Guitars and Theology Podcast: Recent Episodes
Tim Miller
God isn't just operating in the world in "supernatural" events. He's WAY more involved than that. He's also working through the world in the most ordinary and natural things.
But recognizing God's handiwork takes faith.
Psalm 74, Isaiah 27, Job 41, Palm 104 all have Leviathan in common.
This message includes a lot of ancient near eastern religious parallels that Israelites would have known.
It ends with some thoughts on what at least some modern spiritual warfare might be like.
Genesis 1:26 raises some fascinating questions and has wonderful implications. Let's talk about it.
And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. 2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, 4 and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. (1 Cor 2:1-5)
Here we recapped God, Jesus, Holy Spirit, and Scripture, and then moved on to briefly address creation and humanity.
It's important to distinguish between what Christians hold in the closed hand (must believe) and what we hold in the open hand (may believe).
In the closed hand are that God made all things visible and invisibe, that he is Lord over all things, and that humans are made in God's image with dignity and value, both male and female, made for partnership.
In the open hand are questions like, "How long were the days of Gensis 1?", or "How old is the earth?" or "Is complementarianism or egalitarianism the more biblical view?" On these matters, we hold our own conviction while not despising other believers whose beliefs differ from ours.
This is based on Psalm 67's invitation to all the people's of the earth to worship God, but mainly the global vision of redemption present within Scripture and the kingdom from beginning to end.
You're on a ball in space. Zoom out.
“Because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold." — Matthew 24:12
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob contributed something fascinating to the Bible: their story. Story is significant. You are hidden in God's story, and he's hidden in yours too.
Listen to your life.
For many believers, the cross has been explained as Jesus dying to pay God a debt we owed for our sins. Is this explanation how the early church fathers understood the cross?
“Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.” (Phil 4:6-7 MSG)
Luke 24:15 "As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them."
In Psalm 30, verse 9, David banks on the glorious presumption that in delivering him, God is serving his own interests, because he's THAT precious to the Father.
I make the case that our attachment style affects all our relationship, including our relationship to God. And we can change. And that Scriptural prayers model some very healthy convictions regarding attachment. We started with Psalm 5.
Secure, anxious, avoidant, disorganized...
Keep me as the apple of the eye; Hide me in the shadow of Thy wings, From the wicked who despoil me, My deadly enemies, who surround me.
(Psalm 17:8-9 NAS)
Our Father in heaven,
Reveal who you are.
Set the world right;
Do what’s best—
as above, so below.
Keep us alive with three square meals.
Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.
Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.
You’re in charge!
You can do anything you want!
You’re ablaze in beauty!
Yes. Yes. Yes.
Smile to Father, Son, and Spirit
Smile to yourself.
Smile to someone else.
I’m home. I’ve arrived.
There’s nowhere I need to go, and nothing I need to do.
I’m home. I’ve arrived.
I have nothing to earn, nothing to prove, and nothing to pay back.
I have nothing to earn because you just love me.
I have nothing to prove because you already approve of me.
I have nothing to pay back because you cancelled all my debts.
What remains? Enjoying You…enjoying me.
I’m home. I’ve arrived.
The veil is torn. There’s no distance or separation.
I’m in You and You’re in me, here and now, and forever.
Jesus made me one with the Father, so I’m home.
You’re my home, so everywhere I am, I’m home.
I’m home. I’ve arrived.
I’m a blessing. You didn’t have me, and you didn’t like it, so you made me, and you made me exactly how you wanted me to be. I have the body, the voice, the personality, the sense of humor, the walk, and the laugh you wanted me to have. I make you happy just by being me.
I’m a blessing.
I’m a blessing and every day I’m a gift You give yourself to enjoy.
I’m a blessing and every day I’m a gift you give me to enjoy.
I’m a blessing and every day I’m a gift You give others to enjoy.
I’m a blessing.
I’m a blessed man.
My future is bright.
And my best days are ahead of me.
You’re working it out.
You’re working it out.
You’re working it out.
Everything we’ve done wrong
Everything that’s gone wrong
You’re working it out, for our good, as we love you. (Rom 8:28)
Satan meant it for harm,
but You are turning it for our thriving
and the saving of many lives. (Gen 50:20)
You’re working it out.
With you as our Shepherd, Jesus,
our hearts will be light, our steps will be easy.
You’re making us steady, resilient, and serene.
Everything is temporary, but You remain.
Today I meet pain tenderly — without resistance.
I don’t avoid, repress, or deny. I let it come, I greet it kindly, and I let it go.
Today I meet pleasure gratefully — without grasping.
I let it come, greet it joyfully, and I let it go.
And when pain and pleasure have passed, I shall remain.
Everything is temporary, but You remain and I shall remain.
Sunlight is love.
Air is love.
Gravity is love.
All plant life is love.
All animal life is love.
Sight, sound, smell, taste, touch — all love.
Existence itself is love.
All things are from, in, and for Him who is Love,
and I am in Him who is Love.
Occasionally at a Wednesday Whiteboard I give a brief biography and some highlights of people I've been reading...
Psalm 4:4 When you are disturbed, do not sin; ponder it on your beds, and be silent. Selah
An exploration of the question looking at different worldviews, including people from Gateway's answers.
Psalm 115:2-3
2 Why do the nations say,
“Where is their God?”
3 Our God is in heaven;
he does whatever pleases him.
Psalm 116:68a
You are good, and what you do is good.
This talk takes the words of Jesus directed against the hypocrisy of the scribes and pharisees in Matthew 23 and turns them into healthy, positive goals for us to pursue.
Yes, it's a 16 point sermon.
Three ways Christianity is utterly unique among world religions, plus a point about apples.
This one's about Jesus becoming -- and remaining -- a full human, and some implications of that.
"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us..." (Jn 1:14)
Jesus often told people that. "This happened because you believed." How do we grow in the faith Jesus walked in?
This talk is about our task as leaders to engage people in a way that invites them to excercise their own faith and collaborate with the Spirit, not just "minister to" them.
It's based on the way Jesus engaged the two blind men who chased him down and demanded a meeting in Matthew 9:27ff.
Jesus said it isn't the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. And he didn't come to call good folks, but broken people. This is why we've called the church a kind of hospital for souls...
This talk is about the deepest drive underneath all other human drives.
Section 1: Data on Happiness
Section 2: A few philosophers (and a mathematician)
Section 3: A castrated medieval theologian on happiness
I ended by talking about how Christianity is completely unique.
We discussed some fascinating quotes from this Stoic Roman Emperor who sought to live a virtuous life. Much of his advice to himself can be helpfully applied to us in our life lived with and for Jesus.
We're made in the image of our Creator, who is creative (Gen 1) and who designed us to be creative (Gen 2).
Here's the thesis: To be creative we must allow ourselves the luxury and the discomfort of boredom.
The algorythms disrupt this God-given impulse, turning us into consumers.
Tonight we dug deeper into the theme of how we are meant to let go and let God, and what we are meant to hold onto instead of what we naturally do.
This was a Wednesday Whiteboard chat.
Questions and answers after one of my annual counseling weeks with short term missions students.
- Hurt enough - realize need for change
- Learn enough - realize change is possible
- Receive enough - able to change
This Wednesday Whiteboard session was about how we are a part of a much larger story of God's covenant with family lineage, not just individuals.
We ended by making some declarations and doing some good spiritual work breaking agreements and making agreements with gospel truths.
This is a reflection on the nature of faith. It tries to work out some implications of what James says in chapter 2 of his letter when he tells us, "Oh you say you believe in one God? Well guess what? The demons believe, but they tremble."
Real faith isn't about what we claim to agree with, but what we stake our lives on. This truth cuts two ways:
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If we say we believe, maybe we're wrong.
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If we say we don't believe, maybe we're wrong.
Mark 6:46 “He went up on the mountain to pray.”
Where are your meeting places where you go to meet with God? How does beauty play a role in that? How do you set the mood to tune and align your soul to the Father?
The Wednesday evening group helped me process a text from a friend.
Then we talked about the question, "What is holiness?"
