721 Live Talk Radio

Jesus tells us that if we love him we will obey his commands. The Apostle Paul says he is compelled by the love of Christ. Are you? Do you seek to obey God’s commands because you love him, or perhaps because you do not want to get in trouble with him?

On his last night with his disciples, Jesus tells them – and us? – they will do what he has been doing and do even great things. Really? What did that look like then, and what would that look like for us today? Tune in to find out!

Jesus has one last night with his disciples. What is on his mind at this incredibly important time? What does he want to communicate to his beloved friends this one last time?  Tune in to find out

On Friday, Jesus tells the thief on the cross, “Today you will be with me in paradise.” But on Sunday morning, he tells Mary Magdelene, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father?” It seems clear that he did not spend the weekend in heaven with God the Father. So where was he? Tune in to find out!

Did you know that we know a lot about the seating arrangements around the table at the Last Supper – and the teaching lessons Jesus was employed by the arrangement of who sat where?  Tune in to find out!

Can you be still? Can you be still while moving through a busy schedule of responsibilities? Can you be still in a storm? This week we watch as Jesus “is still” as he moves from Jericho - with a full schedule - to Jerusalem for Palm Sunday and the impending storm of his crucifixion.  

I wanted to live like the monks, so I locked my cell phone in my car and was not tempted to look at it once. I did not miss TV, Instagram, or my sports feed, but during those days at the Abbey in silence and solitude, the lack of any stimulus left me both bored and distracted. I was distracted because there were no distractions!!  

I spent the past week at Mepkin Abbey. It is truly a paradise. I was overwhelmed by the natural beauty. Huge ancient, moss-covered oak trees everywhere.  I did not sign up for this Monday afternoon to Friday morning retreat because I needed to retreat from the world – and certainly not to retreat from my life. No, I signed up for this more as a test: to experience an extended time of silence and s...

Jesus tells us not to worry, and we ignore him. We just don’t believe he is in touch with our reality. We see all the problems in life as Goliaths, and so we quiver with fear. Jesus would tell us to see him, and his ever-presence, and therefore there is no reason to fear. Can we trust him? Tune in to find out!

Jesus told us not to worry, but instead to trust that our Heavenly Father would take care of us. Most of us will not take Jesus at his word in this, and instead we seek first our needs and wants. But what if we took Jesus at his word and refused to worry? Is that even possible? Tune in to find out!

In Matthew 6 Jesus gives us three binary choices: 1.    Treasures on earth or in Heaven 2.    Generous eyes or stingy/suspicious eyes 3.    God or mammon as our Master But we argue, “No, it is not that simple. I can manage a balance between the two!”Can you? And how are all three of these related? Tune in to find out!

Jesus unequivocally states, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Is he right?  Of course he is. So how to identify our hidden treasures ?  In the same statement, he also says, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth … 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven ….” Are your treasures earthbound or heavenbound? Tune in to find out!

What do you want to see when you “see you” in five years? This is the question we are asking as we start 2024. Today we let Galatians 5:22’s “Fruit of the Spirit” guide us as to how and in what areas we want to grow … starting not five years from now, but today, tomorrow morning, this week.  Tune in to learn more

I was renovating houses when I turned forty-five. I asked myself, “Do I want to be doing this when I am sixty-five?” The answer was a definitive, “Not no, but absolutely no!” But let me drill down a little more on that question, with an eternal perspective in mind: “Do I want to see myself in five years as the same “spiritual Sam” I am now?”

Did you know there is another Christmas story in the Gospels – apart from the familiar ones found in Matthew and Luke?  It begins with, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” But what does “the Word” mean, and how does this relate to the Christmas story? Tune in to find out!

So you think you know the Christmas stories? Was the inn full? No, there was no inn at all. Did the shepherds find baby Jesus in a barn? No, in a house. Who were the Magi and when did they arrive on the scene?  Tune in for these and even more “Context and Culture” details that will shed a new light on the overly-familiar Christmas stories. 

As we complete our look at the Lord’s Prayer, one could see this wonderful prayer as a tad meek … perhaps sweet, as in the prayer of a child. But are we allowed to complain to God – to voice our dissatisfaction with God Almighty? Can we fuss at El Shaddai? Tune in to find out! 

The first step in forgiveness is to release. The second step is to restore and reconcile. Why would we do this? Because Jesus did this for us. And … we are called to be ambassadors for Jesus.  But what does that mean … what does that look like? Tune in to find out!

The word Jesus uses for “Forgiveness” primarily means “To release.” But in Paul’s letters the Holy Spirit uses a different word for Forgiveness, and it means “To Restore and Reconcile.” What is the difference, and when are we to go beyond releasing, to restoring and reconciling relationships? Tune in to find out.

If I am to forgive, and even love my enemies, as Jesus said, how am I to do this? It seems impossible to always forgive even my friends, much less my enemies.  And what does “Love your neighbor as yourself” look like?  The first step in forgiving is to release.  Tune in to find out how!

Is there anyone in your life whom you have not, or do not want to forgive? If so, have you thought deeply about why? All the reasons we have for not forgiving can be captured by the servant in Jesus’ parable who chokes his fellow servant and cries out, “Pay back what you own me!”  Tune in to hear more.

Jesus was very specific about our forgiving others, just as our Father has forgiven us. But why is it so hard to do?  What thoughts run through your head when you ponder forgiving someone who has harmed you, or a loved one?  For the next three weeks let’s dive into this idea of forgiveness: God’s forgiveness of us – Our forgiveness of others – Our forgiveness of ourselves!

As we return to the Lord’s  the Disciple’s Prayer, we look at perhaps the most ignored part of the prayer: “Give us today our daily bread.”  The stumbling block to this statement is … “Give us.”  Why is this ignored and why is this so hard for us to adapt into our lives?  Tune in to find out!

We may be tempted to think our spiritual life is separated from, and above our minds and our bodies. But if your body is out of whack, your spiritual life with Jesus will suffer. That is a fact. Today we look at Sleep – Exercise – Eating – Longevity Pathways so we can not just live longer, but live better, longer. Tune in to find out how!

We might think that our spiritual life is of utmost importance, and that it is not connected – or affected by – our Bodies and Minds. But that would be a mistake. We cannot and we will not experience the A+ Life to the Full Jesus wants for us when any of these three are out of balance, or out of whack.  Tune in to see why it makes such a huge difference!