Advertise on podcast: Sandy Creek Stirrings

In this episode: In the years after Appomattox, America faced a question even harder than winning the war: what would freedom actually mean? Across the South, freed families began building churches, schools, homes, and a future — while powerful forces worked to hem that freedom in, rename it, and push it back into the shadows. In Nothing But Freedom, Part 2 of the 1876 election series, Stirring Stories steps into the uncertain years of Reconstruction, where hope and hostility met in the same dusty roads, and where the promises of liberty would be tested long before the ballots of 1876 were ever counted. About this series: Stirring Stories is an occasional series from Sandy Creek Stirrings that uncovers some of history’s most remarkable—and often forgotten—true stories. From ancient battlefields and lost expeditions to shipwrecks, disasters, daring escapes, and extraordinary acts of courage, each episode brings the past vividly to life through immersive storytelling and careful historical research. More than a history lesson, these are stories that remind us of the enduring truths of human nature and the timeless wisdom of God’s Word.

About this series: The Present Work of God is a doctrinal series built around one searching question: what is God doing right now? Christians often think about what God has done in creation, Calvary, and the resurrection, and we often think about what God will do in prophecy, judgment, and eternity. But Scripture also reveals that God is presently and actively working. This series seeks to help believers think more clearly, worship more reverently, and live more confidently before the triune God who is not only the God of yesterday and tomorrow, but the God who is working even now. In this episode: The Holy Spirit is often misunderstood, neglected, or misrepresented, yet His present work is essential to the Christian life. In this final episode of The Present Work of God, we consider the Spirit not as a vague influence or emotional experience, but as the divine Person who works within and among God’s people. This episode calls believers to a deeper dependence on the Spirit’s ministry as He applies the work of Christ, gives life, brings light, produces holiness, strengthens weakness, and glorifies the Son.

About this series: The Present Work of God is a doctrinal series built around one searching question: what is God doing right now? Christians often think about what God has done in creation, Calvary, and the resurrection, and we often think about what God will do in prophecy, judgment, and eternity. But Scripture also reveals that God is presently and actively working. This series seeks to help believers think more clearly, worship more reverently, and live more confidently before the triune God who is not only the God of yesterday and tomorrow, but the God who is working even now. In this episode: What is Jesus doing right now? Many Christians think often of what Christ did at Calvary and what He will do when He returns, but Scripture gives us a glorious view of His present ministry. In this episode, we consider the risen, ascended Christ—not as idle, distant, or merely waiting—but as the living Saviour who ministers for His people even now. This episode lifts our eyes to the right hand of the Father and reminds us that the Christian life is lived under the present care of a reigning, interceding, shepherding Lord.

In this episode: In America’s hundredth year, the nation was celebrating progress while old war wounds still shaped the ballot box. The Republican Party needed a new man, but the obvious names carried shadows of their own. Then, just as one powerful contender seemed ready to rise, a handful of letters appeared — and one phrase became almost impossible to escape: “Kindly burn this letter.” In Part 1 of the 1876 election series, Stirring Stories follows the scandals, scars, and hidden papers that opened the door to one of the strangest presidential contests in American history. About this series: Stirring Stories is an occasional series from Sandy Creek Stirrings that uncovers some of history’s most remarkable—and often forgotten—true stories. From ancient battlefields and lost expeditions to shipwrecks, disasters, daring escapes, and extraordinary acts of courage, each episode brings the past vividly to life through immersive storytelling and careful historical research. More than a history lesson, these are stories that remind us of the enduring truths of human nature and the timeless wisdom of God’s Word.

ABOUT THIS SERIES: The Present Work of God is a doctrinal series built around one searching question: what is God doing right now? Christians often think about what God has done in creation, Calvary, and the resurrection, and we often think about what God will do in prophecy, judgment, and eternity. But Scripture also reveals that God is presently and actively working. This series seeks to help believers think more clearly, worship more reverently, and live more confidently before the triune God who is not only the God of yesterday and tomorrow, but the God who is working even now.IN THIS EPISODE: In this second episode of The Present Work of God, we consider the present work of the Father. The Father is not distant, idle, or uninvolved; Scripture reveals Him as actively ruling, hearing, giving, keeping, chastening, forming, and working all things according to His wise and holy will. This episode seeks to deepen the believer’s confidence in the Father’s providence, love, care, and purpose, reminding us that the Christian life is lived under the hand of a Father who is working even now.

