In this episode, we consider the questions: Does having faith in Christ mean that you stop thinking? Does my emphasis on God’s love and our love for him mean that I agree with this? The answer is, not so much; to both questions. For to love authentically involves thinking. Thinking involved in learning about God, what he teaches and how those teachings apply to my daily life. If you are not thinking you are not fully loving. I know, right? My name is Charles. Grab yourself some coffee and let’s ...
May 19, 2020•9 min•Ep. 25
Christianity isn’t merely a religion. How can I say it isn’t? That is not what I said. I said it is not merely one. For authentic Christianity is a relationship that leads to religious practice. While Christianity works itself out in religious practices, these are not all that is to be found in Christianity. These are not even primary to the Christian faith. For, Christianity is primarily a relationship with Christ. This is what we talk about in this episode. Please tell me what you think about ...
May 12, 2020•12 min•Ep. 24
One of the most amazing things I find in the Bible is just how messed up, how ordinarily human, the people in it truly are. Why do I find it amazing and even comforting? The last thing I’d expect in the holy book of any religion is for it to be full of those who, considered to be heroes of the faith, are as flawed as the Bible’s are. No matter where you turn, those, listed as the paragons of faith, are portrayed as fully human as I am; full of faults and fears and missteps. This is what we explo...
May 05, 2020•9 min•Ep. 23
When is it best to avoid asking the question, “Is ‘this’ a sin?” Did you know that by asking it, you can actually keep you from growing in Christ? Why do I say this and what is a better alternative? Grab your coffee and let’s talk about it. I find the answer to be when it’s taken you as far in growth as it can. Kind of like riding a bicycle; for training wheels can only take you so far. They are useful and needed for a while. But then you outgrow the need for them. And if you don’t get beyond th...
Apr 28, 2020•9 min•Ep. 22
Can we have Christianity without Christ? Now, before you say, “You have been in quarantine way too long!” Listen to why I ask. How I find that some Christians seem to love their religion much more than they love Jesus. We discuss how this actually prevents them from experiencing the abundant life Jesus came to give. This is not a criticism of any particular group of Christians, it is a sharing of concern over a trend I see in Christianity today. One to settle for a Christian religion that has be...
Apr 21, 2020•9 min•Ep. 21
In this episode, we talk about the tenderness Jesus shows his disciples in John 16:12. Here he says that he cannot share more things with them because they are not ready to hear them. Knowing and acting on the difference between teaching and dumping information is the mark of humble tenderness and compassion. Jesus cares enough about you to take you right up to that line and he cares enough to never cross it. That is beautiful, that is loving, that is the profoundness of his tenderness. Join me ...
Apr 14, 2020•7 min•Ep. 20
In this episode, I share a profound connection I made with Jesus while reading my devotional. This from My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers. I do not talk about what Chambers wrote, but I do talk about what profoundly affected me during the reading. Something that made Jesus even more personal to me and made me question whether I was living in such a way that would cause Jesus to ask me, "Have I been with you so long, and you don't know me?" That is humbling to contemplate. Please tell ...
Apr 07, 2020•7 min•Ep. 19
Does being a good person count for anything with God? Doesn't it matter to God whether or not we are good people? God wouldn't turn a good person away from heaven, would he? These are important questions to talk about. Is being a good person all that matters to God or is there something else, something deeper that truly matters? So, what is the deal with God and good people? That is what we are going to explore in this episode. Please tell me what you think about this. You can do this and find a...
Mar 31, 2020•14 min•Ep. 18
So, here is a question for you, is your God big enough? No, seriously, is your God big enough? Big enough for what? And why is that important? That is what we are going to explore here in episode 17. Here is why I ask. I have found that people only ever practice their religion based on who they understand God to be. Which is to say, how they allow themselves to relate to God and how they put that relationship into practice in their daily lives. Which, by the way, includes how they relate to othe...
Mar 24, 2020•13 min•Ep. 17
So, how do we not worry? I have always found worry to be a very great nuisance; a highly troublesome companion that is rather hard to get rid of. And, how is that even done? I mean not worrying about things? That is what we are going to explore here in this episode, number 16. We will explore how this is not done through having a good job, attaining some lofty goal, or by anything that we can do by ourselves. That it is only as we choose to focus on where we are and not on where we are not, that...
Mar 17, 2020•11 min•Ep. 16
Last time, we mentioned that God is the source of all deep and lasting meaning in life. In this episode, we are going to explore this a little bit and answer the question, "How is this done?" Or, asked another way, how does living from love help set you free in order to live a life full of meaning? That is what we are going to talk about here in episode 15. After all, it is one thing for Jesus to tell us he came to give life abundantly. It is quite another for him to tell us how this is to be do...
Mar 10, 2020•11 min•Ep. 15
Is life meaningless? Or is it that we just don’t see it? And what does this have to do with God? That is what we are going to explore here in this episode, episode 14. Here we will explore the idea that our purpose, our sense of meaning in life and our sense of worth were given to us from the get-go. From the very first time a human being was able to take his first breath, he had a purpose, his life had meaning, and he was of great worth to God. We will even take a brief look into what our purpo...
Mar 03, 2020•14 min•Ep. 14
#013: Proofs that God exists are important for the Christian faith. Yet, as we saw in episode 4, these are not physical or scientific proofs. In that episode, we discovered a relational one, love for the unloveable. In this episode, we explore a second proof, on that is also relational. One that also involves love. This is the love Christians (other than myself) have for both other Christians and non-Christians. We will hear about both major displays of his love and smaller more personal display...
