Doable Discipleship

“Who am I, O Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? And now, Sovereign Lord, in addition to everything else, you speak of giving your servant a lasting dynasty! Do you deal with everyone this way, O Sovereign Lord?” – 2 Samuel 7:18-19 In 1 Samuel, we were introduced to a new cast of characters in the story of Israel – and a new season of change. The people of Isr...

“If we have eyes to see, we uncover joy almost everywhere. Like someone searching for sand crabs on the coastline, we may not find her under every rock. But we also don’t need to look too hard before we uncover her.”  This is a quote from the new book, Longing for Joy. There are many misconceptions about joy. There are many people who may struggle with joylessness because of anxiety, depression, o...

A third time the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” Th...

I have a very vivid memory of a specific church service about 10 years ago. My wife and I go into the worship center, find seats in our usual section, but the stage looks different. There are instruments I’ve never seen on our stage, and in a configuration that I didn’t recognize. When the service starts, a group of people come out onto the stage in long coats, suspenders, moppish hair, and then t...

Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, "Go back to your mothers’ homes. And may the Lord reward you for your kindness to your husbands and to me." But Ruth replied, “Don’t ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.” Ruth 1:8, 16.  The Book of Ruth, the 8th book in the Old Testament, is...

When we talk about reading the Bible, we usually talk about it in a personal context or in a church setting. We talk about developing personal Bible-reading habits, studying God’s Word, or growing a healthy devotional life. But today, we want to talk about reading the Bible in a different way – reading it with non-believers. Perhaps this idea is new to you, perhaps you may think I sound crazy or m...

"Whenever the LORD raised up a judge over Israel, he was with that judge and rescued the people from their enemies throughout the judge’s lifetime. For the LORD took pity on his people, who were burdened by oppression and suffering. But when the judge died, the people returned to their corrupt ways, behaving worse than those who had lived before them. They went after other gods, serving and worshi...

On this Election Day in America, host Jason Wieland offers a prayer of hope, love, and peace for the nation.  Doable Discipleship is a Saddleback Church podcast produced and hosted by Jason Wieland. It premiered in 2017 and now offers more than 400 episodes. Episodes release every Tuesday on your favorite podcast app and on the Saddleback Church YouTube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/saddleback)...

For the past two months we’ve been on an exploration of Christlike Character – and in particular, how to maintain and live with Christlike character in an election season. As of the day this episode releases, we are one week away from election day in the United States. It’s expected to be an extraordinarily close election and polarization is, if not at an all-time high, very near it. The closeness...

“You have seen everything the LORD your God has done for you during my lifetime. The LORD your God has fought for you against your enemies . . . Deep in your hearts you know that every promise of the LORD your God has come true. Not a single one has failed . . . If you refuse to serve the LORD, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphra...

What does it mean to be at peace? I would venture to say that true peace is something deeper, more profound, and actually more attainable than maybe you’ve ever imagined. The world wants you to think that peace is not caring, or avoiding conflict, or not disagreeing . . . but those are just facades – bandages that actually do more to cripple relationship than they do to bring peace. I say that pea...

The Book of Deuteronomy, the fifth book of the Bible and the final book of the Pentateuch, is a book about the precipice of transition. The Israelites have been wandering the desert for decades, seemingly marching towards the Promised Land but wondering if and when they would ever make it. Now they are at the doorstep, they can see the promise of God before them, but Moses knows he will not be the...

When we talk about character, particularly in an election season, we have to talk about civility. At its heart, civility is about respect – respect for other people – and that is something that we’ve seen to move away from. One could say it's a lost art . . . but it shouldn’t even be considered an art – it should be an inherent value. Yet as a culture we seem all the ready to disregard the opinion...

“Please, Lord, prove that your power is as great as you have claimed. For you said, ‘The Lord is slow to anger and filled with unfailing love, forgiving every kind of sin and rebellion. But he does not excuse the guilty. He lays the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected – even children in the third and fourth generations.’ In keeping with your magnificent, unfailin...

Today’s conversation is about gentleness. Two weeks ago we started a series on Christian Character with an episode on humility. Today we are going to couple that with a look at gentleness. In Matthew 11:29, Jesus says, “Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” There’s a link here between being humble and being gentle,...

“The Lord also said to Moses, ‘Give the following instruction to the entire community of Israel. You must be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.'” - Leviticus 19:1-2  Genesis begins the story of humanity and the God who wanted a family to love and to love him. Exodus offers the first look at the lengths God will go to care for his people on a grand scale. Leviticus, the third book of the B...

“Before destruction a man’s heart is haughty, but humility comes before honor.” - Proverbs 18:12. Humility is, without question, an integral part of what is means to be a Christian – a follower of Jesus, as we humbly acknowledge that there is a better way than what I could come up with on my own devices. When we get down into it, humility is an integral part of what it means to be saved – the ackn...

“Moses protested, ‘If I go to the people of Israel and tell them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ they will ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what should I tell them?’ God replied to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM. Say this to the people of Israel: I AM has sent me to you.’ God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: Yahweh, the God of your ancestors-the God of Abraham, the Go...

Do you feel you get enough rest in the course of your day or your week? Most people would probably say no – who couldn’t use more rest? What if I were to tell you that you could be at rest right now. Even in the midst of whatever you’re doing at this very moment, you can enjoy rest – the way God intended it. Because true rest is different than what we generally think it means. In fact, we can go a...

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” With that single sentence, thus unfolds the Bible, the word of God, and the beginning of history. Genesis, the first of 66 books of the Bible, takes the reader on an incredible journey from the creation of the universe to the creation of man to the fall of man to an ark that survives a global flood to a childless man who God promised would...

Have you ever prayed hard for something - maybe for someone to be healed or for a job or for a healed relationship - and you didn't get the answer you were hoping for? Have you felt like God said "no" to your prayer? It can be very difficult for us when our prayers aren't answered the way we hope they would be. But what does this say about God and what does it say about us? How should we approach...

Shame is, without a doubt, one of the most difficult, devastating, negatively impactful, and yet human experiences. We all have felt and will feel shame in our lives – it’s a part of the human story going all the way back to Adam and Eve – and perhaps some of you are in an incredibly difficult spiral of shame right now. But what does shame tell us? We can’t deny the reality of shame, so what does...

Everyone wrestles with some of the biggest questions in life: If God is good, why do people suffer? Why does God seem so hidden? What does it matter if God exists? These questions are asked by Christians and non-Christians alike and it’s important to seek answers to these questions. Seeking answers to life's biggest questions is a part of being human. In today's episode, host Jason Wieland is join...

This episode is about theology.  Theology can be a big, intimidating topic for some people. Maybe you think theology doesn’t really apply to you, that it's a topic for other people to think about and you’ll just hear about it from your pastor or priest. Well what if we were to tell you that theology is truly, genuinely not scary but instead something so intimately associated with you and who you a...

In all of the conversation around identity, relationships, loneliness, doubt, there is a key word. That word is belonging. Belonging is packed with so much meaning because it can impact or influence us personally and relationally. It is a fundamental human need to be known, to feel belonging, but that is true of what you think about yourself as much as it is what you think of your place with other...