Sandbek Ministries hosts a radio program aired on several radio stations. This unique broadcast marries Barbara's music with a meaningful message geared to enhance your personal walk with the Lord. Through the use of music, Scripture, poetry and illustrations, Barbara shares Godly principles that can be used to help in living a successful Christian life. This outreach was birthed because of an increasing demand for the material presented in her concerts.
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Episodes
Browse our complete library of GraceNotes episodes below. Use the search bar to find episodes by title, topic, or keyword, or filter by series using the dropdown. You can also adjust how many episodes appear per page.
P101 Intimacy with God: No Intimacy Without Knowledge
Barbara opens her series on Intimacy with God by asking a deceptively simple question: do you really want to know God? Drawing on J. Oswald Sanders and 1 Corinthians 2:14, she argues that our capacity to know God is limited only by our desire to seek Him — a desire that comes not naturally but supernaturally, through the wooing of the Holy Spirit. She traces how God reveals Himself first through creation (Romans 1:20) and then through His Word made flesh in Jesus Christ, illustrating each point with personal stories from her own courtship and family life. Featuring 'To Know Him Is to Love Him' and 'Out of His Great Love.'
P102 Intimacy with God: God Meets Us at Our Level
Continuing her series, Barbara explores how God condescends to our human experience by depicting Himself through hands, eyes, ears, and arms we can understand. She shares moving personal stories — a young woman whose father left when she was a toddler finding a Father in Jesus, a widowed mother feeling God's arms around her in grief, and her own moment of insecurity in which God reminded her, 'You are precious in my sight' — to show that God watches each believer with the attentiveness of a mother listening for her child in the night. The episode closes with a meditation on Psalm 139 and the truth that every believer is the apple of God's eye. Featuring 'I've Never Been Out of His Care' and 'Apple of His Eye.'
P103 Intimacy with God: What God Expects from Us
Barbara turns to the question of accountability — what God asks of us in response to His love. Grounding her message in Romans 3:23, 5:8, and John 3:16, she explains that while God does all the initiating through Christ's sacrificial grace, intimacy begins the moment we accept His gift of salvation, which must be received like a Christmas present to truly be ours. She invites listeners who sense the Holy Spirit speaking to pray a prayer of commitment, promising that those who do will receive forgiveness, power, and a personalized plan from God. Featuring 'Grace Stepped Forth' and the original song 'God's Rose.'
P104 Intimacy with God: Building an Intimate Relationship
Using the story of Mary and Martha as her central illustration, Barbara teaches that building intimacy with God requires the same concentrated, unhurried attention she and her husband Dale poured into hours of phone conversations during their courtship. She reads her own poem 'Too Busy, Lord' — a candid confession about the temptation to let productivity crowd out prayer — and recalls how Susanna Wesley, mother of nineteen, still found five minutes of uninterrupted time with God by pulling her apron over her head. The message is both a gentle challenge and a warm invitation to stop and seek God the way Mary did, sitting quietly at His feet. Featuring 'Consider the Lilies' and 'In the Garden.'
P105 Intimacy with God: Do What It Takes
Barbara challenges listeners to do whatever it takes to cultivate their walk with God, rooting her message in Psalm 34:8's invitation to 'taste and see' — the two senses that require real commitment and leave a permanent impression. She draws a vivid parallel to her own marriage, describing how a surprise weekend getaway planned by her husband rekindled a relationship that had quietly drifted, and connects it to a missionary friend's letter affirming that God's love never changes based on our performance. The episode closes with Barbara's original song 'Stop the Clock,' a tender portrait of a father who longs to recapture lost closeness with his son — and of God who feels the same toward us. Featuring 'Jesus Lord to Me' and 'Stop the Clock.'
P106 Intimacy with God: The Unforgiveness Barrier
In one of the most personal episodes of the series, Barbara shares her own decades-long journey toward forgiving her emotionally distant father, tracing how unresolved hurt had created a silent barrier in her relationship with God that she couldn't identify for years. She reads her poem 'Feelings I Can't Feel' and recounts a miraculous deathbed moment — her stroke-silenced father suddenly speaking the words 'I'm proud of you' — as evidence that God knows exactly what we need and will provide it when we're willing to open our secret places to Him. The episode calls listeners to let Christ unlock the hidden rooms of their hearts so nothing stands between them and true intimacy with God. Featuring 'Create in Me a Clean Heart' and 'Secret Place.'
P107 Intimacy with God: Trust God's Heart
Barbara explores trust as a keystone of intimacy with God, turning to the book of Job to show that true faith worships the Overcomer rather than fixating on the outcome of a situation. She walks through desert experiences in Scripture — Jacob, Elijah, the children of Israel — and reflects on her own times of being seemingly set aside, including being reorganized out of a career position and reassigned to a background role in a singing group, only to discover that God was redirecting her toward the ministry He had always planned for her. Grounded in Romans 8:28–29 and Hebrews 12:7–11, the message assures listeners that discipline from God's hand always comes with comfort from that same hand. Featuring 'Keep Your Eyes Upon the Cross' and 'Trust His Heart.'
P108 Intimacy with God: Intimacy Demands Respect
Barbara addresses one of the most overlooked barriers to closeness with God — the erosion of reverence — arguing that while God invites us to call Him 'Abba Father,' He is still the Almighty who holds the dust of the earth in a basket and sits enthroned above the circle of the earth. Drawing on Isaiah 40 and the prophet Isaiah's own undoing in the presence of the living God, she challenges a culture that treats God like a vending machine and calls for worship that costs something: genuinely ascribing worth to God for who He is, not merely for what He has done. She closes with a song she uses before every concert to center her own heart on God's greatness. Featuring 'I Lift My Hands' and 'I Lift My Song.'
P109 Intimacy with God: Intimacy by Identification
Barbara explores how Christ's own suffering makes Him not merely sympathetic but genuinely empathetic — able to feel what we feel because He went through it first. Hebrews 2:17–18 and 4:15–16 form the scriptural backbone as she explains the difference between mercy (which takes us out of a situation) and grace (which takes us through it), illustrating the latter with a luminous meditation on Psalm 23 in which she pictures the Lord setting a table of spiritual fruit beside a hospital patient surrounded by the enemy of sickness. She also shares how a picture called 'The Consultation' — depicting Jesus at the bedside of a dying man — shaped her experience visiting her own father during his final hospitalization. Featuring 'Every Need Supplied' and 'The Savior Who Weeps.'
P110 Intimacy with God: Reciprocal Love
In the series finale, Barbara asks how we can truly show God we love Him, working through 1 Corinthians 13, John 14:15, and the story of Jesus restoring Peter after his three denials to arrive at a four-part answer: faith, trust, holiness, and service. She challenges listeners to examine not just what they do for God but why, noting that the bride of Christ is called to keep herself pure, to surrender in service to others, and to woo people to God through love the way God first wooed us. The episode ends with a vision of heaven where all that is presently known only by faith will be seen face to face. Featuring 'To Know Him Is to Love Him' and 'We Shall See Him as He Is.'
P202 Heaven: Part 1 — What It Isn't
The Sandbek family gathers around the microphone for a lively roundtable conversation imagining what heaven will be like — no alarm clocks, no taxes, no pain, chocolate and Blue Channel crabs in the crystal sea — before Barbara steers the discussion toward what Scripture actually promises. She walks through John 14:1–3, Revelation 21:1–2, and 1 Corinthians 13:12 to show that heaven is above all the dwelling of God with His people, a place where sin, sorrow, and separation are permanently ended and where believers will see Christ's glory face to face. The episode closes with an invitation to receive the gift of salvation as the only way to enter that hope. Featuring 'Making Plans' and 'What a Day That Will Be.'
P203 Heaven: Part 2
Part two of the Heaven series turns to what happens at the moment of death, examining Jesus' promise to the thief on the cross, the angels who carried Lazarus to Abraham's bosom, and the resurrection body believers will receive when Christ returns. Barbara recounts the final days of her godly father-in-law, who sat up, pointed to the sky, and said 'Jesus' — a picture of the grace God gives the dying — and then shares the poem 'No Scars in Glory,' written for the memorial service of a twenty-six-year-old man who had been in a coma for five months. Drawing on 1 Thessalonians 4:14–16, she affirms that death for the believer is not a permanent parting but a planned pause, and that our journey to heaven is complete when soul and body are reunited on the day of resurrection. Featuring 'Come Morning' and 'Look Up, We're Going Home.'
P204 The Christmas Story: The Season to Be Busy?
Barbara opens her Christmas series by contrasting the frantic busyness of the holiday season with the true meaning of Christ's birth, urging believers to use December as a prime opportunity to share the Gospel rather than get swept away in decorating and obligations. She introduces the key players who made the Christmas story possible — the prophet Isaiah who foretold it 700 years in advance, the eccentric John the Baptist who prepared the way, and Elizabeth and Zechariah whose faithful and unlikely parenthood shows that no one is too old for God to use. A memorable summary of Jesus' life read from a Christmas card anchors the episode's call to keep the focus on 'the greatest man that ever lived.' Featuring 'Worship the Gift' and 'Hope Is Born.'
P205 The Christmas Story: What Did Mary Know?
Barbara turns the spotlight on Mary, a fourteen-year-old servant girl chosen to bear the Messiah, and on Joseph, the quiet behind-the-scenes man who married a pregnant woman at great personal cost to his reputation. She reads the nativity account from Luke 2, painting a vivid and un-romanticized picture of the actual birth — a ninety-mile donkey ride at full term, a cave stable fragrant with animals, swaddling bands that were also used to wrap the dead, and a manger feeding trough as the first bed for the Bread of Life. The episode invites listeners to ponder what Mary could and could not have known, and how God always gives us exactly the grace we need for the moment — no more, no less. Featuring 'Mary Did You Know' and 'Ten Thousand Joys.'
P206 The Christmas Story: Are Your Gifts Fit for a King?
Barbara reads the accounts of both the shepherds and the Magi from Scripture, showing that Jesus came to the lowly and the elite alike — both groups unlikely messengers who nevertheless told the story without shame. She then turns the lens on the gifts brought to the Christ-child: gold symbolizing deity, frankincense purity, and myrrh priesthood and death, each one costly and each one prophetic. Drawing on children at one of her concerts who offered Jesus joy, love, and simply 'me,' Barbara challenges listeners to give gifts that cost something — time at His feet, worship, thanksgiving — before closing with the backstory of 'Silent Night,' written in a single night by a young Austrian priest moved by the quiet of the mountains and the warmth of a poor woodcutter's home. Featuring 'It's Still the Greatest Story Ever Told' and 'Silent Night.'
P207 The Christmas Story: What Is Our Role?
In the finale of the Christmas series, Barbara brings the story full circle by asking listeners where they find themselves in the cast of characters: the praying prophet like Isaiah, the bold herald like John the Baptist, the faithful waiter like Elizabeth, the supportive servant like Joseph, or the willing deliverer like Mary. She makes clear that the Christmas story did not end in Bethlehem — God chose to use ordinary people to spread His Good News then, and He continues to do so now, making every believer a potential player in the sequel. The episode includes Barbara's poem 'Who Is Jesus to You?' and a call to receive the best gift of all: salvation. Featuring the 'Messiah Medley' and 'Best Gift of All.'
P211 The Battle's Not Yours, but God's: Part 1
Barbara opens a two-part series drawn from 2 Chronicles 19 and 20, showing how God used adversity to call the rebellious people of Judah back to Himself. Through the story of King Jehoshaphat, she explores how a right perspective — turning to God first when trouble strikes — transforms impossible situations into opportunities for faith. She shares personal testimony about surrendering idols of success and possessions, and how God's love provides the only true way to fellowship with Him. Featuring 'Out of His Great Love' and 'Thread of Hope.'
P212 The Battle's Not Yours, but God's: Part 2
In this concluding episode, Barbara returns to 2 Chronicles 19 and 20 to reveal how King Jehoshaphat's prayer — mirroring the very structure of the Lord's Prayer — models how Believers should seek God in their time of need. She unpacks the Lord's stunning command to 'stand firm and see the deliverance,' showing that complete trust, praise before victory, and obedience lead to blessings beyond what we could imagine. The episode closes with the promise that one day Believers will share in a victory they never had to fight for. Featuring 'I Will Rejoice' and 'What a Day That Will Be.'
P214 Revival in the Land: Part 1
Barbara launches a multi-part series on the life of King Hezekiah, one of Judah's most godly rulers, examining the conditions that made revival necessary and the first steps he took to bring it about. She draws a pointed parallel between the spiritual decline of ancient Judah — idol worship, shuttered temples, and abandoned faith — and the state of modern America, calling Believers to acknowledge their need for God and resolve to make Jesus Lord. The episode emphasizes that revival always starts with one person and one contrite heart. Featuring 'Rock of Faith' and 'Create in Me.'
P215 Revival in the Land: Part 2
Continuing from 2 Chronicles 29, Barbara focuses on the purification process the Levites completed in Hezekiah's day and what it means for Believers to cleanse their own spiritual temple today. She explains that before any revival can begin, the 'junk' in our lives — habits, obsessions, and temptations — must be thoroughly removed, not merely hidden. The episode presents the blood of Christ as the permanent, once-for-all sacrifice that makes ongoing cleansing and spiritual revival possible through simple confession. Featuring 'Touch of the Masters Hand' and 'When I Knelt.'
P216 Revival in the Land: Part 3
Barbara explores what it means to be set above, set apart, set aside, and set before God — four dimensions of consecration that mirror what God commanded the priests and Levites in Hezekiah's day. Drawing on Ephesians 2, 1 Peter 2, and Psalm 24, she argues that glorifying God is not just our calling but our very destiny, and that ministering to God through worship must precede effective ministry to others. A poem Barbara wrote about the thousand tongues she wishes she had to praise God leads into a beautiful song of adoration. Featuring 'Come Fill This Place' and 'O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing.'
P217 Revival in the Land: Part 4
With the temple purified and the people prepared, Barbara turns to the mechanics of corporate worship as modeled in 2 Chronicles 29, asking whether today's church needs a lesson on how to worship God acceptably. She outlines five prerequisites — proper place, pure heart, right posture, active participation, and thankfulness — and warns that worship entered lightly or driven by the wrong spirit falls short of what God commands. The episode closes with a call to complete surrender, the burnt offering of a willing heart. Featuring 'We Will Glorify' and 'My Lips Will Praise You.'
P218 Revival in the Land: Part 5
Barbara continues unpacking what God considers true worship, picking up at the moment the Israelites began singing to the Lord as their burnt offerings were made. She explores the difference between praise and worship, the role of music as a vehicle — not a destination — and what it means to 'make music in your heart' as a harmonious union of our will with God's. Rooted in Ephesians 5, Psalms 27 and 108, and Revelation 6, the episode invites listeners to worship spontaneously and sacrificially, for all the glory belongs to God alone. Featuring 'Sing to the Lord' and 'All the Glory.'
