What if the Jesus you need most is not a new Jesus, but the real Jesus reintroduced?

Pastor Damian Chandler returns in Episode 9 of The Uplift we call “Jesus: The Remix” - a message that does not change Jesus, soften Jesus, or reinvent Jesus, but invites us to see Him clearly again. Beyond cultural filters, religious assumptions, and incomplete versions of Christ, this episode brings the focus back to Jesus as Son of God, Savior, King, and the patient Redeemer still waiting for people to say yes.

Chandler opens with a sports story: the last second shot. As a Toronto Raptors fan, he walks listeners back to Kawhi Leonard's unforgettable Eastern Conference playoff shot against the Philadelphia 76ers - bounce, bounce, bounce, and in. The crowd remembers the game-winner, but not all the missed shots and missed opportunities that made the final shot necessary.

Then he turns to Luke 23 and the thief on the cross.

The thief, Chandler says, is a man who had missed opportunities. He had likely heard about Jesus' ministry. He may have known the stories of the sermons, the healings, the feeding of the 5,000, the blind receiving sight, and the lame walking again. He saw Jesus treated unjustly. He saw the crowd choose Barabbas. He heard the mocking. He knew Jesus was innocent. And still, his life had brought him to a cross.

But Chandler refuses to let the thief remain a distant Bible character. "This thief is me," he says. He names the ache so many people carry: the feeling that you missed your shot, squandered your chances, and no longer deserve another opportunity. Then he preaches the heart of the gospel: God is not only the God of the first chance. He is the God of the second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth chance.

From there, the message unfolds around three movements: the providence of God, the proximity of God, and the patience of God. Providence means Jesus was crucified on the same day as the thief because God was still reaching for him. Proximity means Jesus was placed in the middle, close enough for both thieves to hear His final sermon: "Father, forgive them." Patience means Jesus stayed on the cross long enough to hear one broken request: "Remember me."

And then comes the turn: Jesus' final words before death were spoken to a criminal who had missed his opportunities. Chandler says Jesus saved His final breath, final energy, and final words for a man who thought it was too late.

This episode is for anyone who thinks they have gone too far, waited too long, failed too many times, or missed too many chances. The Savior is waiting. Not because He has changed, but because He is exactly who Scripture says He is: close, patient, merciful, and ready to answer the prayer, "Remember me."

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The Uplift is a podcast from Breath of Life Fellowship in Stamford, CT.

Join us in person: 884 Newfield Avenue, Stamford, CT

Bible Study — Saturdays at 11:30am | Worship — Saturdays at 12:30pm

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Keywords: Jesus The Remix, Pastor Damian Chandler, thief on the cross, remember me, Luke 23, second chances, Jesus saves, providence of God, proximity of God, patience of God, Christian podcast, Breath of Life Fellowship, Stamford CT, gospel message, Jesus reintroduced, salvation, forgiveness, last second shot sermon, Kawhi Leonard sermon illustration, John 3:16, Christian hope, Jesus is waiting

What if ignoring your limits does not make you faithful - it just makes you tired?

In Episode 8 of The Uplift, Maxine sits down with wellness expert, life coach, personal trainer, and URNX CEO Helen Macey, along with Breath of Life Fellowship member, HR professional, fitness leader, and sports enthusiast Jean Joseph, for a practical and deeply honest conversation about self-care, stress, movement, boundaries, and what happens when full calendars become full-body exhaustion.

The episode begins with a reality many people are living in real time: booked schedules, constant demands, bodies quietly waving the white flag, and minds that keep pushing through because stopping feels selfish. But this conversation refuses the lie that self-care is indulgent. Self-care, Maxine frames it, is stewardship. It is learning to care for the mind, body, and soul as part of a faithful life.

Helen brings the conversation from theory into testimony. Today, self-care makes her feel eager - eager to begin the day with God, check in with her body, work out, and honestly assess how she is doing emotionally. But she is clear that it was not always that way. There was a season when self-care was a survival kit, something she reached for only at the edge of burnout. She names one of the quiet traps of serving others: sometimes giving can feel like it is filling you, while actually draining you. Her reminder is simple and sharp: even Jesus said to love your neighbor as yourself. The self cannot be skipped.

Jean adds another angle: self-care requires planning. As someone who likes to serve, show up, and be reliable, he names the pressure many people carry to be the person everyone can count on. He connects that pressure to family, work, HR, church, sports, and the "superhero" images that teach people to keep helping without stopping. His honesty makes the conversation feel grounded: sometimes self-care starts with admitting that no, or not now, may be the healthiest answer.

