Daily Thunder Podcast

At the conclusion of the 19th century it was determined by the intellectual elite that human controlled flight would NEVER happen. In fact, it was officially declared to be “impossible.” Such was the challenging soil in which the Wright Brother’s miracle discovery of “human controlled flight” was fostered. Whereas, most human’s dream, dream, and dream only to ultimately succumb, and forsake their dreams, due to the counsel of the wise teachers of their age that declare their dreams to be inconceivable—there are a few men and women in history that haven’t stopped dreaming, even when the pressure to...

Very few men in history have impacted the course of history as did Wilbur and Orville Wright from Dayton, Ohio. They were every day men—simple men—but men with a childlike confidence that they could pull off an impossible task. There is a spark in every child—a spark that shouts, “Do something amazing!” But in 99.9% of children, that spark is dowsed by the cynical adults surrounding them. This is a message that invites each and every one of us to return to the age of six and start dreaming big again. 

As we begin our new series on the awful (awe-filled) fear of the Lord, we examine the “why” behind the series, our misunderstanding of the fear of God, and why it is so important for Christians to have a proper fear of the Lord in our lives. Nathan also gives a broad overview of the word “awful” and why he chose to include in the series title. In short, this session lays a foundation for the entire series and calls us all to take a step forward into the wonder of who our God is. 

In this special episode, Eric and Nathan talk about the previous season of Daily Thunder series and the two new series starting mid-June. And Eric gives a special sneak-peak at a new content series and format that is releasing this summer. As a reminder, we are taking two weeks off between now and the start of the new season of Daily Thunder.

We all wish we could travel back in time and give some advice to our younger selves. In this message, that is exactly what Eric and Leslie do. Mining the gold nuggets from their first thirty years of marriage, they share the stuff they wish they had known when they were first starting out in marriage and ministry.

There are two distinct kingdoms—the Kingdom of God (Light) and the Kingdom of Darkness. As Christians we have been purchased and rescued from the Kingdom of Darkness and now are citizens and ambassadors of the Kingdom of Light. In this study, Nathan discusses three key contrasts between the two kingdoms and how we are not to participate in the deeds of darkness, even though we are called to proclaim light and truth amidst this dark world.

The previous president's "autopen" is under scrutiny—executive orders singed by someone other than the president. In a similar manner, in our lives, our relationship with Sin is kind of like handing over the autopen our our lives to a maniac. A whole bunch of binding decisions are made and all the while you are kind of stupefied how they happened. But when Christ is entrusted the Pen of our lives, suddenly our life begins to work. In this discussion, Eric and Nathan talk about the contrast between the power of Sin and the power of the Spirit in ou...

There are two ways to do ministry. You can either do in it your own strength or in God’s strength. Most of us theologically know that the “God strength” option is the superior way, but that doesn’t mean we know how to employ it. It’s not unusual for young Christians to explode out from the starting blocks in a full-on sprint only to run out of steam 100 yards down the track, because they were looking to run the great race in their own human strength. But as Eric and Leslie share in this episode, learning how to work ou...

Paul makes a grand statement in Ephesians 5:8–10 that while we were once of the darkness, now we are light in Christ Jesus, the Light Himself. And as children of the light, we bear the fruit of His life (namely goodness, righteousness, and truth). Then Paul says that we are to discover what is pleasing to the Lord. In this study, we examine what it means to discern and test things to see if they are pleasing to the Lord, two ways our lives are proven as pleasing, and how we are to live in this incredible new reality.

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Christians are called people of the light—we have been transferred from the Kingdom of Darkness and brought into the Kingdom of Light, where Jesus Himself is the Light. And as people of the light, we bear fruit in accordance with the Light—specifically goodness, righteousness, and truth. In this study of Ephesians 5:9, we talk about what it means to live in the light and bear the fruit of the light in every area of our lives.

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Congress is presently attempting to pack a lot into one big beautiful bill and get it on the President’s desk for a signature. It would be a bill that cuts taxes, funds military strength, builds a strong border, kicks out the dangers in our country. All this in one bill. The work of the Cross was "One Big Beautiful Work." It accomplished everything needed for life and godliness in ONE singular action of ONE singular Man. In this discussion, Eric and Nathan talk about how amazing the cross is, how Jesus accomplished far more than merely forgiveness, and wh...

To some it might seem a risky thing to teach your children to start praying impossible prayers—prayers that could only be answered by an All-powerful God. After all, what if God chooses to not respond? What if your kids are left dangling in their young faith because God fails to show up? Of course, those that have walked the triumphant heavenly path of faith lined with the golden bricks of divine faithfulness know that God ALWAYS responds to prayers of genuine faith, especially those that are God-sized and wholly impossible.

After describing some aspects of the darkness—sexual immorality, impurity, greed, idolatry, and filthy/foolish talk—Paul says that while these things may have defined our lives in the past, we are not to continue partaking of them. In Christ Jesus, we have been set free from the authority of darkness and are now in Christ Jesus who is the Light; therefore, we must walk as children of light. In this study, we examine Ephesians 5:7–8 and ask the question “whose side are we on?”—in other words, are we going to continue to live in sin and darkness, or are we going...

