More Than This Mess

We all seek wisdom, but the truth is, most people find foolishness instead. How can we tell which one we've found? How can we be sure we're finding real wisdom? God makes it clear for us. 00:00 Good news and bad news about wisdom 01:24 Proverbs 1: a scary truth 05:31 Where to find real wisdom 07:39 Claiming wisdom, but they're foolish 09:48 God offers wisdom to everyone...but only His...

[Two corrections: at 4:50, it's Malachi instead of Micah. And at 45:20, it's Psalm 51, not Psalm 52. So close! 🤦‍♀😂] You might be surprised to hear that God actually wants us to talk to Him about everything , including our hardest emotions. He doesn't keep us at arm's length until we feel better. In fact, He teaches us how to come to Him in our worst moments -- He shows us how to...

We all suffer, but God doesn't leave us on our own to deal with our suffering in whatever way we can scrape together. He actually provides what we need in His Word -- and what He provides is better than what anyone else can offer! Let's look at 5 ways God equips us for the suffering we'll go through. 00:00 Intro & Recap 02:43 1. God reveals who He is and how He works 11:57 2. God t...

How can we hold onto hope while we suffer? CAN we have hope in the middle of pain and sorrow? We need to find out the truth about suffering -- and to do that, we need to know what God tells us about what He does with it. 0:00 Intro & Review 01:53 What we need to know about suffering 02:33 God is not removed from suffering 03:26 Why we look to the Bible for answers 06:10 Romans 8.28 12:30 Examp...

Suffering is a part of life. But why? And how should we think about it? God tells us in His Word! And THAT's what we need -- the truth about suffering from God Himself. 00:00 Intro 01:33 Why talk about suffering? 03:05 What is the "theology of suffering"? 04:43 The point of this series 06:17 What should our expectation be? 07:16 Genesis 3 -- sin=suffering 12:43 Our own sin 14:30 Othe...

You really can memorize Scripture (even if you've tried and failed like I used to) -- and it's SO worth the effort! I share the super easy method that helped me, plus just a few of the benefits we get from committing God's Words to memory. ❤🤓 00:00 Intro/background 03:07 Memorization method 13:44 There's an app for that ;) 19:12 Benefits of memorizing Scripture 22:01 Don't for...

(My apologies for the sound quality! I did what I could. I hope it's tolerable...because I truly believe this will be helpful.) Life is messy. And "mess" is just a word we substitute for "suffering." We don't like talking about suffering, but we need to! In this video I give an overview of what God tells us about suffering and how to deal with it -- things we ALL need t...

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths." (Proverbs 3:5-6) Wait..."don't lean on your own understanding"? Then...how can we understand this verse, or anything in Scripture?? 😵‍💫 Let's do a Bible study and find out!! (Spoiler: there's a good and clear a...

As we approach the end of the Bible Study Basics series, I share more practical steps to take when reading and studying the Bible. Then we get back to the heart -- the main point of Bible study, the thing we should always keep in mind, the thing that makes it SO incredibly worthwhile and rewarding! 💗🤓💝 00:00 Intro 01:30 Pray 02:19 Slow down 03:29 Use several translations 04:05 Read out loud 07:...

It's so easy to tune out while we're reading, or to just let the words bypass our thinking skills in a dull drone -- but God means for us to use the minds He gave us! Maybe you were never taught to do that, but you can most definitely learn! In this episode, I walk you through the basic questions you should always ask, and provide question "kits" to help you ask more. The more yo...

Why there are so many Bible translations? What's the difference between them? Which one is best? How can you know which ones are bad? How can I choose which one I should read? These are important questions! Join me to address all this and more -- and let me know in the comments what other Bible study questions you have!! (And check out the resources below! 👇🤓) 00:00 Intro & preview 01:23...

We've talked about why we should study the Bible and what we need to know about it -- now let's get into the "how"! In this episode, we'll look at the two most important things that should ALWAYS be part of your Bible study! 00:00 Review & Welcome 02:05 The first & most important step of Bible study 04:35 Be ready for the battle 05:50 Don't follow your feelings 06...

The Bible is a big book, and it's really old, and there are things in it that are hard to understand. Rumors abound. And so does false information. It can seem boring and confusing. But if you know some basic things about it, it gets WAAAAAAY easier to read and understand, AND much more enjoyable! 00:00 Intro & recap of Part 1 03:08 What you need to know about the Old & New Testaments...

