Pastor Allen was a preacher in Small Town, U.S.A. Relaxing at home one evening he settled into his recliner, pushed his reading glasses up to the bridge of his nose, and reached over to his side-table for something to take his mind off of work. He could have picked up one of the magazines lying there, or a novel with a bookmark where he left off, or if all else failed the TV remote. He accidently grabbed his Bible. Normally, when worn out in the evening, all he wanted was a distraction; anything...
Jul 06, 2025•51 min•Season 2025Ep. 26
In May we completed our trek through the Sermon On the Mount Since then, I have not felt a strong direction toward bringing another series - Nancy Lopez, whom I love and trust, • suggested that we go through the Minor Prophets ◦ I’m still mulling that over • meanwhile, I’ve been sharing on Sundays my own random musing from the past week - today I’ve chosen an odd place to drop into the Scriptures • and it will require some explaining, • but I promise, the point I want to make is important...
Jun 30, 2025•15 min•Season 2025Ep. 25
The way Luke introduces John the Baptist has a familiar ring: “The word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness” (Lk. 3:2) For example: “The word of the LORD that came to Hosea, the son of Beeri” or “The word of the LORD that came to Joel, the son of Pethuel” - Luke is obviously forging a link between John and previous prophets • Jesus will soon say, John was a prophet “and more than a prophet” (v. 26) ◦ John also appears as an eccentric character • we usually focus on John’s ...
Jun 22, 2025•40 min•Season 2025Ep. 24
1 Corinthians 8:1-6 It’s not one of my favorites, but this time something happened - it was like I saw a glint of light sparkle from one of the verses • so I started digging at it ◦ I took my investigation as far as I could, ◦ but when that wasn’t enough, I consulted a biblical scholar • in a few minutes I’ll share with you what I discovered, - but first, we’ll take a brief look at this passage
Jun 15, 2025•44 min•Season 2025Ep. 23
Reading the stories of Jesus, Have you ever wished you could hear the tone of his voice? - for instance, I imagine a note of disappointment or sadness when says, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip?” • Philip was one of the first disciples to follow Jesus ◦ so he’s traveled with him as long or longer than the others ◦ if anyone should know Jesus, it’s Philip • Jesus has completed his work, and his time with his disciples is winding down ◦ now, near the end, Philip...
Jun 08, 2025•37 min•Season 2025Ep. 22
For some theologians and many believers, Paul’s letter to the Romans is the heart of the Christian faith - but what they see as the central message isn’t my favorite part • chapter 8 and this chapter speak directly to our need • that is, our connection to God and life in the Spirit ◦ then chapter 14, where we learn what living our faith looks like in practice - a natural division occurred in churches of the Roman Empire • the split occurred along both ethnic and cultural lines ◦ they consisted o...
Jun 01, 2025•53 min•Season 2025Ep. 21
Do you have a favorite psalm; for instance, Psalm 23? Whether one psalm speaks to me and another one doesn’t, - depends a lot on my mood at the time I read them • the Psalms are moody, and some of them match my mood perfectly • whenever a psalm speaks to me, it’s effect is palpable ◦ it not only gives me something to think about, ◦ but also stirs up significant feelings - the Psalms speak to our frustrations, conflicts, and heartaches • there are psalms that encourage and console • others give u...
May 25, 2025•36 min•Season 2025Ep. 20
Jesus crossed an international border looking for rest Matthew says, he “went away” and “withdrew” - he needed space where he was free from the desperate crowds • care givers have to be careful to care for themselves • otherwise burn out can take out a care giver ◦ during this brief respite, Jesus and disciples were off the clock - last thing they wanted was to hear the cry of a Gentile woman • Jesus buries his face in a newspaper or checks his cell phone ◦ seeing that he ignores her, she begins...
May 18, 2025•36 min•Season 2025Ep. 19
My grandchildren have been helping me with social media, by interpreting a slew of new acronyms Acronyms are abbreviations for phrases, titles, or names, using only the first letters of each word - for instance, USA, BTW, or RFK • acronyms look strange, initially ◦ a popular political insult is RINO: Republican In Name Only • this came to mind when reading a quote by Justin Martyr ◦ a first century philosopher who became a Christian - he quoted the part of Jesus’ Sermon we've been going over (Mt...
May 11, 2025•36 min•Season 2025Ep. 18
We’re nearing the end of Jesus’ Sermon I think we must admit, there have been surprises along the way - but it has been a journey of wonder, skirting the edges of the kingdom of God • at the same time, the Lord has exposed us, to truth that is deep and difficult • so, what does Jesus want to say to us this morning? - though he’s never one to sugarcoat the hard things, Jesus is being rather blunt, don’t you think? • maybe what we hear is a tone of voice that offends ◦ we ask, Where is God’s compa...
