Hard truths can heal or harm depending on how we carry them. We take a clear-eyed look at abortion as sin while refusing to flatten people into labels, and we explore how Christians can hold conviction and compassion in the same hand without compromising either. With Pastors Bob Fleischmann and Jeff Samelson joining Christa Potratz, we ground the value of unborn life in Scripture, unpack why “abortion is murder” oversimplifies real circumstances, and consider degrees of culpability—from abortion providers and advocates to coerced decisions, misinformation, and fear.

Across the conversation, we trace the web of related sins often wrapped around abortion: idolatry that elevates career or convenience, pride and rebellion against God’s authority, despair and unbelief that forget God’s provision, and sexual sin that ignores His design. We also confront our own omissions as a community when we fail to defend the vulnerable or to offer practical support. Speaking truth matters, but truth delivered without love becomes noise. We talk about the difference between being technically right and relationally faithful, using the biblical call to “speak the truth in love” as a guide for tone, timing, and patience.

Then we get practical. What does mercy look like on the ground so that abortion becomes the least desired choice? We outline tangible steps: listening before lecturing, pairing law with gospel, building networks for housing, child care, counseling, and financial help, and being a church that walks the extra mile. Humility leads the way—none of us stands on higher ground, and all of us live by grace. If you’re ready to move beyond slogans toward a witness that changes minds and carries burdens, this conversation is for you.

If this resonates, subscribe and share the episode with a friend. Leave a review to help others find the show, and tell us how your community is pairing conviction with compassion.

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The ministry of Christian Life Resources promotes the sanctity of life and reaches hearts with the Gospel. We invite you to learn more about the work we're doing: https://christianliferesources.com/

We sit with Sheila Luck to hear how a 1975 abortion, years of silence, and a risky prayer to “be God’s employee” turned regret into purpose, writing, and open‑handed service. The talk invites churches and families to become safe places where honesty and healing take root.

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SHOW NOTES:
Sheila's website: https://www.sheilaluck.com/

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The ministry of Christian Life Resources promotes the sanctity of life and reaches hearts with the Gospel. We invite you to learn more about the work we're doing: https://christianliferesources.com/

In this month’s What’s Trending episode, we trace why fewer girls expect to marry while boys’ expectations hold steady, then turn to 2026 state abortion ballots, AI “grandma” simulations that risk warping grief, and new research on how physics shapes embryonic life. The throughline is formation: how tech, culture, and faith guide our choices and our care for neighbors.

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SHOW NOTES:
What’s Killing Marriage—Unmarriageable Men Or Liberal Women? (IFS)

Seven States Could Vote on Abortion in 2026

Using AI to Chat with Deceased Loved Ones: This latest iteration preserves the avatar of a loved one, keeping them a part of your life long after they are gone. It is met with the curiosity and criticism you would expect. (Source: https://tinyurl.com/24lqqbwv accessed 11-17-25)

The Miracle of a Forming Embryo: The article focuses on the codependent role of physics with genetics to explain some of the “how” and “why” we are formed the way we are. (Source: https://tinyurl.com/2xkabw2c accessed 11-18-25)

Regenerative Medicine and Finger Joints: The most common reference is the salamander and its ability to regrow a tail. Humans, however, can’t seem to regenerate much. New research into a protein called fibroblast growth factor (FGF) seems to hold some promise. (Source: https://tinyurl.com/2c3vkouv accessed 11-16-25)

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The ministry of Christian Life Resources promotes the sanctity of life and reaches hearts with the Gospel. We invite you to learn more about the work we're doing: https://christianliferesources.com/

Ever notice how easy it is to defend yourself and how hard it is to say, “I was wrong”? From kitchen-table conflicts to headline-making controversies, we trace how self-justification sneaks into our words, our ethics, and even our prayers—and why real repentance is the only path to enjoy the forgiveness already won for us.

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The ministry of Christian Life Resources promotes the sanctity of life and reaches hearts with the Gospel. We invite you to learn more about the work we're doing: https://christianliferesources.com/

Enjoy this previously published episode. We will be back with a fresh new episode next week.

In this episode, Bob, Christa, and Jeff trace how the “spirit of Christmas” drifted from the incarnation to vague goodwill and why anchoring the season in Christ brings joy that endures grief, illness, and change. We share practical ways to teach the story, shape honest traditions, and keep Scripture central at home.

• Cultural sentiment versus the biblical message
• Why the incarnation offends and frees
• Angels’ announcement as the core of joy
• Traditions that teach across seasons and cultures
• Santa, honesty, and building trust with kids
• Advent habits that keep Christ central
• Grief, illness, and celebrating with real hope
• How secular frames distort life and family choices
• Recalibrating foundations beneath the festivities

Please consider subscribing to this podcast, giving us a review wherever you access it, and sharing it with friends
You can submit your questions as well as comments or suggestions for future episodes at lifechallenges.us or email us at podcast at Christian Life Resources.com
For more about our parent organization, please visit Christian Life Resources.com

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The ministry of Christian Life Resources promotes the sanctity of life and reaches hearts with the Gospel. We invite you to learn more about the work we're doing: https://christianliferesources.com/

The manger sits inside a story older and bigger than a single night in Bethlehem. When we remember that Jesus was born a Jew—son of David, heir to the covenants—we recover the full weight of Advent and see how God kept precise promises to bless the whole world through Israel. That memory does more than enrich Christmas; it clarifies our mission and confronts the casual prejudices shaping today’s conversations.

