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.
06/16/2025
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00Jesus’ Faith And Love Are In Me (Proverbs 15:1; 2 Tim 1:13)
Mount Carmel had its annual choral music festival this past weekend. You heard Rikka and Gorden and Sonja talk about this on Sunday’s podcast. Today we have one music selection from their performance that expresses the need for each of us to have the power of Christ living in our imperfect bodies. The heart of the gospel is that Jesus chooses to live in imperfect people. And He uses our imperfection as an opportunity to reveal His gracious love so that people may know that when God comes to us, He makes our imperfections His own and gives us in exchange His perfect faith and perfect love so that He absorbs our harsh words and gives us soft answers in its place. Today, you can trade in your worn out mean spiritedness and receive from Jesus a kindness and generosity that He showed the whole world when He was being killed on the cross. You can also download the article on how Luther discovered that God does want us to do good works especially in the marriage bed. That’s only possible when we have discarded our harsh words and received the soft words from Jesus.
06/15/2025
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00(Sundaycast) Living Mercifully With God’s Help (Zech 7:9; 2 Tim 2:24 25)
The fruit of the Spirit mentioned today in these verses cannot be picked off a tree to improve your spiritual physique as the super hero in the image presumes. You can’t make yourself good by your own will power or strength. It is God who creates the fruit of the Spirit in you. In your weakness, your Lord gives you the fruit you need to be the person God has created you to be. Trust God to help you. James 1:5 says we can ask the Lord for help, wisdom, and our God “will generously give.” And later James affirms that these perfect gifts are from above. James 1:17 “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights…” So ask and it will be given to you. Our Father is generous and wants you to receive what you need to fulfill your calling on earth. And you can invite a friend who knows you fairly well to join you in praying for God to work His spiritual fruit in you.
06/14/2025
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00(Mission Cast) True Wisdom Is From (Genesis 3:6 ;1 John 2:17)
Wisdom is desirable. It is better to be wise than unwise; however, not all “wisdom” is the weighted equally. What often feels right or seems good to us, in our own eyes, can lead to much suffering and destruction through unforeseen consequences. God offers himself and his ways as a well-spring of true knowledge that benefits and blesses others. Today, Jeff discusses the Daily Texts with his son, Jonathan, who is visiting with his family. Jonathan advises caution when making choices. One must be self-reflexive and introspective. Jeff connects this to the current events in Los Angeles. How are we think biblically about these things so that we continue to reflect the attributes of God in our behaviors and decisions. True wisdom begins with a right relationship with God through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.
06/13/2025
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11Testimony Of Martin And Katie Luther Married 500 Years Ago (Genesis 18:14; Mark 16:14)
Martin and Katie join our podcast today to share the story of their wedding adventure 500 years ago on June 13, 1525. Their message includes a clear understanding of why their marriage was so offensive to the church of the time. For their union affirmed that God could bless the marriage bed just as much as the nun or monk’s bed. Holiness was no longer connected to one’s lifestyle as a nun or a monk but rather to the work of God who makes us good through Jesus Christ. The marriage union became a symbol for Martin Luther of how God wants us to understand ourselves as being married to Christ as our bridegroom. Enjoy Martin and Katie as they recount their wonderful story of their love and marriage. Download the prayer journal PDF for today to increase your awareness of how the marriage bed can be understood as a “good work” for God.
06/12/2025
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00(Carmelcast) Keeping Our Eyes On Jesus (Deuteronomy 13:4; Philippians 2:15 16)
Holding forth the word of life is the purpose of Mount Carmel. This rock that is placed next to the road as you enter the camp has today’s text inscribed on it. The text reveals the reason that Mount Carmel was created in 1938 to be a space set apart where people would come to study the Bible and to worship the Lord. Because the leaders at Mount Carmel would “hold forth the word of life” the people who came here experienced the daily transformation that comes when you are a part of a Christian community and Jesus is lifted up. Maybe this is the year for you to join the Mount Carmel community and discover the faith transforming power that will be yours. Pray about being a part of the Mount Carmel community this year. Contact Mount Carmel to see what kind of possibilities await you. An old friend once said, “Mount Carmel is closest thing to heaven of any place I have been on earth.” But don’t take that person’s word for it, find out for yourself. Check the web site at MountCarmelMinistries.com and call 320-846-2744.
