Fight in the Shade

Direct from ER Bay 4 at St. Francis Medical Center, Alan & Shawn discuss going the extra mile! Shawn had an emergency and received excellent care, thanks be to God! Alan popped by the ER to record an episode of this series on the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus calls us to go beyond the minimum requirements in hopes of witnessing to others and the guys got the assignment as they recorded their most expensive episode to date!Stay in the Fight!

Oathkeeper! Let your yes be yes and your no be no. The guys address the importance of integrity in our daily walk with Christ and what it means to keep our word to our brothers & sisters in Christ.Stay in the Fight!

Adultery - Lust - DivorceJesus and the Sermon on the Mount continues to challenge Christians and the culture of the day after 2000 years!Alan & Shawn close in on 100 episodes! Thank you for continuing to stay in the conversation with all of us at FITS.Stay in the Fight!

MURDER! ANGER! Jesus offers no distinction and begins the call to the believer to examine their hearts more closely.The Sermon on the Mount continues to be one of the most significant teachings of Jesus. This episode takes on the first teaching of Jesus that expands the understanding of the Law of Moses.Stay in the Fight!

Skipping over the Beatitudes, Alan & Shawn discuss how Jesus expands the Law with His teaching on the Sermon on the Mount. If you are not familiar with the SOTM, it's easily one of the most foundational pieces of Jesus's teachings in the New Testament. Stay in the Fight!

The BONUS episode highlighting Good King Wenceslas! Listener warning: ALAN SINGS!Alan & Shawn continue with their third Advent series with nod to a slightly irreverent Christmas movie searching for a redeeming twist. "Four Christmases" features a minor character who delivers big for Alan & Shawn. Pastor Phil, played by Dwight Yoakam, delivers a great performance as a charismatic preacher inviting our unlikely heroes to participate in the Christmas story.Alan & Shawn work through four of the Christmas songs referenced by Pastor Phil in this short but beloved scene. Special thanks to SigmaMusicArt on Pixaby for the theme music this season.Christmas-music-441921Stay in the Fight!

Alan & Shawn continue with their third Advent series with nod to a slightly irreverent Christmas movie searching for a redeeming twist. "Four Christmases" features a minor character who delivers big for Alan & Shawn. Pastor Phil, played by Dwight Yoakam, delivers a great performance as a charismatic preacher inviting our unlikely heroes to participate in the Christmas story.Alan & Shawn work through four of the Christmas songs referenced by Pastor Phil in this short but beloved scene. Special thanks to SigmaMusicArt on Pixaby for the theme music this season.Christmas-music-441921Stay in the Fight!

Pa Rum Pum Pum Pum looks at the call to action found in The Little Drummer Boy. Alan & Shawn continue with their third Advent series with nod to a slightly irreverent Christmas movie searching for a redeeming twist. "Four Christmases" features a minor character who delivers big for Alan & Shawn. Pastor Phil, played by Dwight Yoakam, delivers a great performance as a charismatic preacher inviting our unlikely heroes to participate in the Christmas story.Alan & Shawn work through four of the Christmas songs referenced by Pastor Phil in this short but beloved scene. Special thanks to SigmaMusicArt on Pixaby for the theme music this season.Christmas-music-441921Stay in the Fight!

Alan & Shawn continue with their third Advent series with nod to a slightly irreverent Christmas movie searching for a redeeming twist. "Four Christmases" features a minor character who delivers big for Alan & Shawn. Pastor Phil, played by Dwight Yoakam, delivers a great performance as a charismatic preacher inviting our unlikely heroes to participate in the Christmas story.Alan & Shawn work through four of the Christmas songs referenced by Pastor Phil in this short but beloved scene. Special thanks to SigmaMusicArt on Pixaby for the theme music this season.Christmas-music-441921Stay in the Fight!

Alan & Shawn kick off their third Advent series with nod to a slightly irreverent Christmas movie searching for a redeeming twist. "Four Christmases" features a minor character who delivers big for Alan & Shawn. Pastor Phil, played by Dwight Yoakam, delivers a great performance as a charismatic preacher inviting our unlikely heroes to participate in the Christmas story.Alan & Shawn work through four of the Christmas songs referenced by Pastor Phil in this short but beloved scene. Special thanks to SigmaMusicArt on Pixaby for the theme music this season.Christmas-music-441921Stay in the Fight!

Being a people of the 8th day, Alan & Shawn finish their Sevenfold series with another 8th episode! Make it make sense!Stay in the Fight!

Fast forward with Alan & Shawn to the end of Revelation and walk through the promises of God in the vision of New Jerusalem.Stay in the Fight!

