In this episode, we continue our look at the early chapters of Acts and explore a simple biblical answer to a question that can often feel confusing or mysterious. Using passages from Colossians, Ephesians, Hebrews, Psalms, and Romans, we discuss how the Christian life begins by faith and continues the exact same way.

We’ll look at why Paul compares being filled with the Spirit to being under the influence of wine, how sin can leave us spiritually depleted, and a practical daily pathway of confession, forgiveness, repentance, and surrender that helps keep Christ in His rightful place and be filled with the Holy Spirit daily.

The question isn’t whether something or someone is competing for your attention. The question is: who is sitting on the throne of your heart?

And remember, our Bible study meets every Thursday evening. If you would like to join us please send me a note and I would be happy to get you the details.

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Together we explore how power, control, influence, approval, and status can quietly become idols that compete with our devotion to God. Looking through Acts 5, James 4, Galatians 5, and other passages, we discuss how sinful desires lead to bondage, how God exposes what rules our hearts, and how true freedom is found through confession, surrender, and obedience to Christ.

This episode is an invitation to honestly examine our own hearts, recognize the “warning lights” God graciously reveals, and walk in the freedom that comes from following Jesus wholeheartedly.

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Rewinding all the way back to the fall of 2024, I was blessed to have had the opportunity to work on a home affected by Hurricane Milton with one of my closest friends, Brian Schroth. This was such a rewarding experience and it was the first time I had ever heard of Samaritan’s Purse (SP) as a disaster relief organization. Turns out they are far more than just the organization behind Operation Christas Child. So, when the fires broke out in L.A. in January of 2025, I immediately started following what SP was doing in response to one of the deadliest and costliest fires in the history of that state.

Shortly after the public was allowed back into the burn zones, SP was ready to begin doing personal valuables recovery. Essentially what that means is meeting with home-owners at their home, asking what valuables they would like us to look for, and then sifting through ash to try and find anything that may not have been consumed by the fire. Margaret and I got there at the end of March and worked 6 days with our team, which was led by a local volunteer named Miguel. In short, we had never seen someone present the Gospel to perfect strangers. We watched as people received and began a relationship with Jesus in the midst of a disaster zone. Virtually all the houses we worked on did not have one brick left on top of another, with the exception of the fireplace chimneys. In spite of the desolation, Miguel would lay out the Gospel with each homeowner in a very concise way and then ask, “do you have a relationship with Jesus, and if you don’t would you like to start one today?”

When humans have virtually all of their material possessions wiped out almost overnight, their perspective of who God is and the perfect peace that He’s offering changes dramatically. We saw people trying to reconcile something that could never be understood and being in such a place of bewilderment that they started wondering what else is there besides “our stuff”. And that’s where we got to see Jesus picking up the pieces of peoples lives and putting them back together. We also saw a community of people truly taking care of one another. Mother Teresa said, “If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.” Margaret and I experienced peace in this regard of knowing that we as humans belong to each other and peace is not a feeling or state of being… peace is a person. Ephesians 2:14 says, “For he (Jesus) himself is our peace…”. And then in the gospel of John we find Jesus promising to leave his peace with us (John 14:27). We got to see people experience this radical kind of peace in a place where people had nothing left. Down the road I hope to possibly hear from some of those people we were able to help and my prayer is that they will see the person in who they came to know in the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6) was worth every bit of losing material possessions.

So, all of this to say that I learned that sharing the Gospel of Jesus doesn’t have to be as hard as some of us may make it out to be. My eyes were opened to the beauty in the simplicity of it. And that the peace a human is looking for can be found in Jesus when nothing else is left. These principals were solidified and built upon when we got to serve with SP doing flood relief work in Vallecito, CO. I covered this trip in what we did and how I got to get my feet wet sharing the gospel in a previous post.

Looking forward to 2026, I truly hope and pray that God would call us again to a disaster zone where we can continue to first help with our hands and then ask the simple questions of, “Do you know Jesus…., do you know Peace?” “And if you don’t would you like to?” There is nothing like finding your place in God’s field that He has called you to and then telling people about him while serving with heart level generosity.

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In this episode of the ‘Three as One’ podcast, we explore Jesus’ parable from Luke chapter 6 about building houses on different foundations and the importance of applying God’s word in daily life. We discuss the contrast between those who put Jesus’ teachings into practice and those who do not, drawing vivid analogies and providing practical applications for listeners. The necessity of self-reflection, consistent prayer, and Bible study, both individually and in community is highlighted. We also invite listener engagement by asking for feedback and topics of interest, while also proposing that deeper foundations in faith and community can help navigate life’s inevitable storms. The episode concludes with a prayer and encouragement to start each day with God at the center. Bible reference: Luke 6:46-49.

