Practicology Podcast

Psalm 20:4 says “May he grant you your heart’s desire and fulfill all your plans!” Could that verse be addressing us? To tell us that God wants to give us all that our heart desires? No, it’s ultimately speaking about the Lord Jesus, which is far better, because the Lord Jesus gets all that his heart desires, and what his heart desires is….YOU! Psalm 20 gives us three life...

In part 2 of David Petterson’s study on marriage as the foundation of family life, we learn more from Genesis 2 about God’s intentions for marriage – and how marriage points to something of even greater signifcance. Scriptures Referenced: Gen 2:18-25 Visit PracticologyPodcast.com for more episodes. Follow the Practicology Podcast on Twitter here .

God is a relational being, and when He first created man, He made him to desire companionship. God provided the man with a woman and designed marriage to be the foundation of family life – and it was very good. But marriage is a relationship that works best in a triangle… with God at the top. Scriptures Referenced: Gen 2:18-23 Visit PracticologyPodcast.com for more episodes. Follow the...

At a key transition in his letter to the Romans, the apostle Paul defines true worship as Christians offering their bodies to God as living sacrifices. This shocking call to offer our bodies tells us that our worship is to be both (1) extraordinary (we need to give God our very selves, not just our stuff) and (2) ordinary (even the most mundane parts of our bodily existence are part of our worship...

One of the most stunning events in the Lord’s earthly ministry was when He laid aside his outer garments, wrapped himself in a towel, and bent down to wash his disciples’ feet. Astounding humility. And he tells us that he did this as an example for us to follow. So what exactly does that look like for us today? Scriptures Referenced: Joh 13:1-17 Visit PracticologyPodcast.com for more e...

What does it mean to be spiritual? How can you be more spiritual? It’s important to answer these questions from Scripture and Christian theology. To be spiritual is to be indwelt by Christ’s Spirit, the Holy Spirit. And the Spirit is other-directed and Christ-centered. He works to draw attention not to himself but to Jesus Christ. Being spiritual, therefore, isn’t about keeping u...

Do you ever cry? Sometimes we are ashamed of our tears, but after studying the Scriptures’ references to people crying, we might be ashamed at how few tears we shed. Looking particularly at the occasions in the Lord Jesus’ life when He wept, our hearts both challenged and comforted. Scriptures Referenced: Luk 19:37-44; Jon 11:33-36; Heb 5:7-8 Visit PracticologyPodcast.com for more epis...

We are deeply moved by Christ’s incarnation (birth) and death on the cross. Most of the time we also remember to glory in his resurrection. Do we forget to be similarly moved by the Lord’s ascension? If so, we’re missing out! The truth is, we all get excited about all kinds of ascension stories from every day life. When we see the ultimate ascension story in light of these other...

Who are you imitating in life? We are all learning from the examples of others and we tend to become like those we look at. So choose your mentors wisely. But what are the marks of a good mentor? From Philippians chapter 3, Matthew points out three traits to look for in the life of someone worth imitating, to help us to follow Christ more closely. Scriptures Referenced: Php 3:3-20 Visit Practicolo...

To borrow words from Jerry Bridges, are you saved by grace but living by the sweat of your own performance? (quoted by Lee Strobel in Case for Grace .) The performance treadmill is a joyless place to be in the Christian life. Tune in to hear more about the dangers of performance based Christianity, the impossibility of it, and, most importantly, the glorious cure! Scriptures Referenced: Php 3:1-9...

People often ask, “How can I know the will of God for my life?” In this episode we learn, not only does the Bible have the answer, the Bible is the answer – and the Bible is enough. In identifying the purpose of Scripture, we also learn the sufficiency of Scripture. This is definitely a practical theology. Scriptures Referenced: Eph 5:17; Ezra 7:14; Ezra 7:25 Visit PracticologyPo...

Every day is Take Your Faith to Work Day. How so? Because three of the Christian faith’s greatest responsibilities run right through our work places. We’re talking about (1) the creation mandate; (2) the great commandment; and (3) the great commission. And you get to log time on all three–while at work! Scriptures Referenced: Gen 1:26-27; Mark 12:30-31; Matt 28:19-20 Visit Practi...

We spend a lot of our time in the workplace – so what do the Scriptures teach us about our lives at work? The original pattern in creation included work. The Lord Jesus was a carpenter. Paul worked with his hands. Proverbs is full of counsel to be diligent in our work. But can we also work too much? This is a guest-hosted episode featuring Lloyd Cain. Scriptures Referenced: Gen 2:15; 3:17-19...

More important than knowing how to spell “resurrection,” is knowing what the resurrection spells: H-O-P-E. The historical event of Jesus rising from the dead spells HOPE for (1) you, (2) your loved ones, (3) for justice, (4) for creation, and (5) for today. Happy Resurrection day everyone! Scriptures Referenced: 1 Cor 15:3-8; 20-21; 42-43; 1 Pet 1:3; Acts 17:30-31; Rom 8:18-25; Phil 3:...

This episode, the second half of a two-part conversation, provides some specific, practical guidelines for working towards reconciliation for a damaged relationship between Christian brothers or sisters. Scriptures Referenced: Luk 17:1-4; Rom 12:16-21 Visit PracticologyPodcast.com for more episodes. Follow the Practicology Podcast on Twitter

Bearing in mind the forgiveness we have received from the Lord, Christians also “must forgive” (Colossians 3:13). But what about when people don’t seem repentant for the hurt they have caused me? And what if I just find it really hard to have a forgiving spirit? This episode is part one of a two-part conversation. Scriptures Referenced: Col 3:12-13; Mt 18:23-35; 1Jn 1:7-2:2 Visit PracticologyPodca...

Deuteronomy 6 shows us how we as parents can bring the gospel home to our kids. In addition to getting to first base and second base (the previous episode), we can set up the architecture of our home to make our faith “catchy” to our kids (third base), and we can focus on Christ as the One who can ultimately bring the gospel home to the hearts of our children (home plate). This is the...

Instructing our children in the faith is not something we can out-source to Sunday School teachers or youth leaders. We as parents need to take responsibility for bringing the gospel home to our kids. But many of us find this responsibility intimidating and guilt-producing. Furthermore, even if we take it seriously, there’s no guarantee that our children will come to saving faith in Christ....

The Scriptures call upon us to “do the work of an evangelist” (2 Timothy 4:5). But sometimes circumstances, particularly Covid-19, make it seem too challenging or even pointless. However, there is a basic theology of evangelism that encourages us to persevere. In this episode, we talk about four principles to bear in mind to help us endure in evangelism. Scriptures Referenced: 2Tim 4:2,5; Jonah 2:...

If you’ve been getting pop ads in your social media lately about posture correcting devices, you’ll want to tune in to this one. As much as we need reminders to straighten up our physical posture, we need reminders about our soul posture even more. Sometimes we get swelled up with pride; other times we slouch down with self-loathing. The cross is the perfect posture correcting device. On the one h...

Sometimes life in a local church can be so painful, we feel like giving up. What’s the use in going any more? In this episode Mike shares how Psalms 126 – 127 have helped him. They can help you too! They offer (1) a wonderful (and surprising!) comfort; (2) a wonderful promise; (3) and a wonderful truth. Scriptures Referenced: Ps 126, Ps 127:1-2 Visit PracticologyPodcast.com for more episodes...

The Christian life is not a sprint, but a marathon. Sometimes we feel too weak to keep our flame of faith burning brightly, and insufficient to run the the race in a Christ exalting way. But our ability to endure does not come from within ourselves, but from the God of endurance (Romans 15:5). In this episode we learn that through the Scriptures, God ministers grace to enable our endurance, and in...