As part of our Go Deeper: the Bible series, we had a question and response time. Here's the questions we couldn't get to on Sunday... we've got ones about authors, translations, trust and tricky verses, all chatted through with some friendly fun!
We're back! At AJC we've been in 1 John, and there's a part we can't talk about on a Sunday... so we get to chat here. John talks about spiritual conflict, and how it's affecting the church, what it means for the believers, and how to test and determine who is on which side. Enjoy! Thanks for listening to this episode of the House of Learning podcast. This podcast is produced by A Jesus Church in Portland, Oregon. If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review, subscribe, and share wit...
There's so much conflict and division around an election season - in the church as well as the nation! How can we follow God's heart through the confusion and show people the way of Jesus in the chaos? Josh Butler has written an excellent book on that question, The Party Crasher . Coming out of his experiences and pressing into this challenge in his situations, there's loads of insight and practical help on how to apply Jesus and the Bible to our context. He joins us to talk about some of the bi...
We wrestle to engage with God and find hope. Habakkuk left us a song, and connected is with a story to inspire faith. We're joined by Mike McGeoy, who has written a book of his story, and how he's discovered God speaking and engaging him in ordinary ways that have grown his faith and transformed his life. Is there more of God to pay attention to in our own story: something to to appreciate and a story to tell? Mike's book is Is That You God: God is Always Speaking to Us...But Are We Really Liste...
After two laments and a litany of woes, Habakkuk bursts into a song of hope and praise... so how did he get there? This song captures some of how God has interacted with the prophet, grown him and taught him, and expanded his horizons so faith could find hope in the midst of darkness. If a song for us, to help us take the same journey, and find hope in time of need. Thanks for listening to this episode of the House of Learning podcast. This podcast is produced by A Jesus Church in Portland, Oreg...
Woe passages can make us nervous – after all, sometimes we're on the wrong side of a woe – but God is giving these woes to comfort and encourage. We're in the woe songs of Habakkuk. Each one gives insight into God's heart, and as we thing about how each context relates to ours, we can receive comfort and encouragement too... Thanks for listening to this episode of the House of Learning podcast. This podcast is produced by A Jesus Church in Portland, Oregon. If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please...
Justice is a concept we are very confused about in our culture, and amidst all the options our city clamors about, God has something more. As God shows Habakkuk he cares about justice by explaining some specifics, it makes us pause to think about the framework we use. It's a big question, with a complex and nuanced answer... and we only scratch the surface! But it's a big conversation, so you''re invited to get excited about God growing you, and perhaps spotting your justice weak spot.
As we continue to learn from Habakkuk, Heather (our star therapist) joins us to talk about lamenting with others. How can we be priests, bringing God's presence into the pain of others, by our presence with them. Does biblical lament offer a framework to help us understand how to interact with the suffering and grieving? It seems like there's a connection – so we explore the practical implications... Heather mentions the book Holy Listening , by Margaret Guenther Thanks for listening to this epi...
As Habakkuk continues to lament we're faced with questions like, "Does God use suffering?" "Do the righteous suffer with the unrighteous?" "Why is there suffering?" And, "How can a good God 'use' evil?" So, just a few light questions on this week's episode! There is purpose in suffering, but we have to ask some big questions to fit it into a healthy Christian perspective - something we're not good at, both as Americans and in the Western Church. Thanks for listening to this episode of the House ...
Have you ever found yourself wanting to cry out, "Why God?" Or to cry out a desperate need for God to help? That's the beginning of a lament. It's a massive part of people interacting with God throughout the Bible... but a really minor part of modern American prayer and worship. Habakkuk begins with a lament, so we talk about what it is, why it matters, and how to do it. It's a big deal, so we invite you to try it with us. We reference a community exercise (grab a worksheet from us on Sunday of ...
It's time for a new series, and we're jumping into Habakkuk! We chat about why we're choosing this book of the Bible, how God's been leading us, and what we hope will happen as we journey through it. A lot of this has to do with faith, so we go deep exploring what faith is, what it's not, how it works and how it grows... there are even invisible chairs! Thanks for listening to this episode of the House of Learning podcast. This podcast is produced by A Jesus Church in Portland, Oregon. If you’ve...