Whether its through distraction, fear, or passivity, we often loose our gumption to think and act big in this world. We prefer to have someone else live big for us. Yet, Jesus wants to live big through us. In this conversation, Eric and Nathan explore the concept of thinking big, what does that mean practically, and how do it relate to the importance of tending to the small areas of our lives. As Eric said, "Watch what God will do if we expect Him to be God Almighty and not God all-tiny."

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According to Scripture, children are like arrows in the hand of the warrior. Any one who has kids may wish to question such a notion. Arrows? Strength? Weakness, liability, and inconvenience would appear to be better descriptions. But the Bible is correct. As Eric and Leslie attest in this episode, when children are embraced as God designed, they can turn the average parent into a superhero.

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» Take these studies deeper and be discipled in person by Eric, Leslie, Nathan, and the team at Ellerslie in one of our upcoming discipleship programs – learn more at: https...

Our modern culture celebrates ungodliness and sinful behavior—and it has seeped into the Church where leaders are encouraging Christians to live however they want and indulge in every kind of sin. But Paul warns in Ephesians 5:6 that we are not to be deceived by the “empty words” of people who endorse the things God has called sin. In this study, Nathan examines Paul’s warning, and reminds us that because a judgment is coming, we must take sin seriously.

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Biblical thinking has gone the way of the Dodo, and now common sense has followed suit. What is left if "absurdism"—where we all stare at a naked emperor and claim he is fully dressed. In this episode, Eric and Nathan talk about the craziness of our culture and how we call evil "good" and what is wrong we call "right." But it is more than just the culture, because we do the same thing with sin in our souls. Join the discussion and hear Eric and Nathan's insight into the days in which we live and if they th...

Adoption is a strange and marvelous experience. And no two adoptions are the same. There is always a unique story that underpins each one, hallmarked by the fingerprints of God. In this heart-warming episode, Eric and Leslie share the powerful and precious story of their son Kipling’s adoption.

When we first come to Christ, we are saved by His grace, through faith (Ephesians 2:8–9). Our salvation is not of ourselves, it is the work and gift of God on our behalf. Yet, strangely, for many Christians, once we are saved through faith, we attempt to live the Christian life in our own strength, ability, wisdom, and resource—we try to be godly, holy, righteous, and pure. But the reality of the Christian life is that we are to ALWAYS live by faith in Christ. The only way we will ever experience freedom, victory, and triumph over sin is when...

The Ancien Regime is the French way of saying, “The Old Regime” (where we get our word "ancient"). This Old Regime has been around since before you were born and it doesn’t like to give up its control. Typically, in the government the Ancien is called the Deep State, but in our lives Paul called it "the flesh" or some call it "The Old Man"—or what we could say "The Ancien Man." Our sinful flesh doesn't like to give up control, but as Scripture commands, we must put off the Ancien to put on the Lord Jesus Christ...

Staring at the staggering number of orphaned and vulnerable children worldwide, Eric and Leslie felt compelled to do something about the crisis. God encouraged them to start with one. This is the story of them doing exactly that. In July of 2007, Harper Grace Ludy made the trip from Seoul, South Korea to Windsor, Colorado and into the Ludy home—changing it forever.

Paul does not back down when it comes to those who want to live a life of sexual immorality and impurity—those who continue to practice such a perverse life of idolatry will not inherit the Kingdom of God. But there is good news! No matter what you have struggled with in the past, no matter what your identity has been, Jesus and His Gospel can set you free! Discover how in this study of Ephesians 5:5.

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America has a massive trade deficit, and while this may not be a good thing economically, does a "trade deficit" spiritually reveal a problem? In this discussion, Eric and Nathan talk about God's "trade deficit" with humanity and how His pattern actually is how Christianity operates. In short, Jesus is in the business of extravagant generosity—His giving always super-abundantly outweighs what He requests in return—and this truth is not only awe-inspiring, but is also a very good thing.

Your mouth is important to God. It will either be characterized by the culture or marked by the language of heaven. Whichever you choose, you will either promote God’s Kingdom or the Kingdom of the World. In this study, we examine Ephesians 5:4 and Paul’s command for a Christian not to talk with foolishness or filthiness, but instead to have a mouth full of thanksgiving.

MONDAY APRIL 14

1239: The Threat of Tariffs // Citizenship 14 (Eric Ludy + Nathan Johnson)

The Kingdom of God is upside down. If you want to go up, you must go down, if you want to be first, you must be last, and life is found through death. Culturally, there is a struggle with tariffs—people are experiencing pain while the system is reset. Similarly, as Christians, God will allow us to go through momentary pain and difficulty in order to bring us victory and freedom (and rescue us from even greater pain). In this discussion, Eric and Nathan ta...

One of the most defining aspects of Eric and Leslie’s thirty years together has been their journey of adopting four kids into their family. Adoption is a beautiful portrayal of God’s heart and, at the same time, one of the riskiest and most challenging adventures a family could ever embark upon.

