Bedtime Bible Boys: Recent Episodes
TJH
A series of nightly recordings enveloping the pleasure of my life - Learning about our father with my sons.
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Tough reading on this episode, but we get through it and find encouragement and hope in what the Lord Jesus had to tell his disciples as he finished sending them off.
Tonight we read the details Jesus gave the disciples concerning the mistreatment they would face as they went through Israel and gave the commission for which He sent them. We concluded that standing firm to the end was a message for the disciples at that time, and an encouraging promise for them and not a threat to our right standing with God through the work of Jesus Christ.
The Lord offers his first commission to His disciples in this reading. We discuss what was unique about this first commission, what message they were supposed to carry and miracles they were to provide. This episode helps setup the context for the remaining instruction the disciples would receive. Jesus finishes with this - be innocent. Don't get entangled in improper places and behaviors.
Maybe nature to our flesh, or perhaps nurtured legalism but it can be very easy to read the things Jesus had to say to the people He was talking to in the time period He was talking to them and assume that He was meaning to continuously reprimand us for some recent behavior. In this reading we see Jesus give the invitation to those who are willing to join Him in the harvesting of followers and we discuss how we believe Jesus is often comforting those he was speaking to and inviting them - not threatening and discouraging them.
We continue our reading through Matthew chapter 9 and see Jesus, between miracles, having time for the people who came to Him. It reminds us that He always has time for us while challenging us to find time for those around us. We call these "divine interruptions" and they are gifts even though we often think of them as nuisances.
Tonight we where Jesus told those questioning Him that His disciples were practicing a new wine - they weren't putting new patches on old clothes (mixing what Jesus had to bring with the old covenant) they were having a relationship with Him - the Father. We conclude with an affirmation to the children that all they did to be children is be born. After having been born they are always my children, no matter what.
The theme for the next few episodes - Jesus is kind to those who can recognize faith in Him as their source, and he is more challenging to those who want to rely on their own righteous efforts. Tonight we explore this as Jesus is criticized by the religious leaders for eating with sinners.
I had a great conversation with a friend tonight, he was very skeptical of healing. I understand why someone would be - we don't always get the healing we want and it's far easier to conclude that God no longer heals then it is to conclude that we lack the faith to receive. We are not claiming one or the other in all circumstances just that when you, and those around you have great faith and act on it the bible records Jesus as responding to this type of faith. Tonight's well known story about the paralytic is no different.
In this chapter we find ourselves reveling when we consider the miraculous powers of Jesus and consider that our best option is to respond in faith.
One word can have a lasting effect. It's one reason we should choose our words wisely and with thought. If our words offer encouragement then they can change the course of a life. In this episode we discuss the power of Jesus' one word to heal followed up with a discussion as to why it was not wise or well thought out to tell Christ, "I will follow you wherever you go." When I was a child (maybe 7 years old) I once told my Dad I could run faster than his truck - he raced me down the street and I lost bad. I learned I wasn't as impressive as I thought. Jesus uses this tact as well.
We continue in Matthews Chapter 8 with the story of a gentile - a Roman leader - demonstrating faith that Christ has dominion over everything: effectively calling Him God. It was easier for a gentile, someone who never felt an obligation to the law, to see this then it was many of Christs' Hebrew followers.
This is a fun episode that we only wish we would have published earlier. If you can't recall the conversations we have been having concerning the meaning of the sermon on the mount, go back and listen to those episodes. If you found Jesus' first proclamation in the beatitudes "blessed are the low in spirit" to be confusing, then this chapter will clear up exactly what the means. Possibly the only person who really left the sermon feeling blessed was a leper who certainly had every reason to be low in spirit.
Sorry for the long break. Tonight, we continue Jesus' discussion with the people as recorded in Matthew and what He had to say concerning seeking truth, seeking God.
What does it mean to seek HIS righteousness? Often times we see Christians pursuing their righteousness and not HIS. Christ instructed us in the sermon on the mount to pursue the perfect and holy righteousness of God if we wanted to live without worry. How we could ever actually accomplish this - He doesn't tell us but we discuss how, and it is more restful than one would think. Come join.
What do fasting and money have in common? Both can be outright corrupt when the Heart of our father is not the centerpiece of our efforts and desires. Jesus speaks to this during the sermon on the mount and we unpack it as a family with a few fun tangents on things like moths and mothballs.
Jesus left modern-day Christians a difficult verse in Chapter 6:15 and 16 when he said, "Forgive others and be forgiven, but if you will not forgive others then God will not forgive you". In this episode we take and defend the position that Christ was not giving statutes on how to be forgiven and remain saved as a believer but that he was again setting a bar, or standard using the Law and God's perfection to show the people that they could not live up to His holy standard and that this would ultimately turn the zealous and earnest heart towards their need for God's mercy.
Tonight we followed up our history lesson with a quick review of how understanding the history helps us understand the purpose of the sermon Jesus gave and how it can be applied towards the peace that comes with understanding eternal security through all that He was able to accomplish. We look forward to getting back on track and finish up chapter 6 in the next episode.
In this episode we take a pause in going forward with the Sermon on the Mount in order to review the history of the Jewish people and gain an appreciation for who Jesus would have been teaching and how they would have heard what Jesus was saying. So often we get conceited enough to think that everything Jesus said was directed to us, when, although I am confident the Spirit can work through scripture to reveal things to us in our present lives, He was actually speaking to other people. Context is important, and even during the last few episodes we have lost the sense of context in an effort to apply what Jesus said to our exact scenario here and now. Let's discuss what He meant there and then.
Tonight we discuss the idea of leading a spiritual life to impress other people versus doing it as a natural response to the Spirit in us and to have a deeper relationship with our Father. We conclude the scripture portion with the Lord's prayer and get into a discussion on eternal security. It is a little choppy and out of place, but we had to leave it in as a good segway into the next recording.
Jesus gives us another impossible task in this reading tonight concerning turning the other cheek and loving your enemies and those we persecute you. When we apply how Jesus behaved during the injustices that were done against Him, then we can see that he meant the principles literally under the old law and that to receive the kingdom of heaven they would have to be done perfectly - which of course He did. We discuss a few applications into how the spirit of this perfection can overflow into far less perfect actions as we mature throughout our lives.
In this episode we what Jesus had to say about gouging out eyes, divorce, and speaking with integrity. We still reached the conclusion that only Jesus can perfectly do the things of which He spoke, but that we can still apply them to our life as a weapon against the ultimate plans of sin in our lives.
This is an introduction episode to Jesus giving the sermon on the mount. We discuss the purpose of the sermon and interpretations of forgiveness and God's will and finish off by a life application of straining to be reconciled to your brothers and sisters.
On this night we read and discussed what it meant to follow respond to the call of Jesus to follow Him and concern our interests with the interests of the Father.
Tonight we read about Jesus being tempted in the desert and Brock gives us some thought inspiration as to why Jesus was tempted in the way he was. This period of Jesus life, marked the beginning of his ministry and what he accomplished for us was life giving. Ultimately Jesus proved the word correct, "resist the devil and he will flee from you."
Why would Jesus choose to be baptized? In this episode we read the end of Matthew chapter 4 and discuss this question. Come enjoy with us.
In this episode we discuss the baptism of John the baptist. Where did baptism come from originally? What was different about John's baptism? And why did John's baptism vex the Jewish religious leadership at the time? We answer these questions and more, and begin to discuss what application the baptism of John (in water) has for the life of a believer in the new covenant.
Join us tonight as we share the often error filled story of the wise men's visit to Jesus. His majesty and the truth of the prophecies concerning him can inspire us just as they did the Magi from the east.
Last episode we talked about the curse within Joseph's bloodline. In this episode we discuss how the fire he had to walk through was not an easy one, but how the Lord gave him everything he would need to endure it and as a consequence Joseph enjoyed a blessing as a father than no other man on this earth will ever know. Be courageous in the fires that await you - God is with you.
We took a snap turn into the book of Matthew tonight in an effort to recenter our hope on grace. We have enjoyed the Old Testament very much, but it just seemed the right time to take a break from judgement prophecy and record through the New Testament starting with the first gospel. This first chapter allows us to take a look at some controversial prophecy involved in Christ's birth and challenges the reader to accept Him for precisely who He is - the son of God.
The Father challenges us with a great lesson in Jeremiah chapter 21, which is to listen while you are still enjoying peace and prosperity. Do not wait for the natural consequences of sin to take hold of your life and torture you. Listen to Him while you are still prosperous and limit the entry opportunities of Satan and his kingdom into your life. We love our Father, the time is now.
In this episode and chapter we talk about responding to the movement of the Spirit inside you as well as slowing down to capture how life under the new covenant in Christ is different than what the Israelites would have faced during the old covenant in the law. This is a special episode to me, I enjoyed recording it and publishing it.
Jeremiah uniquely describes what it feels when the Spirit of the Lord starts compelling us from within, like a fire inside our bones that won't be put out until we move without regard for who it offends - even if it means doing something fear to do.
Tonight we continued through the book of Jeremiah, fast-forwarding to chapter 18 where we are provided with the analogy of being clay and allowing God to be the potter. Clay is compliant to what the potter does, it does not argue or rebel and because it allows the potter to form it - it ultimately becomes a new creation of clay into something beautiful.
We see Jeremiah's obedience to the Lord's instruction and shades of new covenant foreshadowing when the Lord takes dirty rags to tie around his waist. In Christ we have a Father who saved us while we were still sinners, and if He saved us while we were sinners and there was nothing beautiful in us then surely He will secure us to Himself.
