Pastors Confidential: Recent Episodes
michellejoywaters
The final episode in our Whole Bible series! Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We wrap things up with James, 1-2 Peter, Jude, and Revelation.
Our penultimate episode in The Whole Bible series! Today we discuss the book of Hebrews.
Paul's second letter to the Corinthians and what it means to be "a new creation in Christ."
Today we continue discussing John's Gospel as we make our way through the Crossways curriculum.
We are almost through the Gospels in our overview of The Whole Bible; today we focus on the Gospel of John.
Moving right along in our overview of The Whole Bible; today we discuss the stories and ideas unique to the Gospel of Luke.
After a long holiday break, we resume our journey through the Crossways Bible curriculum. Today's episode focuses on the second half of Matthew.
This is the last podcast of 2023. We cover the first part of Matthew's Gospel today, we will return to it in the New Year when Crossways resumes again.
Today we finish discussing the Gospel of Mark, focusing on two stories where Jesus healed blind men.
We are finally in the New Testament! Today we discuss the first half of Mark's Gospel. The Crossways curriculum begins with Mark because many scholars believe his was the first gospel written.
The final episode before getting to Jesus in the Gospels! Today we discuss the world of 1st century Judaism -- the world Jesus is born into.
We are still discussing the the period between the two testaments: today we focus on the expectations of a Messiah. What? How? Who? And the question of the Gentiles - are they in or out?
Why do Catholics have more books in their Bibles than Protestants? How did they decide which books to include in the canon and which to leave out? Today we discuss the process of canonization, the Apocrypha and the Pseudepigrapha.
What happened during the 400 years between the Old and New Testaments? Today we discuss the shifting of power between the Persians, the Jews, the Greeks, and the Romans during the Intertestamental Period.
We wrap up the Old Testament today with our discussion of four books of wisdom literature: Proverbs, Job, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs.
As we continue through the two year Bible curriculum, Crossways, today we focus on the book of Psalms.
Today we discuss five books of the Bible: Malachi, Joel, Esther, Ruth, and Jonah. We talk about how these books detail the emergence of Judaism, with its focus on worship in the temple, the return to the law, and the customs and practices that separated God's people from other nations.
The Israelites return to the Promised Land and begin to rebuild the community, the temple, and the wall around Jerusalem under the guidance of Ezra and Nehemiah.
Continuing our overview of the Bible, on this episode we discuss how David is remembered in the book of Chronicles.
Today we return to our The Whole Bible series, picking up with Isaiah 40 and the return from exile.
Part two of Ezekiel as we wrap up the pre-exilic prophets. We'll resume in the Fall with the second half of The Whole Bible series.
Today we focus on the first part of Isaiah, discussing some of the best loved and most quoted verses in the Old Testament.
Today we are talking about the prophet Hosea, one of the minor prophets whose ministry was directed at the Northern Kingdom.
Today we recap the book of Amos and preview the book of Hosea as we continue our way through the minor prophets. We are about one third of the way through the two year Crossways curriculum which covers the whole Bible.
Today we pick up with the Divided Kingdom and how the North fell to the Assyrians and the South fell to Babylon.
Today we talk about when things go downhill for the Kingdom of Israel and it is divided in two parts: Israel in the north and Judah in the south.
We are moving right along in God's story of salvation, following the Crossways curriculum. Today we discuss King Solomon, described in the Bible as "wiser than all men" (I Kings 4:31). His wisdom was a great gift from God, but Solomon didn't always act according to God's will. (Not a big surprise if you've made it this far in the story).
We're back after a long holiday break! Today we recap all that's been going on around here before jumping back into Crossways. King David is the center of our discussion on this episode.
This is the last podcast for 2022. We'll be back to continue The Whole Bible series in January. Today we discuss the rise and fall of King Saul.
Today we discuss the book of Judges and how the Israelites found themselves in a cycle of sin and redemption that repeated itself over and over again.
