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There may not be any stupid questions, but there are wrong ones if we want to follow Jesus. Sometimes we have a goal in mind but ask the wrong question to get us there or, worse yet, have the wrong goal to begin with! A little humility might help us start to get both right […]

Looking for shelter? Barry walks us through Psalm 91 and reminds us that God’s pinions are plenty strong and faithful enough to provide the protection we need in the midst of our inevitable troubles. What is confusing is that his plan sometimes looks more like a sacrifice than salvation.     Scriptures: Psalm 91 Ex […]

Barry highlights a character often found in stories that brings help to the world. In Scripture we see angels, donkeys, prophets, church leaders and believers fill this role. Are you ready to recognize these characters in your life and perhaps become one for others?       Scriptures: Gen 21:15-20 Numbers 22:22-30 1 Kings 13:14-19, […]

Throwing out the baby with the bathwater wouldn’t be a “proverb” if it wasn’t such a common practice. This episode focuses on holding onto the painful experiences of others while fighting the circumstances that put them there. Referenced Episode: The Value of Decisions: Part 1 with Rachael Denhollander and Tiffany Thigpen  

Barry walks through Psalm 90, pointing out lesser contrasts like the one between transient humanity and durable mountains, to draw our attention to the greater contrast between Almighty God and each person, each grain of dust. The good news is that the power in that contrast is also God’s to use with the dust. Scripture: […]

Barry revisits his question-and-answer series, this time focusing on the process of change in relationships. This could be a church, a business, or a couple—anywhere there are people. We know the honeymoon phase will pass, but still find it odd that it does.       Book: On Revolution, Hannah Arendt Scriptures: 2 Cor 7:1; […]

Barry walks with us through an imaginary art museum, stopping in front of Psalm 89. This painting’s canvas, background, and complex foreground include most if not all of the colors of the other Psalms, just as the Davidic Covenant echoes the whole of Yahweh’s relationship with His creation.   Scriptures: Psalm 89 1 Kings 4:31 […]

Barry begins a series covering some of the great questions he has encountered through many (and I mean many) years of ministry. Today’s question has to do with what is essential to believe when coming to Christ. The one thing about Jesus that sets him apart from every other human is the resurrection—it declares Jesus […]

Barry continues to think through how to get back to civil discourse, using Robert Frost’s poem, The Gift Outright, to remind us of what we have in common. Simplifying our differences to one or the other side of a political divide does very little for either side and does no justice to our beautiful, complicated […]

Barry once again reminds us what our job is and what our job ain’t. One can determine the outcome they wish before they begin the journey, but God has actually given us the task to complete the journey, no matter where it ends, in a particular way. To lose sight of that way would be […]

Barry talks about a Psalm that hits a minor chord, with a focus on a feeling of loneliness and despair. Sometimes we face situations that cast darkness over days or even years and these moments can feel incredibly difficult to endure. Psalm 88 has both good news and even better news for these moments: not […]

Barry finishes up his discussion of what we are doing and what we should be doing instead. This episode focuses on replacing the Enlightenment’s devotion to comprehend and control the universe with a devotion to understand and live out our purpose within it. Once we know (as we can from scripture) what God expects; all […]

Barry begins the celebration of his upcoming birthday by using your time and mind to focus on a conundrum that has fascinated him since high school: the Tower of Babel. What is the difference between what humans are capable of and what they are responsible for? Let’s help him with his birthday wish.     […]

Barry talks about change and what is required to get there. Our enduring impact on the grand scheme of things can be far greater than the tiny space we occupy in it. However, the risk to change so much relies heavily on the two things we might want to do without: God and others.   […]

Barry skips to the chase scene as he walks through Psalm 87, focusing on the meaning of the city of Jerusalem from the Old Testament to the New. It just so happens, that God finds his people the same places he finds his enemies.       Scriptures: Psalm 87, 48:1-3, 50:1-2 Rev 22:1-2, 7:9-10 […]

Barry finishes his series on how we can let God’s heart change ours. He focuses on a few ruts—both personal and public—that require the special analytical tool of “meta-questions.” The application of this tool can help us respect other image-bearers better, rethink persistent problems, and decide what to do with our own agency this very […]

Ever wondered what was meant by David being “a man after God’s own heart?” That sounds like a pretty good thing. But what is that thing in God’s heart? Barry starts a series about how God uses his sovereignty and power, and what would make our hearts more like His.       Scriptures: 1 […]

Barry continues the conversation about the incarnation and some of the ironies associated with our celebration of it as Christians and society. Every irony can lead us back to the unbelievable (and yet truest of all) story of a God willing to step into the filth of humankind to raise it up to meet the […]

Barry attempts what may seem silly at first—a reconciliation of Christ and Christmas. He starts with a value, describes its opposite, acknowledges the divergence, and then ends up at a point of reconciliation. This may feel like a lot of work, but it is the work that God humbles himself to do for us on […]

Barry finishes up his series on faith and pride, talking about the instances where pride creeps in to replace faith. Abraham is a great example for us as he was willing to give up the very thing (person in this case) that his faith birthed in order to maintain his relationship with the one who […]

Barry begins a series on faith. There are common opposites to faith of which we ought to be wary: inconsistency, doubt, disobedience, and hypocrisy. However, Barry believes the one that has been left out undermines all else about faith.     Scriptures: Prov 3:34, 16:5 James 4:6 1 Pet 5:5 Is 14:12-14 Ezekiel 28 Psalm […]

Barry arrives at Psalm 86 and reminds us that all people find themselves in the same position—both us and our enemies—in need of judgment and mercy. What we also need is the supernatural moment when we pass the mercy on.     Scriptures: Psalm 86 2 Sam 22:25-28 Hosea 6:4-6 Psalm 89:11 Matt 18: 23-35 […]

Barry finishes up this series on elections and consequences. He talks about a few things we need to remember about people, what we must acknowledge about ourselves, and how these things should shape our faith in a God who knows all of that too. Scriptures: Heb 2:14-15, Matt 7      

Barry begins a series about the interaction between populations and their leaders. In this episode he discusses what he has learned from election cycles since his young adult years, and the unfortunate truth behind Plato’s great brute. As someone may rightly ask in any dog park, “Who is training whom, here?”       Scriptures: […]

Barry talks about Psalm 85 and the all-sufficient nature of God. There is a magical story of a meeting on a roadway, a declaration of peace in a war-torn creation, and a happily-ever-after springing from the ground.       Scriptures: Psalm 85, 14:1-7 Micah 6:8 Gen 1:6-13 1 Cor 15 Matt 21:33-46 Luke 18