Life Around "The Fire"

Hoot

This podcast is dedicated to those wanting to experience a living and real relationship with God as well as growing together in love  for one another. We consider that to be a true sign of spiritual growth as we journey along The Way. If this is you then come along with us as we co-operate with God in what He is doing around the corner and around the world!

  1. Sep 28

    Clothe Yourself With Humility

    Send us Fan Mail A single line from Scripture can stop you cold when God turns the “familiar” into the personal. We open 1 Peter 5:5–12 and let it read us back, especially the command to “clothe yourselves with humility toward one another.” Not humility as self-shaming, but humility as strength: thinking of yourself less, considering others more, and choosing honor even when someone gets on your nerves. That one shift can change the atmosphere in your home, your church, and your own mind.  We also talk about why the Bible is our measuring stick for revelation and direction. When you anchor your life to God’s Word, you gain clarity without losing depth, because you never exhaust what He has to say. Peter’s next line is just as direct: “Cast all your worries on him, for he cares for you.” We wrestle with what it means to actually release anxiety instead of managing it, and how humility and trust work together when life is heavy.  Then Peter’s warning brings sobriety: stay alert because the adversary prowls like a roaring lion. We discuss spiritual vigilance, standing firm in faith, and the comfort of knowing suffering is not uniquely yours. The hope is not hype, it’s promise: after you’ve suffered a little while, the God of all grace restores, supports, strengthens, and establishes you. From there we push back on empty religion and lean into relationship, love for one another, and unity that comes from the presence of God rather than denominational pressure.  If this encouraged you, subscribe, share it with a friend who needs steadiness, and leave a review so more people can find the show. What part of 1 Peter 5 are you going to put into practice this week? Support the show Loving Yeshua/Jesus, Loving people... Come as you are and you will be loved!  Feel free to check out our website by typing in lifearoundthefire.com or Life Around The Fire ... We think you'll find some beneficial stuff to look at and apply to your life.  Shalom to you and your home.

  2. Sep 23

    Q & A With Tracy Perez: The Western World Trained Us To Doubt The Supernatural

    Send us Fan Mail This episode is a Q & A time with Tracy Perez centering in on our imagination and how it has been called “make-believe” for so long that you might not realize what you lost. We sit down with Tracy for a candid follow-up conversation on the Christian imagination, why so many believers were trained to fight every battle in the mind, and why Scripture keeps pointing us back to the heart as the center of the person and the place where spiritual sight is formed. We dig into a key problem beneath modern discipleship: the Western demand that truth must be rational, provable, and empirical. Tracy connects that mindset to the Age of Enlightenment and explains how a culture shaped by proof can slowly assume the supernatural is impossible. That assumption doesn’t just affect theology, it affects prayer, worship, and whether we feel safe admitting spiritual experience at all. We talk about what it means to renew the mind by protecting what our hearts behold and hold in affection, and why the desert fathers treated silence and attention as essential for intimacy with God. Then the tone turns hopeful. We share stories of real impact, including spiritual seekers who felt pushed away from Christianity, then found a doorway back when they discovered a biblical, grounded way to think about imagination and the inner life. We close with a simple but demanding practice: we become what we behold, so we choose to look for Christ in all things, in people, in creation, and in everyday moments. If this conversation challenges you, share it with a friend, subscribe for more, and leave a review so others can find us. What part of your faith has been most shaped by “proof-first” thinking? Support the show Loving Yeshua/Jesus, Loving people... Come as you are and you will be loved!  Feel free to check out our website by typing in lifearoundthefire.com or Life Around The Fire ... We think you'll find some beneficial stuff to look at and apply to your life.  Shalom to you and your home.

  3. Sep 23

    Guest Speaker Tracy Perez: Seeing With The Eyes Of The Heart

    Send us Fan Mail Eternal life might be more than “someday.” What if it is also hidden in plain sight, available right now as the concealed presence of God in the world? David sits down with returning guest Tracy Perez for a deep, Scripture-rich conversation that reframes spiritual growth as learning to see, not just learning to behave. We start with Tracy’s book, The Old Way, and the story behind it: his son Connor, diagnosed with severe nonverbal autism, begins communicating profound spiritual insight and describes “the old way” as a place of saints and angels. That launches us into Olam, a biblical word often translated ancient or eternal, and the idea that “eternal” can mean hidden, not only beyond time. From there we explore the “eyes of the heart,” the heart as the center of the person, and why the imagination is not make-believe but a God-given capacity for perceiving an invisible Father. Tracy breaks down being made in the image of God as a function we live out, then traces how imagination shows up across Genesis, from the Garden to Babel, and why unity shapes what becomes possible. We also connect to the New Testament language of nous, the inner eye, and the early church conviction that we become what we behold. The conversation ends with a practical gut-check about distraction, scrolling, and what is quietly forming us, plus a hopeful reminder that God still speaks through creation and covenant. If you want a fresh, thoughtful take on Christian imagination, hearing God, spiritual discernment, and living the kingdom of God with clarity, press play, then subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find the show. Support the show Loving Yeshua/Jesus, Loving people... Come as you are and you will be loved!  Feel free to check out our website by typing in lifearoundthefire.com or Life Around The Fire ... We think you'll find some beneficial stuff to look at and apply to your life.  Shalom to you and your home.

