Programming Note: This week, we're replaying one of our favorite episodes from the past. We'll be back next week with a brand new episode. “It was a dark and stormy night…” As we begin part five of our “Here’s Your Sign” series, a moment of life-or-death peril at sea meets one of history’s most fantastic miracles. Starting with what Jesus Said about fear in Luke 12:4-7 , we try to understand the times we pass through the waters. Weekly Challenge: Memorize a powerful verse to help you overcome fe...
Feb 11, 2021•29 min
Believe and Build Your Faith How do you decide what to believe? Is there any place for doubt in the Christian’s life? And what can we do when we find our faith mingled with a touch of unbelief? This week we begin looking at FAITH, one of the marks of the Master we seek to imitate in our Cross Training to be like him. In this week’s Like the Master story, we imagine the incredulous tone of Jesus’ voice as he repeats three words from a frightened man. Then we give our Favorite Things for helping b...
Feb 04, 2021•33 min•Ep. 96
Build Meaningful Connections Relationships … amiright?!? Even our closest friendships can take time and effort, yet Jesus leads us into all the “messiness” that comes with befriending, serving, and leading others closer to him. This week we focus on a fourth dimension of discipleship: COMMUNITY, identifying four Heavy Words that are essential for Christlike connections with people. We also learn why Jesus’ mission is the opposite of the United States Marines and why curiosity is a key to friends...
Jan 28, 2021•37 min•Ep. 95
Just Do It! "Aaand … ACTION!" In the last two episodes we talked about the importance of the truth and the heart, but a third dimension of discipleship is action — letting the Lord’s example shape our behavior. We revisit two iconic stories: First we learn from Jesus washing the disciple’s feet. Then, Abraham receives a shocking test in a segment we call Here’s the Story. As we see Jesus on his knees and Isaac on an altar, we recognize our own responsibility to do likewise, serving others and of...
Jan 21, 2021•42 min•Ep. 94
Rewrite Your Heart How do we learn to love what the Lord loves? This week, we're looking at another dimension of discipleship — "Heart" — as we continue our Cross Training. In this episode's Like the Master story, Jesus stresses out his parents and Bryan takes a lesson from a mouthy robot. And in a Psalm 16 edition of Poetry in Motion, we find our refuge, our portion, and our hope in a prophecy of Christ's resurrection. The Big Idea: All the stuff of your life flows from your heart. Weekly Chall...
Jan 14, 2021•43 min•Ep. 93
Shape Your Thinking with Truth Happy New Year! This week, we’re excited to start doing some “Cross Training.” Throughout this year, we’ll explore what it means to do the hard work of crucifying ourselves so that Christ can live in us. But the start of discipleship is listening to the teacher and learning to think like him. So in this episode, we talk about how a knowledge of truth changes us, and how to keep learning and growing in it. Hope you’ll start the journey with us, here in week one! The...
Jan 07, 2021•34 min•Ep. 92
Watch This Introduction Happy New Year everyone! Now that our Into the Book reading plan is over, what's next? Today, we're excited to share our plans for 2021! We're calling it Cross Training — a yearlong discipleship development series for believers of all ages and spiritual maturity levels. We want to become fully trained — cross trained — by the Master Teacher himself (Luke 6:40). To do that, each week we'll focus on four different Dimensions of Discipleship : Truth — The Lord's teachings sh...
Jan 01, 2021•2 min
Close the Year with Reflection We made it! Congratulations on persevering through 2020 — especially to those of you who read through the New Testament with us. This week we talk about the Bible’s spectacular ending — its symmetry, grace, and, well, finality. We also look back at a few of our Favorite Things in 2020, reflecting on what helped us grow in the Lord this year. May God bless you in this new year. “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.” (Rev. 22:21). The Big Idea: Consistent s...
Dec 31, 2020•41 min•Ep. 91
Push Towards the Finish Line What kind of year has it been? This week, as we draw to the close of the year, we also near the end of reading through the New Testament. And these strange pictures in Revelation seem as good a backdrop as any to reflect on lessons from this strange year. So we’re Finding Jesus in Revelation 13-17 and talking about weakness, instability, grit, and a God who cares. Join us for a listen! The Big Idea: God’s judgment comes from his goodness, love, and justice. Weekly Ch...
Dec 24, 2020•41 min•Ep. 90
Programming Note: This week, we're replaying one of our favorite episodes from the past. We'll be back next week with a brand new episode. Prepare for Spiritual Warfare This week, we’re going to war! What does spiritual warfare look like? What is the “_armor of God_” (Eph. 6:10-18) all about? And who is the real enemy? And as we discuss Ephesians 2-6, we find a challenging standard for maturity and a stabilizing love in Christ. Then we talk about sleeping and submitting in an Ephesians 5 edition...