06/11/2025
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00Keeping The Sabbath Wholly (Exodus 20:9 10; Mark 3:4)
Of all the commandments, the one about keeping the Sabbath (3 or 4) carries the promise of delightfulness with it. The concept of the Sabbath as a "day of delights" is rooted in biblical texts, emphasizing it as a time for rest, joy, and connection with God. This idea is reinforced by passages like Isaiah 58:13-14, “If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, From doing your pleasure on My holy day, And call the Sabbath a delight, The holy day of the LORD honorable, And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, Nor finding your own pleasure, Nor speaking your own words, Then you shall delight yourself in the LORD.” This verse promises blessings for those who honor the Sabbath and find delight in it. Look for a way to begin making Sabbath time for yourself so that you may have this delight to look forward to each week.
06/10/2025
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00(Irishcast) The Lord Who Stands By You (2 Samuel 22v2 2 Tim 4v17)
We can learn from Paul how to go to battle with our lions. The Lord strengthened him. He survived the lion because he had his lion taming equipment: the word of our Lord Jesus Christ. God’s Word creates our faith. The power that guards us against any lion seeking to devour us is Christ and His Word. Faith in this word is our shield. But speaking God’s word aloud in the face of our lions shuts their mouths. It’s our whip, like a lion tamer uses to drive the beast away. Learn some Bible passages by heart and be prepared to use them as your whip against any lions that try to attack you today.
06/09/2025
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00Righteous People Should Expect Afflictions And The Holy Spirit (Psalm 34:19; Mark 13:11)
One of our callings with the Forgivin Livin ministry is to free people from some earthly wisdom that contaminates our life in Christ. Today’s texts point to a huge problem in the world that makes people feel guilty if something bad happens to them. It is built into almost every religious tradition that good people have good things happen to them and bad people have bad things happen to them. But this mindset should have no place with followers of Jesus. Why? Jesus is the only righteous person who ever lived and He suffered miserably. This picture shows the beautiful cottage where Maria sings that awful song, “Somewhere in my youth or childhood, I must have done something good.” That song has spread lies. We are all bad. Rotten to the core. But our God loves to make bad people good. This is the power of forgiveness and forgivin livin. And as people made good by God, we will suffer afflictions that may make others suspicious of our “goodness.” But our lives are not our own, they are hidden with Christ. So know that you are under the outstretched arms of the big statue in Rio that shows us that Christ covers everything in our lives. You are not guilty. You are forgiven. You are under the gracious arms of Jesus who makes bad people good.
06/08/2025
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00(Sundaycast) The Spirit Shakes Us Up (Nehemiah 9:6; Acts 4:31)
When the Holy Spirit falls on us, we get shaken up. So why not get yourself a Pentecost shake today to celebrate the Spirit’s desire to keep surprising you with God blessed shakeups! Treat a friend to a shake today and share your story of how the Spirit has been the source of life for you. Share how the Holy Spirit is always creating new life shaking experiences for you to taste and see that the Lord is good.
06/07/2025
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(Mission Cast) No One Is Able To Withstand You (2 Chronicles 20:6; Luke 4:29 30 )
Jeff and Mim discuss Jehoshaphat's (the King of Judah) prayer. An overwhelming army (a great horde) was arrayed against Jerusalem. Defeat was all but guaranteed in the midst of overwhelming numbers, yet, the battle was not theirs to fight. The battle belonged to the Lord. The next morning, the people of Judah awoke to a great surprise. The invading army had been completely vanquished during the night. They had done nothing to secure the victory — it was all the Lord’s doing. Jesus fought our battle upon the cross and overcame the forces of sin, death and the power of the Evil One. We did nothing. Jesus did it all, as he took our sin upon himself and set us free for forgivin’ livin.’ The Lord is not slow in his return, but desires that none should be lost. A year unto the Lord is like a thousand years. A thousand years is like a year. It doesn’t matter. The Lord’s timing is impeccable. Nothing can thwart God from accomplishing his purposes or redemption and regeneration. He will complete the work. No weapon formed against you will prevail. The gates of hell cannot stand against the Lord Almighty. No nation is impenetrable for the gospel. Be of strong courage. Have faith and believe. The battle belongs to the Lord.