Save My Darlings

A lot of people ask me how to read the Bible. So I'm doing a quick and dirty series of tips for being better at engaging Scripture in a meaningful and practical way. This week? Remember it's God's story, not anybody else's. Only fifteen minutes to get way better at reading the Bible well!

We talked a bit about transformation and God's plans for our glory on Sunday. Here we expand the analogy of the fixer upper home with some input from the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 15 to get a better grasp of what we can expect in the here and now and in the next life.

Here's a question: What are the implications of "You can't lose" for heaven? I mean, sure, Jesus can turn our losses into wins, but is there any reason to strive for that? Turns out, yes, and I'll prove it!

Since we got such a big response to the AI podcast a couple of weeks ago, I thought I'd do another. There are a lot of questions about using AI, the ethics of it, and how it can help or hurt, and I'm answering them! Today we talk about the fact that AI lies, cheats, and steals BUT ONLY IF YOU LET. I've used Claude enough to see how it works and what it's capable of, and the extent...

In this week's episode, we look at CS Lewis, Revelation 3, and Colossians 3 to see how there is a way in which spiritual complacency is just as deadly to the goal of Life as murder. If that seems like a wacky claim, listen! And if you like it, share!

We saw on Sunday that God gives Satan the right to accuse us and test us with harrowing circumstances. He did it to Job. He did it to the disciples. Why would God let that happen? Doesn't this show the Bible to be silly and God to be unfair? Well, no. Listen to find out why!

5 minute sermon recap and weekly challenge

Plagiarized sermons? Sermon-writing laziness? How does the sausage get made? Over the years that I've been writing sermons with my friend Pastor Mike Lotzer of Mercy Road Church in Lakeville, MN, many people have wondered what that looks like and just what we do. Well, in this episode Mike joins us to help explain what the process looks like and how we're beginning to incorporate AI into i...

One question we didn't address on Sunday is "Why doesn't God give us some things that would be good for us?" That is, there's plenty of things that would probably make us better people and Christians, things that are good for us, that God doesn't allow. A great example is trouble with fertility/conception. It's undeniable that God wants us to "be fruitful and mul...

"Not today, Satan!" is a popular meme these days. I think it's meant to mean that the enemy is out there trying to destroy us--which is true. But how, exactly, does he operate and what can we do about it? I survey a bunch of places in the Bible that show us what he's doing and how to live in victory!

Trying to understand the Bible when it talks about the end times is hard. Is there an idea or interpretive lens that can help? There sure is! It's called "partial preterism," and it's how I am able to make sense of some pretty confusing texts. Open up Mark 13 with me and check it out.

There is an odd bit in Luke 9 we skipped on Sunday in which the Samaritans don't welcome Jesus into their territory as he travels to Jerusalem. Why? What gives? And what if their reaction is a massive warning to us about missing out on the life God designed for us?

When warning us about the cost of following him, Jesus quotes an old farmer's saying, "Don't put one hand on the plow and look back." What does this mean and what is he trying to warn us about? The answer(s) may surprise you!

The title is a bit tongue-in-cheek, but this week's episode, "Why No Good Deed Goes Unpunished" explains how and why some suffering is built into the created order and why it is good. Knowing this hidden mechanic in the universe can give us encouragement, courage, and strength in some very challenging times, filling us with hope as we reframe our own pain as bearing the cost of new l...

Is Judas in hell? What about corrupt religious leaders? Does the Bible answer these questions with clarity? I argue that it sort of doesn't, because the Bible isn't all that interested in hell. Which seems weird since Christianity has a reputation for being all about heaven and hell. What gives? Listen to find out!

No pain, no gain! Pain is just weakness leaving the body! These are just a few ways that people describe the process of growth. There's something about nature that demands pain, suffering, and death for new life to come about. And, of course, that's at the center of the Christian story about God. In this episode we take a deep dive into that rhythm, how it is exemplified in Scripture, and...

One of the fun things about the Christmas story is how odd it all is. Of all the things to tell about the birth of the supposed true King of the world and the fullness of God in human flesh, the events of the Christmas story with miraculous conceptions, shepherds, and a mad king trying to kill a child are pretty weird choices. As far as the Magi go, what if I told you that it picks up a theme from...

If God exists, isn't it weird that he doesn't just act in a way that's obvious so that everyone will believe? Good question. Isn't it also weird that Zechariah literally had an angel tell him what was going to happen and he *still* didn't believe it? What's going on? Why do people have a hard time believing and why doesn't God do a better job making himself visible? Lis...

Skeptics largely do away with the gospel accounts of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. They're too fanciful or they aren't told by anyone who was there, etc., etc. Today we look at a little tidbit from Luke 2 that strongly indicates the opposite. It makes us think that no, Luke isn't lying. And if Luke isn't lying about this, what else is he being truthful about?

A lot of times we're not sure if we're doing what God wants or if we're a part of what God is up to. Once Mary knew that she was, she sang a song of praise that gives us some solid signs, helping us to discern where we're at. Bottom line? God likes to shake things up. Listen to find out more!

On Sunday, we saw that part of doing things the Kingdom Way requires God to intervene with grace. In Joseph's case, that was an angel in a dream. But most of us don't get anything like that, or at least not very often. So how does God talk to us? What is his will? How do we find out? We cover all that and more in this week's episode!

Christians have lots of disagreements about "eschatology," or what is going to happen in the future, what heaven and hell are like, etc. Who's right and why does it matter? We deal with those issues in this episode.

What happens when you start catching fish (bringing people into the Kingdom of God)? Chaos, disaster, and challenge, that's what. It's awe-inspiring and beautiful, but man it's wild. Peter found that out when Jesus told him to go fishing. Today, we look at what to expect here at Coast Bible Church as we obey Jesus' command to go fish. Maybe more importantly, we will see what we nee...

The "prosperity gospel" is the belief that you can get what you want materially by doing and giving (especially for and to God). Want that private jet? Work hard and give to gospel mission and you'll get it! Well, Jesus doesn't say that. But it is enticing because it is a half-truth. In this episode we pick apart prosperity spirituality and the Scripture that gets used to promote...

On Sunday we talked about the importance of finding someone who has what we want and learning from them. What we didn't explore is the extent to which our various characteristics and proclivities count as "spiritual gifts" and what we should do with them. Well, we address that here and we get to be super nerdy while doing it! Bottom line: you may be more spiritually gifted than you r...