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A street sermon in Akron. An attic prayer. And a life that wouldn’t make peace with a low view of God. We follow A.W. Tozer’s journey from a teenage conversion to a ministry that challenged the church to recover holiness, embrace lordship, and set our minds on things above. Drawing a line from Peter’s invitation at Pentecost to Colossians 3, we explore why a towering vision of Christ changes everything—from the way we worship to how we preach and live.

I share Tozer’s fiercest insights in his own words: why entertainment can’t sustain a church, how “motion” often mimics growth, and what true exposition aims to do—produce moral action, not mere information. We also talk about the work behind The Pursuit of God and the need to behold the majesty of the One who sits enthroned, who calls the stars by name, and never learns because He already knows all things. This isn’t a call to be louder; it’s a call to be deeper.

But the story isn’t airbrushed. We reckon with Tozer’s blind spots at home—the distance, the costs of relentless focus—and what that teaches us about holding a high view of God alongside a practiced love for people. If you’ve felt the ache for more than spiritual gadgets and clever slogans, consider this your invitation: raise your gaze, expand your heart, and let truth lead to action.

If this conversation stirred you, subscribe, share it with a friend who needs courage, and leave a review with one way you plan to set your mind on things above this week.

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Stephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

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The story starts with a stubborn five-year-old asking God for blue eyes and ends with a sanctuary where hundreds of children found a new birthday. Between those moments lives a fierce kind of obedience that refused to bow to fashion, caste, or fear. We trace Amy Carmichael’s arc from an Irish home marked by loss to a calling forged by Scripture—especially Paul’s warning that our work will face the fire—and a conviction that “go ye” is a command with a name on it.

You’ll hear how early mentorship in the Keswick movement and a rejected application to China set the stage for a different path: a brief, painful stint in Japan, then a one-way voyage to India. There, Amy shed European dress, learned Tamil through setbacks, and followed compassion past respectable lines. The turning point arrives with Preena, a child sold to a temple and branded for wanting freedom. When ritual masks brutality, Amy builds a refuge. Donavur becomes a living argument against the caste system and a haven where rescued girls and boys claim a “coming day” as the start of their true lives.

The journey isn’t tidy. Reports home are “too shocking,” legal threats loom, a board relationship frays, and a fall leaves Amy bedridden for twenty years. Yet the work deepens. From her room, she writes books and poems that still ignite courage: a faith that asks not for softer winds but stronger hearts, a mission that promises only “a chance to die” and somehow gives life. We reflect on what endures—gold, silver, precious stones—and how ordinary choices become extraordinary when tested by fire. If you’ve ever wondered whether conviction can outlast convention, or how one life can push back on entrenched injustice, this story offers a clear, bracing answer.

If this episode moves you, follow the show, share it with a friend who loves true courage, and leave a review telling us the moment that challenged you most.

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Stephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

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A God who cries at a graveside and prays through sweat and sorrow isn’t distant from our pain—and that truth frames one of the most breathtaking true stories of mission and redemption. We start where many believers secretly live: wondering whether tears are wasted and whether apparent failure means God has gone silent. From the compassion of Jesus at Lazarus’s tomb to the anguish of Gethsemane, we ground the journey in a Savior who validates grief and transforms it into hope.

Against that backdrop, we walk with David and Svea Flood into the Belgian Congo: malaria, shut gates, and a single boy allowed to sell eggs at their tent. Svea shares the gospel with him; soon after, she dies following childbirth. David, shattered, buries her on the hill and abandons faith, convinced the mission failed. Their newborn, Aina, is adopted, brought to the United States, and grows up with only fragments of her story. Years later, a Swedish magazine lands in her mailbox with a photo of a simple cross: “Svea Flood.” Translated lines tell of the boy who became a teacher, won his village, and helped plant a thriving church.

What unfolds next is restoration. Aina finds her father in Sweden, bitter and broken. She tells him the truth: the seed did not die in vain. Hope returns; grace does its quiet work. Then, at a London conference, Aina meets the very man her mother led to Christ—now a national church leader representing more than a hundred thousand baptized believers. Together they journey back to the hill, to the grave beneath the palm, and to a village alive with faith.

This is a story for anyone who has sown in tears and seen nothing bloom—yet. It’s about unseen seeds, long timelines, and the God who weeps with us while turning loss into a harvest beyond our imagination. Listen, share with a friend who needs courage today, and if this moved you, subscribe and leave a review so more people can find hope.

Support the show

Stephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

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Support the show

Stephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

Share a comment

Support the show

Stephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

Share a comment

Support the show

Stephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

Share a comment

Support the show

Stephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

Share a comment

Support the show

Stephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback