If God already knows exactly what's going to happen before you even open your mouth, why pray at all?

In this episode, we're tackling the question that quietly turns a lot of people's prayer life into a formality: does prayer actually do anything? We'll define what prayer really is, see why an all-knowing God still invites you to ask, and find out how your real prayers and God's settled plan fit together without either one canceling out the other.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL DISCOVER

• Why prayer isn't about informing an under-informed God — it's relationship, and a real means God uses to work
• How prayer genuinely changes you (Philippians 4:6-7) without shrinking down to a self-help exercise
• How your real prayers and God's settled plan fit together — the same way preaching and belief do (Romans 10:14)

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

• Pray specifically, not just vaguely — a hedged prayer isn't more spiritual than a specific one
• Stop treating an unanswered prayer as proof prayer doesn't work — a "no" is still God engaging with you
• Stop treating prayer as a last resort — bring it to the front of your process, not the back

YOUR ASSIGNMENT THIS WEEK
Pick one situation you've been praying about vaguely, or stopped praying about altogether. Bring it back to God specifically this week — by name, with real detail, without softening it into something safer. Do it daily, even if brief.

💬 COMMUNITY QUESTION
Is there a prayer you've been praying for a long time without seeing the answer you're hoping for — and how has this episode changed, even a little, how you think about continuing to pray it? Email us at Charlie@heychurchmedia.com or just hit the "Send us a text" link below!

We're building something important together in this series, and YOUR voice matters. Follow the show so you don't miss the next episode, and share this with someone whose prayer life has started to feel like a formality!

📖 Want to go deeper? Grab the Season 3 companion guide book on Amazon:
amzn.to/3V8JFOY

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Watch our podcast episodes on YouTube. Follow our channel right HERE

Get The Books! Grab your copy of the Season Companion Guides from Amazon.com...

Everyday Theology In Plain English: Season 1 Companion Guide

Everyday Theology In Plain English: Season 2 Companion Guide

Everyday Theology In Plain English: Season 3 Companion Guide

You can find ALL of Pastor Charlie's books on Amazon:

CLICK HERE to see Pastor Charlie's books

Thanks for listening to Everyday Theology In Plain English!

Ever wonder if God still does miracles — or if that kind of thing stopped somewhere back in the New Testament?

After a heavy episode, we're shifting gears to a question that gets people fired up in every direction: do miracles still happen? We'll define what a miracle actually is, walk through the real (and respectful) debate between "cessationists" and "continuationists," and learn to spot the difference between a miracle and God's everyday providence — without landing in either ditch of pure skepticism or chasing a miracle behind every coincidence.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL DISCOVER

• What a miracle actually is — a rarer, more startling version of the same work God's always doing, with a purpose, not just a show
• The real, respectful debate between "cessationists" and "continuationists" — and what both sides actually agree on
• The difference between a miracle and God's everyday providence — both are real, one's just more visible

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

• Keep praying expectantly — an unanswered prayer isn't proof God has stopped acting
• Weigh miracle claims with both an open heart and a clear head, instead of swallowing everything or sneering at it
• Don't miss God's ordinary, steady faithfulness while you're scanning the horizon for the dramatic

YOUR ASSIGNMENT THIS WEEK
Think of one situation where you've quietly stopped praying with real expectation. Bring that request back to God honestly and specifically this week. Then spend a few minutes each day noticing one piece of God's ordinary, sustaining faithfulness you'd normally walk right past.

💬 COMMUNITY QUESTION
Have you ever experienced something you believed was a genuine, direct answer to prayer — something that felt miraculous to you? Or are you in a season right now of wondering whether God still works that way? Email us at Charlie@heychurchmedia.com or just hit the "Send us a text" link below!

Follow the show so you don't miss the next episode, and share this with someone who's wondered whether God still shows up like this!

📖 Want to go deeper? Grab the Season 3 companion guide book on Amazon:
amzn.to/3V8JFOY

Send us Fan Mail

Watch our podcast episodes on YouTube. Follow our channel right HERE

Get The Books! Grab your copy of the Season Companion Guides from Amazon.com...

Everyday Theology In Plain English: Season 1 Companion Guide

Everyday Theology In Plain English: Season 2 Companion Guide

Everyday Theology In Plain English: Season 3 Companion Guide

You can find ALL of Pastor Charlie's books on Amazon:

CLICK HERE to see Pastor Charlie's books

Thanks for listening to Everyday Theology In Plain English!

Where is God when life falls apart — when it feels like he's either not powerful enough to stop it, or not good enough to want to?

This episode goes to a place that touches real pain, so we're walking it slowly and honestly instead of handing you a tidy explanation. We'll look at what the Bible actually says about how God relates to suffering and evil — how he can be completely in control of a broken world and never, ever the one behind the evil in it. No easy bow on this one. Just solid ground to stand on.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL DISCOVER

• Why God did not create evil and is never behind it — it entered through the rebellion of his creatures, not his own doing
• The real difference between God ordaining good and permitting evil — and why that distinction actually matters
• Why the Bible doesn't explain every "why" (not even for Job) but gives you full permission for honest, unfiltered lament

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

• Bring your honest grief to God without editing it into something more "spiritual" first
• Resist the urge to explain someone else's suffering for them — presence beats explanation, every time
• Let God's track record, not a full explanation, be what steadies you (Romans 8:28, read rightly)

YOUR ASSIGNMENT THIS WEEK: If you're walking through something painful right now, give yourself permission to bring it to God honestly, without editing it into something more spiritual-sounding first. If you're not in a hard season, check in on someone who is — not with an explanation, but with your presence.

💬 COMMUNITY QUESTION: Without sharing more than you're comfortable with — has there been a season of suffering where you later saw even a glimpse of how God was working through it? Or are you still in the middle of one, still waiting? Email us at Charlie@heychurchmedia.com or just hit the "Send us a text" link below!

Follow the show so you don't miss the next episode, and share this with someone who's carrying something heavy right now.

Want to go deeper? Grab the Season 3 companion guide book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3V8JFOY

Send us Fan Mail

Watch our podcast episodes on YouTube. Follow our channel right HERE

Get The Books! Grab your copy of the Season Companion Guides from Amazon.com...

Everyday Theology In Plain English: Season 1 Companion Guide

Everyday Theology In Plain English: Season 2 Companion Guide

Everyday Theology In Plain English: Season 3 Companion Guide

You can find ALL of Pastor Charlie's books on Amazon:

CLICK HERE to see Pastor Charlie's books

Thanks for listening to Everyday Theology In Plain English!