We walk through Scripture’s insistence on Jesus’ lineage and why it mattered for every prophecy, festival, and symbol culminating in the cross and empty tomb. From there, we trace the historical turn: a church that began as a Jewish movement, a devastated Jerusalem, a rapid Gentile majority, and the sad rise of anti‑Jewish attitudes in Europe. Along the way, we examine how bad teaching, selective preaching, and cultural fear fueled scapegoating, and how law‑and‑gospel preaching resists that drift. You’ll hear practical tests to separate political critique from hidden bias and a simple question that exposes team‑sports thinking masquerading as moral clarity.

Most of all, we center the Christian posture Paul modeled—sorrow for unbelief, honor for Israel’s gifts, and love that longs for salvation. That means real friendships, not isolation; bridges, not walls; and a mission mindset that treats every headline as a reminder of souls Christ died to save. Let this conversation upgrade your Advent: the Jewishness of Jesus is not trivia, it’s the thread that ties promise to fulfillment and invites us to carry good news to both Jew and Gentile.

If this resonates, subscribe, share the episode with a friend, and leave a review to help others find the show. Then tell us: where will you start building a bridge this week?

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The ministry of Christian Life Resources promotes the sanctity of life and reaches hearts with the Gospel. We invite you to learn more about the work we're doing: https://christianliferesources.com/

What if the most honest voices for Advent are also the most uncomfortable? We sit down with Pastor Jeff Samelson and Professor Emeritus Mark Braun to unpack what prophets actually did, why their words weren’t power plays or vague predictions, and how their message threads from Assyrian threats to a manger in Bethlehem. This is a journey through Isaiah, Micah, Jeremiah, and Hosea that reveals not trivia, but a pattern: short-term hardship, long-term joy, and a Messiah who stands at the center.

We start by redefining prophecy as God’s message delivered into real crises, not fortune telling. From Jeremiah’s lament to Elijah’s courage, the true prophet confronts kings rather than curries favor. Then we trace how messianic expectation formed over time—why many clung to visions of glory while tripping over a suffering servant—and how the New Testament guides our reading. Matthew names fulfillments overtly; Luke lets you see them unfold. Genealogies, far from filler, connect promises to a person and spotlight unlikely names like Tamar, Rahab, and “the wife of Uriah,” underlining grace at the root of Jesus’ story.

Along the way, we explore layered fulfillment: Bethlehem foretold amid looming invasion, “out of Egypt I called my son” filled full in Christ, and the way Jesus “relives” Israel’s journey to succeed where Israel failed. We also make room for the everyday reader. You can savor the beauty without mastering every context, and you can go deeper when ready. Above all, we keep returning to Micah’s gift: he will be their peace. Not the right program, not the perfect leader—Jesus himself. That promise meets divorce papers, hospital rooms, and quiet dread with something sturdier than sentiment: a Savior who came, who comes to us now, and who will come again.

If this conversation steadies your Advent, share it with someone who needs hope. Subscribe, leave a review to help others find the show, and tell us: which Old Testament promise gives you courage today?

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The ministry of Christian Life Resources promotes the sanctity of life and reaches hearts with the Gospel. We invite you to learn more about the work we're doing: https://christianliferesources.com/

Culture is racing toward comfort, control, and convenience—and the cost is showing up in our laws, our relationships, and our shared sense of right and wrong. We dive into Illinois’ move toward legalizing assisted suicide, the long-game strategy that normalizes it across states, and a striking proposal in Scotland to create buffer zones that silence dissent near places where assisted deaths occur. These developments aren’t just policy curiosities; they reveal what we believe about suffering, human dignity, and the role of the state in life and death.

We also unpack a headline-grabbing AI “wedding” and what it says about the allure of frictionless companionship. Real love requires patience, sacrifice, and forgiveness; AI romance offers a mirage of intimacy with none of the risk. When marriage is reduced to personal fulfillment, we lose a cross-cultural truth: marriage orients us beyond ourselves—toward mutual good, community, and often children. That loss echoes in other spaces too, from social isolation to declining birthrates, where technology fills the quiet but rarely heals the ache.

Threaded through the conversation is a deeper question: are moral claims just preferences, or do they point to something objectively true about people and purpose? We challenge the idea that the slippery slope is only a fallacy by tracking how premises around “choice” predictably expand policy boundaries. From a high-profile prisoner seeking access to legal suicide to the way dissent is policed, the logic keeps unfolding: if autonomy is everything, limits become arbitrary. We propose a better path—medicine that relieves pain without ending life, public spaces that protect compassionate speech, and relationships that favor depth over customization.

If this resonated, share it with a friend, subscribe for future episodes, and leave a review to help others find the show. Then tell us: where should society draw the line on autonomy, death, and the promises of AI?

SHOW NOTES:

1. Illinois Poised to Legalize Assisted Suicide: In a surprise move in the early hours of Friday morning (10-31-25), the Illinois State Senate quietly took up and passed a bill to legalize assisted suicide by a one-vote margin. SB 1950 came up on the floor after 2 am during a veto session, with Senators voting 30-27 (with two not voting). The House passed SB 1950 in the spring, so the bill now goes to Governor Pritzker. (Source: https://tinyurl.com/2d2urbr9 accessed 10-31-25)

2. Convicted would-be Trump assassin asks to be imprisoned in state that authorizes assisted suicide. (Source: thehill.com)

3. Japanese Woman Marries AI Partner: A woman in Japan broke off an established relationship with a real person in favor of an AI entity that “truly understands her.” (Source: https://tinyurl.com/2cnjwu3x accessed 11-13-25)

Support the show

The ministry of Christian Life Resources promotes the sanctity of life and reaches hearts with the Gospel. We invite you to learn more about the work we're doing: https://christianliferesources.com/