ABOUT THIS SERIES: The Present Work of God is a doctrinal series built around one searching question: what is God doing right now? Christians often think about what God has done in creation, Calvary, and the resurrection, and we often think about what God will do in prophecy, judgment, and eternity. But Scripture also reveals that God is presently and actively working. This series seeks to help believers think more clearly, worship more reverently, and live more confidently before the triune God who is not only the God of yesterday and tomorrow, but the God who is working even now. IN THIS EPISODE:Before we can understand the present work of God, we must begin with who God is. In this opening episode, we consider the doctrine of the Trinity: one God eternally existing in three Persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This episode lays the foundation for the series by showing why Christians must neither divide the Godhead nor confuse the Persons, and why this doctrine is not a cold theological puzzle, but the very framework of Christian salvation, prayer, worship, and assurance.

In this episode: After disgrace, after chains, after the navy he had built was nearly ruined in another man’s hands, Yi Sun-sin returned to the sea with almost nothing left. Korea was bleeding, Japan was pressing forward again, and the king was ready to abandon the waters altogether. But Yi looked at the wreckage, counted what remained, and sent back the words that would follow him into history: “Your servant still has twelve ships.” In The Twelve Ships, Part 2 of the life of Yi Sun-sin, the story moves through betrayal, humiliation, impossible odds, and the final battles of a man who would not let the enemy pass while he still had breath to fight.About this series: Stirring Stories is an occasional series from Sandy Creek Stirrings that uncovers some of history’s most remarkable—and often forgotten—true stories. From ancient battlefields and lost expeditions to shipwrecks, disasters, daring escapes, and extraordinary acts of courage, each episode brings the past vividly to life through immersive storytelling and careful historical research. More than a history lesson, these are stories that remind us of the enduring truths of human nature and the timeless wisdom of God’s Word.

In this episode: Before the legend, before the impossible victories, before Korea knew how much it would need him, Yi Sun-sin was sent to the southern coast and began doing the kind of quiet work most men overlook. Across the sea, Japan was gathering for war, and when the invasion finally came, cities fell, roads filled with fear, and the kingdom seemed to shake beneath the news. But on the water, something different was waiting — a careful commander, a fleet he had prepared before the storm, and the strange dragon-headed vessels that would soon make the Japanese realize Korea was not as helpless as it looked. In The Turtle Ships, Part 1 of the life of Yi Sun-sin, we meet the man before the monument, and follow the first battles that turned an unknown admiral into the great obstacle Japan could not sail past. About this series: Stirring Stories is an occasional series from Sandy Creek Stirrings that uncovers some of history’s most remarkable—and often forgotten—true stories. From ancient battlefields and lost expeditions to shipwrecks, disasters, daring escapes, and extraordinary acts of courage, each episode brings the past vividly to life through immersive storytelling and careful historical research. More than a history lesson, these are stories that remind us of the enduring truths of human nature and the timeless wisdom of God’s Word.

Church Member 101 is an extremely practical and applicable series meant to help ordinary Christians think biblically about their place in the local church. The purpose is not to scold church members or make faithful people feel unappreciated, but to encourage all of us to examine how we can better love, serve, strengthen, and support the work of God in our church. Correction is never easy to receive, but it is one of God’s necessary tools for Christian growth. In this seventh episode and final episode of the series, we talk about how to handle hurt in church without letting it become bitterness, distance, or spiritual damage. If you stay in church long enough, someone will eventually disappoint you, misunderstand you, overlook you, or wound you in some way. This episode gives biblical and practical help for bringing that hurt to God, handling offenses cleanly, refusing bitterness, and keeping your eyes on Christ instead of letting one wound reshape your view of the church.