Feb 25, 2020•10 min•Ep. 13
# 012: In this episode, we take a look at how God honors and respects the choice of the individual, as this applies to folks calling themselves Christian. We'll take a look at how this involves asking God for our daily bread and that this is something we need to ask God to give us daily. This means, that we, as Christians, still have choices to make. Choices that God will honor and respect, even if we choose poorly. Oh, we do touch on some of the consequences of those poor choices. But he will b...
Feb 18, 2020•11 min•Ep. 12
# 011: If Christian faith and belief in Jesus is a good thing, then God should not be dysfunctional. Right? Though, while listening to some folks, I get the impression that this is what they want. They want nothing to do with Him now but want to live with him for all eternity. You've heard it. They say things like, "God is too loving to send folks to hell. Everyone gets into heaven." Yet, what is this but calling God dysfunctional? That is what we're going to look at in this episode. By the way,...
Feb 11, 2020•7 min•Ep. 11
# 010: Since Jesus, God himself, requires Christian people to love others; what can we do to love as we should? Isn't there a few quick and simple steps that we can take to do so? I mean, if we could just be given some quick and easy steps… the world would be a better place, right? Here’s the rub, we don’t all love in the same way. We are unique individuals with different needs and different views of what it means to be loving. So… what can we do? That is what we are going to explore here in epi...
Feb 04, 2020•11 min•Ep. 10
#009: Jesus' love requires Christians to forgive others. Yet how can we honestly forgive? How can we not hold a grudge? We will chat about how important forgiveness is to God, the phrase "forgive and forget," and what type of "forgetfulness" the Bible associates with forgiveness. We will even touch the idea that forgiveness does not mean that there are no consequences. We wrap up this episode by talking about the need for God's wisdom in all of this. The show notes for this episode, along with t...
Jan 28, 2020•9 min•Ep. 9
#008 For growing in Christian Faith, there is nothing like concrete examples to help us on our way. That is what this episode is all about, an example of loving the unlovable, from my own life. This is not meant to portray every way this is accomplished in my life. Nor is this meant to be an all-inclusive discussion on the matter. I am kind of expecting you to connect some of the dots and talk with God to determine how best to show his love to others. I know that a relational God would require u...
Jan 21, 2020•8 min•Ep. 8
#007: When thinking of Christian love, we tend to think of all those things that are nice and compassionate. Things that avoid hurting another person’s feelings, things which actually make someone feel good, correct? I mean, it is imperative to play nice! Yet… is that all there is to love, being nice? Or, does love run deeper than mere niceties? That is what we are going to explore here in episode 7. The show notes for this episode, along with the listing of all Bible passages referenced, are fo...
Jan 14, 2020•11 min•Ep. 7
#006: In this episode, we will talk bout how we all identify with the Apostle Paul when he says that he is not able to break out of the cycle of doing what he doesn't want to do and of not being able to do what he truly wants to do. About how we are powerless to change this ourselves and about how it has been changed for us. How is this? Here is a hint: we can't do it ourselves. We need help. This help is what we are going to talk about. The show notes for this episode, along with the listing of...
Jan 07, 2020•14 min•Ep. 6
#005: Part of our growing Christian faith is knowing that God is real. Last time we considered how this involves loving the unlovable in our lives. In this episode, we will turn our attention to who the unlovable may be. Who do you think of when you hear the phrase, "the unlovable?" There may be many who qualify; yet in this episode, we will limit our consideration to our unlovely fellow church members. We will also discuss the importance Jesus places on our loving them as much as we love everyo...
Dec 31, 2019•8 min•Ep. 5
#004: While growing in your Christian faith, in your relationship with Jesus, have you ever been asked, "How do you know God is real?" How did you answer? Were you able to answer? In this episode, we will explore what proofs we should be looking for and we will chat about one proof that I have found. I bet you can't guess what it is... or maybe you can. Either way, that is what this episode is about: a proof that God is real and is who he says he is. The show notes for this episode, along with t...
Dec 24, 2019•10 min•Ep. 4
#003: Ever wish your faith in Christ had more traction, more direct application, to your daily life? In this episode we will chat about how God's love is exactly that; it is the grit, the traction, and the power to be all God wants you to be. Whether dealing with an annoying co-worker or a situation that is threatening to overwhelm you. It is the traction you need, the help you need to be more than a conqueror in Christ. It is the power that unlocks true abundance in life; even when the storms o...
Dec 13, 2019•17 min•Ep. 3
#002: In this episode, we chat about the most important thing our faith in Christ will lead us to do. This cannot happen until we have faith in Christ, and it is Christ that enables and makes this happen. Yet, it is on us to follow through and do this one thing; for it is the basis for all else that is done by those authentically following Jesus Christ. This isn't a list of things to do; there are no set steps or rules found here. Yet without this, there is no relationship with God. Enjoy. Show ...
Dec 13, 2019•14 min•Ep. 2
#001: In this episode, I simply introduce myself and share with you what this podcast is all about. In it, I share why faith in and a relationship with God is so vitally important to me. I will also be sharing the reason behind my starting this podcast. Which can be summed up in our motto: Existence begins at life, living begins at love, God's love. The show notes for this episode can be seen at https://www.simplenotshallow.com/the-sns-podcast/001 Thank you for listening. Our Book: Psalms 1-72, ...
Dec 13, 2019•10 min•Ep. 1
