Episodes

On July 3, history remembers one of the Civil War's most devastating assaults—and a little-known church council that forever shaped how Christians understand grace. At Gettysburg, thousands of soldiers marched across an open field toward a stone wall they could not take. More than thirteen centuries earlier, bishops gathered in Orange, France, to answer a different question: Can we make our own way to God, or does God make the first move toward us? In this episode of Moments Almanac, those tw...

On this episode of Moments Almanac, we explore two lives forever connected by one remarkable truth: God's grace was never meant to require a translator. On July 2, a young Martin Luther was thrown to the ground by a terrifying thunderstorm that changed the course of his life. Sixteen years earlier, Thomas Cranmer was born in England, destined to become the quiet architect of worship in the English language. Though their journeys were vastly different, both men helped tear down barriers that kept...

What can a hotel Bible and a cell possibly have in common? On this episode of Scattered Moments, we visit two remarkable events that happened on July 1. In 1899, two traveling businessmen founded the Gideons with a simple vision: place God's Word where weary travelers could find it. Thirty-eight years later, on that same date, German pastor Martin Niemöller was arrested by the Gestapo for refusing to let the state rule the conscience of the church. But this isn't just a story about courage. I...

June 30: When Darkness Couldn't Silence the Music Two moments. Forty years apart. On June 30, 1934, Adolf Hitler launched the Night of the Long Knives, proving how easily evil can disguise itself as order. Forty years later, on June 30, 1974, Alberta Williams King—the mother of Martin Luther King Jr.—sat at the organ of Ebenezer Baptist Church, playing The Lord's Prayer, when a gunman opened fire. These tragedies were separated by continents, generations, and scale, yet both reveal the same a...

Bitterness rarely announces itself as bitterness. It often disguises itself as justice, hurt, or the quiet conviction that we have every right to hold on just a little longer. In this spoken-word episode of Scattered Moments, Matt Tullos explores the devastating path resentment can carve through hearts, families, friendships, and even churches—and the greater invitation Christ offers at His table. Drawing from Hebrews 12:15 and Ephesians 4:31–32, this poetic reflection reminds us that forgive...

On June 29, two very different fires tell the same story. In 1613, London's Globe Theatre—the stage that gave the world Shakespeare's greatest plays—burned to the ground in less than an hour. The building was lost, but the words escaped the flames. Centuries later, we still speak many of the phrases first heard beneath its thatched roof. Two hundred forty-eight years later, Elizabeth Barrett Browning breathed her last in Florence. Her body had been weakened by decades of illness, but her visi...

What does faithfulness look like? Sometimes it looks like carrying a bucket. Sometimes it looks like carrying a Bible. In this June 28 episode of Moments Almanac, we remember two ordinary people separated by sixteen centuries who simply picked up what the moment required. Irenaeus of Lyon defended the truth of the Gospel when false teachers threatened to reshape it, becoming the earliest Christian writer to clearly affirm Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John as the four authoritative Gospels. Mary L...

On June 27, two remarkable lives remind us that God delights in giving people a voice. In 1736, a young George Whitefield stepped into the pulpit to preach his very first sermon. He began awkwardly, surrounded by family and friends, but before long the Holy Spirit filled him with boldness. That hesitant beginning would grow into one of the most influential preaching ministries of the Great Awakening. More than a century later, Helen Keller was born in Tuscumbia, Alabama. Deaf and blind from e...

On June 26, two men stood under extraordinary pressure and uttered words that history has never forgotten. In 363, the Roman Emperor Julian—remembered as "Julian the Apostate"—died after spending two years trying to reverse the rise of Christianity. Tradition says his final words were, "Thou hast conquered, O Galilean." Sixteen centuries later, in 1963, President John F. Kennedy stood before a divided Berlin and declared, "Ich bin ein Berliner"—"I am a Berliner"—offering hope to a city surroun...

On June 25, two remarkable moments—separated by more than three centuries—ask the same enduring question. In 1530, Philip Melanchthon stood before the Holy Roman Emperor as the Augsburg Confession was read aloud, declaring the convictions of the Protestant Reformation before the most powerful ruler in Europe. In 1865, Hudson Taylor sat alone on a beach in Brighton, England, and prayed for twenty-four missionaries to carry the gospel into inland China. That quiet prayer became the China Inland ...

On June 24, 64 AD, Emperor Nero began the brutal persecution of Christians in Rome. Men and women were arrested, crucified, and even burned as human torches in the emperor's gardens. Nero believed fire could silence the faith. Nearly fifteen centuries later, on the same date, John of the Cross was born in Spain. Imprisoned by his own religious order and confined to a dark cell, he discovered something remarkable: sometimes God does His deepest work in the dark. From that prison came The Dark Ni...

On June 23, 1683, William Penn signed a remarkable treaty with the Lenni Lenape people of Pennsylvania—a peace agreement built not on force or fear, but on mutual respect and trust. Penn believed God's law was already written on the human heart. Nearly two centuries later, on June 23, 1868, Christopher Latham Sholes received a patent for an invention that would change the way ideas travel through the world: the typewriter. One man used words to build peace. Another built a machine that would c...