We start this episode of capturing one of the discussions we would normally edit out. For some reason it was on our heart to talk about this and share it with our listeners and hope to encourage some that if others are speaking poorly of you, and slandering you with gossip - take heart, for Christ has overcome this fallen world and your identity and value is derived from Him and not from what others say out of the overflow of hurt in the heart. We finish with a reminder of God's long suffering, patience and everlasting compassion as He promises to bring his children back to their inheritance.
Tonight we focus on yearning for correction from our Father. When we know we are doing His work, we don't have to fear the things of this world but these passages give reason for fear, especially before the covenant paid for in Christ. Jeremiah offers another prayer of correction showing us a way to get back in step with the work of the Father.
In one of the shortest episodes to date, we somehow pack in a light discussion before getting into Jeremiah's prayer to the Lord that he would correct him with justice. Jeremiah shows an earnestness of heart that is good for us to follow, that even when it involves discipline and refinement and discomfort we press in to what the Lord has to help us grow.
In tonight's episode we are reminded that it is our Father's desire that we would come to Him as the source of our hope, trust, and fulfilment, and that our worship would be reserved for He alone. So gripping is the conversation that Brock fall's fast asleep with audible snores. (Laughs) He is a good kid.
This is really a special episode with a poetic ending. I am sto proud of this moment I was able to share with Tre in the last minute of this episode. But on to The Word - it is so inspired that even on the 9th straight chapter of prophecies involving pain and suffering to the Israelites we still are able to find pearls and gems as we open the word and learn about fathering, flesh life versus spirit life, our identity in Christ - and a tangent on taxes. Enjoy.
In the midst of our sin, our father asks us to acknowledge Him. For his benefit? Yes, He loves us But much more for our benefit.
Please forgive us for the long time since we've had a release. Between some events, some general illnesses and a couple surgeries we have been out of sync in recording, editing, and producing. But we haven't fell behind in reading the word every night. This recording was completed about a month before it's production date and we enjoy a long intro trying to get to the point that the Law fulfills its purpose when we become aware that a savior is our only chance. This leads us to a journey of entering into a dependent relationship on the finished work of Jesus Christ and living actively with Him and the Spirit in us.
We had a hard time finding a title for this episode. It seems like we have been on the consequence of sin and the importance of repentance for a while here in Jeremiah. I suppose it is a message the Lord really wanted to get through. What we can remember to give us hope in our pursuit of a closer relationship with Him, is that the chains that hold us back have already been broken by Christ and that with Him we have what it takes to run that pursuit hard while having the knowledge of knowing that we will win.
The Lord gives Jeremiah a difficult message to give the Israelites in this chapter, but forewarns the prophet that the people will neither listen to him nor change their ways. In the end we ask ourselves: do our nations, our communities, our households have similar behaviors in conduct to the people of Jeremiah's time? And can we reasonably expect to be held as a blessed nation based on those answers. It's a challenge and one that we can reign in with the help of a life led by Christ.
Tonight we see Jeremiah prophecy in two ways: one directly to the people of Israel during his time and one as words that Jesus will say when he sees the temple corrupted during his life. What we take from this, is that we enter time with Him we should not do so as a liar or a thief, but as a child who knows that we need his grace and mercy.
Jeremiah gives us an illustration of hardened hearts in the people of Judah. This challenges us to maintain hearts of clay, open ears to what the Lord may have to tell us. This may mean refining by fire but we know that if the Lord has something for us that requires fire, then he has something better for us we couldn't otherwise have on the other side. Join us for a fun conversation as we read Chapter 6 in Jeremiah.
Tonight we let the kids read the word which serves two purposes: it allows the word to speak for itself rather than us speaking for it, and it offers the sweet sounds of a child reading with a childlike faith. As we get older the stress and difficulty and condemnation of this life can put us in a constant state of work, fear, and anxiety. In this chapter, Jeremiah offers words from the Father which parallel those of Christ that when we follow Him (the good way) we find rest for our souls.
Tonight, we have finally edited an episode after a pretty long break. There has been no shortage of things to mend our time during this pause and to our nightly listeners we apologize but of course the aim of this broadcast is to present the word in such a format that encourages listeners to connect with the young people in your life by leading a similar thing in your household and grow in your relationship with the Father. Enjoy this episode in Jeremiah where we are reminded of a simple principle about receiving blessings.
We rewind the Old Testament clock and read a story from Genesis where Abraham challenges the mercy of God as this passage in Jeremiah reminds us of the mercy God has for even one honest heart. We relate it to leaving the 99 to save the 1, in the New Testament and remember that we are and will always be the righteous one because we received that identity from and through the only righteous one - Jesus Christ.
It happened in the old and it happened in the new, sometimes our understanding of the good news is limited and it's easy to see it only through the lens of our worldview. It's important to remember that God doesn't share that worldview and is not constrained to seeing one single point on the spectrum of time. In this episode we see that the Israelites expected one thing, and got another just like the Pharisees.
In tonight's episode we discuss the statutes related to the overwhelming mercy our father has for us as His children. Remembering that there is no sin greater than can be redeemed by the blood of Christ is the New Testament version of this mercy, and nothing can undo his work.
Join us as we continue after a week off and read Jeremiah chapter 3. In this chapter we discuss the importance of feeling conviction, the differences between conviction and shame, and the secure identity of being a child of God as opposed to the several other things we identify ourselves with.
Title says it all. Come listen to the finish of Jeremiah Chapter 2, and refocus your heart and mind on the fear, awe and respect of God rather than people.
The Lord's word through Jeremiah in this chapter shows us what happens when the people turn from Him, and become eager and desperate to satisfy their flesh with false gods and sin. Likewise, in this age when we allow ourselves to fall into desperation we are tempted to go after our sins, addictions, and chase counterfeits. Our discussion challenges us to recognize when we are becoming desperate and realize the fulfilment we really need before we become weak.
Jeremiah and our discussions tonight challenge us to live out the life in Christ that we now have. Certainly, our past content and everlasting belief confirms that the hope we live for does not depend on our obedience or ability to modify our behavior. By no means do we think Christ died so that we may modify our own behavior - that this is the summation of the Christian walk. Instead, we see the Holy Spirit comes to live inside of us and that will produce a change of heart that gives us no choice but to strain towards living in the right standing we have already received.
When they ask how we did it, our answer should be "God taught me." In this open to our next book (Jeremiah) we see how the Lord set him apart and prepared him for the work of communicating God's message to the people and that The Father would be with him in power. We can implement that scripture into our life when we meet our challenges and express the word of Christ and when they ask us how we did it, "God taught me."
This inspiration came from a mid-day bible study. New things were coming to the light in James Chapter 1, that served to align the gospel of salvation through grace and not of works. James is not known specifically for being a grace filled book, so this revelation of sorts was a fun one.
Some of Jesus most ambiguous words are unpacked in this episode. He truly shows us how to use scripture for comfort and power.
Fittingly, the final chapter of the Old Testament challenges us to walk into repentance. Ultimately repentance leads to the acceptance of Christ through the realization that we are incapable or repenting into the law of being saved by works. The old law, when taken earnestly, will reduce us to nothing and leave us waning for a savior. It's no coincidence that the next words of scripture, coming 400 years later or those of the gospel - the good news of Jesus Christ.
Discipline is an effective means of promoting change in our lives. It can get us out of a funk, help us to see the reality of our thoughts and actions or gut check our hearts. However, at some point I do believe that in Christ we are to mature to a point where the goodness that flows out of us, is like an overflowing bowl. It is precisely when He pours so much into us, that we can find nowhere else to store it on the inside that we are compelled by that same overflow and the Spirit alive in us to share what we have generously with Him and others. Disciplinary obedience is a great place to start, but one day we should start eating adult food.
If raising Godly offspring isn't what Bedtime Bible Boys is all about, then I don't know what this is. Come listen as we read Malachi chapter 2, and see that God has a desire that we would remain faithful to the love of your youth with whom we share the marriage covenant so that we may deliver to Him - Godly offspring.
The introduction of Malachi prepared us for a book that was going to ask us to check ourselves before we wreck ourselves. Chapter one did not disappoint as the prophets inspired words to the priests remind us that the Lord is deserving of our honor, our praise and our obedience. These are not just verbs of the mouth but also actions reflected through the condition of our heart. Let this inspire us to look honestly at where we are at in our struggle with the flesh and find renewed strength to walk in the light of righteousness that our Father has provided in Christ.
Tonight we begin the book of Malachi by reviewing all that we've been through in our journey of reading the bible. It's funny, when you take a minute to remember what you've learned you realize that along the way you've grown tremendously in the knowledge and wisdom of our Lord. Join us as we kick off a new book.
In this final episode of Esther we see the Israelites declare holiday, and celebration and gift giving in annual reflection of when the Lord delivered them from Haman's decree. This highlights that things like Christmas are important to the Father, even the gift giving, not to be confused with the reason for the celebration in the first place. It helps us remember his blessings year after year. In the same way we can remember His faithfulness and blessings in our own life story, lest we ever forget all He has done for us. Mordecai and Esther have been a joy to read about for a father to his family. Closing a chapter on more than just a book.
Plenty of "plunder" is going to come to us in this life: monetary things, conversations, influences, even friendships. That which is sinful or causes us to depart from the path of peace the Father has delivered us into should be dropped. The Old Testament iterates this throughout scripture and Esther chapter 9 shows us a people, led by Mordecai that understood this.
In Chapter 8 we read about Mordecai and how being yoked with God produces a wisdom filled work ethic in the person, which open doors for God's miracles to provide the real power over events in our life. Mordecai undoes the laws that Haman set into motion, without undoing the laws. Then he rests from his work and trusts completely in God, which he was doing the entire time. What a lesson for Christian's today.