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As the end of 2025 approaches, I find myself reflecting back on the year and saying to myself “WOW! I never thought it would have turned out like this.” That statement can go one of two ways… seen in a positive or negative way and I must say this year has been a ton in the positive direction for me. So, I thought I would share an end-of- year review to look back on a year that I’m so thankful for. Then briefly look forward to 2026 and hope that I’m saying those exact same words again at the end of next year. This will take several posts to get through so stay tuned as this is just part 1.

Off Saturday Meetings

The journey for this year actually started back at the end of 2024 when I was really looking to dig into a more concrete way of how I could serve God’s Kingdom. I was looking for something new that would challenge me, while growing my spiritual gifts. God actually made all that happen and then some! I lead a small group for a para-church organization called Marked Men For Christ (MMFC) and the first step that God had for me in 2025 was to see where I could serve the men of that small group in ways that it was lacking.

The first thing I wanted to address was how little time this small group actually spends meeting. We only meet every other week and I found some of the guys were looking for more frequent connection. So, to address this, I began a more informal meeting that was just open to the guys in that group that met on the “off Saturdays”. In other words when we weren’t having our formal small group meetings for MMFC. This was going well and I think guys were enjoying the more relaxed atmosphere. We begin each meeting with coffee and bagels, so it gives guys more of a chance to hang out and get to know each other. MMFC meetings are very structured out of necessity and we don’t have time during the meetings for guys to just get to know one another. Fellowship is a wonderful thing and these “off Saturday” meetings were (and still are) fostering just good old fashioned get to know each other time. This is followed by grabbing your hot coffee and heading down to the basement.

Our meeting format is pretty simple and looks like each man having a chance to “check in” and share how your week has been. How is life going for you and where is God showing up… or maybe where He’s not and you wish that He would. Men found this to be a safe place to share anything that was on their hearts and just be heard. Generally speaking, everyone has a story to tell that could have happened a week or decades ago. Sometimes men just need to be in a place to share that story and be heard. Then, after everyone has a chance to share we go into a time of prayer to lift each other up and offer each other encouragement through praying over one another. Hebrews 10:24, “Let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good works.” So good, and the beauty is in the simplicity.

Shortly after I started these meetings in January, I realized that I had other friends that might enjoy coming to a meeting like this, but may not have been to an MMFC event, so God told me to open it up to everyone. The barrier of entry to be able to attend the small group I lead through MMFC (called a Phase 3) is a bit high. It involves attending two formal events that will take a minimum of two weekends and several hundred dollars of a financial investment. These “off Saturday” meetings (now called 3 Is 1 meetings) are designed to have a very low barrier of entry as in everyone is invited to come and it costs nothing except an investment of time on a Saturday morning. A man might be really going through it and need to meet with other men to be heard. Sometimes they cannot wait for an event like what MMFC offers that could be several weeks down the road. Or maybe a neighbor and I had a discussion while taking a break from cutting the lawn and he wanted to come hang out with some Christian guys who speak honestly about life, and pray with each other, just out of curiosity. A Saturday 3 Is 1 meeting gives a guy like this an opportunity to do that.

In conclusion, these Saturday meetings still continue to this day. Each week men have found them to be a place of safety and a place they can tell their story without being concerned about anyone judging them or criticizing them. As a matter of fact, quite the opposite, they find encouragement and hope as well as just being heard. A burden is always lighter if it’s spread across a few sets of shoulders. If anyone is interested in joining us, please feel free to reach out.

In the next post, I’ll share about Samaritan’s Purse and how that changed the way I see how the gospel is shared in the middle of really tough circumstances. Hope you all have a blessed week!

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**We have scheduled the Free Indeed class with Kirk Samuels. Everyone is welcome to come so if you know someone that would be interested in a class like this please forward this to them. Here are the details.**

When? 1/13/26 for six consecutive weeks meeting every Tuesday

Time? 6-8PM

Where? Grace Chapel Castle Rock https://maps.app.goo.gl/U49rxpDzMHDMrMoPA

Cost? $77 to cover printed materials. Scholarships will be available.

How do I sign up? Send an email to: 3is1church@gmail.com and let us know that you are coming.

