Plainfield Ponderings - Scripture Meditations

Send Allen a text - Ponder with me about materialism, and how to stop the psychological attachment to things. It is not enough to run away from something. We need to exercise as much energy, time, and effort around pursuing other things. It's like this with all sins, the love of money included. This is such an applicable message for our time. Join me in thinking through it. To God be the glor...

Send Allen a text - Ponder with me the glory some of the disciples witnessed on the mount of transfiguration. This is a part of our glory series of lessons, which we have been releasing near the beginning of each month during 2026. All the glory scenes of the O.T. come crashing into the Lord Jesus and His ministry, and the transfiguration is no different. However, what practical lessons do God&apo...

Send Allen a text - Ponder with me about how the Minor Prophets are quoted and repackaged in the New Testament. I am beginning a new Bible class here at the Plainfield church - everyone is invited! Wednesday's at 7pm . The address is below. We're going to look at how the N.T. quotes the minor prophets and then study the quotation in its original story, in depth. I assure you it will illu...

Send Allen a text - Ponder with me about how difficult it is to be content. Shockingly, Paul will say that false doctrine and false religion are stemming from conceit and the desire to get rich. There is real spiritual fallout if we cannot attain contentment. Even more challenging though is that Paul says with "food and clothing" we will be content. Perhaps we have tied our contentment t...

Send Allen a text - Ponder with me a little more about why sinful outcasts wanted to be around Jesus. Sinners were drawn to Jesus' search for them, and His joy that came with finding them, wanting them to be a part of His family. However, the next parable in the series of parables that address what sinners were drawn to gives us another peak into what attracted them...that the forgiveness of...

Send Allen a text - Ponder with me about how we all have secret sins that most don't know about, even our closest friends and perhaps even our spouses. Sin has a way of finding us out. Certainly, that is true in the judgment, but it's also true in earthly ways that we may not have considered. What are ways in which we are being found out by sin? To God be the glory! Please email me any c...

Send Allen a text - Ponder with me about an aspect of Christlikeness we may not feel very comfortable with - befriending sinners. His enemies used this as an insult, but when Jesus acknowledged this insult, He never denied it. He leaned into it. It is only the sick that need a Physician. While we loved this about Christ, do we seek to be this kind of friend too? Do worldly people find comfort and...

Send Allen a text - Ponder the laying on of hands with me! This is not something we speak about very often in the church. It is not something physically that I have seen practiced either. However, the principle behind much of the laying on of hands IS practiced. What is that principle though? We'll distinguish the apostles laying their hands on people and then discuss what it meant in the ear...

Send Allen a text - Ponder with me about how all the different aspects and perspectives of God's glory lead us to Jesus. We have been speaking about God's glory on the first Sunday of the month, but I want us to consider how all these different scenes that we have spoken about lead us to Jesus. Perhaps even more intriguing, all these different perspectives are found in the first two chap...

Send Allen a text - Ponder with me once more about Jacob's wrestling match with God. The Lord blesses Jacob and yet he limps away from it and remains that way forever. Is that what it means to be blessed by God? Sometimes, yes. We'll also ponder how Hosea uses this wrestling match to speak to northern Israel about how they are acting too much like old-Jacob. Can we say we are a changed p...

Send Allen a text - Ponder with me about the leadership of elders. In the New Testament, after the apostles passed away, this is the highest role of leadership you can find in the church. It is so vital! Not all Christians have this leadership and so it's easy to take them for granted. Let's think through how to honor them in I Timothy 5:17-21. To God be the glory! Please email me any co...

Send Allen a text - Ponder with me one of the strangest passages in Scripture—Jacob wrestling God! On the eve of meeting Esau again Jacob wrestles God and the Lord put his hip out of socket to humble him. He goes from wrestler to clinger in the moment of suffering. I wonder if that's what we need to finally stop fighting and submit to Him? Let's think through this amazing story together....