Dec 17, 2020•42 min
Be Amazed at the Heavenly Vision This week, John’s vision leads us through a door and into God’s spectacular throne room. Revelation helps us understand how we’ll celebrate in heaven and how the Lord sees congregations. As we go Finding Jesus, we learn that the lion is the lamb, and the lamb is the shepherd. Then we dive into Christ’s letters to the churches with some “Deeep Thoughts.” What does it have to do with Twilight Zone, Chuck Norris, and Jeff Bezos? You’ll have to listen to find out! Th...
Dec 10, 2020•42 min•Ep. 89
Put the Lord First Always What do we learn about idolatry from WALL-E, Andy Griffith, and John Calvin? This week we take a look at our idols, acknowledging the many ways we can elevate other things and downgrade the One True God. As usual, we start the episode by Finding Jesus in this week’s reading , discovering the “Anti” Anti-Christ and learning how Jesus the opposite of the Wizard of Oz. And in our Scripture du Jour, Bryan enrolls us in “Symbols 101” as Jesus explains how to interpret the bo...
Dec 03, 2020•44 min•Ep. 88
Be Confident in Uncertain Times What do Craftsmen Tools and the Phantom Menace have to do with our confidence in Christ? With all the uncertainty around us, it seems like the perfect time to focus on what we can KNOW from the book of 1 John. Why does healing require honesty and why does prayer require give and take? This week’s reading in Hebrews 13 and 1 John 1-4 shows us how to deal with misplaced guilt and fear, how to confidently pray, and how what we love defines our stability. The Big Idea...
Nov 26, 2020•45 min•Ep. 87
Walk with Faith and Integrity This week, in a Psalm 15 edition of Poetry in Motion, we learn that God wants to host people in his home, but not everyone can enter. We discuss how the tabernacle is like LEGOs, character is like a key card, and seeking God is like dating (it made sense when we said it!). Plus, we answer questions like: Does God really want us to despise “vile” people? Is it wrong to do good things because we want the reward? And how can we say, “All is well,” when our circumstance...
Nov 19, 2020•39 min•Ep. 86
Overcome Your Spiritual Struggles Where are your spiritual “growing pains”? This week, we had a frank conversation about some of the difficulties that have threatened to pull us off course spiritually. From the magnetic pull of the comfortable to the isolation of feeling you’re on your own, there are so many ways to get discouraged and stop growing. Our current reading in Hebrews 3-7 exhorts a group of Christians to keep growing and keep holding onto the Lord. Join us as we dive into the Scriptu...
Nov 12, 2020•47 min•Ep. 85
Honor God’s Incredible Son What is your defining metaphor for life? What does it tell you about Jesus that as he hung on the cross, he put plans in place for a trusted disciple to look after his mom? And how is hidden love like winking at a girl in the dark? This week we go Finding Jesus in our weekly reading from the Into the Book reading plan — John 19-21 and Hebrews 1-2. Then we share 4 Proverbs that give a Better Way. Join us for a listen, and as always, don’t hesitate to contact us with top...
Nov 05, 2020•41 min•Ep. 84
Connect with Christ Have you ever asked, “Why did God make me?” This week, we discuss our purpose, our relationships, and the source of all our accomplishments, drawing from this week’s readings in John 14-18. What’s the difference between a servant and a friend, and why does Jesus call his disciples friends? And what kind of friendship with one another does that call us into? Plus, we look at a story where Jesus literally knocks an army down with two words, and we share a few of our Favorite Th...
Oct 30, 2020•44 min•Ep. 83
Programming Note: This week, we're replaying one of our favorite episodes from the past. We'll be back next week with a brand new episode. Believe in Jesus’ Power to Raise the Dead We have big questions on our minds, as death looms over this week’s passages. Questions like: How can we put God in a box, even when we trust him in the big stuff? Does the famously brief verse, “Jesus wept,” display Christ’s humanity or his deity? And Jesus Said he holds the keys to Hades in Revelation 1:17-18, but w...
Oct 22, 2020•31 min
Find Satisfaction in Salvation Is it ever okay to judge someone? How do rivers of living waters flow from believers’ hearts? And what does Jesus mean when he talks about eating his flesh? This week, we’re taking on some challenging questions from our reading . We also ask how Jesus can honor the Sabbath, yet never take a day off, and why doing God’s will is the food that sustained Jesus — and can sustain us. All of that plus plenty of nerdy talk about the Feast of Booths, Alfred Hitchcock, and h...
Oct 15, 2020•47 min•Ep. 82
Be Born … Again What does it mean to be “born again”? This week, as we begin reading the gospel of John, we’re thinking about grace, the new birth, and...well, food. We consider how grace is like a stack of pancakes, how bread crumbs lead us forward, and how the Lord’s wine tastes the best (and what that should tell us about everything else he does!). And we dive into the Bible’s most famous verse, John 3:16, and remember what God wants us to do in the world. The Big Idea: Our transformation is ...
