Grief, Family, and God's Grace - 1 Chronicles 7:1 – 8:40 | July 9, 2026
Release Date: 07/09/2026
Wages vs. Gift: How Grace Justifies the Ungodly - Romans 4:1-12 | July 17, 2026
One Single Story
Welcome to today's edition of One Single Story! Pastor Stephen Mizell and Pastor Jay Rivenbark are joined by Pastor Alyssa Bream for a rich conversation in Romans 4:1-12, exploring the difference between wages and gifts, and what it means to be justified by faith rather than works. Scripture Focus: Romans 4:1-12 - Paul defends the doctrine of justification by faith, using Abraham as his central example. He shows that Abraham was credited righteousness through faith before he was circumcised, proving that God's grace has never depended on religious ritual or performance, for Jew or Gentile...
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Justification by Faith: How Grace Levels the Playing Field - Romans 3:9-31 | July 16, 2026
One Single Story
Join Pastor Stephen Mizell, Pastor Jay Rivenbark, and Pastor Alyssa Bream for today's conversation through Romans 3:9-31, one of the most pivotal passages in all of Scripture. As Romans turns from exposing human sinfulness to declaring the way of justification, this episode unpacks what it means that righteousness comes not through the law, but through faith in Jesus Christ. Scripture Focus: Romans 3:9-31 - Paul builds his case that all people, Jew and Gentile alike, stand guilty before God, then reveals the solution: justification by faith apart from the works of the law. This passage is...
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Circumcision of the Heart, Assurance, and God's Faithfulness - Romans 2:25 –3:8 | July 15, 2026
One Single Story
Welcome back to One Single Story! Join Pastor Stephen Mizell, Pastor Jay Rivenbark, and Pastor Alyssa Bream as they dig into Romans 2:25 through 3:8, wrestling with what it really means to belong to God — is it about outward religious markers, or a genuine transformation of the heart? This episode tackles heart transformation versus behavior modification, the assurance of our relationship with God, and the philosophical puzzle of whether our sin somehow gives God more glory. Scripture Focus: Romans 2:25-3:8 - Paul confronts the Jewish reliance on circumcision as a badge of identity,...
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Why We Judge Others to Justify Our Own Sin - Romans 2:1-24 | July 14, 2026
One Single Story
Pastor Stephen Mizell, Pastor Jay Rivenbark, and Pastor Alyssa Bream open Romans 2, exploring why we judge others' sins to excuse our own, how God's patience is meant to lead us to repentance, and how our hypocrisy shapes the world's view of God. Scripture Focus: Romans 2:1-24 - Paul confronts the self-righteous, warning that knowing the law doesn't exempt anyone from its standard. In This Episode: Why we deflect from our own sin by pointing at others "Big rock" sins vs. quieter internal sins like pride and envy Mistaking God's patience for approval How hypocrisy in leaders damages God's...
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When Truth Gets Suppressed - Romans 1:18-32 | July 13, 2026
One Single Story
Welcome to another episode of One Single Story! Host Pastor Stephen Mizell and Pastor Jay Rivenbark are joined by Pastor Alyssa Bream for a thought-provoking discussion on Romans 1:18-32, exploring what it means to suppress the truth of God and the subtle ways we trade the Creator's glory for idols of our own making. Scripture Focus: Romans 1:18-32 - Paul lays the theological foundation for the book of Romans with a sobering indictment of human sin. In this passage, he explains how people willfully suppress the truth about God despite creation making His existence obvious, and describes...
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Unseen Servants - 1 Chronicles 9:1 – 10:14 | July 10, 2026
One Single Story
Join Pastor Stephen Mizell, Pastor Jay Rivenbark, and Pastor Wendy Korbusieski as they close out this week's conversation on 1 Chronicles 9 and 10. Together they unpack the quiet, unseen work of gatekeepers and doorkeepers in God's house, the tragic downfall of King Saul, and how God uses painful leadership transitions to make room for what He wants to do next. Scripture Focus: 1 Chronicles 9:1 – 10:14 - This passage closes out the genealogical prologue of Chronicles, highlighting the temple gatekeepers who guarded access to God's house and the various servants who supported temple...
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Grief, Family, and God's Grace - 1 Chronicles 7:1 – 8:40 | July 9, 2026
One Single Story
Join Pastor Stephen Mizell, Pastor Jay Rivenbark, and Pastor Wendy Korbusieski for today's edition of One Single Story as they walk through 1 Chronicles 7-8. In this raw and honest conversation, the hosts explore grief and mourning, the complexity of family dynamics, God's covenant faithfulness in the middle of human brokenness, and how different gifts and strengths work together to build up the local church. Scripture Focus: 1 Chronicles 7:1 – 8:40 - These chapters trace the genealogies of Issachar, Benjamin, Naphtali, Manasseh, Ephraim, and Asher, pausing to record Ephraim's grief over...
