In this episode of Deeper in the Red — the podcast companion to our men's Bible study, Operating in the Red — Gene and James kick off the summer season with five practical Proverbs every man can commit to memory and live out year-round.

Summer brings travel, vacations, and busy schedules that can pull us away from the vine. This conversation is about staying rooted no matter where life takes you. We unpack five short, powerful verses and the real-world wisdom behind them:

• Proverbs 1:7 — Why the fear of the Lord is the foundation of all true knowledge
• Proverbs 4:23 — Guarding your heart, because everything you do flows from it
• Proverbs 27:17 — How iron sharpens iron through godly friendship and friction
• Proverbs 12:11 — Diligent work vs. chasing fantasies, and what "working your land" really means
• Proverbs 16:18 — Pride goes before destruction, and how to fight it with humility
• Proverbs 18:21 — The tongue holds the power of life and death

Along the way we get into the difference between God being disappointed in us versus hurt for us, why there's no condemnation in Christ, the trap of shame from the enemy, and a practical challenge to speak life into five people this week.

This week's challenge — say these to 5 different people:

1. "I believe in you."
2. "I'm proud of who you're becoming."
3. "You're not alone in this."
4. "I was wrong — please forgive me."
5. "Let's build something meaningful together."

Grab a Bible, take some notes, and join us as we dig into God's Word together.

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In this special Easter edition, hosts James Durham and Gene Thompson take a deeper look at what's often covered only at a surface level during Holy Week — the seven final statements of Jesus Christ from the cross. Drawing from that morning's Operating in the Red Bible study, James and Gene walk through each statement with honesty, personal reflection, and a genuine desire to go beyond the highlight reel of Easter Sunday.

From the radical forgiveness of Luke 23:34, to the promise made to the thief on the cross, to the gut-wrenching cry of Matthew 27:46 — "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" — the guys unpack not just the theology, but what these moments mean for real life today. They tackle heavy questions: Can you lose your salvation? Is God disappointed in you when you fail? What does it really mean that it is finished?

This episode is raw, personal, and full of the kind of conversation that happens when two guys who don't have it all figured out decide to go deeper anyway — and that's exactly the point.

Happy Easter. He is risen.