Have you ever felt like you could just leave the Bible study stuff to the "pros"? Have you ever felt overwhelmed when you thought about reading your Bible -- you didn't know where to start, or you felt too far behind? Have you ever wondered why you should read the Bible at all? I sure have! So I want to share what I've learned with you -- because you can and should read and study...

I share a simple (and free) tool I use -- one that helps me have a good year no matter what. Print the calendar at this blog post: https://morethanthismess.com/2023/12/30/remember-what-god-has-done/ If you like alliterative points, here you go: Redefine (to align with reality!), refocus, reflect, record, revisit. "Heaven" by Randy Alcorn At his website: https://store.epm.org/category/hea...

Read chapter 24 of Luke with me! :) What joy: the tomb is empty! I love how Jesus explains to His disciples how all of the Old Testament points to Him -- and now they get it! And I love that none of them expected Him to rise from the dead. I mean, they weren't dumb; that's not something that happens! But God...and so Jesus gave them evidence, showing them His physical body and even eating...

Read chapter 23 of Luke with me. Jesus willingly lays down His life. The Gospel of Luke Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLADknl3H78jweHJVfx3v92e-BHb3BY6qI Favorite Scriptures Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLADknl3H78jxFDeb7SEYsjG7jEI2bjbs7 Proverbs Chapter a Day Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLADknl3H78jw10rbK-jyXkOok4uVa_muJ&si=VeJdxHq9L8qzI94X...

Read chapter 22 of Luke with me. Jesus knowingly and willingly moves toward the reason He was born: the cross. The Gospel of Luke Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLADknl3H78jweHJVfx3v92e-BHb3BY6qI Favorite Scriptures Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLADknl3H78jxFDeb7SEYsjG7jEI2bjbs7 Proverbs Chapter a Day Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLADknl3H78jw10rb...

Read chapter 21 of Luke with me! :) In this chapter, Jesus explains how God sees our giving, and then focuses on the future, tasking His disciples (and us!) with being watchful. The Gospel of Luke Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLADknl3H78jweHJVfx3v92e-BHb3BY6qI Favorite Scriptures Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLADknl3H78jxFDeb7SEYsjG7jEI2bjbs7 Proverbs Chapter...

Read chapter 20 of Luke with me! :) This is a fun chapter. Over and over, groups of people try to prove Jesus wrong or get Him in trouble -- and they fail miserably. Instead, Jesus points out how wrong they are and openly describes what they're really doing. Jesus showed grace to those who were willing to repent, but He never pulled punches with people who twisted God's words. The Gospel o...

Read chapter 19 of Luke with me! :) Quite the range of topics in this chapter! The wee little man many of us sang about in Sunday School; another challenging parable ("...everyone who has will be given more; but the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him." If you've been confused by this, too, I have appreciated Mike Winger's explanation -- see the li...

Read chapter 18 of Luke with me! :) I find it so interesting that we repeatedly see people trying to keep others from coming to or calling out to Jesus. Sometimes it's the Pharisees (Lk 13: 14, etc), sometimes we aren't told exactly who (Lk 18: 39) and sometimes it's even His disciples (Lk 18: 15). They had different motivations -- maybe to keep power for themselves, or maybe to "...

Do you ever find it hard to "get into the Christmas spirit"? Yeah. Me, too. But I think that's because we too often think about and do Christmassy things without really focusing on what Christmas points to! Take a moment with me to think more deeply about what it's all about. Then, no matter what else is going on, we can have a truly merry Christmas. Resources for why it's go...

Read chapter 17 of Luke with me! :) Are you enjoying focusing on what Jesus came to do as we prepare to celebrate His first coming? One of my favorite lessons in this chapter: a mustard seed is one of the smallest seeds. It's not the size of our faith that matters, but the OBJECT of our faith: God Himself. He's the one with all the power! Looking for a biblical definition of faith? https:/...

Read chapter 16 of Luke with me! :) This chapter has several hard-to-understand passages. When we read something we don't understand in Scripture, we should try to understand, ask the Lord for help in understanding correctly, and hold loosely to what we think it means until we're sure. (Commentaries can be helpful -- but always remember: they're not infallible!) See my Bible Study Basi...