Send Allen a text - Ponder with Bryan about the need for the team. I love thinking about the church as a team. I've loved playing sports and following sports all of my life, and the need for one another is never more evident than in team sports. Following Jesus means you are a part of a team. We need each other. Christ never intended on you being isolated. Being on this team requires a degree...

Send Allen a text - Ponder with Bryan about the Christian race. Runners do everything in their power to run their races as light as humanly possible. They are not carrying anything excess. The Hebrews writer picks up on this, which Bryan unpacks, that we ought to be laying aside "every weight"...what are these? And finally, how is the success of our race determined? It's not on spee...

Send Allen a text - Ponder with Bryan Shciele about hungering for God. Keeping our hung and thirst for spiritual things can be difficult. Bible study can become like a side-job almost, or we might even think it's boring. This is certainly not a problem with the Lord. It could be that we have been "snacking" too much on worldly things and our spiritual taste is out of whack. Let&apos...

Send Allen a text - Ponder with Bryan about remaining teachable. A disciple is a learner, so we should even have to say this, and yet many of us feel like we have arrived when we have a certain level of knowledge. We think we "know enough". This is discipleship poison. Remaining teachable is vital, but so is the goal of learning. We learn not just to learn what the Master knows. We learn...

Send Allen a text - Let's ponder with Bryan Schiele and his sermon series on being "Unveiled". We recorded an episode on February 10th with Bryan, advertising his upcoming sermon series which he preached here in mid-March. I'm going to release all the lessons over the next 5 days. This one is about reflecting what we behold, which is how mirrors work, and it's how Christli...

Send Allen a text - Ponder with me about how unafraid Scripture is to praise women of great faith and action. These passages where women are praised were written in a time where societies were extremely male dominated. We will roll through many great examples of women in Scripture during this episode, but there's a twist in the end—what does this have to do with parenting boys? To God be the...

Send Allen a text - Ponder with me about Mary, the mother of Jesus. Before we jump into speaking about Mary, we'll first speak about the incredible work that so many mothers and wives do. It goes unnoticed far too often. Then, we'll transition to thinking about Mary and Jesus, culminating at the cross. Jesus brings Mary and John together—but why him and why at that moment? To God be the...

Send Allen a text - Ponder with me about honoring our widows within the church, and the family first policy Paul lays out in I Timothy. First off, I want us to be impressed with how much God cares for the most vulnerable. This has been a staple of God's character since the beginning, and He wants to see it in His people too. What are some guidelines for how this is to be done? Also, what does...

Send Allen a text - Ponder with me Isaiah's theophany. In the most up close and personal vision of God's glory to this point in Scripture, the lessons are powerful. How did Isaiah walk away a changed man? What did he see about God and himself that prompted his change...and are we ready to do the same? To God be the glory! Please email me any comments or questions at grrreeley@gmail.com

Send Allen a text - Ponder with me the discipline of focusing solely on yourself. This is a tough discipline to learn when people around you aren't doing the right thing, but it is vital. Paul lends his friend Timothy some Spirit-filled advice along these lines in his work as a preacher...but the principle is broader. It applies in all relationships. Join me and let's think through it. T...

Send Allen a text - Ponder with me about biblical interpretation. It's work! Sometimes it is extremely hard, laborious work. It is possible to understand Scripture correctly though. However, the believers that trust Scripture is understandable the most are oftentimes the least patient with people as they come along in their beliefs. Is there a balance we can work towards? Ponder it with me, a...

Send Allen a text - Ponder with me what it means to hit the gym of godliness. Literally, Paul says it like that in I Timothy. Our last episode on I Timothy (on March 24th) was about the spiritual war over our thoughts. We are to take every thought captive to obey Christ. But let's be real—this is not possible without rigorous discipline. Let's ponder what it means to hit the gym together...

Send Allen a text - Ponder with me about a man we either hate to love, or we love to hate! This Bible character elicits strong feelings on both sides, because he lived so carnally! However, he ended up on our "team" ... or perhaps I should say we are on his team - the team of faith! God is so good and there is redemption for anyone that will turn to Christ. But wait — who is this man? Jo...