A real hero bleeds, fails, and grows, because the line between good and evil isn't out there, us and them, but much closer.
Was Jesus racist? What is the children's bread? And other questions...
(from Mark 7:24-30)
This chat is about the leftovers in the multiplication of food miracles. It's about how we deal with leftovers historically vs now, and it's about what Jesus wants to do with broken people, and the broken pieces of our lives.
Also, cheese is amazing.
47 When evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. 48 When he saw that they were straining at the oars against an adverse wind, he came towards them early in the morning, walking on the sea. He intended to pass them by. 49 But when they saw him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost and cried out; 50 for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, "Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid."
51 Then he got into the boat with them and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, 52 for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened. (Mark 6:47-52 NRS)
After Jesus raised a little girl from the dead one town over, we read in Mark 6 that he couldn't do any mighty works in his hometown because of their unbelief. What's up with that?
43 After sternly warning him he sent him away at once, 44 saying to him, "See that you say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."
45 But he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the word, so that Jesus could no longer go into a town openly, but stayed out in the country; and people came to him from every quarter. (Mark 1:40-45 NRS)
“They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority and NOT as the scribes.” (Mark 1:22)
Why in the world were people so drawn to John the Baptist? What are some negative associations many of us have with the word "repent?" What is repentance NOT? What is it? What are 6 elements of a great apology? Is repentance easy or hard?
This is based on Mark 1:1-8
It isn't enough to avoid the wrong things (empty and sweep the house). In order to really live the abundant life we are designed to crave, we have to "fill the house."
The question I keep considering over and over is, "How do we do that?"
People don't do what's most logical, we do what we believe will make us feel good. Science, psychology, and marketing all verify this, and it makes us often confused by our own choices and the choices of others.
How do we leverage this insight for our thriving?
How does this impact our approach to God and inviting others to the life of faith?
"The tongue is connected to the heart!" (Theresa said that during the chat.)
James 3 provided the context of this Whiteboard session.
What matters most? This chat is about the bullseye of the target and what we tend to get sidetracked by instead.
(Based on the parable of the good samaritan in Luke 10).
John 15:4-5 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
An easter message from Romans 5.
"For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!" (Rom 5:10)
"As Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life."
John 3:14-15
The master of the banquet tasted the good wine, but didn't know where it came from. He completely missed both the miracle and the divine love it revealed. How often do we do that?
The Lord Almighty fights for us.
Therefore teach us
to fight with weapons of light, not carnal weapons
the way of the cross, not the way of the sword
to bless and not curse (Rom 12:14),
to give thanks and not grumble.
As we suffer injustice, following Jesus,
we entrust ourselves to our Faithful Creator
and continue to do good. (1 Peter 4:19)
Pain and pleasure come and go, but God remains. So today I intend to meet all pain with tenderness and meet all pleasure with open hands.
Coming home to God also entails coming home to yourself and returning to what you've neglected and misused, learning from Jesus the art of really living.
Don't avoid it. Don't get stuck in it. Go through.
5 What joy for those whose strength comes from the Lord, who have set their minds on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. 6 When they walk through the Valley of Weeping, it will become a place of refreshing springs. The autumn rains will clothe it with blessings. 7 They will continue to grow stronger, and each of them will appear before God in Zion.
(Psalm 84:5-7)
This chat centers around the concept of how transformation happens, which is by gazing upon the beauty of God seen in the face of Jesus. 2 Corinthians 4 was the main text.
Our Father in heaven,
Reveal who you are.
Set the world right;
Do what’s best—
as above, so below.
Keep us alive with three square meals.
Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.
Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.
You’re in charge!
You can do anything you want!
You’re ablaze in beauty!
Yes. Yes. Yes.’
...about Jesus always leading us in triumph, the aroma of Christ, and then I chat a bit about who exactly this gospel is for based on Isaiah 61.
I'm a blessed man. My future is bright. My best days are ahead. I'm the beloved of God...
13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not be boastful and false to the truth. 15 Such wisdom does not come down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish. 16 For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind.
17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. (James 3:13-17 NRS)
James 5:13-20 New Revised Standard
13 Are any among you suffering? They should pray. Are any cheerful? They should sing songs of praise. 14 Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.
17 Elijah was a human being like us, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18 Then he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain and the earth yielded its harvest.
19 My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and is brought back by another, 20 you should know that whoever brings back a sinner from wandering will save the sinner's soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.
A.K.A. "Adversity can wreck our faith." That's why we need each other! This chat is based on some of Paul's thoughts in 1 Thessalonians chapters 2 and 3.
Isaiah 9, wintertime blues, 75 inch tv, dollar store candy, and more. It's a Christmas chat.
Luke 15:1-2 Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach. 2 This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such sinful people—even eating with them!
I spent the week in the mountains of Costa Rica with young people doing inner healing work. It's always an intense and special time. And it is also so good to have a grace community to come home to.
- What is your conscience?
- Does it always line up with God's truth?
- How can we line it up?
- What are some religious approaches to a defiled conscience?
- What about religious approaches to a clean conscience?
- What are some gospel solutions to deal with a defiled conscience?
- How is conviction different than condemnation?
- How is an orphan spirit different from the Spirit of Adoption?
- What's a hyperactive conscience?
- What's a seared conscience?
What perfectionism isn't. What it is. What kinds of things it says. And some things that might work better for us, such as...
"Done is better than perfect."
"Just keep moving."
"We ain't building no piani." (Acceptable tolerances)
12 Take care, brothers and sisters, that none of you may have an evil, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13 But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called "today," so that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.14 For we have become partners of Christ, if only we hold our first confidence firm to the end. (Heb 3:12-14 NRS)
This is the first time anyone was so tall we could barely fit them in the baptismal tub! lol what!? :)
- I'm loved by God as is.
- I trust God as is.
- My life is blessed as is.
- I love others as is.
- Problems don't mean you lack faith.
- Pain might be helpful.
- What really brings us to God?
- We all have feet of clay.
- Is following Jesus incompatible with military service?
- Loyal or just complacent?
- Trauma can shift our worldview.
"No one takes my life from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father." (John 10:18)
5 I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law. 6 I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault.
7 I once thought these things were valuable, but now after carefully weighing the facts, I see them as worthless because of what Christ has done. 8 Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.
For Jesus’ sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as dung, as filth, as garbage, so that I could gain Christ 9 and become one with him.
I no longer depend on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through trust in Christ. God’s righteousness is by faith.
10 I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, 11 so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!
12 I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached the goal. But I press on to firmly lay hold of that end goal for which Christ Jesus first firmly took hold of me.
13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead.
14 I press on to reach the finish line of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.
(Phil 3:5-14 Tim’s translation)
In the midst of our pain, God doesn't merely send answers. He sends love in the flesh to be with us.
This chat is about embodied pain, love, and spirituality centering on the meaning of the incarnation and the cross.
At the core of our faith is forgiveness, with a view to restoring true heart to heart intimacy with God.
In a disposable world where we discard and replace, the gospel brings us a Father who is willing to put in the work to restore us because of our value.
So what's the measure of your worth? The cross. You are worth the blood of Jesus.
Sometimes anger is the first response when hope is rebooting to come back online.
This is about 2 Kings chapter 4.
"God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom." (1 Corinthians 1:21)
When we pray God does something he wouldn't have done if we hadn't prayed.
In Amos 7 we see that the prophet changed God's mind.
What do we need to get started?
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A time
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A place
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Words
The talk with a great story of an unlikely answer to prayer.
Tonight we simply laid hands on each other and asked God to fill each other with His presence, peace, and love.
My friend Wayne once told me that most of us live our whole Christian life in the wilderness after we're rescued out of Egypt. We don't cross over the Jordan and enter in to the promised land.
This sermon is about crossing over and entering in.
Is faith certainty or is it more like walking a path of surrender in response to the call of the beckoning mystery encoded into life itself?
The kingdom of death has no rightful claim on the kingdom of life. Yet much of the time we live from the wrong story - the facts of our life instead of the Truth.
