Episodes

Category: Our Extended Ryle A cheetah housed in zoos that are too small for their created design… that is to run, jump, pursue, all with deft agility, become increasingly unhealthy. Just so for the new creation of Christians. Whether exasperated struggles or long-term backsliding, J.C. Ryle encourages us to consider what part our lack of daily private prayer might play in our sad demeanor. “It is a miserable thing to be a backslider. Of all unhappy things that can befall a man, I suppose it i...

Category: Word, Real Life, and Prayer. Prayer is doubt's destroyer, ruin’s remedy, the antidote to all anxieties. C.H. Spurgeon We saw last in part 1 of “Use the Difficulty” trials drive us to pray for wisdom. Along with the insight God provides lavishly, we gain His magnificent presence, and our resulting maturity is revealed. We now see our tribulations develop our perseverance, character, and hope. Our hope: determination, i.e., we overcome. Therefore having been justified by faith, we ha...

Category: Word, Real Life, and Prayer. Have you ever heard the question, “how can we pray without ceasing?” I have asked it myself; J.C. Ryle has some thoughts to help us answer the missive. Bibles read without prayer; sermons heard without prayer; marriages contracted without prayer; journeys undertaken without prayer; residences chosen without prayer; friendships formed without prayer; the daily act of private prayer itself hurried over, or gone through without heart: these are the kind of d...

Category: Word, Real Life, and Prayer. "Anything is a blessing which makes us pray." C.H. Spurgeon A lesson from a stage actor we find surprisingly Biblical. God, in His word, informs us, commands us, and illustrates trials are painful but also terrific. God has engineered what we see as terrifying events for terrific results. The terrificest result of our various trials is to lead us to community with Almighty God, working for our eternal good and seeing His glory. Consider it all joy, my ...

Category: Marvin and Chapman This interview is a real treat for me, and I know it will be for you. Just in time for Valentine's day, Marvin and Chapman debut their new song, a little ditty titled "I Love You Tonight." (They call it a folk song, so it probably is!) The song is upbeat and moving. You will love the song's story and their parent's reaction to the beautiful truth that true love is for growing old together. More of them and less of me! Enjoy. "What a man is on his knees...

Personal positive habits in devotion are the first line in the virus of backsliding in our community with the Savior. How long can you sustain lying to your closest confidant? "Now what is the cause of most backslidings? I believe, as a general rule, one of the chief causes is neglect of private prayer. Of course the secret history of falls will not be known till the last day. I can only give my opinion as a minister of Christ and a student of the heart. That opinion is, I repeat distinctl...

Category - Introductory Stuff We are committed to praying for God's people a year of jubilee and for profound forgiveness. For the podcast, we pray a time of consolidation and clarity in our discussions of prayer. We review and update one of our earliest episodes in this episode: "A Preface to the Foreword to the Introduction of The Free Range Preacher on Prayer Podcast." We review the purposes of the ministry, our reliance on the Holy Spirit and His will for our audience, how we got...

Category: A Layman's Commentary on the Whole Bible. (The "So What" at mark 32:58 is the Holy Spirit's "So What"; listen until then is my encouragement.) We are not: All powerful. Eternal in our being. Infinite in knowledge. Holy in our essence. In other words: We did not create ourselves. We are not: The most beautiful. The wisest person on earth. (most assuredly not) the arbitrators of morality. Just Holy. We are the creatures, not the Creator, even though we act like we are. We...

Category - Exhortation. Suppose I have been listening to the Lord; His will is evident now. In that case, 2023 will be a year of not only jubilee and forgiveness but also consolidation and prayerfully more precise communication on prayer and our community with Almighty God. Concerning that, today's episode will cover some thoughtful basics on our prayer lives and their purpose. The center of today's episode is the quality of our Christian lives, humility, and community in our relationship wit...

I cannot get enough of J.C. Ryle’s dedication and wisdom. Catching us back up, Bishop Ryle has been illustrating “eminent” Christians, and as he finishes up with these examples he encourages us with: “Depend on it, prayer is power.” We then turn to today’s exhortation: “Prayer obtains fresh and continued outpourings of the Spirit. He alone begins the work of grace in a man’s heart. He alone can carry it forward and make it prosper. But the good Spirit loves to be entreated. And those...

When we feel alone, trying to push away the dark, our sadness over our evil deeds, the shortness of our lives, and the justice we demand from others while we excuse ourselves, we understand reform is not enough. The bad news. We are born slaves of sin. And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, 28 so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, shall appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly awai...

Today we are privileged to introduce Marvin and Chapman's newest release, "Mornin' Lord." Written and sung by Joanna Chapman and produced by Chad Marvin. Followed by our January interview with Marvin (Chad) and Chapman (Joanna). Joanna shares the profound result of starting our day by being thankful and enamored of our God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, who is our portion and the strength of our hearts. Enjoy Marvin and Chapman's lovely, uplifting, and God-glorifying message. "What a man is ...

