Prone to Wander: A Presbyterian Podcast

Is the opposite of kind, compassionate and loving actually nice, polite and inoffensive? We need stouthearted men (and women) who are unashamed of the Gospel of Christ. Referenced in the Episode: Allie Beth Stuckey interviews David French

Is 95% agreement on an issue enough to belong? Or is that 5% always a dealbreaker? Can you engage with differences with curiosity, constructive debate, and genuine respect? Do we even take the time? Is a lot of tribalism and cancel culture directly related to simply not taking the time to sit and talk with each other, slowly, organically?

If you're Protestant, a woman is supposed to get married. If you're Catholic or Orthodox, a woman can get married or become a nun. The Bible also offered polygamy as an option, one the Mormons famously adopted in their need to care for a large number of widows and orphans, but that is frowned up today. So women are often pressured to marry men that won't be good husbands, or ostracized...

Finding contentment in being ordered under God should be our aim, but there are many households we find ourselves in, both literal and spiritual. Whether we find joy and purpose is using God's blessings in the hierarchies we find ourselves in our choice! Referenced in the Episode: Slave: The Hidden Truth About Your Identity in Christ by John MacArthur

Honesty, integrity and courage are the foundation built by our faith in God, and men are intrinsically called to be honest and brave by nature. So how do we deal with men who are dishonest and cowardly? Maybe by having faith in God, and valuing and appreciating the many brave and honest men in our lives.

There are themes in the Bible, and one is finding a bride at the well. Today we look at three very different stories of brides finding their bridegroom by the well. Referenced in the Episode: Bright Hearth: The Woman As Helper And Why Everyone Is Trying to Steal Her Help

How does a woman navigate the concept of submission before marriage? Is it appropriate to offer Proverbs 31 service and submission to a man who will not demonstrate a willingness to openly claim her, protect her, and provide for her? We look at the messy lives of single women in the Bible, and find more questions than answers. Referenced in this Episode: Men Commit Differently From Women Men Marry...

Proverbs 18:1 warns us against isolation, and community requires courage.

Scripture is full of supporting characters that don't drive the grand narrative of Redemption, but God treats them with love and care. If you are isolated, elderly, single, or in some way feel like a supporting character in other people's lives, recognize God is offering you a path to humility, love and service. You're not alone. God sees, hears, and cares for you.

Are women called to submit to their husband in the Old Testament? And why is Hagar called to submit to Sarah's abuse?

Alison Armstrong has interesting things to say about male and female identity. Is it reflected in Scripture? What do the stories of Rahab, Esther, Caleb, Ruth, Abraham, Dinah and Uriah tell us about identity in the Bible? How does Genesis portray the sense of self of Adam and Eve? Referenced in the Episode: Alison Armstrong's Website Modern Wisdom interview with Alison Armstrong

Are women called to tolerate their husbands? Put up with them? Is submit really the best translation of the Greek into English to convey our relationship to God, and to our husbands? I think there's a better way to illustrate this... Referenced in the Episode: How To Treat Men Better - Modern Wisdom interview with Alison Armstrong

What does submission actually mean? We look at two women who readily accepted what God asked of them, even when it was a devastating challenge to even consider. Too often we are ready with a "No" before God even speaks to us. How would our lives be different if we were ready with a "Yes"? Referenced in the Episode: Christ & Your Problems by Jay E. Adams

Are you accountable for your actions or do you rely on cheap grace? Accountability requires courage, as demonstrated by Christ himself. Referenced in the Episode: Hebrew word "HAYIL" in Scripture: https://biblehub.com/hebrew/chayil_2428.htm Alison Armstrong Books: The Queen's Code Making Sense of Men Understanding Women The Amazing Development of Men Celebrating Partnership David Edg...

Are you open to correction by others? Are you willing to be held accountable for your behavior? I'm not, and that is a huge problem. What's the answer? Maybe taking the book of Proverbs to heart.

Are we meant to live lives of ease and comfort? Are we meant to go through life numb and comfortable until we die? Are we supposed to be nice and gentle and never offend anyone? Scripture says no. We are to be alive, active, doing hard things, teaching difficult things, and not focused on our own comfort. We are not to embrace a numb, painless existence, but to pick up our cross and follow Christ.

We love to cherry pick Scripture, plucking it out of context, to fit our own ideas. Whether women can preach or teach is pretty clear in Scripture, but a bigger question is this: is preaching all that pastors do? Did the Reformation get the role of pastor/priest/elder/bishop wrong?

Why does Scripture constantly call us to gratitude? To remember God and all he has done for us? Why is the Eucharist (communion) a "thanksgiving" that we receive rather than give? Because the opposite of thankfulness is contempt, disdain, scoffing, ridicule, mockery, arrogance, and insecurity. Over and over Scripture warns us against this attitude of ingratitude that isolates us from both God and...

Are you ready to let go of your sin? Maybe you feel like you've rejected feminism and you value men, but your relationships are still full of tension, stress, miscommunication, and fighting? Maybe it is time to lay down your sword, the one you are swinging all while crying out for peace? Referenced in the Episode: Alison Armstrong's Website The Queen's Code by Alison Armstrong Lila Ros...

Do you realize that Abraham had 8 sons, and the blessings belong to the descendants of all of them? In this episode we explore the cruelty of the beautiful Sarah, and the obedience of the enslaved Hagar, whose suffering was acknowledged by a loving God. Referenced in this episode: Hillsdale College free course on Genesis by Prof. Justin Jackson Robert Alter's translation and commentary on the...

Paul was both a Jew and a Roman citizen from birth who spent a lot of effort to spread Christianity among ethnically diverse populations. What does that tell us about ancient immigration issues? What does that tell us about modern immigration issues? Is war, natural disaster, or disease the only way an ethnic group disappears? And what does that mean for preserving our faith and our religious cult...

Alison Armstrong blew my mind and completely shifted how I think about men and women, leaving me deeply convicted of my own sin. This Christian journey is one of continual unfolding revelation of our own brokenness and incompleteness, that drives us towards greater love, understanding, and joy. Referenced in the Episode: Alison Armstrong's website Lila Rose interviews Alison Armstrong: The Big...

From Erika Kirk to Taylor Swift, there seems to be a resurgence of celebrating strong, confident, protective and compassionate men. A departure from the view of men as inept, stupid buffoons not worthy of respect that has reigned since the 90's, we're seeing a sea change in the culture away from cynicism and contempt to admiration of healthy masculinity. We look at the connection between s...

We need a healthy way to discuss sin. Rejecting someone for a sinful part or gorging on lurid details of a sinful past are two sides of the same extremely unhealthy coin. Referenced In The Episode: Tucker Carlson on the Demonic Aspect of AI

No reasonable Christian believes that if you behave a certain way and pray hard enough God will give you a BMW. So why do we tell women that if they do that God will change their spouse?