P219 Revival in the Land: Part 6
Barbara concludes the Revival in the Land series by identifying the unmistakable signs that genuine revival had taken hold in Judah — open hearts, willing offerings, obedient worship, unity, overflowing joy, and a contagious concern for others. Drawing on 2 Chronicles 30, Malachi 3, and Hebrews 10, she argues that revival need not be reserved for orchestrated events; rather, it can and should happen daily as we confess sin, feed on the Word, and drink of Christ's living water. She closes with the stirring conviction that revival can begin with one person — and that person could be you. Featuring 'Shout to the Lord' and 'God's Gonna Send Revival.'
P223 Psalm 23: Our Provider
Barbara begins an in-depth journey through Psalm 23, opening with the question of why we so often reserve this beloved psalm for times of trouble rather than celebrating it in everyday life. She unpacks the sheep-and-shepherd metaphor from Isaiah 53 and John 10, showing why God's comparison of us to willful, wandering sheep is startlingly accurate, and how Jesus as the Good Shepherd — Gate, Guide, and Provider — replaces the forbidden fruit we keep reaching for with satisfying delicacies that only He can offer. A note from a child at one of Barbara's concerts — 'Let the Lord bless you' — becomes the episode's unexpected punchline and its deepest truth. Featuring 'Savior Like a Shepherd' and 'Shepherd of My Heart.'
P224 Psalm 23: He Maketh Me to Lie Down in Green Pastures
Barbara explores one of our deepest needs — the need to rest — through the lens of Psalm 23:2, where the Shepherd 'makes' His sheep lie down in green pastures. Using the picture of a stubborn child who refuses a nap and the ancient practice of shepherds cooling their flocks in shaded meadows before allowing them to drink, she shows that God's forced rest is an act of love, not inconvenience. Philippians 4:19 and John 6 ground the message: Jesus is the green pasture and living bread that satisfies every hunger no earthly oasis can fill. Featuring 'Every Need Supplied' and 'The Strength of the Lord.'
P225 Psalm 23: He Leadeth Me Beside Still Waters
Psalm 46:10's command to 'be still' feels nearly impossible in today's instant-everything world, and Barbara uses that tension to open a rich meditation on what it means to be led beside still waters. She contrasts the gentle persuasion of a shepherd who leads rather than drives with our instinct to 'walk' God on a leash like a runaway dog, and draws on John 4 and 7 to show that Jesus, the living water, is the only source that truly quenches the soul's thirst. A poem Barbara wrote about trusting 'the One who calls Himself I AM the Way' captures the episode's heart. Featuring 'Rest, the Lord Is Near' and 'Satisfied.'
P226 Psalm 23: He Restoreth My Soul
What does it actually mean for God to restore a soul? Barbara answers by defining the soul as our mind, will, and emotions, and tracing how sin severed humanity's union with God from the very beginning — and how Christ's obedience restores it. Using the extended metaphor of her mother meticulously restoring antique furniture, she walks through conviction, pruning, the soothing oil of the Holy Spirit, and the ongoing sanctification process that God uses to bring His people back to their original beauty. Romans 5, 1 Peter 2, and Philippians 1:6 anchor the message that Jesus, the Master Restorer, never leaves the work unfinished. Featuring 'Out of His Great Love' and 'You've Gotta Break to Mend.'
P227 Psalm 23: He Leadeth Me in the Paths of Righteousness
Barbara takes up three questions hidden in Psalm 23:3b — How does God lead us? What are the paths of righteousness? What does 'for His Name's sake' mean? — and answers each with the precision of someone who has logged many miles on tour following imperfect directions. She shows that God reveals His will through the Holy Spirit and His Word, that His paths lead ultimately to the cross, and that taking on the name 'Christian' means our every choice either points others toward Christ or away from Him. God's protective 'blockades,' drawn from Psalm 139, are reframed as acts of love for both us and the family Name. Featuring 'Keep Your Eyes Upon the Cross' and 'Jesus Hold My Hand.'
P228 Psalm 23: He Leadeth Me in the Paths of Righteousness (Part 2)
Drawing a lively parallel between road travel and the spiritual life, Barbara extends the meditation on Psalm 23:3b into a practical guide to navigating God's paths — with speed limits, traffic lights, rest stops, yield signs, and irate drivers all standing in for the realities of following Christ. She reflects on the importance of keeping one's spiritual engine tuned through prayer, Bible reading, and confession, and on heeding God's 'Stop, Wait, and Go' signals at life's intersections. The paths of righteousness, she concludes, lead to streets of gold where the journey never ends in a breakdown. Featuring 'King of Who I Am' and 'Come Morning.'
P229 Psalm 23: Yea Though I Walk Through the Valley
Barbara meditates on the most sobering phrase in Psalm 23 — 'Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death' — noting that David shifts here from 'He' to 'Thou,' as if God becomes more personal the deeper the danger. She unpacks every word: the certainty of 'yea,' the unhurried pace of 'walk,' and the crucial distinction between a valley of death and the mere shadow of death, since Christ's resurrection has already drawn out death's sting. A vivid personal story of being bitten by dogs, resolved by praying 'Jesus, Jesus, help me,' gives the theology a human face. Featuring 'O Wondrous Love' and 'He Leadeth Me.'
P230 Psalm 23: Thy Rod and Thy Staff, They Comfort Me
Barbara explores the shepherd's two essential tools — the rod and the staff — and what their presence meant to sheep who rarely noticed the danger from which they were being protected. A true story of a father who lay across a tarp in a blizzard to shield his children with his own body illustrates how Christ did even more: dying for us while we were still His enemies. Drawing from John 10 and Psalm 91, Barbara shows that the rod's discipline and the staff's rescue are both rooted in the Shepherd's deep love, and that God permits only what is ultimately good for those who dwell in His shelter. Featuring 'I Lift My Hands' and 'Peace in the Valley.'
P231 Psalm 23: Thou Preparest a Table Before Me
Barbara explores the rich imagery of Psalm 23:5 — "Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies" — connecting the Old Testament custom of fellowship at a shared table to the ministry of Jesus Christ. Drawing on the showbread of the Temple and Jesus' declaration "I am the bread of life" in John 6:48, she paints a vivid picture of Christ as the gracious host who defeated every enemy through his resurrection. A moving hospital visit illustrates how God spreads the fruit of the Spirit — love, joy, peace, patience, and more — as a feast to sustain believers through suffering. Featuring "Come Celebrate Jesus" and "You're My Best Friend."
P232 Psalm 23: Thou Anointest My Head With Oil
In this episode, Barbara unpacks the ancient custom of anointing honored guests with oil and relates it to the believer's anointing by the Holy Spirit, grounded in 2 Corinthians 1:21–22. She traces how olive oil — pressed, beaten, and crushed — parallels the suffering of Christ described in Isaiah 53, whose sacrifice makes the Spirit's healing and illuminating work possible for all who believe. The episode also examines how Old Testament kings and priests were anointed as "messiahs" and how Jesus fulfills every dimension of that role as the ultimate Anointed One. Featuring "You Are My All in All" and "The Alabaster Box."
P233 Psalm 23: Surely Goodness and Mercy Shall Follow Me
Barbara brings the Psalm 23 series to a stirring point by examining David's confident declaration that God's goodness and mercy would pursue him all his days. She digs into the Hebrew meaning of "follow" — which conveys the idea of actively hunting down and blessing — and pairs it with James 1:17 and Romans 8:28 to show that every good gift, even in difficult seasons, traces back to God. The episode calls listeners to be "shepherd shadows," channels of God's goodness to others, echoing the gospel commission to spread the good news of Christ's death and resurrection. Featuring "Isn't the Love" and "Each One Reach One."
P234 Psalm 23: I Will Dwell in the House of the Lord Forever
Barbara concludes the Psalm 23 series with David's triumphant closing phrase, exploring what it means to "dwell" in God's presence as a permanent home rather than a temporary stop. She draws on Psalm 27:4, Ephesians 2:19–22, and John 14:1–2 to show that belonging to God's household means protection, acceptance, and the promise of an eternal dwelling prepared by Christ himself. Personal reflections on the comforts of home — and how those pale beside the security found in God's presence — give the message warmth and accessibility. Featuring "In the Presence of Jehovah" and "I'm Looking for Jesus."
P238 How to Enjoy Life: Part 1
This first installment of the "How to Enjoy Life" series opens with a disarming parable about a boy whose boyhood dreams God gently redirected toward something better, setting up Barbara's central question: what is true happiness? She argues from Romans 5:1–3 and Jeremiah 29:11 that lasting joy is not found in material prosperity but in knowing God's love through Jesus Christ, who justifies the believer and pours hope into the heart through the Holy Spirit. The episode also examines the warning of the rich fool in Luke 12, reminding listeners that treasures stored on earth are vulnerable, while treasures stored in heaven are eternal. Featuring "That's How Much I Love You" and "I'll Worship Only."
P239 How to Enjoy Life: Part 2
Part 2 of "How to Enjoy Life" examines two cautionary stories of wealth mismanaged: the prodigal son of Luke 15, who squandered his inheritance in riotous living before returning to his father's embrace, and King Solomon, who received unmatched wisdom and riches yet let his many foreign wives turn his heart from God. Barbara draws on 1 Kings 11, Proverbs 23:5, and 1 Timothy 6:17–19 to show that wealth without Godly wisdom becomes a destructive master rather than a helpful servant. The episode closes with the reminder that true life consists of seeking and serving the one true God. Featuring "Prodigal Son" and "Born to Serve."
P240 How to Enjoy Life: Part 3
Part 3 of the "How to Enjoy Life" series takes an unexpected turn into the sacred significance of names, exploring how God's name — Yahweh — is a representation of His entire character and deserves the same reverence Jesus commands in the Lord's Prayer. Barbara reflects on Philippians 2:9–11 and Acts 4:12 to show that the name of Jesus carries authority for salvation, instruction, protection, and answered prayer for all who call upon it. She makes the practical point that believers often misuse God's name not through profanity but through neglect — failing to bring everything to Him in prayer. Featuring "How Majestic Is Your Name" and "Call on Jesus."
P241 How to Enjoy Life: Part 4
A lighthearted radio drama about skipping church for a computer show, a ball game, and a flea market sets the stage for Barbara's serious discussion of Sabbath rest in Part 4 of "How to Enjoy Life." She traces the command to remember the Sabbath from Exodus 20 through Deuteronomy 5, showing that for New Testament believers it is not a legal obligation but an invitation to step back, remember God's redemption from sin, and refresh themselves for continued service. The episode describes how keeping a holy day of rest builds gratitude, motivation, testimony, and spiritual growth — the very ingredients of an enjoyable life. Featuring "The Potter's Hand."
P242 How to Enjoy Life: Part 5
In Part 5, Barbara reveals the surprising thread running through the entire "How to Enjoy Life" series: every principle she has explored traces back to the Ten Commandments, which Jesus distilled into loving God with all one's heart and loving one's neighbor as oneself (Mark 12:30). She walks through the first four commandments — having no other gods, making no idols, not misusing God's name, and keeping the Sabbath — and shows how the Holy Spirit makes it possible to live them not as restrictions but as expressions of love. The episode calls believers never to take God's love for granted and to let their relationship with Christ remain fresh and alive. Featuring "Search Every Page" and "May We Never Forget."
P243 How to Enjoy Life: Part 6
The final installment of "How to Enjoy Life" focuses on the second half of Jesus' great commandment — loving one's neighbor — as the practical outworking of a life well-lived with God. Barbara works through Ephesians 4–5, where Paul pairs each forbidden behavior with its Spirit-empowered alternative: put off falsehood, speak truth; put off anger, seek reconciliation; put off theft, do useful work and give generously. She closes with a challenge from Dr. Karl Menninger and the image of a Snoopy Band-Aid on hurt feelings, reminding listeners that God's healing touch often reaches others through the words and actions of a believer. Featuring "Lord I Need You" and "Is There a Christian in the House?"
P244 Think Right Thoughts: Part 1
Barbara launches the "Think Right Thoughts" series with a striking comparison between the human mind and a computer that must be guarded against corrupted input, rooted in Proverbs 4:23 and Psalm 139. The episode centers on Philippians 4:8's command to think on whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and admirable, beginning with a deep dive into what it means for something to be TRUE. She shows from John 1:1, 14 and John 14:6 that God's Word and Jesus himself are the only sources of absolute truth capable of liberating minds darkened by repeated negative messages and the lies of Satan. Featuring "You Are My All in All" and "God Loves You."
P245 Think Right Thoughts: What Is Noble?
Part 2 of "Think Right Thoughts" explores the meaning of NOBLE — described as venerable, honest, and elevated in character — and argues that God himself, particularly his ways and conduct, is the supreme example. Barbara draws on King David's prayer in 1 Chronicles 29, Isaiah 55:8–9, and Romans 11:33 to show that God's ways are infinitely higher and more reliable than human reasoning, and she includes her own poem "God's Faithfulness" as a meditation on His steadfast character throughout life's seasons. Listeners are invited to follow David's example in Psalm 25 — asking God to show, teach, and guide them in His ways — and trust that He will answer. Featuring "I Lift My Hands" and "God's Ways."
P246 Think Right Thoughts: What Is Right?
In Part 3 of "Think Right Thoughts," Barbara defines thinking on what is RIGHT as aligning one's mind with God's will — unique for every believer as a fingerprint, yet always found through Jesus, who declared "If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God" (John 7:17). She includes her poem "Yielding" and walks through Romans 12:1–2 and 1 Thessalonians 4:3–8 to show that right thinking involves presenting body and mind to God and allowing the Spirit to produce the fruit of righteousness. The episode encourages believers to seek God's will actively through Scripture, prayer, and surrender rather than waiting passively. Featuring "Jesus Lord to Me" and "Be Thou My Vision."
P247 Think Right Thoughts: What Is Pure?
Part 4 of "Think Right Thoughts" takes up the category of PURE and identifies it with God's WISDOM — defined as the ability to discern truth and select the right ends by the right means. Barbara contrasts heavenly wisdom with the corrupted wisdom of Lucifer and Solomon, both of whom turned their extraordinary gifts inward for self-glorification, citing Ezekiel 28 and Isaiah 14. The episode culminates in 1 Corinthians 1:20–30, where Christ himself is proclaimed the wisdom of God, and Matthew 5:8, where Jesus promises that the pure in heart will see God. Featuring "All the Glory" and "These Things Are True."