Solomon's wisdom was a different type. It was almost prophetic wisdom in that it was so true to its core that his proverbs are seen almost as natural. In this chapter we see Haman fall victim to the fate of Solomon's proverb on setting traps, when he ends up setting his own trap against Mordecai. Throughout this story we see that God will deliver His people, and that when we do all we can do it allows us to participate and truly receive the good gifts God wants to give his children.
Mordecai receives high honor from King Xerxes in this episode and we know that his Godly lifestyle has led to the honor he is receiving on earth. Certainly we don't deserve and cannot expect that this world will honor us when we follow God, but we do know that ultimately one day every knee will bow and tongue confess that Jesus is Lord and He will be given his due honor as we feast with him. We share quite a few laughs as we dance around bitterness, honor, and predicting Haman's banquet fate.
In Esther chapter 5 we see all of Haman's joy taken away by the mere fact that a peasant (Mordecai) didn't pay him the respect he thought he deserved. In this episode we discuss the problem of bitterness and how we need to address it and work to feel differently in submitting it to Christ before it steals our joy and peace.
We all come to positions of influence during our life. What is important is not magnitude of greatness or the number we lead, but the actual hearts that we are leading. It's important to remember, for us and for Esther, that we didn't come to our positions of influence by chance, but possibly that God is wanting us to be his hands as the functioning body of Christ on this earth. Once we realize we've struggled to live according to this blessing - the statute is simple: stop, turn around, and go the other way with Him. In other words, repent.
In this episode the family reads chapter 3 from Esther and learns of Haman's evil plot to end the Israelite race. It's not the first time Satan has used one in power to attempt this trick. We discuss Satan's decrees and why he is always on the lookout (in the Old Testament) for the Messiah. In the New Testament we make the connection that his idea to deceive us of a Christ led life is still valid.
In this chapter we are introduced to Mordechai and Esther. Mordechai gives us an example of a priceless gift - standing in to be the father of a child that is not his for Esther. Esther responds by remembering how she was brought up in the Lord as a child and continues her humble approach to counsel as an adult. In the end, iron sharpens iron and both Esther and Mordechai find favor in the eyes of King Xerxes.
We see King Xerxes make a rash decision based on poor counsel, leaving women in his country nearly enslaved to their husbands. We discuss how in Christianity wives are instructed to respect their husband and husbands to love their wife as Christ loved the church.
Tonight, we introduce Esther and sister Harper. Of course, we only get through part of the first chapter and don't get to meet Esther, but we do get to see a King acting poorly (of Babylon) and discuss better ways to conduct ourselves. Along the way Harper takes us down a few tangents and it is fun.
If you like mixed martial arts then you're going to like Nehemiah chapter 13. Until this point Nehemiah has shown restraint, but after a late life return to Jerusalem finding corruption He starts let the people have it verbally and physically. Throughout Nehemiah's life we see a passionate, effective leader. In this case, maybe he gets a little too passionate, but he still leaves us a legacy we hope to leave others - which is to lead them into a stronger walk with The Father.
In Nehemiah Chapter 12 we see good effort from the Israelite people in a cause to turn from foreign influence and dedicate themselves to the Lord's ways. We know, from experience, that this will not last forever and we know that doing it for the purpose of obtaining righteousness is not effective. However, it is part of the Christian life that sometimes we need to remove things or people from our lives that aren't sin but tend to hinder our growth in the Spirit.
Main focus tonight is on repopulating the city of Jerusalem with tangents on the different smells of the city gates and worship principles. Fun, easy listening episode.
Tonight we use the Israelites renewed devotion to keeping the law (in chapter 10) as a launching pad for discussing the statutes of a life lived according to the law against that of one lived by grace through Christ.
Continuing with our theme of God never forsaking us, this back half of chapter 9 reminds us that if we choose continually to live without Him in our life, then he is faithful to accommodate our desires and allow the fullness of the sinful life we choose to reign in our lives. However, we know that when we repent and turn to Him, and do our best, leaving room for grace to save us - He will still remain even in our momentary rebellion.
Chapter 9 ends up being an extension of what we left off with at the end of Chapter 8. That because our Lord is merciful, long-suffering, loving and patient, we are never forsaken in spite of ourselves. Come be uplifted.
In this chapter Nehemiah takes us through several details in a different point of view of Ezra's reading the law. The greatest thing the Spirit gave us tonight was this - in spite of everything, even before Christ, God never forsook His children. He was always with them.
In chapter 7 Nehemiah writes about two important criteria he used to select leaders within the Israelite people 1) integrity and 2) a respect for God that was greater then most. These two factors are still valid today and we can look into our own actions to identify where we could mature. He finishes talking through the completion of the wall again, and his actions remind us that although our efforts towards a certain assignment for God may rest; our relationship with Him never does.
We know how important it is to have a heart for God, and in chapter 6 Nehemiah shows us what it can look like to have a back bone for Him as well. Having a back bone for God against the things of this world is not easy, and yes it comes at a cost, but He is worth and promises to always be with you.
Tonight we get a master's level lesson on charity, selflessness and helping others from Nehemiah and an elementary level lesson on finances and ethics from Dad. It's a good chapter and unique topic for Bedtime Bible Boys.
Tonight, we take a break from our Nehemiah reading and dig into my profound purpose as a Father and how it has become one of the great blessings and joys of my life. Every Father should give his son a blessing, an identity, validation, acceptance, purpose and love. Sometimes hearing what that sounds like can help us learn how to do it for sons and daughters and children who we are guiding.
Nehemiah continues to give us leadership and management lessons as we conclude our description of the who's who on Jerusalem wall building. Uriah, David, what it means to follow God's heart, and diligent management are all key lessons.
In chapter 3 Nehemiah shows us a strategy to use as leaders: get your team invested in the success of a project. He offers a second lesson: whenever possible, just ignore those who are lazy and stay committed to the task at hand. Some quarrels cannot produce fruit and these should be avoided - work diligently in the purposes the Lord has given you and with the excellence with which He has blessed you.
We are called to be encouragers, those of us who belong to the way. However, in life we will struggle against the flesh and we will certainly struggle with other in the flesh and those who are not of the way. It is important as we face this negativity we remember, like Nehemiah, that the Lord's purpose is with you and that He works out all things for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose - so we don't have to worry about what others may say about our endeavors.
We kick-off a new book of the Bible tonight with Nehemiah, which chronologically is an extension of Ezra. Nehemiah leads the third group of exiles to Jerusalem and returns to find a nation lost in sin. Nehemiah follows Ezra's example of confession and repentance and pleads for the Lord's mercy. Fortunately, when we read this scripture today, we know of a thing greater than mercy and that is the Grace by which our Father eternally loves and accepts us through the sacrifice of His son, our savior, Jesus Christ.
We don't talk much about it, but chapter 10 concludes the book of Ezra. In a chapter of mixed feelings we can take note of the instinct of the Israel leadership to confess and repent how they have lived after coming back to Jerusalem (even in light of all the ways God has blessed and delivered them). However, we also see a scary tactic play out which is delayed obedience. We struggle with this one still today, "Ok Father I will do it your way, just wait one more minute..."
All of the Old Testament is good, and true, and all of it can provide good direction on Godly living and keeping strong in the spirit. Sometimes, it is good to remember how good the good news of the New Testament is and how the truth of Jesus Christ literally changes the our entire stance in our righteousness with God. In this chapter we read about Ezra in despair over the Israelites failure to keep the commands of God. Unhappiness is still a good instinct when we fail to honor the relationship we've entered into with our Father, but in Christ we have a right standing that never leads to shame and despair. Instead, He gives us a hope that cannot be taken away. And in that hope we find that although we are still broken in the flesh - He blesses us.
In tonight's episode we see Ezra in despair over the all-to-familiar scene of the Israelites succumbing to the ways of the surrounding nations that are detestable to the Father. In response Ezra finds himself in the most honest posture that every sincere Christ follower has found themselves when failing to live diligently unto the Lord as you had hoped: face down in prayer, humbly before the Father appealing to His lovingkindness. It's His love that gives peace when peace doesn't make any sense, and it's when we humble ourselves to the posture of prayer that we can most experience it.
This chapter in Ezra helps us identify the practices in the Old Testament that were used to prioritize spirit and can still be applied today when we are so focused on our flesh. We live in a world that constantly demands us to obey our flesh, but fasting, thanksgiving, prayer, and offerings are more useful than ever, in helping us direct our attention where it matters most - Him. Ultimately, our Father wants one thing: our hearts.
Finally Ezra is introduced to us in this Chapter 7, and we see that the hand of God is on him and that he has definitely left an impression on King Artaxerxes. That is the message tonight, look at how a faithful life influences even the highest authorities to respond positively to the true and living God.
As the Israelites reclaim Jerusalem and rebuild to completion the temple, we see abundant favor and blessing on their lives intertwined with a position of thanksgiving to the Lord. It's a feel good chapter of the right motives and a victorious result.
Tonight we kickoff our journey in Ezra after having some time off to get well, complete our day jobs, and re-energize. Chapter 5 is a good study if you are looking to build your temple (body of Christ) in ways it may have become tarnished. No judgement here: just advice from the Israelites on how to combat challenges with diplomacy and steadfastness.
Tonight's episode continues through Ezra chapters 2 and 3. We get a roll-call of the Israelites who returned from Babylon in chapter 2, almost book of Numbers style, and then a a reminder of the splendor of Solomon's temple as the Israelites build the altar in Chapter 3. This chapter challenges us to remember that the Lord's mercy and goodness endures forever - not until we rebuild the temple (or ourselves) back into what we were before. We take one turn back to the light and He meets us with absolute delight.