We’ve been having conversations about God’s invitation to go deeper… and there’s one conversation we haven’t had space for on Sundays: WORSHIP! But don’t fear, we’ve invited some friends from our worship crew to talk about what God is up to as he’s leading them deeper, and how he’s calling them to lead AJC deeper in our worship. Thanks for listening to this episode of the House of Learning podcast. This podcast is produced by A Jesus Church in Portland, Oregon. If you’ve enjoyed this episode, pl...
As we catch up on all things AJC and consider going deeper we chat about the role of hospitality in the church, and how we interact deeper with teachings. So, is having a church cafe just plain cheesy, or worse something Jesus would kick over and drive out? And, how do you bake a teaching to get all the nutrition out of it? Join us as we explore...!
Welcome back! Well, the summer break turned into a autumn hiatus. Lots happened! So, catch up with us on what God was up to, and how it's been affecting us. Plus we look ahead to what we see God leading us into at A Jesus Church, and what'll be happening on the podcast in the season ahead. Thanks for listening to this episode of the House of Learning podcast. This podcast is produced by A Jesus Church in Portland, Oregon. If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review, subscribe, and s...
“Hebrews might be even harder to read than Revelation!” And that’s why we’re chatting about the book of Hebrews and why it’s so rich, and matters so much for us today. Plus, we have some friends who are releasing a podcast to help guide you through exploring this book - you can check that out in the link below, or by searching for ‘Hebrews a conversation’ on your podcast apps. We hope you are inspired to dive in and read. You can find Tim and Steve’s last project about Revelation at https://arev...
Welcome back from summer break! AJC is doing a new thing: Family Alpha. This week is Alpha Sunday, so we wanted to dive in and chat about how God's been shaping vision for this, and why we're excited to invite everyone to join in. There's great insight from our Alpha pastor Jenny, and from the Youth team about what God's up to and the opportunity he's been revealing. We mentioned a url for signing up - go to www.ajesuschurch/connect for all the details!...
The end is here… of Luke anyway. But actually, it’s just the beginning. Luke shows us the power of God and the power of witness so that people can encounter the risen Jesus. We are encouraged to see God’s activity drawing us to Jesus - even when it’s hard for us to see what’s real. This sets the tone for the Book of Acts, which is the next part of Luke’s writings, and it draws us into the story as those to whom Luke is a witness, and who are now in the shoes of being a witness. Thanks for listen...
Jesus arrives at the cross. We move from a series of trials full of human injustice at its worst, to the tragic but inevitable death of Jesus as he fulfills the Father’s mission. There at the cross injustice and evil look like they’ve won, but actually it’s the moment of their defeat! What looks like the end, is actually a moment of Jesus’ enthronement and victory. And around the cross, a variety of people are all being affected by Jesus… Thanks for listening to this episode of the House of Lear...
We’re back in Luke with chapters 21 and 22 - what a lot! Right at the end is Richard’s favorite part of Luke: how Jesus responds to Peter’s failure. But we start with Jesus talking about the end: of the Temple and Jerusalem, and the End of the Time of the Gentiles - and there’s an important lesson about what to watch out for and how while we wait for these things. We also get Jesus’ farewell moments with his disciples, where Jesus institutes the Last Supper, but also grows more marginalized, eve...
Happy Pentecost! This Sunday we celebrate Pentecost, but what is it, and why and how should we make a big deal of it? From the Spirit hovering over the waters of Genesis 1 to Moses on a mountaintop and the traveling pillar of fire - so much in the Bible comes together to enrich our understanding of the significance of God sending the Spirit to respond to the cross and resurrection and start the church. Thanks for listening to this episode of the House of Learning podcast. This podcast is produce...
