The Uncultured Saints

The Scriptures often flip our expectations upside down.  Throughout the Bible, God chooses unlikely messengers to speak His truth—those whom the world might overlook.  This theme continues with Jesus, who did not come to be an earthly king or a mere provider of miracles.  God’s plan doesn’t conform to our desires for earthly power or convenience.  And Jesus wasn’t sent to be another earthly king o...

Feeling anxious or fearful? Sleepless nights troubling you?  Remember, Jesus doesn’t choose some to heal and not others.  Jesus' timing might not match ours, and it may take years. But know this: Your faith has made you well, tied to the resurrection, and it's done! 🙏 Your faith has made you well, even if you don't see it yet. Contributor Rev. Harrison Goodman is the Higher Things Content Executi...

The Bible can be a dark place sometimes…. Consider the story of the man possessed by demons in Mark 5. He was… Cut off from all of his family and friends Not living in his right mind Self-harming Tormented night and day Living among the dead  However, when the demon-possessed man sees Jesus, he runs and falls down before him.   And this is no act of worship. This is how the demon is compelled to b...

The song is NOT about you…. Did you know that the popular childrens’ song “This Little Light of Mine” is not about YOU? Nope! It’s about Jesus! Jesus is the light that should not be hidden. The song’s context is taken from Mark 4:21: Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket? No!  Or under a bed and not on a stand? For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest. Nor is anything secret except...

Ever feel like your life feels just like rocky and inhospitable soil? 🌾 Not made to grow anything…. Maybe because of... 📉 Setbacks at school 💔 Relationship turmoil 😢 Friend drama 💸 Financial mistroubles  🩺 Health issues You feel... ➤ Weighed down ➤ Hopeless ➤ Isolated ➤ Overwhelmed You’re not alone! Everyone feels this way at some point growing up! The truth is... Jesus continues to sow his...

The world is one of the three great enemies…. The devil The world Our sinful nature Martin Luther reminds us that while it's easy to blame 'the world' for its faults. But…. We must remember: WE are part of the world.  We're not above the fray.  Every Christian has idols and worldly cares.  And our sins hurt our neighbors, making us part of the problem. But, the law isn't about pointing fingers; it...

Remember…⤵️ …the church is not for the perfect. It is for the sinner. ❤️ It is for those seeking healing and comfort. Just as a hospital is for the sick, the church is for those in need of God’s grace. 🤕 ⛪️ Jesus dined with the tax collectors and the sinners. Not because they were righteous. ✅ But because they needed healing. Church is not a sanctuary for saints, but a hospital for sinners. Com...

What do I do when I’m struggling? Let’s look to how Jesus handled struggling when he was being tempted by the Devil in the wilderness.   Jesus dealt with the devil’s temptation not with sheer will, but by grace. And boy was he tempted! It wasn’t just the three times we hear about in the Gospels. But we hear elsewhere in scripture that Jesus was tempted in every way…just like us. And we also read t...

Ever wonder why the book of Mark…. 📏is the shortest and most abrupt of the Gospels?  📖 And, why does it skip the Christmas story? 🤔 When it comes to discussing the book of Mark, it’s more important to focus on what we DO get. Which is a short, succinct message that tells us that Jesus…. ✅ Is the Messiah ✅ Is the Son ✅ Is Israel, reduced to one ✅ Stands in his baptismal waters in the sinner’...

In our penultimate episode of the season we discuss the marriage and the church in the Smalcald Articles.

Our discussion with the Smalcald articles continues, this time with bad jokes, the Office of the Keys, Enthusiasts, etc.

Our Smalcald Articles discussion continues, this time talking about the sweet news of the Gospel.

Our 6th episode of season 4 continues with repentance and Luther's ramblings against the papacy.

Our discussion on the Smalcald Articles continues! This time tackling sin and the law in the modern world.

Today we discuss the thing all Lutherans love to hate, the Papacy. 

Today we continue our discussion on the Smalcald Articles, this time talking about the Saints and possibly detouring to cloisters.

Today we continue our discussion on the Smalcald Articles.

Today we begin season 4 of Uncultured Saints! Now on Youtube! This season we will be tackling the Smalcald Articles.

Hello Internet! The Uncultured Saints are back for season three. Pastor Harrison Goodman and Pastor Eli Lietzau are joined by Erica Jacoby, Executive Director of Higher Things. She’s definitely here as a guest, and not to keep us hosts on task.  Season 3 is here, and we’re talking about Christ. Christ in the Old Testament in fact! And up first we’re talking about creation. 

A group of youth makes fun of the prophet, Elisha.  They call him, “Baldy.”  It seems like a harmless, although snarky, comment.  It would perhaps warrant a sharp reproof, but certainly nothing more than that.  But what comes later is straight out of a horror movie.  Bears from out of nowhere, mauling these young youths to death, tearing them limb from limb.  The Old Testament is littered with the...

We all know this story.  It is one of the bad ones, the fire and brimstone ones.  This is one our favorite texts to club our neighbor over the head with the Law.  Homosexuality, incest, unbelief, pillars of salt:  It has it all, and it’s seemingly all about the Law.  But it can’t just be about the Law.  Jesus’ cross is for Lot and his daughters.  It is for Lot’s salty wife and for smoldering Sodom...

What is worship?  That really is the question that the Christian must figure out.  What is worship?  Why do we gather?  Does it matter what we do and how we do it?  These questions will never stop because the sinner always gets them wrong.  This was true in the Garden in front of the Tree of Good and Evil.  It was true in the tabernacle and later the Temple, the tent of meeting, the Holy Place, an...