"I write these things to you so that you may not sin. If anyone sins we have an advocate with the Father--Jesus Christ, the righteous one." These words begin 1 John 2, and clearly the desire is that we avoid sin. Jesus Christ is the answer to our sin problem, and it is essential that we abide or remain in him. If you are trying to have a quiet time, getting started in a relationship with God or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place. In each episode you will liste...
Dec 31, 2020•29 min•Season 4Ep. 17
"God has come. We have heard and seen him and touched him with our own hands..." This is John's boldly audacious claim in 1 John 1, and he has more bold and striking things to say. John sticks to the truth and boils it down to the essence, which is why we're listening to him. If you are trying to have a quiet time, getting started in a relationship with God or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place. In fifteen minutes or less you will listen to God's word for you,...
Dec 20, 2020•27 min•Season 4Ep. 16
"My soul magnifies the Lord." Who said those words? What do they mean? In this special bonus episode we take a deeper look at Mary's prayer in Luke 1 and how we can pray them ourselves led by co-hosts Ron and Angela Oltmanns. If you are trying to have a quiet time, getting started in a relationship with God or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place. In this podcast you will listen to God's word for you, reflect on it and learn to pray to God as well as carry that ...
Dec 14, 2020•29 min•Season 4Ep. 15
Sin is all around us and certainly in us, even if it’s not popular to call it that. The message of Jesus Christ is one of the few to take sin seriously and the only one to deal with it effectively. James 5:7-20 shows us the key concern of this short letter and draws the major themes of the letter together so we will be active in winning people back from the way of sin. If you are trying to have a quiet time, getting started in a relationship with God or seeking guidance at this point in your lif...
Nov 23, 2020•13 min•Season 4Ep. 14
Money is like a mirror for our character. It reflects back to us what is really there. If you like what you see in the mirror, or you don’t, it’s not because of the mirror, it’s because of your own heart. James 4:11-5:6 points us back to our hearts, whether it's speaking against our brothers, judging others, or using riches to oppress others--all of these go against the law of freedom. If you are trying to have a quiet time, getting started in a relationship with God or seeking guidance at this ...
Nov 18, 2020•12 min•Season 4Ep. 13
It’s not wise to envy, but we do it anyway. The solution James gives for envy is surprising, but it shows true wisdom if we follow it. James 3:13-4:10 reveals true vs. false wisdom and also what to do about envy or jealousy that threatens to take over our life. If you are trying to have a quiet time, getting started in a relationship with God or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place. In fifteen minutes or less you will listen to God's word for you, reflect on it ...
Nov 15, 2020•12 min•Season 4Ep. 12
The tongue is a unique muscle of the body, loose and unattached at one end. James says our basic failure to control our tongue is the main cause of so much harm in the world. James 3:1-12 addresses proper speech by focusing on the tongue, and James uses many word pictures in just a few verses to teach a series of truths about our speech. If you are trying to have a quiet time, getting started in a relationship with God or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place. In...
Nov 11, 2020•11 min•Season 4Ep. 11
There’s an expression that says “Talk is cheap”, and the point is that it’s easier to say something than to do it. James would have liked that expression. James 2:14-26 focuses on the theme of faith and action, expanding on being both a hearer and a doer of God’s word. Don’t just say you believe or trust God, follow it through with action and do what he says. If you are trying to have a quiet time, getting started in a relationship with God or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're ...
Nov 08, 2020•11 min•Season 4Ep. 10
There’s a big misunderstanding that the Bible isn’t too concerned with money. The fact is, the Bible has a lot to say about money because the choices we make with money reflect what’s in our hearts. James 2:1-13 shows us our bias for the rich and God's concern for the poor while redirecting our hearts from chasing money to loving people. If you are trying to have a quiet time, getting started in a relationship with God or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place. In...
Nov 04, 2020•13 min•Season 4Ep. 9
When gifts are being given out, who doesn’t want to receive a gift?! God is the great giver of gifts and he has something special in store for you. James 1:17-27 emphasizes that God gives good gifts, and one of his great gifts is wisdom which is ours for the asking. True wisdom is shown by doing the word and not just hearing it. If you are trying to have a quiet time, getting started in a relationship with God or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place. In fifteen ...