Part two this week is on Luke 20. We have a litany of questions fired at Jesus with the agenda of challenging and undermining his authority. Jesus shows his wisdom with some mic drops… but he isn’t threatened by them, and is able to reach out and invite them to think in a way that creates a path to the Kingdom: wisdom indeed! Thanks for listening to this episode of the House of Learning podcast. This podcast is produced by A Jesus Church in Portland, Oregon. If you’ve enjoyed this episode, pleas...
Two podcasts this week - first Luke 19. The surprises of Jesus and the Kingdom continue to escalate, and they come alongside a parable warning about non-participation. Sight and blindness are big themes, and it’s surprising who sees and who doesn’t! Thanks for listening to this episode of the House of Learning podcast. This podcast is produced by A Jesus Church in Portland, Oregon. If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review, subscribe, and share with someone. And if you have a ques...
Coming to Jesus is a big theme in Luke 18 this week. Alongside it we have a catalog of things that either help or hinder us coming to Jesus… which is very practical! We have some provocative characters like the world's worst judge, a woman who won’t quit, and a beggar who won’t shut up. We also get a recurrence of the theme of money, and what it’s for. Thanks for listening to this episode of the House of Learning podcast. This podcast is produced by A Jesus Church in Portland, Oregon. If you’ve ...
This week we have Jesus talking about forgiving those who repent, why our faith is enough, about entitlement, and a lesson about gratitude. Jesus also talks to the disciples about what to be aware of while sojourning in this world as a citizen of heaven, waiting for Jesus’ return. All this and more in Luke 17! Thanks for listening to this episode of the House of Learning podcast. This podcast is produced by A Jesus Church in Portland, Oregon. If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rev...
Luke 16 can look like Jesus affirming dishonesty, some overly black and white words on divorce, and some confusing things about Hades and the afterlife… so it's an epic long podcast this week! There’s lots to unpack as we discover Jesus has a trustworthy version of shrewdness in mind, has a reason for bold claims about divorce, and that understanding Hades isn’t the essential thing we’re supposed to get from the Lazarus parable - whew! Thanks for listening to this episode of the House of Learnin...
We’re back! It’s time to get back into Luke, and we pick things up in chapter 15, full of parables about the Father’s heart to seek the lost. We chat about how the dynamics of humility and grace play out, and how they affect us personally, and our attitudes to people around us… which has a huge impact on our ability to embody the Father’s heart to seek the lost and fill his table! Thanks for listening to this episode of the House of Learning podcast. This podcast is produced by A Jesus Church in...
Easter can pass so quickly! How can we slow down to appreciate its rich meaning? This is especially hard for kids, bombarded with egg hunts and chocolate, it’s easy for the purpose of celebration to get minimized. Weston and Jenny join us to chat about some of their traditions, to spark our creativity as we grow in celebrating the cross and empty tomb. Thanks for listening to this episode of the House of Learning podcast. This podcast is produced by A Jesus Church in Portland, Oregon. If you’ve ...
If Easter’s so special, what can we do to celebrate? Other than turning up to church, how can we make space to be drawn in, to grab ahold of the story and interact with its realities? Xylecia and Ebenezer join us to talk about some of their traditions from Tennessee and Ghana - to fuel our creativity as we think about ways we can celebrate in our season and city. Thanks for listening to this episode of the House of Learning podcast. This podcast is produced by A Jesus Church in Portland, Oregon....
During Lent we’re putting the Easter story in context of God’s wider story, and situating ourselves within it to be formed by that story. But why does story matter so much? Aren’t we all above being pushed around by narratives? Join us as we chat through why God’s story is so powerful, how we can get it wrong, and the difference it can make to us. Thanks for listening to this episode of the House of Learning podcast. This podcast is produced by A Jesus Church in Portland, Oregon. If you’ve enjoy...
It’s Lent: a time of preparation for Easter. We tell the story of Lent, which is a tradition stretching back to the Church Fathers. It’s traditionally associated with fasting. But what’s the difference between biblical fasting and ‘giving something up for Lent?’ We chat about fasting as a pursuit of God, as a rhythm of spiritual life, and especially as a way to prepare to celebrate. Thanks for listening to this episode of the House of Learning podcast. This podcast is produced by A Jesus Church ...
