Can A Sinner Start Over?

In part four of his conversation with Sam, former MLB closer Cody Allen takes on a bigger question: what does it actually mean to be a man? He starts with what boys are missing. Not so much dirt and creeks as unstructured time: room to explore, build the tree house, and fail without someone fixing it for them. Then he names why we keep filling the calendar anyway. Parenting has no scoreboard, so we reach for the things we can measure.From there, Cody lands on the heart of Christian parenting and biblical manhood alike. Our kids aren't ours. They're ours to steward. Manhood isn't a paycheck or a posture; it's taking what God has placed in your hands and stewarding it for His glory. He also shares the turning point at 34, when he stopped white-knuckling his faith and learned surrender, and the one thing he prays his sons carry into their forties: knowing exactly who they are.We pray this message will encourage, challenge, and transform. As always, we invite you to share it with someone who needs it.Get Dudley's Weekly Word delivered right to your inbox every Friday! Click here to get access ➡️ https://dudleysweeklyword.com/opt-inFor more information and resources, visit https://kerygmaventures.com/podcast/Follow and subscribe:Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/41N9SAPSpotify: https://spoti.fi/3LEIxeoYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@kerygmaventuresWatch our "Conversations At The Ranch" series: https://bit.ly/conversations-at-the-ranchWatch our "Dudley's Monthly Message" series: https://bit.ly/dudleys-monthly-message

In this month's Monthly Message, Dudley takes up a question many of us have quietly carried: can a person really start over with God? When a life has been tangled by bad choices, broken relationships, and regret, is there a point where God simply moves on?Turning to two short parables of Jesus in Matthew 13, the treasure hidden in a field and the pearl of great price, Dudley invites us to see them from a fresh angle. What if we aren't the ones selling everything to get the treasure? What if God is the one who searched the earth, found us in our mess, and bought the whole world to have us? From Isaiah in the temple to Paul on the Damascus road to the prodigal son in the pig pen, he shows how God brings us to a moment of clarity, and how that moment is itself a gift of grace.Then Dudley gets practical about how to start over. Grace doesn't just wipe the slate clean. It instructs, and it empowers. Forgive as you've been forgiven. Do what you can to make things right. Let Jesus have the last word. Trust the seed He has planted to grow. If you're wondering whether you've gone too far, this message is for you. You can start over, and grace will lead you on.We pray this message will encourage, challenge, and transform. As always, we invite you to share it with someone who needs it.Get Dudley's Weekly Word delivered right to your inbox every Friday! Click here to get access ➡️ https://dudleysweeklyword.com/opt-inFor more information and resources, visit https://kerygmaventures.com/podcast/Follow and subscribe:Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/41N9SAPSpotify: https://spoti.fi/3LEIxeoYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@kerygmaventuresWatch our "Conversations At The Ranch" series: https://bit.ly/conversations-at-the-ranchWatch our "Dudley's Monthly Message" series: https://bit.ly/dudleys-monthly-message

In part three of his conversation with Sam, former MLB closer Cody Allen moves from the mound to the backyard. Now a dad and youth coach, he and Sam trade stories about the families who keep a team in check when the losses pile up, the friend who said, "He's eight. It's a game. Make it fun as long as you can," and what happens when a father plays catch with his son without a single word about mechanics.Then Cody admits something surprising: part of him hopes his son never falls in love with the game, because he knows what it can do to a boy's identity. Sam pushes back. If it isn't baseball, it'll be something else, and God is merciful enough to find it. Whether you're raising kids in the bleachers or the backyard, this is a reminder that a father's voice shapes how his children see God, and that grace covers the dad who gets it wrong.We pray this message will encourage, challenge, and transform. As always, we invite you to share it with someone who needs it.Get Dudley's Weekly Word delivered right to your inbox every Friday! Click here to get access ➡️ https://dudleysweeklyword.com/opt-inFor more information and resources, visit https://kerygmaventures.com/podcast/Follow and subscribe:Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/41N9SAPSpotify: https://spoti.fi/3LEIxeoYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@kerygmaventuresWatch our "Conversations At The Ranch" series: https://bit.ly/conversations-at-the-ranchWatch our "Dudley's Monthly Message" series: https://bit.ly/dudleys-monthly-message

