Redemption's Table (2025)

27/02/2025

"Come back to ...
THE PLACES YOU KNOW BRING LIFE"

Where are the places that bring you life?

If you were encouraged to come back to the places you know bring life, where would you go? Where are the places that have awakened and reawakened you? Where are the places that have brought deep sustenance and joy and wonder and curiosity to your life? Where have you bumped into God?

I reached out to some of my dearest friends and family members who I thought might appreciate that question, and the answers they offered are pure delight. Special guests Lauren Myers, Andrew and Diana Barge, and Clark Cothern share their life-giving places. And singer-songwriter Andrew Osenga gifts us with his incredible song "Beautiful Places." This is an episode months in the making. Come join in on this adventure of imagination and anticipation.

"Beautiful Places" used by permission.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/redemptions-table-with-robert-barge/id1460696362?i=1000696477437

https://www.redemptionstable.com/?p=1829

https://open.spotify.com/episode/7IJkWa6b74u25vR9UzDln3?si=3daed89056e44094

Also on Breaker, Overcast, Pocket Casts, and Radio Public.

09/01/2025

"Welcome to the first fresh Table of 2025!
Set a deeper foundation...."...AS THE WORLD HASTENS ON

A New Year is only an imaginary line on a calendar, but there's something about a fresh start that appeals to us. I think it might be because we all know we need one. The coming of the greatest fresh start the world has ever been offered was celebrated a few days ago. And now, we have just stepped into a lesser one. Brand new in some ways; same old in others.

Thanksgiving preceded Christmas and a New Year comes along like an encore to grant us one more song of gratitude. To be grateful for the year that was. To be grateful for whatever possibilities lie ahead. To be grateful for the journey that will be. One gratitude for what just happened. The next for all we anticipate in the next 12 months. The final gratitude for all we hope to be declaring one year from now.

Today's episode explores the season that has not quite left us yet. The world may be hastening on; there is no need for our souls to join the rush. You're invited one more time to "rest beside the weary road and hear the angels sing!"

Featuring "May You Find a Light" by Josh Garrels (Used by Permission through Musicbed).

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/redemptions-table-with-robert-barge/id1460696362?i=1000683266546

https://www.redemptionstable.com/?p=1807

https://open.spotify.com/episode/1RkFzrb3683Kmq0aG5yCaP?si=1eee8f77818340f8

Also on Breaker, Overcast, Pocket Casts, and Radio Public.

28/12/2024

"Merry 4th Day of Christmas and beyond!"
THE CHRISTMAS QUESTION

Every Christmas season brings its own wisdom, so the question we all need to ask is, "Christmas, what did you come to teach me this year?"

Welcome to Christmastide! Christmas is far from over. The celebration of Jesus' birth extends beyond December 25th. Today is only the fourth day of Christmas. There are eight more days to come, plus Epiphany. For many of us, the best Christmas gift has yet to be unwrapped.

Today's Table encourages us to pause and reflect on what just happened a few days ago - on what just happened 2000 years ago. Last Wednesday and two millenniums back are not that far apart. Christmas Day itself is a thin place where the reverberating echoes of angels can still be felt and heard. Ask the Christmas question and listen quietly for God's reply.

Special thanks today to Arbo, a country band from the cajun swampland, led by brothers Stevie and Johnny Rees. They have graciously allowed us to share their 2023 song "A Child Is Born" for this special Christmas episode. (Used by Permission). Arbo

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/redemptions-table-with-robert-barge/id1460696362?i=1000681923680

https://www.redemptionstable.com/?p=1800

https://open.spotify.com/episode/3HyLJctlzN9WNpsPcsju4i?si=7e4868d5972e4ad5

Also on Breaker, Overcast, Pocket Casts, and Radio Public.