We are to love and to be loved. We need love, desperately.
This is not a flaw. This is God's design.
Receiving healthy love gives healthy identity. Not receiving healthy love damages identity, creating so many issues that drive us in life.
When we say "Christ died to save sinners," what do we mean?
What are we saved for?
What are we saved from?
How does his death save us?
Really, this message is about God's love.
When we know whose we are, then we know who we are, and why we are. Then we finally have a stable place to stand.
Who am I? I am God's dearly beloved son, who brings him great pleasure.
- I can't stand those kinds of people
- Everyone's got problems
- There but for the grace of God go I
- There go I
This chat is about going through hard things in a way that helps God access our depths. It's really a talk about intimacy with God.
1
From the depths of despair, O Lord,
I call for your help.
2
Hear my cry, O Lord.
Pay attention to my prayer.
3
Lord, if you kept a record of our sins,
who, O Lord, could ever survive?
4
But you offer forgiveness,
that we might learn to fear you.
5
I am counting on the Lord;
yes, I am counting on him.
I have put my hope in his word.
6
I long for the Lord
more than sentries long for the dawn,
yes, more than sentries long for the dawn.
7
O Israel, hope in the Lord;
for with the Lord there is unfailing love.
His redemption overflows.
8
He himself will redeem Israel
from every kind of sin.
Psalm 91
Those who live in the shelter of the Most High
will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2
This I declare about the Lord:
He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;
he is my God, and I trust him.
3
For he will rescue you from every trap
and protect you from deadly disease.
4
He will cover you with his feathers.
He will shelter you with his wings.
His faithful promises are your armor and protection.
God, according to Deuteronomy 4:24, is "a devouring fire," yet he invites us to draw near.
Let's explore this theme!
When we don't press in to know the Lord, we starve inside. We need to get in touch with our hunger and thirst for God...
"I have food to eat that you don't know about...My food is to do the will of Him who sent me." (John 4:32, 34)
This chat was really about surrender and relationship with Jesus.
Jeremiah 2:13 “My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water."
Colossians 2:3 "Christ, in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge."
Acts 4:13 "When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus."
This Wednesday Whiteboard is about a voice crying in the wilderness: John the Baptist. But it's also about us. It's about how we are likewise called to come away and find ourselves in God.
"And now, by God's grace, I shall become myself." (Kierkegaard)
Vague and generic isn't very powerful. But when we get specific and deal with the nitty gritty, that's when we make headway. Why? Because God is in the details!
A short thought on Genesis 41:52, "God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering."
I told this story from 2nd grade to the kids on the way home from school this afternoon.
This very story-driven autobiographical chat is about the reality of God being better than I dared hope. It's based on Psalm 37:4 which invites us to delight in the Lord and he will give us our heart's desires.
This is a chat from the first half of Ephesians 4 about what God is up to in the church. Where we're headed, and how we will get there.
Are supernatural encounters with God few, far between, and inexplicable? Or is God more available, and do we play a part in the equation?
This talk is about a concept Paul expresses repeatedly in 2 Corinthians chapter 10, namely, that of a metron.
Did you know you have a metron? Do you know what it is? Are you being faithful in it? How would you discover it? Does it change throughout your life?
In this one, we open up some thorny questions about various causes of illness found in the Bible...
We want to avoid all-or-nothing thinking such as thinking ALL sickness, "must be God teaching me a lesson," or "the devil messing with me." While both of those CAN occur, there are many causes of illness in a fallen world.
My main takeaway is that Jesus viewed brokenness in the world not as an opportunity to assign blame, but as an opportunity to bring the Father's goodness to bear.
Main Scriptures: 1 Sam 5:6, Rev 2:20-23, John 9:1-7, Acts 10:38
Linda - What scripture are you standing on?
Carolyn - Just a tiny bit of faith is enough.
Kim - God gives us keys, learn to use them.
Cheryl - Tell the whole story, not just the wins.
Marc - Know your identity in Christ.
Carl - God is about healing the whole person.
Stan - No matter what, God is good and I'm all in.
This is a chill conversation with Jacob, who leads the worship band. He's really open and we're a bit random.
"Hey, pastor! When are we gonna get to do the stuff?"
"What stuff?"
"The stuff Jesus did."
"Oh, no we don't do the stuff. He did it. We just study it."
"Well that doesn't seem right."
It ain't right.
- Do we forget?
- How is forgiveness different from excusing?
- Is it all at once or as needed?
- How does forgiveness relate to grief process?
AND MORE...
This was last night's "Wednesday Whiteboard" time.
I included the prayers so that people might go back and listen again if that's helpful, but I removed anything I felt was not for public consumption.
This continues last week's message from John 15:15 where Jesus said he no longer calls us servants, but friends.
- What are we saved from?
- What are we saved for?
- What does God get?
"I no longer call you servants...I call you friends." (Jn 15:15)
This is a conversation we had about a theme Stan identified in his current relationship with God.
Since Bob Muncy talked about this verse the other night, I've been thinking about it more. I had a question about interpreting a verse written 2,500 years ago and got a little help from a pastor who wrote about five hundred years ago.
- No greater joy (v4)
- Holiness (v11)
- Modes of communication (v13-14)
Here are my full written thoughts.
A little story about a teacher's aide's response to a reading report I wrote in seminary.
Holy Spirit, we yield right now to You
To love You, Lord Jesus, in everything we do
Abba Father, no matter where we roam
Your love is the compass that points to You, our Home
You are our Home, You are our Home
Only sure foundation that I have ever known
Through all the storms of life we never walk alone
Abba Father, You are our Home
In this life we’re restless and we don’t know where we fit
We deeply crave belonging that this world can never give
Holy Ghost, You are a foretaste full of power and love
There are moments just like heaven, but the best is yet to come
As the deer is yearning for the streams of water
So my soul is thirsty for your Spirit, Father
As the river’s flowing, always to the ocean
Deep cries out within me to join the song of heaven
(My spirit cries) Abba, Father, hold me closer
(My spirit cries) Jesus, Brother, Redeem us, Savior
"If I could just have _____, then I'd be happy," is a common trap. God is calling us to cultivate gratitude and contentment.
Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. (1 Cor 3:1-3a)
Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. (Phil 1:1-2 NLT)
- God actually loves me, deeply, more than I ever dared hope.
- I’m completely forgiven because of Jesus’ cross.
- God is with me and he’s never leaving.
- God is for me and not against me.
- I’m under grace, not law, so I can relax and admit the truth about myself — no matter how scary or shameful — without fear of rejection.
- God loves to hear what’s on my mind and wants to chat with me about what’s on his.
You can go to Denny's. Wear a hat. Whatever you want.
But seriously, this chat is about the wonder of life and the importance of staying awake, aware, and grateful to God for daily existence.
We also tell a crazy shipwreck story in this one.
Scriptures: Romans 1:21, Deuteronomy 8, Proverbs 30:7-9, Matthew 6:11, Hosea 13:6
Eggs, small dogs, monkeys, a heart attack, jumping out of planes, gross food, miracles, and other topics.
An outdoor walk and talk wherein I ramble about...
- God's omniscience
- grains of sand and the number of stars
- bats and dolphins can see with sound
- bees see ultraviolet light
- dogs and vultures' sense of smell
- dinosaurs eating grass for 65 million years
- science and faith should be best friends
- God loves nature and so do we!
- feeling God in nature doesn't mean church is irrelevant
Our source isn't visible, from below. Our Source is invisible, from above.
The temptation is to return to slavery for security, instead of staying with freedom which involves so much trusting God with the unknown.
This was yesterday morning a few miles up the road at The House in Greenwood, DE.
My text was 1 Corinthians 2:1-5.
What we think we know keeps us from learning what we need to know.
This chat is about the man born blind in John chapter 9.
...can keep you from learning what you need to know.
This reflection is from John 9, the man born blind whom the disciples and the religious leaders both assume is so as a punishment for sin.
In John chapter 3 Nicodemus told Jesus that the evidence supports that He's really from God. Jesus, instead of congratulating Nick on his astute observation, he tells him, "You must be born again."