Today we discuss the book of Judges and how the Israelites found themselves in a cycle of sin and redemption that repeated itself over and over again.
Today's episode continues with the discussion of the wilderness wanderings and the conquest of the Holy Land.
Today's episode continues with the discussion of the wilderness wanderings and the conquest of the Holy Land.
As God's chosen people are on the brink of the promised land, he gives them further directions about how they are to live and take over this new land.
Today we discuss the 40 years that the Israelites wandered in the wilderness before entering the promised land.
We're moving right along in the Old Testament. Today we focus on the Law. We discuss the distinctions between the moral law and the ritual law and why Christians don't follow all of the instructions given to the Israelites.
As we continue to hit the highlights of God's amazing story, we come to God's covenant with His people on Mt. Sinai.
Today we're talking about the Exodus. Why did God harden Pharaoh's heart? What's the deal with the frogs, gnats, and other strange plagues? Why were God's chosen people enslaved anyway?
What kind of a family did God choose to be a blessing to the whole world? We continue the story of the Patriarchs today as we look at Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph.
Welcome to a new series overviewing the entire Bible! We'll hit the main points, using Eric's Wednesday evening Crossways class as our guide. Today we discuss Creation and the Fall.
Today we're covering our 4th Psalm of the summer, Psalm 51. This is a favorite for many. It's a beautiful psalm about God's mercy even in the face of our brokenness.
Today we start off the summer series discussing Psalm 8. It's a beautiful psalm about God's creation of the world and our place in it.
Today we start another summer series on the Psalms. We'll be covering six psalms, beginning next week with Psalm 8.
We're wrapping up the 30 Sayings of the Wise today. Join us as we discuss Proverbs 24:10-22.
What bites like a snake and poisons like a viper? Listen to today's episode to find out!
Today we discuss sayings 2-6 of the Thirty Sayings of the Wise found in Proverbs 22:17-24:22.
For our 100th episode, it's just Michelle talking about her recent trip to the Holy Land!
Today we are wrapping up our series, Speak the Word of God Boldly, with the story of a man who did just that and paid for it with his life. Acts 6 and 7 describe the life and death of Stephen, the first Christian martyr.
Today we continue to follow the apostles as they stand up for truth, despite intense pressure to be silent, in the book of Acts.
Today we continue our series, Speak the Word of God Boldly. In Acts 4, Peter and John are told by the authorities to stop talking about Jesus publicly. What do they do? We'll talk about when it may be appropriate to stand down, and when we must stand up in the face of opposition.
Peter preaches another bold message after healing a man in the name of Jesus. We talk about how we too can be "salt and light" in our world today.
Today we focus on Acts chapter 2 and how the early apostles were called to stand up to a "corrupt generation" (2:40).
We're in a new series based on the book of Acts. Join us as we learn from the example of the early apostles: how the Holy Spirit gave them the power to Speak God's Word boldly even in the face of opposition.
We're wrapping up this series on the Parables of Matthew 13 with three short teachings on treasure.
We continue our series of the Parables of Matthew 13. Today we're discussing the Parable of the Wheat and the Weeds and the Parable of the Mustard Seed. Why does God allow the weeds to grow right alongside the wheat? Why does He take so long to do anything about it?
We interrupt this parables series to discuss this week's holidays: Reformation Day, All Saints Day, and Halloween. Should Christians celebrate Halloween? Who are the saints we're honoring? What was the Reformation all about anyway?
Today we're talking about the soil of our hearts. What type of soil are you? How can we become soil that produces fruit for the Kingdom of God?
Today we begin a new series on the Parables found in Matthew 13. Why did Jesus teach in parables? Why are they hard to understand sometimes?
We wrap up our discussion of Revelation today (last week was mis-titled, we really are on Week Seven). We discuss the 1000 years, the judging of our deeds and the Book of Life, and much more.
Today we talk about The End (spoiler alert: Jesus wins!), the differences in interpretation of the 1000 years, and some things that came up in our discussion at Theology on Tap as well.