  4. Sep 18

    Clear The Windshield

    Send us Fan Mail Your life can be moving forward while your inner vision gets more and more blocked, like a windshield at dusk that keeps taking hits until you can barely see the road. That’s the picture we sit with as we talk about the sanctified imagination, not as make-believe, but as the inner “eyes of the heart” where God brings clarity, direction, and hope when the world is loud and chaotic. We pick up a thread we’ve been learning through Tracy Perez and his book The Old Way, then ground it in a straight biblical blueprint: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8) is not a distant promise, it’s a present reality. Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 1:18 names the issue directly: the heart has eyes, and the Holy Spirit can enlighten them. From Hebrews 11:27 to 2 Corinthians 4:18, we keep coming back to one idea: perseverance is often the fruit of clear spiritual perception. Then we bring it down to street level with two stories that make it hard to ignore. Brother Andrew faces a Cold War border with illegal Bibles and refuses to let panic coat his mind. Helen Keller reminds us that having sight is not the same as having vision. We close with practical application: confess what you already know is clouding you, ask God to cleanse you, and keep the “wipers” moving through daily prayer and the Word so your focus stays steady. If this strengthens you, subscribe, share it with a friend who’s discouraged, and leave a review so more people can find Life Around the Fire. Support the show Loving Yeshua/Jesus, Loving people... Come as you are and you will be loved!  Feel free to check out our website by typing in lifearoundthefire.com or Life Around The Fire ... We think you'll find some beneficial stuff to look at and apply to your life.  Shalom to you and your home.

  5. Sep 16

    Stop Doubling Down Trying To Be Good ... It's First And Foremost About Relationship With God And Then With One Another

    Send us Fan Mail Your biggest spiritual breakthroughs might be hiding inside your most annoying unfinished project. I’m rebuilding parts of our ministry from the ground up, from learning a digital audio workstation at 67 to setting up a communication center for podcasts, music recording, and video, and even moving our website away from a provider that made every step harder than it needed to be. What surprised me wasn’t the tech. It was what the pressure exposed in me: impatience, anger, and the kind of words that show up when nothing works. That’s where our real theme lands: persistence. Not the exhausting kind where you “double down” and everyone suffers, but the kind empowered by the grace of God. We talk about grace as more than kindness. Grace is power, God’s enablement to stay with the work while learning to carry righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. If you’ve been fighting burnout or discouragement, this is a different way to think about perseverance: yielding instead of striving, enduring without going numb, and letting hardship drive the junk out instead of driving you away. We also zoom out to what’s happening around Jacksonville, Florida and beyond, praying and making a spirit-led decree against spiritual exhaustion and dead religion. Then we anchor the whole message in Scripture on perseverance and endurance: 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, Romans 5:3-4, Philippians 4:13, and Galatians 6:9. Listen, share this with someone who’s tired of quitting, and if it helps you, subscribe and leave a review so more people can find Life Around the Fire. What are you trying not to give up on right now? Support the show Loving Yeshua/Jesus, Loving people... Come as you are and you will be loved!  Feel free to check out our website by typing in lifearoundthefire.com or Life Around The Fire ... We think you'll find some beneficial stuff to look at and apply to your life.  Shalom to you and your home.

