We all have things in our lives we've never stopped to question — they just became part of the routine without us ever deciding they would. But then there are the other things. The things we know about. The things we took with us on purpose and buried where nobody can find them. In Genesis 31, one verse stopped Chad cold. Rachel stole her father's household idols, hid them under her camel saddle, and lied about having them. She left Laban's house — but she didn't leave empty handed. The question is: what are you carrying out of your last season? And are you brave enough to look at it?

• How things enter your life through a side door.
• Laban's household idols, sitting out in the open, familiar, unquestioned, and what that looks like in your life today
• Rachel's moment, stealing, hiding, lying, and the difference between what we don't notice and what we refuse to admit
• The phone as both: the thing that's always around AND the camel bag we reach for when we're avoiding something deeper
• Chad's honest confession about choosing the scroll over the Word and what it means to force time with God instead of choose it
• The question that won't let go: are you choosing God or forcing God?
• Why hiding something from the people around you is one thing but you were never hiding it from God

"Are you choosing God or are you forcing God? And do you even know the difference anymore?"

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A weekly podcast where we explore God's Word together, one chapter at a time. Every Monday, join me as I share what stood out to me in Scripture and challenge you to discover what stands out to you. It's about going deeper with God in authentic community—heel, toe, heel, toe, one step at a time.

Episode Description:

We all start something with a reason. A passion. A purpose. But life gets busy, things shift, and somewhere along the way we stop asking why. In Genesis 30, Rachel and Leah are deep in a rivalry that started over love — and has quietly turned into something they probably don't even recognize anymore. Chad digs into one of the strangest and most overlooked moments in the story to ask a question we all need to sit with: have you lost your why?

• Why kids ask "why" — and why we stop
• The slow drift that happens when we forget what we are really fighting for
• The mandrake exchange — one of the most transactional and heartbreaking moments in Genesis
• How Rachel, Leah, and even Jacob all lost their why without realizing it
• The greatest why in history — and why His never changed even when yours did
• A challenge to go find your why again — or discover a brand new one

"It is never a big obvious sign sitting in front of you saying 'ask yourself why.' It just slowly shifts day by day until one day you look up and you are trading mandrakes for something you used to hold sacred."

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• Website: https://leaving-the-kids-table.captivate.fm/

A weekly podcast where we explore God's Word together, one chapter at a time. Every Monday, join me as I share what stood out to me in Scripture and challenge you to discover what stands out to you. It's about going deeper with God in authentic community—heel, toe, heel, toe, one step at a time.

Ever felt invisible? Like you're just taking up space while everyone else gets noticed? In Genesis 29 there's a woman named Leah who knows that feeling better than most — and what God does about it will change how you see yourself.

• The "orange dress moment" — what love at first sight has to do with your relationship with God
• Jacob and Rachel's story and how Leah gets lost in the middle of it
• Why God stepping in for Leah reveals one of His most important traits
• The meaning behind each of Leah's four sons' names and the quiet shift that happens by the fourth
• A personal challenge to stop chasing the world's attention and start praising the God who already sees you

"God had His own orange dress moment when He first saw you. And unlike me, He didn't fumble."

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• Submit a prayer request or Tell us what stood out to YOU at https://leaving-the-kids-table.captivate.fm/

• Website: https://leaving-the-kids-table.captivate.fm/

A weekly podcast where we explore God's Word together, one chapter at a time. Every Monday, join me as I share what stood out to me in Scripture and challenge you to discover what stands out to you. It's about going deeper with God in authentic community—heel, toe, heel, toe, one step at a time.

Episode Description: Isaac didn't just give Jacob travel advice—he spoke God's covenant promises over him before he left. That same night, God confirmed those exact words in a dream. What if the blessings we speak over people prepare them to hear God when He speaks? Chad wrestles with realizing he's lost the art of speaking life, not just promising to pray.

• Why Isaac's blessing over Jacob caught Chad's attention in a way the dramatic dream didn't
• The difference between saying "I'll pray for you" and actually speaking God's words over someone in the moment
• How a guest speaker's words over teenage Chad still anchor him today—even though he can't remember why he went forward for prayer
• The pattern in Genesis 28: Isaac spoke blessing, God confirmed it, Jacob responded
• What Chad is doing to memorize Scripture so he can speak life when the moment comes
• A challenge to learn God's promises well enough to speak them over the people you encounter
• A blessing spoken over listeners from Genesis 28

"What if the blessings we speak over people prepare them to hear God when He speaks? What if our words—when they're rooted in Scripture, in God's promises—create an echo chamber for God's voice?"

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• Website: https://leaving-the-kids-table.captivate.fm/

A weekly podcast where we explore God's Word together, one chapter at a time. Every Monday, join me as I share what stood out to me in Scripture and challenge you to discover what stands out to you. It's about going deeper with God in authentic community—heel, toe, heel, toe, one step at a time.

Isaac got two chapters. Abraham got thirteen. Same covenant, same God, but vastly different stories. What do you do when you realize your life might never be the highlight-reel story you expected? In Genesis 27, Chad wrestles with wanting the Abraham story while living the Isaac life—and discovers that faithfulness doesn't require big moments to matter.