19/12/2024

"Only 6 more days until Christmas!"
FOLLOW THE BLISS

"The world will never starve for want of wonders; but only for want of wonder." - G.K. Chesterton

We all need to be reminded. We can't manufacture our own wonder. Sure, we can prime the pump to set our hearts in the right direction to receive. But if we're looking for Christmas to be one or two specific things this year - if we're expecting something particular to happen in the next few days - and if it doesn't happen, we're going to be extremely disappointed, then we've set ourselves up. There is a difference between expectancy and expectations.

As we walk through the threshold from Advent to Christmas, today's Table encourages us to relax, put down our expectations, and follow the bliss of what is about to unfold. We can't plan surprise for yourself. We will miss the bliss if we seek to control the bliss. The surprise we need and where to find it will come only from the One whose birthday it is! Follow the bliss!

Featuring "Bethlehem (2022 Version)" by Singer-Songwriter Ross King (Used by Permission).

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/redemptions-table-with-robert-barge/id1460696362?i=1000680930136

https://www.redemptionstable.com/?p=1794

https://open.spotify.com/episode/0fyJXtvB9ljXCYcsXWHomO?si=bdf9961be01e4187

Also on Breaker, Overcast, Pocket Casts, and Radio Public.

12/12/2024

"Caught up in Christmas rush? You don't have to be."
RESET TO ADVENT

We're halfway through Advent. Today is December 12. And someone out there feels the crush of the season. The thought of "only 12 more shopping days left" bears down on you like an avalanche. You're rushing through December like Tom Cruise out to save the world one more time, caught up in an Impossible Mission.

Pause. Take a deep breath. There's still time to hit the Advent reset button. There's still time to redeem the days ahead. There's still time to enjoy the rest of the journey. Such wonderful possibilities are woven into the very fabric of the story we now anticipate and celebrate. And it is unfolding before you right this very moment.

Featuring "The Advent Song" by Future of Forestry (Used by Permission through Musicbed).

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/redemptions-table-with-robert-barge/id1460696362?i=1000680105596

https://www.redemptionstable.com/?p=1787

https://open.spotify.com/episode/5oTqxievLSpTkdDx35RBtW?si=0a84bcda5e7a4308

Also on Breaker, Overcast, Pocket Casts, and Radio Public.

27/11/2024

What are you thankful for in 2024?”

THANKSGIVING

It's how I begin every day. Thanksgiving is the single most spiritual practice that keeps me grounded daily in the goodness of God.

Four good friends accepted my invitation to gather at the Table this week to share their Thanksgiving for 2024. You may notice a common theme. All four have experienced some waves, some storms, and all four have seen Jesus at work in their lives and give Him thanks.

I am grateful for Jennifer Harris, Dr. P. Banneker Hatcherson, Rebecca Johnson, and Laura Williams for joining us at the Table today.

"Give thanks to the Lord for He is good. His love endures forever." - Psalm 136:1

Happy Thanksgiving!

Featuring "Thanksgiving Song" by JJ Heller (Used by Permission through Musicbed).

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/redemptions-table-with-robert-barge/id1460696362?i=1000678368549

https://www.redemptionstable.com/?p=1776

https://open.spotify.com/episode/6X2LzXltoMpdEAh7OMOuXK

Also on Breaker, Overcast, Pocket Casts, and Radio Public.

21/11/2024

"Are you an American?
Are you a Christian?
Which part of your identity overshadows the other?"

PARABLE FOR THE AMERICAN CHRISTIAN

Welcome to a different kind of Redemption's Table. Our episodes are always for everybody, but today's story is especially presented for American Christians. It's a sojourn to a forgotten place that begins with a forgotten harvest - and harvest and Thanksgiving usually go hand in hand.

The vision begins in a field of corn in a high mountain meadow. A harvest has come and gone, and not a single ear has been picked. Such neglect raises curiosity. How can this be? Suddenly, a man dressed as a Mexican peasant emerges from the parched stalks and the mysterious journey begins.

Every American Christian needs to consider the questions raised by today's imaginative parable that was first shared 25 years ago.