Only God reveals God.
- Be open to other perspectives.
- Listen actively.
- Cultivate empathy.
- Ask thoughtful questions.
- Engage respectfully.
- Seek common ground.
- Challenge ideas, not individuals.
- Be willing to revise your own beliefs.
- Distrust adrenaline. Trust calm.
- Distrust the heady feeling of being right.
The apostles claim that they had rational evidence based first person experience as warrant for their claims about Jesus and the Father (1 John 1:1-4). What do you believe and why? How do you know what you think you know? And how do we engage people who don't believe what we do?
Some thoughts about God's incredibly beautiful design of masculine and feminine and our calling to responsibly reign in life with God.
Genesis 1:26ff were the primary verses.
- Being sincere doesn’t make us right, and that’s the hardest kind of blindness to discern.
- God can reach the “unreachable.”
- Encountering Jesus is the single most transformative reality on planet earth.
- Jesus is alive and active (independent of our involvement or knowledge).
- Jesus wants to involve us in what he’s doing.
- Jesus usually communicates the next step, not the whole plan.
- Jesus calls people by name.
- Jesus is interested in conversation.
- Jesus is humble and willing to respond to our questions, doubts, and concerns.
- Jesus factors our history, personality, strengths, and weaknesses into His equation.
- Jesus really listens to our prayers.
- Jesus sees people’s value when others don't.
- Jesus has a plan for your life. Not just the generic, “love God and people,” but the specific who, what, when, where and how.
- Jesus wants to guide us into His plan. Our part is to seek him daily so that He can easily guide us into it, step by step.
God's intention is that we become the sort of people He can grant our heart's desires.
That requires a transforming process!
This chat is about the story in Acts 5 where Ananias and Saphira lied to the Holy Spirit and then fell down dead.
God's infinite power is incomprehensibly great, but what we need is not so much a display of brute force, but rather the synaptic connections in our minds to be upgraded so that we think, believe, experience, and understand what we otherwise cannot.
This talk is from the great prayer in Ephesians 3.
God won't force this on us, but neither can we do it without Him. Thankfully, I'm never without Him, He's always within me.
Something about the doubt of the disciples after Jesus' resurrection really grabbed my heart this year. It's so easy to be hard on oneself for doubts, but even they did -- with Jesus standing right in front of them! And why? I guess because life's taught us that things fall apart, and if it seems too good to be true, it's probably some sort of scam.
But that's how good the good news really is. It just seems too good to be true.
(But it is.)
Tragedy? Certainly. Gruesome? Oh yes. Difficult to face? For me, definitely. The greatest single sin in all human history? I believe so. But on God's side of the decision it was also on purpose. Jesus walked into Jerusalem, knowing what would happen if He did. What's more, the Father asked him to. The question is, "Why?"
People have -- and need -- some sense of a significant future, even if they have to "live on" through their children, the species, or just the universe itself.
Our expectations for the future order our present.
I woke up this morning with Isaiah 50:4 on my heart.
"The Sovereign Lord has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary."
These need to be kept together but we often think of them separately or even worse, at odds.
Ever wonder why people who are in love with God one year aren't several years later?
Top of the triangle - God's Spirit working
Left Bottom - Trials
Right Bottom - The disciplines
But most of us don't really believe what we claim to believe.
This chat was sparked by 1 Peter 1:21, which says, "Through Christ we have come to trust in God."
Whenever we set ourselves to do God's will we immediately attract two opposite spiritual forces to our position.
Heaven draws near to assist, and hell attempts to resist.
This chat is about that, based on Nehemiah 4.
1The LORD is my shepherd; I have all that I need. 2He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. 3He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. 4Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. 5You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings. 6Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the LORD forever.
- How do you excellent work? You take good work and keep working at it.
- How do you do good work? You take crappy work, and you hone it.
- How do you do crappy work? You show up every day and start.
- And how do you start? You remove friction by building habits into your routine that remove decision-making from the equation.
- So how do you do excellent work? Oddly enough, you discipline yourself to do crappy work every day.
This chat is based on Nehemiah chapter 3 wherein we read the names and exact parts of the wall that various people built. The little inconvenient things we do for God and his church are so significant that they get recorded for all time...
This is part 1 of what I expect will be a series from the book of Nehemiah.
- Just because it's not my fault doesn't mean it's not my responsibility.
- Before the problem can be fixed somebody has to own the problem.
- "God I'm not qualified, but I'm willing."
- Revelation - What did God SHOW me/tell me?
- Interpretation - What does that MEAN?
- Application - What do we DO with that?
When they heard God they...
- Talked to each other about what God said
- Took immediate action
- Checked for themselves
- Made known what they experienced
- Remembered to glorify and praise God
The five points are in Luke 2:15-20
"If you lost it, get your zeal back."
This talk is about the logic of the New Testament, and especially Jesus. It goes something like this, "You are an eternal being with a destiny in God's great kingdom. Therefore, arrange your life now to maximize your joy then."
"No one has ever seen God. God's only Son, who is close to the Father's heart, has made him known." (John 1.18)
Just a little thought about fish, birds, and us inheriting knowledge we didn't directly learn...
Here we consider Exodus 33 and Genesis 15, Moses' and Abraham's friendship with God. Specifically how they seemed to influence God's actions in the world.
In other words, the God Scripture presents is emotionally responsive and interactive. He's open to His work in the world being influenced by His children, His friends.
That's kind of staggering. But there it is. And there are numerous examples. Abraham, Moses, Amos, and even Mary the mother of Jesus, are the few examples I gave in the talk, but I'm sure there are many more.
Does God sit up in heaven with a plan that is often terrifying and painful to us, while He remains emotionally unaffected by the things that happen to us on earth?
Or does He feel deeply for his children who live in a world that is largely NOT the way He intended, even though He is working all things together for our good?
Jesus is what God has to say. And what He says is, "I love you, I love you, I love you!"
Additionally - congratulations M'Niyah, on your baptism!
Romans 7:20 "it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me."
Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me."
This chat was given as we commissioned Carl and Stan as assistant pastors. Two of the main passages mentioned were Acts 20 and Romans 5:4.
The Lord prioritized going to synagogue regularly. Miracles, healings, exorcisms, and anointed Scripture explanation flowed through Him in each town, usually centering around the Synagogue.
- Some say, "It's harder to see the supernatural in church than in the world."
- Some say, "Christians are harder to reach than the unreached."
- I say, "That's letting experience speak louder than Scripture."
I think we need to shake the dust of our experience off and gain fresh faith to see God's people whole, like Jesus did, and still does. When Jesus comes to church, it shakes things up.
Nearly every day we encounter spiritual climates that resist God's kingdom inside of us. How do we recognize and navigate such things?
This is just a starter conversation about the subject.
Run, John, run, the law commands
but gives me neither feet nor hands
Far better news the gospel brings
It bids me fly and gives me wings
(Bunyon)
What was Jesus' gospel?
What is eternal life?
How do we relate to God and people apart from the standard methods of manipulation and control using judgment and condemnation?
How do we pray as God's beloved children?
I recently texted to ask Brian about what fascinates him lately. I liked his answer so much I invited him to do a podcast interview. The main theme of his response was that Jesus is intent on delivering people from the wounds, lies, and effects of rejection.
We also discussed 80's music, Texas barbeque, and my idea for an app that shocks people who say the illegal phrase.
Each of us pursues what we treasure. There is no person who has no "treasures." In Matthew 6:1-18 Jesus helps provide us with a few simple tools meant to free our hearts from a common snare -- living for the approval of our peers. He does this so that we can enjoy the true happiness of really knowing God in life.
Jesus said unless our righteousness exceeds that of the Scribes and Pharisees we cannot see the kingdom of heaven (Matt 5:20). What does that mean?
This chat was like a bunch of mini donuts. Since each of them are so small, might as well eat the entire bag.