Laodicea! Thanks for taking this journey with us!Stay in the Fight!

Philadelphia - You will be given a new name!Stay in the Fight!

All that glitters is not gold! Make sure listen to the very end!Stay in the Fight!

Stay in the Fight!

"But I have a few complaints against you." Imagine hearing or reading that from Jesus! How difficult would it be to cling to the amazing compliment He paid in the previous line. This underlines the nature of faithful vigilance in the life of the church. Pergamum maintains many good things but has also allowed a small foothold of evil within their ranks. Jesus calls us to repent of our evil instead of trying to balance it out with more good. We all desire a new name from Jesus!Stay in the Fight!

Will you endure the suffering to come? That's the question before the Church of Smyrna! Jesus acknowledged their suffering and poverty and all those who came against them and called on them to continue to endure for He is faithful and will gift them with the crown of life. The second letter, while short, packs a punch!Stay in the Fight!

Rolling into the letter to the church of Ephesus, Alan & Shawn celebrate the strength of faithful believers who do not tolerate evil. In the heart of this letter, Jesus uses one of the most heartbreaking lines any believer could ever hear, "But I have this against you, that you have left your first love." These letters contain words of affirmation and rebuke. Thanks for spending time in these letters with Fight in the Shade.Stay in the Fight!

Part 2 of the series opener of Sevenfold calls us to lock in and call people to the reality of who God is! Jesus is the only thing...the Alpha & the Omega.Like John, we should want to call others to Christ as fellow followers who are blessed to share Christ.Stay in the Fight!

Part 1 of the intro to Alan & Shawn's walk through the Seven Letters to the Seven Churches in Revelation. The guys lay some groundwork for the Revelation, as well as decode some of the symbols and terms used in John's writings. These letters point us to the heart of what Jesus hopes to see from and in the body of Christ today. Stay in the Fight!

Some of the most memorable verses and images of the entire book can be found in Hebrews 11. Stay in the Fight!

Although it took forever (thanks a lot Shawn!), the final episode of Hebrews is out. Thanks for sticking with us and more importantly, for taking time to be in God's word!The next series is mentioned at the end of this episode.Stay in the Fight!

The Freedom to Worship! Alan & Shawn skip over the first part of Hebrews 9 to talk about the freedom we should all feel to worship Christ. Shawn shares his experience from the recent Charis Men's Retreat involving sobbing and snot bubbles. Great image!Stay in the Fight!

Finally back together after plenty of crazy scheduling, Alan & Shawn pick up with Hebrews 8...'a shadow and copy of heavenly things' and 'better promises' are two of the themes discussed in this episode. Stay in the Fight!

Alan & Shawn finish the discussion on the supremacy of Jesus to the old covenant and priests. In this episode, the guys remind you not get caught alone, without community and most importantly, without Jesus! This sets up a great image in Chapter 8 that they will pick up next.Stay in the Fight!

God wants to use you for something BIG! Prepare the Way!Alan & Shawn talk about the large cast of unlikely characters in the Christmas story. Zechariah & Elizabeth are too old and barren, Mary is too young, JTB spends time in the wilderness, and Jesus is from Nazareth! Yet God...Thank you for spending Advent with us. We have a couple of other season of Advent content we encourage you to check out if you haven't already.Stay in the Fight!

Alan & Shawn follow the examples of JTB & Jesus and turn this worldly claim, "If You're Not First, You're Last," upside down for the Kingdom of God. How are you laying your life down for others this Advent season? JTB & Jesus lead countercultural lives that show us the putting others first instead of ourselves leads to the Kingdom of God.Stay in the Fight!

JTB keeps watch for the Expected One even while he is imprisoned! This level of vigilance developed out of his faithful practice of his faith. Did you make a list of people and situations as suggested in Episode 63? If so, have you prayed over those names? Are you practicing vigilance?Advent reminds us of the importance of our anticipation of what God will do in the world around us. He invites us to keep watch through the long night by praying for and with others. You can't do that if you are being a wussy! The second half of Advent 2024 will drop next week!Stay in the Fight!

Welcome to Advent 2024! Alan & Shawn borrowed a little from the movie Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby for this year's theme. Follow along with the guys as they look at the role John the Baptist (JTB) played in preparing the way for Jesus. All of us can model some of JTB's passion, faithfulness, and obedience in our efforts to prepare the way for Jesus in the lives of people we know. More episodes will drop quickly as we prepare the way!Stay in the Fight!

Alan & Shawn joined by Drake discuss their Thanksgiving plates and the potential meaning behind those choices. Plus, Alan learns that Zoom doesn't care about his feelings...when the clock runs out, the recording ends.Fight in the Shade gives thanks for all of you who listen and engage with us!Stay in the Fight!