Join us as we continue looking at John's vision in Revelation. Today we discuss the numbers frequently used as symbols, the songs we use in our liturgy that come from the book of Revelation, and how this strange book can be compared to a rock opera.
Today we dive into our Revelation series and discuss who this book is about and what it tells us to do.
We're starting a new series today on the book of Revelation today. Eric will be preaching on it on Sundays (starting this coming week) and then on Mondays on the podcast we'll discuss it. Today we recap some happenings in our church and the NALC at large and then introduce the new series.
Today we wrap up our series on the Psalms with a psalm of praise. Psalm 149 teaches us how to be glad and joyful in the Lord.
Today we're covering a beautiful psalm of hope and forgiveness. Our fifth psalm of the summer is Psalm 130; we hope you are encouraged and uplifted by today's podcast.
Today we focus on a beautiful psalm about where to go when we need help. The Israelites prayed this psalm on their pilgrimages; we can pray it on the journey of life.
Today we're talking about the two very different paths of life described in Psalm One. We also give some tips on how to use the psalms for meditating, praying, and memorization.
Today we're back with the introduction of a new series called "Six Psalms for Summer." Join us as we pray, meditate on, memorize, and live out some of the beautiful prayers found in the book of Psalms.
Today it's all about work and money on the podcast. We continue to use the book of Proverbs to find Common Sense in a Crazy World.
Today we're talking about what Proverbs says about the family. Join us as we discuss marriage, parenting, and sibling relationships. We could all use some common sense on this one!
Today's theme from Proverbs is morality and ethics. How do we live well in the world? Join us as we look at how God calls us to walk with the Lord through self control, teachability, and using our words wisely.
We're talking about the different themes of the book of Proverbs in this series. Today we look at wisdom and knowledge. What are they? Are they different? How do you get them? Especially, how can we apply them in a world that seems ruled by anything but common sense, let alone the wisdom and knowledge of God!
Today we're starting a new series called "Common Sense in a Crazy World." It focuses on the book of Proverbs, some of the best wisdom and truisms found in God's Word. Hope you'll join us as we seek godly wisdom for the world we live in.
Happy Easter! The Lord is risen! He is risen, indeed! Today we're wrapping up our series on the 7 Deadly Sins with both pride and wrath. We also recap Lent and Easter and tell you what we'd do differently next year.
Happy Holy Week! We're still in the series on the 7 Deadly Sins. Today's topic is lust. How's that for a way to start your week?
What does it mean to be slothful? Why does Jesus tell a parable about a lazy servant? How do we keep spiritual zeal and and not be lacking in enthusiasm for the life of the soul? Join us today to find out!
We continue on today with another of the 7 Deadly Sins - Envy. Eric must have had something extra strong in his coffee this morning; he's full of spit and vinegar today!
We're talking about greed today on the podcast. What does the Bible say about money in general and greed in particular? How do we avoid being greedy in a culture that prizes accumulation of wealth and possessions? Join us today as we find out together!
Have you ever wondered if God cares about what you eat and drink? Or what it means to be a "glutton?" Why does it matter and how can we avoid it? Join us as we begin our discussion of the seven deadly sins.
Today we're starting a new series on the Seven Deadly Sins: What are they? Does the Bible talk about them? Are some sins worse than others? You get the idea. Today we introduce the series and give you some background.
We're wrapping our our New Year, New You! series with the new future we have in heaven.
We're still talking about how God makes all things new! Today we discuss our "new purpose" as Christians. What should we be up to in the world?
It's all about hope today. What is a living hope? What's the difference between hope and wishful thinking? What is Christian hope anchored in?
What does it mean to have new life in Christ? How does God do it? What do we have to do to receive it? This is the first of our new series New Year, New You!
