God Made Podcast

The conversation explores the formation of beliefs, the authority of Scripture, the impact of outrage and exhaustion, the influence of content consumption, the labor pains of formation, the role of people in formation, and evaluating content consumption. Key takeaways include the impact of repetition on beliefs, the contrasting effects of Scripture and content consumption, and the deceptive nature of the absence of correction.

Takeaways

Chapters

Christians are already using AI for Bible study, theological research, prayer, and spiritual questions. So maybe the question isn't whether Christians should use AI. It's how we should use it.

In this episode, Greg explores the growing role of artificial intelligence in the Christian life and one important distinction: AI can be a great research assistant, but it makes a terrible spiritual authority.

What happens when AI gives us answers so quickly that we stop wrestling with Scripture? Can we trust theological answers from a system that has learned from both sound doctrine and false teaching? And what do we lose when a chatbot begins replacing pastors, mature believers, and real Christian community?

We'll work through four major concerns and a simple framework for using AI wisely:

Research. Verify. Wrestle. Discuss.

AI can help us gather information—but it should never replace Scripture, the Holy Spirit, or the people God has placed around us.

God Made Podcast — practical conversations about following Jesus in everyday life.

What do strong Christian marriages actually do differently?

A healthy marriage usually isn’t built on one huge romantic gesture. It’s built through small, intentional choices made over and over again—how we talk to each other, prioritize each other, handle disagreement, protect our relationship, pray for one another, and remember the covenant we made before God.

In this episode of the God Made Podcast, we walk through 9 practical habits of healthy marriages and look at the biblical principles behind each one.

Some of these are direct commands from Scripture. Others are practical marriage habits that flow from biblical wisdom. Either way, they give us some great questions to ask about our own marriages.

The 9 principles and Scriptures we discuss:

1. Put your spouse’s needs ahead of your own
Philippians 2:3–4 • Ephesians 5:21, 25, 28–29 • 1 Corinthians 10:24

2. Don’t expect your spouse to complete you
Colossians 2:9–10 • Psalm 73:25–26 • Philippians 4:11–13

3. Spend time together
Genesis 2:24 • Ecclesiastes 9:9 • Song of Songs 2:10–13

4. Prioritize your marriage over your career
Genesis 2:24 • Ephesians 5:25–33 • 1 Timothy 5:8 • Mark 8:36

5. Prioritize your marriage over your kids
Genesis 2:24 • Ephesians 5:31–33 • Deuteronomy 6:6–7

6. Set  boundaries
Proverbs 4:23 • Proverbs 25:28 • 1 Corinthians 6:12 • Ephesians 5:15–16 • Matthew 5:27–30

7. In front of others, we only speak compliments about our spouse.
Ephesians 4:29 • Proverbs 31:28–29 • Proverbs 18:21 • James 3:5–10

8. Pray for your spouse instead of trying to change them
Philippians 1:9–11 • Colossians 1:9–12 • 1 Peter 3:1–2 • James 5:16 • Philippians 2:13

9. We agreed to a covenant where divorce is not an option
Malachi 2:14 • Matthew 19:4–6, 9 • Genesis 2:24 • Mark 10:9 • 1 Corinthians 7:15

Marriage doesn’t become strong by accident. It grows stronger when two people continually choose to love, serve, forgive, encourage, pursue, and pray for one another.

Which of these 9 comes naturally in your marriage—and which one needs more attention? Let us know in the comments.

If this episode encouraged you, subscribe to the God Made Podcast for honest conversations about marriage, family, faith, and following Jesus in everyday life.

For more information about Northview Church visit www.mynorthview.church

#ChristianMarriage #BiblicalMarriage #MarriageAdvice #ChristianCouples #GodMadePodcast

What does it really mean to have a biblical marriage?

Christians often talk about marriage in terms of roles, rules, responsibilities, headship, and submission. Those things matter, but it’s also possible to become so focused on defining everyone’s role that we lose sight of the heart of marriage itself.

In this episode, Greg and Kristi talk honestly about what biblical marriage looks like, the difference between Scripture and cultural expectations, and why marriage was never meant to become a checklist.

They discuss sacrificial love, leadership, submission, service, grace, and what it means for a husband and wife to pursue Christ together.

