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.
09/06/2025
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00(Mission Cast) Living Water For The Soul (Hosea (Mission Cast) Living Water For The Soul (Hosea 14:5; Matthew 6:31 32)
Jeff and MIm, ponder the living water (dew) of God on a horse ranch in California, located in a serene, but dry and arid climate. Jesus told the woman at the well (John 4), “Whoever drinks of this water (from his well) will be thirsty again, but the water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” The Holy Spirit is a gift from the Father and the Son and lives and dwells within each believer’s heart as a gift received by grace through faith. The Lord’s promise is for all who believe regardless of nation, language, tribe or tongue. In the words of Isaiah 58:11 - “The Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a well watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.” The world is thirsting for righteousness. We are called to be salt and light with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Might I add, “we are called to be water-carriers to the dying and thirsty.” May God give us strength to persevere in faithfulness as his servants.
09/05/2025
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00Truth And Trip Johan’s Testimony (Ps 119:43; Romans 1:25) (Sanctification) 2
Sonja and I learned how to pray the TRIP method using the “Daily Texts” from Ingrid Trobisch. She came to Mount Carmel in 1987 at the invitation of our friend Jean Bierly (and her husband Bill who is now with our Lord). After that Ingrid came every summer and we developed a couple’s retreat ministry based on one she was leading. We trained 10 couples to be leaders of these retreats which were held at many sites in the Midwest. The purpose was to help couples listen to God, to one another and to practice the deepest intimacy we can know, transparent prayer, using the “Daily Texts.” As with anything God does, it takes time for these changes within us to happen. Yesterday, Ingrids’ daughter, Katrine, (Margaret’s mama), told me a phrase her dad’s mom would use in German, “Jeden Tag ein bißchen” (everyday a little). This phrase applies to how God works in us. My prayer is that your life would find the daily changes God has given me. God took His time and He is still taking time to do His work in my life and in our marriage. Paul described this process well when he wrote, “As we behold Christ’s face, we are changed from one degree of glory into another” (2 Corinthians 3:18). A little bit each day is all we need.
09/04/2025
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00(Theta) Transferable (Genesis 49:25 & Romans 1:16) (Trust)
The THETA Greenhouse community has come together again in San Pedro at Trinity Lutheran Church. Pastor Nathan and Joy Hoff are pictured at each end of this group. But in between them you have Elizabeth Bevins; Avery Nordisk; Silje Ronnevik; Jason Collier; Isaiah Clayton; Austin Minion; and Reagan Martin. Our God Almighty is blessing the world through these young people to share the gospel worldwide along with their peers in the young adult Greenhouse movement. There are over 70 young people like them who are taking this “gap” year to prepare themselves for ministry in over 5 different locations. They will turn the world right side up and as you can see from the photo, they are on their way.
09/03/2025
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00Forgivin Campin (Ezekiel 26:36; Matt 5:44 45) (Shepherd’s Voice)
Our forgivin’ livin’ belief got tested in real life in our campground in the Rocky Mountain National Park while we were camping there this past weekend. Sonja and I were with our friends from New Mexico with whom we have hiked on Caminos in Portugal and other places in Europe. The picture shows Margaret and Sonja doing their morning stretch on the porch of one of the places where we stayed before the camping weekend. Our theme for today is the Shepherd’s Voice. You can download a PDF of the Shepherd’s Voice similar to the back page of our “Daily Texts.” Just click the prayer journal download. I added my favorite Shepherd’s Voice from Isaiah 43:1-7. Share these with people you know when they need to be affirmed in their connection to our Lord. Two important dates to help people experience the Shepherd’s Voice: (1) Marriage Retreat at Mount Carmel is on September 19-21. (2) Second check for the Ukrainian mother’s and children’s retreat at the end of September will be sent on September 11.(9/11 for hope!)
09/02/2025
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00(Irishcast) You Have Brought Me Thus Far (2 Sam 7v18 Acts 16v15)
WHAT IS OUR GREATEST SIN? What is the one thing that by nature keeps us from God? Can you guess? Pride! Throughout history and among all the great leaders of the Christian Church, they agree that pride constantly separates us from our Lord. Sometimes it helps when we remember the middle letter of the word sin is U. Well, you know what I mean. It’s the same letter at the heart of p-r-I-d-e. Like the old spiritual says it so well, “Itsa me, itsa me, itsa me Oh Lord, standing in the need of prayer.” And what happens when pride is not in our way, we are humble. But just try to be humble…what happens? You feel proud when you do something good. Nuts. It just doesn’t work. Luther once said, “He (or she) who is truly humble knows nothing of humility.” So how does humility happen? “Ask and it shall be given to you.” Not right away of course, but humility comes to us as an gift from God especially when we get to the point where we need to say, “I was wrong, I am sorry, please forgive me.”
09/01/2025
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08/31/2025
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00(Sundaycast) Jesus Our Blessed Refuge (Psalm 2:12; Ephesians 3:12) (Trust)
This verse from the hymn “How firm a foundation,” is one of many verses written by people whose lives have been filled with distress and pain much like the author of today’s hymn, John Fawcett. We need to hear and even sing these words to affirm our faith in painful times. Singing assures us of our faith. We know we are protected by the salvation of our Lord through faith in Jesus Christ and this means we will dwell forever in God’s presence. Eternal life for us begins now. We will escape final death and the snare of the devil. His death opened up to believers our new and living way. We are blessed. We have our refuge. This is why Paul could write in Romans 14:8, “Whether we live or whether we die we are the Lord’s.”
08/30/2025
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00(Mission Cast) Prayer Connects Us To God’s Creative Power(Isaiah 38:16; Acts 28:8) (Prayer)
Jeff and Mim are returned from China. Thank you for all your prayers! We felt completely safe and empowered for the work. In today’s texts, Jeff and Mim discuss the importance of praying for others by name and specific need. They recount the example of their parents, who prayed diligently and daily through lists of people and kept a prayer journal documenting God’s answers to prayer. We forgot sometimes how the act of prayer itself is an act of compassionate love. Many people, their families and communities are profoundly impacted by sickness, wars, and other devastations. When we plead for God’s mercy and intervention, we are asking God to intervene for the good of many people. Blessings have ripple events through time. We are emboldened to pray for fervently because we can approach God’s throne with confidence, knowing that he loves his children and desires to hear our hearts.
08/29/2025
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08/28/2025
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00(Carmelcast) Humbled And Honored In Christ (Isaiah 62:3; Luke 14:10) (Identity)
The CarmelCast concludes its summer of podcasts with today’s message. Next week the podcasts will come to us from the Theta ministry in San Pedro, CA. But Mount Carmel also is the site for a similar young adult ministry like Theta. It is called TAP or The Awaken Project. And you are welcome to join the students in this year’s Awaken Project by coming to Mount Carmel between September 15 and December 5. During this time there will be 8 different weeks when TAP will bring in teachers to train the students in Bible Study and other theological skills to help shape them for their ministry leadership. Sonja and I attended one week last year for the first time. We rented a cabin, enjoyed our own meals, shared in the daily teaching times (both morning and afternoon) and did other activities on the site. We are going to be back again this fall for the third week that begins at the end of September. You can join us or come at another time when it is convenient for your schedule. Download the PDF journal page for a complete schedule. You can also contact us at joso@groundupgrace.com or Steven Wagner, steve@theawakenprojectmn.com.