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Where is God When Things Don’t Get Better?
This week on Wellness Wednesday, we explored a difficult but important reality: What do we do when things don’t get better? So many people in our digital community are struggling—whether with mental health, relationships, unanswered prayers, or just the weight of life—and they’re looking for real answers. My mission with Wellness Wednesday is to…
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Discover Your God-Given Purpose: 8 Steps to Uncover What You’re Meant to Do
Are you struggling to find your purpose in life? You’re not alone. Many of us wonder how to align our talents, passions, and opportunities with what God has in store for us. In a recent discussion, I explored how to discover your God-given purpose and what steps you can take to uncover what you’re…
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Taking A Big, Scary Leap
First, welcome to everyone from Ko-Fi who’s transitioning from the newsletter over there to here! I know there have been a lot of site changes over the past few years as I’ve been growing, so it means a lot to have you leapfrog one more time. ♥ I just did something that freaks me…
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2022 XN Year in Review: From Foundation to Framework
Introduction Like many others, 2022 was a year of ups and downs for me and my ministry work. It began with the sudden death of my second-born son which led to a series of difficult months, but throughout them all, my local church and online communities were there with support and encouragement for my…
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9 Ways to Build Your Confidence
Everyone who creates has times when they struggle with motivation and confidence – sometimes so debilitating that it causes them to stop creating altogether! Whether you are a Twitch Streamer, YouTuber, Digital Artist, Musician, Cook, or any other type of creative, here are 9 practical ways to boost your confidence so you can get…
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A Very Personal Video – Why Streaming is So Important to Me
In this very personal video, Al (XtianNinja) Descheneau shares his heart, story, and reason for working so hard to bring the gospel to people who can only be reached through online ministry. You will learn why he has such a special concern for the lost, lonely, and disenfranchised on Twitch and what you can…
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The Difference Between Devotions and Bible Study
There is a huge difference in approach between your personal devotional time and doing a personal Bible study, and knowing that difference is going to change everything about how you connect with God. XtianNinja explains the difference and then gives an example of what it looks like. Podcast Version: https://anchor.fm/xtianninja/episodes/The-Difference-Between-Devotions-and-Bible-Study-e1lak0r I Need Your Support…
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How long do you need to wait between sinning and praying?
What does it mean that we are “Free in Christ”? How free? Does that mean we can do whatever we want? Is there anything we can do to lose that freedom? How long do you have to wait between sinning and praying? Podcast Version: https://anchor.fm/xtianninja/episodes/How-long-do-you-need-to-wait-between-sinning-and-praying-e1l57e9 I Need Your Support I’m doing this full-time and…
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How to be MAXIMUM Christian!
What’s the secret to living for God – for REAL? What steps do we need to take in order to discover God’s plan for our lives and how to live it out in an effective and fruitful way? This message might help. Podcast Version: https://anchor.fm/xtianninja/episodes/How-to-be-MAXIMUM-Christian-e1kltm3 I Need Your Support I’m doing this full-time and…
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Where is God Anyway?
Each day on stream we take time to go through a Verse of the Day, explain its meaning, and find an application. This verse is a very encouraging one on the surface, but what does it mean, really? Podcast Version: https://anchor.fm/xtianninja/episodes/Where-is-God-Anyway–And-What-Does-it-Mean-that-God-is-With-You-e1kikto I Need Your Support I’m doing this full-time and the only way I…
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What Makes Jesus Special?
What does it mean that Jesus had the “fullness of God” and why is that such a big deal to Christians? What does it mean that Jesus is Preeminent? Join in as XtianNinja (Pastor Al) talks through Colossians 1:15-20 and answers those questions. Podcast Version: https://anchor.fm/xtianninja/episodes/Jesus-is-e1kc64k I Need Your Support I’m doing this full-time…
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Christians: God Is NOT ANGRY at you when you sin!
