What does "fear of God" really mean? In Genesis 20, Abraham makes a familiar mistake out of fear, while a king named Abimelek shows us what true fear of God looks like. Discover the difference between being paralyzed by fear and being motivated by reverence—and learn how God's justice and mercy work together even when we mess up.

1. Why Abraham told the same half-truth twice (and what that reveals about us)
2. The archaic definition of "fear" that changes everything
3. How a pagan king's immediate obedience teaches us about respecting God
4. The difference between terror and reverence
5. Why God's justice doesn't punish what we don't know—but demands action when truth is revealed
6. A challenge: Does your fear of God paralyze you or motivate you?

"Real fear of God isn't about being scared of Him. It's about respecting Him enough to obey immediately, trust Him completely, and let Him turn even our messes into His message."

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A weekly podcast where we explore God's Word together, one chapter at a time. Every Monday, join me as I share what stood out to me in Scripture and challenge you to discover what stands out to you. It's about going deeper with God in authentic community—heel, toe, heel, toe, one step at a time.

Lot's offer in Genesis 19 is one of the most disturbing moments in Scripture—offering his daughters to protect two strangers. But what if we're missing the point? What if this isn't just about a father's terrible decision, but about recognizing God's purpose when it crosses your path and being willing to protect it at any cost? This episode asks the uncomfortable question: What would you sacrifice to keep God's will under your protection? Your career? Your reputation? Your comfort? And here's the twist—if Lot hadn't been bold enough to intercept those angels and beg them into his home, would his family have been saved at all?

1. The verse that's hard to swallow and why it matters more than you think
2. Why Lot offered his daughters before anything else (and what that reveals)
3. Three realizations that completely reframe this disturbing story
4. The difference between encountering God's purpose and protecting it
5. What divine appointments you might be missing because you're too comfortable
6. Why Lot's boldness to intercept the angels saved his entire family
7. The gut-check question: What precious thing would you sacrifice for God's will?

"God's purposes are constantly moving through our cities, our workplaces, our neighborhoods. The question isn't whether we'll encounter them. The question is: Will we be bold enough to recognize them and say, 'Come under my roof. I'll protect you. I'll make space for you in my life, no matter what it costs me'?"

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• Website: https://leaving-the-kids-table.captivate.fm/

A weekly podcast where we explore God's Word together, one chapter at a time. Every Monday, join me as I share what stood out to me in Scripture and challenge you to discover what stands out to you. It's about going deeper with God in authentic community—heel, toe, heel, toe, one step at a time.

Sitting on a mountainside waiting for elk, bargaining with God about the "how" and "when"—only to open Genesis 18 and find Abraham doing the exact same thing. But Abraham wasn't negotiating for himself; he was bartering for the lives of strangers in cities about to be destroyed. This episode explores what it means to have a relationship with God so deep that you can actually negotiate with Him, and why sometimes His provision looks nothing like what you prayed for. Spoiler: the elk hunt didn't go as planned, but what happened instead was exactly what was needed.

1. What Abraham did when God showed up at his tent (and what we should do)
2. The difference between honoring God and immediately asking Him questions
3. Why Sarah laughed and then lied about it to God's face
4. How Abraham had the confidence to barter with God for strangers' lives
5. Whether you're a Sarah (doubting while making backup plans) or an Abraham (standing firm on the relationship)
6. A real elk hunt where every plan failed but God provided anyway
7. What it means when God's provision is the journey, not just the outcome

"Abraham's heart was to save the people. God knows our heart, He looks at it! He wants to see if we can be trusted with the little things He tells us, about the big things He has planned."

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• Website: https://leaving-the-kids-table.captivate.fm/

A weekly podcast where we explore God's Word together, one chapter at a time. Every Monday, join me as I share what stood out to me in Scripture and challenge you to discover what stands out to you. It's about going deeper with God in authentic community—heel, toe, heel, toe, one step at a time.

At 99 years old, Abraham receives a new name, a renewed promise, and an ask from God that nobody would sign up for voluntarily. No numbing cream. No modern medicine. Just immediate obedience. Genesis 17 challenges everything about delayed obedience and convenient commitment. When God says "walk before me and be blameless," He's not asking for perfection—He's asking for a heart that says yes even when the ask is hard. This episode will make you reconsider what you've been putting off and why reassurance might just be another word for excuse.

1. Why God changed Abram and Sarai's names (and what that means for you)
2. The power of speaking meaning over people through their names
3. God's covenant promise versus God's uncomfortable ask
4. What "walk before me and be blameless" actually means
5. Why Abraham laughed but still obeyed immediately
6. The difference between seeking reassurance and making excuses
7. What took the host a full year to obey (and why you shouldn't wait that long)

"See 'walking before God and being perfect' is just like Leaving the Kid's Table, it's a daily choice. It's waking up and making the choice to follow God, to build your relationship with God, and do as God has asked you."

