Episode Chapters

  • What the Altar Revealed

    Starting at 6 min 
    08 sec

    Paul saw an altar marked “TO THE UNKNOWN GOD” and recognized an opening. Julie connects that ancient altar with the things people continue to seek for meaning and fulfillment today.

  • How Paul Connected With People

    Starting at 9 min 
    49 sec

    Paul did not begin by forcing his message into the culture around him. He spent time with people, listened, observed, and learned what mattered to them.

  • Learning What People Value

    Starting at 13 min 
    19 sec

    Ken and Julie share stories from Thailand about discovering what people were really searching for—and learning how to connect those desires with Jesus.

  • A Young Man Finds a New Identity

    Starting at 21 min 
    54 sec

    A young man arrived at a Christian training program identifying himself by the name of a dark video-game character. Months later, his encounter with God changed the way he saw himself and eventually redirected his life.

  • What About Our Own Hearts?

    Starting at 33 min 
    33 sec

    It is easy to recognize what someone else worships. But what has taken the deepest place in our own hearts?

  • Where Do Your Affections Go?

    Starting at 35 min 
    18 sec

    Ken offers a practical heart check: Where does your time go? Where does your money go? What fills your conversations? Those questions can reveal what holds our deepest affection.

  • When Good Things Become Altars

    Starting at 36 min 
    31 sec

    Not every rival to God looks sinful. Even good habits, rules, identity markers, and religious practices can become substitutes for actually knowing Christ.

  • Episode Notes

    Ken and Julie explore Acts 17:16–34 and Paul’s encounter with the altar marked “TO THE UNKNOWN GOD.”

    The conversation focuses on two connected ideas: how Paul learned to connect the gospel with what people were already searching for, and what the things we value may reveal about what we are actually worshiping.

    The conversation also explores:

    • Paul’s decision to spend time with people before presenting his message
    • Why understanding another culture does not require accepting its beliefs
    • How discovering what people value can reveal what they are really seeking
    • Mission experiences from Thailand and Guam
    • Why relationship often needs to come before significant spiritual conversation
    • The story of a young man whose identity changed after encountering God
    • How Christians can live in the world without being shaped by it
    • Why time, money, conversation, and affection can reveal what we worship
    • How even good or religious things can become substitutes for Christ
    • Why Paul’s sermon in Athens should not be judged simply by the number of people who responded