Together, the conversation moves through wake-up moments, guilt, preparation, community, burnout, spiritual honesty, and practical rhythms. Helen shares how stepping on a scale at 18 and seeing 210 became a turning point in her wellness journey. Jean reflects on sports, discipline, reliability, and the cost of trying to come through for everyone. They talk about the need for community, the danger of suffering in silence, and the importance of not depriving others of the chance to grow by always doing everything for them.

The most practical section may also be the most freeing: start small. One moment with God. One honest prayer. One walk. One push-up. One breath. Self-care is not about copying someone else's spiritual rhythm or fitness routine. It is about awareness, honesty, consistency, and learning to bring your real self - even your frustration, disappointment, or anger - into the presence of God.

This 44-minute episode is for anyone who feels stretched thin, overextended, irritable, burned out, responsible for everyone, or quietly disconnected from the things they used to enjoy. Self-care is not selfish. It is sacred. You are not a machine. You are God's masterpiece.

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The Uplift is a podcast from Breath of Life Fellowship in Stamford, CT.

Join us in person: 884 Newfield Avenue, Stamford, CT

Bible Study — Saturdays at 11:30am | Worship — Saturdays at 12:30pm

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Keywords: self-care, burnout, Christian wellness, faith and fitness, Helen Macey, Jean Joseph, Booked Busy and Broken Down, stress management, movement, exercise, boundaries, work-life balance, Breath of Life Fellowship, Stamford CT, Christian podcast, holistic well-being, mental health, spiritual health, physical health, self-care is sacred, URNX Now, church and wellness, Christian health conversation

What if one of the most spiritual things you could do this week is stop?

In Episode 7 of The Uplift, Pastor Crystal Ward delivers a clear, timely, and deeply practical proclamation on the concept of Sabbath, self-care, and the kind of rest our culture keeps training us to ignore. In a world that glorifies hustle, exhaustion, overthinking, and nonstop productivity, she makes the case that rest is not laziness, weakness, or escape. It is trust. It is obedience. And it may be one of the most revolutionary acts of faith available to us.

Crystal starts with a question that sounds simple until it gets personal: Are you practicing self-care? Not the kind built on occasional indulgence or emergency recovery, but the kind that creates sustainable rhythms of wholeness. Bubble baths, shopping sprees, and vacations may have their place, she says, but real self-care has to go deeper than temporary relief. It has to become a pattern.

Her answer is Sabbath.

Rooting her message in Genesis 2, Pastor Ward reminds listeners that God built rest into creation itself. Sabbath was not added as an afterthought once people burned out. It was there from the beginning. God blessed Sabbath, made it holy, and offered it as a rhythm for human flourishing. Not because He was tired, but because we would be.

From there, she breaks Sabbath care into three dimensions: physical rest, mental and emotional renewal, and spiritual reconnection. We are not machines, she says, and rest is not a reward reserved for people who finally finish everything. It is a necessity. Without it, we drift toward burnout, anxiety, cluttered thinking, and spiritual disconnection. With it, we recover clarity, peace, and room to hear from God again.

But one of the strongest turns in the message is her reframing of Sabbath itself. For many people, Sabbath has been reduced to a list of restrictions or rules. Pastor Ward pushes back hard on that idea. Sabbath, she says, is not about God limiting us. It is about God rescuing us from ourselves. It is not restriction. It is freedom. It is love. It is God pulling us off the hamster wheel long enough to remember that we are human beings, not human doings.

At just over 19 minutes, this episode is short, but it lands with unusual weight. It is for the listener who feels rushed, stretched thin, emotionally noisy, spiritually dry, or quietly exhausted from carrying too much for too long. If you have been treating rest like something you'll earn later, this message gently and firmly says: later may be too late.

Sabbath, in Pastor Ward's words, is not a luxury. It is a God-given rhythm of restoration. And if you let it, it can change your life.

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The Uplift is a podcast from Breath of Life Fellowship in Stamford, CT.

Join us in person: 884 Newfield Avenue, Stamford, CT

Bible Study — Saturdays at 11:30am | Worship — Saturdays at 12:30pm

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Keywords: Sabbath rest, Christian self-care, Crystal Ward, Rest Is the Revolution, burnout and faith, Sabbath as freedom, rest as resistance, spiritual renewal, holistic well-being, Christian podcast, Breath of Life Fellowship, Stamford CT, emotional renewal, physical rest, spiritual reconnection, trust God with your rest, Sabbath sermon, rest is not a luxury, biblical self-care, Sabbath message, Breath of Life