Right Start Radio With Pastor Jim Custer

That snake is still lying to us about what is good. We've been studying the goodness of God, but we'll never understand it if we take the devil's definition of "good." There are people today who say it was Satan who told Eve the truth - despite the disastrous consequences of the Fall that we can see all around us. What was God's intention in allowing humans to sin? How can that possibly be "good?" Again we'll open the program with a skit, to illustrate a point. Listen to Right Start Radio every Monday through Friday on WCVX 1160AM (Cincinnati, OH) at 9:30am, WHKC 91.5FM (Columbus, OH) at 5:00pm, WRFD 880AM (Columbus, OH) at 9:00am. Right Start can also be heard on One Christian Radio 107.7FM & 87.6FM in New Plymouth, New Zealand. You can purchase a copy of this message, unsegmented for broadcasting and in its entirety, for $7 on a single CD by calling +1 (800) 984-2313, and of course you can always listen online or download the message for free. RS01022026_0.mp3Scripture References: Genesis 3:22-2

Solomon wrote, "Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed speedily, the heart of the children of man is fully set to do evil." A blessed New Year and welcome to Right Start with Jim Custer, Pastor Emeritus of Grace Polaris Church in Columbus, Ohio. Our God is so kind that He gives people time to change their minds, and change their ways. But we mistake His kindness for indifference, and we use that time to descend deeper into evil. In Romans 1 and 2 we see what happens when divine patience meets human hardness. Listen to Right Start Radio every Monday through Friday on WCVX 1160AM (Cincinnati, OH) at 9:30am, WHKC 91.5FM (Columbus, OH) at 5:00pm, WRFD 880AM (Columbus, OH) at 9:00am. Right Start can also be heard on One Christian Radio 107.7FM & 87.6FM in New Plymouth, New Zealand. You can purchase a copy of this message, unsegmented for broadcasting and in its entirety, for $7 on a single CD by calling +1 (800) 984-2313, and of course you can always listen online or download the message fo

When good things happen to bad people.... Many have asked why bad things happen to good people, but we'd say they're peering into the wrong end of the telescope. When we look through the lens of the Bible we don't see any good people; only a good God actively lavishing His goodness on bad people. If that sounds like it could stir up some problems of its own, you're right. Here's Jim to fill us in. Listen to Right Start Radio every Monday through Friday on WCVX 1160AM (Cincinnati, OH) at 9:30am, WHKC 91.5FM (Columbus, OH) at 5:00pm, WRFD 880AM (Columbus, OH) at 9:00am. Right Start can also be heard on One Christian Radio 107.7FM & 87.6FM in New Plymouth, New Zealand. You can purchase a copy of this message, unsegmented for broadcasting and in its entirety, for $7 on a single CD by calling +1 (800) 984-2313, and of course you can always listen online or download the message for free. RS12312025_0.mp3Scripture References: Romans 1:32-2:11

Did the Good Teacher give the student a good lesson? The Rich Young Ruler, as we find him in Matthew 19, barely gets the greeting out of his mouth before he's challenged. And Jesus will keep challenging him until his eyes are opened. There is good, and there is Good; gold, and fool's gold; God, and idolatry. Will we do better than this fellow when the Lord confronts us about our false "goods?" Here's Jim with Part 2 of, The Only Good God. Listen to Right Start Radio every Monday through Friday on WCVX 1160AM (Cincinnati, OH) at 9:30am, WHKC 91.5FM (Columbus, OH) at 5:00pm, WRFD 880AM (Columbus, OH) at 9:00am. Right Start can also be heard on One Christian Radio 107.7FM & 87.6FM in New Plymouth, New Zealand. You can purchase a copy of this message, unsegmented for broadcasting and in its entirety, for $7 on a single CD by calling +1 (800) 984-2313, and of course you can always listen online or download the message for free. RS12302025_0.mp3Scripture References: Matthew 19:16-22

"If you know what's good for you...." It's a threat couched as advice: "If you know what's good for you, you'll take your hand out of that cookie jar right now!" But the truth is, we don't know what's good for us. And we really, really want that cookie. This is a problem for children, grownups, and even rulers. We open today's program with a skit, then Jim will tell us about The Only Good God. Listen to Right Start Radio every Monday through Friday on WCVX 1160AM (Cincinnati, OH) at 9:30am, WHKC 91.5FM (Columbus, OH) at 5:00pm, WRFD 880AM (Columbus, OH) at 9:00am. Right Start can also be heard on One Christian Radio 107.7FM & 87.6FM in New Plymouth, New Zealand. You can purchase a copy of this message, unsegmented for broadcasting and in its entirety, for $7 on a single CD by calling +1 (800) 984-2313, and of course you can always listen online or download the message for free. RS12292025_0.mp3Scripture References: Matthew 19:16-22