Have you ever wondered if you're kids were actually listening to whatever you just said? More than you know! Let this reading of Ezra chapter 1 affirm to you caretakers of children that they are listening, their heart is open, speak life into them give them the difficult circumstantial questions and let them be challenged spiritually. Then be human and reveal your heart to them. Somehow Ezra chapter 1 takes us there.
Tonight we unveil the next stop in bedtime bible boys reading, and if the title doesn't already give it away then it is Ezra. Join us as we review the time of the kings, the time of exile, and the return under Cyrus king of Persia and under the leadership of Ezra.
Tonight we conclude the book of Daniel with a powerful prophecy of the future and our bodily resurrections to come. The imagery and visions of the last few chapters is wonderful, but we do take time to remind ourselves of the strong character virtues Daniel embodied. These character traits inspire us to remain faithful to the Lord in spirit so that we can have the transformational impact on lives that Daniel had, as well as the peace in our own.
If you only have less than 10 minutes, then tonight's episode is for you. We were up against bedtime when we recorded it, but Chapter 11 in Daniel still gets your mind in the right place for peaceful sleep as we remember that refining and purifying is part of the life in Christ - not as the ultimate point of life in Christ, but as a powerful side effect of walking with Him.
Daniel gets a vision of a battle that started long ago, existed in his day, and endures still. Spiritual warfare is a real thing and it's battles are fierce.
Tonight we unpack the last 3 verses of Daniel chapter 9, where Gabriel delivers news to Daniel that can help him have peace despite the impending tribulations. In the same way, we can take comfort in the fact the the Father works all thing together for good to those who love him and are called according to His purpose. We can take comfort that His ways are greater than our ways, and His thoughts greater than our thoughts.
Daniel offers a blueprint of prayer in this chapter, and God reminds us (through an angel) how a loving Father responds to his children. Daniel gives glory recognizing how great his Father is. He humbles himself, admitting that he is lost in his transgressions without the mercy of the Father. Finally, Daniel appeals to his Father's mercy and apologizes. All this time, God started responding before the apology, before the self reflection and before the worship - It's always on the Father's heart to respond to His children. Come listen to this one.
In Chapter 8 we read about another prophetic dream that Daniel has, and he reaches out again for interpretation and is troubled by what he learns. More prophecy, more power.
Daniel, known as a man who could interpret visions and dreams of any every king. However, in Chapter 7 he has a dream of his own, and it's a dream that troubles him but he can't interpret it. Daniel shows us two things that every bearer of any spiritual gift should do - write things down, and reach out to the body of Christ for edification. We weren't made to live in isolation. Come join us, as we listen to how Daniel navigated his own vision and dream.
Our sincere apologies that this episode is being published out of order. We recorded this and later realized we never released it. Hopefully our listeners, out of shear interest, went and read the end of Daniel Chapter 3 for themselves and learned about the miraculous deliverance of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. If not, here it is, along with some other discussions about the purpose and journey of our life in Christ.
In this mighty chapter we see Daniel remain faithful to and trust in the Lord to deliver Him and we see that he is delivered from the mouth of the Lions although his enemies do not share the same fate. It's a reminder that we may face troubling times when we choose to stick with the Lord but he will be with us, and take care of us.
Daniel models for us a behavior that keeps him in such favor that we not only see him endeared to a second King of a foreign nation of which Judah is in captivity (Medes) but we see him win over a second heart for the Lord in King Darius as he walks in integrity. Others may hate us, or be jealous, but when we commit our ways to the Lord no matter the cost we will be triumphant.
Daniel finally enters this chapter ready to interpret the writing on the wall and deliver God's judgment and resolve to King Belshazzar. Sometimes we feel like we are possibly suffering the judgement of God for a sin in our lives, but we see how God's judgement works in this episode - it is direct, swift, and final.
The presence of God, even in small amounts can feel overwhelming. It's hard to imagine how the new king of Babylon feels in Daniel chapter 5 when the hand of God writes his prophecy concerning the king on the wall. It reminds us of several things: that God is worthy of our respect and reverence, and also that the time for repentance is now.
Tonight we finish chapter 4 as the prophetic dream of Nebuchadnezzar's future comes to fruition. We discuss what it is to be humbled at rock bottom and in the midst of your emptiness be able to look up to the Father and realize He will never leave you or forsake and that He will stop at nothing to win over your heart.
In this episode of Chapter 4 Daniel offers the King an ultimatum to (possibly) avoid the coming truth the God has revealed through Daniel. The boys agree that based on Nebuchadnezzar's character, he is likely to be repentant without cause. So we finish this episode with a question: how for will the Lord go to redeem a heart?
Sometimes we find ourselves seeking truth, but we face a problem that we already know the solution (or truth) that we want to hear and so we filter through information until we find the truth we wanted to hear. Since the King of Babylon did not have google, he chooses to go through wisemen, psychics, and magicians before turning to Daniel to get the truth from the true and living God in Chapter 4. Join us as we seek the truths of scripture.
We take an unplanned moment in this episode to address legalism. As we venture through chapter 3 we get closer and closer to the courageous act of the three young Hebrew men. It's important that while recognizing their strength we also consider the source of their strength and how perfect his work is, and how he was an overpayment for all our false and failures. There are many reasons to follow the flesh when you are at a precipice decision, and we outline these and there are several good spiritual reasons not to follow the flesh, but one of those is not that we lose our testimony for Christ. The Lord's testimony on our life is not dependent on us to prolong - what he offers us is eternal.
Have you ever been in a terrible mess, a terrible hole which you dug yourself into and thought you would tell on more lie, or conceal one more thing, or work just a little harder to get yourself out? If so you know it doesn't really work in the flesh and it certainly doesn't work in the spirit. When we focus on our flesh and worship ourselves we can eventually start living like we are our own god and that we can save ourselves. This is in direct opposition to what the Lord wants in our relationship with Him. Come listen to how Nebuchadnezzar does this with his gold statue as a lead in to the story of the fiery furnace.
In this finale to Daniel chapter 2 we unpack the post-prophetic meaning of the dream Daniel interprets for the king of Babylon. Not only is it spot on, but we also talk about how it points to the Messiah, and how Nebuchadnezzar represents a hope that even the most evil flesh can repent if the heart is willing and open. Prophetic dreams is a catchy title - come join the boys as we discuss it.
Daniel gets his first chance at dreams in this chapter. Rather than relying on his own strength he gives us an excellent model for pursuing power in the Spirit. Daniel shows the faith to ask, the humility to give praise and the diligence to act in accordance with the direction of his Father.
We've arrived, in chapter 1 of Daniel we are quickly introduced to Daniel, his three companions, King Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian life. Daniel gives us an early picture of his hard work, his courage and his faith in God in this first chapter. The boys talk about this courage and we discuss the importance of diligent work with strong faith - and letting God draw the line of conduct in our lives.
In tonight's episode we cover some background details on the book of Daniel, discuss some interesting prophecies of the word which science later "proved" true, and discuss the ultimate purpose of the Word which is the story of how the Father reconciles His children back to Himself.
In tonight's reading we wrap up the books of the kings with Judah's exile into Babylon. Kings is a challenging book that tells the stories of our lives in the flesh, continuously battling to choose the spirit led life. We have something the Israelite's did not: the Spirit of God in us at all times because of our forgiveness in Christ, and His resurrection. We still need filled with the Spirit, so we have to strive towards victory in the battles by eliminating idols, making only Godly alliances, and committing our whole hearts to Him.
This episode features chapter 24 of 2 Kings when we see Judah beginning their final descent out of God's favor and into exile. Come join us for a reminder of what it looks like when we choose to live outside of His light, love and favor.
Coming our of 55 years of not following God, the Israelite's of Judah have re-discovered the Word of God under the rule of Josiah. Josiah gives us a good picture of what spiritual revival looks like, and we challenge one another to think of how we can apply this to our circumstances when we are part of a family, team, or culture (even individually) and rid ourselves of the evil that we have allowed to take root around us/in us.
In this chapter we find ourselves a bit all over the place. The bottom line is, Josiah becomes king following and while cleaning out the temple makes a discovery - The Word of God. It's incredible but we discuss how a society can become wicked so quickly that in just a few generations the Word of God is a completely forgotten message.
We've spoken about this before, leadership carries a weight that a leader has an acute ability to encourage or destroy. A person, a family, a team, or a country. In this episode we see the Kings following Hezekiah, Manneseh and Amon, go in a completely different direction than their father and incite evil in Judah. We discuss the importance of also being self aware as a leader - you can influence but after having influenced, each individual is able to act out of their own heart and the decision is ultimately their decision and not the leaders. Don't carry weight, don't carry fear, give it to the Lord.
In this episode we conclude king Hezekiah's life and remember that he was human - he made mistakes. We are the same. The bible says all have fallen short and thus require the perfect forgiveness and resurrection only available through the savior Jesus Christ. Still, we can look back at Hezekiah's life and take away many acts of faith - we'll never be perfect, but the goal is to be faithful.
In tonight's reading, we see King Hezekiah at a low point, knowing he's nearing death he turns to the Lord and prays in pure humility. The Lord responds to Hezekiah's faithfulness and heals him. This is one of the great difficulties people face - why does God provide healing at times and not other times? In this episode we discuss the power of faithful prayer, the development of a steadfast faithfulness and the different timing and ways God heals. He healed me.
Worship sets the heart on the truth. Song is strong in the Bible and it is strong on our hearts, leading us to a spiritual high that is hard to match. In this episode we see a song like prophecy of deliverance and remember that the Lord is able to cause all our enemies to kneel at His name and return by the way which they came.
