Discover the Word Podcast

As one of the most loved gifts of Jewish faith and culture, the Aaronic Blessing offers a vision of the unchanging desire, and heart of God for people like us. Yet this Promise of heaven’s favor shows up in a most unlikely place. In the life-threatening wilderness of Sinai— following a remarkable rescue from Egyptian slave yards— and a series of unremarkable human mistakes, God promises to bless h...

As one of the most loved gifts of Jewish faith and culture, the Aaronic Blessing offers a vision of the unchanging desire, and heart of God for people like us. Yet this Promise of heaven’s favor shows up in a most unlikely place. In the life-threatening wilderness of Sinai— following a remarkable rescue from Egyptian slave yards— and a series of unremarkable human mistakes, God promises to bless h...

"Family first." "The most important thing in the world is family." "You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them." There are lots of quotations that lift up the value of family. But there's one quote from a very influential person that doesn't usually make onto prints that people hang on their walls. It's a quote from Jesus, when he said "Unless you hate your family...

From Genesis 1 to John 1, beginning points are a key element to the story the Bible is telling. This week, we want to talk together about beginnings… specifically, some strategic beginning points in the ministry of Jesus. They are found at the beginning, the middle, and the end of Jesus' public ministry--but all times that "Jesus Began..."   LOOKING FOR MORE EPISODES of the Discover the Word Podca...

Bible geography expert Dr. Jack Beck returns for more conversations that demonstrate how location is always a factor we should consider when you study the Scriptures. The Bible has geography on virtually every page, and that information is not just trivia. Join Jack and the Discover the Word group as they explore "Five Geographical Firsts in the Life of Jesus." Location, location, location--it's n...

Scripture tells us that when we enter a relationship with Jesus, we become new creations, the old has passed away and the new has come. But just what does this mean for you and me? Who are we in Jesus? Understanding who we are rises out of understanding who God is. The question Who Am I is best answered by looking at who God is…and then seeing ourselves in relationship to who He is.   LOOKING FOR...

The virtue of gentleness may be one of the most misunderstood in our rapidly fragmenting culture—which may make it well worth our attention. On this week’s episode of Discover the Word, we  consider together what the Scriptures say about gentleness and why it is so important in our own generation.   LOOKING FOR MORE EPISODES of the Discover the Word Podcast? Listen and subscribe wherever you liste...

Our circumstances rarely have us living a life that fits into neat categories with predictable outcomes. As followers of Jesus, we all struggle with challenges from both within and without. But aspects of God’s unchanging character are revealed throughout Scripture, and His intimate knowledge of each of our lives is where we can plant our faith and trust. God is always at work. He provides in unex...

The way the world and the Bible define greatness could not be more different! The world describes greatness as strength, power, influence, and wealth. In the Bible, greatness is smallness. Greatness pursues reconciliation and forgiveness. Greatness welcomes even the least valuable in the world’s eyes. Greatness serves. It becomes obvious that the Bible’s story of greatness points us toward the onl...

Someone once said that if it weren’t for people, life would be easy. Right? But people are pretty much the whole point when it comes to God’s great love. In Paul’s letter to the Romans, he spends most of the book laying out the theology of the gospel. Then he turns to apply his teaching to the practical of how the first century church in Rome can get along with each other as well as with their hom...

Someone once said that if it weren’t for people, life would be easy. Right? But people are pretty much the whole point when it comes to God’s great love. In Paul’s letter to the Romans, he spends most of the book laying out the theology of the gospel. Then he turns to apply his teaching to the practical of how the first century church in Rome can get along with each other as well as with their hom...

We don't always like tests, but because tests and testing pop up throughout the Bible at key points, it bears taking a closer look at this theme, with a little help from some Christians from the early church. Dr. Ryan Clevenger joins the group and brings his expertise in "Patristics"--the study of early Christian writers often called "Church Fathers"--to get their perspectives on the difficult tim...

Does life seem way more complex and complicated than it ever used to be? Well, it's not just you--the world has become more complex. Just think back to 1980 and begin to list off all the things that have changed since then. Well, in complex times like these, it can be helpful to remember that many of God's children in the Bible found themselves in culturally complex times. And during this episode...

