Paying Ridiculous Attention to Jesus

Jesus often compares living in the Kingdom of God to becoming like children. He rebuked his disciples for sending children away. He said that to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, we’d need to become like little children. But he also called people out who were being childish. So how do we tell the difference between being childlike and childish? Join us this week as we ask that question, and then ZOOM i...

We all have baggage. Whether it's wounds caused by a friend or family member, or scars still healing from church, this baggage can become a heavy burden to lug around. Heavy, that is, until we let a friend carry it for us. Join Rick and Becky with special guest Andrea Syverson--author of the brand-new book, Alter Girl: Walking Away From Religion Into the Heart of Faith—as they celebrate this helpf...

From the time we're born we begin getting feedback. "You have gorgeous eyes." "Oh- I think he's going to follow in his father's footsteps." "You're funny." "You're smart." As we begin to grow older the definitions start to change. "Doctor" "Mother" "Divorced" When people introduce us, they use these describing terms as ways to explain who we are to other people. We hear these terms so often that w...

When we hear the term "rabbi," we often associate it with the Jewish equivalent of a pastor. But when we do this, we miss out on a unique and overlooked perspective that transforms how we view the Holy Spirit, and how he works in our lives. Join Rick and Becky as they dive into the role of rabbis in the Old Testament, and explore their uniquely powerful relationship with a student apprentice calle...

All. In. This describes the level of commitment a marriage thrives on. Through seasons of joy, pain, struggle, and triumph, when two people are all in, their relationship flourishes. All in is also the level of commitment Jesus has for us, and it's how he hopes we'll feel about him, too. This is why our interview guests, Justin Rossow, pastor of St. Luke Lutheran Church in Ann Arbor, MI, and his w...

Welcome to episode 50 of Paying Ridiculous Attention to Jesus! We can't believe it but we’re celebrating a YEAR of the podcast and want to say a BIG thank you to all of our listeners. Today’s episode is on marriage, where two wills combine into one. Two broken people with opposing views combining their wills until death do them part… (Who's idea was that?! It’s just crazy!) And yet, it's in the mo...

Have you ever noticed how many stories about Jesus in the Bible start out with him on his way to a party somewhere? It's a subtle thing, usually the kind of thing you skip right over when you're reading the story. Why do you think he was always being invited to parties? Join us this week as we ZOOM in with special guest Jay Pathak at the Jesus Gathering and pay attention to the radical way Jesus p...

If someone you trust promises to do something, then doesn’t do it, it can be devastating. Well, what happens when we embrace a promise Jesus has given us, but we’re stuck waiting for it to happen? And what if it never happens? We feel frustration, anxiety, anger, and fear. And we don’t understand the purpose of the delay. Join Rick and special guest Conrad Gempf, an author and professor of New Tes...

Our doubts about ourselves, sometimes buried beneath a façade of overconfidence, eat away at our identity. We hear that sneering voice telling us we’re not good enough, that we’re a failure waiting to happen, and that we should hide the truth about ourselves from others. Self-doubt not only shackles us to fear, but it can infect and thwart our relationship with Jesus. And it’s universal—the issue...

Early in his ministry, Jesus delivered a shotgun-blast of teaching known as the Sermon on the Mount to a massive crowd following him. In the middle of a litany of “required behaviors” that are pretty much impossible for any of us to maintain, Jesus says something that sticks out, because it seems out of place. It’s a warning to about throwing pearls to pigs—not wasting what is holy on those who do...

We have lots of choices when we consider what to do about patterns of sin in our life—we can ignore them, explain them away, beat ourselves up about them, or “re-frame” them. Or, we can find freedom from the prison of them by tapping into a strength that is greater than our own and finding our way out of the darkness. Join Rick and special guest Tom Melton, a longtime pastor who’s now a leadership...

Dependence > Discipline Jesus is about to send His disciples on a daunting (to say the least) mission, so what does He do to help them out? He takes every last support and comfort from them before they leave. What gives? Well, join us this week as we slow way down to chew on Matthew 10, where Jesus offers a master class on dependence. How can something that feels so uncomfortable bring us so much...

