Who's in Charge

A five-year-old boy breaks free from his mother’s hand, runs into the street, and cries out, “Wait for me, Daddy,” as a regiment marches off to war. That split-second moment became one of the most famous photographs in Canadian history, remembered through monuments, a commemorative coin, and even a stamp. On Remembrance Day, we slow down and sit with what that image really holds: courage, family, uncertainty, and the ache of not knowing if goodbye is forever.We tell the true story behind the 1940 New Westminster march near Vancouver, where Jack Bernard heads toward training and eventually the D-Day invasion, while his son Warren “Whitey” becomes a public face in the victory bond effort because of the photo’s fame. And then the story turns. In 1945 Jack comes home, and the same photographer captures a second picture, this time overflowing with relief and joy. Put those photos side by side, and you can see the emotional distance between fear and reunion, between what we assume will happen and what actually unfolds.From there, we bring the lesson into the present. When life feels heavy, it’s easy to believe today’s anxiety is the new normal, as if the moment we’re in is the entire story. We share a grounded Christian perspective on hope, anchored in Psalm 27:13 and the conviction that our trust cannot rest on headlines, politicians, or shifting opinions, but on the Lord. If you need a short, steady boost for your morning, press play, then subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review that tells us what hope looks like in your life.We would love to hear your comments. Send us a Text MessageSupport the show

A desperate dad brings his son for freedom, the disciples come up empty, and hope collapses in real time. That is why Mark chapter 9 hits so hard: it names the moment many of us know when we asked for help, tried to believe, and still felt disappointed. I’m Danny Mack, and today’s five-minute Starting Right devotional leans into the father’s mindset when the “answer” doesn’t show up on schedule and doubt starts to feel louder than faith. The turning point is one of the most honest prayers in the Bible: “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief.” We talk about what it means to bring Jesus both parts of your heart, the part that trusts and the part that fears. We also notice what Jesus does not do. He doesn’t shame the father for struggling. He moves with compassion, casts out the demon, and heals the boy, showing that moments of unbelief do not disqualify you from the grace of God. To ground it in daily life, we connect Mark 9 to 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, where God says His grace is enough and His power works best in weakness. If you’re wrestling with faith and doubt, prayer, or waiting on God for an answer, this is a reset for your morning and a practical reminder that God knows your weaknesses and still invites you to come close. Subscribe to Starting Right, share this with a friend who needs encouragement, and leave a review so more people can find it.We would love to hear your comments. Send us a Text MessageSupport the show

A fork at a funeral sounds strange until you hear the reason. In this short, story-driven devotional from Starting Right with Danny Mac, we tell the unforgettable account of a young woman diagnosed with terminal cancer who sits down with her pastor to plan her final service. She chooses the songs, the scriptures, and the outfit, but then she makes one request that stops him in his tracks: “I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand.”That single detail becomes a powerful metaphor for Christian hope, grief, and resilience. She explains how, at dinners and socials, someone would always say, “Keep your fork,” right when the main course ended. It meant something better was coming. At her funeral, the fork sparks question after question, and the pastor shares her message with everyone who wonders what it means. The story gently challenges the way we cling to control and treat this life as the main course, as if it is all there is. Romans 8:18 tells us: present suffering is real, but it is not the final word. If you need morning encouragement, a fresh perspective on hardship, or a reminder that hope can coexist with pain, press play and keep your fork. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs it, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway.We would love to hear your comments. Send us a Text MessageSupport the show

Some mornings the hardest thing to believe is that God could still come through for us. When you’re tired, stuck, ashamed, or staring at a problem that won’t move, hope can feel like it’s for other people, not you.We talk through a moment in Genesis 18 where Sarah overhears a promise that sounds impossible: she will have a son within a year. Sarah laughs, not because it’s funny, but because her body and her circumstances scream “no chance.” Danny Mack unpacks why the Bible’s honesty matters so much: God lets us see the doubts, limits, and fears of real people, and He still keeps His word. The question God asks cuts through every excuse we make for why He won’t help us: “Is anything too hard for the Lord?”From there, we bring it home to everyday life. We may celebrate big testimonies and answered prayers, yet when we’re the ones struggling, we start counting our failures, questioning our worth, and assuming God won’t respond. This short Christian devotional and morning encouragement is a reset for your faith, your prayer life, and your perspective on what’s possible with God. If you need hope, strength, or a reminder that God can do the miraculous, press play and take your impossible to Him.Subscribe to Starting Right with Danny Mac, share this with a friend who needs a lift, and leave a review so more people can find daily encouragement.We would love to hear your comments. Send us a Text MessageSupport the show

A gold asteroid worth ten thousand quadrillion dollars sounds like the ultimate win, until you realize it could wreck everything we call “normal.” We start with NASA’s focus on Psyche 16, a metal-rich asteroid between Mars and Jupiter, and we sit with the sheer scale of what that kind of wealth would mean for Earth’s economy, our cravings, and our sense of security. With space mining becoming more real and even the legal ownership of asteroids on the table, it’s a perfect moment to ask a bigger question: what are we actually storing up, and why? From there, we turn to Jesus’ words in Matthew 6 and get specific about what “treasures in heaven” really means. I talk about the difference between having money and loving money, and why Christ challenges hoarding and using wealth as power over other people. The issue isn’t resources; it’s priority. If money becomes the thing we trust most, it can’t help but shrink our souls. We would love to hear your comments. Send us a Text MessageSupport the show

