Forgivin' Livin' Daily Podcast
Our podcasts are 5-8 minutes in length. We create these messages using one or two brief verses from the Bible that come from a devotional book. Our purpose is to help you hear the grace of Jesus in these verses so that your life may find its grounding in Christ alone. It is this grounding in grace that makes forgivin’ livin’ your way of freedom.
02/01/2025
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00(Mission Cast) Heaven And Hell (Daniel 12:2; Romans 14:9)
Jeff and Mim discuss heaven and hell, and the coming resurrection from the dead. The reality of both motivates us to proclaim the hope we have in Jesus Christ, the light and life of the world. At the last trumpet sound, the dead in Christ will rise from the dead and be transformed in the twinkling of an eye in the likeness of Christ with resurrected bodies to live and reign with Christ for eternity. Jeff reflects on N.T. Wright’s book, “Surprised by Hope” and C.S. Lewis’, “The Great Divorce,” both of which describe hell as the absence of the presence of God. Mim expresses gratitude to Doug and Doris Haugen for the urgency to share this good news with all people. Jeff shares a personal story of his own experience with hell and what it felt like as sensory deprivation, lost in a sea of blackness and darkness. Thanks be to God for the light and life we have in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.
01/31/2025
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00Our Lord Opens Us Up To Praise (Ps 51:15; Acts 4:20)
Humans need God’s help in singing praises. It is not natural to us. There are some members of God’s creation that do not need help when it comes to lifting their voice in song. But for you and me we need the Holy Spirit to intervene. The Spirit touches our hearts in forgiveness and then opens our mouth to begin our worship of our Lord. And the wonderful reality is that as we start to praise God, the singing becomes more and more comfortable and enjoyable. So no heart for praise? Ask the Spirit to open your lips and then just begin to sing.
01/30/2025
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00(Theta) Daily Renewal (Habakkuk 3:19 & 2 Corinthians 4:16)
This promise from Habakkuk is the concluding word of one of the Bible’s most powerful words of hope. It is helpful to read all the verses that surround verse 19. Each of us knows what it is to experience the failures described in verse 17. What gives us hope is not our circumstances but the certain promises that God has for us . The tribulations described here befall followers of Jesus all over the world but we do not lose heart as Paul says. We are convinced of the truth of God even though there may be no evidence to support it. As Shadrach, Meschach and Abednego said to King Nebuchadnezzar, before they were thrown into the fiery furnace, that they trusted in their God, “even if not” saved by Him. These words comfort us also. We are comforted with what the Lord of the heaven and the earth gives to us when everything on earth falls apart for us. Today, look for ways to bring these words of hope to those you know who need to be comforted by these promises.
01/29/2025
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01/28/2025
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00(Irishcast) Faithful One (Psalm 18:31; 2 Cor 1:9 10)
This mosaic of our God comes from the oldest Christian church in the world. It is the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. It is now a museum. When you are looking at our Lord, His eye never leaves you. God’s promise is to guard us as the apple of His eye. This is a powerful message. To be the apple of God’s eye means that you are being gazed upon and watched closely by our Lord. It has been said that your very image is dancing in the eyes of the Lord. Knowing this we can approach God with confidence trusting in His everlasting love for us. Paul’s words of hope in 2 Corinthians come right after he has reminded us that this God who loves us is the one who is with us in all our affliction. Our God comforts us. Being God’s apple does not mean a trouble free life. It means that our God will never forsake us or leave us regardless of what troubles we may have to go through in this world. No matter what happens to you remember to proclaim, “I am the apple of God’s eye.”
01/27/2025
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00Confidence In Praying To God (Psalm 65:5; 1 John 5:14)
This image was created for the anniversary for the 10th anniversary of 9/11. It uses the promise from Psalm 91:15. It is the 911 text in the Bible. This verse reveals, as in today’s texts, that God will keep His promise to us. God’s will shall be done either in this world or in the next. We live with that expectation and confidence as we approach God.
01/26/2025
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00(Sundaycast) Fishing For Faith Stories (Isaiah 42:3; Matt 18:10)
Paul (on the left)and Frank share an ice fishing adventure on Lake of the Woods in northern Minnesota. They were part of a group of 16 people who are members or friends of SERVANT OF THE SHEPHERD Lutheran Church in River Falls, WI. Frank is the founding pastor of this recovery church. Paul serves as a hospital Chaplain in River Falls and in Hastings, MN. Both were friends from their seminary training in St. Louis, MO. They share insights on the podcast about how Christ carries us and gives us the confidence to come to him in any time of need. Speaking of being carried, the ice made it possible for our vehicles to drive almost an hour out onto the lake to these fish houses where this group of people caught 40 fish that later last night were turned into an amazing Saturday night fish fry.
01/25/2025
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00(Mission Cast) Discover How Delightful You Are To God (Deut 30:9; Luke 1:68 69)
(Pictured Above: George Müller, 1805-1898) Jeff & Mim discuss the relationship between posterity and redemption. Does God want us all to be wealthy millionaires, in the wealth of the world? Or, does God want us to be wealthy spiritually, blessed in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ? What if, however, God blesses you greatly with wealth and possessions, then what? Or, what if God enables you to wisely handle and steward major financial resources? How does redemption affect stewardship? Jeff and Mim recall the story of Rev. George Müller (pictured above) who cared for more than 10,024 orphans, established 117 schools that provided Christian education to over 120,000 students. He ensured that every student graduated with a job and was properly prepared for life. He lived to be 92 years old. His funeral was attended by over 10,000 people. Having managed over half a million dollars in his life-time, he died a relatively poor man, having dedicated his earthly resources to the work of caring for orphans and the advancement of the gospel. Jeff and Mim conclude with a brief discussion on how the Holy Spirit assigns various gifts to be used for the common good through a variety of activities and services—all for the glory of God. They ponder what God has given them to be used for others’ sakes and for the gospel. We all have unique ministries but the same mission.
01/24/2025
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00Conceited Or Connected (Jonah 2:8; Phil 2:3)
There’s not much room for conceit when you are among 72 young adults who are committed to connecting their faith in Jesus with one another. This is the body of Christ. Thanks be to God for all the good work that the Greenhouse Collective is doing to equip these people for ministry. Here are the six different ministry groups represented in this photo. 1. FAITH LUTHERAN GREENHOUSE in Hutchinson, MN. 2. THE WORLD MISSION PRAYER LEAGUE DISCIPLESHIP HOUSE in Minneapolis, MN. 3. TRINITY GREENHOUSE, in San Pedro, CA. 4. THE AWAKEN PROJECT based at Mount Carmel. 5. MOUNT CARMEL MINISTRIES SUMMER STAFFERS 6. CANADIAN LUTHERAN BIBLE INSTITUTE in Alberta, Canada. If you would like a copy of this photo for your prayer wall or just to celebrate these wonderful young people gathering together, send us an email at joso@groundupgrace.com. We would love to share this God blessed event with you and its implications for all of us in the Kingdom of God.
01/23/2025
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00( Theta ) Disruptive Discipleship (Job 13:9 & Luke 16:15)
These past five days, Mount Carmel hosted a huge gathering of young adults from Canada, California and Minnesota. The group is called The Greenhouse Collective since all these young people are involved in discipleship training in “Theta” style communities. These include the summer ministry of camps like Mount Carmel. As you prepare to listen, get ready to be immersed in hope for the future leaders of our churches as this podcast fills you with the possibilities of what God is doing through these creative young adult ministries.