Save My Darlings

There is an odd bit in Luke 9 we skipped on Sunday in which the Samaritans don't welcome Jesus into their territory as he travels to Jerusalem. Why? What gives? And what if their reaction is a massive warning to us about missing out on the life God designed for us?

When warning us about the cost of following him, Jesus quotes an old farmer's saying, "Don't put one hand on the plow and look back." What does this mean and what is he trying to warn us about? The answer(s) may surprise you!

The title is a bit tongue-in-cheek, but this week's episode, "Why No Good Deed Goes Unpunished" explains how and why some suffering is built into the created order and why it is good. Knowing this hidden mechanic in the universe can give us encouragement, courage, and strength in some very challenging times, filling us with hope as we reframe our own pain as bearing the cost of new l...

Is Judas in hell? What about corrupt religious leaders? Does the Bible answer these questions with clarity? I argue that it sort of doesn't, because the Bible isn't all that interested in hell. Which seems weird since Christianity has a reputation for being all about heaven and hell. What gives? Listen to find out!

No pain, no gain! Pain is just weakness leaving the body! These are just a few ways that people describe the process of growth. There's something about nature that demands pain, suffering, and death for new life to come about. And, of course, that's at the center of the Christian story about God. In this episode we take a deep dive into that rhythm, how it is exemplified in Scripture, and...

One of the fun things about the Christmas story is how odd it all is. Of all the things to tell about the birth of the supposed true King of the world and the fullness of God in human flesh, the events of the Christmas story with miraculous conceptions, shepherds, and a mad king trying to kill a child are pretty weird choices. As far as the Magi go, what if I told you that it picks up a theme from...

If God exists, isn't it weird that he doesn't just act in a way that's obvious so that everyone will believe? Good question. Isn't it also weird that Zechariah literally had an angel tell him what was going to happen and he *still* didn't believe it? What's going on? Why do people have a hard time believing and why doesn't God do a better job making himself visible? Lis...

Skeptics largely do away with the gospel accounts of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. They're too fanciful or they aren't told by anyone who was there, etc., etc. Today we look at a little tidbit from Luke 2 that strongly indicates the opposite. It makes us think that no, Luke isn't lying. And if Luke isn't lying about this, what else is he being truthful about?

A lot of times we're not sure if we're doing what God wants or if we're a part of what God is up to. Once Mary knew that she was, she sang a song of praise that gives us some solid signs, helping us to discern where we're at. Bottom line? God likes to shake things up. Listen to find out more!

On Sunday, we saw that part of doing things the Kingdom Way requires God to intervene with grace. In Joseph's case, that was an angel in a dream. But most of us don't get anything like that, or at least not very often. So how does God talk to us? What is his will? How do we find out? We cover all that and more in this week's episode!

Christians have lots of disagreements about "eschatology," or what is going to happen in the future, what heaven and hell are like, etc. Who's right and why does it matter? We deal with those issues in this episode.

What happens when you start catching fish (bringing people into the Kingdom of God)? Chaos, disaster, and challenge, that's what. It's awe-inspiring and beautiful, but man it's wild. Peter found that out when Jesus told him to go fishing. Today, we look at what to expect here at Coast Bible Church as we obey Jesus' command to go fish. Maybe more importantly, we will see what we nee...

The "prosperity gospel" is the belief that you can get what you want materially by doing and giving (especially for and to God). Want that private jet? Work hard and give to gospel mission and you'll get it! Well, Jesus doesn't say that. But it is enticing because it is a half-truth. In this episode we pick apart prosperity spirituality and the Scripture that gets used to promote...

On Sunday we talked about the importance of finding someone who has what we want and learning from them. What we didn't explore is the extent to which our various characteristics and proclivities count as "spiritual gifts" and what we should do with them. Well, we address that here and we get to be super nerdy while doing it! Bottom line: you may be more spiritually gifted than you r...

On Sunday we talked about the pure milk of the word, and how newcomers to the Lifeboat need to feed on Jesus' teaching. Well, spiritual milk gets mentioned elsewhere in the New Testament, and not in a very favorable way. In 1 Corinthians 3, Paul is angry at some Christians because they don't want to move on from milk and start taking in solid food. What is solid food? Do we really ever sto...

On Sunday, we saw that Paul calls himself the worst of all sinners. Well, that can't be literally true because it seems like there must have been other people who did worse stuff than him. So what does he mean and why does he say it? And what does it mean for us? Should I think of myself as "The worst of all sinners?" and if so, how should that impact the way I live?

On Sunday we heard Thomas Aquinas's view that God allowed evil because he judged it better to have the possibility of redemption than not. What the heck does that mean? Is evil good? What do we do with horrific evil? Why is there evil? Well, we can't answer all fully in 20 minutes, but we can at least get a start.

Before we turn to Jesus to rescue us, we often aren't aware we need rescuing! So what is happening when life is like that and who is responsible? And why do we so often wish we could go back to that sort of life? It might help to make sure you've listened to the sermon first for context. Visit coastbible.org for links to audio and video.

Practical question: what if the person you have wronged could really hurt you or those you love if you tell them what you've done? What if trying to address the wrong is almost certain to make things worse? Are we off the hook? Sorta-kinda. Listen to find out!

Why does Jesus tell us get forgiven from someone we've hurt when we're angry? Receiving forgiveness does something to us. In this episode we find out what.

On Sunday, we described giving, praying, and fasting as opportunities to "have a catch with dad," that is, delight in spending time with our heavenly Father during all of life's ups, downs, and everything in between. But what might that look like for giving and fasting specifically? This episode deals with some more specifics.

Sadly, Christian theologians and Biblicists and ethicists are hopelessly confused about how to tell right from wrong. We saw that in the last episode. So I'm here to help you do better! Here's a quick and dirty guide to understanding how the bible thinks about right and wrong and how you should too. Little bit on male and female emissions, so look out for little ears!

So apparently there's a movie that makes fun of antiracism that came out called, "Am I Racist?" And, surprisingly--to me, at least--some conservative Christians are concerned that the tactics used by a Christian in the movie--including lying to and mocking perceived enemies--are beyond the pale and unChristian. Well, that's silly. Listen to find out why.

Sometimes there are big differences between translations of the Bible. In fact, sometimes whole verses are omitted. Why? Don't we all translate from the same sources? Well, come on a journey as we find out where are sources come from, how old they are, and how confident we can be that we know what John or Luke of Isaiah really wrote.

Christians talk a lot about "souls" but what do we mean? And what are the implications of soul talk for our lives and afterlives?