P248 Think Right Thoughts: What Is Lovely? God's Works
Part 5 of "Think Right Thoughts" explores the concept of LOVELY as it relates to God's works — the outpouring of His nature done from a heart full of love and truth. Barbara warns against letting feelings or appearances alone guide the mind, illustrating the danger with a World War II story of a crew who ignored their instruments and perished, and with biblical examples of David and Achan falling prey to what was visually appealing but forbidden. She contrasts Satan's self-serving works with the selfless works of God described in Psalm 111, and concludes that the fruit of the Spirit enables believers to identify and dwell on truly lovely things. Featuring "Praise the King" and "Let Us Praise the Almighty."
P249 Think Right Thoughts: What Is Lovely? God's Wonders
Continuing the discussion of LOVELY things, Barbara turns in this episode to the category of ADMIRABLE and God's WONDERS — beginning with staggering scientific facts about the oceans, the universe, and the earth, then zooming in on the breathtaking complexity of the human body itself. Drawing on Psalm 139 and Job 37, she shows that the God who commands trillions of stars and designs cochleae with 2,400 strings takes intimate, personal interest in every detail of each person's formation and life. The episode closes with Psalm 145's cascade of God's attributes — gracious, compassionate, faithful, righteous, near — as a call to replace complaints with praise. Featuring "Overwhelmed" and "The Wonder of It All."
P250 Think Right Thoughts: Conclusion
Barbara brings the "Think Right Thoughts" series to a close by weaving all six categories of Philippians 4:8 together in the person of Jesus Christ — God's Word, Way, Will, Wisdom, Works, and greatest Wonder all embodied in one Savior. She reflects on how the prophet Samuel developed a servant's heart and listening ears, with the result that God let none of his words fall to the ground (1 Samuel 3:19), and challenges listeners to let Christ's words dwell in them richly so their speech brings healing and life. The episode concludes with a sobering reminder from Matthew 12:36 that every careless word will be accounted for, paired with an invitation to fill the mind with Christ and let praise overflow from the lips. Featuring "Thy Word" and "My Lips Will Praise You."
P251 Taking a Stand: Part 1
Barbara opens a multi-part series on the lives of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego — four Jewish teenagers taken captive to Babylon who chose faithfulness to God over the comforts of Nebuchadnezzar's court. Drawing on Daniel 1 and Psalm 37:28, she explores what it means to resolve beforehand not to compromise, and shares her own story of quietly standing firm when her workplace colleagues tried to mock her faith. The episode reminds listeners that God blesses faithfulness and will never allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear, citing 1 Corinthians 10:13. Featuring 'God Is Able' and 'I've Never Been Out of His Care.'
P252 Taking a Stand: Part 2
Continuing the series, Barbara explores how Daniel navigated a lifetime as a faithful alien in pagan Babylon — studying material he found distasteful, serving kings who warred against his own people, and yet never compromising his relationship with God. She draws a parallel between Daniel's situation and the calling of every Believer to be light in a dark world, referencing John 15:19 and Matthew 5:14. A warm and memorable story about a family cat named Moose and a caged canary illustrates the danger of straying outside God's protective boundaries. Featuring 'Walk Right Out' and 'Apple of His Eye.'
P253 Taking a Stand: Part 3
Barbara turns to an even greater test facing the four young men — the threat of death when King Nebuchadnezzar demanded that his wise men both reveal and interpret a dream they had never been told. She connects the faithful courage of Daniel to that of Moses and Jesus himself, both of whom fixed their eyes on a future reward rather than yielding to present pressure (Hebrews 11:24, 12:2). The key to faithful living in any environment, she argues, is faith, fortitude, and focus — keeping eyes on the cross rather than the world. Featuring 'Keep Your Eyes Upon the Cross' and 'Jesus Hold My Hand.'
P254 Taking a Stand: Part 4
With the king's executioners searching for Daniel and his friends, Barbara shows how Daniel responded to crisis not with panic or self-pity but with a deliberate plan: seeking wisdom (James 1:5), gathering prayer warriors, and pleading for God's mercy in collective prayer. She reflects on Daniel's approach — Plan, Pray, Plead, Persist — as a model for how believers can face impossible situations with confidence in God's provision. The episode also explores the power of asking others for prayer and the humility required to admit we cannot handle things alone (Galatians 6:2). Featuring 'He'll Do It Again' and 'I'll Talk to the Father.'
P255 Taking a Stand: Part 5
After God reveals the king's dream to Daniel during the night, Barbara focuses not on the miracle itself but on Daniel's immediate response — waking his friends to share a midnight praise report. She explores how prayer precedes provision and how genuine childlike faith, illustrated by a delightful story of her young son suggesting they pray when locked out of the house, keeps us from panic and opens us to God's answers. Daniel's soaring praise recorded in Daniel 2:20-23 is unpacked as a model of giving God credit and drawing near enough to address Him from 'He' to 'You.' Featuring 'Call on Jesus' and 'Shout to the Lord.'
P256 Taking a Stand: Part 6
In the concluding episode of the series, Barbara examines how Daniel faced the ultimate spiritual test — pride — when his success gave him every opportunity to take personal credit before the most powerful ruler on earth. Instead, Daniel's first words to Nebuchadnezzar directed all glory to God, a natural overflow of a heart fully surrendered to the Lord. Barbara contrasts this with the biblical warnings against pride (Proverbs 16:18, James 4:4-6) and unpacks the grace that God freely gives to the humble, made possible through Jesus' atoning work on the cross. Featuring 'Grace Stepped Forth in My Place' and 'Lord I Offer My Life.'
P261 Lessons from the Ark: Part 1
Barbara opens a new series asking why the ark of the covenant is no longer in use and where today's source of God's blessing and presence can be found. Tracing the ark's role as the holiest sign of God's presence in the Old Testament — and the strict, sometimes fatal, consequences of treating it carelessly — she then moves into Hebrews 8-10 to show how Jesus Christ became the perfect high priest of a new and living covenant. Through his blood, every believer now has direct access to the Most Holy Place, with the heart itself becoming God's sanctuary. Featuring 'Sanctuary' and 'We Lift You Up.'
P262 Lessons from the Ark: Part 2
Turning to the contents of the ark, Barbara explores the gold jar of manna as a visible reminder of God's love, grace, and daily provision for the Israelites in the wilderness. She traces how the Israelites repeatedly received God's miraculous provision yet quickly fell into grumbling and ingratitude, and draws the parallel to believers who take God's blessings for granted today. Jesus himself identified as the true bread of life (John 6:35), the ultimate fulfillment of what the manna foreshadowed, and Barbara calls listeners to count their blessings with grateful hearts. Featuring 'God Is Faithful' and 'Count Your Blessings.'
P263 Lessons from the Ark: Part 3
In the final episode of the series, Barbara digs deeper into the manna's spiritual lessons — that God sent it not only to feed the Israelites but to humble them, test their obedience, and teach them total dependence on Him. Just as the people could not hoard or manipulate the manna, salvation cannot be earned by works; it is God's grace received through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). The episode beautifully connects the manna to the Last Supper, where Jesus broke bread and instituted Communion as a lasting visible reminder of his sacrifice and the new covenant. Featuring 'How Beautiful' and 'You're My Best Friend.'
P301 Elijah: God in the Little Things
Barbara launches a new series on Elijah, introducing Israel's spiritual crisis under the wicked King Ahab, who partnered with Jezebel to replace worship of Jehovah with Baal. Elijah's dramatic entrance — announcing a drought to the king's face before disappearing into hiding — sets the stage for a journey of faith, and God's provision through a raven delivering fresh bread and meat twice daily illustrates how He often works in small, unexpected ways. Barbara shares her own story of praying for a comfortable bed on a ministry trip and waking up in a honeymoon suite in the middle of nowhere, reminding listeners that God knows us by name and cares about even ordinary needs. Featuring 'You're My Best Friend' and 'Mercy Called Me by Name.'
P302 Elijah: What to Do When the Brook Dries Up
When Elijah's brook dries up without warning, Barbara uses the moment to explore one of God's most common faith-building tools: the removal of a familiar source of blessing to move us to a higher level of trust (Philippians 1:6). She draws on Isaiah 64:8 — God as Potter, we as clay — and reflects personally on returning to a former career she felt God had called her away from, only to find no blessing in it, and the freedom she discovered when she finally left for good. God then sends Elijah to be cared for by a starving pagan widow in enemy territory, reminding us that His ways rarely make human sense. Featuring 'Touch of the Master's Hand' and 'Forest and the Trees.'
P303 Elijah: God's Multi-Purpose Plan
Barbara dramatizes the encounter between Elijah and the starving widow of Zarephath, showing how God's plan rarely involves just one person — it was designed to increase Elijah's faith, draw the widow to belief, and demonstrate God's miraculous provision to all who watched. She reflects on why God sometimes bypasses those who seem more deserving (Luke 4:25-26) and how suffering, rather than being wasted, becomes the source of the most convincing comfort we can offer others (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). The episode also weaves in a moving personal story of redirecting recording funds to buy flannel-graphs for Russian children, only to find God provided for both needs. Featuring 'I Need You' and 'My House Is Full / I'll Go.'
P304 Elijah: God's Glory Increases Our Faith
When the widow's son falls ill and dies, Barbara traces how God sometimes allows our deepest losses to do what mere physical provision cannot — bring us face to face with our sinfulness and need for a Savior. She parallels Elijah's doubting question to God with the sisters of Lazarus, who wept when Jesus delayed, both needing to be reminded that God's glory is the purpose behind what looks like abandonment (John 11:40). The episode unpacks the profound truth of Romans 6:23 — sin's wage is death, but the gift of God is eternal life — and calls listeners to trust whatever faith they have right now, believing God will multiply it. Featuring 'All the Glory' and 'Lazarus Come Forth.'
P305 Elijah: Waiting Period — A Must
Three and a half years pass before God sends Elijah back to confront Ahab, and Barbara uses that 'long time' to explore why God's training programs cannot be rushed. Comparing Elijah's wilderness preparation to Moses' forty years in the desert and Paul's three years of solitude before his missionary journeys, she shows that waiting is not wasted time but the necessary process of intertwining our will to God's (Psalm 27:14, Isaiah 40:31). Like eagles perched on rocks waiting for the wind to carry them higher, believers who wait on the Lord are lifted by the Holy Spirit into strength that does not give out. Featuring 'He Hideth My Soul' and 'In the Presence of Jehovah.'
P306 Elijah: A Man for the Times: The Showdown
After 3½ years of drought, God sends Elijah back to King Ahab for a dramatic confrontation on Mount Carmel. Barbara explores the electrifying contest between Elijah and the 450 prophets of Baal — a battle designed to expose Baal's impotence and reveal Jehovah as the one true God. Elijah's confident prayer, the miraculous fire, and the people's cry "The Lord — He is God!" offer timeless lessons about faith, prayer, and God's power to do the impossible. Featuring "Revival in the Land" and "He's Still in the Fire."
P307 Elijah: A Man for the Times: Persistence in Prayer Pays Off
With the prophets of Baal defeated and Israel's faith restored, Elijah climbs back up Mount Carmel to pray fervently for the rain God had promised. Barbara examines why persistence in prayer matters, drawing on Elijah's seven-prayer vigil, King David's passionate appeals, and J. Oswald Sanders' insight that "Abraham stopped asking before God stopped answering." The episode challenges listeners to become what Sanders calls "seven-times prayers" — people whose persistent, deliberate faith moves heaven. Featuring "In the Name of the Lord" and "Pray."
P308 Elijah: A Man for the Times: Why the Discouragement?
Even the mightiest servants of God face valleys of despair, and in this episode Barbara follows Elijah as he spirals from the triumph of Mount Carmel into deep discouragement under a broom tree in the desert. Queen Jezebel's single threat undoes the man who just defeated 450 prophets — and Barbara unpacks the five contributing factors: misplaced confidence, misplaced armor, misplaced energy, missed prayer, and missed rest. Drawing on the HALT acronym and the compassionate response of God who fed and rested Elijah, this episode brings honest hope to anyone who has ever felt spiritually depleted. Featuring "Praise the Lord" and "I Need You."
P309 Elijah: A Man for the Times: Testing Precedes Blessing
Barbara steps away from Elijah's story to share a deeply personal account of a recording project that went dramatically wrong — a failed vocal session, an eight-week illness, and a car transmission failure that threatened to derail her ministry entirely. Through this trial, she discovered a defining truth from the story of Joshua and Caleb: before every great blessing God wants to give, there is a faith test. The episode weaves together a poem Barbara wrote during a rainstorm, a miraculous double rainbow, and an unexpected provision of a new van — all pointing to God's sovereignty and perfect timing. Featuring "Only God Knows" and "Calvary Came Through."
P310 Elijah: A Man for the Times: Keep Listening
In the concluding episode of the Elijah series, Barbara brings the prophet's journey full circle — from the desert broom tree to the mountain of God at Horeb, where Elijah finally hears God not in wind, earthquake, or fire, but in a gentle whisper. She reflects on the pattern of Elijah's life: how God worked IN him to groom his faith and worked THROUGH him to call Israel back. Barbara closes with a song she wrote, "Elijah, Keep Listenin'," and offers a rich summary of lessons gleaned across the entire series. Featuring "I've Never Been Out of His Care" and "Elijah, Keep Listenin'."
P320 Jonah: It's All About Grace
Barbara launches a new series on the book of Jonah, beginning with the historical and theological case for the story's authenticity and the character of Nineveh's wickedness. God hears the anguished cries of his people — including those suffering under Assyrian oppression — and responds with a surprising mission of mercy rather than judgment. This opening episode establishes the series' central theme: that God's grace extends to all of humanity, even the most feared enemies, because He is not willing that any should perish. Featuring "I've Never Been Out of His Care" and "Grace."
P321 Jonah: God Can Repay with Mercy
When God called Jonah to preach to the despised Ninevites, Jonah ran the other way — heading for Tarshish, as far from the mission as he could sail. Barbara examines the root of Jonah's rebellion: a seed of bitterness toward Israel's enemies that had taken hold in his heart. Using 2 Corinthians 5 and Romans 12, she challenges listeners to consider that God sometimes chooses mercy over wrath to turn evil around — and that He calls His people to be ambassadors of that reconciliation, even to those who have hurt them deeply. Featuring "Break This Heart" and "Lord, Somebody Needs You."
P322 Jonah: It's Only Downhill from Here
In a dramatic reenactment, Barbara recreates the storm-tossed voyage that follows Jonah's flight from God — complete with terrified sailors, the casting of lots, and Jonah's startling confession that he is the cause of their calamity. The episode traces Jonah's descent: down to Joppa, down into the ship, down into sleep, and ultimately down into the sea — contrasting his spiritual direction with God's sovereign pursuit. Even the pagan sailors show more humanity than the prophet, ultimately crying out to Jonah's God and worshiping Him. Featuring "Love Will."