Ultimately, a biblical marriage is not just about getting the roles right. It’s about two people learning to love, serve, forgive, sacrifice, and follow Jesus together.

What made the Apostle Paul so resilient, useful, and faithful through opposition, suffering, and change?

In this episode, Greg and Kristi look at seven habits and disciplines that shaped Paul’s life and helped him remain faithful to the end.

Paul didn’t rush to be validated. He prayed for people specifically. He never stopped learning. He kept his hands dirty. He refused to walk alone. He never graduated from grace. And he trained with the finish line in mind.

These habits were not a formula for earning God’s favor. They were patterns of faithfulness formed by grace—patterns that shaped Paul’s character, strengthened his ministry, and helped him endure when following Jesus became costly.

This conversation explores both sides of Paul’s life: the private habits that prepared him for powerful ministry and the deeper convictions that kept him faithful through hardship.

The question is not only, “What shaped Paul?” It is also:
What habits are shaping us into people God can use—and what will help us remain faithful to the end?

What really happens when you stop going to church—and is attending church every Sunday enough to make someone a faithful follower of Jesus?

In this episode, Greg and Kristi have an honest conversation about both sides of church involvement.

First, they explore what Christians can gradually lose when they become disconnected from a local church. The greatest danger is usually not missing a single Sunday. It is allowing isolation to become the normal way we attempt to follow Jesus.

Christian community provides encouragement, accountability, relationships, opportunities to serve, and people who help us remain faithful when life becomes difficult. While sermons and online content can be valuable, they cannot fully replace life within the body of Christ.

But simply showing up is not the finish line.

A person can attend church regularly, listen to sermons, sing worship songs, and still remain spiritually passive. Presence in the room is not the same as becoming a devoted disciple of Jesus.

Greg and Kristi discuss the difference between attendance and engagement, how church hurt can make connection difficult, and how Christians can begin moving from merely attending toward building relationships, serving others, obeying Scripture, and participating in the mission of the church.

This conversation is not about earning salvation or shaming people into attending more services. Salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus. The goal is not merely better attendance—it is meaningful engagement with Jesus and His people.

The God Made Podcast helps everyday Christians navigate the real struggles of following Jesus with biblical truth and practical wisdom.

Why are you reading the Bible, hearing sermons, and consuming Christian content—but still not seeing real change in your habits, reactions, relationships, and decisions?

In this episode of the God Made Podcast, Greg and Kristi unpack James 1:22–25 and the difference between simply hearing God’s Word and actually obeying it. The problem may not be that you need more biblical information. It may be that you have learned to consume truth without responding to it.

We talk about why Bible reading plans can become checklists, how devotionals can sometimes replace real meditation on Scripture, and why exposure to truth is not the same as surrender to truth.

You will learn a simple three-part framework for Bible study that leads toward real spiritual growth:

Slow Down → Respond → Repeat

Instead of rushing through chapters just to finish a plan, learn how to read smaller passages more carefully, identify one clear act of obedience, and stay with that truth long enough for it to shape your everyday life.

In this episode:

-Why knowing more Scripture does not always lead to transformation
-What James means by being a hearer but not a doer
-How Bible reading can create spiritual self-deception
-Why consistency matters—but frequency alone is not enough
-How to use repeated reading and Scripture immersion
-A practical 30-day challenge to help the Bible move from information to obedience
-How to identify one specific response every time you read Scripture

The Bible is not failing to change you. You may simply be walking away too quickly.

Key Scripture: James 1:22–25

Subscribe to the God Made Podcast for practical Christian living, biblical discipleship, spiritual growth, and honest conversations about what it really looks like to follow Jesus in everyday life.

#BibleStudy #ChristianLiving #SpiritualGrowth #ChristianPodcast #Discipleship #BibleReading #James1 #FollowingJesus #BiblicalTruth #FaithInAction

Have you ever felt like giving up on prayer because nothing seems to be changing?

You're not alone.

In this episode of the God Made Podcast, Greg and Kristi talk about one of the hardest parts of the Christian life: continuing to pray when God seems silent and your circumstances stay the same.

Looking at Luke 18, where Jesus tells the parable of the persistent widow, we discover why persistent prayer isn't about convincing God to care—it's about learning to trust Him while we wait.