What if those two goals aren't mutually exclusive? What if God is the true Source and Fountain of all joy and the further we get from Him, the less happy we become? What if glorifying God is impossible unless we ENJOY God? And what if holiness and happiness run together as surely as sin and misery?
Where is this realm where God lives?
Is it far?
If so, how relevant to our here and now can it be?
From that time Jesus began to announce, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near." (Matthew 4:17)
Reflection Questions
- How was God's kingdom experienced back in Eden?
- What happened when we fell?
- What will the kingdom be like at the resurrection in the new earth?
- What does Jesus intend God's kingdom to find expression in our daily lives presently?
- Scripture
- Scriptural Autographs
- Textual Criticism
- Canon of Scripture
- Apostolic Succession
- Apostolic Doctrine
- Jesus AS Revelation
- Inerrancy of Scripture
- Infallibility of Scripture
- Inspiration of Scripture
- Organic Inspiration of Scripture
- Necessity of Scripture
- Perspicuity of Scripture
- General Revelation
- Special Revelation
- Sufficiency of Scripture
2 Tim 4:7-8 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.
For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. (2 Tim 4:6)
At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them. But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength... (2 Tim 4:16-17)
3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. (2 Tim 4:3-4)
- Be vulnerable, don't attack.
- Don't use allness language.
- Return to shared joy.
*Correction - unconditional positive regard was developed in the 1950's in the context of client-centered therapy by Carl Rogers, not the brilliant Carl Jung.
"Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching." (2 Tim 4:2)
What if you can't go all the way with me on the whole Christianity thing? Then please, let's all do this...
"having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people." (2 Tim 3:5)
"the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus." (2 Tim 3:15)
If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, where “‘the worms that eat them do not die, and the fire is not quenched.’ (Mark 9:43-48)
2 Tim 2:14 Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers.
- Stir up the gift (2 Tim 1:6)
- A Worker Approved by God (2 Tim 2:15ff)
- Run Away, Run After (2 Tim 2:22-23)
This wide-ranging talk about the Bible and money, marriage and money, compulsive spending, saving, being poor, being rich, how money affects happiness, how money beliefs affect our sense of status, and lots of other stuff. We ended by taking a quiz together to see where we may be out of balance in our attitudes about money.
This talk is from 2 Tim 3.
Essentially the issue becomes - Are we defined by culture or Scripture?
"The story of your life and the truth of who you are."
- Identity and meaning come from the narrative we believe.
- The question is, what script are we inhabiting?
- What if faith is a lot like method acting?
- Who is the real me, and who is the fake me?
- Crossing Over, Entering In
- We walk by faith and not by sight!
We often think of the cross and our forgiveness as the end of the gospel story, but it's just the beginning. Resurrection power at work in and through us...
- Existence is a giant love story.
- Love rescues and redeems.
- Jesus is the hero of the story.
(Most of the other points I made are built on these three.)
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What would you do differently as a dad if you could go back?
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Why did you choose Carol?
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In what ways are we alike? How are we not alike?
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Which one of us kids did you like the best, and why was it Lynette?
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Is there anything you’ve never told me but you should?
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Do you think it’s easier or harder to be a father now than when I was little?
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Is there anything you wish you could still ask David and Laura (your parents)?
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What’s the best thing I can do for you at this stage of our lives?
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Is there anything that you wish had been different between us―or that you would still like to change?
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When did you realize you were a man and no longer a boy?
Yeast.
Light.
Salt.
And we also think about some lessons from the 1904-5 Welsh revival.
A highly condensed conversation about a few historical revivals. Also, we prayed for revival.
Americans tend to think in terms of individualism, but the biblical God makes covenant with families. Let's talk about that.
2 Corinthians 3 is a good place to compare and contrast condemnation and righteousness...
3For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.4The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
(2 Corinthians 10:3-5)
Joy is the steady state emotional condition of the mature believer because joyful love is the divine countenance.
"Are you ready to be set free right now?"
- The Lie
- The Wound
- Where Was God
- The Exchange
- Repent/Forgive
- The Truth
- Learners - "I haven't arrived."
- Doers - "This isn't theory."
- Servants - "I'm here to do God's will."
- Friends - "He knows my name."
My friend Adam came and shared with us about leadership development. I LOVED what he said about prayer.
You see these #'s. Here's what they mean to me.
11:11 Wake Up, Church
11:22 Ask me!
11:44 Strip off the grave clothes and let him go free
- What is a disciple?
- How is discipleship different from Western education?
- What is a rabbi, and why would anyone need one?
- What is a "yoke," and how did that term apply to disciples and their rabbi?
- What is the 10,000 hour rule and who coined that expression?
- Why do you think Jesus tells us to "count the cost" before we sign up to be his disciple?
- What might it mean to be "inoculated against Jesus?"
- Who explored Antarctica, and why did his bleak and severe newspaper ad draw so many would-be adventurers?
- Whose idea was it for you to go with Jesus?
- We usually come to God for a few areas of our lives to be fixed, but His goal is...
- Why do we need to unlearn and relearn how we think and live all over from the beginning?
- What three enemies do we each battle?
- Where is the primary battlefield?
- What are the three levels of apprenticeship?
My boat has drifted off to sea
There’s black clouds churnin’ over me
I have floated far away from shore
Till I can’t see the lights no more
I thought that I was homeward bound
Now I’m in so deep that I might drown
At the mercy of the wind and waves
Will this endless ocean be my grave
The sky is huge and I’m all alone
Not a single star to guide me home
Been adrift for days in an endless sea
And there are no ships to rescue me
A faith worth having would...
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Help us find life's deeper meaning
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Make better people
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Stick close to Jesus
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Open our eyes to God's glory in creation
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Arm us with courage to embrace life
- Rewards and Punishments vs Enjoyment
- Practice Guitar vs Play Guitar
- Needs vs Overflow
- Want to avoid a bad outcome vs enjoyment of the activity
- Meaningful sacrifice vs “It’s no sacrifice, it’s a joy!”
- Threatens holistic life balance vs promotes holistic life balance
- Draining vs Replenishing
- Adrenaline fueled vs Calm Resilience
- Push vs Pull
- Love for the outcome vs Love for the process, presence, and outcome
- Need vs Overflow
- Extrinsic helps LEAD TO a right heart vs Intrinsic IS a right heart
- Rewards from God vs God AS the reward
- Promise of Heaven threat of hell vs “as for me, it is good to be near God”
- Shotgun weddings to Jesus vs “One thing I ask — see your beauty, dwell in your temple”
- In my formative years I experienced extrinsic threats without intrinsic pleasures and it provoked a very adverse reaction to Christianity!
- You can’t force someone to fall in love. But you can give em’ a little push in the right direction.
- Leading a horse to water doesn’t guarantee they’ll drink but it sure gives them a better chance to drink than leading them to the desert!
- Both extrinsic and intrinsic motivations are biblical. Both are valid. Wise parents and teachers use both selectively.
- Extrinsic motivators are helpful when passion is lacking.
- Extrinsic motivators are unhelpful when they turn the joy into obligation.
- At the heart of true biblical faith is ENJOYING GOD.
Christian hope isn't escapism. It's the orientation of hope that aligns us to truly live in the present. This is an advent chat.
Demonic goals
- Cut you off from Christ eternally.
- Make you ineffective and unfruitful in your calling.
Demonic Strategy
- Pride
- Unforgiveness
- Lusts
- Unbelief
Divine Goals
- Unite you to Christ eternally.
- Make you effective and fruitful in your calling.
Divine Strategy
- Humility
- Forgiveness
- Holiness
- Faith
- Run from, Run After
- Priesthood of Believers
- Prayer and Fasting
- Fall in love with Jesus
Once I told the Lord, "I'm such a mess! I need SO MUCH inner healing." Instantly he shot back, "Don't believe the lie."
I pondered that one for a while before I realized that resistance is a part of the fight for vocation. Even Jesus was tempted and faced resistance from within and without...
This chat explores the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
I consider this one of the most important biblical truths I have learned.
Some of us just want God to tell us what to do. But he's not interested in that sort of relationship.