P323 Jonah: Did He Repent?
Inside the belly of a great fish for three days, Jonah prays — but Barbara carefully examines whether his words constitute genuine repentance or merely a foxhole prayer for escape. Comparing Jonah's response to David's broken-hearted confessions in Psalms 51 and 32, Peter's bitter weeping after his denial of Christ, and the Prodigal Son's humble return, she shows the difference between true contrition and gratitude for deliverance. Yet even in Jonah's flawed state, God's grace saves him — illustrating that salvation is never earned by the quality of our repentance, but received through faith. Featuring "Sin Will Take You Farther" and "You Saved Me."
P324 Jonah: Just Do It!
God delivers Jonah miraculously from the fish and gives him a second chance to obey — and this time, Jonah goes. Barbara reflects on the theme of second chances throughout Scripture, from Jacob and David to Peter, and shares a moving concert story about a woman who heard "Neither Will I" by Twila Paris and found the courage to forgive her husband after a relapse. The parable of the two sons underscores that true obedience is measured by what we do, not merely what we say, and that God's mercy is the foundation for every second chance we receive. Featuring "God Likes to Work" and "Neither Will I."
P325 Jonah: Revival in the Land
Jonah finally arrives in Nineveh — a massive, wicked city — and delivers God's stark eight-word warning: "Yet forty days and Nineveh shall be overthrown." What happens next is one of the greatest revivals in history: the entire city, from the king on his throne to the cattle in the fields, puts on sackcloth and repents. Barbara draws on Isaiah 55 and Hebrews 4 to show that it is the living Word of God, not the messenger's skill, that has the power to transform even the most hardened hearts. Featuring "God's Gonna Send Revival" and "Grace Stepped Forth."
P326 Jonah: God's Provision
In this concluding episode of the Jonah series, God teaches an angry, sulking prophet an object lesson using a vine, a worm, and a scorching wind. While Jonah fumes over Nineveh's pardon, God asks him pointedly whether he has more compassion for a plant than for 120,000 people. Barbara connects Jonah's hardness to her own struggle with a difficult boss, and challenges listeners to see that God's concern for "enemies" reflects the same mercy He has already shown to us. She closes with a song she wrote herself, "Nineveh," a challenge to share the Gospel even with those we would rather forget. Featuring "He Could Have Walked on By" and "Nineveh."
P330 Peace Is Attainable: What Is True Peace?
What does it mean to "feel all smooth inside"? Barbara opens a new series by tracing the origin of humanity's restlessness all the way back to the Garden of Eden, where Adam and Eve's choice shattered the perfect unity they shared with God and with each other. True peace, she explains, cannot be bought, manufactured, or orchestrated — it flows supernaturally from God, who sent Jesus, the Prince of Peace, to restore what was lost. Drawing on Romans 5, Isaiah 53, and C. S. Lewis, this episode lays the theological foundation for inner peace through reconciliation with God. Featuring "Hallelujah Praise the Lamb" and "Wonderful, Merciful Savior."
P331 Peace Is Attainable: Peace with God
Having established that peace originates with God, Barbara now turns to the internal struggle that remains even after a person comes to faith — the war between flesh and spirit that the apostle Paul describes so honestly in Romans 7. Peace within ourselves, she explains, is not automatic; it requires keeping our minds "stayed" on God, as Isaiah 26 puts it, leaning on Him the way you would lean against a solid rock. The episode offers a practical recipe for inner peace: focus on Jesus, seek Him with the whole heart, and invite Him not just as Savior but as the active Lord of daily life. Featuring "Because He Loved Me" and "Walk with Me."
P332 Peace Is Attainable: How to Gain Peace
Focusing on Jesus sounds simple, but what does it actually look like in practice? Barbara uses the analogy of a camera — capturing images all day through what we see, read, and hear — to explain why spiritual focus requires deliberate effort and intentional choices about what we allow into our minds. She walks through the disciplines of meditating on God's Word, acting on what we learn, fixing our eyes on Jesus rather than the wind and waves, and entering into the peace that comes from prayer and His presence. King David's Psalm 138 serves as a model of bold, focused trust. Featuring "Adonai" and "When I Get in His Presence."
P333 Peace Is Attainable: Peace with Others
The final dimension of peace involves our relationships with other people — and Barbara tackles it honestly, acknowledging how difficult it is to bless those who wrong us rather than retaliate. Drawing on Matthew 5, Luke 6, and Romans 12, she shows that peacemaking with enemies is one of the most powerful ways Christians demonstrate the Gospel, and that the conflict itself can be an instrument in God's hands for spiritual growth. She also offers a searching challenge from 2 Corinthians 13: before addressing anyone else's conduct, start with self-examination. Featuring "Trust His Heart" and "Change My Heart."
P401 Power: God Is the Source
Barbara opens a new series on power by poking gentle fun at the "power bead" craze before turning to the staggering reality of God's omnipotence — from the speed of light to the number of stars, from Job 36's thundering voice of God to the Creator who spoke the universe into existence. Through a poem she wrote and a story about a mountain climber whose contact lens was delivered by an ant, she shows that the same God who controls galaxies attends to the smallest details of our lives. King David's prayer in 1 Chronicles 29 grounds the whole discussion in worship and wonder. Featuring "Exalt the Name" and "Consider the Lilies."
P402 Power: God's Power in Us
In a candid and humorous opening, Barbara's son Kevin recalls watching her confidently video his high school graduation — only to discover at the end that the camera had never been recording. The incident becomes a sharp illustration of the many people who go through the motions of faith without ever being truly connected to its power source. Barbara then traces the Gospel from repentance to resurrection, showing through Ephesians 1 that the same incomparable power God used to raise Christ from the dead is available to every believer through the Holy Spirit. Featuring "Amazing Grace" and "He's Alive."
P403 Power: Power in Surrender, Part 1
Beginning with a childhood memory of rejecting her sister's sacrificial gift, Barbara illuminates why Peter's denial of Christ was rooted not only in fear but in the shame of a crucified, seemingly "used-up" Savior. The resurrection changed everything: Jesus sought Peter out, gave him three chances to reaffirm his love, and through personal forgiveness unleashed the power that would transform a cowardly fisherman into a bold preacher. Drawing on Ephesians 3, Galatians 2, and Philippians 2, Barbara calls believers to the daily surrender — crucifying the self so that Christ's resurrection power can flow freely through them. Featuring "God's Rose" and "Was It a Morning."
P404 Power: Power in Surrender — Part 2
Continuing her series on Power, Barbara dives deep into Romans 12:1 and what it truly means to present our bodies as living sacrifices to God. She walks through the five Old Testament offerings — sin, guilt, burnt, fellowship, and grain — and shows how each maps to a dimension of our surrender to God today. Drawing on Scripture and her original poem "Yielding," Barbara makes the case that real freedom only comes when we stop depending on ourselves and give God full reign. Featuring "You Are My All in All" and "We Are an Offering."
P405 Power: Power in Purity
Barbara turns to the subject of purity, explaining how Christ's once-for-all sacrifice replaced the repeated animal offerings of the Old Testament and restored the Shekinah Glory of God within each believer through the Holy Spirit. She uses a vivid story of a circus trainer and a boa constrictor to illustrate how sin, though seemingly tame, always masters those who play with it — and she invites listeners to lay their sin on Christ as King David did in Psalm 32. Featuring "Sin Will Take You Farther" and "When I Knelt the Blood Fell."
P406 Power: Power Through Weakness
In one of the most counterintuitive lessons in the series, Barbara explores how God's power is made perfect in human weakness, drawing on Paul's thorn in the flesh from 2 Corinthians 12. She shares her own early reluctance to surrender control of her life to God, and the transformative story her sister-in-law Connie — confined to a wheelchair — told her about a shepherd who breaks a wandering sheep's legs to keep it close. Barbara's poem "Commitment — At Last," written at 3 a.m., captures the moment she finally said yes to God's plan. Featuring "All the Glory" and "Touch of the Masters."
P407 Power: Power in the Truth of the Word of God
Barbara opens with a memorable illustration of a father who teaches his son to read the Bible by showing how a basket drawn through a river comes out clean — and builds from there to explore how Scripture acts as a cleansing agent, a lighthouse, and a faith builder in the believer's daily life. She shares how Jesus defeated Satan's temptations not with reasoning but with the Word alone, and encourages listeners to memorize Scripture as a cure for discouragement and depression. The episode closes with two beloved hymns about the treasure of God's Word. Featuring "Wonderful Words of Life" and "Holy Bible, Book Divine" and "Thy Word."
P408 Power: Power Tools — Prayer, Praise, His Presence
Drawing from Psalm 73, Barbara shows how the Psalmist nearly lost his faith over the prosperity of the wicked — until he entered the sanctuary of God and gained eternal perspective. She unpacks James 1:2–4 step by step, demonstrating how trials produce patience, which produces contentment, and connects this to the story of Nehemiah, whose people found extraordinary joy and strength simply by hearing the Word of God read aloud. The key verse — "The joy of the Lord is your strength" (Nehemiah 8:10) — anchors the whole message. Featuring "In the Presence of Jehovah" and "In Jesus Name."
P409 Power: Power in His Presence — Come as a Child
Barbara reflects on what it means to approach God with childlike trust, using a personal childhood memory of getting lost at a boat show as a picture of how God lovingly calls us back when we wander. She walks through a series of "come" invitations from Isaiah, Matthew, John, and Hebrews — each one a promise of rest, living water, or grace — and explores the qualities God prizes in children: humility, curiosity, and expectancy. The episode closes with a tender prayer of gratitude to the Abba Father who is always happier to see us than we are to see Him. Featuring "Mercy Called Me by Name" and "My Lips Will Praise You."
P410 Power: Power of Praise
Barbara concludes the Power series with a celebration of praise, summarizing all the themes covered — surrender, purity, weakness, Scripture, and God's presence — before turning to the subject of uninhibited worship. She shares a moving concert story about a woman healed of severe bursitis simply by raising her arms in obedient praise, and another about how reading the Psalms of praise (rather than lament) cleared a stubborn case of phlegm before a performance. Both stories point to the same truth: there is power in praise, and God honors obedience. Featuring "O for a Thousand Tongues" and "Sing to the Lord."
P501 Why Trials?: The Refiner's Fire
Barbara launches a new series by exploring how God describes Himself as the Great Refiner and His children as precious metal — refined, not ruined, by the heat of adversity. She shares the moving diary entry of a friend's brother dying of cancer who wrote, "I thank You, Lord, for the gift of my thorn," and recounts the day her garage caught fire in 1997 and God protected the ministry van when she called on the Name of Jesus. The Refiner's promise — that He never leaves the gold while it's in the fire — anchors Hebrews 13:5b: "I will never leave you nor forsake you." Featuring "God Is Able" and "He's Still in the Fire."
P502 Why Trials?: Is God Good?
When a recording project went sideways and 400 cassettes turned out defective, Barbara and Dale heard the song "Praise the Lord" — the very first track — played 200 times as they tested each one, and the message finally broke through. From that experience, Barbara builds a careful case that God's goodness is not conditional on our circumstances, drawing on Romans 8:28–39 to show that in all things — not just pleasant ones — God works for the good of those who love Him. The episode closes with the reminder that suffering is inevitable, but not intolerable, and that a God of perfect love is always working things out. Featuring "Praise the Lord" and "He Is Here."
P503 Why Trials?: He Died in Childbirth
Barbara draws a striking parallel between the pain of physical childbirth and the suffering Christ endured to birth the sons and daughters of God — pointing to Isaiah 53:10 and Hebrews 12:2, which reveal that Jesus endured the cross "for the joy set before Him." She walks through the full scope of Christ's suffering — physical, emotional, and spiritual — including the ultimate cost: experiencing eternal separation from the Father for every person's sin. The episode is a searching meditation on love's highest price and an invitation to receive the healing and new life that flows from that sacrifice. Featuring "Out of His Great Love" and "Isaiah 53."
P504 Why Trials?: The Benefits of Christ's Suffering
Barbara explores the stunning breadth of what believers receive because Christ suffered on the cross — from reconciliation with the Father and freedom from condemnation, to the Holy Spirit, the mind of Christ, and direct access to the throne of grace. She reflects on the truth that "God gave His heart to us when He gave us Christ," and draws on Charles Spurgeon's description of Romans 8:32 as "a mass of rubies and emeralds and diamonds with a nugget of gold for their setting." The episode ends with the assurance that Jesus, who identified with every form of human suffering, intercedes for us still. Featuring "He Could Have Walked on By" and "Only God Knows."
P505 Why Trials?: Why Do We Have to Suffer?
Barbara begins unpacking the reasons God allows suffering in the believer's life, focusing first on the chastisement aspect of God's discipline from Hebrews 12:7–11 — which produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those trained by it. She shares a personal story of stealing money from her father's wallet as a child, and how her mother's firm month-long consequence made an honest daughter of her, illustrating how consequences prevented far greater harm. David's pattern in Psalm 32 — honest confession followed by complete forgiveness — offers the remedy for the guilt that suffering can expose. Featuring "I Must Tell Jesus" and "Secret Place."
P506 Why Trials?: Character Construction Underway — Part 1
Barbara introduces the character qualities listed in 2 Peter 1:5–7 — faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, patience, Godliness, brotherly kindness, and love — as the blueprint God uses to build His children. She candidly recalls how her own early adulthood was consumed by self-reliance and career ambition, and how God gently pursued her through a health crisis that threatened her singing voice, ultimately leading her to pray, "Lord, I've never asked you for anything but Salvation before — but I'm not a happy person." That prayer became the turning point of her spiritual life. Featuring "Love Will" and "I Need You."
P507 Why Trials?: Character Construction Underway — Part 2
Using the delightful metaphor of baking a cake from scratch, Barbara shows how each character trait from 2 Peter 1:5–7 corresponds to an ingredient — faith as flour, goodness as water, knowledge as oil, self-control as salt, patience as baking powder, brotherly kindness as eggs, love as vanilla, and Godliness as chocolate — and how trials provide the heat that brings out the best in us. She explores how the first four attributes affect us personally while the latter four ripple outward to those around us, and closes with a reflection on how intimately knowing God changes obedience from obligation to love. Featuring "Trust His Heart" and "To Know Him."