Sometimes God has the reputation of being angry all the time – and a lot of people who grew up in the church were told that when they do something wrong God is disappointed and will come down on them hard if they don’t behave. Is that true? Podcast Version: https://anchor.fm/xtianninja/episodes/Christians-God-Is-NOT-ANGRY-at-you-when-you-sin-e1jogau I Need Your…
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When God Asks the Impossible
Sometimes life throws stuff at us that we just can’t handle. Illness, relationship issues, responsibilities, big needs, cause all of us to shrink back and ask ourselves, “Why would God bring this into my life?”. There are a lot of people who have faced the same situation. What are we to do? Podcast Version:…
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But What if They’re a Really Good Person?
If you’ve ever asked, “Do good people go to heaven?”, give this a watch: XtianNinja talks through the thought process we see in Romans 1-3 and explains why understanding it is critical to understanding what Christians call “salvation”. Podcast Version: https://anchor.fm/xtianninja/episodes/But-What-if-Theyre-a-Really-Good-Person-e1iplfr I split my YouTube channels, so if you’re looking for the fun and…
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Can Anyone Ever Actually Feel “Peace” in this Troubled World?
Everyone in the world wants “peace” – but when we try to make it ourselves it doesn’t seem to work very well or last very long. How does the peace that Jesus promises us in the Bible differ from the peace we keep trying to make for ourselves? Podcast Version: https://anchor.fm/xtianninja/episodes/Can-Anyone-Ever-Actually-Feel-Peace-in-this-Troubled-World-e1ikg2v I split my…
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You Shouldn’t Trust Yourself Most of the Time (Daily Devo)
Most of the time we believe the thoughts that bounce around our heads, thinking that our beliefs, opinions, perspectives, and ideas are right and best. Mature people know that’s not true and have realized that we really can’t trust our own hearts and minds. Podcast Version: https://anchor.fm/xtianninja/episodes/You-Shouldnt-Trust-Yourself-Most-of-the-Time-e1ihgn8 I split my YouTube channels, so if…
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“I HATE Easter and I love Christians” Tweet is Ridiculous! Twitch Pastor Reacts
Jo Luehmann tweeted out a pretty intense message declaring her love of Christians, but hatred for the Christian gospel. It just so happened that Logos’ Verse of the Day hit this topic perfectly. So, let’s talk about that through the lens of 1 Corinthians 15:19-20. Podcast Version: https://anchor.fm/xtianninja/episodes/I-HATE-Easter-and-I-love-Christians-Tweet-is-Ridiculous–Twitch-Pastor-Reacts-e1hgbeu I Need Your Support I’m doing…
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Does Everything Really “Work Out For the Good”?
Christians often quote Romans 8:28 (“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” to each other as a way to bring encouragement to someone going through a tough time. So, why then does it come as such cold…
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When Jesus Was Attacked by an Angry Mob! (Passion Week: Tuesday)
The leading men of Jerusalem took turns attacking, arguing, and trying to discredit Jesus, in hopes He would fall for their trap so they could accuse and kill Him. It didn’t work. Podcast Version: https://anchor.fm/xtianninja/episodes/Jesus-Faces-an-Angry-Mob–Passion-Week-Tuesday-e1h6t0e I Need Your Support I’m doing this full-time and the only way I can keep it up is through…
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Cursing Figs & Flipping Tables: Passion Week Monday
What do a dead fig tree and overturned tables have to do with worship? And what does it mean for us today? Podcast Version: https://anchor.fm/xtianninja/episodes/Cursing-Figs–Flipping-Tables-Passion-Week-Monday-e1h3psl I’m doing this full-time and the only way I can keep it up is through support from folks like you – so please consider supporting me on Patreon. There…
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Talking God, Games, Streaming & Nerds with FrostByteIV
FrostByteIV (from Love Thy Nerd) and I sit down to chat about what it means to be a Christian nerd, streamer, and gamer – and a dozen other nerdy things – in this extended conversation. It was so interesting, people kept subbing just to keep the conversation going! Watch Frost here: https://www.twitch.tv/frostbyteiv Podcast Version:…
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What REAL Prayer Looks Like
New Video: Sometimes talking to God feels like a shopping list, complaint form, or even a 911 call – but does prayer mean something more? Podcast Version: https://anchor.fm/xtianninja/episodes/What-REAL-Prayer-Looks-Like-e1g75e9 I’m doing this full-time and the only way I can keep it up is through support from folks like you – so please consider supporting me…
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Is God Too Busy to Care About You?
