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He poured water on the altar on purpose. Not a little. Enough to make success impossible unless God showed up. That one choice turns Elijah’s Mount Carmel showdown (1 Kings 18) into a piercing question for our lives: do we actually trust the one true God, or do we keep a hidden escape route that protects our pride?

We sit down with Pastor David for our season one finale of 10 More Minutes and slow-walk the story behind the fire. We talk about Elijah’s “hidden place” before the big moment, when God tells him to depart and hide and then provides in a way Elijah can’t control. That quiet season becomes a blueprint for spiritual formation, prayer, and dependence on God when no one is watching. If you’ve ever felt sidelined or stuck, we explore how God can teach and shape you there.

From the soaked altar, we pivot into a common Christian cliché: “God helps those who help themselves.” Where does it come from, what’s true in it, and what does it get dangerously wrong? We dig into the balance between responsibility and reliance, then confront idolatry as it actually shows up in modern life: money, success, people-pleasing, relationships, and even a made-up version of God who exists to endorse our wants. We also highlight 2 Peter 1 and what we’re meant to “supplement” faith with so it becomes effective and fruitful.

If this conversation helps you, subscribe for season two, share it with a friend or your group, and leave a review so more people can find it. What’s one “backup plan” you need to put down so trust in God can be real?

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God asks Solomon a dangerous question: “What do you want me to give you?” Most of us can name a dozen “practical” answers in a heartbeat. Solomon doesn’t reach for power, success, long life, or wealth. He asks for an understanding heart, and that single request forces us to look at our own desires and the kind of prayers we’ve been repeating on autopilot.

Ryan Ritchie and Pastor Michael Buffaloe dig into 1 Kings 3 and connect it to Psalm 37:4, where delight in the Lord comes before the desires of the heart. We talk about why that verse is deeper than a feel-good promise, how time in God’s Word reshapes what we want, and why biblical wisdom is more than information. Along the way, we wrestle with Jesus’ promise about asking in his name (John 14 and 16) and the tension we feel when God doesn’t give the outcome we requested.

We also get practical: how to pray for things God already delights to say “yes” to, how to pray God’s words back to God, and how to wait without trying to manufacture our own answers. We compare “urgent vs important” prayers, and we challenge the habit of plugging into every other voice for wisdom while getting unplugged from the Lord. The question we leave on the table is simple and convicting: what has become your greatest pursuit?

If you’ve ever felt stuck in a prayer rut or unsure what to ask God for, press play, then share this with a friend and leave a review so more people can find it. What’s one desire you want God to realign this week?

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Devotion isn’t proved by one big moment, it’s revealed by the steady choices you make when nobody’s watching. We sit down with Pastor Ross Strickland after his message on the book of Ruth and talk about the kind of faithfulness that holds when life is painful, distracting, or just ordinary. Ross shares personal reflections from Mother’s Day, including how a parent’s devotion can shape a family for generations, and we anchor the conversation in 1 Corinthians 15:58: be steadfast, immovable, and keep abounding in the work of the Lord even when the payoff feels delayed.

We also go deeper into Bible study and why context changes everything. Ruth being a Moabite isn’t trivia, it’s a shock that highlights God’s providence and redemption for outsiders. Even the parts we tend to skip, like genealogies, carry the story forward and remind us that Scripture is one connected narrative pointing to Jesus. Along the way, we challenge “verse of the day” habits, talk about being too easily pleased and easily distracted, and share practical ways to rebuild hunger for God’s Word through community and accountability.

Then we pivot to something Ruth gets quoted for all the time: Christian dating. We play a red flag, green flag game with real-world wisdom, including warnings about Jesus being treated like a brand, boundary pushing, shutting out wise counsel, living like a constant victim, and fast emotional intensity. On the green flag side, we talk about staying in the right relationship stage, practicing sexual integrity, honoring family authority, looking for character over charm, and pursuing God first. If this helps you, subscribe, share it with a friend who needs it, and leave a review so more people can find the podcast.