God Centered Life

A dramatic and truly violent incident portrayed in our study may feel off against our perception of Christianity. But could this be an invitation to review the justice of God? Are we being invited to refresh our understanding of the wrath of God? We’ll explore yet another unusual story from the book of Judges. Judges 4:1 - 5:31 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Peace, tranquility, a sense of serene calm, and family. Perhaps for you “one of these things is not like the others.” Does the Bible have anything to say to us when our family is driving us batty? Let’s find out. Psalm 128 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You’ve heard the phrase “Children are a blessing from God.” We’re not questioning that. But what happens when those children, blessing though they may be, come across as a challenge, part of the daily grind? We’ll look at this question amongst others in our study today. Psalm 127 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

No one is exempt. We all have those days where the one place you want to be is somewhere other than where you are. What does the Bible offer us on days like this? Is there a solution to daily drudgery? We’ll look at those questions in this study. Psalm 127 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What’s the relationship between community and joy? Is it harder to be joyful if we’re navigating life by ourselves? This is just one of the practical questions we’ll look at in our pursuit of joy in this study. Psalm 126 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Have you ever observed a serious mood washing over a conversation when religion or faith or God is mentioned? What if the exact opposite was true? Would it be surprising? Would it be more inviting? This study will explore the sometimes rare emotion of joy. Psalm 126 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Bible tells us to love our enemies. Today, we’ll look at a passage that celebrates the killing of an enemy. How does this narrative fit into the bigger picture? And what, dare we ask, is the application we’re to take from this passage? Judges 4:1 - 5:31 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Have you ever presented someone with a challenging situation, asking for their help, and had them reply “No problem, I know somebody.” Connections can be a quick source of resolution for problems we face. Even more so in the spiritual realm? We’ll explore that idea in today's study. Psalm 125 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ever meet someone who seemed overly peaceful despite current situations? Maintaining a happy personality while the world around them burns? Could it be they’re ignoring reality, or are they somehow in possession of a sense of security while fully understanding what’s happening? We’ll look at the difference between the two approaches in this study. Psalm 125 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...

Have you felt a divide between your spiritual world, and heading into traffic? Your time in God's word is rich with hope and promise. And then you read the news. What does it look like to take the tranquility of time in God’s presence and overlay that on the reality of a violent world? We’ll look at that relevant question today. Psalm 124 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/...

Is it harder to “let God be God” when bad things happen to us? What does our response to injustice tell us about our reliance on God? Challenging questions that we’ll look at today. Psalm 123 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Is there a disconnect when the folks who claim to follow a loving and forgiving God aren’t loving and forgiving? Should we perhaps take a look at the word “follow” and ask what that really means? We’ll head that direction in this study. Psalm 122 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

“The Mold”—Do you fit in? That mold can be societal, occupational, familial, or even religious. Does God have a mold He wants us to fit in? Or can He use us without requiring us to look like everyone else? We’re diving into that question today. Judges 3:7-31 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

“I love God. It’s his people that are hard to take.” Ever thought that? In our study, we’re going to explore the connection between God and his Church. What do we learn about ourselves when we evaluate the relationship we have with his people? Psalm 122 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why do bad things happen to good people? Why do bad things happen to Gods’ people? When the Bible says we’ll be protected from “all harm,” how do we receive that statement while sitting in the emergency room waiting for news? Challenging question in the focus of this study. Psalm 121 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When you go to the doctors’ office with a problem, the last thing you want is a cliché. Do we settle for clichés when we need help from God? Do we really believe God will help us? Tough questions that we’ll look at in this study. Psalm 121 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Compounding interest from the bank? That’s good! Compounding injury from careless words? That’s bad, and likely to spread far more quickly than we might be aware! Continuing our pursuit of truthful and compassionate words in today’s study. Psalm 120 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What’s the likelihood that you would be surprised after doing an exhaustive “labels inventory?” How do you label yourself? Does that label require effort, or is it tooling along just fine in your subconscious? And what actions might you be taking as a result of that label? We’re in pursuit of the truth about ourselves in today’s study. Psalm 120 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoic...

Perhaps you’ve thought about the unusual collection of skills and occupations that Jesus invited in his disciples during his time on earth. In this study, we’ll continue looking at the interesting characters used by God in the book of Judges. And just maybe, there’s something that you’ve considered to be a “disqualifier” in your life. Is it time to take another look at that? Judges 3:7-31 Learn mo...

“Love is easy!” Is it? “I don’t feel love anymore so clearly I’m not loved.” But how much should we trust feelings when it comes to assessing love? What happens at the intersection of love and truth? Real love is the focus of our pursuit in today's study. John 17:24-26 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

T-shirts are great at forming tribes. Your sports team, your love of cats, your favorite band, your passion for surfing. Catch a glimpse of someone with that t-shirt, and you recognize a kindred spirit. What if all Christians wore t-shirts identifying themselves? Would we all get along? Jesus specifically prayed that we would. Let’s find out why. John 17:20-23 Learn more about your ad choices. Vis...

The higher the winds, the more ropes you need to tie down your tent. Could we say that the societal winds currently battering the church are as strong today as at any period in the past? So, what are the “ropes” that keep the church anchored? We’ll look for firm foundations in a turbulent world in today's study. John 17:17-19 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Is holiness maxed out when we climb to the top of a mountain, isolate ourselves, and spend all week praying? Nothing wrong with prayer, and spiritual retreats can have great benefit. But real life typically requires us to live in the middle of everyone and everything. How do we make the most of this spiritually? We’ll look at that question today. John 17:14-16 Learn more about your ad choices. Vis...

Perhaps you’ve heard the phrase “In the world but not of it” and thought this is simply an admonishment to stay out of bars and not do stuff that Christians aren’t supposed to do. But what does Jesus mean when he refers to the world? Is it possible that even “good Christians” don’t quite have this figured out? We’ll look at that question in this study. John 17:14-16 Learn more about your ad choice...

Perhaps you’ve experienced it—you’re blissfully carrying on with a set of beliefs that you’ve grown up with. Then suddenly, you’re faced with a direct challenge to those beliefs, a test, if you will. And as a result, you now have to deconstruct those beliefs to see if you really do… believe them. We’ll explore the value of tests in this study. Judges 2:6 - 3:6 Learn more about your ad choices. Vis...