Episodes

September 4 — Two Men, Two Surrenders On September 4, 1886, Apache leader Geronimo laid down his weapons for the final time, ending years of resistance against the United States government. Seventy-nine years later, on the same date, physician, theologian, and Nobel Peace Prize winner Albert Schweitzer died at the hospital he had built in Lambaréné, Gabon. Geronimo surrendered because the fight had reached its end. Schweitzer surrendered a life of prestige and accomplishment because he believ...

A mysterious stain, a drone, a roofing estimate roughly equal to our first mortgage—and suddenly my faith in God’s provision needed a little inspection of its own. In this episode of Scattered Moments, I discover that the biggest leak may not be in the roof at all. It might be somewhere between my bank account and my heart. The good news? God owns the roof. The bad news? Apparently, the bill has my name on it. 😄 I’ll keep you posted. I’m just hoping this doesn’t become a three-part episode. S...

Psalm 19 — My Rock and My Redeemer Psalm 19 is one of those passages that feels like an old neighborhood. Nearly every turn reveals a familiar verse: “The heavens declare the glory of God.” “The law of the LORD is perfect.” “More to be desired are they than gold.” And finally, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight.” But when we put these familiar verses back together, we discover that Psalm 19 is not merely a collection of memorable sayings. It ...

On September 3, two men tried to disappear — for very different reasons. In 590, Gregory the Great tried to escape the responsibility of becoming bishop of Rome. More than twelve centuries later, Frederick Douglass escaped slavery, risking everything for freedom. One ran from a calling he didn’t want. The other ran toward a freedom he’d never been allowed. Their stories raise a powerful question: What are you running from — and what are you running toward? In this episode of Moments Almanac, ...

Two people, separated by more than two centuries, faced stretches of water that had already demanded much from them. Methodist pioneer Thomas Coke crossed the Atlantic again and again for the sake of the gospel. Diana Nyad returned to the waters between Cuba and Florida after four failed attempts. Their stories remind us that faithfulness doesn’t always mean getting there the first time. Sometimes it means getting back in the water. A Moments Almanac reflection on perseverance, calling, and Gal...

What does a half-assembled Millennium Falcon on Christmas Eve have to do with faith? In Matthew 17, a desperate father brings his suffering son to Jesus after the disciples have been unable to help. Jesus responds with a simple command: “Bring the boy here to me.” We spend so much of life trying to fix what we cannot fix—rearranging the pieces, trying different solutions, worrying, planning, and exhausting ourselves. But faith isn't knowing how everything will work out. It isn't having all th...

On September 1, 1939, Nazi Germany invaded Poland and the Second World War began. Eighteen years later, on September 1, 1957, Billy Graham stood before an enormous crowd in Times Square to close his historic New York Crusade. One demanded surrender at the point of a gun. The other invited surrender at the foot of a cross. Two moments, one date — and two radically different pictures of power, conquest, grace, and the kingdom of God. Keywords: Billy Graham, September 1, World War II, invasion of ...

Haman had money, influence, status—and one guy who wouldn’t bow to him. Naturally, he handled it terribly. In this episode of Scattered Moments, we look at how one bruised ego turned into a full-blown revenge plot, complete with some very unfortunate infrastructure. From ancient Persia to modern outrage culture, revenge still promises satisfaction and usually delivers something else entirely. Jesus shows us a better kind of strength: telling the truth, refusing bitterness, and not becoming like...

On August 31, 1688, John Bunyan died after one final journey of service. The beloved preacher and author of The Pilgrim’s Progress had traveled through heavy rain to help reconcile an estranged father and son. He returned soaked, developed a fever, and never recovered. In this episode of Moments Almanac, we follow Bunyan from a poor tradesman’s home to a prison cell, from an unexpected conversation with a few faithful women to the creation of one of Christianity’s most enduring books. Bunyan w...

Years ago, on a long road trip, I finally worked up the courage to make a difficult phone call. I talked, explained, questioned—and when silence came from the other end, I just kept talking. There was only one problem: the call had dropped. That embarrassing moment became a parable for something far more serious. In Judges 16, Samson rises to face his enemies “as before,” unaware that the Lord’s empowering presence had departed. It’s a haunting picture of spiritual presumption—assuming yesterda...

Some Victories Take Generations | August 30 On August 30, 1856, a failed Ohio resort where enslaved attendants had once served vacationing Southern families was reborn as Wilberforce University, a college dedicated to educating Black students. Exactly 111 years later, on August 30, 1967, the United States Senate confirmed Thurgood Marshall as the first Black justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. Two moments. One long road toward freedom and opportunity. In this episode of Moments Almanac, we tra...

Peace Amidst the Storm is an original song inspired by Psalm 18—a psalm of rescue, strength, and the God who comes near when life feels overwhelming. Drawing from the imagery of trembling mountains, rising waters, the Rock who cannot be shaken, and the right hand of God that holds us steady, this song is a reminder that even in chaos, we are not alone. God is our refuge, our strength, and our peace amidst the storm. Lyrics by Matt Tullos Music, arrangement, and creation by Suno Share Your Th...

