Escaping Moral Adventure

Have you ever wondered about how you should celebrate Halloween? Should you completely skip the holiday, or should it be a free for all? We have been unsure how to navigate Halloween with our kiddos for some time now, so we decided it was time to figure out what to do with this holiday! After doing quite a bit of research and using what we know to be true in scripture, we developed some simple guardrails to help navigate Halloween and activities associated with it. We hope this episode is as helpful for you as it was for us!

During today’s episode, we referenced the following:

36. Don’t Judge Others?

In today’s episode, we look at four individuals in the Bible who experienced suffering. As we examine their experiences, we find that sometimes there is a ‘clear’ reason for the suffering, but oftentimes there is not. It’s likely all of us can relate to that! Thankfully, scripture encourages us in our suffering, and we know that. As believers in and followers of Jesus Christ, we can (and should) think differently about our suffering. We know that our suffering is not in vain, that God has a purpose for our suffering, and that he is at work in the midst of it. We also have the hope of eternity with Christ Jesus in heaven!

We used the following resources for this episode:

Now what? After you’ve made a mistake in life, what do you do next? Today, we discuss three ways people typically handle mess ups. Do you find someone or something to blame, try to justify your mistake, or do you own it? One of these choices can make you a better friend, family member, or even coworker, and the other two choices will cause you to lose integrity.

We used the following website to help us gather information for this episode:

Having great friends is key for your physical, mental, and spiritual health, but building great friendships can seem daunting. Today we discuss the benefits and characteristics of great friendships and some practical ways to cultivate strong friendships in your own life.

We referenced the following articles and scripture during today’s episode:

The data and studies behind the benefits of friendships:

A quick search on social media for #blessed, will pull up more than 6 million posts. #blessed posts oftentimes don pictures and stories of grand achievements, encouraging health news, and dangerous situations being escaped without injury. But what happens when the achievements are lost, the health news is discouraging (and unwanted), or the dangerous situation isn’t escaped without injury? Does #blessed still apply?

Today we compare and contrast the common definition of ‘blessed’ with the definition found in the Beatitudes in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. We find there is much more to being #blessed than meets the eye!

In today’s episode we reference Chip Ingram’s book “Good to Great in God’s Eyes”.

This week we add another episode to our marriage series with a discussion about the idea of ‘becoming one’ in marriage. We share scripture that speaks to the importance of this concept and list a few ways to ‘become one’ with your spouse.

Check out our other episodes on marriage here:

Episode 9. Marriage | Choose Love

Parenting is a responsibility that is difficult while also being incredibly rewarding. Today we attempt to simplify the task of parenting by introducing and discussing six truths about parenting. This discussion is aimed at giving a practical way to become a parent that is aligned to truth, taking the complexity out of the task of being a great parent.

We referenced the following podcast episodes during today’s conversation:

Episode 18. On Mission In Motherhood With Jen Rowlen [Part 1]

Grace is a free gift from God, which is an incredible truth about Christianity—there is nothing we can do to earn it. What we oftentimes fail to realize, though, is that accepting this free gift of grace costs us something…our life.

In today’s episode, we discuss the difference between cheap grace and costly grace as introduced by Dietrich Bonhoeffer in The Cost of Discipleship. We find that cheap grace is grace without discipleship. We look to scripture to discover what it means to actually be a disciple. It’s no simple task, but it’s totally worth it!

We mentioned the following resources during this episode:

1) The Cost of Discipleship

2) The Real God by Chip Ingram

3) Romans 8:28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

4) Matthew 5, 6, 7 – Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount where he gives instructions about what it looks like to follow him

5) Episodes 11 & 12. Training For Godliness With Pastor Mike Plummer

Part 1

We’re all storing up treasure somewhere. Are you storing up treasure on earth where moth and dust destroy it? Or are you storing up eternal treasure in heaven?

In today’s episode we define ‘treasure’ and reference William MacDonald’s book True Discipleship as we have a conversation about this idea of storing up treasures. It’s important to evaluate where our treasure is because that is also where we’ll find our heart.

