Blazing Grace Radio

For the past 30 years surveys have shown that waves of youth have exited the church. With such a mass exit of youth, why aren’t we hearing warnings and open discussions of this from our pulpits? If you were owner of a company and your customers were leaving in mass wouldn’t you be freaking out, calling meetings, making plans? One survey showed that 70-88% of Christian youth born in evangelical homes leave the faith after one year in secular college. In this first of two shows, Sean Genung, 31, and Rebekah Genung, 23, join Mike to discuss what they see happening with youth.

The first broadcast of every year, Mike Genung shares his back story, which includes physical abuse, sexual abuse, alcohol and drug use, daily binges with pornography and masturbation, affairs, other forms of sexual sin – and how God radically changed his life. Rebekah joins Mike for this show.

Mike and Rebekah, his daughter, discuss the new “Six Seven” trend in youth with occult influence, Jesus’ words to “Remember Lot’s Wife” in these last days, and the wonderful blessings God promises every believer who overcomes in Revelation 2 and 3, including: Rev. 2:7 – He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’ Rev. 2:17 – To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.’ Rev. 3:5-6 – The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. 6 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’ Rev. 3:12 – The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name.

Today, men are up against: A culture, even in some churches, that tries to emasculate them. The media often portrays fathers as useless idiots. A sex-saturated society, with sirens of lust everywhere. There is often little help equipping them in these areas, including at the church. The battles with the flesh – learning how to “buffet our body and make it our slave” Learning how to fulfill the command for Husbands to love their wives as Christ loves the church. The isolation that is so prevalent in the church. How to be a leader in their home? Mike and Tim Peterson, counselor and leader of the Blazing Grace men’s ministry, discuss how men can find their way – and most importantly, their heart – so they can thrive and make an impact in today’s challenging environment.

Mike shares stories from his last trip in the UK, Finland, and Italy speaking about porn and sexual issues and The Rogue Christian topics, the warfare encountered, doors that that were opened, and walks through The Rogues Creed – 7 principles for the Rogue Christian way of life.

Chris Landers lives with her husband Gene in Phoenix who she has been married to for 19 years. Early in their marriage Chris discovered that her husband was viewing pornography and struggling with sexual addiction. Over time with a lot of hard work and digging deep into their relationship with Jesus, God brought healing and restoration to their marriage, and now they both lead groups at their church to help men and women recover and heal from sexual sin. Amy has been married for 30 years. She is a homemaker and mother to 8 children, 4 grown and 4 living at home. Her marriage has been plagued by sexual sin for 25 years, including a recent discovery of an affair. Amy is in the middle of a divorce and working at healing and providing a stable loving home for her children. In this 2nd show, Amy and Chris discuss the recovery process, some of the pitfalls they encountered along the way, and how God changes hearts.

Chris Landers lives with her husband Gene, who she has been married to for 19 years, in Phoenix. Early in their marriage Chris discovered that her husband was viewing pornography and struggling with sexual addiction. Over time and with a lot of hard work and digging deep into their relationship with Jesus, God brought healing and restoration to their marriage, and now they both lead groups at their church to help men and women recover and heal from sexual sin. Amy has been married for 30 years. She is a homemaker and mother to 8 children, 4 grown and 4 living at home. Her marriage has been plagued by sexual sin for 25 years, including a recent discovery of an affair. Amy is in the middle of a divorce and working at healing and providing a stable loving home for her children. In this first of two shows, Chris and Amy share their stories.

Dan Wiens is our ministry partner in Italy, and is the director of Liberati in Cristo, a ministry to the sexually broken and their spouse in Italy. In this first of 2 broadcasts, Dan shares his story, which included porn, masturbation, and sex with prostitutes while being involved in the church. This show was recorded in Modena, Italy.

In this second of two broadcasts that were recorded in Finland, Aura Elliott joins Mike again. Aura shares the keys for healing for a wife whose husband is struggling with pornography or sexual sin, then flips the script by asking Mike several questions.

In a broadcast recorded near Helsinki, Finland, Aura Elliott, our ministry partner in Finland, joins Mike to discuss the prevalence of porn use in her country, and what she sees happening in the church in Finland.

In this broadcast, Mike lays out the effective steps that can be taken to break free from porn addiction. Shutting down all dishonesty and lying and staying connected to others are just the beginning. The character needs rebuilding and the heart yearns for healing… what this looks like and more.

Today, many are struggling with fear and anxiety. Once fear gets a grip, it invites its cousins anger and control to join it, wrecking havoc on relationships in the process. Mike shares his own struggles with fear in the past, and what overcoming it can look like in different situations. Surrender, release, trust, prayer, and standing up in the spiritual battle make a difference.

