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Start with a simple question: how does a nation forget its King? We walk through Judges like a crime scene, tagging the small compromises that compound into cultural collapse—then we watch God work anyway, often through people we wouldn’t pick. It’s raw, uncomfortable, and surprisingly hopeful.

We begin with Ehud, the left-handed assassin whose messy tactics free an oppressed people, and ask what it means for God to use flawed agents when honor has gone missing. From there we track Abimelech’s bloody climb—funded by others’ fear and convenience—and explore how a community that wants “one ruler to fix it” often invites a thornbush that burns it down. Gideon’s mixed legacy shows how pious words can hide abdication, and why leadership without obedience breeds leaders who love power more than truth.

Jephthah’s vow brings the hardest questions. We unpack the three primary readings—literal sacrifice, exile, and lifelong temple devotion—and focus on the core warning: rash bargains with God can destroy the very future we hoped to secure. Micah’s household idols and a Levite-for-hire reveal syncretism that looks spiritual but is built on self. When the Danites scale up that compromise, the rot goes national. Along the way, we highlight biblical typology—from donkeys as symbols of noble peace to echoes of earlier stories—that points beyond failed judges to a different kind of King.

The book’s darkest scene—the Levite’s concubine—mirrors Sodom to show how far things have fallen. Outrage arrives late and explodes into civil war. Our takeaway isn’t nostalgia; it’s repentance. Teach the next generation what God has done. Refuse syncretism even when it pays. Choose character over charisma. Start with your home, your church, and your block, and trust God to work through imperfect people while we keep our allegiance clear. If this conversation nudged you, subscribe, share it with a friend, and tell us: which story in Judges hits closest to home and why?

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Verse Reference: 1 Corinthians 25-27
Isaiah 55

Is it possible that what society deems as foolish is actually the key to a more meaningful life? Join us as we explore the stark contrast between worldly wisdom and godly wisdom, and uncover how living out Christian faith, often seen as irrational by secular standards, can lead to a truly fulfilling existence. Through moving stories like children leading their families to Christ after life-changing kids' events, we witness the transformative power of faith. We also delve into the cyclical nature of societal trends, from the current fascination with hallucinogens to the spiritual awakenings of the 1970s Jesus movement, showing how God's intervention can appear in the most unexpected ways.

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What if boredom in your faith is a symptom of quiet disobedience? We dig into Jonah’s flight from Nineveh to expose how comfort, brand safety, and clean optics can sabotage real ministry to the poor, the broken, and the hostile. From moving a struggling family and sharing the gospel mid U-Haul to confronting cultural pressure to appease, we wrestle with why obedience always demands courage—and why light must advance if darkness is ever going to retreat.

Jonah’s narrative becomes our mirror: a prophet reroutes, a storm exposes, and pagans encounter Yahweh while God chases His reluctant messenger. We talk about sitting at tables with sinners without caving, refusing hazmat Christianity on one side and hollow “relevance” on the other. The challenge is to confront sin with compassion and then stay to disciple when repentance breaks out. If you’ve ever preferred the mic drop to the long walk, this is your wake-up call to shepherd, not just shout.

We also unpack divine interruptions, the gap between our preferred outcomes and God’s purposes, and why returning to the last clear command can reignite a stagnant soul. Expect practical takeaways anchored in Scripture: live awake, redeem the time, be in the world but not of it, and embrace the peace Christ provides for hard places. If you’ve been avoiding your Nineveh—whether that’s a neighborhood, a movement, or a messy relationship—consider this your invitation to go, confront, and commit to the slow work of discipleship.

If this conversation pushed you toward courageous obedience, share it with a friend, leave a review, and subscribe so you don’t miss what’s next. Where is God calling you to step into the dark this week?

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What does the biblical pattern of God working through imperfect individuals mean for our expectations of church leaders? Join us as we examine the unrealistic standards set for spiritual guides and grapple with the paradox of human fallibility and divine purpose. We confront the pitfalls of idolizing leaders and the challenge of creating a perfect church system that still respects the humanity and brokenness inherent in unity.

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What if the most spiritual thing you do this week is build something that lasts? We dive straight into a gutsy thesis: God is glorified not only by private devotion but by public fruitfulness—by redeemed people building enduring work, institutions, and cultures under the lordship of Christ. Anchored in Luke 19’s parable of the minas, we examine stewardship that multiplies, the danger of burying potential, and why faithful risk is a sign of faith in God’s character.

From there we get practical. We unpack calling through two levers—ownership and opportunity—and make the case that motion beats overthinking. We talk about the inner life that fuels outer fruit: prayer that asks bigger, self-talk that aligns with Scripture, and habits that carry us when feelings fade. Competence matters, and so does confidence, defined as keeping promises to yourself. We touch on structured discipline like 75 Hard, the value of paying to learn so you actually pay attention, and a simple ethic of excellence every day and every way.