Special thank you to my good friend Jeff Gore - a singer-songwriter who has been involved in cowboy ministry before there ever was such a thing as a cowboy church. His songs "We Gather Together to Pray" and "Who's Gonna Tell Them" are used by permission.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/redemptions-table-with-robert-barge/id1460696362?i=1000677734245

https://www.redemptionstable.com/?p=1770

https://open.spotify.com/episode/38JXovYc36hCR8EJidavuE?si=d4ac579e31364e64

Also on Breaker, Overcast, Pocket Casts, and Radio Public.
Jeff's website:
https://www.youtube.com/

14/11/2024

"Life is passing by at 5,000 gallons a second!"
HOURGLASS

Have you ever been to a place where past, present, and future come together before you? Where you can reflect on the expanse of what has already swept by and ponder the volume of all that is yet to come? Have you ever stood on the brink of a waterfall? A waterfall is nature's hourglass.

I have stood on the brink of Lower Falls of the Yellowstone twice in my lifetime. Once around 1972; again in 2024. Approximately 53 years and 8 trillion, 357 billion, 40 million gallons of water has plummeted 308 feet over the top of Yellowstone's tallest waterfall in between those two visits. And time and water have volumes to speak to anyone with ears to hear and hearts to respond.

Featuring "Fly" by Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors (Used by Permission through Musicbed).

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/redemptions-table-with-robert-barge/id1460696362?i=1000676915032

https://www.redemptionstable.com/?p=1762

https://open.spotify.com/episode/41ZIbaSDOkX4P0iQ7xpOKj?si=fc37e44edef94544

Also on Breaker, Overcast, Pocket Casts, and Radio Public.

07/11/2024

"Discover your inner paparazzi!"
SOUL'S A CAMERA

You are a human GoPro and your soul is recording every nanosecond of your life! To some degree, you're taking it all in. Your internal audio and video recorders are receiving data at an incredible shutter speed. And even though your memory capacity is enormous, you can't recall it all, but it is amazing how much your soul does remember.

Welcome to a fun Table episode. Let your mind imagine some of the photographs your soul has taken. Discover how to live your life like an Easter Egg Hunt. And let gratitude help you catch more of the treasure of "the good and perfect gift variety" pouring down upon each of us every day from our Father of heavenly lights!

Your soul is taking photos even with the lens cap on, but the wider you open your aperture, the more the light gets in.

Special thanks today to Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors who inspired today's Table in a big way with their song "Soul's a Camera" (Used by Permission through Musicbed).

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/redemptions-table-with-robert-barge/id1460696362?i=1000676023253

https://www.redemptionstable.com/?p=1751

https://open.spotify.com/episode/4h3aQmVTa97kZsjgV72Oj5?si=3617b05500a44bcc

Also on Breaker, Overcast, Pocket Casts, and Radio Public.

28/10/2024

"Welcome to my morning! Welcome to my day!"
RANGER PETE OF THE YELLOWSTONE

I first met Peter Scott when I walked into his place of business in Montgomery Alabama almost 10 years ago. His office wall was filled with photographs he had taken from Yellowstone National Park. We struck up a conversation and became fast friends.

Pete worked in Yellowstone back during his college days. He has since visited our first National Park multiple times and spent decades studying this incredibly diverse place. Now, Ranger Pete is quick to tell you he's not an actual Park Ranger, but he does have intimate, first-hand knowledge of Yellowstone and he loves sharing the wonder he has found in this very special place where our creator God has some spectacular artwork on display.

Pete and I both spent time in Yellowstone this fall on separate trips. And it's an honor to bring him to this wild conversation recorded live at El Taco Shop Restaurant in Montgomery. Pete had the Pollo Loco and I had the best Sincronizada I've ever tasted. El Taco Shop

Featuring "Let's Go Outside - Campfire Version" by The National Parks (Used by Permission through Musicbed).

www.rangerpete.org

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/redemptions-table-with-robert-barge/id1460696362?i=1000674664962

https://www.redemptionstable.com/?p=1741

https://open.spotify.com/episode/1kr2izGFY6vA310uSZfst7?si=6fd4c14c092442c4

Also on Breaker, Overcast, Pocket Casts, and Radio Public.