P508 Why Trials?: Character Construction Underway — Part 3
Barbara focuses on self-control as the catalyst that moves a believer from self-preoccupation to genuine concern for others, sharing honestly about her own years as a workaholic who placed career above family. She describes how God used a string of unreliable babysitters and a moment of unexpected tenderness toward her injured toddler to re-order her priorities — and how He then worked out an "almost impossible" situation to give her more time with her family. Her poem "Fulfillment" captures the restless searching that only finds its end when God is given control. Featuring "Seekers of Your Heart" and "Lord Somebody Needs You."
P509 Why Trials?: Character Construction Underway — Part 4
Barbara takes a fresh look at patience — not just as the ability to wait quietly, but as "cheerful endurance" and a refusal to complain, anchored in Romans 5:3–4 and Philippians 4:4. She shares a playful poem, "Poor Me," born from a season when she complained that her voice wasn't good enough for God to use, and which ended when a cotton-swab mishap temporarily cost her her hearing — and gave her a grateful heart. The lesson is clear: contentment and counting one's blessings are not passive virtues, but active choices that release the joy of the Lord as our greatest testimony. Featuring "Count Your Blessings" and "My Redeemer Is Faithful."
P510 Why Trials?: Character Construction Underway — Part 5
Barbara explores Godliness — defined not as religious duty but as the spontaneous, natural result of a life shaped by faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, and patience — drawing on 1 Timothy 4:7 and the example of Jesus who always did only what pleased the Father. She unpacks what walking in a Christ-like way requires: servanthood, surrender, suffering, and sacrifice — and points to the great reward awaiting those who pursue it, including the promise that God will hear when they call (Psalm 4:3). The episode culminates with the Shepherd's promise to lead His sheep into His house forever. Featuring "Jesus Hold My Hand" and "Savior Like a Shepherd."
P511 Why Trials?: The Big Picture
Barbara concludes the series with a sweeping, personal response she wrote to a struggling believer who questioned why the Christian life didn't feel joyful — a letter so helpful the man called back within hours to say it was exactly what he needed. She traces the full arc from creation to sin to redemption to glory, showing how God's desire has always been to restore the likeness (the "glory") lost in the fall, and why that goal makes trials not just tolerable but purposeful. The episode ends with a call to pursue the character qualities of 2 Peter 1:3–10 with everything we have, because doing so is precisely what we are made for. Featuring "Change My Heart" and "I Offer My Life."
P520 Belize Story: Part 1
Barbara and Dale Sandbek begin recounting their 2004 mission to build the first Christian radio station in southern Belize — a small, subtropical, third-world country on the Caribbean coast of Central America. Barbara draws a compelling parallel between their calling and Nehemiah's burden to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, showing how God had been quietly preparing Dale for this very work since his teenage years. A visit to a Belizean prison, where Christian radio had already transformed the environment, confirms the power of the medium — and an inmate named Anthony's poetry about finding freedom in Christ makes the case more powerfully than any argument could. Featuring "Touch of the Masters."
P521 Belize Story: Part 2
Barbara reflects on what it truly costs to follow Christ as a missionary — not only in dollars but in comfort, security, family closeness, and personal convenience — drawing on Jesus' own words in Luke 14 about counting the cost before building a tower or going to war. She shares candidly about her homesickness, the oppressive heat and insects of Belize, and the moment she told God she didn't want her body "marred by bugs" — only to be reminded that Christ was marred for her (Isaiah 53:5). The episode is a call to lay down self-centeredness daily and trust that God's strength is sufficient for whatever He asks. Featuring "Stronger for It."
P522 Belize Story: Part 3
In Part 3 of the Belize Story, Barbara draws on the book of Nehemiah to show how prayer was the essential foundation before a single step could be taken in building Harvest Radio. Just as Nehemiah poured his heart out to God for four months before approaching the king, Barbara and Dale prayed diligently for two months until God confirmed their calling and answered their specific logistical requests. She reflects on how God gave Dale creative solutions for packing six suitcases, and how departing with limited funds, no radio license, and no property taught them that a daily surrender of the will is simply a good way to live. Featuring 'Call on Jesus' and 'God's Gonna Do'.
P523 Belize Story: Part 4
Part 4 of the Belize Story finds Barb and Dale landing in Belize City and immediately discovering that God was already at work — from a customs agent who skipped the suitcase carrying a year's worth of vitamins, to a taxi driver named Emmanuel (meaning 'God with us') who rescued them from an unlicensed cab. Barbara parallels these up-and-down experiences with Nehemiah's early adversity, showing that the willingness to see every circumstance as allowed by God transforms trials into testimonies. The episode closes with the discovery of Bessie, a 1989 Fifth Avenue that nobody wanted but God had prepared for them. Featuring 'Praise the Lord' and 'I've Never Been Out of His Care'.
P524 Belize Story: Part 5
After arriving in southern Belize three days after landing in the country, Barbara shares how God met their need for housing, food, and community through a neighbor named Germain who spent an entire day helping them get set up. She reflects on the mercy of God described in Lamentations 3:22-23 — mercies that are new every morning — and invites listeners to ask for those mercies daily. The episode then turns to the remarkable discovery that a radio license, tower, transmitter, and studio equipment were already in place, waiting for someone with computers to complete the set. Featuring 'Jesus You're Beautiful' and a Belize music interlude.
P525 Belize Story: Part 6
Grounded in George Mueller's famous statement that faith begins where man's power ends, Part 6 explores the faith-stretching experience of searching for a location to build the radio station. After every ministry in the area agreed the vision was worthwhile but declined to take responsibility, Barbara and Dale chose to focus on what God had already done and trust Him for what He was about to do. Drawing on Isaiah 55:8-9 — 'My ways are higher than your ways' — Barbara explains how closed doors are not disappointments but redirections toward God's better plan. Featuring 'God's Ways' and 'He'll Do It Again'.
P526 Belize Story: Part 7
Part 7 of the Belize Story centers on the difference between doubt and faith, anchored in James 1:5-7's warning that the one who doubts is like a wave tossed by the wind. Weary from a day of rejected proposals, Dale and Barbara stumbled upon a building being refurbished by a U.S. ministry team working for Rev. Ernie — a pastor who had received a vision from God ten years earlier to build a radio station in that very area. When Rev. Ernie heard the vision, tears filled his eyes and he offered land and an unfinished building to the project. God then confirmed the site through Isaiah 43:18 — 'I am doing a new thing' — fulfilled perfectly by a ministry called River of Life in a town called Dump. Featuring 'God Likes to Work' and 'Where There Is Faith'.
P527 Belize Story: Part 8
With the site secured, Part 8 follows the Sandbeks as they transition to the remote Toledo District — beyond the last stretch of paved road — and discover housing far beyond their expectations. A couple near the Mayan community of Cuxlin offered them a fully furnished home with ceramic tile floors, a queen bed, and an electric shower for just $150 a month, far surpassing Ephesians 3:20's promise of 'immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.' Barbara then recounts how workers began clearing and digging for the station building, and how, when she prayed for rain to firm up the tamped earth floor, it rained for exactly two hours. Featuring 'Everything to Me' and 'Who Am I'.
P528 Belize Story: Part 9
God's behind-the-scenes orchestration is on full display in Part 9, as two mission teams — one from Texas diverted from Haiti, another from Canada diverted from Mexico — arrived at exactly the right moment to raise the 85-foot tower and pour the building's foundation. Barbara highlights how their diverse gifts embodied Romans 12:4-8, with structural engineers, carpenters, electricians, and radio specialists all working side by side with great-hearted dedication. She also shares the story of a believing electrician who bypassed weeks of red tape and ran power to the building the very next day after being asked, and of a local congregation whose three teenage volunteers led Barbara to name the station Harvest Radio. Featuring 'Nothing Without You' and 'Word of God Speak'.
P529 Belize Story: Part 10
Part 10 brings listeners on-site for the unforgettable day the 85-foot tower was raised by 15 men, as the team formed a circle, joined hands, and sang 'Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow.' The following day brought another milestone when Dale and Alan from Galcom International successfully connected the donated equipment and broadcast a two-hour test transmission after troubleshooting a shipping-related wiring issue via satellite phone — while the clouds held off just long enough to finish. Barbara closes with the interior finishing story, including how God gave her a visual picture of creamy-white doors that guided her through a painting mishap, and reflects that committing every plan to the Lord truly brings success as promised in Proverbs 16:3. Featuring 'Yes I Believe' and 'As the Deer'.
P530 Belize Story: Part 11
Taking John 16:33 as her text — 'In this world you will have trouble' — Barbara examines the varied forms of adversity the Sandbeks faced in the building's final phase: donated equipment that didn't function, a 75% spike in steel prices, shortages of concrete and gas, Dale's health scare, and family pressures from home. She shows how prayer was the single factor that made the difference in every case, from the quick sourcing of replacement equipment to a computer repairman who spotted a dislodged video card that was all that stood between silence and broadcasting. The station was ultimately completed in three months — what a local contractor said would normally take over a year — mirroring Nehemiah's wall built in 52 days. Featuring 'How Beautiful' and 'Shine the Light'.
P531 Belize Story: Part 12
The final episode of the Belize Story series wraps up the remarkable journey with the launch of Harvest Radio on June 8th and a retrospective look at God's flawless timing: arriving exactly one year after the license was granted (before it could be taken away), completing the building before a six-month rainy season, and finding the perfect program manager in Wallace Edwards, who had received a call to radio four years earlier even when no station existed. Barbara distills the key lessons for listeners — identifying your calling, praying persistently, walking by faith, and expecting adversity — and closes with a personal word from the Lord: 'Your life is my project.' Featuring 'Revival in the Land' and 'Days of Elijah'.
P540 What Makes a Missionary?: Part 1
Barbara opens this series by challenging the popular misconception of what a missionary is, arguing from Scripture that every believer in Christ is called to be a witness and ambassador. Drawing on 1 Peter 2:9, 2 Corinthians 5:17-20, and the Great Commission in Mark 16:15, she maps out the 'Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and ends of the earth' model practically — from the neighbor next door to cross-cultural outreach and foreign missions. She also addresses the servant attitude required for effective ministry, pointing to Jesus who washed even Judas's feet, and challenges listeners to 'redeem the time' by treating every opportunity as a precious jewel. Featuring 'Come Fill This Place' and 'Jesus Lord to Me'.
P541 What Makes a Missionary?: Part 2
Part 2 examines the barriers that keep believers from fulfilling their missionary calling: fear of rejection, the desire to please people rather than God, bondage to strongholds, and inadequacy excuses straight from Moses's playbook. Barbara uses Jesus's words in John 15:18-19 to prepare listeners for the world's hostility, and pairs them with Henry Martyn's insight that 'the nearer we get to Christ, the more intensely missionary minded we become.' She walks through God's patient, specific answers to every one of Moses's five excuses and applies each one to the listener's own hesitations. Featuring 'The Secret Place' and 'Shine the Light'.
P542 What Do We Hope In?: Part 1
Barbara opens this series on hope with a roadside emergency: a van that wouldn't start at a gas pump 800 miles from home, with virtually everything they owned inside it. She uses the experience to show that hope is focused on an object, formed by opinion about that object, and fueled by outlook — and that when the object is the Lord, His promise in Hebrews 13:5 holds firm. A tow truck arrived in 20 minutes, the driver fixed the problem in seconds at no charge, and they drove the 20 hours straight home without turning off the ignition — a vivid illustration of Isaiah 40:31's promise that those who hope in the Lord will 'soar on wings like eagles.' Featuring 'Jesus Take the Wheel' and 'Call on Jesus'.
P543 What Do We Hope In?: Part 2
Part 2 explores how hope is shaped by our opinion of God — specifically whether we truly believe He is out for our ultimate good. Barbara traces her own journey from perceiving God as an ogre ready to punish, to discovering through a word study on faith that Hebrews 11:6 calls believers to believe not only that God exists, but that 'He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.' She unpacks the Greek word for 'rewarder' as 'one who pays wages,' contrasts the wages of sin with the eternal life Jesus purchased, and invites listeners into the deep longing for God that King David expressed in Psalms 27 and 63. Featuring 'Sing to the Lord' and 'Word of God Speak'.
P544 What Do We Hope In?: Part 3
When hope is shaken — what then? Part 3 addresses this question through the story of Leslie, a young mother and aspiring missionary who died of lymphoma despite many prayers for her healing. Barbara shares the poem she wrote in response, 'Commitment — Regardless,' wrestling honestly with the tension between faith and unanswered prayer. She then points to the apostle Paul, who wrote some of history's most encouraging words from a prison cell, and who declared in 2 Corinthians 12:10 that he delighted in hardships — because suffering produced in him the compassion and strength to speak to the true needs of his readers. Featuring 'Where There Is Faith' and 'Stronger for It'.
P545 What Do We Hope In?: Part 4
Drawing on the life of the prophet Jeremiah, Barbara explores what it means to hold fast to hope when forty-plus years of faithful ministry seem fruitless and when those you love are caught in the consequences of their own sin. She shows how God equipped Jeremiah with a promise — 'I have made you a fortified city, an iron pillar and a bronze wall' — and how Isaiah 43:1's words, 'I have called you by name, you are mine,' belong just as personally to every believer today. Barbara recalls how this song moved her to tears during lonely stretches in Belize, reminding her that God does not see us as a social security number. Featuring 'He Knows My Name' and 'The One Thing'.
P546 What Do We Hope In?: Part 5
Part 5 turns the lens on depression, walking through the famous spiral of the prophet Elijah — from the mountain-top victory over 450 prophets of Baal to collapsing under a broom tree and asking God to take his life. Barbara identifies the stages that lead to depression: disappointment, doubt, and discouragement, and uses the acronym HALT to help listeners recognize when they are most vulnerable. She notes that God did not rebuke Elijah but instead sent an angel to feed him twice, because 'the journey is too much for you,' modeling how God meets us in our weakest moments with practical provision and patient grace. Featuring 'All I'll Ever Need' and 'God on the Mountain'.
P547 What Do We Hope In?: Part 6
The final episode in the Hope series uses Psalm 42 to show how a psalmist in exile found his way out of depression not by suppressing his pain but by repeatedly asking himself, 'Why are you downcast, O my soul?' — and then choosing to put his hope in God. Barbara reflects on how the loss of a familiar worship setting, like the beloved sugar maple tree on her way to work, can deepen the longing for God rather than diminish it. She closes with the unshakeable anchor of Romans 8:38-39 — that nothing in all creation can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus — and invites listeners to let that truth drive them not down but to their knees. Featuring 'I Lift My Song' and 'He's All I Need'.
P561 How to Succeed: How to Succeed at Your Job – Part 1
Barbara opens this series by exploring what it means to work for Almighty God — the most important job any Believer will ever hold. Drawing on Philippians 2:13 and Colossians 4:5–6, she explains that every Christian is called to be a witness and ambassador for Christ, equipped by the Holy Spirit. The job description is clear: represent the Lord well in word and deed, making the most of every opportunity. Featuring 'Go Light Your World' and 'Proclaim the Glory.'