August 29 — Two Johns, One Choice What do you do when the truth costs you something? On August 29, we remember two very different moments in history. The church has long observed this date as the martyrdom of John the Baptist, who confronted Herod Antipas with a truth the ruler did not want to obey. Eighteen centuries later, during the Second Battle of Manassas, Union General John Pope received reports that Confederate reinforcements under James Longstreet were arriving — and refused to belie...

Psalm 18 is David’s great song of deliverance—a testimony to the God who hears the cry of His people, comes near in power, and brings them from distress into a broad place. This meditation reflects on the rich theology woven through the psalm: God as Rock, fortress, shield, deliverer, and refuge; the dramatic language of theophany as the heavens bend and the earth trembles; the symbolism of God’s right hand as strength and sustaining grace; and the striking confession that God rescues because H...

On August 28, 430, Augustine died as the Vandals besieged Hippo, convinced that no earthly empire—not even Rome—could ever be the Christian’s final home. Fifteen centuries later, on August 28, 1963, Baptist preacher Martin Luther King Jr. stood at the Lincoln Memorial and called a divided nation toward a dream of justice and human dignity. Two preachers. Two troubled cities. Two visions of something beyond the brokenness they could see. In this Moments Almanac, we consider Augustine’s City of ...

Now Where Did I Put Him? “Now where did I put that?” It’s a question I ask more often than I’d like to admit. But while reading Luke 2, that ordinary little phrase opened the door to something much bigger. After three days, Mary and Joseph found Jesus in the temple. Years later, after another three days, the women came looking for Him in a tomb—and He wasn’t there. That pattern runs throughout the Gospels. We put Jesus with scholars, and He welcomes children. We put Him among Jews, and He sit...

On August 27, 1883, Krakatoa erupted with a force heard nearly 3,000 miles away, sending deadly tsunamis across the Sunda Strait and changing skies around the world. Centuries earlier, another kind of darkness surrounded Monica of Hippo as she prayed year after year for her wandering son, Augustine. Today’s Moments Almanac brings together a volcano that shook the world and a mother whose persistent prayers helped shape one of Christianity’s greatest theologians. It’s a story for anyone enduring...

On August 26, 1832, Adam Clarke died during a cholera epidemic near London. But his story began with a boy in Ireland whom others considered slow, dull, and unlikely to amount to much academically. They were spectacularly wrong. Clarke became one of the great Methodist preachers and biblical scholars of his generation, mastering ancient languages and spending years producing his monumental commentary on Scripture. The boy who struggled with words devoted his life to helping others understand t...

Creed is an original song inspired by the Nicene Creed, the historic confession of Christian faith first formulated at the Council of Nicaea in A.D. 325 and carried by generations of believers ever since. The song follows the great movement of the Creed: faith in God the Father, Maker of heaven and earth; Jesus Christ, the eternal Son who became flesh for our salvation, was crucified, rose again, ascended, and will return; the Holy Spirit, Lord and Giver of Life; the Church; the resurrection of...

Life rarely arrives neatly arranged. It comes as beauty and brokenness, mourning and dancing, abundance and emptiness, sudden moments and long advents. Yet through it all, the Shepherd leads us and prepares a table in the middle of today. The meal is sure. The menu is unknown. A Scattered Feast is a spoken-word reflection on Psalm 23, dependence, providence, and learning to receive each day as it comes—trusting that even when we don't know what tomorrow holds, we know the One who prepares the ...

On August 25, 325, bishops gathered at Nicaea carrying more than theological arguments—some carried the scars of persecution. At the heart of their debate was a question that would shape Christianity for centuries: Who is Jesus Christ? In this episode of Moments Almanac, we explore the story behind the Council of Nicaea, the controversy over Arius, the crucial word homoousios—“of one substance”—and the creed that declared Jesus to be “God of God, Light of Light, begotten, not made.” We’ll also h...

Keep Me Close — Inspired by Psalm 17 “Keep Me Close” is an original Scattered Moments song inspired by the prayer of David in Psalm 17, especially these beautiful words: “Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings.” — Psalm 17:8 David writes from a place of danger. He feels surrounded, pursued, and vulnerable. Yet at the heart of his prayer is something deeper than simply asking God to change his circumstances. He doesn't merely pray, “Get me out.” He prays, “Keep m...

On August 24, ninety years apart, two moments of religious persecution unfolded under the same name: St. Bartholomew’s Day. In 1572 Paris, the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre left thousands of French Protestants dead. In 1662 England, the Act of Uniformity forced roughly two thousand ministers from their pulpits rather than violate their consciences—including Philip Henry, father of the great Bible commentator Matthew Henry. Two very different kinds of suffering, but one haunting question: What...

Psalm 17: Keep Me Close — The Apple of His Eye In this Psalm Reflection, we meditate on one of David’s most intimate prayers: “Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings” (Psalm 17:8). Stay through the end of the reflection for an original song inspired by Psalm 17, “Keep Me Close,” a musical prayer of trust, shelter, and longing to see the face of God. Psalm 17 is not the prayer of someone living an easy life. David feels surrounded, threatened, and falsely accused...