Meet Me in the Word: Bible Study with Pastor Tim

Send Tim a note I'm excited to share this special episode with you!  While we spend our time on this podcast moving into Scripture, what happens when it moves into our lives?  What kinds of change can it bring about? Muriel Rose is someone who has endured a variety of challenges throughout her life including health challenges, discrimination (for being left-handed), abusive situations and the...

Send Tim a note What do you do when life hands you a set back that makes you question everything you’re doing?  Where do you find answers when that happens? Our text today deals with deep discouragement and the severe realities of sin.  Both of those things can be a major wrecking ball in our lives and compel us to consider the substance of our faith when things are down.  Support the show For a r...

Send Tim a note When was the last time you did something to earn God’s favor?  Some of you raised an eyebrow just now and set your theological sensor up to 500%.  Living a life that’s pleasing to God is a good thing but how does that work itself out in real life? You know, our faith actually isn’t all that complicated but it is deep, with layers to work through.  Today we look at the significance...

Send Tim a note Hear me out… following Jesus is worth more than any amount of wealth or ease life can offer. Also hear me out… Most of us don’t know where our conviction truly lies until we’re faced with a meaningful, substantial choice. That’s not to say we don’t mean it when we say it, it is to say that core beliefs are refined in the context of real life much more than in a mental exercise.  Th...

Send Tim a note Jesus continues to speak to the very center of His listeners in the Sermon on the Mount. He’s calling people out of technical observation and into genuine life change. Today’s reading is challenging, not so much because it’s hard to understand but because it pushes us to evaluate our own integrity and then to make appropriate changes where it is lacking. Support the show For a read...

Send Tim a note This one’s for the over-thinkers, the ones who just can’t help but come up with 17 worst case scenarios.  If there were trophies handed out for overthinking, you’d have a room full of them but somehow, you’d convince yourself that you didn’t deserve them and that your friends have all abandoned you. You're definitely not alone!  In fact, this experience is so common that many...

Send Tim a note Today we get to look at one of the famed battles in all of Scripture. Songs have been written and Veggie Tales have offered their unique telling of this story. Joshua chapter 6 gives us the battle of Jericho and our task is to understand it well in order that we can also grow and develop as followers of Jesus, especially as it's one of those stories that is familiar to many of...

Send Tim a note "How are you doing today?"  We ask each other that kind of question often, presumably because we care about each other and we hope that the people in our lives will feel safe enough with us to just be themselves. Here’s the thing, though, Jesus will meet us in whatever state or emotion we find ourselves and meet us exactly how we need.  He certainly met the Jews in their...

Send Tim a note We get to dive into two distinct moments in our Scripture reading today. The first is one of the most influential and important promises made in the O.T. and the second could be the basis of some sort of soap opera.  All in a day’s reading :)   My prayer is that our time today will help us appreciate God’s faithfulness even when we sometimes behave badly.  Apparently, God has facto...

Send Tim a note Following Jesus would be so much easier without all these other people! I think we’ve all felt that way at different times.  We want the harmony and unity of what the church ought to be but people (including me and you) make it difficult.   That's part of the spiritual formation and refining we go through, though.  Following Jesus was never about safety but it IS about healing...

Send Tim a note If you’ve ever thought that someone had your back and then found out that they didn’t.  That betrayal can really sting.  Unfortunately, that’s a pretty common thing, not just today but throughout human history.  We don’t know what, exactly, prompted David to write Psalm 12 but it certainly reads like he was exasperated; wondering who he could actually trust. We’ll explore the impor...

Send Tim a note “Unless there is an element of risk in our exploits for God, there is no need for faith.” ~ Hudson Taylor That’s one of those quotes that really makes you stop and think about who is actually shaping your life.  Another way of saying that might be: Am I settling for the best that I can do or am I actively pursuing God’s plan? Joshua encounters the man with a drawn sword and quickly...