In this episode you'll discover:

Why Jesus told us to "always pray and never give up"
What persistent prayer actually accomplishes
The difference between trusting God and trying to pressure God
One practical way to strengthen your prayer life this week

If you've been discouraged by unanswered prayer, this conversation is for you.

Question:

What's one prayer you've been tempted to stop praying?

When God feels silent, it's easy to assume He's distant—or even gone. But what if His silence doesn't mean His absence? In this episode of the God Made Podcast, we open Psalm 13 and discover how David wrestled with God's silence, why honest prayer is an act of faith, and how to trust God's character even when He seems quiet.

If you're walking through unanswered prayer, spiritual dryness, or a season of waiting, we pray this conversation encourages you and points you back to the faithfulness of God.

In this episode:

00:00:00 Why God sometimes feels silent
00:11:28 What Psalm 13 teaches about honest prayer
00:15:55 Why silence doesn't mean abandonment
00:20:14 One practical step to strengthen your faith this week

Question for you:
Have you ever experienced a season when God felt silent, only to realize later that He was working all along? We'd love to hear your story in the comments.

If this episode encouraged you, please like, subscribe, and share it with someone who needs this reminder today.

#GodMadePodcast #ChristianPodcast #Faith #Prayer #GodFeelsSilent #UnansweredPrayer #ChristianLiving #BibleStudy #Psalm13 #TrustGod #HopeInGod #WalkingByFaith

What does it really mean to trust God when you still feel afraid, disappointed, uncertain, or tempted to take control?

In this episode of the God Made Podcast, Greg and Kristi Rains talk honestly about why even faithful Christians can struggle to trust God. Trusting God sounds simple until life gets hard, prayers seem unanswered, fear creeps in, or disappointment leaves us wondering what God is doing.

This conversation looks at what the Bible teaches about trusting God, why trust is difficult even after years of following Christ, and how believers can grow in faith when life feels uncertain. We talk about biblical examples like Abraham, David, Peter, and Job, and how their stories remind us that struggling does not mean you have failed. It means God is still teaching you to depend on Him.

If you have ever thought, “I trust God… but I’m still afraid,” this episode is for you.

In this episode, we discuss:

What it really means to trust God
 Why Christians still struggle with fear and doubt
 How control can quietly replace faith
 What unanswered prayer does to our trust
 How disappointment affects our walk with God
 Biblical examples of people who learned to trust God
 Practical ways to grow your faith and surrender to God

Trusting God is not pretending everything is easy. It is learning to believe that He is good, faithful, and present even when life does not make sense.

🎙️ God Made Podcast - Real conversations about Christian life, faith, family, and following Jesus in the everyday moments.

You are not a bad parent. You are just pouring into your kids' world — and quietly leaving eternity on the table.

This is a conversation about godly parenting in a culture that never stops adding to the calendar. Greg and Kristi Rains offer honest christian parenting advice for the family that is doing everything right and still feels like something is missing. Drawing from biblical parenting principles in the book of James, they talk about the slow drift that happens when busyness quietly crowds out the most important things — and what it actually looks like to build a christian family around what lasts. If raising godly children matters to you, this conversation will give you something real to take home.

Part of the God Made Podcast — parenting tips and faith conversations that help you move from Sunday into everyday life.

Why do smart people keep making dumb decisions?

The problem is not always a lack of information. Sometimes being smart simply makes us better at justifying what our hearts already want.

In this solo episode of the God Made Podcast, Greg unpacks James 3:13–18 and the difference between intelligence and biblical wisdom. James warns us that not everything that sounds reasonable is actually wise. Some decisions may look logical on the surface while being driven by jealousy, selfish ambition, pride, or fear.

So how can you tell whether a decision is truly wise?

The answer is not found only in the argument you can make. It is found in the fruit your decision produces.

In this episode:

Why intelligence and wisdom are not the same thing
How we rationalize choices we already want to make
The warning signs that your heart may be misleading you
The difference between earthly wisdom and wisdom from above
Why defensiveness may reveal more than you realize
Three questions to ask before making an important decision
How to seek biblical wisdom in everyday life

Before you make your next major decision, ask yourself:

What do I want badly enough that I may be rationalizing it?
What kind of fruit is this decision already producing?
Am I genuinely willing to yield if God shows me that I am wrong?

