DRIVING THEOLOGY

Every generation is burdened with the mistakes of the past. The young people of Japan are no exception. They will be tasked with solving a unique set of problems, through no fauly of their own. The young people of every country are in a similar situation. Such is the way of the world.

There has been much talk about what exactly the Kingdom is, how to bring it about, who is in and who is out. When it will come, or when it did come. Here I delve into the nature of the kingdom, what I think it is and what I think it isn't.

Don Quijote (Quixote) is a literary figure that continues to peak our imagination, even four centuries after the book was written. What is it about him that we continue to read and contemplate his exploits and character? What is so appealing about the single-minded hero? Who can we compare him to? Read on, give a listen and find out!

All kinds of Christmas themes come up on SS this time of year, and once in a while, a new one arises. I discuss three themes garnered from Facebook friends this year, in honor of the season. Merry Christmas!

I Corinthians 13, Fruit of the Spirit, and the life of the loving Christ are more than enough to teach us what it's all about: Love.

For thousands of years, heroes of the church, AKA saints, have been venerated for their faith, suffering, and miracles. Many traditions ignore these saints, arguing that all believers are technically saints. Most agree to disagree. But, I little deeper of a dig, reveals some surprising similarities. Do you venerate saints or worship celebrities? Chance are that you do one of the other.

Just how much should one worry about the future? At what point, if any, is it wrong to NOT worry about the future and how you will live when you are old? Just how much does Jesus want us to live in the now? I don't know... seriously.

Thanksgiving has always been my second favorite holiday, second only to Christmas. But a not so deep look into its history, reveals that Thanksgiving, and the supposed events it celebrates, can be viewed from a much darken perspective. But, being Thankful can't be wrong, can it? No. No it can't. Being willfully blind can.

Some would have you believe that those of us who have doubts about the faith we've inherited are being disobedient and rebelling against God. But for many of us, it is the way by which we catch a better glimpse of Jesus and through him, God. We are rebelling against religion, yes. But not against God. We have come to believe that religion has been rebelling against Jesus and his hopes and dreams f...

This is an episode that started from a thought I had: You are a masterpiece of your own making! Here, I explore the idea that and individual is largely in charge and responsible for the kind of person that individual is. Though there are outside influences, as adults, we have the ability to react and filter these influences and have an amazing amount of control over how much they affect who we are...

I talk about a recent chaotic day I've had, and go into a quote I found on facebook this morning that I thought was really good and worth sharing. Enjoy!

Sometimes, words just don't come easily. Unfortunately, this is one of those episodes. I think I get to a decent place, but it wasn't easy.

Here we are...again...still. Does anything ever change? This conflict is two thousand years old, nearly. And yet, there are Christians who believe that THIS conflict is the one that will bring Jesus back to earth. Really? We'll see. We'll see.

I meander my way to a stream of consciousness exploration of the phenomenon of tribalism: seeing those close to you or affiliated with you in any way through rose-colored glasses.

In this episode, I give a bit of a review of The Chosen, the TV series about Jesus, and also on what I think is an often overlooked attribute of Jesus while on earth: sight.

This is a short follow-up to the "Hitting The Wall" episode about life and the obstacles we often face to progress and improvement.

Let's face it: memes are here to stay. And they are not all bad. They can be quite good! But there is a certain kind of meme which quotes others out of context in order to push an agenda. They have become the cyber equivalent of the cut-down, the one liner, the zinger. As such, they are more mean than meme.

For whatever reason, if you have ever pursued any skill or ability, chances are you have experienced "hitting a wall" in your progress. It can be frustrating and some never seem to get through it, fail to experience a "breakthrough" moment so often associated with the overcoming of such obstacles. How do you approach these walls, these hindrances to progress? What are they really, and are they eve...

My take on 2 Timothy chapter 3 and how it might be misinterpreted to be prophetic when it might just be Paul's opinions on contemporary society, in his own day. But today, people use this passage as a critique on current events and societal trends which to them are antithetical to christianity as they see it. You be the judge.

When you combine John 17 and 1 John 4, you come up with something like this: To know God is to have eternal life. God is love. To love is to know God. Therefore, if you love, you know God and have eternal life!

It's time for me to lose weight-AGAIN! Yes, I rebonded from my last diet several years ago, and then some. In this episode, I compare the unhealthy relationship we can have with food to the unhealthy relationship we can have with religion.

Where on earth did you get your ideas of Heaven? In this episode, I explore some of the standard notions of heaven, and the conclusions I've come to down through the years.

July 4th was really a big deal for me growing up. One of my most favorite days of the year for sure. I loved blowing things up! Why is that? Why do boys love loud bangs and explosions so much? And how is the US's fascination with all-things explosive (guns, artillery, bombs, fireworks...)reflected in this all-American holiday?

A follow up episode to last week's podcast on marriage. Here, I delve into some ramblings on marriage, sex, intimacy, children and family.

Despite the The Princess Bride reference, marriage is a worthwhile endeavor for so many reasons, the foremost of which is that it reflects the image of God back into the world. Because, you see, the promise to stand beside someone, no matter what, is who God promises us!