Chapter 19 gives us a time tested lesson, that repeats itself continuously in the new testament in Acts. Tre calls it, "Prayer = Power". The leadership of Judah, after taking a stand and trusting fully in the Lord knowing they need his help do the only thing one can do when they are helplessly dependent on the Father - pray to him. It's quite the anomaly - in our state of desperation, when we reduce ourselves to the lowest point of humility by kneeling in prayer we tap into the most powerful weapon we have.
In chapter 18 we have a classic standoff between the King of Assyria, his messengers and King Hezekiah. It becomes clear that Hezekiah has faith in the Father to deliver Judah against this enemy. The Assyrian king relies on influential words, failures of historical false God's, and threats to win over the people of Judah but it is to no avail. The boys discuss how we reach these points in life, and how we can trust in God our deliverer during our circumstances. We're left on a question mark ending, but I think we all know rather or not God will show up in Chapter 19.
Have you ever turned on the news channel during the rare good news portion? Sometimes we need to remember the heroes of our faith. Such is King Hezekiah in Chapter 18. If you need some inspiration to drive that idol out of your life then listen to us discuss the heroism of Hezekiah and how his obedience can motivate us in our walk with the Lord.
We had every intention of reading 2 Kings chapter 18 tonight. But we'll save that for the next episode. Tonight we got into a discussion about our identity as sons and how that is different from our identity as slaves or even servants. We remember that we fight the battles described in the books of the kings from a position that they (besides maybe David) knew nothing of - the position of victory as beloved sons.
Sometimes all you have to do is open The Word, let it open your heart, and be transformed. The finale of Chapter 17 in 2 Kings allows each of us to reflect on our worship of the Father, our letting His spirit guide us and therein it's easy to find evil fault. While underlining that we will never be perfect - our prayerful response to this reading is simple - Father, purify our hearts. We need you.
In a rather sad chapter of the Bible we read about the final King of Israel and their departure into exile. We discuss the reasons that The Lord's word gives as to why this happened, and connect through how it still happens today. Come listen as we challenge one another to commit ourselves and turn to our first love.
Everyday we are challenged to choose temporary treasures, pleasures, and favor and put aside their eternal counterparts. In a sense, Esau did this back in the book of Genesis and the Kings of Israel and Judah continued to worry and respond more to the gifts and treasures in this world versus their inheritance in heaven. Join us as we challenge ourselves to put aside what we may gain today in favor of walking in the eternal treasure that Christ has already purchased for us.
We are back! After a pause in progress caused by a crashed PC, some lost files, and a replacement - we are going again in Chapter 15 of 2 Kings. Same story: few good kings, many bad kings, all serving something in some way other than the Lord their God. It's easy to ask why this struggle is told again and again, and in this episode we remind ourselves that we fight the same daily battles and it's important to remember that We have Jesus Christ and His grace is sufficient.
In 2 Kings chapter 12 King Joash derives a plan to work with the temple priests to set aside funds from offerings to save for repairing the temple. We discuss the importance of leadership and the snares often involved in church leadership which include the temptation of dishonesty with money. The response when the priests, after some time, do not have money for repairs is to set up an accountability system whereby the money is counted by two people. We have a good discussion about how bringing our vices into the light by recruiting a trusted person to keep as accountable is always a good strategy.
This ends up being an encouraging little episode where we highlight the deity of the prophecy of Christ, the importance of his bloodline, and the absolute necessity that he was holy in all his ways. King Joash was protected after being anointed king of Israel at 7 years old for this very purpose. It never fails to touch me when I recall how I am loved by our savior and how his plan was all for us.
It's a bit of a conundrum - cutting off sin and still living with it. King Jehu reveals a truth about life: you can be zealous about removing one sin, but each of us is still going to struggle with one or more other sins. It's just part of living in the flesh. Thank God the word goes on to say, "My grace is sufficient for you." Come join us as we see King Jehu remove the Baals in a powerful, tenacious way but while still living in bondage to golden idols.
It's important that as we receive blessings, responsibility, and influence in life - we use it as a platform to Glorify the Father. In the first half of Chapter 10 we see King Jehu take the word of the Lord and inject a little too much of himself into the task. The Lord gives us all kinds of riches in life so that we can glorify Him. Not to glorify ourselves, not to glorify our church, not to glorify a pastor but to glorify above all - Him. The boys talk about how these can be intertwined but the new message in Christ is that all glory, all obedience, points to Him and not to us.
The way we experience time underlines all the information we process. It's easy to fall into the trap putting our interpretation of time and projecting it on God's behavior. In 2 Kings chapter 9 we see the newly anointed King Jehu bringing God's prophesied judgement on Ahab's home. This was prophesied by Elijah who by this time would have been taken into heaver years prior. Similar to how see God move in our lives, there are times when we have held onto a promise of scripture only to feel lied to because we haven't seen the promise in which we laid our hope. It is in these times we remember chapter 10 and that the only lie we've been told is from the construct of time and how we experience. If God said it - it is final.
The spirit inspired us tonight into a conversation regarding the heart of the Father for his orphaned children. Maybe there is someone who needs to hear this: someone who feel dirty, feels ashamed or alone. Please give us your time, let us reveal to you a new lens to see your loving Father through. It doesn't dismiss His holiness, it showcases His love for you. We'll get started back up on 2 Kings after this episode. Tonight we needed to remember that our Father is in our corner.
In this episode we see a young King be given too much too soon for his own good and he is only on the throne for a year as a 22 year old. We recant a father's memory of dismissing his parents advice at that same age and how he came to know it as good advice. Come join us as we learn about the importance of honoring and respecting loving parents during an age of immaturity.
What a fitting subject - harvesting patience. We talk about in the episodes, but we are seeing the difficulties of continuing to grow and share our bedtime bible experiences as each child is growing up and increasing their after school activity load. It's taught us we have to practice patience even in the good and productive things we do in our effort to share about the peace of Christ that lives in our hearts through the word. Thank you for your patience and remember you can always go back and listen to old content or practice growing a bond with your children and loved ones through this same type of study. Invite the Lord, and wait patiently on Him. He will come.
In this chapter we see the hearts of lepers completely transformed by a blessing of provision and love from God. The boys talk about how our best chance at testifying to the hope the lives in us, is when we share the love of Christ with others. Not necessarily when we show them how much bible knowledge we have, not necessarily when we convict them of a sinful lifestyle, but when we love them unconditionally in the exact place they are in life.
I've been hungry before, but I can't say I've ever went 24 hrs straight hours in my life without receiving food. Hardships present our greatest time of test as believers. From personal experience we know that when something is making us not feel good, the most immediate option we have to get that good feeling back is to sin. This second part of 2 Kings Chapter 6 reminds us to continue pressing into the Lord even when the hunger has gone on too long. The boys discuss this on tonight's episode.
2 Kings and the miracles the Lord has performed through the prophet Elisha have been powerful and inspiring. But they have all dealt with big things in life. Truth is, most of life is little things, little moments in series. Tonight chapter 6 gives us a story of how God cares about every detail of our lives and that we can offer him our faith and hope, even in the little things. Come join us to hear the little miracle of the floating axe head.
In this chapter Brock foretells us the story of Naaman the warrior who battled leprosy. We see an ultra-human response when Naaman learns how he will be healed from Elisha. The boys discuss how we act like this in accordance with God's plans at times, unhappy about the timing or way the Lord wants to work. We remember that it is our job to humble ourselves, and trust in Him who knows all things. He can deliver healing if we have the faith to receive it.
In this episode of 2 Kings chapter 4, the boys share their knowledge of the previous chapters and Tre gives us an inspired word for a blessing miracle Elisha provides. We learn that when faith meets humility, miracles can meet real blessings.
In this episode we tackle 7 short verses. What a great truth is revealed to us in telling the miracle of the widow and the oil jars. The Lord offers us this truth both here and from Christ in parables and each parallels the truth in Ephesians Chapter 3. He is able to do immeasurably more than we can pray or imagine. Our father responds to faith, and the boys challenge one another to give the Lord more than we are comfortable with. Trust Him to deliver even in the places of our most outstanding debt. After all, He has forgiven sins and conquered death - the rest is easy for Him if we will respond in faith. Come hear this miracle with us.
We pause on this Easter Sunday recording from the human Kings to remember the resurrection of the eternal King - King Jesus. Tre wanted to read the story of Good Friday to Easter Sunday. One can't help but hear the lack of hope in the scripture interrupted only by the message of the Angle outside the empty tomb. The boys discuss the importance of the empty grave, and all the reasons there truly was to he hopeful every day starting from the first Easter Sunday.
The exercise of free will is a thing of irony. While we want freedom, we often don't want to experience the consequences of having manifested our freedoms in ways orthogonal to God's direction. Tonight the boys read about the Kings of Judah and Israel in a trying situation, made completely from their own decisions and observe them turning to God in anger for their circumstances. We discuss how we see this take place today and even, at times, in our own lives.
In 2 Kings chapter 2 we see the passing of the guard from Elijah to Elisha. Brock recants the story as he learned from Sunday School and he gets it spot on. At the chapter's conclusion we read about the healing of the water in Jericho and see illustrations of the new covenant. The spirit is at work guiding us through this revelation as the new prophet gives a new prophecy when he heals the water.
Our daughter/sister Harper used to have a t-shirt that said, "a little kindness can change everything." In this episode it reminds us that a little humility and humble nature can change everything. Our father responds to faith, and He responds to a humble heart. We see captains and armed men sent to capture the prophet Elijah by force end up being consumed by the Lord's fire. That is until a captain comes with a humble heart and a meek message from the King. How long will you suffer in your arrogance until humbling yourself before the Lord? The boys discuss it.
