One of the most important things as Christians that we need to remember is to put God first. Just as Lauren Daigle sings in her song, "First", we need to bring our needs, our desires, our wants and our problems to God first before anyone else or before we do anything else. When we bring everything to Him first, then we are truly honoring Him as believers and avoiding the trap that is so easy to get into and that is being dependent on the world. The world does not provide the comfort and peace that comes with Christ when we cast our cares on Him and let Him have access to us, first. It's a sign ..read more

Every year people by the scores set resolutions for the next year in hopes of losing weight, getting out of debt, spending more time with their kids, making better choices, etc and unfortunately many of those resolutions and desires fail and the individuals are frustrated and give up entirely. Fortunately many do not give up and many do achieve the resolutions they set out to achieve for the next year. In most cases those who are successful have a secret to their success and it's because they are persistent, they set a goal, they write it down, they share it with others for accountability and ..read more

It's crazy to think that Christmas is almost here. Literally, the most wonderful time of the year because of the one, true gift that we've been blessed with oh so many years ago. That blessed holy night, when Mary, the mother of Jesus, gave birth to the savior of the world. Isaiah 9:6 captures it best, "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." We pray that the gift of God through His son Jesus would capture your attention and heart this Christmas sea ..read more

We absolutely love this time of year....as it is often stated, "It's the most wonderful time of the year" and we cannot disagree. In fact, Christmas, is the most wonderful time of the year because Jesus is the reason for the season and it's a joy to celebrate His birth and life. Join us this week as Melissa and Anthony touch on the Christmas story found in Luke chapter 2 and then share two of their favorite Christmas songs along with the history and background. We hope you will be blessed by this conversation and receive something out of it.  ..read more

Have you ever had questions or frustrations that you wanted to get off your chest and unload on God but where afraid it wasn't something we should do as Christians? It is perfectly fine to question God and many throughout the Bible, including David, Jonah and Job questioned God and were right in doing so. It comes down to the way you question and the intent behind it. Melissa and Anthony dig into why Christians should in fact question God and then how we should seek Him and grow closer to Him through the process. The word of God states in Proverbs 3:5 "trust in the Lord with all of your heart ..read more

Psalm 37:23 states, "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way." Isn't that such an encouragement? God has laid out a path for us to walk even when we are given free will to do things that we choose. God grants us that freedom, but delights in us when we choose His will over ours. In this week's episode Melissa and Anthony talk about divine appointments and how God will put certain people in our paths or allows for encounters to happen where He can use us and be glorified. We just have to be ready, willing and able. God doesn't call the equipped, He equips t ..read more

As we approach Thanksgiving we enter a season of thanks and reflection. Many of us will immediately say and respond that we are thankful for our health, for our jobs, for our families and anything else that comes to mind. These are all wonderful things to think about and be thankful for. But Melissa and I would like to challenge you to prayerfully reflect this season and really ponder what we are thankful for and to think about those who are without so much during this time of year.  We talk about so many things we are thankful for during our podcast this week, but then we take it a littl ..read more

As it says in the word of God in Joshua 1:6-9, "Be strong and courageous...". We must be willing to obey God without hesitancy to step up to the waters' edge and attempt impossible things know that if God doesn't come through there is no 'Plan B'.  Melissa and I dig deep into how God stacks the odds against his followers and allows the opportunity to be glorified and seen as the main source. God makes the impossible, possible and is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. We do not need to worry about the situation in front of us, but to trust God and trust in the process. We must be will ..read more

Much like David was faced with setback after setback in the Old Testament, we are reminded that when there is a set back that is an opportunity for God to make it a stepping stone for success. We all will face setbacks and challenges during our lives, but it's up to us to decide what we are going to do with it. Will we forget everything and run? or face everything and rise? With God, all things are possible. Allow Him to see you through the setback and lead you to the calling He has for you.     ..read more

This is our official podcast launch with the new format: The Sharpened Runner. The whole focus of this podcast is to share the love of Christ and to encourage and enlighten other runners who are like-minded. We have been called to unite runners to train their body, guard their heart and sharpen their mind and spirit. We are under constant bombardment in this crazy world and we need a place where we can sharpen one another like iron and rise up to the challenges we face. We know that hard work and perseverance is the path to success, but it is not always a clear or easy one to follow. Many time ..read more