We can't go back to that night in Bethlehem. Can we? The divine incursion into our world is history; it's past. We can re-enact it, but we can't actually see it happen again. Or can we? Each time a man or woman (or boy or girl) is born again, isn't that a divine incursion? Isn't that a "Bethlehem event" that we can observe? Here's Jim to conclude his message, The Witness. Listen to Right Start Radio every Monday through Friday on WCVX 1160AM (Cincinnati, OH) at 9:30am, WHKC 91.5FM (Columbus, OH) at 5:00pm, WRFD 880AM (Columbus, OH) at 9:00am. Right Start can also be heard on One Christian Radio 107.7FM & 87.6FM in New Plymouth, New Zealand. You can purchase a copy of this message, unsegmented for broadcasting and in its entirety, for $7 on a single CD by calling +1 (800) 984-2313, and of course you can always listen online or download the message for free. RS12262025_0.mp3Scripture References: John 1

It was the eternity before Christmas.... That baby in the manger - you know the one - what was His name? Careful: Luke tells us He was officially named at 8 days old, at His circumcision. So what was He called that first week of His human life? Could we use John's name for Him before the world began: "The Word?" The Apostle takes us back to the beginning, and then back a little further. Listen to Right Start Radio every Monday through Friday on WCVX 1160AM (Cincinnati, OH) at 9:30am, WHKC 91.5FM (Columbus, OH) at 5:00pm, WRFD 880AM (Columbus, OH) at 9:00am. Right Start can also be heard on One Christian Radio 107.7FM & 87.6FM in New Plymouth, New Zealand. You can purchase a copy of this message, unsegmented for broadcasting and in its entirety, for $7 on a single CD by calling +1 (800) 984-2313, and of course you can always listen online or download the message for free. RS12252025_0.mp3Scripture References: John 1

To the shepherds He was a savior; to Herod He was a threat. If we take advantage of this yearly opportunity to peer into the Manger, we may see a Friend or a Foe bundled there in the swaddling clothes. It's imperative that we know His true identity, and His mission. Here's Pastor Jim with Part 2 of, The Reason for the Season. Listen to Right Start Radio every Monday through Friday on WCVX 1160AM (Cincinnati, OH) at 9:30am, WHKC 91.5FM (Columbus, OH) at 5:00pm, WRFD 880AM (Columbus, OH) at 9:00am. Right Start can also be heard on One Christian Radio 107.7FM & 87.6FM in New Plymouth, New Zealand. You can purchase a copy of this message, unsegmented for broadcasting and in its entirety, for $7 on a single CD by calling +1 (800) 984-2313, and of course you can always listen online or download the message for free. RS12242025_0.mp3Scripture References: Luke 1:30-37

There's some kind of big holiday coming up, but what are we celebrating? It often feels like the world has almost completely hollowed-out Christmas. All the tinsel and lights and food and music are still there, the package is brightly wrapped - but there's nothing inside. Of course Jesus is The Reason for the Season. And His followers are rejoicing about the Incarnation. But who exactly is this Being who has come to us... and who will come again? Listen to Right Start Radio every Monday through Friday on WCVX 1160AM (Cincinnati, OH) at 9:30am, WHKC 91.5FM (Columbus, OH) at 5:00pm, WRFD 880AM (Columbus, OH) at 9:00am. Right Start can also be heard on One Christian Radio 107.7FM & 87.6FM in New Plymouth, New Zealand. You can purchase a copy of this message, unsegmented for broadcasting and in its entirety, for $7 on a single CD by calling +1 (800) 984-2313, and of course you can always listen online or download the message for free. RS12232025_0.mp3Scripture References: Luke 1:30-37

How are you holding up? With only a few days to go until the Big One, are you exhausted yet? Stressed out? Depressed? Anxious? Frustrated? Or peaceful? If we could see things from Heaven's perspective - and that's what we're instructed to do in Colossians 3 - we would find pretty much the opposite of what the world's offering. And we would feel that "heavenly peace" that we sing about. Here's Jim with the rest of his sermon, The Mystery: Christ in You. Listen to Right Start Radio every Monday through Friday on WCVX 1160AM (Cincinnati, OH) at 9:30am, WHKC 91.5FM (Columbus, OH) at 5:00pm, WRFD 880AM (Columbus, OH) at 9:00am. Right Start can also be heard on One Christian Radio 107.7FM & 87.6FM in New Plymouth, New Zealand. You can purchase a copy of this message, unsegmented for broadcasting and in its entirety, for $7 on a single CD by calling +1 (800) 984-2313, and of course you can always listen online or download the message for free. RS12222025_0.mp3Scripture References: Colossians 1 &