Who is it for? Males over the age of 12. Kids are encouraged to come with their dads.

How do I get more info on what the class is? 3 Is 1 Podcast Episode 4 https://3is1.substack.com/p/breaking-chains?r=6ix3n3

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Free Indeed class details:

When: 1/13 for six consecutive weeks meeting every Tuesday

Time: 6-8 PM MST

Where: Grace Chapel Castle Rock https://maps.app.goo.gl/U49rxpDzMHDMrMoPA
Cost: $77 to cover printed materials. Scholarships will be available.

How do I sign up? Send an email to: 3is1church@gmail.com and let us know that you are coming.

Who: Males over the age of 12. Kids are encouraged to come with their dads.

How do I get more info on what the class is? 3 Is 1 Podcast Episode 4 https://3is1.substack.com/p/breaking-chains?r=6ix3n3

Can I participate on zoom? Yes, although we only encourage men to use this option if they are not within driving distance of Castle Rock, CO. If you want to be participate on zoom make sure you include that in your email registration to 3is1church@gmail.com

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Margaret and I have just returned from our trip to southwestern, CO partnering with Samaritans Purse (SP) doing flood relief work and wanted to send out a recap letter to share what God is doing down in that region.

We worked exclusively in the small mountain town of Vallecito. About 9” of rain fell, mostly over the course of a weekend in October (10/11 - 10/12), on this community north of Bayfield. Only major snow storms have eclipsed this amount of moisture in the past almost 50 years that records have been kept. Flooding of Vallecito creek, and Grimes creek, caused most of the damage done to residential areas in this community. Our first job we were working for a gentlemen named Lloyd and he said, “I woke up Sunday morning to find my house in what looked like the middle of the Mississippi river.” None of the interior of the homes we worked on were affected by the flooding. We predominantly were assisting in debris removal and clean up around the exterior of the homes affected by the storm. From talking with the SP project manager, Josh, this was not a typical deployment for SP in that we were not necessarily doing disaster relief work. The worst case scenario for homeowners we worked with were that they had been evacuated a few days before being allowed to come back home mostly to find their homes un-damaged by the storm. However, just because this community wasn’t facing an all-out crisis didn’t mean that there was any less of a need for people there to see Jesus show up and his representatives in orange. And it certainly didn’t mean there wasn’t opportunities to help in any way that we could to serve the needs of the community while we were there.

We served about 10 homeowners during the week we were there. SP was working in the area for 3 weeks and we were there the last week of their deployment, so most of the larger projects had been completed. On almost every project we worked on the list of “to do’s” included flood debris collection and removal. We would make large piles on the front of properties where hopefully someone will eventually come to haul it away. Rakes, shovels and wheelbarrows were used to collect and remove the debris. At times chainsaws were needed to cut up trees that had fallen. We stacked un-split fire wood at the street for the “firewood ministry” to eventually come pick up. As near as we could tell the community would have a surplus of firewood for the next few years. At the time we were there, the logistics of debris removal still had not been decided by the county. A very generous homeowner offered to stage the debris on his land until a removal solution could be decided on. SP had a small skid steer that would load a dump trailer and then make trips to this person’s land to temporarily store the debris.

Our team for the week included Marc (who kindly drove us to the job sites everyday, thanks Marc!), Kevin, Brian, Luke, Scot, Margaret and myself, and our SP team lead Alan. Charlie was also a huge help to our team. He lives in Vallecito and acted as a liaison between our team and homeowners in need of help as he is on a first name basis with just about everyone in the community. Charlie literally was working on this clean up project every day for weeks. Raking, shoveling, hauling trees all at 84 years young. Wow!! We also had a character on our team for one day who some affectionally call “one eyed John”. John drove 21+ hours from Birmingham, AL to serve at this deployment and ran a chain saw for 12 days all at 76 years old. What keeps him busy in AL on might ask?? He is a retired Marine living on a generational family owned 4000 acre ranch and helps people get free of addiction all in Jesus’ name. You also might hear John serenading his team with old hymns while raking pine needles as the sun goes down. What a neat guy?!? I wish we could have gotten to know him better.

Even though there wasn’t a catastrophic emergency, the community of Vallecito was in need of some spiritual help in addition to general clean up. SP partnered with Vallecito church and we were so grateful to get to know their lead pastor Clark and his wife Joy while we were there. They had their doors open every day for volunteers to come and have lunch or a hot coffee anytime we were there. What kind people who genuinely care about their community?!