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• Website: https://leaving-the-kids-table.captivate.fm/

A weekly podcast where we explore God's Word together, one chapter at a time. Every Monday, join me as I share what stood out to me in Scripture and challenge you to discover what stands out to you. It's about going deeper with God in authentic community—heel, toe, heel, toe, one step at a time.

"Perhaps I can build a family through her." Five words that reveal how tempting it is to help God out when His timing doesn't match ours. In Genesis 16, Sarai's plan works—sort of. There's a pregnancy, but also despising, mistreatment, and a runaway slave alone in the desert. Yet in the mess of human impatience, God shows up in the most unexpected way. This isn't just Abram and Sarai's story anymore. It's also about Hagar, a woman who may not have even known God's name, but God knew hers—and He heard her misery.

1. The dangerous appeal of "perhaps I can" when waiting gets hard
2. Why Sarai's plan worked but backfired spectacularly
3. What happens when we rush what God has promised us
4. The woman everyone forgot about—and why God didn't
5. How God meets us in the desert even when we don't know His name
6. What the name "Ishmael" teaches us about a God who hears
7. Why our detours don't disqualify us from God's promises

"God had a promise to keep with Abram and Sarai, they tried to make something work but it seemed to backfire on them. Does that mean we missed God's purpose and plan for us? Does that mean God is giving up on us? No!! Absolutely not!!"

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• Website: https://leaving-the-kids-table.captivate.fm/

A weekly podcast where we explore God's Word together, one chapter at a time. Every Monday, join me as I share what stood out to me in Scripture and challenge you to discover what stands out to you. It's about going deeper with God in authentic community—heel, toe, heel, toe, one step at a time.

Fresh off an impossible victory, Abram crashes hard with doubt and desperation. "What can You give me?" he asks the God who just called Himself Abram's great reward. Sound familiar? In Genesis 15, we discover that God's answers don't always match our questions—and that waiting on God requires more than just patience. It requires protection. When God asks Abram to bring Him animals and birds of prey start circling, one simple action changes everything about how we should approach our waiting seasons.

1. Why Abram went from hero to heartbroken in one conversation
2. The faith that made Abram righteous in God's eyes (and what that means for us)
3. God's bizarre answer to a straightforward question
4. What those circling birds of prey teach us about our waiting seasons
5. The difference between "not yet" and "no" from God
6. Why God might be asking you to bring Him something you already know how to do

"Birds of prey do not just appear, they take some time to actually find the prey. That means Abram was there for a while. He had to wait on God's timing. He had to protect what God asked of him."

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• Website: https://leaving-the-kids-table.captivate.fm/

A weekly podcast where we explore God's Word together, one chapter at a time. Every Monday, join me as I share what stood out to me in Scripture and challenge you to discover what stands out to you. It's about going deeper with God in authentic community—heel, toe, heel, toe, one step at a time.

318 men against an army that just crushed five kingdoms? Impossible odds. But what happens after the victory reveals something even more powerful about living for God's glory. In this episode, we dive into Genesis 14's epic battle scene and discover why Abram refused to take even a sandal strap from the king of Sodom. This isn't just ancient history—it's a challenge to examine where we're letting others take credit for what God is doing in our lives.

1. How 318 household servants defeated a conquering king's entire army
2. The moment Abram made a choice that defined his legacy
3. Why refusing a "thank you gift" mattered more than we think
4. The difference between pointing to God and truly giving Him all the credit
5. Where you might be giving someone else a foothold to steal God's glory

"Abram wanted everything that God had promised, accomplishments, and his life to point to God's glory. He wanted no one to take the credit for what God is doing, will do, or has done."

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• Website: https://leaving-the-kids-table.captivate.fm/

A weekly podcast where we explore God's Word together, one chapter at a time. Every Monday, join me as I share what stood out to me in Scripture and challenge you to discover what stands out to you. It's about going deeper with God in authentic community—heel, toe, heel, toe, one step at a time.

When everything gets bigger—your family, your responsibilities, your wealth—sometimes you need to go back to the place where it all started. Abram returns to the altar he built, the spot where God first spoke to him, and God says the promise again. Not because Abram forgot. Not because God changed His mind. But because dreams don't happen overnight, and sometimes we need to be reminded that the waiting is part of the journey. Where's your altar? And when's the last time you went back?

1. Why Abram returned to the exact spot where he first heard God's voice
2. The moment when success forces a family to split in two directions
3. What it means when God repeats a promise He's already made
4. The struggle of wanting the dream now versus walking through the steps to get there
5. Finding your personal altar—the place where you feel closest to God

"Things aren't just going to happen overnight. You've got to take that first step or two steps to get there. Go to your altar—go to a place where you can call on God's name, seek Him, and ask Him about your calling."

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• Website: https://leaving-the-kids-table.captivate.fm/

A weekly podcast where we explore God's Word together, one chapter at a time. Every Monday, join me as I share what stood out to me in Scripture and challenge you to discover what stands out to you. It's about going deeper with God in authentic community—heel, toe, heel, toe, one step at a time.