In part two of his conversation with Sam, former MLB closer Cody Allen gets honest about what nine years in the big leagues did to his sense of self. Every milestone simply moved the finish line. A blown save sent him into the dumps; a good outing sent him back to the tape. He knew the right words in Sunday chapel, but his faith sat in one compartment while baseball, marriage, and everything else sat in others. It took the game being taken away to answer the question every athlete eventually faces: who are you when the game is gone?Now a dad and youth coach, Cody shares why his team holds no tryouts and makes no cuts, why the fear of your child falling behind is a lie worth refusing, and how healthy sports parents can show their kids a love they never have to earn. Whether you're chasing a career or cheering from the bleachers, this conversation will point you to an identity in Christ that no scoreboard can give or take away.We pray this message will encourage, challenge, and transform.As always, we invite you to share it with someone who needs it.Get Dudley's Weekly Word delivered right to your inbox every Friday! Click here to get access ➡️ https://dudleysweeklyword.com/opt-inFor more information and resources, visit https://kerygmaventures.com/podcast/Follow and subscribe:Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/41N9SAPSpotify: https://spoti.fi/3LEIxeoYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@kerygmaventuresWatch our "Conversations At The Ranch" series: https://bit.ly/conversations-at-the-ranchWatch our "Dudley's Monthly Message" series: https://bit.ly/dudleys-monthly-message

Welcome back to Conversations at the Ranch.Today, Sam sits down with former MLB closer Cody Allen. Raised in Orlando by parents who sacrificed to keep their family close, Cody's road to the big leagues ran through a college roster cut, Tommy John surgery, a year of junior college, and a coach who cared more about the man than the pitcher. Looking back, he can see the Lord orchestrating every turn.But the real turning point came a month into his big league career. Standing in Anaheim, surrounded by the players he grew up cheering for, he asked, "Is this all there is?" Cody shares how reaching the dream exposed what he had really been trusting, and how a few teammates showed him the difference between using God for His stuff and actually knowing Him. If you've ever reached the goal and found it empty, this conversation is for you.We pray this message will encourage, challenge, and transform.As always, we invite you to share it with someone who needs it.Get Dudley's Weekly Word delivered right to your inbox every Friday! Click here to get access ➡️ https://dudleysweeklyword.com/opt-inFor more information and resources, visit https://kerygmaventures.com/podcast/Follow and subscribe:Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/41N9SAPSpotify: https://spoti.fi/3LEIxeoYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@kerygmaventuresWatch our "Conversations At The Ranch" series: https://bit.ly/conversations-at-the-ranchWatch our "Dudley's Monthly Message" series: https://bit.ly/dudleys-monthly-message

Today, Dudley brings us his Monthly Message, “By Revelation Only,” from Matthew 13. Why did Jesus speak in parables? Not to hand us moral lessons, but to reveal the secrets of the kingdom of God, secrets you can't figure out with your mind alone. Walking through the parable of the sower, Dudley shows that the seed is the star of the story, not the soil. The Word of God, once received, carries its own power to grow.That changes how we think about spiritual growth. Transformation isn't a formula or a quick fix. It is the seed of the gospel working in us, often slowly, the way a farmer wakes one morning to find the ground cracked open. Whether you're carrying guilt, feeling rejected, or stuck in the same sin, Dudley invites you to believe what God says is so, and let Him make it so. We pray this message will encourage, challenge, and transform.As always, we invite you to share it with someone who needs it.Get Dudley's Weekly Word delivered right to your inbox every Friday! Click here to get access ➡️ https://dudleysweeklyword.com/opt-inFor more information and resources, visit https://kerygmaventures.com/podcast/Follow and subscribe:Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/41N9SAPSpotify: https://spoti.fi/3LEIxeoYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@kerygmaventuresWatch our "Conversations At The Ranch" series: https://bit.ly/conversations-at-the-ranchWatch our “Dudley’s Monthly Message” series: https://bit.ly/dudleys-monthly-message

This week, we’re pulling from the archives with a session from Dudley’s series Grace: Living in the Liberty of God’s Love. Dudley opens Romans 5 — what he calls “the much more chapter.” Salvation is wonderful, but it is so much more than fire insurance or a clean slate for past sins. God has prepared a life abundant and free, far beyond anything we would think to ask for. And for many of us, the first “much more” is the one we need most: knowing we are saved.So how do you know you are saved? Not by winning the debate over eternal security, and not by cataloging verses. Assurance of salvation is a ministry of the Holy Spirit, who speaks to your heart by name. Drawing on a moment from his father-in-law’s funeral, Dudley invites us out of doubt and false guilt and into a confident, intimate relationship with Jesus. Salvation is not a bunch of doctrines believed. It is a ministry of Jesus received.You can find the full Grace series, along with more of Dudley’s teaching, at StudyWithDudley.com.We pray this message will encourage, challenge, and transform.As always, we invite you to share it with someone who needs it.Get Dudley's Weekly Word delivered right to your inbox every Friday! Click here to get access ➡️ https://dudleysweeklyword.com/opt-inFor more information and resources, visit https://kerygmaventures.com/podcast/Follow and subscribe:Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/41N9SAPSpotify: https://spoti.fi/3LEIxeoYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@kerygmaventuresWatch our "Conversations At The Ranch" series: https://bit.ly/conversations-at-the-ranchWatch our “Dudley’s Monthly Message” series: https://bit.ly/dudleys-monthly-message