During today’s conversation, we mentioned the episodes we recorded with Mark’s dad:

Episode 13. A Hitchhiker, Jesus, & Becoming A Doer Of The Word With Marion Sparks [Part 1]

Whether you’re a mom or a manager or anything in between, leadership is key. You need to know how to get others to help you accomplish goals. In this episode, we discuss what leadership really is, the best way to lead, and how to build influence with other people.

We reference James C. Hunter's excellent book “The Servant” and we discuss his ideas of the two ways to lead, one of which is far superior. We also explore how building relationships and meeting needs is key for becoming a real leader.

Today’s episode is all about The Good News….The Good News of the Gospel! We share The Gospel – the good news of Jesus Christ and his plan of salvation – during the first half of the episode. In the last half of the episode, we reflect on our own lives with Christ and give encouragement to those who may be seeking Christ.

If you’re on the fence about accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior, it’s time to get off the fence. Accepting Jesus as Lord of your life will be the best decision you ever make!

When sharing the Good News of The Gospel in today’s episode, we referenced the following passages of scripture:

1. Genesis Chapters 1 through 3 – The Creation and The Fall

2. Colossians 1:16 for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see—such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him.

3. John 3:16 For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

4. Romans 3:23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.

5. Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.

6. Romans 10:9 If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

7. Ephesians 2:8-9 8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.

The following scriptures were referenced during the last half of the episode when we were chatting about our experiences.

1. Luke 15:10 In the same way, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels when even one sinner repents.

2. Philippians 4:6-7 6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

3. Ephesians 3:20 Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.

4. 1 Corinthians 12:27 All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.

5. Romans 8:28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

6. Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

For the more detailed story of our experience with miscarriages and all the thoughts and emotions and prayers that came along with that, click the links below:

On today’s episode we introduce the idea of 'Getting to Know God' and the impact this has on our life. We discuss why it is important and some practical ways to get to know God including reading the bible, prayer, and service.

In the show we referenced a few of our other podcast episodes with related content.

The first was the concept of being obedient, and despite whether we want to be or not, we are obedient to something.

5. You're Obedient To Something

Today on the podcast Mark takes us beyond forgiveness, into reconciliation. While forgiveness is something one person can do on their own, reconciliation requires the one who forgives to desire reconciliation and the one who was forgiven to act.

This perfectly mirrors how Christ freely forgave us through is actions on the cross, yet to receive reconciliation, we must accept this forgiveness by believing in Him, repenting of our sins, and therefore being reconciled to him.

Forgiveness Intro:

In today’s episode, Mark sits down with Ryan Quinley, a missionary in the Dominican Republic focused on church planting and theological training, to discuss individualism. While individualism is associated with many virtues, Mark and Ryan discuss how it may be taken too far. Ryan lays out some common examples of how individualism impacts our ideas about worship, the Lord’s supper and even salvation and some practical ways for us to think differently about being part of the body of Christ.

This week we finish up our series on forgiveness by going into more detail on the last of three truths about forgiveness: Forgiveness is freeing. We review a whole host of research showing the benefits of forgiveness, and dive into what scripture has to say on the topic as well. In a nutshell…it’s much better to forgive than to hold a grudge!

If you missed the Intro and/or Part 1 on forgiveness, be sure to go back and check those out!

We used the following resources to compile information for this episode:

Last week, we briefly introduced three truths about forgiveness. This week, we share some definitions of forgiveness and go into a bit more detail about the first two truths: 1) Forgiveness is required and 2) Forgiveness is not dependent upon another person’s apology. We also chat a bit about the difference between forgiveness and reconciliation.

We used the following resources to gather information for this episode:

This week we add another episode to our marriage series with a discussion about the importance of the words we speak (or don’t speak). We outlined the impact words have for building our marriage or tearing it down, as well as some simple, practical guidelines for language in your marriage.

We also referenced our earlier podcast on responding vs. reacting, which you can find here:

8. Choosing To Be Respose-Able

In today’s episode, we share part 2 of a two-part series where Fallon sits down with her good friend, Jen Rowlen, to chat about being on mission in motherhood and what that looks like practically. We also discuss what to do with parenting failures and the shame and guilt often felt by parents, and the hope there is in Jesus being the perfect parent.