May 04, 2025•37 min•Season 2025Ep. 17
Before we explore what Jesus is saying in these verses, There are three issues that need to be addressed First: - belonging to a church family can sometimes be devastating • I’ve met people whose first real family was their church ◦ it became their lifeline, until one day it fractured ◦ an angry and hostile faction split the church • those on sidelines were so disillusioned, and so hurt, ◦ they never ventured into another church ◦ their church became their second destructive and dysfunctional fa...
Apr 27, 2025•53 min•Season 2025Ep. 16
Every Easter, until COVID, my dad would host a Sunrise Service (First at the Pacific Amphitheater and later the Verizon Amphitheater) And most every year he would tell the same story; this one about Mary Magdalene - you might expect people to say, “Oh no, not this story again,” ~ but instead it was, “Oh! This is one of my favorite sermons” ~ about forty years ago, a Sunrise Service was held at San Clemente High School I went because I heard Eddie Piorek was going to speak He also told the story ...
Apr 20, 2025•49 min•Season 2025Ep. 15
John 12:1-8 INTRO: I know this is Palm Sunday and I read the wrong story However, this is like an introduction to this big occasion, because Jesus came to stay in the home of his friends the day before his grand entrance - by the time he reached Bethany, his ministry was winding down ~ when we read to the end of this chapter, We come to the end of Jesus’ service to the crowds (in John’s Gospel) ~ they will hear nothing more from him, personally - in fact, this important detail of limited opportu...
Apr 13, 2025•43 min•Season 2025Ep. 14
You may hear something today you haven’t heard before So I’m going to try to make this as clear as possible - we need to consider the larger context that surrounds and informs verses 12-14 • not only the context of this chapter, but in Jesus’ entire Sermon - the first big idea is this: • the key to interpreting these verses is love • it may not look like it at first, so we jump to other verses to shed light on these ◦ but those similarities turn out to be coincidence and not real connections ◦ i...
Apr 06, 2025•37 min•Season 2025Ep. 13
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened Matthew 7:7-8 Intro: Before we explore what God has for us in these verses, We need to address a misconception about what Jesus is promising - reading these verses closely, something piqued my curiosity • in verse 7 Jesus encourages us to ask, seek, and knock • then verse 8 is a virtual repetition ...
Mar 30, 2025•41 min•Season 2025Ep. 12
Judge not, that yo be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measured you use it will be measured to you. Matthew 7:1-2 Intro: Until recently, whenever I came to this chapter I felt lost I was able to follow the continuity of Jesus’ Sermon this far, - but I was not able to see how chapter 7 fit with what came before it • I assumed that our Lord chose to add these random lessons as an afterthought ◦ but I made a mistake, and that was thinking I had come t...
Mar 23, 2025•49 min•Season 2025Ep. 11
Did you know, many Christians avoid the Sermon On the Mount? The problem is that they misread the Sermon - they think Jesus demands a perfection that is beyond us • what actually happens in the Sermon is that it empowers us ◦ we learn the way of sincerity, integrity, and mercy • whatever else it might mean to be Christian, ◦ above all, it means to be a “good person” ◦ loving, caring, helping, serving - I feel that what we go over today can’t be “just another talk” • we need to know how to get Je...
Mar 16, 2025•55 min•Season 2025Ep. 10
Jesus is explaining and extending what he had said in verse 21 “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” In scripture, the heart can have several meanings - here, it isn’t the physical organ that pumps blood through our bodies • nor is it exclusively the seat of our feelings or emotions • here the heart is the central hub of our entire inner life ◦ our perspectives, perceptions, and assumptions ◦ our thoughts, feelings, and emotions ◦ our needs, desires, and drives ◦ our motive...
Mar 09, 2025•55 min•Season 2025Ep. 9
We’re still in the Sermon On the Mount, But I’m going to begin by reading a of couple verses from Psalm 139 - this is one of the very popular Psalms • its beautiful and haunting poetry are easy for us to follow ◦ and at the same time, carries us from heights of the heavens ◦ and depths of the ocean, to the abyss of our own souls • it begins: “ O LORD, you have searched me and known me!” ◦ but then it ends: “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any...