Author Kim Cash Tate feels there's just something about the word "cling" in Deuteronomy 13:4. In this second week of conversations, Kim shows the group how a relationship with God isn't just keeping His commandments, it's also about choosing a lifestyle of intimacy with God. Explore, through Biblical examples and Kim's personal experience what it means to "Cling" to God.   LOOKING FOR MORE EPISODE...

Author Kim Cash Tate feels there's just something about the word "cling" in Deuteronomy 13:4. In this two week series of conversations, Kim shows the group how a relationship with God isn't just keeping His commandments, it's also about choosing a lifestyle of intimacy with God. Explore, through Biblical examples and Kim's personal experience what it means to "Cling" to God.   LOOKING FOR MORE EPI...

We often don't know what our expectations are until they go unmet. And then suddenly, we discover that the things we put our hope in can't help us, satisfy us, or make us happy. George Bernanos once said, "In order to be prepared to hope in what does not deceive, we must first lose hope in everything that deceives." This is what the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes is all about. The wise teacher...

We often don't know what our expectations are until they go unmet. And then suddenly, we discover that the things we put our hope in can't help us, satisfy us, or make us happy. George Bernanos once said, "In order to be prepared to hope in what does not deceive, we must first lose hope in everything that deceives." This is what the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes is all about. The wise teacher...

What are some things that are good in abundance? Favorite foods? Time with special people? Options? Opportunities? What is it about abundance that makes it so pleasant? It is to say that, as Psalm 23 put it, my cup overflows. That is abundance. It is important to not only see these aspects of spiritual abundance of which the scriptures speak. It is also important to see the abundant source from wh...

We can tend to believe that faith and doubt are mutually exclusive. If we have faith, we won’t doubt. If we doubt, we can’t have faith. Yes, if we sink down under them, doubts can erode our faith. But what if faith and doubt can exist together, one fueling the other in such a way that in the end our trust in God is strengthened?   LOOKING FOR MORE EPISODES of the Discover the Word Podcast? Listen...

Explore together the thought that “God is a consuming fire” to discover that, in a way similar to Divine jealousy and wrath, the heart of God burns with love (a) to consume what is harmfully worthless and (b) to refine what is of value. In a most unexpected way, Jesus personified this consuming fire in both life and death—by the fire of self-sacrifice, bringing to light the lies that his enemy has...

Matthew Coder said that a person might name his son Peter or Paul, and his dog Nero or Caesar—but no one will even name a dog “Judas.” The name is synonymous with the worst form of treachery. For centuries the name has stood for the ultimate evil. At the end of the day, Judas did more than simply betray Jesus. He rejected the greatest possible Light—Christ Himself—and sold his Friend to His enemie...

Every day of Holy Week describes a different aspect of who Jesus was, why he came, and how that’s good news for the world and us. This week we are going to follow Jesus through the events of what has been traditionally called “Holy Week.” Holy meaning set apart as special. And then “week” because there is a week’s worth of events that specifically show the expectations people had for what the Mess...

While Moses held a resume that would equip him to lead the Israelites out of Egyptian slavery into freedom, he initially resisted when God called to him from a burning bush. Excuse after excuse blurted from his lips with a but…but…but list of objections. How do we also resist God’s invitations in our lives? And perhaps even more importantly, how does our good God respond to our excuses? LOOKING FO...

“Lord, have mercy” is the most prayed prayer in the Bible, This prayer, known in liturgical churches as the Kyrie Eleison is a beautiful prayer, but, if the most prayed prayer in the Bible is the prayer for the Lord’s mercy—what is this mercy of God for which we are encouraged to pray? We’ll explore that together this week.   LOOKING FOR MORE EPISODES of the Discover the Word Podcast? Listen and s...

Labels. We live in a world where the human race is divided up into different categories under various labels--labels that describe our gender, race, color of skin. Labels do help us order and structure the world, but most often they also focus our attention on differences between people. Scripture, however, begins not by noting how human beings are different, but by identifying what we all hold in...