Bumper Sticker Wisdom

Bumper Sticker Wisdom

by Johnathan Traylor

Self-Improvement Christianity

Season 3

It May Not Look Like What You Think

Have you ever asked God to show you that He's moving—and then realized His answer might not look anything like what you expected? In Episode 144 of Bumper Sticker Wisdom, John and Terri talk about worship, prayer, the Holy Spirit, serving others, and what happens when we simply show up—even when we don't feel like it. John shares his experience at a tent revival and the unexpected ways he saw God moving. They talk about worship as more than something we do at church, the importance of the empty tomb and what Jesus' resurrection means, and the challenge of communicating faith in a way that reaches different people. And underneath it all is a simple reminder: we don't have to have everything figured out. We just have to keep growing, keep listening, keep praying, and keep pointing people toward Christ. Because sometimes God is moving right in front of us... It just may not look like what we think. This is Bumper Sticker Wisdom—a conversation about faith, life, and growth from two people who are still learning as they go.

I Don’t Know, But I Trust Him

Sometimes we don't know what God is doing. We don't know why a door opened—or why it didn't. We don't know why we're walking through a difficult season or what God is doing behind the scenes. In this episode, John and Terri talk about the Holy Spirit, trusting God when we can't see the whole picture, and what happens when other people's opinions cause us to question a decision we once had peace about. The conversation moves into giving our burdens to God, the power of our words, why struggle can be part of the process, and what it means to keep moving forward when life gets hard. They also explore some of the complicated people and stories in Scripture and the reminder that God has always worked through imperfect people. Following Jesus doesn't instantly make us perfect. We're still learning, failing, growing, and being shaped through the process. The Christian life is a marathon, not a sprint. We may not know exactly where God is taking us—but we can trust the One who does. This is Bumper Sticker Wisdom: a conversation about faith, life, and growth from two people who are learning as they go.

God Can Still Use You!

What happens when God's plan doesn't look anything like the plan we had for ourselves? In this episode of Bumper Sticker Wisdom, John and Terri have an honest conversation about trusting God when we don't understand what He's doing. They talk about saying yes to God, recognizing opportunities to be His hands and feet, and remembering that we don't have to be perfect to be used by Him. The conversation moves into some very real territory—relationships, community, marriage, past struggles, questioning God's plan, and the temptation to compare our lives with what we think everyone else has going on. Through all of it, one idea keeps coming back: we're still a work in progress. We may still struggle, make mistakes, and have questions, but that doesn't mean God isn't working. Sometimes we're focused on one grain of sand while God sees the entire beach. Bumper Sticker Wisdom is a conversation about faith, life, and growth, hosted by two friends who are learning as they go. No perfect answers. No polished Christianity. Just honest conversation about what it means to follow Jesus in an imperfect world.

Not Finished With You Yet!

In Episode 141 of Bumper Sticker Wisdom, John and Terri talk about growth, forgiveness, and learning to see ourselves through the eyes of Christ. They discuss how far God has brought us, the changes Christ continues to make in our lives, and the importance of learning to forgive ourselves. The conversation also explores what we allow into our minds each day, why we should not let others discourage our dreams, and what it means to rely on Jesus rather than placing our hope in imperfect people. They talk about grace, the price Christ paid for us, and how God can put broken pieces back together. Through it all, the reminder is simple: we are still growing, still learning, and still being shaped by God. It’s an honest conversation about faith, identity, forgiveness, spiritual growth, and trusting that God is not finished with us yet.

The Enemy Is Not Who You Think.

In Episode 140 of Bumper Sticker Wisdom, John and Terri explore what it means to recognize that the enemy is not people. Beginning with Ephesians 6, the conversation looks at spiritual warfare, the battles we cannot always see, and the importance of directing our focus toward the real enemy rather than lashing out at the people around us. They also talk about grace, the price Christ paid for us, and the responsibility we often feel for protecting the people we love. What happens when we realize that we cannot fix everything or carry every burden—but Christ has already paid the price? It’s an honest conversation about faith, relationships, responsibility, and learning to fight the right fight. Episode 140: The Enemy Is Not Who You Think.

