PocketNeif Podcast

Do you like the idea of God's wrath? No one does. It seems to many a little beneath God to get angry or reactive. What if God is full of wrath precisely because he is loving? That's the question I explore in this episode.

Familiarity breeds contempt. Or so the saying goes. The "we know him" seems to play a part in people's rejection of Jesus when he comes to his hometown. Could we learn a lesson from their reactions and perhaps not miss out on what God wants to do in our lives? That's the question we'll tackle in this episode.

Are you at peace? Maybe you are resting in God's love and grace. Maybe you're uptight and all your life feels out of control. In this episode, I offer a song which offers rest for the soul. Actually, it's God who offers his peace to all who depend on him. It is my hope he will speak to you as you listen and when it's all said and done, you will be at peace.

Do you have a few favorite voices? I bet you do. We all love to hear the voices of those whom we love. What about electronic voices? Do you have a fav? I do. In this episode, I tell the story of how I found the perfect AI voice for me and then talk about the one Voice that you and I must hear. Hint: It's not an electronic one. (My apologies in advance for setting off every Android phone's Google A...

If you've never Google "weird holidays", you need to do so. I have found plenty of reasons to offer cheery holiday greetings to friends on random days and multiple opportunities to partake of delicious foods which have their own day. In this episode, I invite you to celebrate with me National Just Because Day just because it's National Just Because Day. Even if you're not listening on the official...

"The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?" With these words, David's song of confidence in God begins. They are the same words I used to begin a song I wrote back in 2012, shortly after I learned to play the guitar. I did so as part of a mini-one-man play I wrote and performed at our church. In this episode, I sing the song for you and encourage you to put your faith in the Lord w...

This episode is a bit different than most. In it, I offer up my top four podcast recommendations (with a side plug for my church’s sermon podcast). These shows are the places I turn for inspiration and learning when I need it. I have grown in knowledge and understanding as I’ve taken in messages from Tim Keller and listened to the background info that Tara Leigh Cobble and Matt Whitman offer. I’ve...

I learned something important about conflict in relationships from the TV crime drama, Blue Bloods , a favorite show of mine a few years back. I watched Tom Selleck's character, Frank Reagan, interact with another character, his chief of staff, Garrett Moore, played by Gregory Jbara. They went back and forth about everything under the sun, holding no punches. There was no lesson in the shouting an...

Years after the events detailed in episode 70 took place, God gave me a prayer song to express how I had felt and how he had transformed my desires. This song is seldom sung in public. I hardly ever get through in practice without tearing up. Somehow after several false starts, I got it on "tape" and am ready to share it with you. (If you haven't listened to episode 70, go do it now and come back....

God's grace has done amazing things in my life. I have been healed from incredibly hurtful things done to me. In this admittedly PG-rated episode - you are hearby warned - I talk about the path my life took from hateful to hopeful, from fretting to forgiving. Who I am and how I am today is all because of Jesus' work in my life. I pray this bit of openness about a dark spot in my past will bring yo...

Are there words from God in the Bible that cause a great deal of angst in your soul? That's your struggle-verse! (Kind of like a universe, but different, maybe?) In this episode, I want to welcome you to my struggle-verse, a short phrase Jesus spoke during his famous, Sermon on the Mount. I have to deal with the ramifications of my master's words in this verse more often than I like and I don't al...

Love is in the air, at least in our clan. My daughter is getting married the weekend of this episode's release. That's why I'm posting a love song, not a mushy, gushy, I love you, Baby ditty, but a worship song honoring the God who is love. I hope the truth of the words of 1 Corinthians 13 I've put to music and attributed to our Father in heaven will cause your love for God (and others) to grow. L...

I'm not very good at following holiday schedules when teaching. I've made some kind of strange errors over the years. I tell a couple of those stories in this episode and try my best to address the U.S. holiday closest to this session's release. What comes out of my mouth is more about freedom in Christ than American history and the values of the founding fathers. Hope you learn something from my...

I moved to Pratt, Kansas, ten years ago. In the early years of my tenure here, we started a new ministry to the hurting. Perhaps you've heard of Celebrate Recovery. In recent days, our church, which has shrunk some in attendance and skewed older, has begun to think maybe it's time to seek God for new ministry opportunities. In this episode, I share my observations of God's work in Pratt over the p...

The Church of England's Night Prayer (Compline) was the inspiration for the song I'm sharing with you in this episode. I will admit, my words went far afield from the original. (My apologies to my CoE brothers and sisters in Christ.) What I offer to you today is a bluegrassy, folksy tune which asks for God's protection through the night. My prayer is that the song will bless you and inspire you to...

At the end of Matthew 9, Jesus invites a new kind of prayer: prayer for harvest hands to be sent out. In this episode, we read the story surrounding Jesus' invitation to prayer and hear his voice calling us to pray and GO!

Lost sinners need prayer more than ailing saints. That was the message last time we talked. Today, the follow up message is lost sinners need your proximity more than fellow believers. We'll examine the story of Matthew, the tax collector's calling as we learn this lesson.

Most church's publicly posted prayer lists are full of requests concerning physical maladies. My church's bulletin has such a list. If you only saw these lists, you'd get the idea that healing in the here and now was the first concern of God's kingdom. It is not! In this episode, we remind ourselves of the ones who need prayer far more than any ailing believer.

The church is our Lord's bride. She belongs to Christ, not to herself. Christ can lead her as he pleases. Those are the themes of this original song, one of the first I wrote for more than personal enjoyment. I pray it will encourage you as you, together with your fellowship of believers, bring God glory through your work and worship. Yours Lord Verse 1: Argonia Friends is yours, Lord; Argonia Fri...

My siblings and I are back for another mom-honoring episode. In this second half of our recent conversation, we honor mom for a second set of attributes and actions which we appreciate. Hope you learn something from our mom as you listen and are reminded of things for which you can thank you mom. Don't forget to tell her how much she's appreciated!

The Bible commands us to honor mother and father. In this episode, my siblings and I aim to obey God's command by honoring our mom. Our conversation, which is broken into two parts for this podcast, covers a wide range of lessons we learned from the one who gave us all birth. We're happy to sing her praises because she pointed us to the one who is worthy of ultimate praise. Hope you enjoy both par...

"On Star is never wrong," insisted the lawn care specialist. Except that it was wrong in this case. The treatment he'd just applied to help the green grass grow had been sprayed on the wrong yard. The story of ineptitude writ large told on this episode is a lot of fun. The names of the characters when known are changed. Street addresses are altered as well. I don't want someone going to visit my e...

What better way to start the day than a quiet song of praise accompanied by a softly-strummed ukulele? I can't think of any. Well, maybe if you add in a cup of coffee to sip while listening. That might improve the song and lift the fog of sleep simultaneously. If you need your morning caffeine before functioning, go brew a cup and then sit still in God's presence for a few short minutes and praise...

Ever wonder why God gives greater strength to a few men and a handful of women? It's not so they can bulldoze their way through life, bullying and bossing others around. God gives might to these outliers for a much higher calling. Listen to this episode to learn why God, in his sovereignty, gives the gift of power to men and women who will follow his ways.

There's a fine line between sanity and insanity. I cross that line pretty often in my running. I want to cross it more often in my faith life. Listen to this episode and learn what it means to trust God on the nutty side. (Oh, and happy April Fool's Day a week or two late!)