Haven Today

Is weakness really the way? This is what the Lord told the Apostle Paul, and it holds true for us as well. But why is it that Almighty God desires us to embrace weakness? On this episode, David Wollen wraps up the second of two messages on 2 Corinthians 12:1-10.

Paul called it a “thorn in the flesh.” Exactly what it was we do not know. The point for Paul was why the Lord allowed it in the first place. This holds is a powerful lesson for us today. On this episode, David Wollen opens up 2 Corinthians 12:1-9.

The Apostle Paul said the Lord had allowed a “thorn in the flesh” not to only enter, but remain in his life. It’s a detail the Holy Spirit led him to write in the Bible because it’s a message we need to hear and learn from. In this episode, David Wollen asks pastor and author Ste Casey about why the Lord allows thorns in our lives and how we they can help us grow in Christ.

What is God up to when you pray and nothing seems to change? Or when prayers seem to go unanswered for a long time? Is God working in our waiting? In this episode, David Wollen is joined by British pastor and author Ste Casey to talk about what it means to persevere with hope in Christ when the Lord allows a “thorn in the flesh” in your life.

Are the elderly among us problems to solve or people to love? In this episode, David Wollen concludes the series with author and Bible teacher Jen Wilkin and his wife, Marci, exploring what it looks like for the church to honor, value, and care for older generations.

We're surrounded by people who feel invisible, and as we grow older, we may begin to feel that way ourselves. In this episode, David Wollen continues his conversation with author and Bible teacher Jen Wilkin about the value of older generations and why they matter deeply to God, their families, and the church.

God's Word tells us there are great blessings to be gained with age, even describing gray hair as a crown of glory in Proverbs, so why do we have such a hard time believing it? In this episode, David Wollen and his wife, Marci, continue their conversation with author and Bible teacher Jen Wilkin about embracing the blessings of growing older and learning to age wisely through the lens of Scripture.

Nearly everyone is convinced that the way they see the world and their place in it is right, but how well does that perspective align with reality? In this episode, David Wollen and his wife, Marci, continue their conversation with author and Bible teacher Jen Wilkin about viewing aging through the lens of Scripture and gaining a heart of wisdom as we number our days.

Nobody wants to talk about aging, yet the pursuit of staying young has become a multibillion-dollar industry that can cause us to miss something far more valuable. In this episode, David Wollen and his wife, Marci, are joined by author and Bible teacher Jen Wilkin to explore God's design for growing older and the wisdom we gain when we learn to number our days.

Some advice is easy to dismiss, but wisdom from someone who has endured hardship and remained steadfast is worth listening to. In this episode, David Wollen concludes the Unshakeable Joy series by exploring the Apostle Paul's wisdom on finding peace, contentment, and lasting joy in Christ.

“Rejoice,” says the Apostle Paul again and again throughout his letter to the Philippians. But rejoice in what? In this episode, David Wollen opens Philippians 3 to discover the surpassing worth of knowing Christ—the true treasure that gives us every reason to rejoice.

Is it ever okay to withhold forgiveness? The topic is complex, but the Apostle Paul gives an unambiguous answer to two believers withholding reconciliation. In this episode, David Wollen takes a fresh look at relationships in Philippians and considers why forgiveness, unity, and love among believers are essential to the church’s witness to the world.

Few things create more spiritual harm than divisions within the church, yet they happen all too often. How can believers be of one mind? In this episode, David Wollen turns to Philippians 2 and three snapshots of our Savior—Jesus as Servant, Sufferer, and Sovereign King—to discover how fixing our eyes on Christ shapes the way we live together.

Paul was in chains, quite literally, but he was not discouraged. In fact, during his years of confinement, he was rejoicing. In this episode, David Wollen begins a new series in Paul’s letter to the Philippians and discovers the source of the apostle’s remarkable confidence—and the unshakeable joy found in belonging to Jesus Christ.

What do birds and anxiety have in common? According to Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, the answer is nothing—and for one very important reason. In this episode, David Wollen and Kevin Burrell conclude the series by considering what the birds of the air can teach us about trusting the sovereign care of our heavenly Father.

The birds of the air have sometimes been called “little preachers,” pointing us toward truths about the God who made them—and us. In this episode, David Wollen and pastor and birder Kevin Burrell consider what four fascinating birds can teach us about ourselves, the Christian life, and the church. The birds of the air have sometimes been called “little preachers,” pointing us toward truths about the God who made them—and us. In this episode, David Wollen and pastor and birder Kevin Burrell consider what four fascinating birds can teach us about ourselves, the Christian life, and the church.

There is a sense in which all creation sings praise to its Creator. Human beings are wired for song, but remarkably, so are the birds. In this episode, David Wollen and pastor and birder Kevin Burrell consider what the songs of creation can teach us about God’s glory—and what we ourselves were made for.

We are meant to delight in God’s creation—not only majestic mountains and vast oceans, but even tiny things like the smallest sparrow. In this episode, David Wollen and pastor and birder Kevin Burrell consider what we can learn when we slow down, look closely, and open our eyes and hearts to behold God’s glory and care through His creation.

When God filled the sky with birds, He called His creation “good”—and throughout Scripture, birds are used to point us toward truths about God and His care for us. In this episode, David Wollen and pastor and birder Kevin Burrell consider what God might want us to learn from our feathered friends and how they can help us see His glory in creation.