Throughout the book of Kings we have seen Israel as the most dominant nation in the Eastern world, and later falling to a nation which loses land to enemies within it's borders. We've seen good kings and bad kings. In this episode we summarize what Kings teaches us about the true wages of following sin and the death and destruction that it yields. It's important to remember that when we have received Christ, He is not only our savior but also our Lord. This means we follow and submit to Him. The boys discuss this as we wrap up 1 Kings and get ready for....2 Kings.
When we know the Lord has given us a word it now becomes out duty to respond in faith. In this episode we see the prophet has a word from the Lord for King Ahab and he holds tight to and proclaims that word even after physical abuse, threats of imprisonment even unto death the prophet stays strong. Sometimes we receive a direct word form the Lord, but the boys also discuss common ways we can seek and receive his counsel.
As we near the end of 1 Kings we see King Ahab, influenced by Jezebel, pursuit a lie that wrongfully murders Naboth and leaves Ahab an inheritance. The king's elders do not confront this unjust act but the prophet of the Lord does, and the boys discuss the importance of standing up for obedience to the Lord in a time where society may make it hard or unpopular to do so. In the end we see King Ahab humble himself before the Lord and our father shows his limitless forgiveness when he withholds from Ahab the judgement his actions deserved.
Sometimes it can be difficult to discern what the Lord would have you do. It's especially difficult when you don't even ask or care! Such a position we see in King Ahab after Israel is delivered into victory through the Lord for a second time over Ben Hadad and the Arameans. Come listen and enjoy this short 10-minute episode.
Sometimes battles take us by surprise, but other times we know when they are coming. In this episode we see the inept king Ben-Hadad prepare to attack Israel and king Ahab and make the terrible mistake of preparing by drinking excessive amounts of alcohol with his other officials. We discuss the importance of remaining ever thankful for the gifts and abilities we have, even down to the air we breath, which protects us from the prideful dependence on ourselves and our gifts to deliver us into victory. It's good conversation - trust in the Lord and do your parts to prepare for battle.
Protecting and maintaining your spiritual health is an acquired and important skill to mature into in the spirit led life. Here we see examples where even the prophet Elijah struggled doing this in his walk with the Lord. We talk about these struggles and remember also the importance of praying for the spiritual leaders in our life who are pouring out for others a thing that can be challenging to keep full of yourself.
There is a consistent theme in the word then when the Lord's followers have the wisdom and discernment of His Word and His Will, there is power released in their natural lives. Tonight we see that power on full display when Elijah challenges the false gods that the Israelite people have worshipped under Ahab's leadership. The Lord prevails and Elijah goes to be alone and pray with Him. We discuss not only how cool this all is, but how it challenges us to align with His plans and purposes when we pray and act.
Unfortunately our eyes do deceive us. The bible describes our measure of faith as the things hoped for but not yet seen. An unshakeable belief in that if The Lord has spoken it, then it will come to pass even if not in the temporary place we find ourselves. Chapter 17 gives us a good picture of what living by seeing one miracle to the next looks like and it is anything but stable, and peaceful. Elijah's healing of a boy reminds us that when faith transforms our hearts, it transforms everything else, but faith left in what we see has not yet developed into maturity.
In the previous episode we highlighted sins inheritance from looking at the stories of several evil kings. Tonight we get the chance to discuss the inheritance of a spirit led life by looking at Elijah's supply while hiding in the ravine and with a struggling woman at the well. We talk about how God supplied the Hebrew people with similar miracles during the Maccabean wars and also through Jesus Christ with fish, bread, and more fish.
Tonight we read another lesson from our Father about the inheritance of sin. Clearly, when you are under the law sin is devastating and the Lord must wants us to know the history of pain that sin has caused so that we can learn from it. Under Christ sin is still devastating to our peace as it seeks to kill, steal and destroy. Come review a handful of early Kings with us who struggled mightily with it.
We piggy-back off our last episode here with common translation uncertainties and talk about the true nature of 1 John 1:9. This is an important part of scripture, a well known verse, that needs to be taken in context of those verses around it and also within the nature of our Father and who He said Jesus Christ was and what He accomplished for us on the cross. When we misunderstand verses like this we water down the work of Christ we put old wine into new wineskins, and we place ourselves back under the old law which He fulfilled.
Tonight we take a little detour in our travels through 1 Kings and start Proverbs 1 since it is the first day of a new month. Our plan was to get through the first proverb but instead we detoured again into scripture translation habits of the NIV bible and how even when we read the Bible we need the spirit for discernment which ultimately tied us back into the Proverbs 1.
Tonight we discuss the early kings of the Northern and Southern Kingdoms and see long valleys of living against God and short peaks of living with Him. The boys discuss the importance of understanding that in any real relationship there will be highs and lows but as we mature we can learn how to recognize the lows, what caused them, and how to recover quickly knowing that we have a Father who will never reject us and always welcome us back. Those are peaks we can stay on for a while.
We had as much fun as we could with this one. In chapter 14 both the northern and southern kingdoms of Israel show difficulty obeying the Lord and find lifestyles apart from Him. This leads to physical loss, spiritual unrest and even foreign enemies once delivered from (Egypt) showing up again to defeat Israel in battle and steal possessions of the temple. We discuss how the Lord had already lost what he cared about most (his people's hearts) and that the temple items were of little value in comparison to the Father.
Tonight we discuss the importance of following God's word. We see a rather faithful man follow the word of another man over the word of God and the detriment that comes to him. We also have a short history lesson on the tithe and Levitical priesthood. It's a fun one, maybe a little controversial but always doing our best to be spirit led.
We will not soon forget 1 Kings Chapter 13. What a great chapter filled to the brim with learning and easy application into our own lives. Along with The Lord's power over situations, we see dedication and obedience to his word and have a good discussion surrounding rather obedience is fueled by behavior modification or heart transformation. We conclude that we will be best suited if our obedience is born through heart transformation where we choose our relationship with the father, because it's what we want to do.
In chapter 12 we conclude by seeing 10 tribes follow Jeroboam and the Northern Kingdom with Judah and Benjamin following Rehoboam in the Southern Kingdom. Idol worship, and indifference to God's law is shown by both leaders and offers us an example of types of Worship and church going to avoid - but rather to just seek out a relationship with our Father.
Respect your elders! At a minimum, respect the advice of your elders. They have been around longer and have more wisdom and on average have better advice than your friends. In this chapter we see Rheoboam take leadership over Israel and start by rejecting the advice of the elder counsel and accept the advice of his friends who want him to respond harshly to his people. We talk again about servant leadership, what it is, and how Christ was the ultimate example of servant leadership.
The whole family joins in on this episode where we recap and finish chapter 11. Kids say and ask such good questions - they challenge us to reinforce our own understanding of biblical principles. Their curiosity is on full display as we see the somber ending to Solomon's reign as King over Israel. Come join us.
Have you ever made the decision to repent, turn to follow the Lord in victory and feeling like a champion only a short while later falling to the same old enemy? Take comfort - you are in the same position as Paul, Solomon, and countless other prominent bible figures (along with everyone else who has been saved and decided to live a life in the spirit while trapped in the flesh). Kings chapter 11 reminds us that when we defeat our enemies (or the objects of our sin) we would be prudent to destroy and remove it completely from our life, lest the thorn in the flesh tempts us during our inevitable moments of future weakness. Come discuss this with the boys.
In Chapter 11 we see the struggles of Solomon begin. Like his predecessors Samson and David he struggles with lusts of the flesh and gives into foreign wives and the seductive forces of serving their foreign gods. We discuss the importance of allowing the father into our earthly relationships and most especially marriage - the most sacred human relationship we will have.
Tonight we have a short episode where Tre and I read chapter 10 while Brock sleeps. Chapter 10 is a continuation of a description of Solomon's blessings. It is clear that the Lord wants us to know how blessed Solomon was, and all He had given him and the people Israel. When we survey our lives, especially in moments of extreme strength or weakness, it is easy to survey all the good things He has given us. Our cup truly overflows and we are getting so much more in this life than we deserve. His undeserved favor is all around.
Have you ever wondered if you can lose your salvation? In this episode we look at Solomon's life, how he was blessed, and through the lens of the fact that God did allow a descendant of Solomon to be forever on the throne in Jesus Christ. God did all this, and He knew what hedonist decisions awaited in Solomon's future. Our all knowing God is never surprised by our sin. He knew about when you came to receive grace, he paid for it at the cross, and if He was going to end up rejecting you later then why would he accept you now? When you accept Jesus and are baptized into the spirit, your salvation is eternally sealed. Come listen to us discuss this.
We continue in Solomon's prayer in chapter 8. Solomon prays for the forgiveness and direction of the Israelite people. Ultimately, his prayer is that the Lord will forgive all the sins of His people - and ultimately God does in Jesus Christ. He appoints people to look towards the temple, but really, when people in far lands would look towards the temple they would look in the direction of the cross.
In chapter 8 the Israelite's bring the ark of the covenant into the completed temple. Think of how Solomon came to be. A boy born out of a relationship that started with lust, adultery, lying, cheating, and murder. A boy brought from a relationship complete in sin, and he became a great blessing to the nation. Remember that God can work all things together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.
We finish the construction details of Solomon's temple in this episode and discuss how cool it would have been to actually watch the Ark of the Covenant being carried into the completed Temple in Jerusalem. This leads us down a trail of each selecting a bible event we would, if we could, go back in time to see. Fun stories, much to unpack. Come join us.