Jesus a priest in the Order of Melchizedek - what does that mean?! Hebrews 7 has a great tie into the Jewish traditions of the High Priests and their work in the Temple. The guys just tiptoe into that part of the conversation. However deep into the history and tradition of that rich culture you want to go, they remind you to keep your eyes on Jesus and His eternal work of salvation.If you want some other great material on Melchizedek, check out the following link. https://bibleproject.com/podcast/who-was-melchizedek/Stay in the Fight!

Alan, Shawn and Drake into the final push of Hebrews 6. Stay in the Fight!

Alan & Shawn welcome Drake Holmes to Fight in the Shade as they discuss the impossibilities of finding faith again after walking away from God. Drake brings his youthful perspective and a growing hunger to serve the Kingdom to the conversation. Having Drake join FITS for these remaining episodes of Hebrews really drives home the importance of pouring into others. Drake "grew up" around the Wesley Foundation under Alan's leadership. Happy Birthday Drake!Stay in the Fight!

Time to get off the Spiritual Milk Bottle! This challenging section of Hebrews 5 & 6 forces believers to examine whether or not they continue to mature in the faith or remain stagnant. Stay in the Fight!

Rolling through the end of Hebrews 4 into 5, Alan & Shawn get into the rising theme of the new priesthood Jesus fulfills. Stay in the Fight!

There's no greater source for Truth in our lives than the Word of God. Hebrews 4 calls the reader to enter into the rest of the Lord and not to miss out on following Him. Alan & Shawn discus how the Word of God changes our lives when we make it part of our lives...and more importantly, how it changes the lives of those around us.Stay in the Fight!

After a busy season, Shawn finally got back to editing and uploading episodes! No, Alan did not wear any crazy socks for the wedding, but it was a beautiful night! Listen as the guys discuss Jesus, the Great High Priest and the Apostle!Stay in the Fight!

Hebrews 2 continues with a warning not to fall away. Stay in the Fight!

Alan & Shawn begin a read through of the Book of Hebrews. Stay in the Fight!

As this crazy season on the Book of Judges wraps up, Alan & Shawn plan on releasing some new content for late summer 2024. This episode is dedicated to dear Harold LaGrone who faithfully kept up his fight in the shade until 93 years old. Harold listened to the podcast and offered great encouragement to Alan & Shawn. Harold taught Sunday School and Bible Study up until the month he fell ill and died. He was a husband, father, grandfather, friend, Gideon, and community leader. Most of all, he was a disciple of Jesus Christ. Thank you Harold for your amazing witness!Reach out to Alan & Shawn on their Instagram pages: @greypilgrim71 @sthornsbyStay in the Fight!

"In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes." Judges 17:6 spells out the recipe for disaster Israel used to bring further conflict, ruin, and paganism to their lands. Judges 17 & 18 make up the next to last episode in this series through the book of Judges. Alan & Shawn discuss the dangers of creating our own idea of god that we control. Thanks for listening and support your local campus ministry!Stay in the Fight!

Finally the saga of Samson's life concludes with his relationship with Delilah. Alan & Shawn revisit the problem of Samson being driven by his eyes. Revenge - lust - brokenness!Thank you for listening to our 50 Episode!Stay in the Fight!

Time to pickup your jawbone and resist evil!What are you doing to help make the Kingdom of Heaven a reality on earth?Alan & Shawn continue through the exploits of Samson.Stay in the Fight!

Judges 14 - Samson's story teaches us what not to do when building a relationship to last. Plus, Shawn tries to convince Alan to get an Instagram account! (Again!)Stay in the Fight!

Judges 13 - Samson's parents pray for a child. More importantly, they pray for their child and the life he will lead. How do you prepare for your future and for your children's futures? Stay in the Fight!

Moving through Judges 12. Best opening clip yet!Watch your pride...Stay in the Fight!

Finally, Alan & Shawn address one of the most dreaded stories of the Bible. Jephthah makes a disastrous vow in pursuit of victory despite the presence of God in his life. The importance of establishing strong foundational beliefs and the dangers of brokenness affecting future generations are themes discussed in this coverage of Judges 11. Stay in the Fight!

Alan & Shawn continue in Judges 11 with some of the history and background of one of the most difficult stories from Judges. But first, Alan learns some interesting stories from Shawn's past. Thanks for listening!Like - Share - Comment to help the cause!Stay in the Fight!

Alan & Shawn return to Judges to comb through chapter 10. God's not a sucker! This episode looks at Israel's return to idolatry and God's burning anger.Stay in the Fight!