Continuing our month-long primer on “self-discipline” (and how we’ve turned it into both an idol and a prison), we give lots of practical help for tapping into our TRUE source of life. If Jesus is simply asking us to “abide” in Him, with fruit in our life as a result, then what’s the use of trying hard in life? We'll go after two important contrasting Scripture passages to find our balance point—J...

When it comes to living a dependent life with Jesus, how much of it is about our effort, and how much is about His effort? Jesus often pointed out religious leaders who were over-emphasizing discipline, and used them as examples of what not to do. But He’s also called us to live our lives on purpose. When He rescued the “adulterous woman,” He told her to “go and sin no more.” And He vowed that not...

What if spending time with Jesus went beyond a typical pre-packaged daily “quite time”? You vow to get to your 30-minute quiet time and some days you do, but most days you don't. The days you do you're in and out, and don't know why you still aren't seeing Jesus in everything. Days you don't you feel guilty the rest of the day, vowing you will get on top of this. What if your relationship with Jes...

God has a plan. Everything happens for a reason. All things work together for good. But what does that mean? If God has a plan, what if his plan isn't the same as mine? What if the thing he is keeping from us that we want so desperately is to protect us? What if God knowing what's best for us, doesn't automatically result in getting what we want? Join us this week as we interview legendary rock st...

When you're feeling like your life needs a hard reset it's easy to leave Jesus behind and head to the self-help section of the book store and get on top of your issue. It's understandable why; they're inspiring, motivating, and believable. We know that if we can just make a few small changes in our lives they can have a huge overall impact. The problem is that they rely on our own strength and sel...

We give our best, try our hardest, and give our all. We chase after self-discipline, fight the good fight, and love our neighbors as ourselves. We win with love, give peace and kindness. We're all in for Jesus, and we know he's all in for us. But what if he wants to take your best and then waste it? In the Old Testament you were asked to go to the altar and give your best as an offering. You would...

"God's Perfect Will" "What if I misunderstand his will?" "If I get on God's perfect track, does that mean my life will be perfect?" "Does God always want to make the choices, or does he have some choices I can make?" "What about free will?" "Is God's mind made up, or can he change his mind?" Join us this month as we talk about "What is God's Will?" It's so confusing to think about God's will. This...

We’re wrapping up our month long theme on identity, so be sure you go back and listen to all four of these episodes. We couldn't finish a series on identity without talking about body image. Join us this week as we interview Jobe Lewis and talk about his very unique journey towards combining his body and spirit. Jobe has a passionate message to encourage people to ditch their scales, focus on heal...

This month on Paying Ridiculous Attention to Jesus Podcast we're focusing identity, and who does Jesus say I am? Last week we talked about what it looks like to be set free from the shackles that are burdening us, and tripping us up. This week we are going to talk about what it would look like if we partnered with Jesus to set other people free. Join Rick Lawrence and Becky Hodges as they unpack t...

What is Jesus hoping to set you free from? If you have grown up in Christianity you probably know all about conviction and sin. But what if there’s more to the story? If Jesus came to set captives free, what does that really look like in our life? And what if freedom is about even giving up things that aren’t necessarily sin? This week we have the amazing pleasure of interviewing author and blogge...

Who does Jesus say I am? When I first met Rick, he talked a lot about this question. He said it was the second most important question in life. And that question scared me, because I have been raised in a world of broken mirrors. Those mirrors have decided to point out all the things that are “wrong” with me, and deep down inside I thought that’s what Jesus was going to do too. When I finally let...

When you picture someone who has devoted his entire life to the passion of getting people to read the Bible…you might be thinking that person is a bit rigid, and judgmental. You are in for a refreshing surprise this week as we interview Glenn Paauw formally of Biblica and now running the Institute for Bible Reading. We love his heart for making the Bible alive and a story again. Be a part of start...

You opened your Bible, read a passage and immediately started applying it to your life. You read that part about how God doesn’t want you to tell a lie, and immediately started thinking about the small fib you told your co-worker the other day. Suddenly you’re wrecked with guilt and turning to prayer, or slamming the book closed. The truth is what happened is you missed the whole story. You missed...