It's not about Christ in the manger; the objective is Christ in you! For all those who think they can fit God into their puny, broken minds, or neatly graph His eternal plan in their seminar, we have Colossians, chapter 1. There we read that the divine strategy was a "mystery," a glorious secret, revealed only to His "holy ones." And to solve that enigma will take us all the way to death, and a new life. Listen to Right Start Radio every Monday through Friday on WCVX 1160AM (Cincinnati, OH) at 9:30am, WHKC 91.5FM (Columbus, OH) at 5:00pm, WRFD 880AM (Columbus, OH) at 9:00am. Right Start can also be heard on One Christian Radio 107.7FM & 87.6FM in New Plymouth, New Zealand. You can purchase a copy of this message, unsegmented for broadcasting and in its entirety, for $7 on a single CD by calling +1 (800) 984-2313, and of course you can always listen online or download the message for free. RS12192025_0.mp3Scripture References: Colossians 1 & 3

Today we'll look at God's baby picture. It's a paradox, isn't it? The uncreated God had no beginning, but He gave Himself a human beginning. And that's what we celebrate at Christmas. Jesus is "the image of the invisible God," a kind of living photograph to bring the Transcendent One down into the realm of our senses. And He is much more, as we began to see yesterday in the first chapter of Colossians. Let's continue there, with Pastor Jim. Listen to Right Start Radio every Monday through Friday on WCVX 1160AM (Cincinnati, OH) at 9:30am, WHKC 91.5FM (Columbus, OH) at 5:00pm, WRFD 880AM (Columbus, OH) at 9:00am. Right Start can also be heard on One Christian Radio 107.7FM & 87.6FM in New Plymouth, New Zealand. You can purchase a copy of this message, unsegmented for broadcasting and in its entirety, for $7 on a single CD by calling +1 (800) 984-2313, and of course you can always listen online or download the message for free. RS12182025_0.mp3Scripture References: Luke 2; Colossians 1:15-23

You didn't get to choose where you were born - but Jesus did! "The barn out back" wasn't Joseph's and Mary's first choice for a "birthing suite" - or their second choice, or their one-hundredth choice. To them it must have seemed like an emergency, makeshift solution. But all was going according to plan. Today Jim will help us see the Lord's birth from Heaven's perspective. Listen to Right Start Radio every Monday through Friday on WCVX 1160AM (Cincinnati, OH) at 9:30am, WHKC 91.5FM (Columbus, OH) at 5:00pm, WRFD 880AM (Columbus, OH) at 9:00am. Right Start can also be heard on One Christian Radio 107.7FM & 87.6FM in New Plymouth, New Zealand. You can purchase a copy of this message, unsegmented for broadcasting and in its entirety, for $7 on a single CD by calling +1 (800) 984-2313, and of course you can always listen online or download the message for free. RS12172025_0.mp3Scripture References: Luke 2; Colossians 1:15-23

The stronger Christian is obligated to the weaker - but doesn't the weaker one have some responsibilities, too? We've been looking at Romans 14, and "doubtful things," to use the old term, matters of individual conscience. We're going to have higher expectations of those who are more mature, but even the most fragile believer has something to do, something to offer. Listen to Right Start Radio every Monday through Friday on WCVX 1160AM (Cincinnati, OH) at 9:30am, WHKC 91.5FM (Columbus, OH) at 5:00pm, WRFD 880AM (Columbus, OH) at 9:00am. Right Start can also be heard on One Christian Radio 107.7FM & 87.6FM in New Plymouth, New Zealand. You can purchase a copy of this message, unsegmented for broadcasting and in its entirety, for $7 on a single CD by calling +1 (800) 984-2313, and of course you can always listen online or download the message for free. RS12162025_0.mp3Scripture References: Romans 14 & 15

You can't judge someone into joy. If righteousness, peace and joy are the land, sea and sky of the Kingdom of God, then what are we doing worrying about our brother's diet? Or have we forgotten which kingdom we're in? Paul writes very clearly about these things in Romans 14; the challenge is applying them to our day, and our concerns. Listen to Right Start Radio every Monday through Friday on WCVX 1160AM (Cincinnati, OH) at 9:30am, WHKC 91.5FM (Columbus, OH) at 5:00pm, WRFD 880AM (Columbus, OH) at 9:00am. Right Start can also be heard on One Christian Radio 107.7FM & 87.6FM in New Plymouth, New Zealand. You can purchase a copy of this message, unsegmented for broadcasting and in its entirety, for $7 on a single CD by calling +1 (800) 984-2313, and of course you can always listen online or download the message for free. RS12152025_0.mp3Scripture References: Romans 14 & 15