This is a choppy little episode where we read 1 Kings Chapter 7 and learn about many details of the temple and palace building - which reveals God's glory and favor. Tre gives a nice recap of chapter 6, and the most holy place, using a fire for an illustration. In a tangent conversation we listen to the difficulties of changes to everyday life from the events of 2020 through the perspective of a child and remind ourselves to be encouraging to others when we feel discouraged and to mature in Christ to the point where we have the peace that transcends all understanding - even the lack of understanding from the past year.
Come join us as we discover how Solomon planned and prepared to execute building the temple and how he prioritized family into the laborers schedule. We take a lesson from Andy Stanley in this one: Don't give up the jobs you were uniquely created for, in exchange for those jobs that anyone can do.
Tonight the boys start off realizing that in Chapter 3, the Lord blessed Solomon even though he was not living according to the laws of Deuteronomy (by making a sacrifice in an non-ordained location). What do we do with this? We compared it to the fact that God blessed David even though had committed terrible sins. Ultimately, we can be blessed when we trust what God says, and believe that he loves his children and wants good things for them. This doesn't mean correction is not a response to a believer in a sinful lifestyle, but that both our salvation and blessing is based on what He has done for us. In Chapter 4, we see the undeserved favor of God on Solomon and on the Israelites. God knew, the rebellious future that lied ahead for Solomon. Solomon's future acts (and those of the Israelites) didn't shock or surprise God. But he blessed Solomon and the people in this season of their life. We serve a kind and discerning father, who wants to bless his children with good things.
The boys get back into gear in this episode reading 1 Kings Chapter 3. Solomon is asked what he would receive, if he could have any blessing from the Lord. Solomon chooses wisdom and asks for it in the most humble way, knowing that his Father knows all things. In return the Lord promises him many of the things he did not ask for as well. We take a fun detour about how it's a good fathers desire to give all he has to his son's, even if it comes at his own cost.
Tre sends 1 Kings Chapter 3 to the backburner in tonight's episode by asking a whopper of a question. Are God and Jesus the same? Come join us in this episode as we unpack our opinions, and search through a few passages of scripture regarding this obscure and often controversial subject.
We wrap up Chapter 1 in 1 Kings tonight by seeing Solomon purge the Kingdom of much political corruption. Unfortunately this overshadows the death of one of the Bible's most notorious characters in King David. The boys discuss serving power and position in leadership, when we are supposed to be serving God and others. We acknowledge that God's judgement is always justice, and even when we don't understand we know that He is always working to prepare things for David's everlasting place on the throne through Christ Jesus.
Hello everyone, first we apologize for the poor audio in this recording. With zero education in audio editing at the helm, I did as much as I could to improve the sound but the result is still pretty bad (you should hear the original!). In any case, we finish the first chapter of 1 Kings and see Solomon given King David's throne and Adonijah make the correct the decision to run towards mercy. God grants him mercy through Solomon and as listeners we receive a fine lesson in running to God in the midst of your sins and receiving his mercy and grace. Sound aside, come enjoy this one.
We kick off a new chapter in this episode. An aging David is combating a son trying to take his position in Kings chapter 1. The boys talk about decision making when allegiance to family challenges allegiance to the Lord and that ultimately by following Him, we set an eternal example to those who have been called according to His purpose and that family, saved in Christ, will follow.
We conclude the book of 2 Samuel on this episode and finish by discussing the unity in Israel under King David's leadership versus where it started and where it would ultimately go. The boys discuss the parallel of difficulties our country (The United States) is going through and we finish with a call to celebrate the truth the our Father created us uniquely in diversity but he saved us, purchasing us with the blood of Jesus Christ in unity and we are now called to by one body united in Christ above all else.
This is a fun little episode discussing a note so fun instance in the bible where the Father gives the King an option of three punishments. In the end we agree that keeping focused on eternity and what it holds will lead us to better decisions and less ill-placed emotions that focusing on the here-and-now.
Sometimes it can be tough to be a voice for Christ in the world that surrounds us. This chapter and finale of David's song reminds us that the Lord can protect us as we break through enemy lines, and harvest the souls of men and take them back to our King. It's a pleasure to participate in what the Lord is doing.
In this episode the boys take turns reading David's song to the Lord after his victory against the descendants of Rapha. We discuss the parts of the song that speak to us and recall that The Lord, not circumstances, is our rock, our refuge, and the horn of our salvation. Come join us.
In tonight's episode we find the Israelite's in a time of famine, produced from prior disobedience. We recall the stories of Joseph and how to apply preparation in the times of plenty (good harvest) for the times of famine (poor harvest). David seeks God out, we see the blessings of obedience and we see how God delivers his people from the hands of giants descended from Rapha in mighty deliverance.
How do you read from the Bible and end up talking about Revelations, Job, 2 Samuel, Gospels, and Acts all in one night? Hang with us for all 20 minutes of this marathon episode. Every minute is worth it, especially the last 3.
It's easy to be confused when we don't understand why God does or doesn't do something. It's human to be angry when His decision (or lack thereof) is contrary to what you expected. In this episode Mephibosheth shows us an inspiring example of humbly stating ones case but allowing David (metaphorically his authority figure) to make a decision and Mephibosheth having peace with whatever decision is made. We discuss one of the more trying experiences the family had with Brock a few years back and how the Lord spoke to us even when we were hurting and mad and showed us something we couldn't see on our own.
This is our first episode coming off a two week Christmas break. The boys intended to jump right back in to 2 Samuel Ch. 19 but got to talking about the year 2020 as well as a recent hunting trip and ended up speaking at lengths concerning blessings during difficult times. Both 2020 and our hunting trip had difficulties, uncomfortable circumstances, unexpected events but in each we were able to identify and take certain blessings that we know the Lord gave us and we can have hope that the next year, the next hunt, day, or event will have more blessings that the Father has prepared in advance.
We have a couple beautiful visitors in tonight's episode. We get into the early parts of Chapter 19 read about David making some political moves after remembering Absalom's death in Chapter 18. The night finishes with little sister Harper letting us review and discuss the memory verses we study with her every night after Bedtime Bible Boys. The key takeaway is: memorizing scripture is a Sword of The Spirit that we can use to thrust against our spiritual enemies.
The boys wrap up Chapter 18 with yet another reading expressing the unconditional love of a father, illustrated in David's grief over the death of Absalom.
In tonight's episode the boys dig a little deeper into the complexities of Ahithophel, and then continue on in Chapter 18. We see a picture of God's unconditional love in David when he asks his military leaders to be show compassion for Absalom - his own son in pursuit of killing him. We finish the episode with the boys giving their interpretation of what it means for the forest to take more lives than the sword and how the Lord will fight our battles.
Ahithophel faces troubling times and responds poorly. After doing some study after recording this episode, there is more to remember concerning the familial entanglements of David and Ahithophel and it is possible that Ahithophel knew of his coming defeat. Even so, we draw conclusions that any person who would harm themselves in the face of trouble has an identity not rooted in the love of our father. After a short reading, lost for more content, we elude to the safest discussion which is about Christ and the events surrounding Christmas and his childhood. The boys venture off into Satan's involvement in the prophecy and life of Christ which leads to our key takeaway that words have tremendous power to hurt others and hurt ourselves as it can unmistakably let the powers of evil know what is in our head and our hearts.
This episode is full of tangents, but they are good tangents. We see Ahithophel give Absalom bad advice as per David's prayer and then we see David's men involved in a lie to escape Absalom's men. We remember how we've seen God's power to deliver in earlier scripture and discuss why His people now resort to lying and trickery for deliverance. We uncover the truth that it's not God who has changed but it is our hearts yearning to live according to the knowledge of good and what is evil rather than the relationship the Lord wanted - which was I created you and I love you.
Tonight we jump all over the place from talking about respecting others beliefs without embracing them, and then journey deeper into Chapter 16 where Ahithophel is giving bad advice to Absalom per David's prayer. In the end we discuss the Lord's knowledge of the future and remember that just because he knows and gives prophecy doesn't mean he support the decisions being made. Tre discusses the relationship of existential debt as recalled from the book of Judges and we end this episode with a beautiful conversation regarding that we really have nothing to give God to repay him for his Son - except for our hearts, and our hearts is all he wants.
So how was the humbly prepared brisket? The boys will give you their unique take on that question and much more as we discuss Chapter 16. We see David make an error in response with one man, and a spiritually inspired one with another man as we journey through his departure from Jerusalem. We discover a parallel story in Christ and Peter in garden of Gethsemane and dive deeper into the meekness, submission, and self-control displayed by Christ during histories greatest injustice. He was silent because his identity wasn't secure in his defense, it was secure in the one who loved and was well pleased with him.
As a Texan I've learned the highest shelf which your pride can rest upon occurs when you can confidently take that brisket off the smoker after 6 hours and let if finish in the oven. In tonight's episode the boys unpack the remainder of Chapter 15, where David's temperament has changed to being sorry, appealing to his people for help, and inquiring of the Lord through spiritual friends. We discuss the importance of meekness and humility in our life as Children, as men and women, and as followers of Christ. Come join us.
In this episode Absalom (King David's son) shows us the importance of serving the people you lead. Even when his intentions are bad, the people still give the hearts to the leader that is serving them. Tre throws Dad some credit in this one with a little narration of being the leader of the kids when called upon and we finish by discussing David's changing heart, which once inquired of the Lord and killed Goliath, but now reacts to life's situations and runs away scared from Absalom.
