The Restoration Project Podcast

the restoration project. Joshua James. 1 March 2020

the restoration project. Suzi Peterson. 23 February 2020

Again Jesus with the tough sayings: "I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it." What's this about? I assume we've asked for something before and it wasn't answered quite as positively. In this teaching, we look into it, focusing most of our energy on the phrase "in my name." the restoration project. J...

In John 14, Jesus tells his disciples, "Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father." What's he talking about? What works? How will they be greater? What's going on? That's what we are talking about in this week's teaching. the restoration project. Joshua James. 9 February 2020

This week (no big deal), we are discussing (it's fine) one of the most controversial (that's fair) text in John. Jesus responds to Thomas, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." It's that last bit that has caused a bunch of confusion for a contemporary Western audience. It feels exclusive ... and arrogant ... and maybe a bit naive. So we talk about i...

We have all sorts of ideas about Heaven. And while culture certainly plays a role in our conception, many ideas are the result of church teachings. In this week's talk, Josh challenges one of those ideas ... well, at least, as it appears (or doesn't) in John 14. the restoration project. Joshua James. 26 January 2020

Instead of preaching *about* MLK and his message, we decided to read a (very very slightly abridged) version of his "Letter from a Birmingham Jail." (The abridgment, sadly, was unintentional.) the restoration project. 19 January 2020

TRP TURNS SEVEN! In this talk, Josh discusses some of TRP's big wins of the last year, some of his insecurities, and then provides a vision of who we are and what we are about. the restoration project. Joshua James. 5 January 2020

In the last sermon of the year, we are talking about prayer and lament. Perhaps an odd way to send out the year, but it's an important topic. How are you praying? What are you lamenting? Are we, like the ancient psalmists and prophets, turning to trust? the restoration project. Joshua James. 29 December 2019

This week, we're digging in to the ancient Near Eastern context of Isaiah 7. We usually read the virgin birth prophecy of Jesus through the lens provided by Matthew...but when we do, we miss some stuff. Brace yourselves. the restoration project. Joshua James. 22 December 2019

Week 2 of Advent brings us to Isaiah's vision for an idealized ruler and their effect on the cosmos. It's a grand vision of what *should be* and what, through Jesus, will be brought to bear. the restoration project. Joshua James. 8 December 2019

Oh, Advent ... the season with biblical texts that are not as Christmas-y as most American Christians would like them to be. We kick off the series with a brief poem from Isaiah 2. It paints a contrastive vision of what *could be* and, as we argue here, a vision that we should model here and now. the restoration project. Joshua James. 1 December 2019

As Jesus begins what scholars have labeled his "farewell discourse," he implores his disciples to love each other. In this talk, we explore a bit of what this means. the restoration project,. Joshua James. 24 November 2019

In this week's talk, Josh explores the historical/contextual setting of Jesus' last meal with his disciples prior to the crucifixion. And let me tell you, the Gospel of John weaves a fine story together. the restoration project. Joshua James. 17 November 2019

One week off of her installation, Associate Pastor, Suzi Peterson, revisits the foot washing scene in John. Her aim is to further explore the relationships in the room and the service offered by Jesus. the restoration project. Suzi Peterson. 10 November 2019

Josh talks about Jesus washing the feet of his disciples before we install Suzi as a pastor of TRP. the restoration project. Joshua James. 3 November 2019

Band: Josh James (vocals, acoustic), Bethany Jubilee (violin), Arthur Lembo (keys), Jonny Menges (percussion), Jory Pryor (electric guitar), Josh Revell (bass), Tessa Stultz (bgv), Andrew Wackett (electric guitar) Production: Revell Records the restoration project. 21 October 2019

We have reached the end of the first "major" section of the Gospel of John — the book of signs. It's a bit of review, a bit of summary, a bit of a challenge, and as the curtains close, we are left with a decision to make. the restoration project. Joshua James. 27 October 2019

This week, Josh unloads FIVE preaching points from John's "version" of the Gethsemane story. (I mean, it's not really the same as Jesus praying in the Garden, but he's "troubled.") Get ready for super practical. the restoration project. Joshua James. 20 October 2019

This sermon has *everything*: a manuscript, 17 minute description of all the fun stuff that we "aren't talking about," some practical stuff for people just barely holding on, and hope. Jesus is the peaceful King, who comes to give life. the restoration project. Joshua James. 13 October 2019

We're back in John, but we're building on last week's talk about the "sinful" woman anointing Jesus in Luke 7. John's account ... is much different. It's a theological retelling that insists we connect some dots with another familiar story in John ... something about a servant washing feet ... the restoration project. Joshua James. 6 October 2019

So, this isn't technically part of our series on John, but it's linked. All four Gospels include a story of a woman anointing Jesus with a precious ointment. This is Luke's version. Next week, we'll look at John's version. (Spoiler: They are different.) the restoration project. Suzi Peterson. 29 September 2019

In this, the last week of our mini-series on Lazarus, we discuss (eventually) Caiaphas and the religious leaders who set out to kill Jesus in response to this miracle. Here's my spoiler: be slow to point the finger. the restoration project. Joshua James. 22 September 2019

Jesus wept. One (pretty common) way of understanding this line is to emphasize the humanity of Jesus: "Look, he gets sad too!" That's definitely a thing, but maybe, if Jesus is "one with the Father," like John keeps saying, maybe it also tells us something about God. the restoration project. Joshua James. 15 September 2019

You probably know the story. It's pretty well known. Jesus' friend, Lazarus, gets sick and dies, and then Jesus raises him from the dead. It's really powerful. Over the next three weeks, we'll unpack a few themes that often go unnoticed. First up is Thomas' (pretty ironic) suggestion to the other disciples to journey with Jesus into a pretty questionable, potentially violent situation: "Let us go...