Oct 08, 2020•45 min•Ep. 81
Have No Fear How are our lives restored like Japanese vases? And how do our responses to fear and desire reveal our beliefs? This week, a Psalm 14 edition of Poetry in Motion reveals the hope and helplessness of humanity. We find an antidote to anxiety and learn what God says about conspiracy theories as we go Finding Jesus in this week’s reading . And along the way, we learn about Ryan’s awful eyesight, Bryan’s fear of snakes, and God’s exit row, escape hatch. Hope you’ll join us! The Big Idea:...
Oct 01, 2020•37 min•Ep. 80
Run From Loving the World What do you love? This week we look at some of the objects of affection the Bible directs us away from, and which ones it points us toward . Along the way we talk about the Borg and Big Ten Football, long distance relationships and kids finally cleaning their rooms. Today’s Scripture du Jour (1 Peter 1) holds up a mirror. And we find encouragement in some fundamentals of the faith when we go Finding Jesus in this week’s reading , 2 Timothy 2-4 and 1 Peter 1-2. The Big I...
Sep 24, 2020•44 min•Ep. 79
I Mean It! What do you consider the most “essential workers” on the planet today? This week we set our sites on understanding what Paul says about overseers (1 Timothy 3). What does church leadership look like, and what’s the point of all those qualifications? We also learned some stuff about money from our Scripture du Jour (1 Timothy 6) — both the good and the bad. And we kick things off with Christ’s “good confession” and some reflections on the reason we can happily suffer, in our Finding Je...
Sep 17, 2020•45 min•Ep. 78
Be Sound in the Faith What does it mean to be “sound”? This week we consider what spiritual health and wellness requires, when we look at an important Heavy Word. We ask, “what is the goal of a Bible class?” and “what’s the point of church discipline?” And we go Finding Jesus in this week’s reading — which points to a common need we share with all humanity. The Big Idea: Teaching that is faithful to the Word of Christ brings spiritual wellness. Weekly Challenge: Think about Jesus’ standard this ...
Sep 10, 2020•44 min•Ep. 77
Prepare for Spiritual Warfare This week, we’re going to war! What does spiritual warfare look like? What is the “ armor of God ” (Eph. 6:10-18) all about? And who is the real enemy? And as we discuss Ephesians 2-6, we find a challenging standard for maturity and a stabilizing love in Christ. Then we talk about sleeping and submitting in an Ephesians 5 edition of Scripture du Jour. And by the way, “Ephesians Week” is as good a time as any to start reading the New Testament with us , just one chap...
Sep 03, 2020•42 min•Ep. 76
Programming Note: This week, we're replaying one of our favorite episodes from the past. We'll be back next week with a brand new episode. Learn to Intercede for Others This week a listener question about “interceding for others” raises lots of other questions for us. Like, how does it change us when we pray for our families, our enemies, and even strangers? When is it an empty gesture to say, “you’re in our thoughts and prayers”? And where do we get started, when everyone needs our prayers? Bry...
Aug 27, 2020•35 min
Set Your Minds on Things Above This week we’re thinking about thinking (about thinking?), considering, “How do we set our minds above when we’re stuck in life below?” If thoughts are like TV shows in our minds, who has the remote, and how do we change the channel? We’re in Colossians and Philemon this week in the Into the Book Bible reading plan , where we also discover insights about struggling in prayer, quarterbacking conversations, and Finding Jesus in our bosses. Join us for a listen, and f...
Aug 20, 2020•45 min•Ep. 75
Climb the Ladder of Prayer Ever feel like the cartoon cloud above your head follows you everywhere you go? (Maybe that cloud should be renamed “2020”!) What kind of prayer can meet us in our loneliest, most frustrated times? In a Psalm 13 edition of Poetry in Motion, we learn how David escaped his lowest lows to rejoice in the Lord. We’re also Finding Jesus in strangers, and finding him in Total Command! Then in the Scripture du Jour, we hear Christ’s cry of lament and consider the crazy miracle...
Aug 13, 2020•39 min•Ep. 74
Learn From the Lord’s Enemies The Pharisees weren’t cartoon villains, they were real people known for taking their religion seriously — yet the Lord’s rebukes have made them infamous. And if we don’t take his warnings seriously, we can become the second coming of the Pharisees! So, this week we share some Deeep Thoughts, asking, “Is there a little bit of Pharisee in me?” We also Find Jesus slaying trees and spinning riddles in this week’s reading , Matthew 19-23. And, we learn what it means to b...
Aug 06, 2020•42 min•Ep. 73
Find Where Heaven and Earth Meet Who doesn’t love a good story? This week, we’re mixing it up with a new segment called “Here’s the Story,” imagining together what it must have been like to see Jesus transfigured. As usual, we kick things off by Finding Jesus. This week we find him out among the “missing 1%” but also “where two or three are gathered” in his name. In our Scripture du Jour, we learn how “little-faith” keeps us stuck in anxiety, panic, and fear. And we see Jesus’ wisdom in not givi...
Jul 30, 2020•45 min•Ep. 72