In this week’s episode, we sit down for a conversation with missionaries Ryan and Cayla Quinley just days before they head to the Dominican Republic. We discuss what drew them to mission work, the importance of it, and some of the challenges they faced. We are so grateful to have met this couple.

You can follow along and/or support the Quinleys in the following ways:

A few episodes ago, we chatted with Pastor Mike Plummer about training for godliness. One of the ways to do that is through the spiritual discipline of prayer. Prayer is our topic of discussion in this episode. We share some tips for how to pray and give some encouragement as well.

During our chat, we referenced our Training For Godliness episodes. You can find those here:

Episode 11. Training for Godliness With Pastor Mike Plummer [Part 1]

Today’s episode is part of our marriage series. We discuss the idea of ‘picking your battles’ in marriage, including some tips for how to navigate conflict well and some behaviors to avoid during conflict.

We referenced the following episodes during out chat today:

Marriage |Choose Love: 

This week we are bringing you part 2 of our two-part series on being doers of the Word. James tells us that we must be doers of the Word and not hearers only, otherwise we are just deceiving ourselves. Joining us for this topic is someone near and dear to our hearts – Mark’s dad, Marion Sparks. His love for Jesus and the joy he has because of Jesus is so evident as you hear him recount the story of his first encounter with the Gospel of Jesus Christ (listen to part 1 for this!) and how he came to be a doer of the word. You won’t want to miss this episode!

During the episode, we referenced:

On your journey to get unstuck and live a more intentional life (i.e., escape moral adventure), it's important to be equipped with the proper tools. Today, we'll discuss one of those tools:  Fasting. We’ll chat about what we can learn from the Bible about this topic, some purposes for fasting, as well as a few tips.

Below are resources we used to gather information for this episode:

Oftentimes, when we hear the word 'love', we think of it as a feeling or emotion. However, when God calls us to love others, he’s calling us to love them with agape love – a love that is an act of the will and unconditional. Not a 'warm and fuzzy' kind of love. Today, we chat about agape love and its role in marriage.

During the episode, we refer to the following resources:

Have you ever felt bad about how you reacted to something? Something happens that is stressful or unpleasant, you get upset or angry, and you say or do something you wish you hadn’t?

In today’s episode, we discuss the difference between reacting and responding, as well as the importance of taking responsibility for your actions and choosing to be response-able.

During our chat, we refer to our ‘principles’. For more information on establishing foundational life principles, check out our two-part series called “Becoming Unshakeable: 7 Foundational Principles for Life.” Links below.

This week’s episode is part 2 of our two-part series in which we discuss the importance of having a set of strong, unchanging foundational principles that are used to guide and direct your life. We share and discuss our principles and encourage you to establish your own as well.

We mention the “new command” and what it means to “love.” We chat a bit more about this concept in the “How to Love your Neighbor” episode which you can find here:

Become unshakeable no matter the circumstance.

This week’s episode is part one of a two-part series in which we discuss the importance of having a set of strong, unchanging foundational principles that are used to guide and direct your life. We share and discuss our principles and encourage you to establish your own as well.

During our discussion, we referred to a previous episode in which we mentioned taking an inventory of your time. You can find that full episode, “Signs You’re Stuck In Moral Adventure,” here: 

The thought of being obedient can make us cringe. “Wouldn’t it be better to not be obedient to anything?” Unfortunately, whether we want to be or not, we’re all obedient to something or someone. We can be obedient to our emotions, mood, work, spouse, self, etc. without even realizing it. In this episode, we discuss things we may unintentionally become obedient to, as well as a better approach - to become obedient to a set of principles. This takes intentionality.

During the episode we reference the following books:

1) 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey

2) The Mingling of Souls by Matt Chandler

We also mentioned the “How To Love Your Neighbor” episode, which can be found here:

Moral Adventure is the posing of questions, criticisms, difficulties, or rationalizations resulting in the avoidance of taking right action. Being stuck in moral adventure is more common than you may think, but what might that even look like? In this episode, we give a few specific examples of how you might be stuck and possible ways out.

You can find our “How to Love Your Neighbor” episode, which we mentioned in today’s show, on the following platforms. Just simply click a link below.