Grace, Grit & Grounds

Grace, Grit & Ground: When the Grain Comes Alive: The Sacred Work of the In-Between

There’s a strange, quiet stretch of time between Christmas and New Year’s.The noise fades. The calendar pauses. And most of us rush past it without a second thought.
In this final episode of the year, I’m back in the shop finishing two slabs of hickory and a piece of walnut. Sanding. Dusting. Applying oil. Letting the grain come alive. What starts as simple craftsmanship turns into reflection on how God works in us.
Some seasons aren’t about drastic change. They’re about refinement. About the quiet, unseen work God does beneath the surface. The sanding no one applauds. The polish no one notices. The care He takes even on the underside of our lives.
As one year ends and another begins, this episode is an invitation to slow down, honor the in-between, and trust the steady hands of a Craftsman who never wastes a season.
Grace. Grit. And a finish that takes time.
#GraceGritGrounds #Woodworking #FaithAndWork #ChristianCreator #Handcrafted #SpiritualReflection #TheInBetween #EndOfYearReflection
 

Grace, Grit & Grounds: Episode 18: The Gift of Ordinary Days

In the rush of Christmas, it’s easy to assume that if God is going to show up, it will be in the big, dramatic moments. The lights. The music. The milestones.
But Luke’s story tells us something different.
In this episode, Al reflects on the shepherds of Luke 2 — ordinary people in an ordinary field on an ordinary night — and how heaven chose them as the first witnesses of Christ’s arrival. No spotlight. No ceremony. Just faithfulness in the mundane.
This conversation invites us to slow down and notice the holiness woven into everyday life. To recognize that God often meets us not in the extraordinary moments we chase, but in the ordinary days we overlook.
As Christmas approaches, this episode is a reminder that grace doesn’t always arrive loudly. Sometimes it shows up quietly, right where we already are.
Themes:• Finding grace in the mundane• God’s presence in ordinary faithfulness• The shepherds and unnoticed holiness• Slowing down during the Christmas season
Scripture: Luke 2:8–20
#GraceGritGrounds #OrdinaryDays #AdventReflection #Luke2 #FaithInEverydayLife #ChristmasHope

Grace, Grit & Grounds: Episode 17: When Hope Learns to Breathe Again

Hope isn’t a mood you try to feel… it’s the truth of who you are and the God who meets you where you are.
In this episode, Al explores the deep connection between hope, the image of God, and the way Jesus reveals the Father to us. Drawing from Genesis, Philippians 2, and Jesus’ words to His disciples, we look at what it means to be made in God’s image — and how that identity becomes an anchor when life feels heavy.
Hope grows slowly. Quietly. Sometimes painfully. But it grows because God Himself is restoring the image we carry.Even when hope feels thin, the light of Christ keeps finding its way through the cracks.
If you’re tired, worn down, or struggling to believe better days are ahead, this conversation is for you.Let hope breathe again.
#GraceGritGrounds #Hope #ImageOfGod #Philippians2 #ChristianLiving #FaithAndLife #ChristmasSeason

Grace, Grit & Grounds: Episode 16: The Holiday Run

December has a way of speeding up our lives even as our souls are begging to slow down. In The Holiday Run, Al shares why this season feels heavier than any other and how to find a healthier pace in the middle of the rush. With stories from his time in Alaska, where winters were so deep that neighbors carved snow corridors between their homes, this episode explores the gift of slowing down, staying close to the people who matter, and rediscovering peace in the long nights. We look at Isaiah 40 and the promise that strength comes not from hurrying harder, but from waiting on the Lord. If your December feels frantic, overwhelming, or quietly exhausting… this conversation is your reminder to breathe, rest, and let God set the pace.
☕ Pull up a chair, pour a mug, and let’s talk about the speed of the season — and the grace that steadies us.
#GraceGritGrounds #TheHolidayRun #FaithAndLife #SpiritualGrowth #PacingYourSoul #WinterReflections #ChristianPodcast

Grace, Grit & Grounds: Episode 15: The Weight We Carry

Life feels heavier this time of year — expectations, exhaustion, and the quiet pressure to keep pushing even when your soul is worn thin. In this episode of Grace, Grit & Grounds, Al explores what Jesus meant when He said, “My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.”
We talk about emotional fatigue, spiritual rest, and the difference between holy grit and destructive grind. Through stories from the woodshop, the military, and Scripture, this episode invites you to lay down what you were never meant to carry… and find strength in the One who does the heavy lifting.
If you’re feeling tired, stretched, or quietly overwhelmed, this is for you.Pour a mug, take a breath, and let’s talk about the weight we carry — and the grace that carries us. ☕🔥
#GraceGritGrounds #TheWeightWeCarry #FaithAndRest #ChristianPodcast #SpiritualGrowth #FaithOverHurry #EmotionalHealth #GritAndGrace