• Why Isaac's two-chapter life initially frustrated Chad—and what it revealed about his own expectations
• The tension between wanting to make a big difference for God and living a quiet, faithful life
• What "filler episodes" in TV shows teach us about the everyday moments we often overlook
• Chad's journey from expecting church ministry to twenty years in corporate work—and why the podcast isn't Plan B
• Why there's no such thing as a filler life in God's kingdom
• The question that changes everything: Will it be enough to know you did exactly what God asked you to do?

"There is no such thing as a filler life in God's kingdom. There's hidden obedience. There's quiet faithfulness. There's everyday consistency. But none of it is wasted."

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• Submit a prayer request or Tell us what stood out to YOU at https://leaving-the-kids-table.captivate.fm/

• Website: https://leaving-the-kids-table.captivate.fm/

A weekly podcast where we explore God's Word together, one chapter at a time. Every Monday, join me as I share what stood out to me in Scripture and challenge you to discover what stands out to you. It's about going deeper with God in authentic community—heel, toe, heel, toe, one step at a time.

What if the fear you're hiding behind is the only thing keeping you from the life God has for you? Isaac's journey in Genesis 26 is about more than just a lie—it's about freedom, growth, and finding the room God has uniquely for you. From hiding behind fear to building on his father's wells to finally finding Rehoboth, Isaac's story shows us what it means to keep building, keep growing, and keep working until we step into the space God has called us to. And even then? We don't stop. This is about finding your Rehoboth and keeping going.

1. The fear of not being good enough and how it keeps us from being fully ourselves
2. Why lying out of fear prevents you from living authentically (even when you're still "busy")
3. The power of confrontation: Isaac's choice between another lie or the truth
4. How freedom from hiding opens the door for God to work
5. Building on what came before: why reopening your father's wells isn't wrong
6. Esek (dispute) and Sitnah (opposition): what conflict at the old wells reveals
7. Rehoboth (room): finding the unique space God has for your calling
8. Why Rehoboth is a milestone, not a destination
9. The ongoing call to keep building, keep growing, keep working, keep being you

"Keep building. Keep growing. Keep working. Until you find your Rehoboth. And when you do? Remember—Rehoboth is where God is calling you to, but it's not your ending destination. Keep building. Keep growing. Keep working. Keep being you."

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• Submit a prayer request or Tell us what stood out to YOU at https://leaving-the-kids-table.captivate.fm/

• Website: https://leaving-the-kids-table.captivate.fm/

A weekly podcast where we explore God's Word together, one chapter at a time. Every Monday, join me as I share what stood out to me in Scripture and challenge you to discover what stands out to you. It's about going deeper with God in authentic community—heel, toe, heel, toe, one step at a time.

Seven years. Three jobs. Everything I had. I poured it all into building something I thought I'd do for the rest of my life. And then I was asked to step down. Someone else stepped in and got to watch the church thrive. For 10 years I asked "What if..." until I finally understood what God was doing. In Genesis 25, Abraham takes another wife after Sarah dies—and Sarah's story became a mirror for mine. This is about what happens when you give everything and someone else enjoys the fruit. And what God might be teaching you in the waiting.

1. Abraham remarries after Sarah's death and has more sons
2. Sarah's story: she did the work but didn't see the fullness of God's promises
3. My story: 7 years as a Media Director, the sacrifices, and being asked to step down
4. "That church took another Chad" - watching someone else thrive in your role
5. The 10 years of "What if..." and what God was doing in the wrestling
6. Why God might remove you from what you built your identity on
7. Chasing God vs. being fed by others at the kid's table
8. What are you building your faith on?

"It took 10 years of wrestling with 'What if...' to realize God wanted me to stop depending on others to feed my faith and start chasing Him myself."

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• Submit a prayer request or Tell us what stood out to YOU at https://leaving-the-kids-table.captivate.fm/

• Website: https://leaving-the-kids-table.captivate.fm/

A weekly podcast where we explore God's Word together, one chapter at a time. Every Monday, join me as I share what stood out to me in Scripture and challenge you to discover what stands out to you. It's about going deeper with God in authentic community—heel, toe, heel, toe, one step at a time.

You pray. You make your lists. You look at every option. And you still feel like you're guessing. What if I told you God might be answering prayers you haven't even prayed yet? In Genesis 24, Abraham's servant asks God for a sign—and before he finishes praying, the answer shows up. But here's the deeper truth: God had been preparing that answer for years. This episode will change how you think about asking God for direction.

1. The frustration of waiting for God's voice when facing big decisions
2. Abraham's servant, a prayer for a sign, and a specific request
3. "Before he had finished praying" - what this reveals about God's timing
4. How God prepared Rebekah's character years before the prayer was prayed
5. Are you praying for future decisions or just reacting when they arrive?
6. The question you need to answer: Are you praying?

"God knew what the servant would pray before he even prayed it. He set the answer in motion before the prayer began—actually, years before the prayer began. He knows your prayers too. He's already moving. The question is: are you praying?"

• Subscribe so you don't miss an episode
• Share this with someone ready to go deeper
• Submit a prayer request or Tell us what stood out to YOU at https://leaving-the-kids-table.captivate.fm/

• Website: https://leaving-the-kids-table.captivate.fm/

A weekly podcast where we explore God's Word together, one chapter at a time. Every Monday, join me as I share what stood out to me in Scripture and challenge you to discover what stands out to you. It's about going deeper with God in authentic community—heel, toe, heel, toe, one step at a time.