Through the Eyes of Christ

How do you see yourself? When we look at ourselves, we often focus on our failures, mistakes, flaws, and all the places where we feel like we haven't measured up. We can recognize how far we've come and still focus on how far we have left to go. But what if we're looking at ourselves through the wrong eyes? In this episode of Bumper Sticker Wisdom, we talk about grace, salvation, God's love, the Bible, and the way we judge ourselves and others. Along the way, the conversation leads to a powerful question: If you could truly see yourself through the eyes of Jesus, what do you think you would see? Maybe we spend too much time defining ourselves by our failures and not enough time considering how Christ sees us. Join us for an honest conversation about faith, identity, grace, and learning to see ourselves through the eyes of Christ.

God Didnt Promise Easy!

What happens when we ask God for something—and His answer doesn't look anything like what we expected? In Episode 138, John and Terri talk about the reality that following Jesus doesn't mean life will be easy. Sometimes God answers our prayers differently than we imagined. Sometimes the storms remain, and we're given the strength to stand in them instead. The conversation explores the importance of surrounding ourselves with people who genuinely want to see us grow, recognizing when relationships may no longer be healthy for us, and understanding that even difficult experiences can shape who we become. We also talk about imperfection—our own and everyone else's. God doesn't require us to have perfect stories before He can use us. Every person has a story, every person has a calling, and we're meant to help one another along the way. And because relationships aren't always easy, we talk about disagreement too. We can have firm beliefs and still be willing to listen. We don't have to agree with one another to love one another. This is another honest conversation about faith, struggle, growth, relationships, and learning to trust God when the road isn't easy. God didn't promise easy. But He never asked us to walk it alone.

Letting Go Without Giving Up!

What does surrender actually look like? In this episode, John and Terry have an honest conversation about learning to let go without giving up. They talk about the pressure of feeling responsible for everyone around you, the desire to make yourself valuable and needed, and how difficult it can be to surrender control when you've spent years learning to depend on yourself. They also explore how our past shapes us without having to define us, and how two people can experience similar circumstances and still choose very different paths. One of the biggest realizations in the conversation is that facing the same struggle doesn't mean you're starting over. Sometimes you're simply facing it from a different place because you've grown. And maybe that's part of what following Jesus looks like—not finally arriving at a place where we have everything figured out, but learning over and over again to trust God with the journey. Letting go doesn't mean giving up. Sometimes it's learning to trust God enough to keep going. Join John and Terry for another honest, sometimes funny, and always imperfect conversation about faith, life, relationships, and growth. Bumper Sticker Wisdom: presenting a perfect man in a not-so-perfect way.

Who Holds Your Arms Up!

Life has a way of wearing us down. Sometimes this world will truly grind you into dust, and there are moments when you simply don't have the strength to keep your arms up. So who holds them up? In this episode of the Bumper Sticker Wisdom Podcast, we talk about the importance of community, friendship, church, and having people in our lives who are willing to stand beside us when we're struggling. We look at the story of Moses, Aaron, and Hur in Exodus 17 and what it teaches us about supporting one another. Moses couldn't keep his arms raised forever. When he became tired, Aaron and Hur came alongside him and held his arms up. Maybe that's what community is supposed to look like. Not people who have everything figured out. Not people who are always strong. Just people willing to stand with each other when the battle gets heavy. We also talk about how God has been changing our perspective on church and community, what it means to be there for the people around us, and why success isn't always about how many people you reach. Sometimes helping just one person is enough. Because all of us will eventually have a moment when we can't hold our arms up anymore. The question is: Who will be there to hold yours up? 🎙️ Bumper Sticker Wisdom Podcast A conversation about faith, life, and growth, hosted by two friends who are learning as they go. Honest conversations. Real life. Faith without the pretense. Because we believe in presenting a perfect man in a not-so-perfect way.

Full Time Job!

"To know that even on life has breathed easier because you have lived, this is to have succeeded." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

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