The quickest way to someone's heart is through their stomach. This is certainly true of the large crowd that were fed by Jesus many years ago. After a fine meal, they wanted to make him a king. Matt and Merry talk about why so many people ended up hiding in the desert so many years ago, what they thought of their political leaders, and why they wanted to make a change. Along the way, they also share some stories of the best meals they've ever had.
Oct 05, 2020•41 min•Ep. 131
Pr. Matt and Merry talk about feeling normal again, trips to target, the chaos of shopping for kids clothes, and current events. They talk about what "liberty and justice for all" means for us today, especially in light of death of the Breonna Taylor. They also chat about God being a God of liberty and justice. and talk about the day Jesus discovered this when a woman asked for help with her daughter.
Sep 28, 2020•46 min•Ep. 130
Pr. Matt and Merry chat about books and stories that didn't make it into the Bible. This time, they look at a 2nd century book called The Acts of John. An exciting book, there are more resurrections than you can count, a tale of self castration, a love triangle between two men and a dead woman, and bedbugs that obey John's command. And the reason this one didn't it into the Bible is?.....
Sep 24, 2020•29 min•Ep. 128
Every time we make plans, life laughs in our faces. You may even have heard it said, "no plan survives first contact with the enemy." Pr. Matt and Merry talk about that today. They chat about times in their lives when they made the best plans but had to adjust when life happened. Pr. Matt talks about coaching a JV soccer team, and Merry recalls an embarrassing moment teaching in China. They then tell the story of the first few days of the community Jesus, Peter, and crew set up. It started as a ...
Sep 21, 2020•44 min•Ep. 128
Pr. Matt and Merry kick-off their series called Life on the Water. In the series opener, they chat about when they felt normal for the first time in 2020...a week filled with football and golf. They then chat about this week's story about the time Jesus met Peter on the shore of the lake in Galilee. Both embark on a brand new way of living in community in the midst of a rough time in history. Everyone is just trying to make the best of our own 2020's.
Sep 13, 2020•40 min•Ep. 127
Pr. Matt and Merry chat about a 2nd century book called The Acts of Thecla. This is a story of a woman named Thecla who claimed ownership of herself, and tried Jesus' good news of the empowerment of women in the ancient Jesus movement.
Sep 09, 2020•14 min•Ep. 126
Matt and Merry finish up their series, Cool under Fire, where they tell the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego's captivity in Babylon. God saves the trio when the king throws them into a fiery furnace. Along the way, they talk about Jeff Foxwothry's illustrious career, share some "hold my beer" moments of their own, and chat about redneck culture.
Sep 06, 2020•40 min•Ep. 124
Matt and Merry introduce a new fall series. Every other work, they will chat about a book that almost made it into the Bible, but didn't quite make the cut. Discover some cool books and whacky stories that some folk way back then held as sacred texts. This series will also challenge you, since some things Christians believe today come from these apocryphal books rather than the Bible. Entertaining, educational, fun, challenging, and most importantly, each episode comes in around 10 minutes. See ...
Sep 05, 2020•11 min•Ep. 125
Pr. Matt and Merry continue their series, Cool under Fire, with part #2. They bring up that old saying, "when life gives you lemons, make lemonade." They chat about times when folks made the best of bad situations. They then tell the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego...and also Daniel, as they try to make something good come out of being taken captive by a king. They use their talents to bring about good in the face of bad, when they interpret a king's dream for him. We discover the good ...
Aug 30, 2020•36 min•Ep. 123
Pr. Matt and Merry begin the first part of their three part series, Cool under Fire. They tell the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from the Biblical book of Daniel. These three fellows are famous for surviving a fiery furnace, but they have a back story. In this episode, we hear how these three guys were taken from their homes, exiled to a far away land, and enslaved by the king. Pr. Matt and Merry talk about losses we experience in life, and reflect on the good news this story has for ...
Aug 23, 2020•41 min•Ep. 122
Pr. Matt and Merry conclude their summer series, Out of the Wilderness, with episode four. Moses is within eyesight of the promised land. He's there, but still has a few more miles to go. He is already there, but not quite yet. Pr Matt and Merry explore those already-not-yet moments in our own lives, and explore the good news for us today.
Aug 16, 2020•32 min•Ep. 121
Pr. Matt and Merry talk about spiritual self care during the wilderness experiences we have in our lives. They continue their summer series, Out of the Wilderness, by following the ancient Israelites into the desert on their way to freedom from slavery. But they get lost along the way, and then they run out of food and water. Find out what God does for them, and the good news this has for our lives today!
Aug 09, 2020•40 min•Ep. 120
Pr. Matt and Merry continue their summer series, Out of the Wilderness. This week, they look at the story of Moses and the Red Sea. Pharaoh has released the ancient Hebrew people from slavery, but then changes his mind. His army chases them down, and traps them against the Red Sea. The only thing Moses and the people can do is pray. So they do. On the way to hearing what happens next, and the good news for us today, Pr. Matt and Merry talk about the return of baseball, last minute field goals, p...
Aug 02, 2020•39 min•Ep. 119
Matt and Merry begin their summer series, Out of the Wilderness. This week, they look at the story of God calling Moses to go to the Pharaoh and demand that he release the ancient Hebrew people from slavery. They also chat about the prevalence of something called Imposter Syndrome, and how we along with Moses may feel that God is calling the wrong person for the job. Listen in to discover what the good news is for us today.
Jul 26, 2020•39 min•Ep. 119
What is God's will for your life? And what is God calling you to do? These questions perplex a lot of folk, and these folk have given a ton of money to self-help gurus to help them answer these questions. Pr. Matt and Merry talk about our vocation as Christians and as seekers of God. After opening with a haunting rendition of 16 Tons, they chat about shift work, finding a dream job, and reflect on Jesus' story of The Good Samaritan to help us discover what God is really calling us to do with our...