On one of our last days in the Vallecito area, we ran into Russ, Isaiah, and Vince. Russ and Isaiah are local contractors who were hired by some homeowners to help clear debris from their one-acre property that backs up to the river. Vince is a homeowner who owns an ATV with a small flatbed attached (perfect for hauling debris). He was doing everything he could to help his fellow neighbors since his home was not affected by the floods. We saw them working and offered eight extra pairs of hands to make their work go a little faster. Little did we know, God specifically sent us to help this man Russ on this particular day. Through talking to Russ, we learned that his wife was in the hospital. She was preparing to have surgery the next day. He was pretty anxious about the procedure so we offered to pray with him. After only a few hours, all the work was completed. Russ broke down in tears and told us that because we helped him that day, he would be able to go home and spend more time with his wife and that he was incredibly grateful for our kindness. He said he’d never experienced anything like it and it came at just the right time for him. Praise God! Our deployment ended on a Friday and, Luke, one of our teammates didn’t have a flight until Sunday. So, he contacted Russ and worked for him all day Saturday running a chain saw, slept on the couch and then flew back to Oregon on Sunday. Luke, way to go the extra mile in service! Such a great example of what it means to be a servant and to be so kind.

Through the evangelism efforts and community service in Jesus name in the three weeks SP and the Billy Graham Rapid Response team were serving the community of Vallecito, many people decided to begin a relationship with Jesus, which is far more important than anything we were doing with our hands. The work we did do with our hands was a way to show people what having a relationship with Jesus is like and that’s a way for people to get introduced to Him outside the walls of a church, or small group setting; something truly special to be a part of. At the end of every job a Bible is presented to the homeowners and we closed in prayer (pray in, pray out). I was asked to present the Bible to two homeowners while we were there and I really enjoyed the opportunity to talk to strangers about what the Bible is and who it’s about. Even sharing a short version of the gospel in public was something that I had never done before and it was an opportunity to grow. I was going to have another opportunity to present a Bible to Abigail, but sadly our schedules never allowed us to meet her in person so we left one on her doorstep.

Margaret and I were so blessed to serve on another project this year with SP. In the spring we worked with SP doing wildfire relief work in southern California. We learned more about the steps we will need to go through to become team leads for disaster relief. This is a pretty long road, but if God calls then that’s what we will do. We are both in great anticipation of what our next project will be with SP. Of course we would never wish disaster on anyone, but when the storms do come we will have our orange shirts on representing Jesus and telling people about Him wherever He calls us to go. Such an honor to serve in His name.

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Thursday evening Bible study: 6:30-8:30 MST. Find the One to One Discipleship work book here: https://multiplication-ministries.myshopify.com/products/one-to-one-discipleship-english-17-00

Saturday Mornings: every other Saturday. How are you and God doing this past week?

If you would like to join us for either of these meetings please send me an email for more details.

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Scripture progression through Jesus doing the will of his Father to completion:

• John 4:34 Jesus says his food is to do the will of his Father and to finish his work.

• Isaiah 55:10-11 God’s word shall not return to him void. It will accomplish every purpose for which it was sent. The gospel of John also refers to Jesus as “the Word”. Hmm…

• John 19:30 Jesus finishes his mission and cries out “it is finished” from the cross and then gives up his spirit.

• Luke 9:23 If you want to be a disciple of Jesus then you must deny yourself, take up your cross and follow him daily. Jesus modeled an example of how we are called to live.

• John 4:36 The culmination of what Jesus models is a partnership of work being done that results in an eternal harvest and true joy found in relationship between sower and reaper. Beautiful!!

Huge thank you to Phil Floyd!

Contact info:

email: pfloyd@calebsheart.com

website: https://calebsheart.com/

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When the class is scheduled, early 2026, we will post details on time and location.

Kirk’s contact info:

Phone: ‭(720) 530-5644‬

Email: kirkmsamuels@yahoo.com

Apple podcasts: here

Spotify: here

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John 4:1-30.

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3 Is 1 has two different opportunities for you to connect with us.

Bible study on Thursdays evenings from 6:30 - 8:30PM.

Life gatherings every other Saturday from 7:00 - 9:00AM.

If you would like to join either of these (in person or on zoom) please send me a note at 3is1church@gmail.com and I will get you added to the group email lists for either one or both. Emails are sent out to each group prior to every meeting with directions for that week. Look forward to hearing from you soon.

As always… if you believe someone else will be blessed by this, please forward it along.

See you on the next one…

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