Then we widen the frame to scaling and legacy. You haven’t truly built until the work can live without you. Teaching what you know creates capacity and multiplies impact. We explore money as a magnifier and reproducer, pushing past guilt toward generous stewardship that creates jobs, lifts communities, and funds mission. The heart check is plain: are people blessed because you are building?

We close with continuity and courage. Valleys shape endurance; mountaintops clarify direction. Lone-wolf Christianity fails, so we lean into community to go far. Don’t kill ambition—aim it. Trailblazers take arrows, but scars become currency in God’s kingdom. If faithfulness turns to fruitfulness, and fruitfulness to expansion, the outcome is inheritance that outlives us.

If this resonates, follow the show, share it with a friend who’s building, and leave a review with one bold, God-sized goal you’re committing to this year. Let’s shine where we work and give our Father glory.

Follow Levi @leadwithlevi

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Ever wonder why a season meant for joy can feel so heavy? We go back to Luke 2 and find a nativity that’s anything but quiet: census chaos, dangerous politics, terrified shepherds, a closed-door town, and two young parents walking by faith when nothing felt ideal. Instead of chasing a flawless holiday, we explore how God meets us in real life—through imperfect plans, inconvenient timing, and decisions no one applauds at first.

We draw out three anchors for a crowded heart. First, what looks broken may be perfectly positioned. The manger, the travel, and the timing were not mistakes; they matched prophecy and revealed a better definition of “perfect.” Second, there’s no substitute for obedience. Mary and Joseph stepped into a calling that cost them comfort and reputation, but their yes opened the way for joy and redemption to arrive on schedule. Third, treasure truth. Like Mary, we can store God’s words, notice small mercies, and resist the distractions that try to hollow out the season. When we guard our attention, we recover our hope.

This conversation blends scripture, plain talk, and practical encouragement for anyone navigating transition, family tension, or the ache of unmet expectations. You’ll hear why joy often sits on the far side of trust, how obedience shapes outcomes we can’t see yet, and how treasuring truth reframes stressful days. If you’re longing for a Christmas that feels honest and still full of wonder, this one will steady your steps and warm your faith.

If this resonates, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs some hope, and leave a review to help others find these conversations.

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Forget the hot takes on manhood. We’re after something deeper: a vision of masculinity that can carry real weight at home, in the church, and in a culture that often feels like modern Corinth. Justin and Michael weave story and Scripture to challenge passive niceness and chest-thumping control, arguing for a better way—servant lordship—where a man both washes feet and makes the hard call when it counts.

We trace Michael’s journey from the Army to a crisis of idols to faith in Christ, then into marriage and fatherhood shaped by Scripture as the final authority. Along the way, we unpack headship and submission without power games, recover the strength of ezer as a help in trouble, and confront how authority without influence collapses. The heartbeat is 1 Corinthians 16:13: act like men. In the Greek, that’s a call to courage—a virtue that undergirds justice, temperance, and love, and turns belief into action when life gets costly.

This conversation is practical and unvarnished. We talk about building relational equity, apologizing to your kids, showing affectionate presence, and training boys and girls to do hard things. We push back on false binaries—oil-field tough vs theater soft—and champion whole-life formation: strong body, sharp mind, soft heart. We explore why fathers must be visibly prayerful, how pastors are called to father congregations, and how Jesus models masculine leadership by teaching, confronting, and sending with compassion and conviction.

If you’ve felt stuck between trendy extremes or unsure how to lead with both strength and tenderness, this episode offers a clear path shaped by faith and sustained by courage. Listen, share with a friend who needs an honest word, and if it helps you, leave a review so others can find it. Then tell us: where do you need more courage this week?

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Feeling the whiplash between “we have victory in Christ” and a steady diet of cultural doom? We tackle that tension head-on and chart a different way: peace and patience anchored in truth, expressed through responsibility, and aimed at real change. Rather than treating faith as a bunker, we talk about taking ground—at home, in work, and across communities—with a hopeful vision that expects the gospel to bear fruit over time.

We lay out why the church’s mission is larger than private spirituality, and why Jesus’ words about the “gates of hell” imply an advancing people, not a hiding one. That leads us into a practical, story-filled look at legacy and long obedience: cultivating fields you may never harvest, parenting with hope instead of fear, and rebuilding institutions that form character and tell the truth. Along the way, we explore how apocalyptic language works in Scripture, why treating Revelation like a literal disaster script drains courage, and how a patient, historic faith reframes the news cycle without denying real hardship.

If you’ve felt tired, cynical, or stuck, this conversation offers a reset. Peace isn’t passive; it’s the stability that comes from starting with Scripture, not headlines. Patience isn’t delay; it’s disciplined consistency with the long view in mind. We talk responsibility before authority, the cost and reward of legacy, and the joy of seeing small acts turn into durable good. Subscribe, share with a friend who needs hope, and leave a review with the one step you’re taking this week to trade despair for disciplined action.

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