Do we need wisdom to navigate the new age of AI? Most would say yes—and yet there is staggering disagreement over what wisdom actually looks like. In this episode, David Wollen and Brett McCracken consider how Christians can discern what is true, good, and right as they navigate the rapidly changing world of artificial intelligence.

We’re living in what some have called “the dawn of AI,” as this rapidly developing technology reshapes the way we work, think, and live. In this episode, David Wollen and special guest Brett McCracken consider what it looks like to live with godly discernment in a time of rapid change—and how our use of AI may be shaping us in ways we don’t yet recognize.

The times are changing—and while technological breakthroughs have reshaped the world before, the rate of change brought on by AI is unprecedented. In this episode, David Wollen and Pete Killingley consider why Christians need godly wisdom now more than ever as we navigate a rapidly changing world while holding fast to God and His unchanging Word.

Today, the secular conversation around AI tends to fall into one of three categories: promise, peril, or propaganda. But what does the Bible have to say for this pivotal moment in history? In this episode, David Wollen and Pete Killingley consider how Christians can look beyond the competing voices surrounding AI and navigate this rapidly changing technology with biblical wisdom.

Industry insiders are sounding the alarm about artificial intelligence but are the headlines to be believed, and how should Christians respond to a technology rapidly reshaping our world? In this episode, David Wollen and author Pete Killingley consider how Christians can navigate the rise of AI with biblical wisdom, discernment, and confidence in Christ.

Throughout the New Testament, we see that our witness to Christ is expressed in both word and deed—as James reminds us, “faith without works is dead.” In this episode, David Wollen and Danny Rojas conclude the series by sharing how Cuban churches are making Christ visible as they proclaim the gospel and compassionately care for those in need.

Caring for the hungry is not only a good thing to do—it’s something the church has done since the very beginning, with examples woven throughout the New Testament. In this episode, David Wollen and Danny Rojas open God’s Word to consider the early church’s care for believers in need and what their example means for us today.

After nine months of an oil blockade, heavy sanctions, and a decades-long trade embargo, food scarcity has become a crisis in Cuba. In this episode, David Wollen and Danny Rojas share how Cuban families are surviving and how local churches are giving from the little they have to provide food and share the hope of Christ with their communities.

If someone is in great need and we say, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them what they need, what good is that? In this episode, David Wollen and Danny Rojas look to the wisdom of James 2 as they share how the church is responding to the urgent physical and spiritual needs of the Cuban people.

It’s been eight months since the oil blockade to Cuba began, leaving families with little electricity and struggling to find food—yet pastors are reporting many Cubans turning to Christ. In this episode, David Wollen and Danny Rojas share stories from inside Cuba and how the church is bringing the hope of the gospel and practical help to people in desperate need.

What’s the difference between a worship song and a hymn? It’s getting harder to tell these days, and maybe that’s not such a bad thing. Join David Wollen on today’s program as the past and present come together.

How deep is the love of Jesus? The ocean, at its greatest depth, can crush a man, but Jesus became a man and was crushed to save us. His love is too deep to measure.

Written in Ireland, it was a hymn that made all the difference in China for one of the greatest missionaries in history. It was the moment he realized this great task did not belong to him.

He tried to be a missionary, but as it turned out, he himself wasn’t a Christian—not yet. In this episode, David Wollen shares the remarkable conversion story of Charles Wesley and how the man who would go on to write more than six thousand hymns came to marvel at the amazing love of Christ in And Can It Be.

Every song has a story, and like a frame around a picture, that story can help us see its beauty in a fresh way. In this episode, David Wollen explores the story behind the beloved hymn Be Still My Soul and how its Christ-centered words have brought hope and peace to believers through some of life’s deepest trials.

Rest is a theme, an invitation, and a great promise of God that runs from Genesis to Revelation. In this episode, David Wollen traces the biblical story of Sabbath and rest to its fulfillment in Jesus Christ, revealing where every weary soul can find the true and lasting rest for which we were made.

Always working and never needing to sleep—Scripture tells us this is true of God, while today some forms of AI attempt to do the same. In this episode, David Wollen takes a fresh look at God’s gift of sleep and traces the biblical theme of rest from creation toward its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ.

Sleep is good, and sleep is necessary—but it is also wise. In this episode, David Wollen and Brett McCracken explore how God’s wisdom is displayed in His good gift of sleep and how this daily rhythm points weary souls to the deeper rest and hope found in Christ.

Sleep is a precious gift from God that renews us each day, but it also points to something deeper woven into the fabric of creation. In this episode, David Wollen and Brett McCracken explore the spiritual significance of sleep and how our need for rest ultimately points us to the true rest found only in Christ.

What is your relationship with sleep, and what can it teach us about God? It’s a relationship that will change from season to season over the course of your life, but one thing remains true: sleep is an expression of the goodness of God and points us to an even greater promise. In this episode, David Wollen explores the gift of sleep and how it points us to the greater rest God promises.

Twenty-five years ago, the world shifted as the events of 9/11 unfolded. The tragedy caught everyone off guard, and many turned to the “Father of mercies and the God of all comfort.” In this episode, David Wollen looks back on that pivotal moment in history and the comfort found in Christ as he concludes the series Cultivating Contentment in Christ.