Bible in Life

In this episode of the Bible in Life, we wrestle with to passage where Jesus says some very shocking words. They're harsh, and they don't seem to fit with other things Jesus says.  And the subject of both passages is following Jesus. In other words, what Jesus says here concerns being his disciple and that means they're of central importance to us if we claim to be His disciples.  So what does Jes...

Buy a sword and stop crying!  Has someone ever said something to you and what they initially said doesn’t sound quite right? It just doesn't sound like something they'd say. And you’re like, “wait, hold on … I’m not tracking with you at all.” And then once they explain themselves, you’re like “oh, I see what you mean…”  That’s sort of what we get sometimes from Jesus. So... In this week’s episode...

What did Jesus mean by ....? pt. 2 Jesus said "no one comes to the Father except by Me" (John 14:6).  But He also said, "No one can come to Me unless the Father draws them" (John 6:44).  This seems like a catch 22 - you can't get to Father without Jesus and you can't get to Jesus without the Father. What's going on here?  When reading the Bible it's always critical to pay attention to the original...

What did Jesus mean by...? What does it mean that there will be no marriage in heaven? What's the purpose of marriage on earth? Will I know my spouse in heaven?  These question all derive from what Jesus said in Matthew 22:30: "For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven." So in the is episode we explore what Jesus means by there will be no m...

There's been a lot of emphasis on leadership development for pastors and church leaders over the 15-20 years. While some good has come of that, I wonder if we've misunderstood what we're leading and what church leadership is really about. And this has led us to get things backwards. And in practice, it's even led a lot of confusion about what the "church" is.  This episode is a random reflection o...

Many Christians really want to know Jesus and experience the abundant life He offers. Because of that, they know they should (and often want to) read the Bible. But when they do, they discover the Bible is hard and often leaves them feeling confused. And they aren’t quite sure why and what to do about it.  This episode explores that difficulty, helping you see that it's not all your fault and what...

The book of Habakkuk ends with one of the most beautiful descriptions of faith and faithfulness in the entire Bible. Habakkuk 3:17-19 says: Though the fig tree does not bud     and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails     and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen     and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord,     I will be joyfu...

Have you ever felt like whatever God was up to, it didn't make sense? Where you wanted to say, "God, I don't understand?!"  That's Habakkuk's experience. God responds to his complaint and assures Habakkuk that He is indeed doing something about all the injustice among Israel. The problem is, God's cure is worse than the disease, and Habakkuk doesn't get it. So he complains to God again!  And God r...

Have you ever felt disappoint with God?   Then maybe you should read the book of Habakkuk? It's a short read but with big lessons on living by faith. This is the first episode in a series on Lessons on Faith from Habakkuk.  Habakkuk records a dialogue between God and the prophet Habakkuk that begins with Habakkuk complaining to God about the state of affairs among the Jews and God's silence ... He...

Do you want a deeper relationship with God this year? I know I do. In this episode I explore 4 things I'm going to focus on to deepen my walk with God and I believe they can be helpful for you this year as well.  Now here's the thing: any strong relationship takes intentional effort, and the same is true in our relationship with God. So after you listen to this podcast, I'd encourage you to carve...

When we arrive at Luke 2 and the Christmas story, the Jews have been waiting a long long time. 2000 years since Abraham 600 years since sent to exile and being under foreign rulers  300 yrs of greek culture 60 yrs of roman occupation And heaven was silent… there were glimmers of hope - like the Maccabean revolt - only to be dashed against the rocks of reality. It seemed they had been enduring a da...

One of the most obvious things about God and His sovereignty is this: He doesn’t work the way we expect.  And it’s easy to be disappointed.  It’s easy to wonder where God is at and what he’s up to.  In this episode, we pick up where we left off: The Jews have been carried off to Babylon and into exile Their nation destroyed Jerusalem and the temple a heap of rubble. And we trace the story between...

Waiting. I’m not good at it. Are you? The weeks leading to Christmas is traditionally called Advent.  Advent is a season of waiting. The heart of that waiting is set to music in the Christmas classic:  Come, Thou long expected Jesus  Born to set Thy people free;  From our fears and sins release us,  Let us find our rest in Thee. Waiting is part of walking by faith. Here's two things we learn as we...

