Host: TJ Freeman

Summary: In this episode, rural pastor TJ Freeman addresses the exhaustion and struggles many face in their daily lives. He brings encouragement through Revelation chapter 7, emphasizing that faithfulness amidst challenges is not in vain. He likens life to assembling a puzzling and reveals that scripture provides a clear vision of the ultimate picture. TJ reassures Christians of the future victory in Christ and the importance of prioritizing our relationship with Christ over other things in our life.

Connect with Us:

• Website: backtorurality.com
• Social Media: Facebook
• Email: tj@brainerdinstitute.com

Host: TJ Freeman

Summary: In this episode of Back to Rurality, rural pastor TJ Freeman talks about the purpose we can find in everyday tasks, from chores to work to school, by recognizing God's greater plan. He shares personal anecdotes, including his time working in a freezer, and biblical insights to encourage listeners to see all of their actions as expressions of God's glory. He emphasizes that all work, whether paid or unpaid, seen or unseen, is valuable because it is done in God's image and for His glory.

Connect with Us:

• Website: backtorurality.com
• Social Media: Facebook
• Email: tj@brainerdinstitute.com

Host: TJ Freeman

Summary: In this episode of Back to Rurality, TJ Freeman, a rural pastor, reflects on the holiday season's mixed feelings and emphasizes making the most of it to point people to Christ. He shares personal stories, traditions, and practical steps to help listeners glorify God during the holidays. Using the acronym 'GLOW,' Freeman encourages his audience to remember the true reason for Christmas and how to navigate difficult circumstances with faith.

Key Points:

• Christmas as a Tradition: Oftentimes during the holidays we can lose ourselves in the traditions surrounding a holiday and forget what the holiday is actually about. We can get lost in what we’re doing or what we are feeling, with our pausing to think about Christ (Colossians 3:17).
• Seeing Christ in the Holidays: We can start to focus our gaze back on Christ this Christmas by thinking of the acronym: GLOW. GLOW stands for Give generously (2 Corinthians 9:7), look for the lonely (Matthew 24:40), orient your activities around Christ, and witness in the wonder (John 1:14).

Listener Takeaways:

• Remember to give cheerfully, especially to your local church. It can be really encouraging to give financially or to give your time to serve your church.
• Invite people into your home this holiday season, especially if you know they might be alone this year. Have them over for Thanksgiving or for a holiday movie.
• Be looking for opportunities for things that naturally point to Christ. It could be the star on the top of your tree, or another special holiday tradition. Look for Christ in them.
• Take the opportunity to witness to others. Tell them about Jesus this holiday season.

Connect with Us:

• Website: backtorurality.com
• Social Media: Facebook
• Email: tj@brainerdinstitute.com

Host: TJ Freeman

Summary: In this episode of the podcast, TJ Freeman, a rural pastor, addresses the challenge many Christians face of not regularly engaging with the Bible. He shares personal stories of his own struggles and how finding a different translation helped him understand Scripture better. TJ emphasizes the importance of prioritizing time for Bible reading, offers practical tips for integrating it into a busy schedule, and explains the benefits of deep engagement with God's Word.

Key Points:

• Reading the Bible as a Chore: Many Christians go through seasons where reading the Bible is easier and others where it feels like a while since we’ve spent time with the Lord. Even though it’s a hard truth to stomach, many times this is because we are not rightly prioritizing time in the Word. We need to remember that spending time in the Word is more important than lots of things we do in a day.
• Why it’s Worth it: 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says that the Word is profitable for us. We can know that reading the Bible will only benefit us! It teaches reproofs, corrects, and trains us in righteousness. Since God created us, we can only be whole if we are spending time with Him in His Word. The more we read, the more we are equipped to live like Christ.
• How to Read the Bible: Commit to more than just reading one verse or chapter a day and just being done with it. Read it, draw some observations from it, try to interpret it, find some applications to your own life, and then pray through that text. Start with a smaller portion of Scripture and spend some time really reflecting on it.

Listener Takeaways:

• Pick up a translation of the Bible that you understand. If you can’t understand what you’re reading well, you will have a hard time meditating on it. Sometimes we need to read a different translation to help us get into the Word more. Study notes can also be an aid in our understanding of the Bible.
• When you sit down to read God’s Word, take a second to pray and ask the Lord to help you understand it. Ask also that it would transform your heart and mind.
• Go back to episode four of this podcast to hear more about how to read the Bible!

Connect with Us:

• Website: backtorurality.com
• Social Media: Facebook
• Email: tj@brainerdinstitute.com

Host: TJ Freeman

Summary: In this episode of Back to Rurality, TJ Freeman, a rural pastor, delves into whether Christians should listen to Christian radio. He shares that we should listen to songs, radio hosts, and radio preaching with discernment. TJ also shares some helpful examples through his own experience with radio. If you feel like this might be a silly question to ask, this episode is for you!

Key Points:

• Avoiding Emotionalism: When TJ started listening to Christian radio, he really enjoyed it and it became a source of encouragement to him. Things started to take a turn when TJ started to rely more on the radio than his time in God’s Word and prayer with the Lord.
• The Purpose of Songs: We see in Colossians 3:16 that God means to use songs to form us and shape us to be more like his son. It is a good thing when the songs we’re hearing are helping us meditate on things that are true to the Word of God. It is bad when we are listening to songs that are singing untrue things about God.
• Benefits of Christian Radio: Rural people who may not have access to a grand theological library or a counseling center, can have access to fantastic sermons and other resources from their cars or own living rooms! You can have these resources right when you may need them, especially when you’re having a tough day. Listening to Christian radio also helps us connect us to the broader church. It is good to hear from Christians outside of our little bubbles whether that be missionaries or pastors from different parts of the world.
• Shallow Theology: Christians should be careful when they listen to Christian Radio because often times the songs or artists can have wrong or just shallow theology. We need to remember that the songs we listen to shape our thoughts and our worship, so be careful and use discernment.

