Christ With Coffee On Ice — "Reading of 1 John" (May 30, 2025) Host: Ally Yost

Episode Overview

In this heartfelt and vulnerable episode, Ally Yost invites listeners to join her for a communal reading of the Book of 1 John (NLT translation), accompanied by prayer and reflective encouragement for those navigating life’s obstacles with Christ. The episode is both a meditative engagement with scripture and a call to put faith and love into practice — emphasizing hope, honesty, and the importance of embodying the love of Jesus in everyday life.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Opening Remarks & Invitation to Prayer

• (00:00–04:45) Ally sets a welcoming tone, acknowledging her audience and expressing gratitude for their presence. She emphasizes intentional time in scripture and proposes reading the Book of 1 John collectively.

  • She shares a lighthearted observation: “We have our coffee on literally no ice. The ice is completely melted. I'm just gonna stop showing you guys at this point. It's just sad. But we do have our coffee on. Not a lot of ice. And we have our Christ. Praise God.” (00:20)

• Ally leads a gentle but powerful prayer, interceding for listeners’ worries, decisions, and hardships, invoking God’s peace and encouraging openness to His presence.

  • She quotes 1 Peter 5:6-7 and Matthew 5, imparting biblical promises of comfort for the brokenhearted and the humble (01:45–04:20).

The Power of Vulnerability and Inviting God In

• Ally affirms the value of feeling emotions deeply and grounding them in Christ, rather than avoiding them. She uses a vivid metaphor:
  • “Sometimes it feels like rubbing alcohol on a wound. But Jesus, I just pray that they actually invite you into that pain, into that confusion, into the emotions and the things that they are feeling.” (04:45)
• She blesses her audience, declaring God’s nearness in suffering and His justice, even amidst confusion.

Introduction to 1 John & Scripture Reading

• (07:10–47:00) Ally begins reading 1 John, offering brief context about her Bible (Hosanna Revival NLT) and offers a listener discount code.
• She reads the entire Book of 1 John, delivering the text clearly with occasional pauses for reflection or emphasis:
  • Repeats key verses for reflection, such as:
    • “Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.” (15:05)
    • “Our actions will show that we belong to the truth. So we will be confident when we stand before God.” (32:30)
    • “Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings and he knows everything.” (33:00)
  • She highlights the practical outworking of love, reading and then commenting, “Let us show the truth by our actions… That's so good.” (34:10)

Reflections on Love as the Manifestation of God

• (47:10) Ally pauses after 1 John 4 to offer a personal insight:
  • “To have a physical representation of God would be the works that we do, like allowing the Spirit to work through us in the way that we love other people.” (48:00)
• She emphasizes that believers are vessels for God’s love and His visible presence in the world.

Conviction and Encouragement for the Church

• Ally reads and repeats a convicting passage:
  • “‘If someone says, I love God but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar. For if we don't love people we can see, how can we love God whom we cannot see?’ Whoa. That's convicting for the church. Oh, my gosh.” (52:10)

Concluding the Read-Along

• Ally finishes the letter, recaps its core themes (eternal life in Jesus, the call to persistent love and obedience, the reality of spiritual opposition), and encourages listeners to let nothing take God’s place in their hearts (1 John 5:21).

Final Encouragements and Practical Application

• (55:30–57:30) She leads a closing prayer of thanksgiving, calls the experience “fruitful,” and issues a loving challenge:
  • “Hey, guys, can we do something cool today? Can we do something cool and show somebody how cool Jesus is?... Let's show somebody how cool Jesus is today. Let's be more like him. Walk more like him. Like, be more and more like Jesus.” (56:40)
  • She voices her pride for her listeners’ pursuit of faith, urging perseverance: “We're doing it together… Let's never stop running for God.” (57:15)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Sometimes it feels like rubbing alcohol on a wound. But Jesus, I just pray that they actually invite you into that pain, into that confusion…” — Ally Yost, (04:45)
• “Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.” — (15:05, quoting 1 John 2:6)
• “Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings and he knows everything.” — (33:00, quoting 1 John 3:20)
• “To have a physical representation of God would be the works that we do… Because God is love and God lives in us.” — Ally Yost, (48:00)
• “If someone says, I love God but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar…” — (52:10, quoting 1 John 4:20)
• “Let's show somebody how cool Jesus is today. Let's be more like him… Like, be more and more like Jesus.” — Ally Yost, (56:40)

Important Timestamps

• 00:00 — Opening, context, and lighthearted coffee talk
• 01:00–04:45 — Opening prayer and scriptural encouragement (1 Peter 5, Matthew 5)
• 07:10 — Introduction to 1 John, Bible details, and listener discount
• 08:45–53:00 — Complete, reflective reading of 1 John with brief commentary
• 48:00 — Reflection on manifesting God’s love in the world
• 52:10 — Conviction about loving fellow believers
• 55:30–57:30 — Closing prayer, encouragement, and call for practical action

Episode Tone & Takeaways

• The episode radiates warmth, vulnerability, and encouragement. Ally’s style is conversational, relatable, and rooted deeply in scripture and personal conviction.
• The central message is that God’s love is transformative and visible through believers’ actions, especially in the midst of hardship.
• Listeners are uplifted, reminded they are not alone, and challenged to tangibly express God’s love to others — “to be the physical stand-in for Jesus.”
• The episode is accessible for listeners at any stage of their faith journey, with Ally modeling both spiritual depth and approachable humanity throughout.

Summary prepared for listeners who want the richness of the episode without missing any scripture or spirit.