Teach Us To Pray

SUMMARY The seven last words of Christ on the cross end with a prayer of trust and surrender: "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit." This dying prayer of Jesus can be a prayer we live and work by. Episode 51: Trusting the Father (Last Words of Christ Pt. 7) Hosted by Jeff Hoffmeyer,  Denver Institute's  Vice President of Advancement and Theologian in Residence, this podcast seeks to focus...

Jesus' sixth word from the Cross, "It is finished," is a whispered victory cry. The momentum of God's eternal love overtakes the momentum of sin and evil in the world, in in our lives. We may not fully be able to understand this cry, but we can receive it, in prayer. Episode 50: It is Finished (Last Words of Christ Pt. 6) Hosted by Jeff Hoffmeyer,  Denver Institute's Vice President of Advancement...

In the fifth word from the cross, Jesus says simply, "I thirst." This is an expression of Jesus' humanity. Because of the Incarnation, which was the intersection of eternity with history, we can be those who experience what is eternal within ordinary, earthly moments. Episode 49:  I Thirst: The Humanity of Christ and Finding Eternity in Time (Last Words of Christ Pt. 5) Hosted by Jeff Hoffmeyer, ...

Christ's lament from the cross, "My God, my God, why have your forsaken me?" is the fourth and most important of the seven last words. By praying this prayer, Jesus transforms our own experiences of godforsakenness, enabling our words of lament to become seedbeds for hope.   RESOURCES "Not Alone" by Patty Griffin

"Woman, behold your son. Behold your mother." With these words, as he was dying on the cross, directed to Mary and to the disciple John, Jesus founded the church. By praying these words our vision is transformed, enabling us to see anyone and everyone as a beloved child of God, and so continue to build Christ's church. John 19:23-27 When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and...

As Jesus is dying on the cross, a conversation occurs between the two convicts who were crucified on either side of him. One of these men then says to Jesus, "Remember me, when you come into your kingdom." Then Jesus says, "Today you will be with me in Paradise." By allowing this conversation to shape our conversation with God in prayer, our lives and work can become cruciform, taking the form of...

In this first episode of a seven-part series on the last words of Christ, we examine Jesus' prayer "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do." In order to forgive we must first realize our deep need to be forgiven. We also can pray this prayer before we really "mean it." Episode 45: The Hardest Prayer: Forgiveness (Last Words of Christ Pt. 1) Hosted by Jeff Hoffmeyer,  Denver Institute'...

Psalm 115 is a profound examination of the shadow side of our souls, what the Bible calls 'idolatry.' In this episode we examine how our souls both "make idols" and are in turn made by them. Episode 44: Souls are Idol Making Factories (Then Sings my Soul Pt. 3) Hosted by Jeff Hoffmeyer,  Denver Institute's  Vice President of Advancement, this podcast seeks to focus on the practice of prayer throug...

God has designed the soul for beholding, and we become what we behold. 2 Corinthians 3:17-19 lays out how this works, and how prayer can be a participation in beholding Christ and becoming more like him. Episode 43: Soul Work (Then Sings My Soul Pt 2) Hosted by Jeff Hoffmeyer,  Denver Institute's Vice President of Advancement, this podcast seeks to focus on the practice of prayer through scripture...

In this first episode on the soul and prayer, we look at an underutilized form of prayer found in the psalms - talking to ourselves. This kind of self-talk is different from other popular conceptions, because God is listening in. Psalm 42 commends a kind of prayerful self-talk in which we discover what is going on with our own soul. Episode 42: Self Talk (Then Sings My Soul Pt 1) Hosted by Jeff Ho...

When Charlie Brown famously asks, "Doesn't anybody know what Christmas is all about?!" Linus responds by reciting the King James Version of Luke 2. As it turns out, Philippians 2 is also a good answer, leading us to pray about the wonder of God becoming flesh. Merry Christmas! Episode 41: The Play within the Play - What Christmas is All About Hosted by Jeff Hoffmeyer,  Denver Institute's Vice Pres...

For the fortieth episode of Teach Us To Pray I discuss the first few verses of Psalm 40, one of my favorites, and also one of the best U2 songs ever. Prayer is about waiting, and about God stooping to hear us, and about God putting a new song in us that we can sing. Episode 40: Sing a New Song (Beauty and Brokenness Pt 3) Hosted by Jeff Hoffmeyer,  Denver Institute's Vice President of Advancement,...