  6. Sep 10

    Faith Grows When We Obey What We Hear

    Send us Fan Mail The words you speak are not just noise and one dream makes that impossible to ignore. We start with Hebrews 4:12 and the claim that the Word of God is alive, active, and sharp enough to cut through the tangled mix of thoughts, motives, fear, and desire that lives inside all of us. Then we share a striking 1980 dream where a declaration from the mouth becomes a double-edged sword and the forces that torment the world suddenly look small compared to the authority of God’s Word and the reality of Jesus Christ as the living Word. From there, we go straight into the topic many believers have a complicated relationship with: faith. Hebrews 11:6 sets the foundation, not as religious pressure, but as a clear invitation to trust a real God who rewards those who seek Him. We talk honestly about how “faith” can get distorted by out-of-balance teaching, and how the Holy Spirit restores the true nature of faith through revelation. Along the way we lean on key Bible passages like Romans 10:17, Matthew 21:22, and Hebrews 11:1 to explain how faith comes by hearing, how faith differs from hope, and what it means to walk by faith when you cannot see the outcome yet. We also connect faith to grace and identity. Ephesians 2:8–9 reminds us that salvation is a gift, not a trophy, and even the seed of faith is something God plants in us. Obedience becomes the pathway where faith grows, relationship replaces religion, and trust (Proverbs 3:5–6) learns to move before full understanding shows up. We close with prayer and a request for support for ministry work in the Jacksonville, Florida area and upcoming dates in Callahan. Subscribe, share this with someone who needs steady faith, and leave a review telling us what part challenged you most. Support the show Loving Yeshua/Jesus, Loving people... Come as you are and you will be loved!  Feel free to check out our website by typing in lifearoundthefire.com or Life Around The Fire ... We think you'll find some beneficial stuff to look at and apply to your life.  Shalom to you and your home.

  7. Sep 3

    What If Unity Requires Repentance

    Send us Fan Mail We share why the podcast has been quiet lately while we build a digital audio workstation, then we turn to what’s been burning in our hearts: Spirit-led unity in the body of Christ. We walk through new birth, repentance, and 1 Corinthians 12 to remind each of us that we’re equal in value, different in function, and stronger together when God shifts our roles. • building a DAW behind the scenes and asking for patience • unity in the body of Christ as a work of the Holy Spirit • moving from religion and self-effort to being born again • repentance as turning toward God because His kingdom is at hand • 1 Corinthians 12 and the truth that many parts form one body • honoring hidden parts of the church like prayer and quiet service • resisting isolation and learning real connection in smaller settings • embracing transitions and role reversals with humility and trust • closing prayer for God’s presence, protection, and guidance And if you have any thoughts, questions, concerns, please feel free to drop us a line at LifeRoundTheFire at gmail.com. That’s our email address, or type in Life Around the Fire and look us up on the web. And also pray for me while I’m doing this DAW work so that it will be something achieved with excellence. Support the show Loving Yeshua/Jesus, Loving people... Come as you are and you will be loved!  Feel free to check out our website by typing in lifearoundthefire.com or Life Around The Fire ... We think you'll find some beneficial stuff to look at and apply to your life.  Shalom to you and your home.

  8. Aug 25

    October Gatherings Near Jacksonville And Why We’re Praying Big

    Send us Fan Mail Something is building in Northeast Florida, and we can feel the urgency of it. As Sukkot 2026 comes to a close, we’re joining with friends to host gatherings October 2 through 4, then leaning straight into a tent revival in McClenny from October 5 through 10. We’re asking listeners to pray with us for an outpouring of God not only worldwide, but specifically across a 250-mile radius around Jacksonville. We talk about why we believe this moment matters, and why steady prayer, fasting, and “seeding the cloud” is not hype, it’s preparation. We also share what’s encouraging us right now: a hundred nights of worship in the Orange Park area and a growing sense of unity across the body of Christ. Even places that have felt spiritually dry or overlooked are being touched again, reminding us that God can make the desert bloom. This isn’t about chasing a vibe. It’s about becoming holy, humble, and ready to minister when God’s presence shows up with weight and clarity. Then we pivot into a practical, Bible-based conversation on speaking in tongues and spiritual gifts, using 1 Corinthians 14 as our anchor. We unpack why Paul emphasizes love and order, how the Corinth culture helps explain his warnings, and the difference between public ministry gifts that must edify others and private prayer that builds you up. We also share personal rhythms of extended prayer in the Spirit and why it can bring strength, focus, and renewed confidence in God. If this connects with you, listen all the way through, share it with a friend who’s hungry for more of God, and leave a review so more people can find the show. Support the show Loving Yeshua/Jesus, Loving people... Come as you are and you will be loved!  Feel free to check out our website by typing in lifearoundthefire.com or Life Around The Fire ... We think you'll find some beneficial stuff to look at and apply to your life.  Shalom to you and your home.

Ratings & Reviews

4
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

This podcast is dedicated to those wanting to experience a living and real relationship with God as well as growing together in love  for one another. We consider that to be a true sign of spiritual growth as we journey along The Way. If this is you then come along with us as we co-operate with God in what He is doing around the corner and around the world!