The opening of Hebrews tells us about the difference between Old Testament revelation and the revelation of Jesus Christ. The Old Covenant was the ponderous War and Peace, but the New Covenant is the shortest of short stories - and one delivered not by a long series of human prophets, but by the Son of God himself. We look at what that means for us today, in terms of our urgency to live as faithful people. We consider practical things we can do to more fully live our faith today - to live a radi...
May 26, 2024•21 min•Ep. 169
There is tremendous conflict in the Christian Church in the U.S. and in the world today. We look at a letter called 3 John, the shortest book in the New Testament, by number of words, and we get a glimpse of conflict in the very early Church. We see that even at the very beginning of the Church, conflict like we have today arose. In the letter, we see a man named Diotrephes who is apparently the source of conflict, a man who, because of his anger and his impatience, is imitating evil. We look at...
May 19, 2024•20 min•Ep. 168
The Didache is an Ancient Greek document that perhaps should have made its way into our Bible - but it didn't. It could have been written as early as the year 50 A.D., and it might have been source material for one or more Gospel. It was long lost - until it was rediscovered in the late 1800's. We look at its content: the Didache (the "Teaching") tells us about the Way of Life and the Way of Death, as well as how to organize and maintain a healthy church. It is tightly written and easy to read. ...
May 12, 2024•21 min•Ep. 167
We return to the Book of Acts, and to a man who I spoke with, a man who was about to find out if he had cancer. We look at a very powerful theme in the Book, but something that is often overlooked: our ability, if we accept the gift, to be baptized with the Holy Spirit. We see what it did, not just to the Apostles and to Paul, but to ordinary volunteers who worked with the Great Evangelists. We learn how our lives can be radically changed.
May 05, 2024•22 min•Ep. 166
We study the Torah - and consider the often talked about issue of it teaming with ridiculous laws, such as not being allowed to wear clothing made of two different materials, like linen and wool. In truth, we discover some very demanding - but valuable - laws, ones that push us way beyond the norms of our nation. We see what it means to put some real teeth in the two great commandments of Jesus, to love God with all our hearts, minds, and souls, and to love our neighbor accordingly....
Apr 28, 2024•20 min•Ep. 165
I recently met a man who was confronting a potentially terrifying biopsy result, but who knew that the Spirit was more powerful than any cancer. We consider the often-forgotten Holy Spirit, whom very few Christians fully appreciate. We look at the Spirit from the perspective of the Book of Acts. We see how the spread of the faith from Jerusalem outward to almost the entire known world - the amazing spread of the faith to the Gentiles - was orchestrated not by the Apostles, not by Paul, but by th...
Apr 21, 2024•21 min•Ep. 164
Tyrian purple dye, which was, in truth, purple snail snot, was extraordinarily valuable in the ancient world - worth three times its weight in gold, at a time when gold was extremely rare. We look at our possessions today, things we highly value, and we ask: will they be the purple snail snot of the future? And what about that other incredible valuable item, given to us by God...?
Apr 14, 2024•21 min•Ep. 162
I once spoke with a woman who had been through at least three major medical journeys. She felt a constant pull between Grace and fear in her life. She desperately need Grace to win the battle within her. We look at one way that has been used to categorize Grace: Prevenient, Justifying, and Sanctifying Grace. Our goal isn't to memorize any particular way to structure the overall notion of Grace. We want to understand what Grace does within us and how it impacts our lives.
Apr 07, 2024•20 min•Ep. 161
A common complaint against the Bible, in particular, the resurrection story, is that the intense symbolism and numerology of the Bible tells us that it is fictional, that it couldn't possibly represent reality. We look at the Easter story, at what is indeed a dramatic resurrection scene, and which introduces one of the most important phases of Jesus' ministry on Earth - and we look at God's story-writing.
Mar 31, 2024•21 min•Ep. 160
We look at Jesus as he approaches the cross and as he is crucified. He gives us two moral challenges, ones that for the world today, are incredibly important. We look at these challenges offered by a dying Messiah.