We're wrapping up our series on Best Loved Bible Verses with a passage sent in by Carmel: 1 John 1:5-10. We talk about sin, confession, God's great love for us, and walking in the light. We pray you all have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving and Christmas. We'll come back in 2021!
God's Word tells us to let go of what's behind and press on toward the future He has in store for us. And, He even tells us what to focus on in the meantime. These are the great verses we're discussing today on the podcast. Join us for thoughts on Philippians 3:13-14 and 4:4-8 as we continue our Best Loved Bible Verses series.
What does God want from you? According to Micah 6:8 it's all about justice, mercy, and humility. As always, applicable words for our times!
We're talking about God's great faithfulness today with Lamentations 3:22-23. If you need encouragement that His mercies truly are new every morning, we hope you listen!
We're discussing one of the most well-loved Bible passages of all time today: Psalm 23. Eric phones in from the Pittsburgh airport so you'll have to excuse the quality (sometimes you get what you pay for!). We haven't had a chance to talk much over these last six days while he's been gone so you'll also hear some rabbit trails about UT football fans and NY airport protocol in the time of Covid! Just warning you in advance.
Today we're taking three of your favorite verses: all from Romans! Thanks to Brian, Diane, and Phyllis for submitting this week's verses. Lots of hope in today's episode as we discuss renewing our minds, discerning God's will, and being filled with peace and joy.
What do a girlfriend, a graveyard, and a German requiem have in common? They all led Eric to the one thing that endures: the Word of God. Join us today as we talk about how God originally pursued Eric and ultimately called him to devote his life to the only thing that "will stand forever."
We're starting off our new series with my favorite verse, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." We talk about how the meaning of that verse has changed since the days I used to write it all over my sports equipment as a child! This is going to be a great series as dive deeper into some of your favorite passages as well.
This is the final episode in our series Hope in Hard Times. Today we've got Dr. Chuck Baldwin on the show, talking about his long career in pediatric surgery and how he finds hope through the ups and downs of work and life. We've loved getting to talk to such great and interesting people as we seek to stay connected despite the current circumstances.
Today we've got Jennifer Agarwal on the podcast talking about finding Hope in Hard Times -- even as a school nurse during a worldwide pandemic! Jennifer shares from her heart how the Lord is seeing her through this very challenging time.
We're excited for you to hear from Pastor Henry Schulte on the podcast today! For those of you who don't know Pastor Schulte, he served as the beloved Senior Pastor at St. John for over twenty years. We talk about his fifty years in ministry and how he's hanging on to HOPE while living alone for the first time after losing his beautiful wife Frances last year.
We've got Charlie Rownd, former FBI agent, on the podcast today talking about finding hope in hard times. It's a great conversation about staying positive in difficult circumstances and not letting problems define you. Charlie brought lots of insight and HOPE to the podcast today. Enjoy!
Today we kick off our Hope in Hard Times: Conversations in Quarantine series with a friend from Ohio, Barbie Moore. Barbie has been a friend and spiritual mentor for years and took our whole family under her wing when we first moved to Ohio. I'm so glad you get to hear some of her hope and wisdom on today's episode.
Today we start "Hope in Hard Times, Conversations in Quarantine." We'll be interviewing friends near and far about how they're coping with Covid and this strange new world.
Self control. We all need more of it. Especially now. Join us as we discuss what the Bible says about it and why it's so important. This wraps up our Fruit of the Spirit series. We'll be back next week with an exciting new series, including some interviews!
Today we talk about the eighth fruit of the Spirit: faithfulness. Listen in as we discuss God's faithfulness to us and our faithfulness to God.
Today we're talking about all things good. What is good? WHO is good? Why is there so much bad in the world? Join us as we continue the Fruit of the Spirit series.
We're back from vacation and talking about gentleness today on the podcast. Join us as we discuss how gentleness is sign a strength and requires quite a bit of self control.
We're more than half way through the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Today we talk about kindness. This one stumped us a little bit, and it doesn't help that Covid 19 and all things 2020 are beginning to wear on us. I'm sure you can relate. We hope you the Lord can use us even in our weakness and you'll be encouraged nevertheless.