A bad decision does not become wise just because you can explain it well.

Do not judge wisdom by the explanation. Judge it by the harvest.

📖 Scripture: James 3:13–18
🎙️ The God Made Podcast helps Christians move faith from Sunday into everyday life.

Subscribe for weekly conversations about Christian living, relationships, spiritual growth, and following Jesus in the real world.

#BiblicalWisdom #ChristianLiving #BibleStudy

Words don't just hurt — they break. And most of us have made the promise to change. We meant it every single time. So why do we keep failing?

Greg and Kristi sit down for a raw, honest conversation about what it actually looks like to live with the weight of your words — inside a marriage, a family, and a real life. They talk about sarcasm that became a weapon, promises made and broken, and why no amount of trying harder ever touches the root of this problem.

This isn't a sermon recap. It's the conversation that happens after the sermon — when you go home and have to actually live it.
Based on James 3:1–12.

Where the sermon meets the struggle.

What if the most dangerous kind of faith isn’t unbelief — but belief without surrender?

In this episode, we explore the sobering reality that someone can follow Jesus closely and still miss Him. Using the example of Judas and the teaching from James 2, we unpack the difference between dead faith, demonic faith, and dynamic faith.

We discuss:

This episode is an invitation to honest self-examination — not condemnation.

Faith isn’t just agreement.

It’s allegiance.

If you’ve ever wondered whether your faith is active, real, and surrendered — this conversation is for you.

What does James 2 really mean when it talks about favoritism?

In this episode, we discuss what it looks like to live out the principles of James 2 in everyday church life — especially when it comes to who we welcome, who we overlook, and who makes us uncomfortable.

It’s easy to say “everyone belongs.” But do we actually move toward the people Jesus moved toward?

We talk honestly about:

Subtle favoritism in church culture
Why we’re drawn to influence and “shine”
The connection between mercy received and mercy extended
What it means that mercy triumphs over judgment

Whether you’ve been in church your whole life or you’re still figuring out where you fit, this episode is an invitation to examine our hearts and reflect the mercy we’ve been shown.

He made room for you. Make room for them.

Are you showing up, hearing all the right things, and still 
walking out unchanged? James has a word for that.

In Episode 3 of The God Made Podcast, Greg and Kristi Rains 
have an honest conversation about the gap between what we 
believe and how we actually live — and why the book of James 
calls that gap exactly what it is: self-deception.

This isn't a lecture. It's a real conversation between two 
people who are still figuring this out too. Whether you've 
been in church your whole life or you're just asking honest 
questions, this one's for you.

Because Sunday doesn't fix everything.

——

WHAT WE TALK ABOUT IN THIS EPISODE:

→ The uncomfortable question James opens with — and why 
  most of us already know the answer
→ Why showing up isn't the same as showing out
→ Quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger — what that 
  actually looks like when life is hard
→ The two dogs story — and which one you've been feeding
→ What God actually thinks when He thinks about you
→ What genuine, transformed faith looks like on a 
  Monday morning in real life

——

SCRIPTURE REFERENCED:
James 1:19–27 (NLT)

Most of us have a list of reasons why we can't seem to break the cycle. This week Kristi asks Greg the questions most people think but don't say out loud — what does it feel like to know the truth and still feel the pull, what does a pastor lose that he preaches against, and what's the honest first step when conviction hits and you don't know what to do with it.

No scripts. No polish. Just two people telling the truth.

Because Sunday doesn't fix everything.

I launched this podcast this week. The whole plan was to record it with my wife Kristi as co-host. Then she got sick. Episode one, solo, on a podcast about faith meeting real life — and real life showed up before I hit record.

This week's sermon was about choosing joy in the middle of trials from James 1:1-8. This episode takes that one step further — what does that actually look like when Monday hits? Not a re-preach. Just an honest conversation about the difference between joy and happiness, what we actually do instead of choosing joy, and the two things that work in a hard season that nobody wants to do.

Because Sunday doesn't fix everything.

📍 Northview Church — Kodak, Tennessee New episodes every week.