Mar 29, 2024•12 min•Ep. 163
Matthew focuses on Jesus as the Messiah promised in many Old Testament prophesies - and thus seems to be writing for Jews. Luke focuses on Jesus as a prophet, seeming to address Gentiles. We look at my Scout Master, who was blind, and who inspired me (many, many years later) to look at the Gospel of Luke and consider Jesus as our Prophet. On Palm Sunday, we see just why this is so critical to do if we truly want to understand Jesus' special relationship to us as humans.
Mar 24, 2024•19 min•Ep. 159
I once spoke with a young man whose father had been a corrupt Methodist Reverend - a man who treated young women in his congregations as prey. Before his father was exposed and arrested - when this young man was in high school - the Easter season had been his favorite time of year. We talked about the Gospel of Luke - and the long walk from Capernaum to Jerusalem. In this podcast, we look at that 106 mile long walk and what it meant for the destiny of Jesus - and to our destinies....
Mar 17, 2024•20 min•Ep. 158
We look at the sometimes confusing, and historically controversial, core Christian concept of the Trinity. We we look at how this notion of three Gods in one - but only One God - guides us toward an understanding of the three major gifts that we receive from our God. Importantly, we look at that incredible gift of Sanctification.
Mar 10, 2024•21 min•Ep. 157
We take a broad look at the three "Synoptic" Gospels, Mark, Matthew, and Luke, and how they portray Jesus as a humble, even meek spiritual Messiah. We compare this to the sometimes outspoken and vocal Jesus in the Gospel of John who declares himself to the the Light of the World. Why is Jesus so secretive about who he is in the Synoptic Gospels? What do we learn from John about the power of the Holy Spirit living within us?
Mar 03, 2024•21 min•Ep. 156
We take a sweeping look at the world of Faith and the history of Faith in the one, loving, and trustworthy God. We look at the history of the manuscripts of the Bible, from ancient oral traditions to the Dead Sea Scrolls to the written story of Jesus. We see that an astonishing, true story is told: the two phase revelation of God, first to the Chosen People, the people of the Covenant of Moses, and then, second, to us, through the life of Jesus Christ. We learn what has changed during these two ...
Feb 25, 2024•23 min•Ep. 155
We look at a ways in which people have tried to "prove" the Bible, using scientific and historical/archeological techniques, in particular, the Nazareth Inscription, a marble inscription that many say "proves" the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We consider, however, what faith truly is - and the losing battle of trying to defend our faith with science, history, and archeology. We consider just what it means to "believe" and the impact that it has on us.
Feb 18, 2024•21 min•Ep. 154
We look at a book from the Apocrypha: The Wisdom of Solomon. While some Christians consider it to be part of the Bible canon, most Protestants are unfamiliar with it. It was written during the "silent period" between Malachi and the birth of Jesus. It is beautiful, insightful, and argues that wisdom is critical for deep, true faith. We see that while faith demands wisdom, faith also leads us to greater wisdom.
Feb 11, 2024•20 min•Ep. 153
We look at the "silent period" between the words of the Prophet Malachi and the life of Jesus. In particular, we see that a few books that many Christians consider to be "apocryphal", the Maccabee books, give us tremendous insight into what was going on in Jerusalem and surrounding areas during the time of Jesus. We see Jews fighting Jews because some of them had abandoned their God and become Hellenized. We consider the New Covenant, with Jesus ordering us to love God and to love others and to ...
Feb 04, 2024•22 min•Ep. 152
We look at the Old Testament's description of the Afterlife. We find that it is somewhat different from what we read in the New Testament and from what modern Christians tend to believe. In particular, just what is Hell? We look the teachings of Jesus - and just what he says is the requirement for a joyous afterlife spent with God.
Jan 28, 2024•18 min•Ep. 150
As a teenager, I once drove through a tunnel of fire, a very brief one. We look at the use of natural phenomena, like fire, wind, water, and stars in the Bible, and how they are used to represent the power, pretense, and healing nature of God. We consider why the Bible is so rich in these metaphors - and why they are so valuable to us today, compared the ancient followers of God and Jesus.