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Worship Comes First - 1 Chronicles 5:18–6:81 | July 8, 2026
One Single Story
Welcome to today's edition of One Single Story. Pastor Stephen Mizell and Pastor Jay Rivenbark are joined by Pastor Wendy Korbusieski for a conversation about short-term faithfulness, why worship must be the centerpiece of church culture, and why the Levites never received a plot of land of their own. Scripture Focus: 1 Chronicles 5:18-6:81 - This passage covers the military victories of the eastern tribes before pivoting to their eventual exile due to spiritual adultery, then shifts into a detailed account of the tribe of Levi, mapping out the priests, temple musicians, and cities allocated...
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The Danger of Settling: Reuben, Jabez, and God's Promises - 1 Chronicles 4:5–5:17 | July 7, 2026
One Single Story
Pastor Stephen Mizell and Pastor Jay Rivenbark are joined by Pastor Wendy Korbusieski for a conversation through 1 Chronicles 4-5, exploring the line between godly ambition and worldly greed, and the quiet danger of settling for what's comfortable. Scripture Focus: 1 Chronicles 4:5–5:17 - Jabez's famous prayer, Reuben's forfeited birthright, and the eastern tribes' choice to settle short of the Promised Land. In This Episode: Reuben's costly choice and its ripple effect on future generations Jabez and why our pain never limits what God can do Discerning godly expansion from worldly...
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Genealogies, Identity, and the Promise of the King - 1 Chronicles 2:18–4:4 | July 6, 2026
One Single Story
Welcome to One Single Story. Pastor Stephen Mizell and Pastor Jay Rivenbark are joined by Pastor Wendy Korbusieski. Today we're in 1 Chronicles 2:18-4:4 — a passage full of genealogies. These family records mattered deeply to Israel. This community had just returned from seventy years in Babylonian exile. They were broken, displaced, and asking: do we still belong to the promise? Genealogies answered that. They established identity, settled land claims, and determined who could serve in the priesthood. But there's a deeper lesson here too. Freedom from exile wasn't enough on its own —...
info_outlineJoin Pastor Stephen Mizell, Pastor Jay Rivenbark, and Pastor Wendy Korbusieski for today's edition of One Single Story as they walk through 1 Chronicles 7-8. In this raw and honest conversation, the hosts explore grief and mourning, the complexity of family dynamics, God's covenant faithfulness in the middle of human brokenness, and how different gifts and strengths work together to build up the local church.
Scripture Focus: 1 Chronicles 7:1 – 8:40 - These chapters trace the genealogies of Issachar, Benjamin, Naphtali, Manasseh, Ephraim, and Asher, pausing to record Ephraim's grief over his slain sons before turning to a detailed focus on the tribe of Benjamin, including the line that leads to King Saul.
In This Episode:
- Why God pauses a genealogical record to include Ephraim's raw grief over his sons
- The complexity of family dynamics when children from the same home turn out very differently
- A personal, present-day story of grief and the tension of showing up for a grieving friend
- Why grieving the loss of a child or grandchild is uniquely heavy for parents
- How God's meticulous preservation of Benjamin's line, despite Saul's failure, reveals His grace toward broken legacies
- The difference between God's commitment to us and our commitment to Him
- How the distinct strengths of the tribes picture the way spiritual gifts should work together in the local church
- The call to identify, empower, and release people into their God-given gifts
Key Quote: "Let God handle the broken pieces of your legacy. His grace is busy working in your future while you're busy processing your past."
About One Single Story: One Single Story is a weekday podcast offering a brief, honest conversation around a section of that day's reading in the One Year Bible. Each episode invites listeners to open their Bible, grab a pen and paper, and dig into the Word of God together, one single story at a time.
This episode is brought to you by Open Door Church in Edenton, North Carolina. Learn more and connect with the church at visitopendoor.com, and find more episodes and resources at onesinglestory.com.
Subscribe to One Single Story so you never miss a daily conversation around God's Word. New episodes release each weekday to walk alongside your One Year Bible reading plan.
Coming This Week: Stay tuned as the hosts continue through the Old Testament narrative, uncovering more raw, real, and redemptive stories tucked inside Scripture's genealogies and history books.
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