Life Around "The Fire"

Send us Fan Mail

The biggest lie spiritual people learn to tell is, “I’m fine.” When we start curating a flawless exterior, we end up exhausted, isolated, and quietly asking, “Does God even care?” We keep this podcast free on purpose, because we want the space to be brutally honest about faith when it feels weak, leadership when it feels heavy, and the moment your mask finally cracks. 

We bridge thousands of years by putting three stories side by side: my own recent struggle with not being “on top of my game,” King David’s raw repentance...

Send us Fan Mail

You can look like you have it together and still feel that quiet emptiness when no one is watching. We get honest about why self reliance eventually breaks down, why “being right” is a trap, and why real spiritual growth requires people who can speak into your life with clarity and care.

We share how relationship with God is not the same thing as religion. Religion can keep you busy, but it cannot produce deep change, peace, or wholeness. What we actually need is a living relationship with Jesus plus real Chri...

Send us Fan Mail

Leadership pressure has a sneaky way of making us perform, polish, and overthink until our words land flat. We start with a simple baseball truth that turns into a spiritual gut check: when you aim too hard for the perfect outcome, you often miss what God is actually trying to do through you. Instead of targeting the “right” audience or trying to sound flawless, we choose trust, surrender, and the flow of the Holy Spirit. 

The anchor message is blunt and freeing: feelings are a fringe benefit when you’re a leader...

Send us Fan Mail

Someone can hit you and you’ll shake it off, but when they say something false about you, it sticks. That’s the tension we sit with today, especially when the criticism comes from people you once trusted. We’re celebrating five years of Life Around the Fire, and we return to what has guided us from the start: relationship with God and relationship with each other, not empty religion that runs on pride, fear, or image.

We walk slowly through Matthew 5:10–12, where Jesus calls the persecuted “blessed” and then tells us to rejoic...

Send us Fan Mail

Persistence gets a bad rap. It can sound like stubbornness, grinding harder, or trying to be “better,” but what if it’s actually a spiritual key Jesus hands us for prayer and for life in the Kingdom of God?

I’m David Huotari, and I am going start things off with a very down-to-earth struggle: building a new website at 67 years old and realizing that computer language can feel like walking into a foreign culture. The breakthrough doesn’t come from being a tech person. It comes from staying with it long enoug...

Send us Fan Mail

Our culture trains us to trust what we can measure, buy, or prove, and then it wonders why so many people feel numb, anxious, and exhausted. We’ve lived long enough to watch “progress” pile up while the soul shrinks, and we want to name the real problem: when prosperity, productivity, and a purely scientific worldview become our highest authority, they cannot supply the life source we need to thrive.

We take that question back to Scripture, walking with Jesus through Mark 2 as he and his disciples pass through a grainfield on the...

Send us Fan Mail

A single line from Scripture can stop you cold when God turns the “familiar” into the personal. We open 1 Peter 5:5–12 and let it read us back, especially the command to “clothe yourselves with humility toward one another.” Not humility as self-shaming, but humility as strength: thinking of yourself less, considering others more, and choosing honor even when someone gets on your nerves. That one shift can change the atmosphere in your home, your church, and your own mind. 

We also talk about why the Bible is our measuring stick for revelation and directi...

Send us Fan Mail

This episode is a Q & A time with Tracy Perez centering in on our imagination and how it has been called “make-believe” for so long that you might not realize what you lost. We sit down with Tracy for a candid follow-up conversation on the Christian imagination, why so many believers were trained to fight every battle in the mind, and why Scripture keeps pointing us back to the heart as the center of the person and the place where spiritual sight is formed.

We dig into a key problem beneath mode...

Send us Fan Mail

Eternal life might be more than “someday.” What if it is also hidden in plain sight, available right now as the concealed presence of God in the world? David sits down with returning guest Tracy Perez for a deep, Scripture-rich conversation that reframes spiritual growth as learning to see, not just learning to behave.

We start with Tracy’s book, The Old Way, and the story behind it: his son Connor, diagnosed with severe nonverbal autism, begins communicating profound spiritual insight and describes “the old way” as a place of saints and angels...

Send us Fan Mail

Your life can be moving forward while your inner vision gets more and more blocked, like a windshield at dusk that keeps taking hits until you can barely see the road. That’s the picture we sit with as we talk about the sanctified imagination, not as make-believe, but as the inner “eyes of the heart” where God brings clarity, direction, and hope when the world is loud and chaotic.

We pick up a thread we’ve been learning through Tracy Perez and his book The Old Way, then ground it in a str...