Send Tim a note Have you ever had one of those conversations?  The kind where someone is critiquing you… maybe even in the context of your job but it could happen in any context.  And the worst part is… they’re right?  That is a pretty rough experience and it reminds me about most of Romans up through 3:20.  Paul has been taking everyone to task But now the tone shifts into hope, into a new thing...

Send Tim a note I’ll bet you don’t have to go too far back in your family’s history… or even your own life to find some really difficult and challenging, perhaps tragic things that have happened. The last part of Genesis 11 talks about some of these challenges that happened in the life of the family that would ultimately become the people of Israel. And yes, I talk a little about the Tower of Babe...

Send Tim a note Hear me out… What if I told you that you’ll never be good enough to get into God’s good graces on your own.  The requirements are too rigid, too high, too long, too much. But Jesus did meet them… completely… and He’s invited you to enter into that abundant life through him.  What would you think about that? Many of you have already worked through that idea to a certain level and ye...

Send Tim a note What do you do with fear or doubt when it comes your way? Flee? Freeze? Fight?  Finding genuine courage and security in those times can be a game-changer but where do you look for that?  While we can look inside ourselves for a little "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" courage, Psalm 11 gives us another model to respond. Support the show For a reading plan and to learn...

Send Tim a note What are some of the ways that God has met your needs?  I’ve noticed that I don’t always recognize them in the moment but they become clear after time with reflection.  We’ll get to talk about that in Joshua 5:1-12.  Even though we can go through lengthy times that feel like the wilderness, new seasons of life and goodness do come. We’ll also take time to look at what it means to t...

Send Tim a note If you’ve ever struggled with working so hard to understand a Biblical text that you forgot to let it hit your heart, you’re not alone. Paul is seriously engaging our intellect in order in today's passage, I think, to help us get over ourselves a little.  We're called to do that deeper work and yet keep our hearts open and receptive (rather than defensive or just analytic...

Send Tim a note Why is this chapter even here?  Ever feel that way?  From a spiritual growth perspective there's another question that remains.  How does this help me to follow Jesus?  This episode lays out differently than most.  Rather than me doing my best to be brilliant and/or clever, I invite you to peek inside my own process whenever I come to a passage that is kind of a data deposit l...

Send Tim a note It's so good for us to sit and listen to the Good Teacher, Jesus.  In my own quiet time, I was struck by the importance of our substance and how that leads us into our purpose.  Time with the Lord is time well spent.  Support the show For a reading plan and to learn more about this devotional.  Check out the website! https://meetmeintheword.com/ Want to support this ministry b...

Send Tim a note If you’ve ever felt like God was distant… or even like He wasn’t paying attention.  If you’ve ever been frustrated that people doing shady things don’t get what they deserve... this psalm probably resonates with you.  Life doesn’t always play out in ways that we deem to be fair or equitable and yet we can still see the justice and goodness of God.  Support the show For a reading pl...

Send Tim a note Joshua and the people of Israel had really clear directions about what to do as they entered the land of Canaan.  This part of the account is striking in the way it shows the nation  actually doing what God asks of them.  This passage invites us to think about our own lives and how we listen (or don't) to God's leading.   How do we know if we're doing something that&...

Send Tim a note How much weight do you put into other people's opinion of yourself?  While this passage talks about everyone's "favorite" subject, circumcision, the centerpiece of this is all about what happens in our hearts and  who  we want to affirm and applaud us.  Warning! Today requires honesty! Support the show For a reading plan and to learn more about this devotional. ...

Send Tim a note Two important moments happen in Noah's life in chapter 9.  One is absolutely comforting and beautiful, the other is one of those train-wrecks that's hard to watch.  Important question:  How do we respond when we see someone in a vulnerable (or compromising) situation? Support the show For a reading plan and to learn more about this devotional.  Check out the website! http...

Send Tim a note What is it that makes you happy? A legitimate way to understand "blessed" in this passage is "happy" - to be content and to know the goodness of God. The Jesus way isn't always intuitive to us but it  is  always good and produces richness in us.  Support the show For a reading plan and to learn more about this devotional.  Check out the website! https://mee...