Oct 31, 2020•13 min•Season 4Ep. 8
None of us really want to do foolish things. We want to be wise, or at least see ourselves as wise. James warns us not to be deceived and instead to ask God for wisdom, believing he will give it to us generously. If you are trying to have a quiet time, getting started in a relationship with God or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place. In fifteen minutes or less you will listen to God's word for you, reflect on it and learn to pray to God as well as carry that wo...
Oct 28, 2020•13 min•Season 4Ep. 7
Greetings may seem unimportant, but don’t be too quick to dismiss them. When you’re on the frontlines serving and missing home, a greeting from someone who cares and gives some encouragement is life-giving! Colossians 4 gives us a rare glimpse into what was happening in cities across the Roman Empire in the first century: Christ was being preached, prayers were fervently prayed as letters and gospels were written , leaving us an unmistakable picture of faith and conviction amidst hardship. If yo...
Oct 24, 2020•14 min•Season 4Ep. 6
The ethical ideal of the Christian life is not something you attain by willpower or individual effort alone. Only Christ’s power activated within a person makes the moral demands of following Christ possible. Colossians 3 takes us from the truth about what is into the everyday world of what should be, how we should live out the reality of "Christ in you." If you are trying to have a quiet time, getting started in a relationship with God or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in t...
Oct 21, 2020•13 min•Season 4Ep. 5
It’s dangerous to have a shallow faith. When life’s storms come along, that faith won’t stand. Paul and Timothy imprisoned and writing this letter knew that. Even as they praised the Colossians for having a vibrant, living faith, they encouraged and warned them about being uprooted. Colossians 2 is about being rooted in Christ, filled with his fulness of divine power, not settling for human substitutes or spiritual counterfeits. If you are trying to have a quiet time, getting started in a relati...
Oct 17, 2020•15 min•Season 4Ep. 4
Have you ever stumbled upon something of surpassing beauty, which took your breath away and humbled you at the same time? It affects you so that you can’t turn away unchanged. The hymn about Christ in Colossians 1 is a lot like that. As Paul and Timothy develop their letter they focus attention on Christ, the center not just of the Christian community but of all God's work in the universe! If you are trying to have a quiet time, getting started in a relationship with God or seeking guidance at t...
Oct 14, 2020•15 min•Season 4Ep. 3
What’s missing in our culture today are courtesies, those words of respect, graciousness and sincere regard at the beginning of a conversation, a visit, a letter. So much is often said in those first few words if you only listen! We get to hear how Paul and Timothy greet the believers in Colossae today and catch a glimpse of how to pray for others to grow in their faith. If you are trying to have a quiet time, getting started in a relationship with God or seeking guidance at this point in your l...
Oct 10, 2020•14 min•Season 4Ep. 2
A fundamental problem of humans is our tendency to think we’re free while living under the influence or control of people and ideas that we seem blind to. When Christ comes into our life, we are set free from all of that and that’s really good news! Listen to the short letter to Philemon today and learn more about the freedom and responsibilities of love. If you are trying to have a quiet time, getting started in a relationship with God or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in t...
Oct 07, 2020•13 min•Season 4Ep. 1
“Hallelujah!” has entered into English vocabulary and even non-religious people recognize it. It’s a way to celebrate and punctuate something. “Praise Yah!” (short for Yahweh) is what it literally means and is more specific. It points us to God, the one we celebrate and praise. Psalm 150 concludes the book of Psalms with six powerful verses that tells us where, why, how and who should praise God. If you are getting started in a relationship with God, trying to have a quiet time or seeking guidan...
Sep 16, 2020•15 min•Season 3Ep. 50
Imagine we didn’t have language to communicate with. No words, no letters. Only noises, looks, body expressions, like charades—but all the time. If God didn’t use language, what would we know about him? How would we express ourselves to him? Psalm 145 lifts up praise to God and sums up so much that has come before it in the Psalms, leading us into the final movement of prayer--pure praise of God. If you are getting started in a relationship with God, trying to have a quiet time or seeking guidan...
Sep 14, 2020•13 min•Season 3Ep. 49
We want to be known, to be heard, to be understood. Our biggest problem is we expect another flawed, broken human being to fully understand us when only God can. Psalm 139 celebrates the truth that God knows us completely and well, but it also wrestles with the implications of that in our lives. If you are getting started in a relationship with God, trying to have a quiet time or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place. In fifteen minutes (or less) you will listen ...
