Be With Me: 7 Minutes of Biblical Wonder

Geography informs interpretation Luke 4:27 Today we move from Good news, proclaiming liberty to captives to We are going to throw you off a cliff.  What was the big change?  What triggered the wrath?  What was the problem. There are two ways to stone a person.  One is to bring the stones to the person.  The other is to bring the person to the stones.  That is what they were trying to do here.   Th...

Good News! Tomor. we throw you off cliff Luke 4:16 Jesus in our passage claims the Old Testament is about Himself. He summarizes the good news of His message. His hometown listeners started with attention, deference, good reporting and even marveling.  So far so good. He might be getting a little under their skin though in His claims to basically be God; the messiah. And about knowing what they we...

We Worship You saying, "You are..." Matt 14:33 Peter and Jesus get front and center in the Walking on Water business.  However, there are 11 other people present for the spiritual and physical drama.  What happens to them? Worship is the appropriate response to the revelation of God.  This is exactly what we see in the disciples.  They see Jesus in a new way.  Then they worship.  They de...

Peter ALMOST rides a bike Matt 14:31 You get the sense that Peter does almost everything right in this story.  I think Jesus is for the most part thrilled with his progress. He identifies the right Commander He submits to being commanded by the Commander He receives a command from the Commander He obeys the command He progresses toward the command accomplishment BUT... there is a bump in the road...

Peter asks to be commanded. Matt 14:28 What would cause a boat-guy to get out of his boat in the middle of a raging storm?  Only someone bigger than the storm.  And, only by my faith, by my belief in that someOne bigger than the storm. With the revelation of yesterday's Podcast: I AM is the guy walking on water towards you, a response is necessary. Fear is a response.  Awe is a response.  Bel...

WHO are You? WHERE are you? Matt 14:27 The disciples are just minding their own business fighting for their life in a boat, in a big storm.  Then somebody walk up. They are instantly asking themselves the question, WHO is that? and come to the wrong conclusion.   It is Jesus. And He refers to Himself in a big way.  He makes a reference to the biggest claim of all.  I am the I AM.  I am the one who...

Date with the Prettiest God in Town Mt14:23 Got the wrong date. It's 7/7/20 and is #115 of the Virus Wouldn't you want to go on a date with the prettiest girl in your High School? Someone so knee-bucklingly beautiful that you knew you had no business hanging out in the first place? Someone so far above your social circle that you'd be breathing fumes in the rare atmosphere just to t...

Calm, Comfortable, familiar Conversation Matt 6:23 Jesus goes off by Himself to pray.  My Bible notes say that Jesus "spends the night in CONCENTRATED PRAYER".  They didn't all-CAP it, but that is the way I hear it.  But, let me disagree.  It doesn't say that in the text.  This is not the garden of gesthemene.  Jesus just prays.   How about "Jesus spends the night in calm,...

Barley Loaf to Belief John 6:1 We get some details about a story that is either totally made up or totally true today.  You know the story.  That is the problem. Familiarity breeds complacency or awe.  Let's shoot for awe.  That is what happened to the people that were there. It was not blah blah blah, miracle-smeracle.  Listen and respond.  Just like they did then.

Careful! You've heard this before. Matt 6:13 We have to be extra special careful as we approach biblical accounts that we have heard before.  May the Lord give us fresh eyes to see stuff He has for us on this particular day. Jesus is compassionate to a big crowd that forgets to bring snacks.   Jesus is confronting to a bunch of disciple bossypants. Jesus is connected amidst all the chaos to t...

We have WAITED for Him Isaiah 25:8 The Bible and the story of mankind starts and ends well.  In the 1702 pages in-between, it is a real mess.  We have gotten ourselves into a problem that we cannot fix ourselves and we need Help.  Fortunately, God has this all figured out and has come to save us. But in the meantime, we are not exactly at the time when all this is fixed.  John the Baptist, the bes...

Death not exactly swallowed up in Victory Mt 14:13 First observation:  John was CLOSE to this party that resulted in his death.  Close enough to regularly meet with Herod and tell him his relationship is not lawful.  As we talked yesterday, that perplexed him.  Maybe John was close enough to hear the music of the dance that resulted in his beheading. Second observation:  Death Sucks.  Sickness doe...

Perplexed Greatly by John the Baptist Mark 6:20 We turn this day to Mark 6 where the same nasty story is told about Herodias and Herod.  They have John the Baptist in prison wanting both to kill him and "keep him safe."  Even Herod with all his power could not keep John the Baptist Safe from Herodias.  The plot thickens as we learn some details from Mark's account. Herod liked to li...