We can easily forget that we always represent Jesus in all we say and do. This chat is a reminder to remember the mystery that what we're doing is impossible -- therefore pray! And to remember the mission. We are here for the kingdom.
The text of the day is Colossians 4:3-6
3And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. 4Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. 5Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. 6Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.
Everything in your spiritual life will either thrive by prayer or wither and die without it.
This talk is rooted in Colossians 4:2. "Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful and thankful."
“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3 The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4 The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
6 “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’
7 “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’
9 “‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’
10 “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.
11 “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’
12 “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’
13 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.
(Matthew 25:1-13)
The centerpiece of Christian spirituality is a surrender to love. We cannot rise above our level of faith in God's love for us. It doesn't happen.
We MUST learn to spend time listening to Jesus, and allowing his perspective to wash ours, changing us at the deepest level.
It's time to get fed up. And dig our own well.
We were made for more. We were made to be the beloved of God.
The issue of slavery is important and challenging!
It would be so easy to read the New Testament anachronistically, through our modern lenses. It would be easy to take the instructions to slaves and masters in Colossians 3:22-4:1 out of context and thus miss how the gospel moves the ball forward.
Placing these instructions in their time and place, and understanding our time and place, may enable us to see their true spirit.
"Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged." (Colossians 3:20-21)
I wrote this song to express an ache I sensed from God toward me, an invitation to simply relate to Him in regular conversation; friendship.
In this talk about marriage and the Bible's instructions for husbands and wives (based on Col 3:18-19) we talk about a lot!
-biblical interpretive methods
-Roman Patriarchal Culture
-17th century New England Puritan Patriarchal culture
-Four major views on gender relationships
-some of my own personal experiences
What is sacred? What is secular? Is the world evil? Is the world good? What counts as spiritual?
This chat is based on Colossians 3:17.
Finally we describe Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs (Col 3:16) in more detail.
Here's the quiz from the end:
1.) T/F The Psalms were originally chanted in unison a capella by priests.
2.) This biblical King is credited with bringing about Israel’s “golden age” of musical worship…
a. King Josiah
b. King Louie from Disney’s The Jungle Book
c. B.B. King
d. King David
3.) What local grassroots organization has helped produce more singers than anyone else?
4.) T/F A hymn is an old song with four verses, and the fourth one is usually about heaven.
5.) Your friend says: “It’s too bad that no early church hymns survived. It would’ve been cool to see what the very first Christians sang.” Respond.
6.) T/F When king Saul was tormented in spirit, David would pour oil on his head and shout loudly in order to scare away the devils.
7.) Finish this quote from St. Augustine, “The person who has sung well has _______ ______.”
- God's people sing, always have, always will.
- Our songs express the unity of the faith.
- Our songs are active worship, not passive consumer goods.
- Our songs are for God.
- Our songs glorify God AND edify the church.
- Our songs both express and form our faith.
- Our songs give us borrowed words.
- Our songs are our travelling songs.
So many issues in life trigger inward identity conversations. Knowing our identity and value and belovedness deeply in our gut is critical to living out the beautiful gospel love envisioned in Colossians 3:12.
Sometimes we can imagine the world is always getting worse and worse. Actually, some generations do better than others.
Jesus made numerous remarks about his generation.
In this podcast I draw out some observations and ask a few questions...
When the disciples are freaked at Jesus walkin' on water, Mark 6:52 has a fascinating insight...
God's kingdom doesn't evaluate or organize like the rest of human civilization.
This talk is based on Colossians 3:11
Often Jesus chooses specific people for specific tasks instead of others.
It's important not to get offended when that happens.
It's also important to learn how to make decisions the way he did, led by God's voice more than by our worry over what people we love may feel.
Today's jokes were very dad-jokey.
This chat is based on Colossians 3:9-10 and the positive role of knowledge in the Christ life.
This one starts with a bunch of light bulb jokes.
This time we covered Colossians 3:7, 8, and 9. Three whole verses!
- What are reasons not to forgive?
- What are the costs and benefits of unforgiveness?
- Can you think of notable examples of unforgiveness?
- What are some reasons to forgive?
- What are the costs and benefits of forgiveness?
- Can you think of any notable examples of forgiveness?
- What is forgiveness?
- What are some relevant Scriptures on forgiveness?
- How do we forgive?
Here are my full notes: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CJ-kMbqhk7ujadDv75JEzcCnCEXm8CdOuB__kt8AfeU/edit?usp=sharing
The key to understanding God's wrath is this: He actually cares about people.
(This talk is on Colossians 3:6)
This story from 2 Samuel 24 has often puzzled me. In this little chat I explore some questions.
Why was the census wrong? Why is Jeff Goldblum right? Is Elon Musk right about a.i.? Why was the Tower of Babel wrong? When was it undone? And why does the fire only fall on sacrifice?
- Conversion
- Disciplines
- Strongholds
We're meant to become the kind of people who can do God's will, and enjoy it!
The Learning Cycle
- Unconscious Incompetence (ignorant)
- Conscious Incompetence (beginner)
- Conscious Competence (intermediate)
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Unconscious Competence (mastery)
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Patterns of behavior eventually live in our body.
- The Super Mario Principle: failure ain't the point. saving princess and enjoying the journey is!
5 for Fighting
- Sexual Immorality (pornea)
- Impurity (akatharsea)
- Cravings (pathos)
- Evil Desires (epithumean kakein) “their god is their stomach” phl 3:19
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Covetousness (pleonexian)
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God's love is the key to lasting change!
A brief teaching about how our motives matter in our devotion plus some youth testimonies.
He touched the ark and died. David was angry. He was afraid of God. And he was unwilling to host the ark.
Here are some observations, connections, and thoughts...
What's your favorite Easter scene? Why don't people recognize Jesus after he's raised? Is there good evidence for Christianity? Do Christians believe in the immortal soul or the resurrection of the dead? What if the highest ethical ideals could merge with the realm of events and things? If Christ were truly raised, what would that require of us? Does C.S. Lewis' idea about liar, lunatic, Lord resonate with you?
We end by looking at some gospel logic from 1 Corinthians 15...
God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Cor 5:21)
Your Father who is in secret will reward you (Matthew 6:1).
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God goes where He's wanted.
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God honors our true motive.
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Diagnostic Tool: "What do I hope to get out of this?"
In which we talk about how important it is to go after the means of grace with diligence and discipline...
At the heart of biblical faith is a deep experience of God's beauty. This one thing - this yearning - finds expression all throughout both scripture and history. I'll bet if you know Christ, this desire dwells within you as well. This is why we want others to know Jesus. We've tasted and seen that the Lord is good.
Q #1 - If I already died with Christ, then do I still need to die to anything else?
Q #2 - If the law and asceticism doesn't work, but grace does, then what is the role of self-discipline in the Jesus-life?
To grow your social media go after what's timely and trending.
To grow your soul go after what's timeless and true.
This Sunday chat sort of happened. I left my notes behind almost immediately and went after a big picture view of the Father who wants a family.
The religious self-salvation projects humanity is so addicted to have a demonic aspect. And not only that, but they are also completely ineffective at killing sin or making us right with God.
In Christ, we died to these "stoicheia," the lowly evil powers that drive empty religious earning. Instead we receive God's love and forgiveness and life as a gift and now live FROM the high ground of union with God toward the challenges of life.
This talk is from Colossians 2:20-23.
Sometimes we make too much of personal spiritual experiences in a way that puffs us up and doesn't help others really know God better, but instead leaves them feeling disqualified. Jesus, on the other hand, transforms, beautifies, and grows us up into the image of love.
Jesus should be the focus of our mountaintop experiences with God.
How do they relate? Can you be saved without being baptized? And how does baptism relate to old testament circumcision?
When we say "yes" to Jesus in truth, we pass from the kingdom of self into the kingdom of God.
Don't let anyone condemn you over shadows when you have the substance who is Christ.
This little talk is from Col 2:16-17.
2 quick thoughts from James 1-2 before the sun sets this saturday night while we anticipate a big snow tomorrow morning...
