On The Trail

Do you ever stop to pray and instead find yourself fighting off distracting or discouraging thoughts? 

Have you ever wondered how people pray for hours not just minutes?  

Next in our Jumpstart Your Prayer Life series, we're looking at The Two Notebook Approach as a means of being intentional and focused in conversational prayer with God. This approach was inspired by Marcus's contemplations on John C. Maxwell's Partne...

Are your relational circuits on when you pray? Do they have to be? 

In this episode, we look at the brain science principles of the Joy Switch and Mutual Mind for how to relationally engage with God in prayer. Moving beyond big picture principles, we walk through the process of Immanuel Journaling inspired by the book Joyful Journey by Jim Wilder, Anna Kang, and John & Sungshim Loppnow. 

Our goal with this series is to encourage ...

God designed our brains for relationship — not just with fellow humans but also with Him! 

In this episode, we explore some of the theology and neuroscience of prayer. How did God wire us for relationship, and how can we see that reflected in our prayer life?  

Our goal with this series is to encourage you to deepen your prayer life and explore various approaches to your relationship with God. By the end of this series, we'll ha...

How do you think of God when you pray? 

Last week we began a new series on prayer. This week we continue exploring the theological dynamics of approaching God as King, Father, and Shepherd while also discussing an overview of the 5 Levels of Prayer in harmony with the Life Model stages of maturity. From infancy to our elder years, we have expanding capcacity to engage in prayer on our own and in community. 

Our goal with this series ...

Does prayer actually change anything? 

It's time for a new series that will help you jumpstart your prayer life. We like to put things into context, so we're launching with a practical overview of the theology of prayer. How does God's soveignty interact with our prayers? How do fear and joy affect our prayer life? Is God a just king? Does God want to talk to us when we're less than perfect? 

This episode covers t...

We're wrapping up the series with a look at three crucial elements for personal growth and family transformation, and you can remember them with your ABCs: Allies, Bible, and Cleansing. 

In this episode, we cover questions along the lines of...
▪️ What's the relationship between allies and accountability?
▪️ What can allies look like in a family context?
▪️ Why is it important to have a "Bible-filled&quo...

This week we're in Chapter 5 of The Spirit-Filled Home: "Jump-START-ing Your Marriage." Yes, you spotted it! We're working through an acrostic featuring five essential strategies to jumpstart your marriage and all-around strengthen your home: 

S.T.A.R.T. 

🕊️ Seek the Spirit’s leading. 

⚔️ Take thoughts captive. 

🤺 Attack the real enemy. 

💕 Resolve resentment. 

🌻 Train yourselves in the habits of joy. 

Whether you’r...

In this episode of our Spirit-Filled Home series, we tackle some of the tough stuff of the home. 

We walk through the WLVS model, which stands for Wounds, Lies, Vows, and Strongholds, and how important it is to address deeper emotional issues that often underlie surface-level problems in relationships. Understanding these issues working below the surface helps us foster healthier relationships and cultivate a Spirit-filled home. 

In this episode, we continue our book study of The Spirit-Filled Home with Chapter Three: Parenting Challenges. 

Whether you are reflecting on your childhood, working on your own personal maturity, or parenting your children, this episode is for you. 

This episode is all about the relationship between personal maturity and effective parenting. In it, we give a brief overview of the five stages of maturity development according to The...

Flesh manifests itself through relational conflict (Gal 5; Jas 4:1-2). 

In this episode, we continue our book study with Chapter Two: The Flesh-Filled Home exploring the characteristics of homes that walk more by the flesh than by the Spirit, the nature of conflict, and the importance of emotional capacity. We call out three A's of immaturity—avoidance, anger, and addiction—and highlight the need for self-reflection, tiny habit...

We are delighted to launch the year with a new book study, going chapter by chapter through The Spirit-Filled Home. Over the course of this series, we'll talk maturity development, spiritual warfare, walking in the Spirit, and more, all with a strategic flavoring of marriage and family.

(Fear not, for those of you who are walking the single road or for whom "marriage and family" may be complicated... I, Stephanie, am ...

God loves you so very much, and He has a plan for your life and your relationship with Him that He has had in the works since the foundations of the world, when you were only a twinkle in His eye. Join us as we celebrate the remarkable Love of God.

On the podcast, we've been walking through the Abrahamic Covenant of Promise as a meditation on the four themes of Advent: Hope, Peace, Joy, and now Love.

On the fourth Sunday of Ad...

On the third Sunday of Advent (Dec 14), we anticipate celebrating the incarnation with Joy. This year, we're looking at Advent through the lens of the Abrahamic Covenant of Promise. We remember this covenant with an acorn, because it's a big seed. The lid of the acorn represents three key blessings promised to Abraham — a seed (offspring), land, and relationship with God.

The point of the acorn represents the point of the ...

Could you use more peace in your life? 

For Advent, we’re looking at the Abrahamic Covenant of Promise. Last week we introduced this covenant and looked at the Hope of the Promise. This week on the Advent calendar is about Peace, and we’re dwelling specifically on the promise of land. 

Through this conversation, we see a sort of formula emerge: meditation on God’s provision plus meditation on what is eternal brings peace. We can reme...

Happy Thanksgiving, USA! In the Warner household, we love the build up of the season of festivities this time of year. It's in the name: "Thanksgiving" is a great launch to a holiday season that celebrates appreciation and community. This then leads nicely into the first Sunday of Advent (on November 30 this year). So grab your candles and wreath, because this week begins our Advent series!

In the first week of Advent...

“The atonement is the hinge on which all of spiritual warfare hangs.” In this episode, we're unpacking this statement as we delve into the concept of atonement and its critical role in spiritual warfare. To help understand the triumph of what Jesus Christ accomplished through His death & resurrection, we're walking through the acrostic C.R.O.S.S. (Covenant, Ransom, Ownership, Substitution, Subjugation).

We lean into th...

The devil often tempts us to believe God doesn't care about our suffering. Is God loving? Is He trustworthy?

In this episode, we're looking at the significance of the incarnation of Jesus Christ. How does Jesus' life, death, resurrection, and ascension relate to spiritual warfare and the authority believers have in Christ? 

Through Jesus' incarnation, we see God give a profound answer to the question of suffering,...

In this episode, we're continuing our biblical foundations of spiritual warfare series with a look at the kingdom of darkness from both the Old and New Testament perspectives. What are the origins of this dark kingdom? We specifically cover the "John Milton" understanding and the "Michael Heiser" understanding of these origins.

What does Christ's authority look like over it all? We also discuss the sign...

Time for a new series! What's going on in the courtroom of Heaven, and why does it matter to Christians?

In this episode, we delve into the topic of spiritual warfare, exploring its biblical foundations, starting with the concept of the divine council. We discuss the significance of the throne room of God, the legal framework surrounding spiritual warfare, and the importance of justice, accountability, and relationships in Heav...