In this episode, Dudley and Sam unpack the new tagline on the Kerygma Ventures homepage: good news for bad Christians. So many believers quietly carry guilt, shame, and frustration, convinced they're just not very good at following Jesus. Dudley gently turns that frame over. God does invite us to grow in maturity, but He doesn't sort His children into good and bad. And if we think we're doing pretty well on our own, we may have lost sight of our need for a Savior.Walking through Paul's thorn in the flesh and 2 Corinthians 12:9, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness," Dudley shows how our weakness becomes the very place God's mercy shows up. We aren't called to be models of morality, but trophies of His grace. And when we stop performing for God's approval, we discover the joy of knowing He already delights in us, and we're free to join Him in what He loves.We pray this message will encourage, challenge, and transform.As always, we invite you to share it with someone who needs it.Get Dudley's Weekly Word delivered right to your inbox every Friday! Click here to get access ➡️ https://dudleysweeklyword.com/opt-inFor more information and resources, visit https://kerygmaventures.com/podcast/Follow and subscribe:Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/41N9SAPSpotify: https://spoti.fi/3LEIxeoYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@kerygmaventuresWatch our "Conversations At The Ranch" series: https://bit.ly/conversations-at-the-ranchWatch our "Dudley's Monthly Message" series: https://bit.ly/dudleys-monthly-message

Some of the most quoted lines in Christian life are not in the Bible at all, and some of our most beloved scriptures are saying something very different from what we have made them say. God helps those who help themselves. Money is the root of all evil. I can do all things through Christ. For I know the plans I have for you. We have put these on coffee mugs and sneakers and greeting cards, and somewhere along the way we stopped hearing them.In this conversation Dudley and Sam walk through several of the Bible verses most often taken out of context, and the pattern underneath them turns out to be the same one every time. We want something to hand across the counter. We want a text we can hold up as leverage — a step we have taken, a principle we have kept — so that God owes us the blessing. That is the transactional message of religion, and it is exactly what these verses were never written to support. God does not help those who help themselves. He helps those who cannot help themselves. If we could manage on our own, we would have no need of a Savior.Jeremiah 29:11 was spoken to a people walking into captivity. Philippians 4:13 is Paul in prison, promising strength for what God has actually assigned — not a guarantee that you will hit a fastball. And the Sermon on the Mount is not a harder set of commandments to climb; it is an upside-down announcement that the poor are rich and the merciful are safe, because the King has already done everything for them. Read as one unfolding story rather than a collection of disconnected religious rules, these verses stop being leverage and start being good news.We pray this message will encourage, challenge, and transform.As always, we invite you to share it with someone who needs it.Get Dudley's Weekly Word delivered right to your inbox every Friday! Click here to get access ➡️ https://dudleysweeklyword.com/opt-inFor more information and resources, visit https://kerygmaventures.com/podcast/Follow and subscribe:Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/41N9SAPSpotify: https://spoti.fi/3LEIxeoYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@kerygmaventuresWatch our "Conversations At The Ranch" series: https://bit.ly/conversations-at-the-ranchWatch our "Dudley's Monthly Message" series: https://bit.ly/dudleys-monthly-message

Today, Sam asks Dudley a question many people are quietly carrying: how can we trust the Bible, a book this old, written by men? Dudley meets it directly — the manuscripts behind Scripture are older, more numerous, and more consistent than anything else we call history. Then he goes deeper. Yes, it was written by men. God said He would use humankind to accomplish His mission on earth. He didn't drop plates out of the sky; He inspired the writers. And the same Spirit who inspired the writing now lives in us to explain it.From there the conversation turns closer to home. We are being formed by what we consume, and Dudley offers a gentle caution: misdiagnose the problem and you will reach for the wrong cure. Insight is welcome and wisdom is a gift, but if every road of self-discovery ends in more of us, we have landed in the wrong place. Scripture is not a manual for a better you — it is the story of God revealing Himself, and every page points to Jesus.We pray this message will encourage, challenge, and transform.As always, we invite you to share it with someone who needs it.Get Dudley's Weekly Word delivered right to your inbox every Friday! Click here to get access ➡️ https://dudleysweeklyword.com/opt-inFor more information and resources, visit https://kerygmaventures.com/podcast/Follow and subscribe:Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/41N9SAPSpotify: https://spoti.fi/3LEIxeoYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@kerygmaventuresWatch our "Conversations At The Ranch" series: https://bit.ly/conversations-at-the-ranchWatch our "Dudley's Monthly Message" series: https://bit.ly/dudleys-monthly-message