Wherein I ask a number of questions about the purpose of the gospel, salvation, the church, life, etc
Politics is pretty divisive. But love is an option we may want to consider.
(or keep devouring one another, I mean, what do I know?)
In a world of spin, becoming love is the single most credible way to testify to the truth.
A sermon on Colossians 2:13-15
Once you were dead in actions and nature.
But now God has made you alive with Christ.
We needed resurrection, not education.
Through the cross of Jesus, God...
1.) Forgave all our trespasses
2.) Erased the record of our wrongs
3.) Set aside the law, nailing it to the cross
4.) Disarmed the rulers and authorities
5.) Made a public spectacle of them
6.) Triumphed over them, putting them to open shame
Jesus is Lord, not "minister of afterlife affairs." To follow him means not following the way of Barabbas, the way of the sword, as though his kingdom were "of this world." His kingdom isn't from this world, but it is meant to manifest here, and when it does it looks and feels and smells and talks and loves EXACTLY. LIKE. JESUS.
Our way is the way of servanthood and influence, not the way of power over and control. We will face hardship, but because Jesus has overcome, we can overcome. We can love in the face of sin so that sin against us doesn't create sin in us.
Our allegiance is to HIM. Our agenda is surrendered. Let's switch the thinking so we live here as missionaries.
"We are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken..." (Hebrews 12:28)
we will not set the world right
i'm sorry to have to break it to you, I truly am
and I struggle with that, i truly do
but we CAN leave the world a bit better than we found it
IF we fight the fight we're actually in
we can
-pick up the trash
-be kind
-enjoy the birds
-smile
-be funny
-respect when people don't want what you're sellin
-fight the inward battle
-yearn for the king to come home
What is self-control?
How does it form?
How is it a fruit of the Spirit?
Why can't I change?
Every year we do this...and I think that's great!
Plus I talk about the one that I think should be at the top of all our lists for 2021.
When those who taught us the faith end up being revealed to have been living in secret sin, it can be devastating.
This is a talk all about that, hypocrisy, how our conduct reflects on God, the nature of sin, and some guidance in grace.
When some people talk about societal change, they often mean that things are getting worse. And then to counteract it, they attempt to legislate against the changes, instead of influencing culture by extreme virtue that normalizes cultural values in a better direction.
9For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. 11In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, 12having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. (Colossians 2)
Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.” (Luke 15:1-2 NRSV)
George and Tim discuss faithfulness, dietary myths, martial arts, biblical languages, God's calculator, and a few other things.
In Luke 14 Jesus heals a man with dropsy on the Sabbath...at a Pharisee's house!
Why is it that they can't just leave Jesus alone? Why do they care? How does Jesus navigate conflict so well? How's come he stays so steady no matter what they say or think?
Wowsers. It's pretty awkward to talk about divinely required foreskin modification at church. But we did (though I nearly died of embarrassment) because that's what Colossians 2:11 is all about!
1.) Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus!
2.) Don’t get distracted by diversionary tactics.
3.) Arrange your day around your life’s mission. How you spend your day is how you will have spent your life.
4.) Don’t get fooled by false evil reports.
5.) Don’t shoot the POW’s, shoot the bad guys.
6.) Don’t fight using worldly weapons.
7.) Fight the fight you’re actually in.
8.) CRUCIFY victim self-talk.
9.) Get a bigger perspective.
10.) Be an encouragement to others.
- Rise to meet the challenges.
12.) Go on offense, not defense.
SINCE demons tremble at Jesus' presence, and we believers are IN HIM, WHY do we still let the spiritual powers intimidate us?
Colossians 2:10 "So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority."
In this message:
-jokes by steven wright
-everything's amazing and nobody's happy
-pilgrims survive the winter
-a country song
-doc holliday and wyatt earp discuss what's johnny ringo's problem?
-we spill water on the floor
-we take a moment to practice gratitude
Here's the powerpoint
Here's my notes
Three fruits of the Spirit are covered in this talk...
1) Kindness - a gracious attitude toward others whether they deserve it or not.
2) Goodness - benevolent activity for others, promoting their wellbeing in tangible and practical ways.
3) Gentleness - a strength that accommodates to other's weakness, showing consideration, friendliness, and meekness.
Here's my powerpoint
Here's my notes
"What good is all that God stuff if boys don't even like me?"
Our problem seems to be dual. We don't want what we need and we don't know what we have!
In Colossians 2:9-10 Paul says two sorta shocking things: 1.) All the fullness of God dwells in Jesus, bodily. ALL that God is, somehow lives in him.
2.) All that fullness? Yeah. It's yours IN HIM.
That's more than most of us dare to take in...so instead we often go back to our familiar prisons instead of brave the unfamiliar freedom He has won for us.
Wherever you find goodness, beauty, or truth, give God the credit and give thanks. This mindset frees us from the insecurity of having to defend against God's blessings scattered throughout the world outside of our little world. The culture war is a form of tribalism, and the gospel frees us to be calm and incarnate love across the boundaries we have set for ourselves, but God did not set.
There is a demonic element to what often passes for wisdom within culture, the church, and personally. How do we unmask deception and stay free now that Jesus has set us free?
"See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the universe, and not according to Christ." (Colossians 2:8)
A conversational teaching on Luke 11:1-11 where the disciples ask Jesus to teach them how to pray...
--On our part: tenacious, bold persistence.
--On God's part: gracious and generous love.
And Jesus also gives us a clue as to not just HOW to pray, but WHAT our goal in prayer is to be...
As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. (Colossians 2:6-7 NRSV)
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What is joy?
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What are some examples of pure joy?
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How is joy a byproduct of living by the Spirit? (Gal 5:22)
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Neh 8:9-10 says that “the joy of the Lord is your strength.” What is the opposite of that truth?
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Does the phrase, “the joy of the Lord,” mean:
It is the Lord’s own joy
The joy that comes from the Lord
Both?
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True or False: “God is the most joyful Person of all.”
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How do we receive the joy of the Lord?
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1 Thess 5:16 says to “be joyful always.” To live that, should we...
Feel joyful always
Act joyful always (regardless of feelings)
Look at the verse’s context for clues
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What does it mean to “rejoice?” And what would it then mean to “rejoice in the Lord always” (Phil 4:4-8)
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If you were a demon, what would be your go-to strategy to steal a christian’s joy?
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If you were someone’s spiritual coach, what would be your go-to strategy to help them cultivate joy?
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D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones drew a strong connection between joy and the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Do you agree? Why?
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Agape (love), and kara (joy) were secular words when the apostles used them, but now we think of them as exclusively sacred words. Is this helpful or harmful?
14 “Joy” is an emotional state, but “rejoicing” is an action.
How can God command feelings?
What’s the relationship between joy and rejoicing?
Which comes first, chicken, or egg?
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Who is someone you know personally who exudes joy?
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Is the devil ever joyful? Are people ever joyful about the pleasures of sin?
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Since the kingdom of God consists of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17), why do people often think of godliness as dreary, boring, joyless, and dutiful?
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The root word for joy (chara) is connected with gift (charisma), grace (chari), and gratitude/giving thanks (euchariste). Therefore:
Thanksgiving and gratitude sow seeds that produce joy.
Negativity, fault-finding, nit-picking, grumbling, and complaining choke out joy.
Luke 9:1-2 but as if it applied to us. Cuz it does.
Jesus sent out the 12 (and us) with power and authority...
Tell people about the kingdom, and heal the sick. That's what Jesus told his disciples to go do (Luke 9:1-2.
What does that have to do with US?
Regret, shame, guilt, low self-esteem, despair, condemnation, and accusation. These are the primary work of "the accuser of the brethren," satan. What are we to do?
We use this expression to mean we support somebody. Paul used it literally.
Some thoughts on Col 2:5
I have good friends who love God on both ends of the political spectrum. It's always good in an election cycle for Jesus-people to step back and not get too pulled into the wide-eyed certainties and resentful energies of the thing.
Our challenge is to set apart Christ as Lord in our hearts, lest our politics functionally demote him in our lives to the status,"Minister of Afterlife Affairs."