Mar 02, 2025•38 min•Season 2025Ep. 8
This week I met with Harry Robinson – a few of you may know him He is a man of God and a visionary, and for awhile we worked together - he is also someone I love and respect • during our long, rambling conversation, Harry said something that woke me up • he said, “I’ve been finding beauty lately–everywhere” - it seems I need to be awakened to beauty • friends do this for me – though they don’t always know it ◦ maybe, I’ve been trudging through too much muck, concerned with ◦ the condition of our...
Feb 23, 2025•38 min•Season 2025Ep. 7
Jesus has given the world this incredible prayer Recited every day and prayed in almost every language, - it contains the essence of what everyone needs to say to God and ask of him • and yet, when Jesus taught this prayer to his disciples, ◦ it was in a side comment he felt needed to be included • up to this point, Jesus theme beginning in verse 1 was, "Don’t advertise your spiritual devotion and service to God" ◦ he follows this statement with three examples: charity, prayer, and fasting • the...
Feb 16, 2025•51 min•Season 2025Ep. 6
The next point of Jesus’ sermon has to do with prayer I don’t think you need me to teach you anything about prayer - one year in Russia, an orphan tried to teach me the alphabet • but she gave up on me – there was just one letter, I could not pronounce well enough to please her ◦ I couldn’t even hear the sound she was making when she said the letter • prayer isn’t like that– prayer is the native language of every child of our heavenly Father ◦ we may feel we're not doing it right, ◦ but God hear...
Feb 09, 2025•51 min•Season 2025Ep. 5
Peter and Andrew were knee-deep in Lake Galilee. A school of fish swam near shore, so they threw a net into water, dragging out whatever it collected. Jesus, walking the shore that morning, stopped and called to them. When they turned and looked at him, he said, “Follow me.” It was as if they were waiting for that moment, because they dropped everything to go with him. As Matthew tells the story, it was not long after they got the call that they were sitting on a nearby mountainside, listening t...
Feb 02, 2025•44 min•Season 2025Ep. 4
Today we reach the end of this second part of the Sermon But not until Jesus takes us all the way to end of the trail we’re on - we've been following a theme that began with Jesus saying, Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. . . . For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven (Mt. 5:17-20) • we’ve seen the heart of the Law and Prophet...
Jan 26, 2025•47 min•Season 2025Ep. 3
There’s a fateful story in the Bible that begins like this: It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king’s house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful. And David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, “Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” So David sent messengers and took her, and she came to him, and he lay with her. (2 Sam. 11:2-4)...
Jan 19, 2025•53 min•Season 2025Ep. 1
You know the directory in the mall, with the little star that reads, “You are here”? Well, let's figure out where we are in Jesus' Sermon - we’ve been through the Beatitudes • we've made the transition from Jesus’ closing remarks to his declaration that he had not come "to abolish the Law or the Prophets," • but to empower them so they do in our lives what they’re meant to do; ◦ and that is to turn human hearts toward God
Jan 12, 2025•48 min•Season 2025Ep. 1
Approaching 2025, I found myself struggling with hope for the new year - I think of myself as an optimist • for instance, Divorce equals two Christmases and two birthdays - but today's world looks grim • vicious election cycle, out of control inflation, wars, many tragedies, etc. • I have been searching for hope
Jan 05, 2025•47 min•Season 2025Ep. 101
We need to know where we are in Jesus’ Sermon Verses 17-20 are the heart of the Sermon (perhaps the heart of the entire Bible) - these verses hold the key to interpreting the rest of Sermon • unfortunately, many Christians read this passage, but don’t understand it - speculations have resulted in some big errors: • one, is that Jesus and St. Paul were not on the same page ◦ i.e., Jesus taught we’re made righteous by the Law ◦ Paul insisted we’re righteous by faith, and not works of the Law • ano...
Dec 29, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Season 2024Ep. 48
Back in the days, when I was the pastor of a sizeable church, We would celebrate Christmas with big productions. One year, when the stage was crowded with props and children, the music still ringing in our ears, I went to the microphone with my Bible in hand. As I began to speak, a girl six or seven years old, who had been sitting on a step right in front of me, stood up. She turned around, and with hands on her hips looked up at me and said, “Boring!” - Christmas is a challenge – we run through...
Dec 22, 2024•56 min•Season 2024Ep. 47
These last two Beatitudes on Jesus’ list are not easy to digest Jesus envisions a grim future for us – and if so, - we’re expected not only to survive it, but to rejoice and be glad • John Chapman was the Abbot of a monastery in Britain • he was also a spiritual director to others, especially through letter writing ◦ one man who wrote to him, wanted his insight as to ◦ how he could extricate himself from a painful situation Chapman, “I cannot possibly show you a way out . . . . [what you have is...
Dec 17, 2024•52 min•Season 224Ep. 46