24/10/2024

"Take a walk on the wild side and experience ....."
THE 3-DAY EFFECT

There's a phenomenon that takes place within us when we spend three days in the great outdoors. It's called "the 3-day effect." Three days in nature can reset our brains. And after those three days, our ability to problem solve goes up, our inductive reasoning goes up, and we become more creative. When we step out of life as we know it and into life as we were meant to live it, it changes us. And whenever I vacation in the wilderness, I always know when "the 3-day effect" kicks in. It's that noticeable.

Last month I spent eight days in Yellowstone National Park. "The 3-Day Effect" prompted me to write the following entry in my journal:
"Dying is a hard process.
Staying dead is a hard process.
And when the third day comes,
you don't will yourself back to life.
Only the resurrection can do that."

Featuring "Waiting For Lightning" by The National Parks (Used by Permission through Musicbed).

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/redemptions-table-with-robert-barge/id1460696362?i=1000674253120

https://www.redemptionstable.com/?p=1733

https://open.spotify.com/episode/51Ezr2GNeQ8zmK9OJO8i2B?si=2e959674164b4837

Also on Breaker, Overcast, Pocket Casts, and Radio Public.

10/10/2024

I am grateful for all the birthday wishes 3 weeks ago.
Today's brand new Redemption's Table episode was intended to be released on that day (September 19), but a last minute writing assignment, a family wedding, and vacation delayed it until today.

I encourage you to listen, especially if you have never tuned in to this podcast before. It is a labor of love written and produced with Jesus. That is always the hope.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

MY ONE THING

"Everybody I know says they need just one thing
And what they really mean is they need just one thing more." - Rich Mullins.

Everyone has a life song. Or if you're like me, you have dozens of life songs. But through the years, one seems to keep rising to the top. Rich Mullins' My One Thing is that song for me. It's a song about Jesus - my one thing.

Who or what is your one thing? The one thing that sets the table for all the other things in your life. That's today's big question on this special fall Table that is all about my favorite person who has ever lived. If Jesus is not yet your favorite person, I encourage you to give a listen to discover why He might should be.

(Today's episode is dedicated to the First Baptist Church of Warner Robins Youth Group - 1986-1992.)

Featuring "Son of God" by Chris Renzema (Used by Permission through Musicbed).

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/redemptions-table-with-robert-barge/id1460696362?i=1000672464601

https://www.redemptionstable.com/?p=1722

https://open.spotify.com/episode/6reQ3HyhaGl61gOgR6s5xX?si=6793cbcda51c4b2f

Also on Breaker, Overcast, Pocket Casts, and Radio Public.

05/09/2024

"There's always a Table spread before you...."
A CONFLUENCE IN THE DESERT

Confluence. A place where two or more rivers or streams merge together. Confluences fill me with wonder. I want to journey upstream to find the headwaters of every tributary. A confluence is kind of like a reversed fork in the road made of water. Wherever you are right now is a confluence.

Think back over your summer. What were your favorite tables and favorite moments? What has God been trying to whisper to your spirit these past three months? Perhaps you heard it, but maybe you didn't.

Perhaps your current confluence looks more like a desert. Perhaps you have run aground because life has become spiritually dry. Take heart. There is water to be found in your desert. You only need know where to look.

Featuring "Summer of Memories" by The National Parks (Used by Permission through Musicbed). The National Parks

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/redemptions-table-with-robert-barge/id1460696362?i=1000668432467

https://www.redemptionstable.com/?p=1714

https://open.spotify.com/episode/2QBXjMVnn9VKLJwKRneKs3?si=1d47cfa28dce4b54

Also on Breaker, Overcast, Pocket Casts, and Radio Public

29/08/2024

"A recipe we've all served on today's Redemption's Table!"
PRESUMING TO BE HOLY SPIRIT

The Holy Trinity is a wondrous mystery. You know the certainty of the Truth of it - and yet, it blows your mind. Absolutely amazing how Truth and Wonder come together in the glorious reality of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

But there is also an unholy trinity that lurks beneath the surface of enough churches and denominations, it needs to be recognized for what it is - the unholy th*****me of God the Father, Jesus the Son, and Religion. Because Holy Spirit has often been tossed because He cannot be controlled and replaced by a more reasonable idol we can control - our Religion.