P562 How to Succeed: How to Please Your Boss – Part 2
Continuing the series, Barbara turns to the question every employee eventually faces: what does it take to please your boss? In God's case, the answer is found in Ephesians 2:10 and Hebrews 11 — faith is the essential job requirement, and good works are the natural evidence of genuine belief. Using the memorable acrostic F.A.I.T.H. (Forsaking All I Take Him), Barbara shows how trust in God's unchanging promises is the foundation of a life that pleases Him. Featuring 'God's Gonna Do' and 'Tis So Sweet.'
P563 How to Succeed: Please Your Boss – Part 3
Barbara brings the series to life with Biblical examples of demonstrated faith, centering on the Israelites' crossing of the Red Sea as recorded in Exodus 14 and Hebrews 11. She draws a powerful parallel between their decision to step forward in faith and the choice every person faces: follow Christ or remain in bondage to sin. Just as Moses chose disgrace for the sake of God over the treasures of Egypt, Believers are called to step onto the narrow way — Christ Himself. Featuring 'Easter Song' and 'The Promise.'
P564 How to Succeed: Please Your Boss – Part 4
In part four, Barbara examines Biblical examples of faithlessness — from the Israelites who refused to trust God's promise of victory in Canaan, to the disciples who worried about food and clothing despite witnessing miracle after miracle. She challenges listeners to consider whether they are truly trusting God in every area of life, pointing to 1 John 5:4–5 and the lilies of the field as reminders that faith overcomes the world. Featuring 'Daystar' and 'Consider the Lilies.'
P565 How to Succeed: Please Your Boss – Part 5
The concluding episode of the series recaps the central theme — pleasing God through active faith — and applies it to worry, fear, and doubt. Barbara draws on stories of Peter walking on water, Paul and Silas singing in prison, and the faith healings of Matthew 9 to show that faith is a muscle that grows through trials. Quotes from Alexander Maclaren, George Mueller, and E. Stanley Jones underscore the transforming power of trusting God rather than leaning on one's own strength. Featuring 'You Are My Hiding Place' and 'Mighty to Save.'
P580 The Lord's Prayer: Overview
Inspired by a Trans World Radio missionary's desire to spend ten more years learning about prayer, Barbara launches a multi-part study on the model prayer Jesus gave His disciples in Matthew 6:9–13. This overview explores the spiritual and physical posture God requires — humility, a pure heart, and words that seek God rather than men's applause — drawing on Psalm 138:6, Jeremiah 29:13, and Oswald Chambers. The episode sets the stage for a rich journey through each phrase of what is more accurately called the Disciple's Prayer. Featuring 'Hear My Worship' and 'Word of God Speak.'
P581 The Lord's Prayer: Our Father
Barbara unpacks why Jesus instructed His disciples to address God simply as 'Our Father' — a phrase that is at once intimate and communal. She explores how the Holy Spirit confirms our adoption into God's family, giving us the right to approach the King of Kings with holy boldness, and shares a personal story of weeping alongside a son in crisis that captures God's own compassion for His children. Psalm 103:13–14 and Luke 11:11–13 illuminate the superiority of God's fatherly care over any earthly father. Featuring 'Who Am I' and 'When I Cry.'
P582 The Lord's Prayer: Who Art in Heaven – Part 1
This episode tackles a question many assume is settled — are we all God's children? Barbara works through Romans 3, John 8, and Ephesians 1 to show that becoming a child of God requires being born into His family through faith in Christ, not merely being created in His image. A poignant reflection on a child's funeral drives home the importance of sharing the whole counsel of Scripture, including John 14:6 in its entirety. Featuring 'Grace Stepped Forth' and 'The Love of God.'
P583 The Lord's Prayer: Who Art in Heaven – Part 2
Barbara explores why Jesus instructed believers to acknowledge that God dwells 'in heaven' — a phrase that holds the tension of God's nearness and His transcendence. She draws on Psalm 8, Philippians 3:20, and the story of Queen Esther approaching the king's throne to show that as citizens of heaven, believers can enter God's presence with confidence because Christ has extended His scepter of righteousness. John Darby's description of the believer's constant access to God in the light adds depth to this encouraging study. Featuring 'Great Is the Lord' and 'I Lift My Hands.'
P584 The Lord's Prayer: Hallowed Be Thy Name
What does it really mean to 'hallow' God's name? Barbara digs into the Hebrew concept of sanctifying God's Name — treating it as holy — and explains how this begins with the believer's own clean heart and confessed sin. She walks through many of God's names in Scripture, from Elohim and El Shaddai to Jehovah Jireh and Jehovah Shalom, showing how each name reveals a dimension of His character that can be called upon in prayer. Featuring 'Exalt the Name' and 'In the Name of the Lord.'
P585 The Lord's Prayer: Thy Kingdom Come
Barbara examines the phrase 'Thy Kingdom come' from two angles: the kingdom that already dwells in the hearts of believers, and the future Messianic Kingdom Jesus will establish on earth. Referencing Luke 17:21, Romans 10:9, and Matthew 7:21–23, she explains that praying this phrase is both a commitment to live out Christ's lordship and an eager anticipation of His return — a longing the apostle Paul described in 2 Timothy 4:8. Featuring 'You Are My King' and 'King of Who I Am.'
P586 The Lord's Prayer: Thy Will Be Done
Tracing the fall of Lucifer in Ezekiel 28 and the expulsion of Adam and Eve from Eden, Barbara shows how disobedience has always disrupted God's perfect will — and why praying 'Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven' is a commitment to emulate the obedience of angels. She draws on Philippians 2 to show how Christ's servant-like humility is the model believers are called to follow, using spiritual gifts from Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12 to bear one another's burdens. Featuring 'Your Name' and 'Above All.'
P587 The Lord's Prayer: Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread – Part 1
Barbara opens the petitioning section of the Lord's Prayer with the phrase 'Give us this day our daily bread,' unpacking why the very word 'Give' implies that believers have the right and responsibility to ask God for what they need. She explores Philippians 4:19, Matthew 7:7, and Psalm 81:10 to show that God desires His children to come to Him with open mouths, trusting His abundance rather than relying on their own sufficiency. The episode is anchored by the humility of Agur's prayer in Proverbs 30 — asking for neither poverty nor riches, but just enough. Featuring 'More Than Enough' and 'In Better Hands.'
P588 The Lord's Prayer: Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread – Part 2
Completing the study of 'Give us this day our daily bread,' Barbara shifts the focus from receiving to giving — pointing out that healthy prayer involves offering one's heart to God first, then living generously toward others as God is generous with us. She explores the Israelites' daily manna, the prophet Elijah's feeding by ravens, and Jesus' declaration that He is the Bread of Life, showing that both physical and spiritual nourishment must be sought from God each day. Luke 6:38 and 2 Corinthians 9:6–7 ground the call to cheerful, open-handed living. Featuring 'Sanctuary' and 'I Thirst.'
P589 The Lord's Prayer: Forgive Us Our Debts
Barbara tackles one of the most challenging phrases in the Lord's Prayer — 'Forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors' — clarifying that this is not about earning salvation but restoring fellowship with God. Through the parable of the unforgiving servant in Matthew 18 and the example of Job praying for his critical friends, she shows that withholding forgiveness imprisons the one who refuses to forgive, not the offender. The story of Jesus forgiving His executioners from the cross serves as the ultimate model of mercy. Featuring 'The Key' by Steve Chapman.
P590 The Lord's Prayer: Deliver Us from Evil
Barbara studies the final petition of the Lord's Prayer — 'Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil' — carefully distinguishing between trials that God uses for spiritual growth and enticements from the Enemy. Drawing on James 1:2–4, 1 Corinthians 10:13, and Romans 7, she shows that deliverance from evil is both a divine promise and a cooperative effort requiring watchfulness and submission to God. A humorous story about a dieter circling a donut shop brings the point home warmly. Featuring 'Stronger for It' and 'My Deliverer.'
P591 The Lord's Prayer: Thine Is the Glory Forever
In this concluding episode of the series, Barbara explores the doxology that closes the Lord's Prayer — 'For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever' — and focuses especially on the meaning of God's Glory. She traces how humanity fell short of that Glory in Adam, how it was restored in Christ, and how through the Holy Spirit believers are being transformed from glory to glory (2 Corinthians 3:18). The episode closes with a forward look to the day when every knee will bow and His Glory will be fully revealed. Featuring 'All the Glory' and 'Glory.'
P700 Making the Best of Our Emotions: Introduction
Barbara launches a new series on emotions, establishing from the outset that feelings are a powerful force requiring daily surrender to God rather than unchecked expression or stifled repression. She explores how the Scriptures describe God Himself as a deeply emotional Being—One who loves, delights, rejoices, and grows jealous—grounding the discussion in Matthew 22:37, 1 John 4:8, and Ephesians 3:17–19. The episode challenges listeners to empty themselves of self-focus so they can be fully filled with God's love, anchored by a memorable humorous prayer about needing God the moment one gets out of bed. Featuring 'Empty Me' and 'The Love of Christ.'
P701 Making the Best of Our Emotions: How to Handle Emotions Correctly
Using Robert Plutchik's eight basic emotions as a framework, Barbara turns to the passionate life of King David to show what it looks like to handle feelings in a God-honoring way. She walks through Psalm 42 and Psalm 119, highlighting how David's extreme highs and lows never caused him to abandon hope in God—which is precisely why God called him 'a man after His own heart.' The episode closes with a heartfelt pastoral prayer inviting listeners to stop hiding their emotions from a God who already knows every thought before it is formed. Featuring 'I Love You Lord' and 'By Your Side.'
P702 Making the Best of Our Emotions: Love, the Right Kind of Way
Barbara examines the four Greek words for love—philía, storgé, éros, and agápe—to show why only the last, the self-sacrificing love of God, can truly transform human relationships. Drawing on 1 Corinthians 13, Romans 5:8, and 1 John 3:1 and 4:12, she traces how Agape love is not a feeling but a steadfast commitment to act on someone else's behalf, modeled perfectly in Christ's death on the cross. Listeners are reminded that the greatest display of this love was Jesus asking the Father to forgive those who crucified Him—the most 'inhuman' act imaginable and the standard we are called to pursue. Featuring 'Glorious Day' and 'Out of His Great Love.'
P703 Making the Best of Our Emotions: Is All Anger Wrong?
Barbara tackles the emotion of anger head-on, beginning with Webster's definition and quickly establishing from Ephesians 4:26 that anger itself is not a sin—but what we do with it can be. She surveys God's own righteous anger throughout the Old Testament and Jesus' zealous cleansing of the Temple, concluding that righteous indignation in response to evil is not only permitted but expected of believers. The episode ends by directing listeners to the promises of Ephesians 1 as a resource for choosing a God-honoring response when anger strikes. Featuring 'Ephesians Chapter One' and 'For All You've Done.'
P704 Making the Best of Our Emotions: How to Handle Anger Correctly
With the story of Cain as her case study, Barbara walks through the anatomy of unjustified anger—its cause, response, reaction, and devastating result—and contrasts it with a biblical checklist of when anger is genuinely righteous. Practical guidance drawn from Proverbs 15:1, Romans 12:18–21, and James 1:19 gives listeners concrete tools for diffusing anger before it becomes sin, including praying for those who have offended you. Barbara also addresses the often-overlooked anger people harbor toward God during unexplained suffering, pointing to Laura Story's song as the wisest theological response. Featuring 'Blessings' by Laura Story.
P705 Making the Best of Our Emotions: What to Do When We Fear
Barbara traces fear to its biblical origin in the Garden of Eden, explaining how Adam and Eve's first experience of terror was a direct consequence of sin severing their relationship with God—a relational break that Jesus' shed blood was provided to heal. She carefully distinguishes between the debilitating fear that sin produces and the reverential fear of God that Scripture commends, anchoring the distinction in 1 John 4:18, Romans 8:1, and Isaiah 43:1. Believers are assured that those who rightly fear God find themselves freed from every lesser fear, because perfect love casts it out. Featuring 'I Lift My Song' and 'Mercy Called Me by Name.'
P706 Making the Best of Our Emotions: How to Fear God Correctly
In the concluding episode of the series, Barbara explores what it practically means to fear God—searching His Word like hidden treasure, hating evil, and choosing to trust Him in all circumstances. She profiles four biblical figures—Abraham, Jeremiah, Joseph, and Noah—who each demonstrated a costly, wholehearted trust in God despite having no visible reason to do so, and shows how their examples shape a template for believers today. Proverbs 2:1–5, Psalm 56:3–4, and Lamentations 3:21–24 anchor the study, culminating in the assurance that those who fear God correctly are kept under His covering all their days. Featuring 'More Precious Than Silver' and 'How Can I Keep from Singing.'
P710 How to Pray: How to Pray and What to Pray For
Barbara opens a new series on prayer by grounding it not in technique but in relationship, comparing the intimacy of prayer to wanting to hear every detail of a loved one's day. She walks through Jesus' instructions in Matthew 6 and 21—pray to the Father, avoid babbling, pray with faith, and pray with a clean heart—and shares a personal story of asking God simply for what she wanted before singing, only to discover He genuinely delights in giving the desires of our hearts. The episode is a warm invitation to treat prayer as a conversation with a best friend who already knows you deeply. Featuring 'In Jesus' Name' and 'I Believe in Prayer.'
P711 How to Pray: How to Pray and What to Pray For, Part 2
Continuing the series, Barbara focuses on the posture of humility that makes prayer effective, using a child's dependent trust as the governing image drawn from Matthew 18:3 and Matthew 7:11. She shares a touching story of her three-year-old grandson spontaneously bowing his head to pray for his father stuck in traffic—a picture of the simple, honest faith God responds to—and then mines Hebrews 7:25 and Isaiah 49:16 to show how Jesus continuously intercedes and carries believers on the palm of His hands. The episode closes with the classic hymn 'Before the Throne' illustrating the permanent access believers have to God through Christ. Featuring 'Whispered Prayer' and 'Before the Throne.'
P761 Make Every Effort: Part 1
Part one of a two-part series on what it means to be fully used in God's service as His ambassador. Barbara draws from 2 Corinthians 5:17-20 and Luke 13:24 to explore the imperative to "make every effort" to enter through the narrow door — which is Christ alone — and to cease striving for self-earned salvation in favor of resting in God's grace. She also examines the Israelites' failure in the wilderness as a warning against hardening hearts to God's direction, weaving in a quote from Corrie Ten Boom about looking to God for true rest. Featuring "Go Light Your World" by Kathy Troccoli and "Abide with Me."