Send us Fan Mail

Your biggest spiritual breakthroughs might be hiding inside your most annoying unfinished project. I’m rebuilding parts of our ministry from the ground up, from learning a digital audio workstation at 67 to setting up a communication center for podcasts, music recording, and video, and even moving our website away from a provider that made every step harder than it needed to be. What surprised me wasn’t the tech. It was what the pressure exposed in me: impatience, anger, and the kind of words that show up when nothing works.

That’s wher...

Send us Fan Mail

The words you speak are not just noise and one dream makes that impossible to ignore. We start with Hebrews 4:12 and the claim that the Word of God is alive, active, and sharp enough to cut through the tangled mix of thoughts, motives, fear, and desire that lives inside all of us. Then we share a striking 1980 dream where a declaration from the mouth becomes a double-edged sword and the forces that torment the world suddenly look small compared to the authority of God’s Word and the reality of Jesus Christ as th...

Send us Fan Mail

We share why the podcast has been quiet lately while we build a digital audio workstation, then we turn to what’s been burning in our hearts: Spirit-led unity in the body of Christ. We walk through new birth, repentance, and 1 Corinthians 12 to remind each of us that we’re equal in value, different in function, and stronger together when God shifts our roles.

• building a DAW behind the scenes and asking for patience
• unity in the body of Christ as a work of the Holy Spirit
• moving from religion a...

Send us Fan Mail

Something is building in Northeast Florida, and we can feel the urgency of it. As Sukkot 2026 comes to a close, we’re joining with friends to host gatherings October 2 through 4, then leaning straight into a tent revival in McClenny from October 5 through 10. We’re asking listeners to pray with us for an outpouring of God not only worldwide, but specifically across a 250-mile radius around Jacksonville. We talk about why we believe this moment matters, and why steady prayer, fasting, and “seeding the cloud” is not hype, it’s preparation.

We also share...

Send us Fan Mail

The disciples asked the question we all want answered: “Is this the time?” We go to Acts 1 to sit in that moment with Jesus, where He refuses to give a timetable and instead gives a mission. The Father holds the times and dates by His own authority, but Jesus promises something immediate and tangible: power when the Holy Spirit comes, and a life that becomes a witness from our neighborhood to the ends of the earth.

We also slow down at the ascension, because it’s not just a dramatic exit, it’s a...

Send us Fan Mail

*** Editors note: In the early part of this episode David miquoted the Scripture refrerrence. He should have said the text was found in Hebrews Chapert 13 not 1 Corithinians 13... even the best of us make mistakes... LoL... At least we admit to them when we make them. Selah... *** We hold up a promise from Scripture that steadies us when life feels unstable: God will never leave us or forsake us, so we can live with confidence instead of fear. We talk plainly about addiction, shame, and the painful road...

Send us Fan Mail

We compare the months of planning behind King Charles III’s 2026 Washington, DC visit with the far deeper preparation we believe is underway for Jesus Christ’s return. We talk about Holy Spirit refinement, covenant relationship, and what it means to live as a people marked by the Kingdom of God. 
• King Charles’ visit as a picture of honor and preparation 
• Jesus’ literal return, future rule and reign, and the hope of a restored earth 
• evil being exposed as part of clearing the way 
• personal refinement, changing desires, and a new appetite for G...

Send us Fan Mail

The world feels louder than it used to, and not in a good way. When you’re surrounded by pressure, cruelty, and nonstop noise, it’s easy to get numb, cynical, or simply tired. We start there, naming the reality of spiritual darkness while also holding onto a bigger claim: God’s Spirit is moving like a rising wave, and we’re meant to meet this moment equipped, not overwhelmed.

From that foundation, we get practical about spiritual warfare and the tools God gives believers. The focus is one weapon that’s often mi...

Send us Fan Mail

Worry can feel like responsibility, but it slowly turns into a vise that squeezes the life out of you. We slow down and listen closely to Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:25–34, where he doesn’t offer a vague pep talk. He gives a direct command, “Do not worry,” and then points to the birds of the air and the lilies of the field as a picture of a Father who sees, knows, and provides. If you’ve been living with anxiety about money, security, or the basics of life, this conversation is meant to reset your i...

Send us Fan Mail

Your problem might not be as big as it feels, it might just be too close. We talk about a spiritual perspective shift that took us from staring up at pressure to standing above it, and how that change reshapes what we see, what we say, and what we expect from God when life feels tight.