Have you ever presumed to be Holy Spirit in someone else's life? Have you ever presumed to be Holy Spirit while following His lead?

Featuring "Stronger" by Ellie Holcomb
(Used by Permission through Musicbed).

https://podcasts.apple.com/.../redemption.../id1460696362...

https://www.redemptionstable.com/?p=1707

https://open.spotify.com/episode/0z9iEcKI67DYppHL6rftrJ...

Also on Breaker, Overcast, Pocket Casts, and Radio Public.

22/08/2024

"Today's Redemption's Table is here!"
THE UNDERSONG

Do you hear the song?
The song that is all around you right now.
Do you hear that?

It's a song being sung especially over you.
It's a Voice that never ceases to sing to you.
And when you hear it, it makes all the difference in how you live your life.

"And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music." - Friedrich Nietzsche

The music is real. The dance is joyous.
What is there that you do not know is there?
Listen and you will hear.

Featuring "Spirit" by Judah & the Lion
(Used by Permission through Musicbed).

Judah & the Lion. Ellie Holcomb

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/redemptions-table-with-robert-barge/id1460696362?i=1000666209490

https://www.redemptionstable.com/?p=1699

https://open.spotify.com/episode/3E0hj4pp0bDm8oPWOOfrSq?si=1d3c6be3ab5c472f

Also on Breaker, Overcast, Pocket Casts, and Radio Public.

08/08/2024

"A brand new Table episode!"
THE UNCOMMON CELEBRATION OF EVERY DAY

A Conversation with Special Guest: Steph Cherry

It is always a delight to bring Steph Cherry to the Table. You never know what or who might wander through the conversation. There might be a tornado in the backyard or a birthday visit with a capybara at a local petting zoo or the art of being an uncommon friend during someone else's difficult season.

There is beauty, wit, wisdom, and hope here at the Table today. Have we missed anything yet? Listen to see.

Life. You must be fully present to win.

Featuring "We've Got This Hope" by Ellie Holcomb (Used by Permission through Musicbed).

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/redemptions-table-with-robert-barge/id1460696362?i=1000664702967

https://www.redemptionstable.com/?p=1689

https://open.spotify.com/episode/04PL4f9TtgVLkkab9HQpu7?si=4c941846c97442c1

Also on Breaker, Overcast, Pocket Casts, and Radio Public.

18/07/2024

"Today's Table is a great place to catch up with yourself ...."
A SOUL'S PACE, A SOUL'S PORTION

Your soul has a unique speed. It is not in a hurry. It does not travel at the speed of our world nor our culture. It travels at the speed of Light - the Light of the world.

Your soul is in need of nourishment. It must be fed and there is only one real source of food. C.S. Lewis wrote, "God designed the human machine to run on Himself. He Himself is the fuel our spirits were designed to burn, or the food our spirits were designed to feed on. There is no other."

As you evaluate the first half of 2024, how are you managing the pace of your life? How has your pace affected your soul?

Join us for a few moments of soul refreshment and let your soul catch up with your body. They both will thank you for it and you will notice the difference immediately.

Featuring "In Need" by Singer-Songwriter Ross King
(Used by Permission)

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/redemptions-table-with-robert-barge/id1460696362?i=1000662599068

https://www.redemptionstable.com/?p=1679

https://open.spotify.com/episode/5pul4QX7r28oPLebqjJILq?si=d6a4dc506f43495e

Also on Breaker, Overcast, Pocket Casts, and Radio Public.

Redemption's Table