P762 Make Every Effort: Part 2
In this concluding part, Barbara continues unpacking the "make every effort" passages of Scripture, moving from personal holiness and readiness for service to the call for unity and peacemaking. Verses from 2 Peter 3:14, 1 Peter 1:5-7, Romans 14, and Ephesians 4:3 call believers to pursue spotlessness, add godly virtues to their faith, and live peaceably with all. The episode closes with the story of the hemorrhaging woman in Matthew 9 — a powerful image of the courageous effort required to reach out to Jesus. Featuring "Jesus I Am Resting" by Buddy Greene and "Thread of Hope" by Marcia B. Henry.
P770 My Heart — Christ's Home: Is Your Heart a Home for Jesus?
Barbara opens this series based on Robert Boyd Munger's beloved 1936 booklet 'My Heart, Christ's Home,' introducing the concept that a believer's heart can be a dwelling place where Jesus is fully at home. She reads from Munger's account of inviting Christ in and beginning the tour of the heart's 'rooms,' starting with the study of the mind — where the books, magazines, and images of our imagination are examined in the light of Jesus' presence. Grounded in Ephesians 3:16-17 and 2 Corinthians 5:17, this episode invites listeners to open the door to Christ as Savior and Lord. Featuring "When I Get in His Presence."
P771 My Heart — Christ's Home: The Dining Room
Moving into the dining room of the heart, Barbara and Mr. Munger's writing confront our appetites and desires — what we truly hunger for in life. When Jesus sits at the table of the heart's dining room and finds only secular fare — status, wealth, and worldly ambition — He offers a different satisfaction: doing the will of the Father. Barbara weaves in personal reflection, her own poem "Fulfillment," and warnings from 1 Timothy 6:10 and Matthew 19 about the emptiness of wealth, pointing listeners to the truth that only Jesus — the Living Water and Bread of Life — truly satisfies. Featuring "Change My Heart" by Ed Kerr and "He's All I Need."
P772 My Heart — Christ's Home: The Work Room
Barbara and Mr. Munger's writing venture into the workroom — the place in the heart where talents and skills are used for Kingdom purposes. Christ examines the workbench and challenges the writer to stop relying on his own awkward efforts and instead relax into the Master's hands, allowing the Holy Spirit to work through him. Drawing on Romans 12:6-8 and 2 Corinthians 9:8, Barbara shares how a divine challenge to write poetry unlocked a gift she never knew she had, encouraging listeners not to miss opportunities for God-ordained service. Featuring "God's Gonna Do" by The Martins and "Shine the Light" by Babbie Mason.
P773 My Heart — Christ's Home: The Rec Room
This episode enters the rec room of the heart — the place of free time, friendships, and recreation — and asks whether Jesus would be welcome there. Mr. Munger's writing describes the guilt of deliberately leaving Christ out of a night out with friends, and the transformation that followed when he invited the Lord into every activity. Barbara reinforces this with practical wisdom from Proverbs on choosing friends wisely and Romans 6:13 on avoiding relationships that lead away from God. Featuring "He's All I Need" and "Touch of the Master's Hand" by Wayne Watson.
P774 My Heart — Christ's Home: The Hall Closet
In this deeply personal episode, Barbara and Mr. Munger's writing open the hall closet — the locked room where old, lingering things from before Christ are hidden away. When Jesus detects an unpleasant odor and points to the closet, the writer is confronted with pride and reluctance before finally handing over the key. Barbara shares her own story of releasing childhood unforgiveness after hearing a song, and grounds the message in Psalm 44:21 and Ephesians 4:22-24, calling listeners to let God cleanse every hidden room. Featuring "Hide Me in Your Holiness" and "The Secret Place" by Stephen Chapman.
P775 My Heart — Christ's Home: The Living Room
Barbara steps into the living room — the place of daily fellowship and quiet time with the Lord — and reads Mr. Munger's tender account of how a once-cherished morning routine with Jesus gradually eroded under busyness and distraction. When Christ gently reminds him that He waits there every morning because He loves the fellowship, it transforms the writer's entire approach to prayer and Scripture. Barbara adds her own poem, "Too Busy, Lord," as a candid confession, and draws from Psalm 46:10 and Ephesians 3:16-19 to call listeners to stop talking and start truly listening to God. Featuring "I Miss My Time with You" by Larnelle Harris.
P776 My Heart — Christ's Home: Transferring the Title
In the concluding episode of the series, Barbara and Mr. Munger arrive at the ultimate question: who truly owns the house of the heart? Exhausted from trying to keep every room clean on his own, Munger realizes the solution is to hand Christ the title deed — making Him not just a guest, but the Master and owner of his life. Barbara grounds this transfer of lordship in Proverbs 3:5-6, 1 Corinthians 6:20, and Matthew 11:28-29, inviting listeners to stop playing host and start walking with Jesus as Lord. Featuring "Can't Live a Day Without You" by Avalon and "Walk with Me" by Ken Snyder.
P800 Christmas — A Time to Remember All Year
Barbara opens this Christmas series by tracing the surprising origins of the Christmas tree — from ancient pagan evergreen traditions through medieval Nativity plays to Queen Victoria's royal tree at Windsor Castle — showing how Christians reclaimed this symbol to point to Christ. Rather than get caught up in the busyness and commercial pressure of the season, she describes decorating her own tree with ornaments named for the gifts Jesus came to give: Love, Joy, Peace, Hope, Grace, and Salvation. The episode then unfolds the true meaning of each gift as given through the cross, which Scripture calls a tree, trimmed with the Light of the World. Featuring "Born to Die" by Barbara Mandrell and "Would It Still Be Christmas."
P801 Christmas — A Time to Remember All Year: Where Hope Can Be Found
Barbara continues the Christmas series by asking where genuine hope, peace, and joy — the things the carols promise — can actually be found. Beginning with the startling claim that a person can live without food for 40 days but only two seconds without hope, she describes the one solitary life of Jesus Christ and its unmatched impact on human history. She then unwraps two gifts from her Christmas tree: Salvation — described as the cross, God's own Christmas tree trimmed with the Light of the World — and Love, grounded in Romans 8:38 and John 3:16. Featuring "Hope Is Born" by Jim Brinkman and "Ring the Bells" by Harry Bollback.
P802 Christmas — A Time to Remember All Year: Peace, Perfect Peace
This episode unwraps the Christmas gifts of Joy and Peace from Barbara's ornament-covered tree. Using the acronym J-O-Y — Jesus first, Others second, Yourself last — she shows how true joy is not an absence of trouble but the presence of Christ, supported by Hebrews 12:2, 1 Peter 1:8-9, and Psalm 16:11. She then turns to Peace, the supernatural gift Jesus promised before His ascension in John 14:27 — a peace independent of circumstances, described by Isaiah as belonging to those whose minds are stayed on God. Featuring "Hallelujah" and "Worship the Gift."
P803 Christmas — A Time to Remember All Year: Jesus' Gifts Keep on Giving
In the final episode of the Christmas series, Barbara unwraps the remaining gifts from the tree: Goodness, Meekness, Gentleness, Long-suffering, Temperance, and Faithfulness — the fruit of the Spirit that Jesus came to cultivate in every believer. She reflects on Mary's unquestioning obedience as the model of self-surrender, and reminds listeners that the fruit of the Spirit is meant to be given away, not hoarded. The series closes with the joyful assurance that Jesus will come again with the ultimate gift: eternal life with Him forever. Featuring "Mary Did You Know" by Mark Lowry and a "Messiah Medley" by Handel.
P201 Episode P201
Episode P201 of the GraceNotes radio program. (No transcript available.)
P208 What's Good about Good Friday
Barbara tackles the apparent paradox of calling Christ's crucifixion 'Good Friday,' grounding her answer in Colossians 1:20, 2:14, and Ephesians 2:16 — the cross is the place where the penalty of the law was removed, peace with God was made possible, and mankind was reconciled to its Creator. She reads from Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53 to let the weight of Christ's suffering speak for itself, then reflects on a dimension often overlooked: what it cost the Father to plan, prepare, and watch His only Son endure that death. A story about a man fighting with his wife who drove past a three-cross church sign, checked into a hotel with a Gideon Bible, and became a believer overnight illustrates the ongoing power of the cross to change lives. Featuring 'Via Dolorosa' and 'He Grew the Tree.'
P209 Easter — the Song of New Life
Spring is Barbara's favorite season, and this Easter episode channels that sense of new beginnings into a message about mankind's greatest need: to be spiritually reborn through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Using the apostle Peter as a mirror for the listener — someone who lived with Jesus, witnessed miracles, and still denied Him — she shows how the resurrection is the proof that Christ has the power to forgive even the most painful failure, quoting Romans 5:9–10 to explain what justification, reconciliation, and intercession mean for every believer. The episode calls listeners to join God's family and celebrate not just a seasonal holiday but their own resurrection to new life. Featuring 'Was It a Morning Like This,' 'He's Alive,' and 'Easter Song.'
P210 What Every Child Needs
With families under unprecedented pressure and teen suicide rates rising, Barbara offers parents a practical and spiritually grounded response to the war raging against their children. She walks through Joshua 24:15, Deuteronomy 6:7, and Job's priestly intercession for his family to make a three-part case: we need to tell our kids about God, tell the world we stand for the Lord, and most of all tell God about our kids in fervent prayer. Drawing on coaching analogies, the Wall Street Journal's sobering statistic that American parents average fewer than fifteen minutes a week in serious conversation with their children, and her own experience of being told by God to stop nagging and start praying, Barbara paints a picture of the home as the first and most powerful classroom for faith. Featuring 'Pray for Me' and 'Belong to Me.'
P213 A Tribute to Mothers
This special Mother's Day episode finds Barbara honoring the women who shape faith and character across generations. Drawing on Isaiah 66:13 and Ephesians 6:12, she reflects on her own mother's joyful example and faithful intercession, and on a grandmother whose encouragement helped Barbara discover her calling in music. Original poems written by Barbara about 'Momma' and 'Grandma' bring the tribute to life, followed by a Mother's Day song penned by Barbara's own mother, Lucille Houck. Featuring 'Prayer Warrior' and 'Mothers Day Song.'
P220 Interview with Erica
In this special episode, Barbara steps aside from her usual teaching format to interview Erica Hullet, a 13-year-old whose early life was marked by hardship but whose spirit radiates the joy of the Lord. Erica shares her testimony of survival, her path to faith and adoption, the discovery of her singing gift, and her involvement in Evangelism Explosion. The interview reminds listeners that God's plans for a life are not derailed by difficult circumstances, and that the 'hard-knocks' training He allows often becomes the very foundation of a powerful ministry.
P221 Promise in Your Time of Grief
Barbara responds to a letter from a widow by gathering the Bible's most comforting promises for those walking through grief — whether from the loss of a loved one, health, or any other deep loss. Anchoring her message in 1 Thessalonians 4, Hebrews 4, Romans 8, and Revelation 21, she reminds listeners that Jesus Himself knows grief, that sorrow is only 'for a little while,' and that God never wastes pain — He uses it to equip us to comfort others. The episode is a tender, scripture-rich resource meant to be shared with anyone in mourning. Featuring 'He's My Everything' and 'His Strength Is Perfect.'
P222 Promises to Soothe Your Worries
Armed with research showing that 92 percent of what people worry about never materializes or cannot be changed, Barbara tackles anxiety head-on with a treasury of God's 'I will' promises from Isaiah, the Psalms, and John. She addresses the three root causes of stress — being unconfident, uninformed, and unprepared — and shows how placing daily confidence in the great 'I AM,' staying informed by Scripture, and putting on spiritual armor transforms worry into the peace that surpasses understanding. A memorable poem about God's Name being 'I AM' drives the lesson home. Featuring 'One Day at a Time' and 'God Is Faithful.'
P235 Fear — Is It All Bad?
Barbara tackles the topic of fear head-on, distinguishing between the paralyzing fear of danger — which originates with Satan — and the reverential awe of God that leads to wisdom and peace. Citing Matthew 10:28, 2 Timothy 1:7, and Psalm 91, she argues that most people fear the wrong things because they don't have a proper fear of the One who holds authority over both body and soul. The episode invites listeners to place their faith in Jesus Christ, whose perfect love casts out fear, and to call on the strong name of the Lord as a refuge in every frightening circumstance. Featuring "When All You Have Is Jesus" and "In Jesus Name."
P236 The Lord's Return
Using the acrostic RETURN, Barbara walks listeners through six biblical postures every believer should hold while awaiting Christ's second coming: Rejoice, Endure, Trust, be Unwavering, be Ready, and act Now. She draws from 1 Peter, 2 Timothy, Ephesians, and 1 Thessalonians to show that hope in Christ's return is not passive but active — marked by sobriety, prayer, faithfulness, and bold witness. The episode closes with the urgent reminder that readiness for Christ's return begins the moment a person accepts Him as Savior. Featuring "Look Up You're Going Home" and "The King Is Coming."
P237 Open My Eyes, Lord
Barbara shares a vivid personal story of being stranded with a flat tire late at night — and watching God answer three specific prayers in sequence, sending a teenage boy, then a policeman, then a gas station attendant at just the right moments. Framed by Job's testimony in Job 42:5 that he knew God by hearing but came to truly see Him through suffering, the episode encourages listeners to invite God to make Himself known through adversity rather than only through blessings. Barbara challenges her audience to pray boldly for God to reveal Himself, promising He will answer in ways that bring Him glory. Featuring "Awesome God" and "Open Our Eyes Lord."
P260 Fellowship Restored
Drawing from Psalm 42, Barbara walks through King David's longing for restored fellowship with God during a time of exile and oppression — a soul-thirst that no change of circumstances or environment could satisfy. She gently challenges listeners who have grown comfortable relying on places, people, or routines to draw near to God, reminding them that God resides within the Believer and calls us simply to come to Him (Matthew 11:28, John 7:37-38). The episode is a tender invitation to stop blaming circumstances for spiritual dryness and instead respond to the deep drawing of God's Spirit. Featuring 'As the Deer' and 'He's All I Need.'
P264 The Hand That Brought Us Peace
Barbara traces the rich biblical significance of the word 'hand' — used over 1,600 times in Scripture — to arrive at its most profound use: the pierced hands of Jesus on the cross. Referencing Isaiah 53:5-6 and Psalm 22:16, she explains how Jesus voluntarily surrendered his power to pay the penalty for our sin, and how his wounded hands, once used to heal and bless on earth, became an instrument of eternal blessing for all who believe. The episode also addresses the guilt that so often lingers even after forgiveness, pointing to Romans 8:1 and the full freedom Christ offers. Featuring 'Where the Nails Were' and 'There Is Good News.'
P265 Who Is This Man?