The world says "I've gotta be true to myself" or "That's just who I am" or "it's right for me."  The Bible likewise calls us to live who we are, but it means something totally different ... it's talking about our new identity that God has given us in Christ and that we need to learn to live according to who God has made us.  Nowhere is this theme presented any more clearly than in Colossians 3.  ...

Money. We all have to deal with it ... whether we have a lot or a little.  Wealth. Most of us would like more of it.  When it comes to handling money we hear about money management, wealth management, financial planning, among other things.  Every culture has certain assumptions and beliefs about money, and most of the time it's connected to having more. More money means more status, more fun, mor...

One of the most distinctive things about human beings is our need for meaning. We need meaning to keep going in life. Viktor Frankl's classic, Man's Search for Meaning, even describes how having some meaning enable Jews to survive in Nazi concentration camps during World War 2.  Humans can't exist without meaning. So how can you live a life that counts? A life with few regrets when you come to the...

We like are "saviors" with power. We want them to kick butt and destroy the bad guys! The Jews in the first century like those kinds of saviors too, and that's what they expected the Messiah to be.  But Jesus is the wrong kind of Messiah. He didn't kick butt. He didn't vanquish the Romans.  He got killed.  And he calls us, His followers, to overcome evil the same way ... by laying down our life. ...

Why is faithfulness so hard? In Ephesians 6:10-17 (the well-known armor of God passage), the apostle Paul calls us to stand firm for Jesus. He reminds that standing firm is going to be hard because, as followers of Jesus, we have powerful enemies. Enemies way more powerful than if they were mere flesh and blood. Yet, so many of us are surprised when following Jesus is hard. We get frustrated when...

Suffering. It's a reality. We all experience hardship in some way at some point in life.  And suffering has the power to rock our faith. Are you there God? Don't you care? Why are you letting this happen to me? Where is God in the midst of our suffering?  In this episode, we explore how Psalm 23 and John 10 speak to this question.   Book:  The Bible and the Land, Gary Burge. Click to following lin...

How do you discern the voice of God? Does God speak to us today? If so, how does He speak to us? And how do you know it's his voice not just your own thoughts? These are important questions that have powerful life implications. And there is a lot of unclear and unhelpful teaching on this topic. What does the Bible say about how to hear God's voice and what it means to be led by the Spirit. Walking...

The single most important subject for us to think about is God. Who is he? What is he like? How do who know who He is and what He's like?  A. W. Tozer once said, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” And I agree that the stakes are that high - it affects our view of others, how we raise our kids, how we treat our coworkers and neighbors, and even...

Galatians 2:11-21 recounts a conflict between the apostle Paul and the apostle Peter, over eating dinner with people. And for Paul, it's a gospel issue! What Paul says in this passage speaks powerfully to God's people today concerning this present cultural moment. Racism. Identity politics. Status and wealth. Political division. Our differences have never been sharper than they are right now and w...

Are we living in the end times? 2020 has been a crazy year and has so many people asking: are these signs of the times ... is the end near? Is Jesus about to return? I know this is on lots of Christians minds because I have had emails and phone calls asking me about it. There are new YouTube videos about the end times and fresh predictions of Jesus' return.  But what does Jesus and his apostles ha...

Sacred vs. Secular. Sacred music = church music or religious music. Secular music is non-religious.  Sacred activities = religious activities (attending church, reading the Bible, praying). Secular activities is everything else ... which is where we spend the majority of our time - working, cleaning, going to school, and all the stuff of everyday life.  But the Bible doesn't intend for you life to...

In Luke 8:4-18 (the Parable of the Sower) Jesus teaches us a critical truth: hearing the word of God isn't enough; it's the way you hear that really matters.  That means that Bible study alone isn't going to lead to spiritual maturity. In fact, there are some pretty smart people who know more Bible than most people and don't even believe in God or follow Jesus.  In the parable, there are 4 kinds o...