We often hear that “God has better things to do” than help unimportant people like us – that He might be at work in the world, but only on the really big stuff. Is that true? Are you a priority to God or not? Podcast Version: https://anchor.fm/xtianninja/episodes/Is-God-Too-Busy-to-Care-About-You-e1fji1s **When God called me to this new…
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Why Someone Like You Matters to God
If God is so good and perfect, why would He care for messed up, violent, sinful people like us? What motivates Him to talk to us or to care for us? The answer might surprise you! Podcast Version: https://anchor.fm/xtianninja/episodes/Why-Someone-Like-You-Matters-to-God-e1fcv8i If you’d like to help me stay full-time please consider supporting me on Patreon. Every…
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Fear, Uncertainty, and the War in Ukraine (incl. a note from someone in Ukraine) Devo & Discussion
I have a lot of viewers from Europe so it was only fitting that we would take time to talk about the situation in Ukraine, how to deal with worry, and read a note from someone who actually lives in Ukraine right now. Podcast Version: https://anchor.fm/xtianninja/episodes/Fear–Uncertainty–and-the-War-in-Ukraine-incl–a-note-from-someone-in-Ukraine-Devo–Discussion-e1euavr If you’d like to help me stay full-time…
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Watch This When You Feel Angry
New Video: A lot of people have been hurt by someone whose anger is out of control. How can we deal with that anger? Is it ever ok to be angry? Where can we turn for help? This video might help.
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Where to Turn When Everything is Going Against You – Daily Devo – Psalm 119:114
Where can you turn when everything seems to be going against you? Where can you hide when you need peace and security? How do you recover when you’ve been lied to and hurt? Your Hiding Place and Shield. Every day on my Twitch channel’s we start the stream with a devotional from Logos’ Verse…
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Christians Doing Weird Stuff, Can You Know if God Loves You or Not? & Slipping Into Humiliation (P.P. 7.0)
In this week’s episode, I share an interesting article about Christians doing weird stuff, continue our interesting study of Pilgrim’s Progress with the beginning of the seventh chapter when Christian descends into the Valley of Humiliation, and finish off with a new Bible-Study segment where I talk about how you can know whether or…
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Discovering the Real You
Want to know your real passion? Your real priorities? Your real source of strength? There’s nothing that reveals the real you like tough times. But, not only do difficulties reveal who you are, so does it reveal who God is – and is often the opportunity to see His amazinlgy creative problem-solving skills at…
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Fear Leaves Scars (How to Fight Fear)
Service Livestream: Sermon Audio: The song I played earlier is called “The Voice of Truth” and it’s by a Christian band called “Casting Crowns”. It’s a song that has meant a lot to me over the years – especially in my first years of being a pastor. You see, when I was…
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What Do You Seek? (Gospel of John Series)
“The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God!’ The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, ‘What are you seeking?’ And…
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EPIC (for Palm Sunday)
Chapter 1: The Beginning “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1) This is the start of our story. Notice how I said that it’s the start of our story. Not the beginning of The Whole story. Just our part. God is eternal, existing before there was either heaven…
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Jesus: Liar, Lunatic, or Lord? (HC:LD14)
*Sorry, no audio this week. 😞 * One of the people in that video, the artist, Makoto Fujimura said that at one point in his life Jesus became real to him. He said, “This historic figure was no longer just this historical figure… and he wanted to reveal himself to me in a way I…
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Why is Jesus Called “Only Begotten Son” and “Lord”? (HC:LD13)
The question we’ve been answering for the past few weeks is “Who is Jesus?” We’re going through the Heidelberg Catechism, which, at this point, is taking us through a line-by-line, word-by-word study of the Apostles Creed, the oldest and most reliable summary of Christian beliefs we have. It goes all the way back…
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God the Father Almighty, Creator (HC:LD9)
We’re back into the Heidelberg Catechism and are now in Day 9. Just a quick review before we jump into it though. Our church, since last August, has been working out way through a teaching tool called the Heidelberg Catechism. It’s called “Heidelberg” because it was written in the 16th century by a man…
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A Family for Christmas (Christmas Eve Sermon)