Beginning with the famous reflection on 'One Solitary Life,' Barbara builds a sweeping portrait of Jesus Christ — who left the riches of heaven to be born in a stable, serve without a home, and die in the place of those who rejected him. She invites listeners to look closely at a caring, approachable, participative Savior who calms seas, heals the broken, and promises never to leave those who follow him (Isaiah 43:2, John 10:10). The episode closes with a personal gospel invitation for anyone who has not yet responded to who Jesus truly is. Featuring 'King of Glory' and 'Jesus Lord to Me.'
P266 He's One in a Million
Barbara profiles Rev. James Langrall, a 96-year-old pastor still actively preaching, visiting the sick, and praying on his knees in public places — living proof that the Bible never calls believers to retirement. His life motto ('We pass through this world only once') and the story of Mary anointing Jesus (Mark 14:8 — 'She did what she could') challenge every listener to step out of their comfort zone and do what they can for God's kingdom. The episode also draws on Psalm 92:12-14 and the examples of Moses and Paul to show that faithfulness to God's calling bears fruit at every age. Featuring 'Faithful Men' and 'I'll Be the One.'
P267 Are You Following?
Taking Jesus' words in John 10:27 and Mark 1:17 as her starting point, Barbara asks what it truly means to follow Christ — not as a childish game but as a life of humble, outward-focused mission. She reflects honestly on a painful personal experience: jogging with a coworker for a year and a half without ever sharing the gospel with her, only for that woman to die in a car accident, and vowing from that moment to tell everyone who crosses her path about Jesus. Phil 2:5-9 grounds the episode in the humility of Christ himself, who set aside all status to serve and seek the lost. Featuring 'In Heaven's Eyes' and 'Too Long.'
P268 Just Say Thanks
Barbara explores the who, why, what, when, and how of praising God — drawing on Moses' farewell doxology (Deuteronomy 32:3-4), Psalm 136, and 1 Thessalonians 5:18 to show that gratitude is not optional but an ongoing posture of the Believer's heart. She reflects on the gift of physical life, eternal life through John 3:16, and daily provision, illustrating God's care with a charming story about backyard squirrels and birds and Matthew 6:26. True praise, she concludes, is expressed with a grateful heart, a Christlike walk, and words that make God's deeds known to others — our lives as a living thank-you letter to the Lord. Featuring 'Sing to the Lord' and 'Lord I Lift Your Name.'
P350 Making a New Start
As a new year begins, Barbara reflects on what makes a resolution truly lasting — and finds the answer not in willpower but in knowing and delighting in what God loves. Inspired by the resolves of Daniel, King Jehoshaphat, and the apostle Paul, she explores two things that genuinely please God: the fervent prayers of His children and the joyful bearing of one another's burdens. Barbara shares answered prayers from her own family's year — a grandmother who came to faith two weeks before death, a grandchild's birth crisis resolved, her mother spared from a heart attack — as vivid evidence that God hears and acts. Featuring "Before the Throne" and "Pray."
P550 How to Get to Heaven
Using the story of the thief on the cross from Luke 23, Barbara presents the simplest and most profound case for how anyone enters Heaven — not through church membership, baptism, good deeds, or eloquent prayers, but through believing in Jesus and confessing Him as Lord. She systematically dismantles common additions to salvation by showing what the criminal did not do: he was naked, unbaptized, not a church member, and incapable of any physical service — yet Jesus told him, 'Today you will be with me in Paradise.' The episode concludes with the ABC's of salvation and a prayer listeners can pray to receive the free gift of eternal life, grounded in Romans 10:9-10. Featuring 'Isaiah 53'.
P560 You Are Precious
Barbara begins with a childhood memory of her grandmother buying her a stuffed octopus named Oscar at a bazaar — a small act of love that made her feel genuinely precious for the first time — and a dream decades later confirming she would not trade that memory for a million dollars. She then builds from that feeling of being precious to the breathtaking truth of Psalm 139: that God's thoughts toward each person outnumber the grains of sand, that He knit us together in the womb, and that the days of our lives were written in His book before one of them came to be. The episode closes with the call to treasure Christ above all earthly things and to share the precious gift of salvation with others, since 'we have this treasure in jars of clay.' Featuring 'Wonderful Merciful Savior' and 'More Precious Than Silver'.
P570 Let Me Put a Bug in Your Ear
Barbara shares a startlingly personal story — a middle-of-the-night emergency room visit after a live insect found its way into her ear — and mines it for rich spiritual insight. The experience becomes a vivid illustration of how sin invades our lives unnoticed, causes deep pain, and requires the Great Physician's intervention to remove. Drawing on 1 Peter 5:8, Matthew 26:41, and 2 Corinthians 1:3–4, she encourages listeners to stay alert, seek God's cleansing, and extend compassion to those who suffer. Featuring 'By His Wounds.'
P592 How to Be Successful
Barbara uses the life of Joseph — sold into slavery by jealous brothers, falsely accused, and forgotten in prison for thirteen years — to show that true success is measured not by circumstances but by attitude, especially the willingness to forgive. Working through Genesis 39 and Colossians 3:13, she demonstrates how Joseph's refusal to harbor bitterness allowed God's blessing to flow through him wherever he went, ultimately elevating him to rule over Egypt. An original poem by Barbara, 'Stained Glass Windows,' invites listeners to let God clean house and color their hearts with His forgiveness. Featuring 'We Will Glorify' and 'The Secret Place.'
P601 The Resurrection — A News Report
In a creative dramatic format, Barbara and her husband Kevin re-enact the events of Pentecost as a live news broadcast from Jerusalem circa 30 A.D. — with Kevin voicing the apostle Peter's sermon from Acts 2 and Barbara playing Mary Magdalene as a field reporter covering the scene. The episode then takes an intimate turn as 'Peter' reflects on his own failures, denials, and transformation through Christ's forgiveness, drawing on 1 Peter 5:6 to encourage anyone who has stumbled to accept God's grace and start over. Featuring 'Touch of the Master's Hand.'
P602 Salvation Stories: Ron and Rita Boyle
Barbara hosts Ron and Rita Boyle, who share how fifteen years of faithful prayer transformed their marriage and brought Ron to faith in Jesus Christ. Rita's persistent intercession and Godly example—captured in James 5:16—ultimately softened Ron's heart and broke down the wall of bitterness that had kept him from receiving Christ. Barbara reflects on the power of prayer to change both minds and hearts, and reads an original poem encouraging listeners who feel it's too late to serve God. Featuring 'Somebody's Praying' and 'I Thirst,' both sung by Ron Boyle.
P603 What Makes a Good Father
Drawing on the image of a football coach, Barbara outlines the qualities that define a truly good father—one who submits himself to God, sanctifies himself for his children, searches Scripture, and seeks to genuinely know each child. She traces both the failures and the rare successes of biblical fathers, pointing to Abraham's faith-filled obedience as a model, and ultimately holds up God Himself as the only perfect Father. The episode is grounded in passages from Proverbs, Deuteronomy, and Hebrews 12, and closes with a prayer of fatherly dedication. Featuring 'I Lift My Hands' and 'Be.'
P604 Why Trust a Computer for Life?
Barbara uses the world's growing dependence on computers as a springboard to explore the only truly reliable source of direction—God's Word. She walks through how sin functions like a virus corrupting our relationship with God, and how Jesus' death and resurrection offer a permanent fix, drawing on Romans 3:23, 6:23, and 2 Peter 1:5–7. Just as a computer programmer must immerse in another's code to improve it, Barbara urges listeners to dig deeply into Scripture to understand the mind of Christ and live out God's custom-designed plan. Featuring 'How Deep the Father's Love for Us' and 'Come Just as You Are.'
P605 A Real Hero
Barbara pays tribute to her friend Dorcas, a behind-the-scenes heroine who spent her lifetime giving sacrificially to missionaries around the world—funding vehicles, Bibles, bicycles for Indian evangelists, and even a building in Haiti that bears her name. Grounded in 2 Corinthians 9:6–13 and the parable of the talents, the episode shows how Dorcas found her deepest joy through extravagant generosity and intercessory prayer, even as life dealt her devastating losses including the death of two sons. Dorcas's story is offered as an inspiring challenge to listeners to become better givers, doers, and prayer warriors. Featuring 'Find Us Faithful' by Steve Green.
P606 Changing Dependencies
In a rare personal disclosure, Barbara tells the story of her twelve-year smoking habit—how it began in childhood, persisted through her marriage and ministry, and was finally broken on July 3, 1979 when God used a doctor's warning to prompt her to cry out for help for the very first time. She traces how God not only freed her from addiction but restored and even rejuvenated her singing voice, pointing to Joel 2:25's promise that the Lord restores the years the locust has eaten. The episode is a candid invitation for listeners to identify anything in their own lives that keeps them from a closer walk with God. Featuring 'Out of His Great Love' and 'Secret Place.'
P720 What to Do When We Suffer Loss
Barbara draws on both the book of Job and her own experience of being broadsided in a serious car accident to explore how believers can respond with trust when loss is sudden and life-altering. She traces Job's journey from his initial worshipful response—'The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD'—through his later anguished questioning, and finally to the humbled, transformed man who repented in dust and ashes after encountering God directly. The episode encourages listeners to view losses not as punishment but as opportunities to be God's 'trophy piece,' holding things loosely as vapors on loan. Featuring 'Every Need Supplied.'
P730 Why Do We Do What We Do?
Barbara asks a searching question that rarely gets aired in Christian circles: what are our true motives when we serve God? Opening with the contrast between King Saul's self-serving pride and David's pure heart—illustrated in God's rebuke to Samuel in 1 Samuel 16—she surveys the many rewards Scripture promises for faithful service while issuing a sober warning from 1 Corinthians 3:11–15 that self-glorifying works will be burned up at the judgment. The story of rural mail carrier Arnold Billie, whose extraordinary servant-heartedness sprang entirely from love, illustrates what right motivation looks like in ordinary life. Featuring 'Medals, Crowns and Trophies.'
P740 Why Do We Suffer?
Barbara confronts the age-old question of suffering with the insight that the answer begins not with God's cruelty but with the sin-cursed world in which we live—and with where we choose to fix our focus. She points to Isaiah 53's portrait of Jesus as a man of sorrows acquainted with grief, establishing that He can fully empathize with human pain and that His comfort, described in 2 Corinthians 1:3–4, is not theoretical but experiential. A charming story of a little girl who wept alongside her friend simply because her baby's arm had come off captures the ministry of compassionate presence that believers are called to extend to one another. Featuring 'Every Heart That Is Breaking' and 'I'll Talk to the Father.'
P750 How to Please God and Influence People
Barbara opens a new series by establishing that true success in the Christian life is not power or prestige but pleasing God—and that this begins with the faith described in Hebrews 11:6, which believes both that God exists and that He keeps His promises. She walks through a cluster of New Testament passages showing that believers are called to display Christ-like character not for their own development alone but so others will see their good works and glorify the Father. The gardening metaphor she uses—sprinkling tiny seeds and stepping back while God makes the increase—beautifully captures the unassuming nature of kingdom influence. Featuring 'I Lift My Hands' and 'Little Is Much.'
P751 How to Please God and Influence People, Part 2
In this follow-up, Barbara turns to women of the Bible to illustrate how charm and influence—for good or ill—have shaped the course of history. From Eve's fateful persuasion of Adam to Delilah's destructive seduction of Samson, and finally to Esther's courageous, God-fearing wisdom that saved an entire nation, the episode demonstrates that lasting influence flows not from personality or position but from the fear of the Lord and a commitment to His wisdom. Proverbs 31:30 anchors the argument: charm is deceptive and beauty fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Featuring 'Whom Shall I Fear' and 'These Things Are True of You.'
P752 Broad or Narrow Road: Which Do You Choose?
Prompted by a dinner conversation with skeptical friends, Barbara unpacks Jesus' words in Matthew 7:13–14 about the wide road to destruction and the narrow road to life, addressing directly the common objection that it 'doesn't seem fair.' She explains that the gate is narrow not because God is restrictive but because there is only one correct way—belief in Jesus, as stated in John 14:6 and Acts 4:12—and that this way is freely available to all who seek it. The episode closes with a simple salvation prayer and an invitation for new believers to write in, making this episode an accessible evangelistic resource. Featuring 'Lord I Lift Your Name on High' and 'Lord, I Need You.'
P753 Waiting: The Benefits of Waiting
Barbara reflects on the very human resistance to waiting and draws from Scripture to reveal why God calls His people to patient expectancy. Through verses in Psalms, Proverbs, and Isaiah 40:31 — "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength" — she unpacks how waiting on God yields renewed strength, divine instruction, protection, and hope. An extended reading from Robert Boyd Munger's 'My Heart, Christ's Home' illustrates how neglecting daily fellowship with Jesus affects our spiritual life. Featuring "I Miss My Time with You" by Larnelle Harris.
P754 Waiting: The Results of Not Waiting
Continuing the theme from the previous episode, Barbara examines what happens when we refuse to wait on God's timing. Through the story of the butterfly's cocoon — where human intervention robs the butterfly of the strength it needs to fly — and the biblical account of King Saul's impatient sacrifice in 1 Samuel 13, she shows how bypassing God's timing can cost us dearly. She shares a personal poem and God's comfort from 1 Peter 5:6-7 during a season of confusion, reminding listeners that God is often waiting on us to get ready. Featuring "Rest" and "'Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus."
P760 Strongholds
In this standalone episode, Barbara explores the double meaning of the word 'stronghold' — both a spiritual fortress of protection and a binding grip of habits or mindsets that hold us captive. Drawing from 2 Corinthians 10:3-4 and Ephesians 6, she examines the full armor of God as the means by which believers can demolish harmful strongholds, and calls listeners to renew their minds through prayer, Scripture, and submission to Christ. The elephant and rope analogy vividly illustrates how false limitations from our past can keep us from becoming who God created us to be. Featuring "Chain Breaker" by Zach Williams and "The Secret Place" by Steve Chapman.
Stations That Carry Our Program
- WDCX — 99.5 FM — Buffalo, NY — Sunday 5:30 PM
- WTLN — 950 AM & 94.9 FM — Orlando, FL — Sundays 10:45 AM & 2:45 PM
- Trans World Radio — into South East Asia/Africa (Tuesdays UTC 11:20, 12120 kHz, 25 meter band)
- Trans World Radio — into South Asia/Africa (Sundays UTC 14:30, 9300 kHz, 25 meter band)
- Trans World Radio — into Central Asia (Tuesdays UTC 14:45, 13690 kHz, 21 meter band)
- Toledo Christian Radio — at random in Belize, Central America
- WDZY — 1290 AM & 103.3 FM — Richmond, VA — Sunday 9:00 AM