Grace, Grit & Grounds: Episode 15: “The Gratitude Gap”

Gratitude sounds simple until life gets heavy. In this episode of Grace, Grit & Grounds, Al digs into the quiet space between gratitude and grief, the place where thankfulness doesn’t come easily, but it still matters.
We talk about how to see God’s goodness even when your heart is tired, why Scripture calls us to give thanks in all circumstances (not for them), and how gratitude becomes a bridge between what you’ve lost and what you still have.
Along the way, Al revisits five “easy ways to stay ungrateful”: a little humor, a little truth, and a gentle reminder to shift our perspective.
If you’re in a season where gratitude feels more like work than emotion, this one’s for you. Pour a mug, breathe deep, and join the conversation. ☕🍂
#GraceGritGrounds #Gratitude #ThankfulHeart #FaithOverFeelings #ChristianPodcast #SpiritualGrowth #SeasonsOfGrace #FaithAndLife

Grace, Grit & Grounds: Episode 13: “The Slowdown Season”

In a world that never stops moving, The Slowdown Season invites you to pause. Al reflects on Psalm 46:10 — “Be still, and know that I am God” — and explores how slowing down can actually strengthen your faith. Learn how to resist false urgency, rediscover margin, and find peace in the pause.
 
#GraceGritGrounds #Stillness #FaithAndRest #ChristianLiving #SpiritualGrowth #FaithOverHurry

Grace, Grit & Grounds: Episode 12: When the Leaves Fall

In this episode of Grace, Grit & Grounds, Al takes us on a quiet walk through the turning seasons, reflecting on what it means to let go with grace. Just as the trees release their leaves without resistance, we too are invited to trust the process of change.
It’s a conversation about surrender and growth, about laying down old expectations, relationships, or rhythms that have finished their work in us. When we stop clinging to what’s fading, we make space for new life to take root.
Pour yourself a mug, take a breath, and join the reflection: sometimes, the holiest thing we can do is simply let the leaves fall.
 
#GraceGritGrounds #FaithAndLife #SpiritualGrowth #LettingGo #ChristianPodcast #FaithInSeasons #GraceAndGrit #ChangeAndGrowth #AutumnReflections #FaithJourney #TrustTheProcess

Grace, Grit & Grounds: Espresso Shot: Wisdom from the Woodshop: The Hands That Shape Us

In this special Espresso Shot episode of Grace, Grit & Grounds, Al steps into the woodshop and turns two simple blocks of wood, one perfect Padauk blank, one flawed piece of Walnut, into a reflection on the way God shapes our lives.
The lathe hums, the tools bite, and the wood resists, just like we do when the Master begins His work. But shaping isn’t destruction; it’s revelation. And it comes at a cost, not just to the wood, but to the hands that hold it.
Join Al as he draws wisdom from the parable of the potter, exploring how resistance, imperfection, and even pain become part of the process that reveals beauty, purpose, and grace.
✝️ “We are the clay, and You are the potter; we are all the work of Your hand.” — Isaiah 64:8
#GraceGritAndGrounds #EspressoShot #ChristianPodcast #FaithAndWork #Woodturning #SpiritualFormation #ChristianLife #WisdomFromTheWoodshop #PotterAndClay

Grace, Grit & Grounds: Episode 11: “Hope for the Weary — When Life Doesn’t Feel Fair”

Ever feel like you’ve done everything right, prayed, served, stayed faithful, and life still falls apart? You’re not alone. In this episode of Grace, Grit & Grounds, AL talks about the tension between faith and fairness, when good people suffer, and the wicked seem to prosper.
Drawing from John 9, Psalm 73, and real-life struggles, we explore what it means to hold on to hope when the math of life doesn’t add up. Sometimes, the question isn’t “Who sinned?” It’s “What is God showing us through this?”
☕ Whether you’re walking through loss, disappointment, or exhaustion, this episode is a reminder that weary faith is still faith, and that hope isn’t found in easy answers, but in God’s presence through the pain.
👉 Comment below: What’s one thing that’s been hard to understand in your journey of faith?
#GraceGritGrounds #FaithWhenLifeHurts #HopeForTheWeary #ChristianPodcast #FaithAndFairness #Psalm73 #WhenLifeIsHard #TrustGodInTheStorm #BibleEncouragement #ChristianFaith #CoffeeAndFaith #GroundedTheology #SpiritualGrowth