It's all about patience today. We take you through how much patience we had or didn't have during our epic RV adventure last week: 3000 miles with 8 people in one vehicle! If you prefer to skip the stories and get right to the biblical stuff, listen in at 9:50.
Today we're talking about another fruit of the Spirit: peace. What is peace with God? What is the peace of God? Why do we "pass the peace" in church?
Today we're talking about JOY! What it is, where it comes from, and what makes it different than happiness. We hope you'll enjoy this discussion. To get these episodes delivered right to your inbox, subscribe anywhere at www.michellejoywaters.com
We're talking about love—the first fruit of the Holy Spirit—today on the podcast. It feels a little heavier than normal: we're still in a global pandemic and now our country has erupted in race riots. But God's love has nothing to do with our feelings and everything to do with action and sacrifice. As always, the Bible is where we turn in times of confusion and chaos.
We're starting a new series today all about the Holy Spirit. We begin discussing Pentecost (the day the Holy Spirit was poured out on all the believers), which is also the birthday of the Church. As the weeks go on, we'll cover one fruit of the Spirit each week. Should be a great discussion and very practical!
Today we start by talking about the value of memorizing Scripture. Eric's been doing this for years, committing the passage he's preaching on that week to memory. I've also loved "hiding God's word in my heart" since the Navigators taught me The Topical Memory System in college. Then we dive into the final resurrection appearance of Jesus: the Ascension. Next week we'll get practical as we talk about the Holy Spirit in our lives and the gifts of love, joy, peace, patience...
Today we talk about getting back to church for the first time during the pandemic! Then we discuss Jesus' appearance to Paul and 500 others after His resurrection.
Today on Pastor's Confidential we discuss the opening of the church, some verses to help you get through excessive family togetherness :), and Jesus' appearance to Thomas.
Today we discuss Jesus finding Peter and the eleven in a locked room and sharing His peace with them (and some broiled fish!). It's a short episode: we recorded during "the witching hour." Parents, you'll know what we mean. If not, we explain it right off the bat.
Today we're covering the great story in Luke about when Jesus teaches His Word to two unknowing disciples as they walk to Emmaus. We also talk about how "church at home" is going and why we're not doing virtual communion at St. John.
Happy Easter! We're starting a new series today called "He's Alive!" We'll be looking at the resurrection appearances of Jesus. Today we talk about how Jesus first appeared to Mary Magdalene and "other women."
Today we discuss the end of Lent, how different this season has been in Covid 19 times, and why we should believe that Jesus truly did rise again.
We're still working and schooling at home, just like the rest of you. Today we talk about that first and then continue our Holy Week series. What happened on Good Friday?
We discuss what's going on at St. John with Covid_19 closings and what's happening in our family as well. We also continue with our Holy Week series and talk briefly about what happened Wednesday (not too much) and Maundy Thursday.
We briefly touch on the events that happened on Tuesday of Holy Week (there wasn't that much that happened). Also, we wanted to spend some time talking about life during the Corona Virus and battling fear and uncertainty in strange times.
Today we talk about how the different gospels separate the events of Holy Week and what happened on Holy Monday.
In the episodes leading up to Easter, we're going through what happened each day during Holy Week. Today we discuss Palm Sunday. We also talk about how our own Lenten disciplines are going (including my phone fail).
Today we're discussing the age of the earth, whether the Flood was worldwide or local, and how to tell if something is true.
Why do some denominations ordain women and others don't? What does the Bible say about it?
Some of the questions you submitted didn't fit into any overarching category. Here they are one by one in a quick Q and A.
We're starting off with questions about heaven. On today's episode we tackle the pet lover's concern, "will my dog be in heaven?"
Stay tuned for our new podcast: answering YOUR questions about God, the Bible, faith, and life with Jesus. Launching late Fall 2019!