Sorry, but i Have to Behead you. Matt 14:1 "It is not lawful".  Yikes.  Just try saying that to a guy who in his mind, MAKES THE LAW. We see here a chess match that is won by Herod's wife Herodias.  Because of God's law, she is referred to as still being married to Herod's brother.   Then there is some dancing by a young step daughter that causes promises to be made before...

Prophets and Poopers. Don't Save Pretty. Mt 10:40 Today's message is just for those in the kingdom.  If you are outside the Lord's kingdom, you have enough hard work of believing to do. It addresses how we are to relate to the big people and the little people in the church.  Pastors and Poopers if you will.  Those who poop in their pants.   Honor love serve.  In big ways and in the...

Tree Gives Woodsman the Axe Matt 10:39 Finding your Life is a bad thing in todays passage.  It is a recipe for loss. Pursuit and even attaining things or people or power or beauty or profit or profession or pleasure apart from the One who made us and made us for Him is loss. The way to find is by losing, yielding.   Recently, I had an epic battle with a tree.  I use that lesson to provide a little...

Joyful Cross Taking Up? Matt 10:38 Jesus rock the rainbows and puppy world with a shocking, even disturbing image:  His followers carrying a cross as they follow Him.  Jesus is now done with His cross.  He has defeated death and sin.  That is not what our crosses are about.  They are about will and yielding and agreeing. First, consider the alternatives.  Most of us tried a few alternatives.  How&...

Best ANTI-Advertisement for Christianity Mt 10:38 Jesus speaks brutally in today's passage.  If this is all you know about being a Christian, not a single person would sign up.  Jesus would have no followers.  He would have no worthy followers. To emphasize the point He rattles our relationships with family, our relationship with the world, our value, whether we matter like last time.  And if...

Pleasant Planting Value Isaiah 5:7 We are exploring, even quantifying exactly how valuable I am.  Ok, more than house wrens.  I get that. Ok, more than goats.  I get that. Because of our value, we must steward that value.   Those that don't need to be punished by our government . God's activity over the millennia demonstrates our value. But the real point of today lofts into poetry.  Lis...

Sparrow Lives Matter Matt 10:31 We wake today asking questions that every human has asked. Do I matter? Do Others matter? Am I of value? How did I get to be of value? What is it that gives me value? Exactly how valuable am I?  Can you quantify it for me? God answers these questions using a creature that weighs 3/4th  of an ounce full grown.  Sparrow (house wren) Lives Matter.  Ridiculous! And you...

Hearing Whispers Matt 10:27 How does the Lord usually speak to us? Last episode we established it is generally through His Word.  He's gone to great trouble to get the Bible into our hands. (and the Spirit into our stoney hearts! but that is another story) He speaks in the darkness.  Figuratively and literally. He speaks in whispers usually rather than sonic spiritual booms. Let's listen...

Boy That Mows His Lawn Psalm 17:15 How is it that we know about God and eventually know God Himself?  Today, it is primarily by His word.  How is it that we get to wake up and meet God in His Bathrobe and have a conversation, or a wrestling match, or a conviction, or a joy, or a plea?  It is primarily through HIS WORD. And sorry, I don't speak Greek and Hebrew.  So I will be needing a bit of...

He INVENTED Fathers Genesis 2:24 We encounter Father's Day this Day. We greet the day with thankfulness. We greet the day with admiration We greet the day with image bearing Some greet the day with grief We greet the day from a long line of physical fathers We greet the day from a long line of spiritual fathers Fathers are those who are demonstrating GODLY characteristics Be of good cheer.  y...

God in His Bathrobe. Genesis 32:26 God in His Bathrobe.  Knucklehead in Green Chair Genesis 32:26 So you have a completely unqualified podcaster.  How can anyone be qualified to stand before perfect incandescent holiness?  Or at least, and here is the beauty, I am no more qualified than you are.  Let that be an encouragement to you. So why listen to this particular knucklehead?  Two that I can thi...

Not just Unqualified. COMPLETELY Unqualified! Isaiah 65:1 What are the adequate qualifications of a God-seeker? or a bible-sharer?  What do I have that you don't have?  Short answer:  Nothing.  Not a professional.  Don't get paid. Not a pastor. Not seminary trained, unless you count a 45 minute visit.  Well, that is not very reassuring.  Here's the really good news though, we have a...