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» Take these studies deeper and be discipled in person by Eric, Leslie, Nathan, and the team at Ellerslie in one of our upcoming discipleship programs – learn more at: https://ellerslie.com/be-discipled/

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In our sensually-saturated culture, even the church has begun to question whether victory in the area of sexuality is possible in a Christian’s life. Yet, Scripture makes it clear that not only is it possible to be set free from all sexual deviancy and live in purity, integrity, and freedom, but we can actually triumph in our sexuality for the glory of Jesus Christ. In this study of Ephesians 5:3, Nathan talks about one of the central burdens of the Early Church—not even a hint of sexual immorality, impurity, or greed in our lives—what the heart of the is...

In this follow-up discussion from last week, Eric and Nathan talk about mercy and how regardless of where we are with sin, mercy is always available. While a difficult subject to discuss, lest we keep on sinning so grace can abound, Eric and Nathan talk about why the concept of mercy is so significant in light of waste, fraud, and abuse found in our lives. They remind us that while God's mercy is always available, His desire for His people is that we would walk in holiness, righteousness, purity, and godliness. This is a powerful truth, especially in light...

How can we learn to recognize the voice of God? Does He still intend to speak to Christians today? In this episode, Eric and Leslie candidly share their journey of learning to discern God’s leading in their lives - from dramatic confirmations to sensing His still small voice. (As an extra bonus, Eric shares a God-experience from their love story that has never been included in their books or messages.)

There are two kingdoms—the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of the World—and the contrast between them is great. Paul makes it clear that as Christians, our lives are to be marked and measured by the King of the Kingdom of which we live. As such, Christians (saints, holy ones) are not to live like the world around us, rather our lives are to evidence God’s holiness, purity, righteousness, and godliness. In this study, we examine Ephesians 5:3 and Paul’s command that we are not to have a hint of the behavior and lifestyle of the world wi...

It appears that the majority of people agree that there is waste, fraud, and abuse in the government. And while it fine to generalize the issue, people start having problems when someone actually starts to do something about it. The same is true in our souls—it is easy to declare that there is possible issues of waste, fraud, and abuse in our lives, but few of us actually want to deal with it. In this discussion, Eric and Nathan talk about why we are so prone to justify the problems of our lives (or ignore the issues) and ho...

Eric and Leslie continue their discussion on their writing career. Having combined forces for over thirty books, they mine the many vivid memories associated with the past thirty years of wielding the pen and the unique power it affords.

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When we become Christians, everything in our lives is supposed to change. We have been transferred from the Kingdom of Darkness and now made citizens of the Kingdom of Light and Love (i.e., the Kingdom of Jesus Christ). In this study, we step back and look at a broad outline of Ephesians 4–6 which will better help us understand the character of God’s Kingdom and the life Paul is exhorting us toward.

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The current political landscape is in argument over the jurisdiction of who has the ability to deport foreign enemies who have invaded the land. Yet this debate over the “Alien Enemy’s Act of 1798” is a great picture of the spiritual jurisdiction over our person lives, marriages, and families. In this episode, Eric and Nathan discuss how the Alien Enemy’s Act of 1798 and constitutional law points to the authority and standard of God’s Word in a believer’s life, the power of “no,” and how a Christian can deal with hostile enemies invading their spiritual lives.

Eric and Leslie discuss the thirty years of writing over thirty books. How did they get into book writing and what has their experience with authorship been like? The Ludys discuss their unique experience with stylistic collaboration, strategic content creation, and their journey of learning how to effective communication Truth through writing.

There is a beautiful paradox with the body of Christ—Jesus supplies everything we need for life and godliness, yet we as the body are to build each other up in love, causing the growth of the body. Paul reminds us in Ephesians 4:15–16 that Jesus is the head of the Church, but he exhorts the body to be abundantly supplied by Christ to function, grow, and mature as the body is called to be. In this study, Nathan walks through the passage and encourages us to think and live as a community of believers, rather than as individuals that go t...

The world is witnessing an ever-growing phenomenon of escalating, ever-growing conflict. The earthly model for success is based on the fact that unless your side gets precisely what they demand in the deal then there is no deal—the conflict will continue for perpetuity. But, is this the Christ-model? Christ teaches us to forgive (even seventy-times seven times). Is forgiveness a reasonable and workable policy? In this discussion, Eric and Nathan talk about the concept of a ceasefire in relationships and nations, and what it takes to get there.

Most people wish they could be in the public eye. “I wish to be famous” is always one of the three wishes someone claims from the genie bottle, isn’t it? For some reason the idea of being well known sounds like fun. But, Eric and Leslie believe that a life in the public eye should be surrounded by orange caution cones. They call it 95% trouble and 5% golden opportunity. That said, the 5% golden opportunity, if used well, could change the world.

Truth should mark our lives and lips as Christians. We are called to know the truth, be grounded upon the truth, and proclaim the truth. Yet, truth without love is not true truth, just as love without truth is not true love. In Ephesians 4:15, Paul declares that truth is to find its permanent residence in love—and as Christians, our lives and lips must have an accuracy of both truth and love. In short, the motives and manner is just as important as the message.