Sep 09, 2020•18 min•Season 3Ep. 48
I hate to wait. If I really want it, I want it right now . God’s sense of timing sometimes frustrates me, which is why I have to learn to ask, trust and hope while I grow in my understanding of his will and his ways. Psalm 130 gives me language in prayer to call on God, trust in him, hope and declare the certainty that he will put things right for me and for the world. If you are getting started in a relationship with God, trying to have a quiet time or seeking guidance at this point in your lif...
Sep 06, 2020•18 min•Season 3Ep. 47
Where do we look for help? In most situations, where do you turn for help? Psalm 121 begins by asking where we look for help and then affirming our protection, our keeper and watcher is God alone. If you are getting started in a relationship with God, trying to have a quiet time or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place. In fifteen minutes (or less) you will listen to God's word for you, reflect on it and learn to pray to God as well as carry that word with you th...
Sep 02, 2020•13 min•Season 3Ep. 46
When you look back on a journey, it often gives you a very different perspective from the one you had during the trip. That’s also what meditation is like: you get to reflect on what you experienced and engage with it on a deeper level. Psalm 119 keeps paying rich rewards the more you reflect on it and give it your attention. If you are getting started in a relationship with God, trying to have a quiet time or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place. In fifteen min...
Aug 30, 2020•20 min•Season 3Ep. 45
The last word usually leaves a lasting impression. It seems part of our design as human beings: we pay most attention to the first and the last thing more than the rest. We’ve come to the end of Psalm 119, and it’s time to hear the final word. Psalm 119:169-176 (Taw) is the last word and it returns us to our dependence on God, praising him and many of the great themes we've seen in this great psalm. If you are getting started in a relationship with God, trying to have a quiet time or seeking gui...
Aug 26, 2020•12 min•Season 3Ep. 44
To bring something back to life is a big deal. When we pray for revival, it’s because we have acknowledged death and the need for God’s spirit to bring life again. The cry “Revive me!” is a prayer that arises in desperation. Psalm 119:153-168 (Resh-Shin) focus on the God who sees us, revives us, and our response of rejoicing, praise and love to him. If you are getting started in a relationship with God, trying to have a quiet time or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the rig...
Aug 24, 2020•12 min•Season 3Ep. 43
How do we take ancient words from another language and culture and use them to pray today? That’s the challenge of praying the Psalms and especially Psalm 119. Psalm 119:121-136 (Ayin-Pe) focus on God's word as a "done deal" and the wondrous effect his word has on us. If you are getting started in a relationship with God, trying to have a quiet time or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place. In fifteen minutes (or less) you will listen to God's word for you, refle...
Aug 19, 2020•14 min•Season 3Ep. 42
Everyone wants to do the smart thing, to show some wisdom (and not act stupid). Every day we see marketing trying to tell us what the smart thing is. Psalm 119:97-112 (Mem-Nun) teaches us to embrace and love God's word and to walk daily in his ways. If you are getting started in a relationship with God, trying to have a quiet time or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place. Spend your first fifteen minutes of the day listening to God and responding in a personal wa...
Aug 16, 2020•13 min•Season 3Ep. 41
Forever is a long time. Never is also a long time. God’s Word never fails. Never. Psalm 119:89-96 (Lamedh) expresses a great faith in God, that he will remain faithful and his word will come through just as it always has, even in the midst of trials. If you are getting started in a relationship with God, trying to have a quiet time or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place. Spend your first fifteen minutes of the day listening to God and responding in a personal w...
Aug 12, 2020•8 min•Season 3Ep. 40
What do we do when we have faith in God and confidence he will come through for us, but we have to wait? What if we fail or our life runs out before then? That’s the question posed by our section today. Psalm 119:81-88 (Kaph) is like a lament that keeps asking heart-wrenching questions while running to God in faith, not rebelling against him. If you are getting started in a relationship with God, trying to have a quiet time or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right plac...
Aug 09, 2020•13 min•Season 3Ep. 39
“Let it Be.” If you hear that phrase, as most of us do, meaning “Don’t rock the boat; let things rest as they are,” then I think we owe it to the Beatles for their 1970 song and one of their last hits. Psalm 119 teaches us a completely different way to think about and say “Let it Be” that will challenge and build your faith. Psalm 119:73-80 retraces the drama of faith centered in God's name and helps us declare, "Let it be as you have spoken." If you are getting started in a relationship with Go...
Aug 05, 2020•14 min•Season 3Ep. 38