Listener Takeaways:

• When you are listening to the radio, ask yourself if this is helping you understand what the Bible says? Use discernment when listening to songs or sermons on the radio. Don’t just trust the artists because they’re on the radio!
• Don’t let Christian radio be your only source of encouragement. It should not be a replacement for your relationship with the Lord. Prioritize time in the Word and time in prayer.
• Consider listening to some older hymns every one and awhile for some deep and profound songs. These hymns are often also written by people who we can know were trustworthy Christians. Let some older saints come alongside you in worship!

Connect with Us:

• Website: backtorurality.com
• Social Media: Facebook
• Email: tj@brainerdinstitute.com

Host: TJ Freeman

Summary: In this episode of Back to Rurality, TJ Freeman, a rural pastor, delves into the endless pursuit of satisfaction in worldly things and its futility. He shares his own experiences of chasing material things and legalistic spirituality, only to realize true fulfillment comes from a deep relationship with God. TJ encourages listeners to focus on knowing and delighting in God in prayer and the study of His word, surrendering other pursuits, and strengthening their faith within their church community.

Key Points:

• Feeling Restless: Do you feel like you’re always chasing something? Maybe you always are jumping from hobby to hobby. Or you want a new wardrobe, truck, or the newest iPhone. Maybe you want to feel that closeness to God that you felt at one point in your life.
• Finding Rest in the Lord: When our minds are fixed on worldly, lesser things, we will never feel truly fulfilled. When our primary pursuit is the Lord, we can find full satisfaction and true rest. Don’t continue pursuing things that will not fill you up. Instead, reflect on what it means to really enjoy the Lord.
• Put Your Trust in God Alone: Believe that His word is true and that he is not withholding one good thing from you. He is good and wants you to delight in Him! He will not leave you feeling empty.

Listener Takeaways:

• Memorize Genesis 1:26-28 and Psalm 16:11. God has made us with a purpose, and that purpose is to reflect him as a people who know him intimately. Spend time in the word and take time getting to know the Lord.
• Pray and thank the Lord that he’s brought you into a close relationship with him. Ask him that he’ll help you have a sense of his presence. Then just praise him and thank him for five minutes.
• Surrender your competing pursuits! Take an inventory of your life and think about the things that you might be putting ahead of the Lord. It could be your time on social media, a hobby you really love, or any number of things. Reset your priority on Christ’s kingdom.
• Spend time with your church community. They are meant to aid you in your pursuit of the Lord. Let your church members guide you towards loving God more. If you don’t have access to a healthy church, get together with another Christian in your area and pray with them.
  
  

Connect with Us:

• Website: backtorurality.com
• Social Media: Facebook

Host: TJ Freeman

Summary: In this episode of Back to Rurality, TJ Freeman, a rural pastor, challenges the reliance on personality tests to define identity. He shares personal struggles with identity crises and emphasizes the importance of understanding one's worth as being made in God's image. He encourages listeners to root their identity in their relationship with God and to live out God's word, regardless of one's individual personality traits.

Key Points:

• Identity Crisis: Many Christians go through seasons of life where they struggle with their identity. We might seek out solutions in an online test, our professions, or our friends. Instead, we should seek out to live according to the Bible says about us!
• What the Bible Says About Us: The very beginning of the Bible tells us that we were made in God’s image. We are His representatives and we exist to bring Him glory!
• How Can We Represent God: We can best represent God by walking in relationship with Him. As we continue to grow closer to Him in prayer and studying His word, we begin to look more and more like him. Then we reflect Him to those around us.

Listener Takeaways:

• We can confidently trust the Lord for the way he has made us. We can fight the temptation to be jealous of the personalities He has given our friends.
• Our own personalities are gifts from the Lord, but we can still take time to reflect and make sure we are living our lives according in God’s word, and exercising dominion in the way he has called us to.
• When our minds are set on representing Christ, a lot of our own insecurities and questions about ourselves are able to fade away. Live to make Him known!
  
  

Connect with Us:

• Website: backtorurality.com
• Social Media: Facebook

Host: TJ Freeman

Summary: In this episode of Back to Rurality, host TJ Freeman, a rural pastor, delves into dealing with life's hardest challenges, from severe diagnoses to financial struggles. Sharing personal stories and biblical insights, TJ discusses practical ways to trust God and maintain hope when everything feels like it's falling apart. Through prayer, seeking God's perspective, and anchoring hope in His faithfulness, he offers listeners a spiritual toolkit to navigate tough situations.

Key Points:

• Overcoming Overthinking and Negative Thoughts: We have a tendency when we're struggling with various challenges to allow our minds to get stuck in an unhelpful thought cycle. Philippians 4:8 reminds us that in these incredible difficult moments we need to focus our minds on the good and be thankful.
• Overcoming Isolation: Another natural response to hardships can be isolation. We can often try to tough it out, or solve our own problems. The purpose of the Church is to support and encourage each other. Resist this common urge and seek help!
• Overcoming Control: When a situation pops up that is outside of our plans, it is often a reminder that we are not actually in control. That can be scary and then we can be tempted to grasp around to control everything around us! Remember that this will not help us. Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us that we are helped most when we place our trust in God, not ourselves.

Listener Takeaways:

• Meditate on the Scriptures mentioned in this episode.
• Pray honestly, transparently, and with thanksgiving.
• Seek God's perspective. He is good, in control, and has a plan beyond what we can see in our current circumstances.
• Anchor your hope. Like David in Psalm 42, remember God is with you and you can put your hope in him alone.
  
  

Connect with Us:

• Website: backtorurality.com
• Social Media: Facebook