Guitars and Theology Podcast

People have -- and need -- some sense of a significant future, even if they have to "live on" through their children, the species, or just the universe itself. Our expectations for the future order our present.

I woke up this morning with Isaiah 50:4 on my heart. "The Sovereign Lord has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary."

These need to be kept together but we often think of them separately or even worse, at odds.

Words create worlds. This chat was sparked by Galatians 3.

2 Cor 3:6 "The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life."

Psalm 44, that is.

Ever wonder why people who are in love with God one year aren't several years later? Top of the triangle - God's Spirit working (essential and also out of our control) Left Bottom - Trials (right understanding of our life's story in view of God's love and faithfulness) Right Bottom - The disciplines (we only mentioned the foundational ones: solitude and silence, study and worship)

But most of us don't really believe what we claim to believe. This chat was sparked by 1 Peter 1:21, which says, "Through Christ we have come to trust in God."

Whenever we set ourselves to do God's will we immediately attract two opposite spiritual forces to our position. Heaven draws near to assist, and hell attempts to resist. This chat is about that, based on Nehemiah 4.

1The LORD is my shepherd; I have all that I need. 2He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. 3He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. 4Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. 5You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my...

Try Harder Good Enough Surrender

How do you excellent work? You take good work and keep working at it. How do you do good work? You take crappy work, and you hone it. How do you do crappy work? You show up every day and start. And how do you start? You remove friction by building habits into your routine that remove decision-making from the equation. So how do you do excellent work? Oddly enough, you discipline yourself to do cra...

This chat is from Nehemiah chapter 2.

This is part 1 of what I expect will be a series from the book of Nehemiah. Just because it's not my fault doesn't mean it's not my responsibility. Before the problem can be fixed somebody has to own the problem. "God I'm not qualified, but I'm willing."

Revelation - What did God SHOW me/tell me? Interpretation - What does that MEAN? Application - What do we DO with that?

Some thoughts on 2 Peter

Let's chat about Hagar, Ishmael, Abram, Sarai, and of course, wild donkeys.

This chat is from Matthew 7.

When they heard God they... Talked to each other about what God said Took immediate action Checked for themselves Made known what they experienced Remembered to glorify and praise God The five points are in Luke 2:15-20 "If you lost it, get your zeal back."

This talk is about the logic of the New Testament, and especially Jesus. It goes something like this, "You are an eternal being with a destiny in God's great kingdom. Therefore, arrange your life now to maximize your joy then."

"No one has ever seen God. God's only Son, who is close to the Father's heart, has made him known." (John 1.18)

Just a little thought about fish, birds, and us inheriting knowledge we didn't directly learn...

The stress and fear? Flip it.

This chat is primarily from Genesis 3.

Here we consider Exodus 33 and Genesis 15, Moses' and Abraham's friendship with God. Specifically how they seemed to influence God's actions in the world. In other words, the God Scripture presents is emotionally responsive and interactive. He's open to His work in the world being influenced by His children, His friends. That's kind of staggering. But there it is. And there are numerous examples....