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.

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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

Spiritual growth was never meant to be a solo project.

In this episode of Encounter Grace, we explore why community matters for spiritual growth—and why so many believers feel stuck, tired, or disconnected when they try to grow alone. While personal disciplines like prayer and Scripture are essential, God designed transformation to happen in the context of relationships, not isolation.

Drawing from Scripture and insights aligned with the Life Model, we look at how the body of Christ provides the safety, encouragement, and accountability necessary for real growth. We’ll talk about why isolation often feels safer, how community actually fuels emotional and spiritual maturity, and what healthy, life-giving Christian community looks like in practice.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re doing all the “right things” but still feel stalled in your faith, this conversation may help you see what’s missing—and why it matters.

#WhyThisMatters #ChristianCommunity #SpiritualGrowth #FaithAndLife #BodyOfChrist #RelationalFaith #EncounterGrace

So many parents are quietly exhausted—not because they don’t care, but because they’re trying to be perfect.

In this episode of Encounter Grace, Justin sits down with Susan McKnight to talk about why perfection was never God’s requirement for parenting—and why grace, not performance, is what actually forms healthy kids.

Drawing from Paul David Tripp’s teaching on God’s present grace, Susan helps us reframe parenting as something that happens between the cross and eternity. We explore why God calls unable people to parent, how our weaknesses become invitations to depend on Him, and why parenting is as much about God’s work in us as it is His work in our children.

This conversation is honest, pastoral, and deeply freeing for any parent who has ever felt like they’re failing.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why healthy kids don’t need perfect parents
  

• What “present grace” looks like in everyday parenting
  

• How God uses parenting to expose—and heal—our hearts
  

• Why confession and humility are gifts to our children
  

• The difference between grace-filled parenting and permissiveness
  

If you’re a tired parent, a young family just getting started, or a leader walking with others through the challenges of parenting, this episode offers hope, clarity, and a reminder that God’s grace is not just for salvation—it’s for today.

#ChristianParenting #ParentingWithGrace #GospelCenteredParenting #EncounterGrace #FaithAndFamily #ImperfectParents #HealthyFamilies

Why do the opening pages of the Bible matter so much—for our faith, our lives, and the world we’re trying to love well?In this episode, we introduce a new Encounter Grace segment, “Why This Matters,” where we slow down and revisit foundational truths that quietly shape everything else. And there’s no better place to start than Genesis 1–3—the introduction not only to Scripture, but to reality itself.We explore how these three chapters reveal who God is at the deepest level:Genesis 1 shows us God as Creator, declaring the goodness of the material world.Genesis 2 reveals God as King, calling His people into meaningful, culture-shaping work.Genesis 3 unveils God as Redeemer, displaying grace on the very day sin enters the story.Rather than treating Genesis as abstract theology or a battleground for debates, this episode asks a more personal and practical question: What was God revealing about Himself to His redeemed people—and what is He still revealing to us today?If you’ve ever wondered why creation, culture, work, embodiment, grace, and human dignity matter so much to Christian faith, this conversation will help you see Genesis 1–3 not as distant history, but as a living foundation that brings clarity, hope, and purpose to everyday life.Because when we truly encounter the God who is Creator, King, and Redeemer, it changes how we see the world—and how the world encounters grace through us.#Genesis #BiblicalTheology #ChristianWorldview #BibleStudy #EncounterGrace

We all want change—but most of us don’t know where to start. Big goals feel overwhelming, and trying to change everything at once usually leads to nothing changing at all.In this first episode of our new year-long series, 1 Habit to Change Your Life, we start with the foundation: how habits actually work—and why they quietly determine the shape and direction of your life.Drawing from everyday experience, brain science, and lived wisdom, we explore why your brain is constantly turning repeated actions into autopilot patterns—for better or for worse. Skills become habits. Reactions become habits. Even distractions become habits. And once a habit forms, it begins to lead you.The key insight of this episode is simple but powerful: with focus and intentionality, you can choose which practices your brain turns into habits—and therefore which outcomes your life moves toward.You’ll learn:Why habits conserve mental energy and shape long-term directionHow repeated practices physically change the brain over timeWhy lasting change happens by degrees, not overnightA realistic rhythm for building habits without burnout or overwhelmThen we introduce Habit #1 in the series:Deep Breathing Throughout the DayThis practice may seem small, but it has outsized impact. When emotions rise, the first thing to go is oxygen to the brain. Learning to pause and breathe creates space to think, respond, and choose wisely—rather than react and regret.You’ll be guided through:A simple, repeatable breathing patternWhen to practice it during the dayWhy it calms the body and steadies the mindHow to build it into your daily rhythm until it becomes second natureOur invitation is straightforward:Choose one intentional practice. Do it daily for 40–50 days. Let it become habit. Then build the next one.Over time, small practices compound into meaningful, lasting life change—the kind God often invites us into.#OneHabitToChangeYourLife #ChristianPodcast #SpiritualFormation #HabitFormation #EncounterGracePodcast

In this episode of Encounter Grace, Jason sits down with Dr. Matthew Bingham to explore his deeply insightful book, A Heart Aflame for God: A Reformed Approach to Spiritual Formation. Together they unpack the biblical idea of “heart-keeping,” the difference between spiritual formation and sanctification, and why the Puritans still offer such a practical, refreshing vision of everyday discipleship.

Dr. Bingham walks through the classic Reformation pattern of Scripture → Meditation → Prayer, then shows how this rhythm naturally extends into self-examination, the natural world, and Christian relationships. This conversation helps demystify spiritual formation and invites believers into long, steady growth in Christ that engages both the mind and the heart.

Whether you're a pastor, small group leader, or simply hungry for a deeper walk with Jesus, this episode will encourage you and give you a richer framework for daily communion with God.

👉 Get Dr. Bingham’s book here:https://tinyurl.com/heartaflame#SpiritualFormation

#Puritans #ChristianGrowth #MatthewBingham #HeartAflameForGod #SpiritualDiscipline #ChristianLife #ReformedTheology #BibleMeditation #ScriptureAndPrayer #ChristianPodcast #DiscipleshipJourney