Podcast
Shoes Off
Hosted by Ray Slavens, Isaac Slavens · EN
Shoes Off is a weekly Christian podcast designed for your commute, morning coffee, or quiet break. Each episode combines scripture, reflection, and a practical weekly challenge that you can carry into everyday life.
The name comes from two powerful images: Moses removing his shoes to meet God on holy ground, and the phrase “that sermon stepped on my toes”—a reminder that God’s word both comforts and challenges us to grow.
Through relatable stories, timely illustrations, and biblical truth, Shoes Off helps you pause, prepare your heart, and walk closer with Christ each week.
Join us as we take our shoes off—because growth begins on holy ground.
Email us at ListenToShoesOff@gmail.com
43episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
God's Promises - Forgiveness | Psalms 103:10-12
Feb 100:26:28Tap to summarizeSend us Fan MailIn this episode of God’s Promises, we talk about one of the most freeing — and most misunderstood — promises in the Bible: God’s promise to forgive. Many believers quietly wonder if they’ve said “sorry” enough, confessed enough, or remembered every sin. But Scripture tells a much better story.God’s forgiveness is not fragile. It is complete!Through passages like Psalms 103, 1 John 1:9, and the story of the prodigal son, we explore the difference between positional forgiveness (once-for-all forgiveness secured by Christ) and relational forgiveness (ongoing confession that restores closeness, not salvation). In this episode, we discuss:Why Christians don’t need to keep re-earning forgivenessThe difference between confession and insecurityHow guilt distorts our view of graceWhy repentance is about returning, not resettingHow God restores relationship without revoking salvationWe'd love to hear from you -- email us at ListenToShoesOff@gmail.com
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God's Promises - To Provide
Jan 2500:18:01Tap to summarizeSend us Fan MailWhat does it really mean when God promises to provide?In this episode of God’s Promises, we look at Jesus’ simple but powerful prayer: “Give us this day our daily bread.” This promise was never about wealth, excess, or guaranteed financial success. It was about trust — daily, faithful dependence on a God who sees and cares.From manna in the wilderness to Jesus pointing to the birds of the air, Scripture consistently shows that God’s provision is intentional, sufficient, and personal. God promises to meet our needs, not to provoke a desire for riches or turn faith into a financial transaction.In this episode, we talk about:Why God’s promise of provision is not a promise of wealthThe biblical difference between needs and wantsWhy daily provision builds trust and dependenceHow God’s care often shows up quietly and faithfullyWhy God’s faithfulness isn’t measured by our bank accountsWe’ll also share practical challenges to help you release worry, resist unhealthy pursuit of “more,” and learn to trust God for today’s provision.We'd love to hear from you -- email us at ListenToShoesOff@gmail.com
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God's Promises - His Presence | Joshua 1:9
Jan 1800:14:39Tap to summarizeSend us Fan MailHave you ever been going through something hard and realized the problem wasn’t that you didn’t have answers — it was that you felt alone?In this episode of God’s Promises, we focus on one of the most repeated and most needed promises in Scripture: God’s promise of presence. From Joshua standing at the edge of the unknown to Jesus’ final words to His disciples, God consistently promises not explanations, not ease, but Himself.Did you know, astronauts aren’t kept from loneliness by coming home early but by staying connected where they are — we explore what it really means when God says, “I will be with you.” This promise doesn’t remove fear or uncertainty, but it changes how we walk through them.We'd love to hear from you -- email us at ListenToShoesOff@gmail.com
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God's Promises - Abraham | Genesis 12-21
Jan 1200:19:14Tap to summarizeSend us Fan MailEpisode 2: God’s Promise to AbrahamWhat happens when God makes a promise… and then asks you to wait?In this episode of God’s Promises, we turn to the story of Abraham and the promise of Isaac — a promise that took decades to fulfill. God spoke clearly, repeated His word, and never changed His mind — even when time passed, faith wavered, and human impatience complicated the process.In this episode, we explore:Why God’s promises are not canceled by time or delayHow Abraham and Sarah rushed the promise instead of waitingWhy God allowed the fulfillment to become humanly impossibleWhat it means to trust God’s word when nothing seems to be changingIf you’re waiting on something God has spoken… this episode is for you.We'd love to hear from you -- email us at ListenToShoesOff@gmail.com
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God's Promises - The Bow | Genesis 9
