Two months ago, we talked about how habits form—and how repeated practices quietly shape the direction of our lives. When something becomes a habit, we stop deciding to do it. Our brain simply takes over and runs it on autopilot.

In this second episode of our ongoing series, One Practice That Can Change Your Life, we introduce Habit #2: Morning Watch—a simple but powerful practice of giving God your first attention at the start of the day.

The idea is straightforward: God before day. Word before phone.

Instead of beginning the morning with notifications, news, or noise, this habit invites you to spend the first fifteen minutes awake oriented toward God—His presence, His Word, and His love—before the demands of the day rush in.

In this episode, we talk through:

• Why the first moments of your day matter more than you think
  

• How habits form when practices are repeated with intention
  

• Why fifteen minutes is realistic—and already something we give to what matters
  

• How a “first watch” posture reshapes clarity, peace, and attentiveness to God
  

You’ll also hear a simple, repeatable rhythm for practicing Morning Watch:

• Setting your alarm slightly earlier
  

• Avoiding your phone at the start of the day
  

• Returning to the same seat, the same time, the same space
  

• Reading Scripture, journaling, praying, and inviting God into the coming day
  

Over time, this practice reduces guilt and shame around spiritual life, replaces pressure with expectancy, and trains both body and soul to begin the day grounded rather than reactive.

If practiced daily for 6–7 weeks (yes, you can take Saturdays off), Morning Watch can move from intentional effort to life-giving habit—one that quietly shapes how you think, pray, love, and move through the world.

We hit a milestone we honestly can’t believe: 200 episodes of the Encounter Grace Podcast.

For this special episode, Ben Hendrix returns to the studio (we found him… even after he tried to disappear to Greenland 😄) to look back on the unlikely origin story of this podcast—born out of the chaos of COVID, when “Daily Grace” turned into an experiment in staying connected in a disconnected season.

In this conversation, we talk about:

• How the show started, and why it kept going
  

• Why grace is not just a one-time event, but a daily reality for growth and sanctification
  

• The episodes that shaped the journey (theological triage, parenting, cognitive biases, and more)
  

• A look ahead at what’s next: Encounter Grace Ministries—with the podcast, the Center for Freedom & Flourishing, and new resources to serve the local church and beyond
  

If you’ve listened for years—or you’re brand new—this episode is a “behind the scenes + vision” conversation about why we’re here: helping Christians think clearly, and helping people encounter the Lord through the durable, beautiful, overflowing grace of God.

👍 Like, subscribe, and share with a friend who needs a weekly dose of thoughtful, practical, gospel-centered conversation.

#EncounterGrace

#ChristianPodcast

#FaithAndLife

#GraceMatters

#ChristianLiving

#ThinkingChristians

#ChristianYouTube

#FaithConversations

#LongFormPodcast

#PodcastCommunity

#ChristianCreators

Eschatology often gets reduced to charts, timelines, and debates about the end of the world—but that’s not why it matters.

In this episode of our Why This Matters series, we explore why your view of the future quietly shapes how you live today. While eschatology isn’t a first-order doctrine tied to salvation, it deeply influences how Christians read Scripture, engage culture, endure suffering, pursue mission, and live with hope.

We talk about why eschatology is a matter of doctrine and conviction rather than salvation, ask the deeper discipleship questions beneath the debate, and briefly walk through the four major eschatological views—historic premillennialism, dispensational premillennialism, amillennialism, and postmillennialism—not to argue for one, but to examine how each forms the believer.

Ultimately, this episode centers us on what all faithful Christians affirm: Jesus has defeated sin and death, Jesus reigns now, Jesus will return, and resurrection is our future.

Eschatology matters because the hope you believe in shapes the courage, faithfulness, and love you bring into the present.

#WhyThisMatters #Eschatology #ChristianHope #BiblicalTheology #FaithAndCulture #GospelConfidence #ChristianDiscipleship #LivingWithHope #JesusIsKing