A prayer for a year of Jubilee, forgiveness, restoration, and return. The year of Jubilee, a year of rest given by God's grace was also a year of trust. Imagine a year of no work, just a celebration! Leviticus 25:10-11 10 'You shall thus consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim a release through the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, and each of you shall return to his own property, and each of you shall return to his family. 11 'You shall have the fiftieth year as a...

This episode is a repeat of our episode on forgiveness. This episode was well received, and as you will hear, praying that 2023 will be a year of Jubilee and Forgiveness and revisiting just how serious God is about His children forgiving as we have been forgiven seems like a good idea. Thank You, Jesus! The host is weak, faltering, and wholly inadequate for the task, but the word of God is none of those. The call for the children of God to forgive is serious, and the Bible uses: Serious Comm...

Thank You, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit for being disposed to lend to Thy slave for a time: Monte Kuka Jim Barrett Gayle Martinez Mike Beaudin Bob Bishop Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith. Hebrews 13:7 “3. They are not lost to you that are laid up in Christ’s treasury in heaven.” 4. At the resurrection you shall meet with them; thither they are sent before but not sent away. 5. Your Lord loveth...

Our last episode before Christmas 2022 (in my culture), we bracket this episode once again with the music of Marvin and Chapman's “That’s What Love Is” and their moving rendition of “Mary Did You Know.” Merry Christmas! Our Bible reading, studying, and listening, we must come to the word of God as we live the Christian life by faith. For the word of God to have its rightful place, we must read what God has revealed to us through the Law, Prophets, Gospels, and New Testament letters believing wh...

Today’s episode is bracketed by Marvin and Chapman’s “That’s What Love Is” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” Yeah! J.C. Ryle holds up for us banners of faith. Men who might be called standard bearers held up to show us the way and inspire confidence. Yahweh-Nissi means God our banner, and as in ancient battle, Moses, David, Daniel, and Paul are lifted up as examples to follow. Added to our Biblical list Luther, Bradford, the Reformers en mass, Whitefield, Cecil, Venn, Bickersteth,...

Two, I mean three Christmas treats for you: Treat number 1. You will hear a fantastic song written and sung by the duo Marvin and Chapman! Christmas treat number two, you are not subjected to my voice alone! Treat C. After the interview, we will be treated to Marvin and Chapman and their rendition of "Up on the Housetop." It will set your toes to tappin'. Marvin and Chapman once again pay us a visit. Chad and Joanna, my friends, talk about their song, "That's What Love Is." As well as their ...

A Layman’s Look at the Whole Bible. - Necessary Attitudes for Reading God’s Word. (Introduction) Before we Get to Genesis 1:1, we must begin with faith and humility. The word of God is incredible in food for our spiritual growth and the comfort of our souls. Unless we approach the word in faith and humility and miss God’s instruction, we will also stunt our spiritual maturity in malnutrition. Humility and faith that the word of God is written to the Church and us individually make God’s Word ...

Review #2 of our commentary series, as we prepare for two essential keys for meaningful Biblical nutrition. In our first episode of "A Layman's Look at the Whole Bible," we say the Bible is the boss of us, and we are not the boss of it. Today we will discover the Bible is a genuine love letter from our Creator to all mankind. The case is made by: The Bible's witness. The Devil's witness. Jesus' Witness. In the Sermon on the mount. In His responses to His critics. In His attestation of t...

A Layman’s Commentary on the Whole Bible…Review from 05.03.2022 In this A Layman’s Commentary on the Whole Bible initial episode, you will hear: Our first blush direction of the effort. Our intent down the road, as the Lord leads. What a layman is, as I use the term. All Christians are theologians. There are; Tight theologians Sloppy theologians (not as bad as it sounds :)) The dangers of being a sloppy theologian. How Dick Butkus illustrates a sloppy theologian, even! How David illus...

Bishop Ryle's key sentence for our meditation in this episode is: "Of course I do not say we have a right to expect a miraculous grant of intellectual gifts; but this I do say, that when a man is once converted to God, his progress in holiness will be much in accordance with his own diligence in the use of God's appointed means." He invites further consideration is: And I assert confidently that the principal means by which most believers have become great in the church of Christ is the habit...

Thank you for listening. In categorizing episodes for the new website, we should revisit some past episodes with the editing I now use. Today's episode is the beginning of those presentations. Today we reprise our very first devotional episode. Early devotionals were not numbered in the beginning. Therefore this episode is not Devotional 001, but 093. How do you like them apples? (lol out loud.) Two special features: 1. We edited the episode with our new processes, which left out comments now...

(Our introduction after the first episode, sorry about that, chief.) Biblically and experientially, the abundant life Jesus paid for and promises cannot be fully known without prayer. J.C. Ryle continues to school us: "There are some of the Lord's people who seem never able to get on from the time of their conversion. They are born again, but they remain babes all their lives. You hear from them the same old experience." "There are others of the Lord's people who seem to be always advancing....