In tonight's episode the boys find themselves a little lost about who the king is??? Hello! David! After recovering, we discuss how Absalom's return to Jerusalem caused more turmoil because David failed to effectively discipline his children out of love. He let Amnon off the hook for Tamar, he let Absalom off the hook for Amnon and for his injustice to Joab. A loving father or mother must be decisive, and firm when responding to misbehavior out of love for their children. Our children don't need another friend - they need a father/mother.
In this episode the boys discuss the mission of Bedtime Bible Boys - helping fathers, mothers, and mentors connect with their children in a way that fosters a growing relationship with our Father. Our goal is one heart. That if even one heart is moved into greater depths in their relationship with the Father then we will have served our purpose. We discuss the importance of an earthly father/mentor tending to the gift given him by his heavenly father: the great calling to help our children and loved ones develop a strong sense of identity in Jesus Christ. And we finish chapter 13 of 2 Samuel where we see the fruit of a family of children, born of multiple wives, left to their own devices as David failed to grow them in their identity in the love of Christ and affirm them daily with his love.
In this episode we blitz through a shortened bedtime session by introducing the turmoil that Ambon and his choice of bad company left in David’s home. When you have evil in your mind, we can’t surround ourselves with shrewd friends. We have to press into those who love us enough to tell us to change.
In this episode the boys learn about David’s response to the consequence of losing his son. We find encouragement in David’s acceptance of the consequence, his apparent forgiveness of self, and his move forward into embracing the Lords love over his own potential shame.
David is confronted by Nathan in this passage from 2 Samuel. Sin sometimes has grave consequences, and the boys discuss how it’s better to turn to the Lord for the emptiness we’re searching to fill with sin - He wants to give us more.
We conclude David’s sin with Bathsheba remembering that this was adultery, lying, and murdering and that through all those mistakes the Lord never rejected David. He saw his sin as one thing and his identity as another. The boys, father included, were challenged to remember that he is displeased with the sin in our life, but never displeased with upright identity as his children.
We continue in David’s struggle with sin as he shows his humanity by trying to use his gifts of cleverness to conceal and lie about his sin. The boys discuss how this only deepens the hole you are in and digging out starts with repentance.
This episode is only 5 verses. When it comes to battling the flesh a father has so much personal experience he can teach his children. This story of David and Bathsheba starts with the most obvious lesson: to win the battle against sin you have to first be in the battle. We discuss taking every thought captive when we find our idle minds thinking about sin, and we highlight the maturation Joseph showed over David when he ran from this sin. It’s a strength David, and quite honestly we, have a hard time finding.
We kick off this episode with a short reading from a book written by John West reminding us to stay focused on promoting God with our work and not promoting ourselves. In chapter 10 we see the ammonites falling to David and conclude with a lesson that when chariots can no longer save us, when running can no longer save us, we can always do what we always should have - turn to Him and find his security. The criminal next to Christ on the cross did this best.
Tonight King David offers Mephibosheth, son of his late friend Jonathan, a special blessing. The boys discuss both the often overlooked blessing of a big family, as well as the Lord’s blessing Mephibosheth undeservedly even in the midst of his physical impairments. Where the world disqualifies, the Lord qualifies.
Join us in chapter 8 as we see the expansion of David’s kingdom and review chapter 7 in terms of Jesus lineage and Joseph’s lineage through Jekoniah. We finish by discussing young men understanding the sacred nature of their bodies.
The Lord makes a promise of the Messiah through Nathaniel the prophet to David lineage. The boys discuss the lineage of David through Mary vs the lineage of Joseph which proves the conception via the Holy Spirit. We conclude by relating to David’s praise to undeserved favor in a Father’s life.
In chapter 6 Uzzah son of Abinadab is dealt with firmly for his irreverence to the Lords law. David needs reminding to step into his blessing that others are receiving. The boys discuss trusting your identity to the finished work of Christ and worshipping him with passion, unlike David’s wife Michal.
Join us to read 1 Samuel chapter 5 as David continues his journey to becoming Israel’s lone king. We discuss the tangent topic of allowing God to lead you, and the need to first allow him.
The assumed heir apparent to Saul, his son Ish-Bosheth is taken down by two men trying to serve themselves in this scripture. David’s trust is in the Lord and not rogue vigilantes. We conclude this episode with a strong reminder that God uses the ordinary to confound the wise and that He’s our father who will never reject His children.
Join the boys to conclude chapter 3 of 2nd Samuel as the Israelites continue in civil war as King’s duel for thrones. We remember that all authority has been established by God and our move is to respect that and love our brothers first, disagree with them second.
Tonight we discuss the importance of disagreeing respectfully and continuing to love those who may hurt or persecute you. If we are to love our enemies than we are certainly to love people who simply disagree with us.
In this episode we get the details of Saul’s death, discuss David’s devotion to the authority the Lord has put in place, and remember his friend Johnathon.
Bad news is just good news in disguise. Nice take Tre. Here him explain as we close out the book of 1 Samuel, and see the death of Israel’s first notorious king.
Tonight we take down two chapters discussing lessons of God’s making a way for David and David’s generosity for the common welfare of Israel.
The boys see Saul go completely off the rails as he consults mediums to access the word of the late Samuel. I’m doing so, he receives an eerie fate. Join us to hear about it as we near the conclusion of 1 Samuel.
David runs off to take cover from Saul in Philistine territory. He tells a lie and we remember that he’s human and so are we. Thanks be to the grace of God.
What an inspired chapter. Saul is pursuing David again - his temptation has come to enslave him again. The same manner in which the Egyptians came back due the Hebrews and the demons came back for the once possessed man in the gospels. David finds a passionate follower in Abishia in whom we find and discuss shades of Peter. Ultimately, we find Saul in despair confessing his sin once again and hoping he will turn to the Lord in repentance.
Last episode Tre and Brock cornered Dad with questions about David’s taking Abigail as a wife. After some prayer an research we derive an answer that is still abstract but points us towards original design and flexibility on specific matters of the law because these are not the basis of our faith.
Our journey with David continues with the continuation of Nabal the fool and his bacon saving wife Abigail. Tre and Brock ask good questions about David’s taking multiple wives and we discuss the importance of searching scripture as the Lord reveals Himself.
A follow up on the previous days finish regarding the power of grace to reveal and break the bondage of sin. We finish the episode celebrating the intelligence and love that comes from the best of our human race: find out who they are.
What causes us to change our sinful behavior? Fear of punishment? No. Feeling sufficiently ashamed? No. Consequences? No. The law was given so the trespass would increase! In this episode we look at Saul’s repentance, what caused it and how that cause is a picture of mercy, grace and love poured out on the cross by Jesus.
We picked back up after a 4 night recovery talking about David’s flee from Saul. The highlight of the episode is discussing Johnathon encouraging David even though David had an intimate relationship with the Lord. We can always encourage others.
David’s lie accomplishes it’s task in this episode - the sin kills, steals and destroys. David, the man who loved music gives us a model for how to face it in tonight’s reading.
Sometime you feel like a nut? David certainly does so in this episode when he visits Gath. The boys get a real kick out of calling David a nut and wrapping up chapter 21.
Only 7 verses tonight but in it we see two violations of law: A lie that the Lord would have been against, and feeding the needy with consecrated bread that we believe the Lord would have supported. Listen and find out why.
Tonight we read About Saul’s attempt to deceive and kill his own son in his lunacy to get David. We discussed the importance self sacrificial love in the form on empathy. We also shared a laugh about Saul’s insult to Johnathon: a more intellectual description of a too-well-known phrase.
The stubborn pursuit by Saul continues while David and Johnathon strengthen. The boys discuss how to turn about when you are in a pit like Saul and the principles of agape love in Christ.
Saul, on a stiff-necked mission to kill David sends men to find Him. God intervenes. Saul himself goes to find David. God intervenes. The boys describe the story and unpack it.
In this episode the boys finish the chapter discussing Saul’s jealousy and his stubborn drive to kill David. We related it to our hearts when we want to sin and give ourselves over to it and that the way forward is to repent rather than live our lives in the same emptiness that chasing sin cost Saul.
Pump the brakes on Kings and recall the Judges. In this episode we open with a rehearsal of Israel’s prominent judges and what the boys like about them. We finish by returning to Samuel, introducing Johnathon and David as friends and highlighting Sauls contempt for David as the rising star.
After coming home from an evening bike ride down a dirt road on a musky night, the boys are a little stuffy. However, we are in better shape than Goliath as we discuss his fate in his battle verse David. We conclude by agreeing we should invite the Lord into all our ways and be content with any response.
Tonight the boys discussed David’s response to Goliath’s taunts and Saul’s offer. The secret David knew is illustrated through a Father’s whisper.
Brock was feeling sick during this recording so Tre and I paused our bible progress and recanted the amazing journey that brought us to Texas and the faith development we experienced along the way.
The good kids (Brock and Tre) have an increased presence describing their favorite parts in this episode as we talk about Goliath’s taunts, Saul’s offer, and David’s opportunity.
In this episode the boys discuss servant leadership and encouraging others in simple ways similar to young David encouraging Saul with music. We introduce Goliath and and talk about crushing snakes.
In this episode we pray for a friend that Tre mentioned in the previous episode before reading about The Lord’s selecting David among the sons of Jesse as Israel’s king. The boys discuss measuring someone’s heart with grace as opposed to their outward appearance and how the Lord qualifies those that the world may disqualify.
Samuel announces that The Lord has rejected Saul as King. The boys discuss servant leadership and it’s various duties. King David is foreshadowed and his knowledge of The Lord’s love is considered.
A Father and his sons sharing bible stories at bedtime. Tonight we begin chapter 15 in 1 Samuel which introduces a conflict between a father and his own son.
Just a small, easy conversation with Brock about playing a game we enjoy. A little sound byte to always keep us humble.