Jul 18, 2020•34 min•Ep. 118
Matt and Merry talk about the Church in China. Merry also serves as this week's special guest to discuss this issue, as she is a doctor in Chinese/American diplomatic history and professor of Asian Studies at UMBC in Baltimore, MD . Dr. Meredith Oyen gives us her insights into the Church in China and ways the communist party tolerates some churches but outlaws others. Then, they discuss the parallels between house churches in China and the ancient Jesus movement in Jerusalem.
Jul 11, 2020•55 min•Ep. 117
Matt and Merry conclude their series, Wild Rides, with a look at the story in Acts about Paul being shipwrecked on an island. Along the way, they reminisce about one of their first dates when they took a tour on a pirate ship through the Inner Harbor in Baltimore. Then, they chat about what led to Paul being on a ship headed to Rome, and what happened when the ship crashed into an island. They share the good news of God's persistent love for this world.
Jul 04, 2020•40 min•Ep. 116
Matt and Merry continue their series, Wild Rides, with a look at Paul's visit to a city called Ephesus (Acts 19). In this story, Paul discovers that someone has already set up a Jesus community there. He stays a few days with them, and prays with them before he left. Just as he was praying, the Holy Spirit plops down on everyone's head, and they begin doing and saying all sorts of uplifting things for one another. Matt and Merry discuss the good news for us that God never stops speaking to us an...
Jun 27, 2020•32 min•Ep. 115
Matt and Merry talk about the story of Peter welcoming a Roman family into the Jesus movement (Acts 10). Along the way, they chat about newly arrived furniture, look at groups and out groups, share times in their lives when they felt welcomed by strangers, and reflect on Peter's acceptance of a Roman family into his community, and the good news God has through it for us today.
Jun 20, 2020•41 min•Ep. 114
Matt and Merry continue their Wild Ride series when they look at times in life when life has led us in a different direction than we thought we were headed. They reminisce about times in their own lives when they were headed to one place and found themselves in another--like an Oz museum and a wrestling match. Then, they look at the story of Philip (from Acts 6&8) as he went from premodern social worker to early church evangelist. They conclude by reflecting on the good news that no matter w...
Jun 13, 2020•31 min•Ep. 113
Matt and Merry remember some of their favorite sitcom will-they-or-won't-they moments, one's that worked and ones that didn't. They then talk about the creation story, and discuss how it is like a love story itself between God and creation. They also get their nerd on by discussion some ancient Hebrew words. And then they conclude with the good news that God is closer to us than even our breath, closer than we are to ourselves.
Jun 06, 2020•36 min•Ep. 112
Matt and Merry start a new series called Wild Rides. In their first episode, they lament the seeming demise of the 2020 football season, argue over the virtue of gator tot hot dish and other Minnesota related comfort foods, chat about their favorite amusement park rides...riding roller coasters, and discuss how wild it must have been on the day of Pentecost so many years ago when the Jesus movement restarted in Jerusalem.
May 30, 2020•42 min•Ep. 111
Matt and Merry talk about family feuds. They chat about their obsession with the hit game show, reminisce about a family feud from their youth, and discuss a conflict from the earliest days of the church.
May 24, 2020•34 min•Ep. 110
Matt and Merry celebrate the lifting of the stay-at-home order in their area (they are no longer grounded!), lament with graduates that there will still be no commencement in their honor this year, and then wax philosophical about the story of Jesus' transfiguration (a story they say is a resurrection story).
May 16, 2020•42 min•Ep. 109
Matt and Merry continue their series Ghost Stories. This week, JC appears to Peter on a lake. Along the way, they talk about the first concerts they went to, the best encores they've seen, and how excited people get to see their favorite band retake the stage. They compare this experience to Peter's reaction to seeing Jesus again, and discover the good news this story still tells us still today.
May 09, 2020•40 min•Ep. 108
Matt and Merry continue their Ghost Stories with Thomas seeing Jesus again. They chat about how hard it is to trust in what some people tell you, how hard it is to believe in God, and how God stays with us even when we simply don't buy into it. Along the way, they discuss, FOMO, the fear-of-missing-out, and give their weekly update on life in the coronavirus era.
May 02, 2020•39 min•Ep. 107
Matt and Merry continue their spring series, Ghost Stories. They talk about the story of Jesus breathing his spirit into his disciples. Along the way, they share their favorite ghost stories from years past, talk about the game pudgy bunnies, discuss the electoral college, how we know we're over the coronavirus hump, and Arthur Fonzarelli even makes an appearance. All this and more on Ghost Stories, pt 2.
Apr 25, 2020•43 min•Ep. 106
Matt and Merry open a new series called Ghost Stories about the resurrection appearances of Jesus so many years ago. This week, they discuss the story of Mary Magdalene seeing a living Jesus at his tomb. Along the way, the chat about the latest in life during the pandemic, end of the world predictions, and talk about the apocalypse. Spoiler alert...Matt believes the world has already ended, and we are now living in God's brand new creation.
Apr 18, 2020•36 min•Ep. 105
Matt and Merry walk down memory lane and share Easter memories from days of yore. They also talk about how much it stinks that Easter is cancelled this year, and how we can still celebrate it in our own homes.
Apr 10, 2020•29 min•Ep. 104
Matt and Merry tell the story of a couple finding true love when they bump into each other at a brunch buffet. Along the way, they talk about awkward first dates, life in the coronavirus era, and buying a house. They also chat about an important ritual to remember the promises God has made to us, the life we've been called to live, and the commitments we made to one another. Fry up a batch of pancakes, set one aside as the special one, and listen along as Matt and Merry tell the story of the spe...
Apr 04, 2020•42 min•Ep. 103