Paul worked his tail off for folk he never even met face to face. Why? And how was he gripped with such intensity and purpose?
Am I? Am I working to succeed in the actual fight I'm in, or am I caught up in loser thinking, wasting valuable time and prioritizing my ease and comfort at the expense of my purpose?
Just something to think about...
There is a dynamic of shame, regret, condemnation, and mental anguish that is a direct result of satan's activities in the hearts and minds of people everywhere. The short word to describe this ministry is "accusation."
What do we do? Where do we turn? What are our resources for help?
The Advocate (1 Jn 2:1).
John Denver was the man.
I had to keep re-recording this because I get choked up singing the second verse. I think it took like four takes before I could get through...
A Jesus-centered gospel, hermeneutic, and view of history.
Sunday I took 40 minutes to say this. Here I do it in 12 minutes.
Assorted thoughts and stories on the subject of tongues in the New Testament and today...
- It's Inspired
- It’s Useful
- It's Good Tradition
- We have no ‘autographs’
- Can and should be translated
- No best translation
- Imperfections
- It's about JESUS
- Deserves your utmost attention
The essence of what it means to be a Christian is neither _______ nor ______, but ___________.
Similarities and differences between being filled with wine and filled with the Holy Spirit... (based on Eph 5:18)
On digital consciousness & being a haunted house...
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Weird, yes. Just go with me for a minute.
((This one's about the Holy Spirit...))
The good news about Jesus is both beautiful and a secret and plot twist of divine history. What we have available right now in Christ, the saints of old LONGED to see, and the angels have been peering from heaven with surprise and wonder like, "Are you serious, right now???"
"Jesus replied, “Your mistake is that you don’t know the Scriptures, and you don’t know the power of God." (Matthew 22:29)
Don't know the Book of God? You blow up.
Don't know the God of the Book? You dry up.
Know both? You grow up.
I am now rejoicing in my sufferings for your sake, and in my body I am completing what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church. (Colossians 1:24)
Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.
(Psalm 1, ESV)
"Prayer doesn't fit us for the greater work; prayer is the greater work." Oswald Chambers
Work smarter, not harder.
Here we read Exodus 18 and Acts 6 to talk about Jethro's advice to Moses, and how the apostles also saw that as helpful wisdom for their situation.
Our culture is shifting...here are some off the cuff thoughts about how to be faithful in the current climate...
- 1234 Treasure Principle (Luke 12:34). Heart follows actions
- Ben Franklin’s insight. It wasn’t me being nice to him that made him stop hating me. It was him doing me a kindness.
- Dostoevsky’s insight. A character said something like, “He’s never done me any wrong. I did him a bad turn, and I’ve hated him ever since.”
- Catharsis is a lie. In the 70’s psychologists thought expressing the rage would diminish it. The studies reveal the opposite. Grievances expressed deepened into resentments by degrees when mulled over, spoken, etc.
- Mean Interviewer Experiment. He insulted their mom. The control sample wasn’t given an opportunity to complain to his manager and harm his career. The test sample was. The blood pressure, the resentment, and the view of the interviewer all shifted for the worst with those who acted on their offense. The offense of those who didn’t air their grievances diminished.
- “Fools vent their anger, but the wise quietly hold it back.” Prov 29:11
- The mind justifies what the heart has chosen. (How can you believe when you seek the praise of each other instead of the praise of God? John 5:44)
- Our fragile view of self must be protected. Our identities are core to our emotional well-being...and we hate the inner stress and tension — dissonance...
- Dissonance. Two notes that played together sound horrible and we cannot abide it. That’s the thing with cognitive dissonance. Two beliefs that contradict. “I am an honest person — I just told a lie.” or “I am a loving man — I did not care that I hurt so and so.”
- Little Steps
- How resentment grows by little steps...
- How pain held onto rewrites our story…until our view of the past bears no resemblance to reality...
- How self-justification grows the more committed we are to maintaining our self-image…
- Self-Justified or Justified w God? Luke 18 - two men at prayer…
- Some cures?
- A more humble (realistic) view of self - I have strengths and weaknesses. I have blind spots.
- A better grasp of grace and Christ’s righteousness
- Doing Jesus’ Sayings (Jesus, Genius)
- Love your enemies
- Do good to those who hurt you
- Give to those who need or try to take advantage
- Turn your other cheek to a slap
- Repay insults with kindness
- Pray kind things over those who wish you evil
- You have enemies. “Love your enemies” sounds dramatic. But everyone has enemies they need to love and forgive. Even if it’s your friends and family.
- Who hurt me? That’s who I need to forgive.
- Everybody serves somebody. If we don’t forgive, then the person who hurt us becomes a kind of lord or master who shapes and forms us.
- “Forgiveness is hard.” No. Bitterness and resentment and hatred are hard. Forgiveness makes life so much easier.
- Stop drinking poison. Unforgiveness is like drinking poison and expecting your enemy to die.
- Dishonor to Authority Normalized
- Death of the Expert
- Opinions and Feelings over Facts
- Identity Politics as the Metanarrative
What a curious expression Paul uses to refer to himself at the end of Colossians 1:23. A servant or slave of the gospel. How can a person be servant to a particular message? And does this have any applications for us? Maybe. Let's talk about it.
"if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard" (Colossians 1:23 ESV)
All of us construct a story about our lives from which we derive meaning. We think of that story as "truth" but in actuality it is a script thrown together the best we can. The gospel is a different script that God has authored for us which, to be believed, must be exchanged for the script we authored...
He has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault...
Colossians 1:22
Also had a bit on the reality that our citizenship is in heaven and some implications for our engagement of politics and power and that our culture becoming post-Christian might be a positive thing for the church because the church's holiness and power has usually proportionally gone down right along with the cost of true allegiance to Jesus.
1700 years ago a pastor named Augustine saw something I bet you and I also experience: people can disappoint us to the point of wanting to throw away our faith.
Layer 1 - The Lie
Layer 2 - The Wound
Layer 3 - Where Was God?
Layer 4 - The Exchange
Layer 5 - Repentance & Forgiveness
Layer 6 - The Truth
It isn't excusing. It isn't sweeping under the rug. And God doesn't expect us to do it without experiencing his love and comfort.
I had this encounter a few years back and it changed my life! I made all new friends, got to know local churches, pastors, people I didn't know before!
The gospel has all the resources we need to form a new humanity around Jesus, with racial harmony and unity. The baptism of the Spirit is about LOVE!
Doubt and unbelief are NOT the same thing and God does not treat them the same. Neither should we.
Jesus told us to do good works in public in one chapter, and in the next chapter told us to do them in secret. What's up with that?
If the incarnation is the centerpiece of revelation, he's WITH US in the form of co-suffering love, wherever that is found.
Contains a great quote from Steven Pressfield's, "The War of Art," and some apparently unpopular sentiments about Jesus.
The main question I wanted us to consider was the ring of power as a metaphor for wrong uses of power and their impact on us and the world...but we talked about a lot more than that.
Namely - your life has purpose beyond your capacity to grasp. So go after the nectar...
There is a difference between the passing of time (chronos) and a divinely significant moment of opportunity (kairos).
We all go through painful things. Sometimes as we post-process, we end up learning things that Jesus didn't teach us. This chat is about exactly this.
We recently hosted a contemplative prayer weekend in which my friend, Derek, introduced us to some very ancient prayer methods. I thought I'd compile a quick summary of each of them. There are many more forms of prayer, but these are the ones we utilized in our weekend together.
- Sign of the cross
- The Jesus Prayer
- Centering Prayer
- Daily Office
- Letter Writing
- Examen
- Lectio Divina
Then this quick talk is for you (from Luke 1).
- Will be great in God’s eyes
- No alcohol
- Filled with the Holy Spirit even before birth
- Will turn many Israelites to the Lord
- Will walk in both the spirit AND the power of Elijah
- Will prepare the people for King Jesus’ arrival
- Will turn fathers’ hearts to their children
- Will cause the rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly