple car-rental experience turned into an unexpected headache: double charges, endless holds, and the dreaded words no on...

Episode 45 took a wild turn after Brad accidentally deleted the original episode we recorded weeks in advance (yep… it finally happened). What was supposed to be a calm, prepped holiday episode turned into a real-time scramble and a surprisingly beautiful pivot. In this special Thanksgiving edition, Brad and Richard walk you through the chaos of the week and invite you into an impromptu night of calling friends, family members, and even past podcast guests to hear - live and unfiltered ...

In this Thanksgiving-themed episode of Sermons on the Side, Richard takes us back to a beloved family tradition from when his kids were young: gathering around the TV to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. But for the Moore household, the parade wasn’t just fun entertainment - it marked the official start of Christmas. Once that final float appeared, carrying Santa himself, and the announcer declared, “Let us be the first to wish you a Merry Christmas,” the Moore home shifte...

In this week’s episode of Sermons on the Side, Richard reaches back into his early parenthood days to share a powerful story about his two sons, Bryce and Derrick… and a throwback classic: the Bionicle Lego toy. When Derrick secretly takes Bryce’s prized Bionicle to school and loses it, he returns home overwhelmed with guilt and fear of what his brother will say. After a heartfelt father-son conversation about honesty, courage, and doing what’s right, Derrick breaks down - not because h...

In this episode of Sermons on the Side, Brad and Richard take inspiration from the incredible precision and purpose of the U.S. Navy Blue Angels. After watching a powerful behind-the-scenes documentary, Richard shares how one simple phrase from the pilots -“Glad to be here” - sparked a deeper reflection on faith, gratitude, and contentment. Every time the Blue Angels meet, they pound the table, bump fists, and declare, “Glad to be here." It’s more than a motto - it’s a mindset. It means...

In this week’s episode of Sermons on the Side, Richard shares a surprising “aha” moment that hit him while watching Doctor Strange for the very first time. In the Marvel film, there’s a line that stirred something deep in him - when a man says, “I just took my miracle and went home.”' It’s a simple phrase, but it hit like a sermon. How often do we do the same thing? God heals, forgives, redeems, and restores us - and then we quietly return to “normal life.” But what if God’s intention f...

In our fourth Roundtable discussion, we’re joined by someone very special - Kyndal Nipper, Richard’s stepdaughter and a long time friend of Brad’s. From the earliest days of Sermons on the Side, Kyndal has been one of our biggest encouragers - a faithful listener, idea-sharer, and cheerleader behind the scenes. Today, she steps to the mic to share a deeply personal story — a journey through loss, grief, and ultimately, hope. Kyndal opens up about the heartbreak of losing her second chil...

In this week’s episode of Sermons on the Side, we start with the spooky story of the Headless Horseman - and a man named Ichabod Crane - but end up somewhere far deeper. The name Ichabod appears long before Washington Irving ever wrote about Sleepy Hollow. In 1 Samuel, it’s the heartbreaking name given to a child born in tragedy - a name meaning “the glory has departed.” Yet, through Samuel’s faithfulness, God restores His people and leads them to a new place of remembrance called Ebene...

In episode 38 of Sermons on the Side, we trace a surprising thread between history, memory, and our own tendency to retreat into hiding places. Inspired by Candace Millard’s account of Winston Churchill’s daring escape during the Boer War, we reflect on a striking moment when Churchill, though technically free, still felt trapped by fear and uncertainty. She powerfully writes, "He could not remain where he was.…Yet neither could he run." That picture of hiding even in freedom sparked a ...

What do you do when life backs you into a corner and the odds are stacked against you? In this episode, Richard shares a powerful conversation he had with a pastor friend whose church was facing a make-or-break moment. The situation reminded him of one of the wildest plays in college football history - Arkansas vs. Ole Miss in 2015 - when, on fourth and twenty-five in overtime, a desperate heave, a wild lateral, and a broken play somehow turned into a first down that kept hope alive.&nb...

In this week’s episode, we pause from our usual rhythm and spend time reflecting on the events of the past couple of weeks following the tragic assassination of Charlie Kirk. Together, we share how this moment has shaped us personally and spiritually, and why Dr. Ben Carson’s words at Charlie’s memorial - reminding us that a seed must die in order to grow - continue to resonate deeply. From there, we talk honestly about the challenges Christians face when division, cynicism, and negativ...

This week we sit down with Michael Warden - author, coach, free spirit, and founder of the men’s recovery ministry Braveheart Men. Richard first met Michael four years ago during a Braveheart Men’s Intensive, and since then Michael has continued to impact the lives of hundreds of men through his work. Michael joins us to share about the release of the final two books in his four-part mystic Christian fantasy series, The Pearlsong Refounding. With the first two volumes already out, the c...

Have you ever noticed how quickly our priorities can shift? One day we’re frustrated about a football game, a job, or the little inconveniences of life, and the next day something happens that reminds us of what truly matters. In this week’s episode of Sermons on the Side, Richard shares a personal story from his years living in New York that started with a Monday Night Football game and ended with a comment from a friend that has stuck with Richard for years. This story sets the stage ...

What happens when your mind gives up before your body ever does? This 4th of July, Brad took on the grueling CrossFit workout “1776” - 1,776 reps in honor of America’s independence. About halfway through, he caught himself saying, “This is impossible.” That moment of negativity could have sunk the whole workout… until a friend reminded him, “You’re already choosing defeat. Learn to live - and speak - positively over yourself.” In this episode of Sermons on the Side, we talk about ...

In this episode, Richard shares how a simple quote from historian and biographer Candice Millard sparked a deeper reflection. Millard is known for uncovering hidden stories behind famous historical figures, reshaping the way we remember them. In an interview, she was asked why she chases these obscure angles, and her response was: “It fascinates me what we remember and what we forget.” That line opened the door for Richard to think about the same truth in our spiritual lives. Some of the swe...