In part 2 of this series, I return to the Jesus and Peter conversation on the beach scene, and raise the question of how God might want to talk about painful memories, the idolatry of work, and using our wounds to heal others - but don't worry, this episode is merrier than you might think. Hosted by Jeff Hoffmeyer,  Denver Institute's Vice President of Advancement, this podcast seeks to focus on t...

This is the first of three episodes on the convergence of beauty, and brokenness as found in Scripture, and how we might learn to pray about God's redemptive activity in our lives. In this episode, I explore the famous conversation between Jesus and Peter on the shore of lake Galilee, examining how Jesus might want to address our own brokenness through conversation. Hosted by Jeff Hoffmeyer, Denve...

Are you ever frustrated by not having enough information, foresight, and understanding, particularly in your work? Do you ever wish that things were just more clear? What if this lack, this scarcity, is by design? What if it could fuel your imagination for how God wishes to use you in your work? In this episode, I explore one of my favorite New Testament stories, Jesus' healing of Bartimaeus. RESO...

How surprising that the very first human mentioned in the Bible as being indwelled by God's Spirit is a craftsman! In this episode I address what this might mean for our work, inviting a prayerful focus on human flourishing. RESOURCES Download the 4-Day God Loves Work Devotional "The Maker" by Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds Vocab words! Inane Pedantry Plebeian I would love to hear from you! Email:...

Hosted by Jeff Hoffmeyer, Denver Institute's Vice President of Advancement, this podcast seeks to focus on the practice of prayer through scripture as a primary way to know, trust, and rest in God in our daily work and life. Episode 35: God Loves Work #2: How Work Goes Wrong (Genesis 11) The Tower of Babel is a story about how our work can go wrong, including using technology thoughtlessly, and wo...

Hosted by Jeff Hoffmeyer, Denver Institute's Vice President of Advancement, this podcast seeks to focus on the practice of prayer through scripture as a primary way to know, trust, and rest in God in our daily work and life. Episode 34: God Loves Work #1 (Genesis 1 - Seeing Pennies) This is the first of a four part series called God Loves Work, tied to a four day devotional you can do alone or wit...

Hosted by Jeff Hoffmeyer, Denver Institute's Vice President of Advancement, this podcast seeks to focus on the practice of prayer through scripture as a primary way to know, trust, and rest in God in our daily work and life. Episode 33: All Boldness and Without Hindrance (Acts 28:30-31) Part II The book of Acts ends with Paul under arrest, living out his vocation "with all boldness and without hin...

Hosted by Jeff Hoffmeyer, Denver Institute's Vice President of Advancement, this podcast seeks to focus on the practice of prayer through scripture as a primary way to know, trust, and rest in God in our daily work and life. Episode 32: All Boldness and Without Hindrance (Acts 28:30-31) Part I The book of Acts ends with Paul under arrest, living out his vocation "with all boldness and without hind...

Hosted by Jeff Hoffmeyer, Denver Institute's Vice President of Advancement, this podcast seeks to focus on the practice of prayer through scripture as a primary way to know, trust, and rest in God in our daily work and life. Episode 31: Praying Toward Resilience with Tod Bolsinger  In this special guest episode of Teach Us To Pray, Jeff interviews Tod Bolsinger, author of Canoeing the Mountains an...

Acts Chapter 15 records how early church leaders came to a compromise regarding a sharply divisive issue. This episode explores how that story can guide our own prayerful decision making, as well as how we can pray and act toward the unity of the Church. Resources: Alan Kreider, The Patient Ferment of the Early Church: The Improbable Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire I'd love to hear from y...

On at least two occasions Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as "living water." How does this image shape and guide our prayer? What is "peace like a river," and how can we access that peace through prayer?   Resources: "It is Well with My Soul" - Reawaken Hymns C.S. Lewis, The Silver Chair Noah's Ark Contact me: jeff.hoffmeyer@denverinstitute.org

In this episode we continue our focus on the Holy Spirit during the season of Pentecost. The first two verses of the Bible encourage us in our work, which can mirror and participate in God's own work. We gain confidence to face the chaos and formlessness we often encounter in our vocations, trusting that God is using us to form something that is eternal.   Resources: Noah's Ark Contact me: jeff.ho...

This episode kicks off a series on the Holy Spirit during the season of Pentecost. This text from John describes the resurrected Christ doing two odd things: showing his wounds, and breathing on the disciples. What do these actions mean for our lives, and how might they guide our prayers?   Music Acknowledgments: Based on the hymn by Edwin Hatch Written by © 2015 Alanna Glover, Liv Chapman & Phili...