Jan 21, 2024•21 min•Ep. 149
We look at the works of the Sages, the wise Israelite scholars who wrote for a very literate audience. But the Apostles were not educated people. At one point, Jesus realizes that since he is about to be gone, and the Apostles will be on their own to spread his Word, it is time to be straightforward and blunt with them. He conveys a message in simple terms that the Apostles must always remember - and that we must always remember.
Jan 14, 2024•18 min•Ep. 151
We look at the God of the Old Testament and the God of the New Testament, and ask the question: Is this truly the same God? One seems violent and vindictive. The other preaches love and peace and total forgiveness. How do we resolve this seeming conflict? We discover that it is the same God - but God has different missions in the two Testaments.
Jan 07, 2024•24 min•Ep. 148
Recently, I spoke with a young woman who had survived kidney cancer and who had felt a strong connection with Psalm 16. We look at this Psalm, verse by verse, seeing what it means. We learn that there are a couple of surprises in this Psalm. We also see that Scripture, when it connects with us - and this happens through continuous reading - transforms us. We feel Christ truly within us.
Dec 31, 2023•17 min•Ep. 147
I met a man whose freshman roommate was from Uganda, and who was a Christian living under the ruthless dictatorship of Idi Amin. It was this student from Uganda who taught my friend how to truly value the freedom to sing a silly song in the dark on Christmas Eve. We also hear a beautiful rendition of Silent Night from Musiques Libre de Droit ( https://www.musiqueslibrededroit.fr/ ) from SoundCloud.com: https://soundcloud.com/boo-moo-shoo/silent-night-2 ....
Dec 24, 2023•14 min•Ep. 146
I had rats as a boy, and one day, my father inadvertantly killed one of them. The next day was Sunday, and my father was sorry that we would have to go to church - and be in front of God - before he could make things right with me. We look at the season of Advent, where we await the arrival of Jesus in our lives. We know that how we treat children, and in fact how we treat all people, gets passed on and on and on. My father showed me love and he always made things right after he had made a mista...
Dec 17, 2023•18 min•Ep. 145
The word "Trinity" does not appear anywhere in the Bible. It is a notion that has evolved over time. We look at its history. We look at an addition that was made to the Bible simply to defend the formal definition of "Trinity"! But we also look at the true depth and beauty of this notion as it is revealed in Scripture - and we consider why it is so important to move beyond arguing the semantics of a theological term.
Dec 10, 2023•20 min•Ep. 144
Wendy and I recently visited the "Cave Church" of Cairo, the St. Simon Monastery, where the great recyclers, the so-called "Garbage People" of Cairo practice their faith. We saw a vibrancy there, a joy, and a deep love for God in these incredibly hard-working, welcoming, and devoted believers. The children in particular were truly amazing. It is an intensity that we desperately need in our churches in the United States.
Dec 03, 2023•20 min•Ep. 143
In most Bible translations, there are two words that are translated from the Greek to English as the word "gift", dorea and charisma. We see that the second word means much more that simply something given without obligation or payment. We see that when we believe were are given not just gifts from God, but charismata, and these empower us to live deeply spiritual lives and empower others to do the same.
Nov 26, 2023•21 min•Ep. 142
We consider the ways in which a believer lives their life guided by God: first, with the training that we receive with Scripture, prayer, and Christian training, and second, with the occasional instruction of the Holy Spirit. We look at just how we can learn to encourage and embrace, and be inspired by, the Holy Spirit when we are at a point in our lives when we must make a decision on how to proceed in life.
Nov 19, 2023•19 min•Ep. 140
We take a second look at the miracles of Jesus, this time from the perspective of the Gospel of John. We see that he does not call them "deeds of power", as the other Gospel writers do, but rather as "signs". This tells us John's focus on the miracles - as signs that teach us theological truths about the Kingdom of God and the Messiah, Jesus.
Nov 12, 2023•20 min•Ep. 139