The Run-On Sentence of Grace This may be the longest sentence we’ve ever attempted on Scattered Moments. A breathless list of all the things we use to measure ourselves—and each other: weight, IQ, credit score, parenting success, athletic ability, Facebook friends, square footage, the size of your boat, the shine on your floor, and about a hundred other things that seem important until they aren’t. The good news? God’s love isn’t hanging on any of them. Not your résumé. Not your failures. N...

On June 22, 1714, Matthew Henry died on the road at fifty-one — thrown from his horse, laid down in a stranger's house, his great commentary on Scripture unfinished. His last words: "A life spent in the service of God and communion with him is the most comfortable and pleasant life anyone can live." Thirteen men finished the work after he was gone. On June 22, 1750, Jonathan Edwards was fired from his Northampton congregation — 230 votes to 23, after twenty-three years of ministry. He received ...

On June 21, 1892, Reinhold Niebuhr was born. Though some of his theology remains a matter of debate among evangelical Christians, his influence on American religious thought is impossible to ignore. More than anything else, he is remembered for a simple prayer written during the turmoil of the twentieth century—words that would find their way into church bulletins, hospital rooms, recovery groups, and countless hearts: "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage ...

On June 20, Moments Almanac remembers two missionary milestones separated by five years and thousands of miles. In 1880, Samuel Robbins Brown, one of the first American missionaries to Japan, died after a lifetime of faithful service. His work in education and discipleship helped shape a generation during a pivotal season in Japan's history. Then, in 1885, Moravian missionaries arrived in Alaska and established the Bethel Mission, carrying the Gospel to one of the most remote frontiers in Nort...

A Guided Meditation on Isaiah 40:31 Life has a way of draining us. Responsibilities pile up. Worries linger. Even faithful hearts can grow weary. In this guided meditation, we slow down and rest in one of Scripture's most beloved promises: "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength..." — Isaiah 40:31 Through gentle reflection, prayerful pauses, and the calming truth of God's Word, you'll be invited to release your burdens, breathe deeply, and remember that your strength does...

On June 19, 1865, freedom arrived in Galveston, Texas, with the reading of General Order No. 3, announcing that enslaved people were free. More than two centuries earlier, on June 19, 1623, Blaise Pascal was born—a brilliant scientist, mathematician, and Christian thinker who spent his life exploring the mysteries of the human heart. In this episode of Moments Almanac, we reflect on two kinds of freedom: freedom proclaimed and freedom discovered. From the celebration of Juneteenth to Pascal's s...

Scattered Moments — Moments Almanac | June 18 Held Up June 18 carries two stories four centuries apart — and they say the same thing. In 1546, a twenty-five-year-old woman named Anne Askew was convicted of heresy in London for believing what most Baptists believe about communion. She was racked in the Tower of London, carried to the stake on a chair because she could no longer walk, and burned. She never recanted. She never gave up a name. And from her prison cell she wrote words of pure wors...

Wrecks Welcome There was a man in our accountability group years ago who made the rest of us look pretty good—or so I thought. For about three seconds. In this episode of Scattered Moments, Matt reflects on the difference between the wreckage everyone can see and the hidden struggles we work so hard to conceal. From public failures to private battles with pride, resentment, greed, and ambition, we discover that we're all standing on the same ground before God. Drawing from Psalm 130, this epi...

What do a fiery preacher and a towering statue have in common? On this episode of Moments Almanac, we explore the birth of John Wesley on June 17, 1703, and the arrival of the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor on June 17, 1885. One carried a spiritual flame that helped spark a worldwide revival. The other lifted a torch that welcomed generations seeking hope and a new beginning. Along the way, we reflect on Wesley's stirring challenge: "Give me one hundred preachers who fear nothing but si...

🦋 🌊 June 16 – The Storm and the Butterfly What does a butterfly have to do with the resurrection? And what can a storm-tossed ocean teach us about compassion? In this episode of Moments Almanac, we remember two remarkable stories connected to June 16. First, we meet Joseph Butler, the eighteenth-century bishop and apologist who challenged skeptics by pointing to the natural world itself. Looking at the transformation of a caterpillar into a butterfly, Butler saw evidence that God had written ...

A Scattered Moments Sleep Story Travel beneath a canopy of stars and across quiet ocean waters as you journey through the life of Lottie Moon. This gentle sleep story follows the beloved missionary from the familiar shores of Virginia to the distant villages of China, where faith, courage, and simple obedience shaped a remarkable life. Along the way, you'll encounter lantern-lit evenings, peaceful sea voyages, whispered prayers, and reminders of God's faithful presence in every season. Design...

On this episode of Moments Almanac, we remember Josiah Henson, born June 15, 1789. Born into slavery, he became a preacher, abolitionist, community builder, and advocate for freedom. His story reminds us that while we cannot always choose our circumstances, we can choose our character. Through faith, integrity, and perseverance, Josiah Henson overcame evil with good and left a legacy that still speaks today. Share Your Thoughts