Jan 400:18:18Tap to summarizeSend us Fan MailWhat happens after the storm has passed?In this first episode of our new series, God’s Promises, we begin where Scripture begins again — not with excitement or certainty, but with mercy. After the floodwaters recede, Noah steps into a quiet, broken world. And it’s there — after judgment, after loss, after survival — that God makes one of His most foundational promises.The rainbow covenant is not a promise that storms will never come again. It’s a promise of restraint. A declaration that God will not abandon His creation, even knowing humanity is still broken. It’s a promise God makes not because people improved — but because He chose mercy.In this episode, we explore:Why God’s promises often come after the storm, not before itWhat the rainbow really represents in ScriptureHow God binds Himself to faithfulness, even when the world isn’t fixedWhy this promise still matters as we step into a new seasonWe’ll also leave you with practical challenges for the week — simple ways to recognize God’s mercy, practice restraint, and trust Him in the quiet spaces between what was and what’s next.If you’re standing on the other side of something hard. If you’re grateful to have made it through, but unsure what comes next…This promise is for you.Take your shoes off. You’re standing on holy ground.We'd love to hear from you -- email us at ListenToShoesOff@gmail.com
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God's Miracle - Jesus
Dec 2200:21:29Tap to summarizeSend us Fan MailWe’ve walked through miracles of healing, restoration, provision, and resurrection but every miracle we’ve studied traces back to one holy moment: the birth of Jesus.In this final episode of Shoes Off, Ray and Isaac look at the manger to reflect on the miracle behind all miracles. This is not a work Jesus performed, it is a miracle God performed for the world. The infinite stepped into the finite. Eternity entered time. The Word became flesh.Jesus wasn’t just away in a manger — He was THE way in the manger."The Way In A Manager" is an original song written by Ray Slavens.We'd love to hear from you -- email us at ListenToShoesOff@gmail.com
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Jesus' Miracles - A Healing Touch | Mark 5:25-34 (ft. Rylan Slavens)
Dec 1400:27:03Tap to summarizeSend us Fan MailThis week on Shoes Off, we step into one of the most known miracles in Scripture — the healing of the woman with the issue of blood. For twelve long years, she suffered physically, financially, socially, and spiritually. She tried everything, spent everything, and instead of getting better… she grew worse.But desperation led her to Jesus and faith pushed her through the crowd.In this episode, Ray and Isaac (with guest Rylan) unpack the incredible moment when she reached out from behind Jesus, touched the hem of His garment, and was instantly healed. This miracle reminds us that Jesus meets us in our desperation, honors even trembling faith, removes shame, restores identity, and calls us His own.We'd love to hear from you -- email us at ListenToShoesOff@gmail.com
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Jesus' Miracles - Raising the Widow's Son | Luke 7:11-17
Dec 800:16:32Tap to summarizeSend us Fan MailThis week on Shoes Off, we step into the miracle where Jesus stops a funeral procession and raises a widow’s only son from the dead.Two crowds meet at the city gate of Nain: one carrying death… and One carrying life. And when Jesus sees the grieving mother, everything changes.In this episode, we explore:The significance of Jesus seeing the widow before she ever spokeHow compassion, not request, initiated resurrectionWhy touching the funeral bier reveals His authority over deathThe beauty of the phrase: “He gave him back to his mother”How this miracle foreshadows the resurrection of ChristWhat looked like the end… became the beginning of a miracle.We'd love to hear from you -- email us at ListenToShoesOff@gmail.com
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Jesus' Miracles - Healing the Paralytic | Mark 2:1-12
Dec 100:22:36Tap to summarizeSend us Fan MailFaith didn’t wait for an open door — it made one.In this week’s episode of Shoes Off, we step into a crowded house in Capernaum where four determined friends tear through a roof just to get their paralyzed friend to Jesus. What unfolds is one of the most vivid demonstrations of bold faith, deep community, divine authority, and life-changing transformation in the Gospels.Jesus doesn’t start with what the man wants. He starts with what the man needs. Before healing the body, He heals the heart. Before restoring strength, He restores identity. And when the man finally stands, Jesus tells him to take up his bed and walk home carrying a testimony the whole town could see.Because when Jesus moves, you never leave the same way you came in!We'd love to hear from you -- email us at ListenToShoesOff@gmail.com
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Jesus' Miracles - Feeding the 5000 | John 6 (ft. Chris Murray)
Nov 2400:29:00Tap to summarizeSend us Fan MailIn one of Jesus’ most familiar miracles, a small boy’s simple lunch of just five loaves and two fish becomes a supernatural abundance. More than 5,000 people are fed, and twelve baskets overflow with leftovers. But underneath the miracle is a powerful truth for every believer: Jesus doesn’t ask for what we don’t have — only what we do have. And when we surrender our “not-enough” into His hands, He transforms it into more than enough.In this episode of Shoes Off, Ray, Isaac, and our special guest Chris Murray explore the deeper meaning behind this miracle, not just as a moment of provision, but as a lesson in surrender, obedience, and trust. Chris brings practical insight, real-life perspective, and thoughtful encouragement as we unpack what it means to offer God the small things in our lives and watch Him multiply them.If Jesus could use five loaves and two fish… how much more can He do with what you already have?We'd love to hear from you -- email us at ListenToShoesOff@gmail.com
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