The first obstacle to Christian unity is my pride. That's a real "Dog Bites Man" headline, isn't it? Of course our pride ruins everything - but especially our ability to bond with others. And that's essential for the church to flourish, and carry out God's program. The lesson we learned in Romans 12, about not thinking of ourselves more highly than we ought to think... that'll be needed here, in chapters 14 and 15. Here's Jim to open the final sermon in our Romans series. Listen to Right Start Radio every Monday through Friday on WCVX 1160AM (Cincinnati, OH) at 9:30am, WHKC 91.5FM (Columbus, OH) at 5:00pm, WRFD 880AM (Columbus, OH) at 9:00am. Right Start can also be heard on One Christian Radio 107.7FM & 87.6FM in New Plymouth, New Zealand. You can purchase a copy of this message, unsegmented for broadcasting and in its entirety, for $7 on a single CD by calling +1 (800) 984-2313, and of course you can always listen online or download the message for free. RS12122025_0.mp3Scripture References: Ro

Are the "strong" really as strong as they think they are? When the Apostle Paul divides us into those strong in the faith, and those who are weaker, what are we to make of that? Is this a proper way to promote unity - by splitting people into categories? Or does he want us to reflect more deeply on who we are, and what is our real position relative to our spiritual relatives? It isn't the position of "critic." Here's Jim to complete his message, Tolerance that Pleases God. Listen to Right Start Radio every Monday through Friday on WCVX 1160AM (Cincinnati, OH) at 9:30am, WHKC 91.5FM (Columbus, OH) at 5:00pm, WRFD 880AM (Columbus, OH) at 9:00am. Right Start can also be heard on One Christian Radio 107.7FM & 87.6FM in New Plymouth, New Zealand. You can purchase a copy of this message, unsegmented for broadcasting and in its entirety, for $7 on a single CD by calling +1 (800) 984-2313, and of course you can always listen online or download the message for free. RS12112025_0.mp3Scripture References: Ro

There are just too many opinions these days... that's my opinion. Everyone has a point of view. In the church we even have opinions about other people's opinions - but we don't call them that. No, we have "convictions." And when other people's convictions about how to honor God conflict with our convictions, they're just wrong. Obviously. In Romans, Paul is very concerned about that attitude, because it leads to dysfunction in the Body of Christ. Listen to Right Start Radio every Monday through Friday on WCVX 1160AM (Cincinnati, OH) at 9:30am, WHKC 91.5FM (Columbus, OH) at 5:00pm, WRFD 880AM (Columbus, OH) at 9:00am. Right Start can also be heard on One Christian Radio 107.7FM & 87.6FM in New Plymouth, New Zealand. You can purchase a copy of this message, unsegmented for broadcasting and in its entirety, for $7 on a single CD by calling +1 (800) 984-2313, and of course you can always listen online or download the message for free. RS12102025_0.mp3Scripture References: Romans 14:9

What is "good?" Governor Pilate famously asked, "What is truth?" But he, and every political ruler, should also be asking every day, "What is good? How should the force of government be rightly applied?" As we're looking into Romans 12 and 13, we're finding a lot of good insights into how Christians ought to relate to the state, to society, and to our circumstances. Here's Jim with Part 2 of his message, Delivered by Deferring. Listen to Right Start Radio every Monday through Friday on WCVX 1160AM (Cincinnati, OH) at 9:30am, WHKC 91.5FM (Columbus, OH) at 5:00pm, WRFD 880AM (Columbus, OH) at 9:00am. Right Start can also be heard on One Christian Radio 107.7FM & 87.6FM in New Plymouth, New Zealand. You can purchase a copy of this message, unsegmented for broadcasting and in its entirety, for $7 on a single CD by calling +1 (800) 984-2313, and of course you can always listen online or download the message for free. RS12092025_0.mp3Scripture References: Romans 12-13

In the junkyard the meanest dog wins. But we're not in the junkyard anymore. Early in Paul's letter to the Romans we meet a different kind of God: The incorruptible Judge who does not wink at sin, but who also saves from sin. In chapter 12 we're charged with being a different kind of worshiper. We have duties not just to Heaven, but here on Earth. We'll talk about 4 of those obligations in a message called, Delivered by Deferring. Listen to Right Start Radio every Monday through Friday on WCVX 1160AM (Cincinnati, OH) at 9:30am, WHKC 91.5FM (Columbus, OH) at 5:00pm, WRFD 880AM (Columbus, OH) at 9:00am. Right Start can also be heard on One Christian Radio 107.7FM & 87.6FM in New Plymouth, New Zealand. You can purchase a copy of this message, unsegmented for broadcasting and in its entirety, for $7 on a single CD by calling +1 (800) 984-2313, and of course you can always listen online or download the message for free. RS12082025_0.mp3Scripture References: Romans 12-13