Every year around Christmas time people all over the world set up nativity scenes – and there’s a huge variety. There are old-timey ones that have great detail and classic poses, modern, new ones that are more simple, even impressionistic, and there are the weird and silly ones. We have a Little People set…
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The Holiness of God (HC:LD8e)
If you’ve been following along, you know that we’re a little stuck in Day 8 of the Heidelberg Catechism and that a bunch of the sermons I’ve preached over the past while are actually one, long sermon divided up into more manageable pieces. It started with a quick review of the Heidelberg and the…
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God’s OMNI Attributes (HC:LD8d)
Audio: Text: Review Last week I told you that the sermons over the past month have all really been one, long sermon divided up into more manageable pieces. We started with a quick review of what we’ve talked about so far in the Heidelberg Catechism and how studying theology and doctrine will lead to…
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God Wants to Be Known: General Revelation (HC:LD8c)
Audio: Text: Imagine for a moment that you are sitting at home one night when you hear a weird noise outside your door, see a bunch of flickering lights, and then moments later hear a knock on your door. You answer it and there stands an alien family from outer space – there’s an…
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How Can Christians Really Believe in Adam & Eve, a Magic Snake, or a Place Called Hell? (HC: LD4)
Audio: Text: Pastor Al Do You Really Believe in a Magic Talking Snake? I want to start this morning with a little bit of apologetics. Last week we talked about the Fall of Man as presented in Genesis 1-3 and there’s one part of that story that keeps coming up in the secular world…
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God, Money, and the Church
Audio: Text: “Now concerning the collection for the saints: as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you also are to do. On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I…
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M103: Virtue Signalling or the End of Freedom? (Carnivore Theology Ep. 89)
Historically, Christians have been rightly concerned about the protection of human beings. They also support religious liberty. So what is the problem ith Motion 103? Is it merely Orwellian inspired PC “newspeak”? What does this motion actually target? Should Christians be worried about it? Podcast Audio: Referenced Article: Actually, one needn’t be a hysterical bigot…
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What God is Doing When We’re Not Looking
Sermon Audio: Sermon Text: We read a scripture last week from the Isaiah 8-9 and I want to take this week to revisit one of those verses. Open up to Isaiah 9:6-7 and let’s read it together again. Last time we emphasized verses 1-5, as we discussed God coming as the child Jesus, making…
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Self-Image: Who Are You When No One Is Looking?
“This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful. But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do…
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Divisions Among Us
Paul, in the letter to the Corinthians which we are studying, after talking about the church’s lack of maturity, uses one of their greatest problems as an example of how bad things had gotten – that problem being “division”. The church is divided – in many ways – but the way that the Apostle…
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5 Reminders for Students (Carnivore Theology – Ep. 73)
Whether you’re going into High School, College, University or Post-Grad, Pastor Al gives some important reminders to students returning to school this semester. 1. Guard your reputation. 2. Remember why you’re there. 3. Find a good church. 4. Keep your devos going. 5. Try to find balance. Podcast Audio: How Can You Help Carnivore…
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The Wolf You Feed (The Battle Between Flesh and Spirit)
Let’s open up to 1 Corinthians 3:1-4 and read it together. We already studied verses 1-3 last week, but I want to read them again to remind us of the context: “But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you…
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Crabapple Christians
When I was growing up, my grandparents had a crab apple tree in their front yard, and every time we went to visit them, my brother and I would see the tree and hope the apples were ready to eat. It was actually quite frustrating for us because we found the readiness of crab…
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God’s Plan For Your Life is Revealed Not Discovered (Stop Looking, Start Listening)
If you remember last week, we learned that regardless of what the multitudes of unbelievers in this world think, there really is objective truth and objective morality, and those things were written long, long ago by God Himself. And therefore, despite all of the dramatic changes of opinion which seek to envelop us, and all…