Church Member 101 is an extremely practical and applicable series meant to help ordinary Christians think biblically about their place in the local church. The purpose is not to scold church members or make faithful people feel unappreciated, but to encourage all of us to examine how we can better love, serve, strengthen, and support the work of God in our church. Correction is never easy to receive, but it is one of God’s necessary tools for Christian growth. In this episode #6 of this series, we talk about what happens when you are not being used in the way you hoped. Many Christians want to serve the Lord, but disappointment can quietly creep in when the opportunity does not come, someone else is chosen, or the work given to us feels smaller than what we imagined. This episode challenges us to examine whether we are serving Christ or simply serving our idea of usefulness, and it reminds us that faithfulness in hidden places still matters to God.

A reading home is about more than having books on a shelf. It is a home where Scripture is loved, words are valued, attention is trained, and children grow up seeing that reading is not a punishment, but part of a thoughtful and spiritually healthy life. In this episode, we begin with the biblical case for why Christians should care about reading and why a home shaped by the Word of God ought to be a home where words, truth, and careful thought matter. We also consider why reading is still so needed in our modern, tech-heavy world. In a day of scrolling, noise, distraction, and shortened attention spans, reading helps slow the mind, deepen thought, strengthen imagination, and prepare the heart to receive truth.

In this episode: At the bottom of the world, on a cold and forgotten island south of New Zealand, two shipwrecked crews found themselves facing the same terrible question: what do men become when no one is coming to save them? One group began building a home from the wreckage, forging tools from scraps, and clinging to order in a place that seemed determined to break them. The other group, stranded only miles away, began to unravel. This is the remarkable true story of Auckland Island—a story of isolation, desperation, leadership, and the small choices that can mean the difference between survival and ruin. About this series: Stirring Stories is an occasional series from Sandy Creek Stirrings that uncovers some of history's most remarkable—and often forgotten—true stories. From ancient battlefields and lost expeditions to shipwrecks, disasters, daring escapes, and extraordinary acts of courage, each episode brings the past vividly to life through immersive storytelling and careful historical research. More than a history lesson, these are stories that remind us of the enduring truths of human nature and the timeless wisdom of God's Word. Opening music credit: Air Prelude" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

Church Member 101 is an extremely practical and applicable series meant to help ordinary Christians think biblically about their place in the local church. The purpose is not to scold church members or make faithful people feel unappreciated, but to encourage all of us to examine how we can better love, serve, strengthen, and support the work of God in our church. In this episode, we discuss loyalty to Christ and His church. Loyalty is a word that can be easily misunderstood—and sometimes misused. We consider what biblical loyalty really looks like: not blind loyalty to a man, not excusing wrong, and not pretending a church is perfect, but a loyalty that begins with Christ and then shapes how we treat the church He purchased with His own blood. This episode challenges us to think carefully about our spirit, our words, our faithfulness, and whether we are merely staying in church—or truly strengthening it.

In this episode: On a cold December morning in 1917, a burning ship drifted silently toward a crowded harbor while thousands of people watched from their windows, unaware that they were looking at one of history's greatest non-nuclear explosions. As seconds ticked away, one ordinary railway dispatcher faced a decision that would echo through history. This is the unforgettable true story of the Halifax Explosion—a story of catastrophe, courage, sacrifice, and the quiet faithfulness of ordinary people when everything changed in an instant. About this series: Stirring Stories is an occasional series from Sandy Creek Stirrings that uncovers some of history's most remarkable—and often forgotten—true stories. From ancient battlefields and lost expeditions to shipwrecks, disasters, daring escapes, and extraordinary acts of courage, each episode brings the past vividly to life through immersive storytelling and careful historical research. More than a history lesson, these are stories that remind us of the enduring truths of human nature and the timeless wisdom of God's Word.

Church Member 101 is an extremely practical and applicable series meant to help ordinary Christians think biblically about their place in the local church. The purpose is not to scold church members or make faithful people feel unappreciated, but to encourage all of us to examine how we can better love, serve, strengthen, and support the work of God in our church. In this episode, we talk about the church member's tongue. A church can be damaged without a vote, without a split, without a public scandal, and without anyone ever standing up in a business meeting. Sometimes it happens in the hallway. Sometimes it happens in a text thread. Sometimes it happens over lunch after church. Sometimes it happens in a sentence that begins, “I’m not trying to gossip, but…” Words have weight. And in the local church, the tongue of one member can either strengthen the body—or quietly poison the spirit.