Planting Apple Trees on the Clock

What would you say to the next generation if you knew your time on earth was running out?

In this episode of Pastor’s Corner, Pastor Tom Roepke joins Heartfelt Mornings hosts Burch and Lisa to unpack a deeply moving, urgent perspective on life, family, and cultural stewardship inspired by a recent address from former U.S. Senator Ben Sasse.

Speaking at the Manhattan Institute while facing a terminal cancer diagnosis, Sasse chose to look past Washington politics and target the true battleground of our era: the human soul and the local family table.

Join us as we explore what it means to live “on the clock” with a robust biblical worldview. We live in the most abundant era in human history, yet our culture is drowning in digital anxiety, gluttony, and grievance. How do we fight back? By cultivating true biblical virtue, practicing “Tech Sabbaths,” and choosing the slow, local, inconvenient work of discipleship.

We ground this life-overview in two foundational scripture passages:

📖 Mark 8:36–37 – The danger of gaining the world but forfeiting the soul. 

📖 Deuteronomy 6:6–7 – God’s local, relational design for family discipleship.

No matter what the future holds, our times are in God’s sovereign hands. It’s time to roll up our sleeves, put down our screens, and plant our “apple trees” today.

🔗 RESOURCES MENTIONED: To read or watch Ben Sasse’s full, profound address, visit the Manhattan Institute webpage: https://www.city-journal.org/article/ben-sasse-manhattan-institute-americans-habits

Watch it on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzziAtD94rA