Gossip isn’t just “talk,” it’s a force that can split friendships, wreck reputations, and teach us to treat real people like content. I open with a short story about four pastors who agree to confess their secret vices, and the punchline lands because it’s uncomfortably familiar: the last pastor’s vice is gossip, and he can’t wait to repeat what he heard.From celebrity gossip and political gossip to social media rumors, we live in a world where unconfirmed details travel faster than truth. I talk about how this constant stream of commentary can turn vicious and even feed cancel culture, and why the fallout is never just online. When gossip spreads, real people carry the weight, and sometimes the consequences are heartbreaking.Then we ground it in Scripture with Proverbs 16:28, Proverbs 18:8, and Paul’s warning in 2 Corinthians 12:20, showing that gossip has always been a community breaker. I also give a clear, practical definition of gossip and share simple steps to stop: think before you speak, refuse to listen, and don’t judge someone based on rumors. The challenge is memorable on purpose: if you’re going to talk behind someone’s back, compliment them. Let’s start a “goodness gossip” movement that builds people up instead of tearing them down.Subscribe for more short, daily encouragement, share this with a friend who values healthier conversations, and leave a review with one practical rule you use to keep gossip out of your life.We would love to hear your comments. Send us a Text MessageSupport the show

The Olympics always give us a clean story on the surface: someone wins, someone loses, the medal goes around a neck and the camera moves on. But when the games end, especially in a year where the stands are empty and the world feels strange, what sticks with me is what you don’t see in the highlight reel: the falls, the frustration, the missed attempts, and the choice to get back up.We talk about one of the clearest pictures of that truth from the Tokyo Olympics: skateboarding. Some of the best athletes on earth, including incredibly young medalists, throw down jaw-dropping tricks, and they also wipe out again and again. That’s not a scandal. That’s the process. From there, we connect the lesson to a verse many of us quote, Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” I share why that promise is not about doing everything perfectly on the first try, and why failure can be part of how God trains us for what he’s calling us to do. If there’s something you tried, failed at, and walked away from, this is your nudge to look at it again. Remember the coach’s line: “It’s hard now, but one day it will be easy.”Subscribe to Starting Right with Danny Mac, share this with a friend who’s discouraged, and leave a review. What’s one thing you’re ready to revisit after a setback?Originally broadcast August 9, 2021We would love to hear your comments. Send us a Text MessageSupport the show

Unforgiveness doesn’t just sit quietly in the past, it shows up in your body and your thoughts like a weight you keep dragging into today. I’m Danny Mack, and in this short, practical devotional from Starting Right, I’m asking a direct question: who are you still carrying around in your heart, and what is it costing you?We go to Matthew 18 where Peter asks Jesus what most of us want to know: how many times do I have to forgive someone who keeps sinning against me? The answer isn’t a neat number you can track in a notebook. Jesus says “seventy times seven,” and the message is clear: stop keeping score and start choosing freedom. We talk about why forgiveness is “from the heart,” why it’s difficult, and why the Christian life doesn’t give us permission to cling to bitterness just because the situation was unfair.Then we sit with a story from Sheila Walsh that makes the whole idea unforgettable: a little boy hauling a huge bag of flour across a golf course until he can’t take another step. The lesson lands hard, because it’s true: the person who hurt you may be sleeping just fine, but you’re the one carrying the load. If you’ve been stuck replaying the same hurt, feeling the weight return every time the topic comes up, this conversation will help you loosen your grip and hand the burden to God.If this encouraged you, subscribe to Starting Right, share it with a friend who needs a fresh start, and leave a quick review so more people can find it. What’s one step you can take today to let go and forgive?We would love to hear your comments. Send us a Text MessageSupport the show

A box of donuts doesn’t sound like theology, until you watch someone pay for every single one. We share a story from a college classroom where Dr. Christensen promises a “party,” then sets an unexpected rule: one student, Steve, must do push-ups so each person can have the opportunity to receive a donut, whether they want it or not. What starts as fun turns heavy as the cost piles up, the room grows tense, and Steve keeps going anyway. That’s where the Parable of the Donuts stops being about dessert and becomes a sharp, memorable picture of the gospel. We talk through the moment students refuse the gift, the moment others want to help but can’t, and the moment Steve finishes the work and collapses. The professor’s message is simple and direct: this is what Jesus Christ did on the cross, paying a price we could not pay, offering grace and mercy even to people who set the gift aside. If you’ve ever struggled with shame, tried to “earn” God’s love, or wondered why grace can feel uncomfortable, this story puts language to it. You’ll leave with a clearer view of Christian faith, salvation by grace, and the personal question at the center of it all: what do you do with a gift that’s already been paid for? If this devotional encouraged you, subscribe for more, share it with a friend who needs hope, and leave a review so more people can find Starting Right.We would love to hear your comments. Send us a Text MessageSupport the show

The smallest frustrations can turn into the biggest reactions, and most of us have lived that story: one more muddy footprint, one wrong tone, one extra delay and suddenly we’re snapping. We unpack why that blowup is usually the result of a slow buildup of “small stuff,” the kind that quietly stacks emotional weight on your shoulders until your patience runs out.We lean on a deceptively simple practice: spend a moment each day thinking of someone to thank, then thank them. That one habit reshapes your focus away from negativity and toward what is good and steady in your life. We talk about how gratitude affects your stress level, your worry, and your mood, and why people who practice appreciation tend to feel lighter and more at peace. We also explore what happens when the mind “slips into negativity,” and how gratitude is often the first thing to disappear, replaced by resentment and frustration.You’ll leave with practical, everyday examples you can use right away: thanking a spouse for help at home, thanking kids for doing their part, and noticing the often invisible kindness of people like doctors, police officers, neighbors, and grocery clerks. We also keep the bigger picture in view by remembering ongoing gratitude to God and what that does for your inner life. Subscribe, share this with someone who needs a reset, and leave a review with one person you’re choosing to thank today.We would love to hear your comments. Send us a Text MessageSupport the show