We share a real moment where financial need looked like it would push everything into the negative, then walk through what happened when we stopped leading from feelings and started leading from dependence. That includes...

Send us Fan Mail

Unity can sound abstract until you see what it does under pressure. We dig into why Spirit-led unity is one of the most countercultural signs of real Christianity and how it can literally change the atmosphere around us. When God’s internal strength meets the world’s external pressure, something shifts: peace rises, joy steadies, and people can finally see what life with Jesus looks like in the flesh and blood of everyday relationships. 

We walk through Paul’s closing words in Philippians 4, where he calls two women in conflict to live in...

Send us Fan Mail

A lot of people don’t walk away from God because they stop believing He exists. They walk away because they believe He’s angry, impossible to please, and ready to punish the moment they mess up. We start with a short story that exposes how easily we misread love as control and protection as deprivation.

We share the moment that grabbed us: three kids sneak into the woods after years of hearing “don’t go without me.” At first it feels like freedom, like their dad has been holding out on them. T...

Send us Fan Mail

Peace gets talked about like it is a vibe or a temporary break from conflict. We go somewhere deeper. Rabbi Ed Bez joins us to unpack the biblical idea of covenant through the Hebrew word breet, then lands on Ezekiel’s stunning promise: God will cut a covenant of shalom, an everlasting covenant. Shalom is not a greeting and it is not simply “no fighting.” We talk about shalom as wholeness, completeness, and God’s work of putting a scattered life back together.

We also trace how the prophets (Jeremiah 31, Ezekiel 36 and 37...

Send us Fan Mail

“Law” is one of those words that can instantly shut people down, but what if we’ve been aiming at the wrong target? We sit with Rabbi Ed Bez and open up a covenant-focused way of reading the Bible that refuses the easy split between Old Testament and New Testament. For us, this is about spiritual growth that actually changes relationships, first with God, then with each other, and covenant becomes the thread that ties it all together.

Rabbi Ed shares why the Scriptures are a single, organic unity from Genesis to Rev...

Send us Fan Mail

AI can hand you an answer in seconds, but it cannot teach you how to discern what is holy, what is true, and what is actually from God. We sit down with Lonnie Lane for a prayerful, open-mic conversation that starts with the reality we are all feeling: the nations are shifting, the noise is louder, and believers need a deeper kind of steadiness than information can provide. We also take time to pray for the peace of Jerusalem and reaffirm our support for Israel, asking God to make His faithfulness visible.
<...

Send us Fan Mail

If you’ve ever longed for the glory of God but quietly wondered what it would demand of you, this conversation goes straight to the heart of it. We sit down with Lonnie Lane for an honest, wide ranging talk about hosting and stewarding the glory of the Lord, and why God’s presence is never meant to be a private experience we protect from the world.

We unpack what it looks like for the Church to move through a transitional season with unity in the body of Christ and the beau...

Send us Fan Mail

Your faith can feel strong right up until the moment real life demands proof. We start with a clear declaration we’re willing to stand on: God is faithful, and His love never fails. Then we get honest about the place many of us live in, the gap between believing God’s promises and feeling unsure when a new challenge shows up. If you’ve ever thought, “He’s been faithful before, but what about this time,” you’ll feel seen.

We talk about “daily bread” and why trusting God often looks less like a...

Send us Fan Mail

If you’ve ever wondered whether your faith is strong or just loud, this conversation lands like a mirror. We start by reading all of 1 Corinthians 13 and letting it set the standard: without the love of God, even the most impressive spiritual gifts, sacrifice, and knowledge turn into noise. We slow down on the words we think we already know, patience, kindness, truth, endurance, and ask what agape love looks like when it has to survive real pressure.

From there, we get practical about spiritual maturity through the lens of “putting away...

Send us Fan Mail

We talk about why Kingdom leadership flips the usual top-down model and calls us to serve from underneath as we lift people up. We also get practical about spiritual rhythm, showing how rest and play protect leaders from burnout and bring our relationship with God back to life. 

• servant leadership as the culture of the Kingdom of God 
• a balanced rhythm of work rest worship and play 
• how “the shoulds” turn worship into a checklist 
• Sabbath as a gift and rest as worship based on Mark 2:27 
• learning to rest with God in...

Send us Fan Mail

Two words can quietly shrink your life: always and never. When we say “it’s always going to be like this” or “I’ll never change,” we turn a passing struggle into a permanent sentence. We pull those words apart and put them where they belong, not on our temporary feelings, but on God’s unchanging character: He is always God, always good, and never anything less than who He is. 