Sandy Glazebrook is a 68 yr old married Christ-follower, a mother & grandmother, former drug addict and a survivor of physical, sexual, mental and verbal abuse. In Part 1 of our interview with Sandy, she shared her story, which included broken bones, a life of fear, being raped, and the difficulty of leaving her abusers. In Part 2, Mike and Sandy continue the conversation with what Sandy’s healing process looked like.

Sandy Glazebrook is a 68 yr old married Christ-follower, a mother & grandmother, former drug addict and a survivor of physical, sexual, mental and verbal abuse. In this first of two shows, Sandy shares her story, which includes broken bones, a life of fear, being raped, and the difficulty of leaving her abusers. Sandy’s story is one of hope for those who are living in a nightmare.

Tim Peterson is the leader of our men’s ministry. He leads our 8 week men’s courses, leads support and prayer groups, and does counseling, including 2 day intensives. He has also been a missionary to Uganda. Sandy England has been with Blazing Grace for more than 10 years. She leads our wives ministry does counseling wives, and plays a critical role in prayer which is the engine of BG. In this first of two shows, Tim and Sandy join Mike to discuss a range of topics, beginning with childlike faith.

“Every church needs to be able to answer two questions. First, what is our plan for making disciples? And second, does our plan work?” – Dallas Willard We hear stories in the news of mass baptisms and people coming to Christ. This is fantastic news. Then we must asked, will they be equipped? Will they be told that they must be in God’s word every day for the rest of their life? Taught how powerful prayer is, and challenged to make prayer a top priority? Hear that they must not isolate themselves as 80% of modern Christians are doing today, and that they must live connected to a tribe of committed believers on an ongoing basis for support, accountability and prayer? Be encouraged and challenged to participate in prayer meetings consistently? Receive effective help for their struggles with sin, especially, sexual sin? With 70% of Christian men and 40% of Christian women viewing porn and masturbating while half of Christians seeing no problem with promiscuity, the chances that many new converts are struggling with sexual sin is high. Will they receive guidance, support, and effective answers in this area? Will they be taught about spiritual warfare, the intense battles they will face, and how to overcome? We are commanded to make disciples, not mere converts. During a time when many are falling away, it’s critical that we ask these questions.

Mike shares from personal experience how God will allow us to go through extended trials for the purpose of building up our spiritual muscles, strengthening our character and faith, and forging endurance, as we’re shown in the Bible. Endurance, as Jesus warned us in Matthew 24, will be critical for the days ahead. “Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” James 1:2-4

Mike and Rebekah look at Revival, American Style, with the modern church’s reliance on conferences with speakers to “spark revival,” versus the Biblical version that focuses solely on crying out to God for mercy in prayer and confession and repentance of sin. At the beginning of  the Hebrides Revival in 1950, Peggy Smith challenged a pastor there with the following: “I’m sure, Mr. McCie, that you’re longing to see God working. What about calling your office bearers together, and suggest to them that you spend two nights a week waiting upon God in prayer. You’ve tried mission, you’ve tried special evangelists. Mr. McCie, have you tried God?” Peggy then challenged him to 2 nights of prayer a week from 10pm to 4am. Their focus on prayer would spark one of the most powerful spiritual awakenings of the last 125 years. Peggy’s words are prophetic for what we need today.

A recent study came out showing that smartphones are warping our personalities and character at an alarming rate. In recent years, persons aged 16-39 have seen Conscientiousness, Agreeableness and Extroversion rates plummet while Neuroticism has shot up, along with anxiety and depression. Many are using their phones as a drug to check out and go numb with. Mike and Rebekah look at the affects of this recent study – and what smartphones are doing to our spiritual life. It’s difficult to pray for an extended period of time if one’s attention span is fragmented. On average, Americans spend 5 hours a day on their phone. The affects of being hardwired 24/7 are having a profound affect on us chemically, emotionally, and spiritually.

Initial data from a $43 million dollar research initiative show that individuals living in developing countries score higher in having purpose and meaning. The Global Flourishing Study is surveying 200,000 participants from different countries over five years, looking at which ones score highest for human flourishing. The surveys are showing that people in developing countries have a sense of meaning and purpose, while in the States rampant materialism and the chase for more has left people with depression, anxiety, and other mental health problems. Mike and Rebekah look at the results of this survey and how the Bible commands us to be content. But first, they discuss Ozzy Osbourne and how some Christians are extolling his music career, which glorified the occult and witchcraft, a message that is missing from many commentaries.