Coffee Talks with Mike

Where do you feel most connected to God? Here are a few quick thoughts about an old Celtic idea about experience of the Divine.

Karl Barth is one of the most significant theologians of the 20th century and has impacted the way that most if not all Protestants think about their theology (whether they know it or not). This is a little taste of Barth's famous behemoth of a work, Church Dogmatics, and in this chapter titled "The Task (of Dogmatics)" he lays out what Dogmatics are, and why we must do engage with them. Listen in...

These two chapters are some of my favorite by Lewis (shocker), and the reason being that here is where Lewis tries to uncover what the true aim of prayer is and what gets in the way of it. Spoiler Alert: It's us, not God. 

We're going for it today--three chapters in one episode! How do you make sense of the promise in Scripture, "Ask and you'll receive"? Does it seem accurate to you? Lewis has some thoughts to share about it and the problems it raises for those who take life and the witness of Scripture seriously. 

You guessed it--we're still in the depths of Letters to Malcolm. This chapter is all about how far our analogies about God can go, and how the value of each and every thing in creation proves the significance of prayer. 

Another deep dive into some of the background of my sermon from the other day. My approach to this parable was largely influenced by Merton's writing about "Seeds of Contemplation" which I talked about way back when in episode 4. If you're interested in listening to an early episode that gives some context for this sermon, give it a listen. It's episode 4!

One of Peterson's most famous works, and it's all about discipleship. Where is God calling you, and what do you do when you don't know where God's calling you to? 

Continuing on some of the ideas from Ep 49, we dive a bit deeper into the questions surrounding how prayer works, if we can change the course of God's plans, and if we really make any choices in our lives. Join in the conversation and decide if you think Lewis is helping or hurting your vantage point on prayer.

Does prayer actually change anything in the world? Does it change God's mind? What can we learn from Jesus' prayers? Join this week to ponder some of these questions with me.

Doubting Thomas is the most unfair nickname in all of Scripture. My sermon this Sunday unpacked that a little bit, so this episode is a little bit of the background information that was going into some of that. 

I start this episode with some strategic ramblings about the different mediums for communication, but eventually give some reflections on Parker Palmer's book Let Your Life Speak and it's final chapter "There is a Season." The metaphor for seasons of life is used a lot and has been for thousands of years. We would be wise to lean into that metaphor and learn what it might have to teach us.

Shadow and Light, Life and Death, and the priesthood of all believers. Tune in this week for a dive into the interplay of vocation and leadership.

Howard Thurman was one of the most significant Christian mystics of the modern day, an advisor and mentor to MLK Jr., and pastor. This book is a glance into the wisdom he has to offer the Church in regards to how we pursue God.  

This is a big thank you to all of you for all of your support, love, and encouragement as well as a reflection on friendship together. 

What does it mean to call yourself religious? Is it good? Bad? Or misunderstood?

The entire theme of Paul's letter to the Corinthians is division, yet here we are in 2022 and we are still rapidly dividing ourselves into more and more tribes rather than uniting in Christ. Can we stop that trend? Should we? These are some thoughts for today. 

We're back to the book that started it all, diving into Lewis's thoughts on the Lord's Prayer. What do these phrases mean to us? When we say them, do we think of anything specific? Should we? 

Here are some extended reflections about a sermon I preached for Maundy Thursday this year. I've been wondering a lot about what's happening in us during these moments, so I wanted to extend those questions to you.

Finishing up some thoughts about this book, focusing specifically on the idea of being a professional vs an amateur.

What is God calling you to that you are resisting? What do you fear? What do you wish you did but never have? Ponder these questions and more this week in the War of Art.

Here are some early morning thoughts on divisions in the Church, theology, and how we engage with one another.

My sermon on Sunday was on John 1:1, but it was interesting preparing for it because I was using a Christmas passage during Lent. This episode's just a long monologue about darkness and our relationship with it.

Silence from God is one of the most jarring parts of faith. But what if that silence is part of what enables us to know God in a fuller way? What if silence somehow leads us forward toward God, not further away? 

"The same old same old" is a phrase many of us know and use, but have you ever thought about how this might derail you from enjoying what is in front of you? 

Sometimes people try to move passed a point in an argument by saying "Oh we're just arguing semantics." But semantics are everything. If we can't communicate what we ACTUALLY mean when we speak, then we can't have a real conversation about anything. The words reflect the substance. The words we use are CRUCIAL if we want what we say to have meaning. What do you think? This is inspired from reading...