From there, we get practical and personal about spiritual growth and surrender. We talk about the moments when God asks us to set aside...

Send us Fan Mail

God doesn’t need better rumors about Him, He reveals Himself. We lean hard into that conviction as we talk about why Scripture is the bedrock for Life Around The Fire and why the written Word of God still carries power for real life today. We’re not chasing religious noise or nostalgia for another era. We’re watching God move now, and we want our faith to stay anchored, honest, and alive.

We unpack what we mean by awakening, reformation, revival, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, using Ezekiel’s river...

Send us Fan Mail

Leadership is under strain, and a lot of what passes for “strong leadership” is really just status, volume, or branding. We go a different direction and talk about Kingdom of God leadership: the kind that carries values, practices, and priorities aligned with Jesus, and that leads people into deeper relationship with the Lord and radical obedience that goes all the way to the root.

One of the most challenging ideas we share is simple and costly: if we want to advance in God’s way, we have to become willing to become...

Send us Fan Mail

Leadership has a way of bruising you in places no one can see. After nearly five years of podcasting, we slow down to thank everyone who’s been listening around the world and especially those who have been praying, because that support keeps ministry from turning into sheer self-effort. Then we get honest about what many pastors, church leaders, and spiritual leaders learn the hard way: the longer you lead, the more you’ll face moments that sting.

We talk about “sheep bite” the painful reality that hurt can come from the very...

Send us Fan Mail

That jolt of insecurity can land in the middle of an ordinary day and suddenly you feel small, exposed, and “less than.” We’ve both seen how fast that inner voice can drag you back into old measurements and old shame, even after years of growth. So we slow down and name what’s really happening when inferiority and insecurity resurface, especially when life expands and the stakes feel higher.

We define what we mean by a spiritual stronghold or mental stronghold: a deeply ingrained pattern of thinking or behavior rooted in a lie...

Send us Fan Mail

The world can feel like it’s turning up the heat by the day, and a lot of us are carrying that pressure in our minds, families, and faith. We sit with a hard but hopeful idea: heavy times are not new, and living with real expectation for Jesus Christ’s soon return is meant to form us, not frighten us. When we keep that horizon in view, it fuels hunger to know Him now and invites us into deeper unity as the presence of God melts down our defenses and reshapes us from...

Send us Fan Mail

Pain has a way of making you ask hard questions, and we do not dodge them here. Trevor McMahon joins us again for part two on suffering with purpose, anchored in Philippians 3:10 and the challenging phrase “the fellowship of His sufferings.” We talk honestly about persecution, opposition, and the strange reality that hardship can be evidence you’re walking close to Jesus, not proof you’ve been forgotten.

We dig into what suffering can produce that comfort never will: deeper intimacy with Christ, spiritual maturity, and a faith that has actually been tes...

Send us Fan Mail

Pain has a way of making us ask the same question on repeat: did God leave me here? We sit down with Trevor McMahon to challenge one of the biggest misconceptions in modern Christianity, that suffering automatically means God is displeased or distant. Instead, we open the Bible and face a tougher truth with a stronger hope: the people who walked closest to God often faced the most resistance, and God still worked powerfully through them.

We spend most of our time in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, where Paul describes his “thorn in th...

Send us Fan Mail

Something is shifting, and we don’t want you to miss the timing. We’re talking prophetic ministry with a simple, clarifying distinction: foretelling points to what’s ahead, while forth telling declares what God is doing right now. That lens keeps the focus where it belongs, on spiritual growth and a living relationship with God that reshapes how we relate to each other.

Our main focus is a prophetic look at June 2026. We’re sensing an increased manifesting of the Kingdom of God, and the “significant punch” lands in the area of deli...

Send us Fan Mail

You can be faithful and still feel like you are breaking. If you are in a season where the pressure is higher than anything you expected, we are speaking encouragement straight into that place with a message that does not sugarcoat the struggle: God often demonstrates His strength most clearly when we feel weak, stretched, and out of options. 

We talk about discipleship as a real-life call into the impossible, where the kingdom of God moves forward by the power of the Holy Spirit, not by our talent or sheer will. A...

Send us Fan Mail

You can have the whole world and still feel empty. We go straight at that lie with a personal story that spans more than 50 years: a teenage encounter with Jesus that changed everything, the painful quiet that followed, and the long detour into a hard and fast life that looked like it would end in ruin. If you’ve ever thought, “I went too far,” or “I wasted my best years,” we want you to hear this clearly: God didn’t leave, and your story is not finished. 

We talk about covenant rela...