Wisdom Unlocked: The Ways of God

Leadership isn’t just about being confident, getting the most out of people and achieving success.  It’s about leading the way God wants us to lead.  That includes truly examining ourselves, stopping behaviors that hinder us and making choices that help us thrive. We will only lead in a godly way when we follow what the Scriptures tell us about ourselves and our image of God. Episode notes availab...

God often uses our life circumstances to bring us to the end of ourselves, leaving us completely yielded and dependent on Him.  That’s easier to accept in theory than in practice.  In the midst of the pandemic, Lionshare board member Kent Chevalier lost his brother to Covid, lost the primary way of doing his job and had to deal with bitterness and anger in his family of origin.  It all led to brok...

Are all words relative or neutral in meaning? Does our standard of word choice always come down to intent or just what we’re personally convicted by? John 1:1-2 says that from the beginning, there was the Word and the Word was God. Ultimately, it’s God that puts a premium on words. God has much to say about how we live our lives and that includes how we exercise the power and choice of our words....

It’s one thing to surrender your rights so you can better serve God and others, but it’s another thing to die to self.  We die to self-will to do God’s will.  We die to self-pleasing in order to please God.  We die to relying only on ourselves to put our full trust in God.  How do we do that? Episode notes available here . Learn more about our ministry at Lionshare.org When available, episode note...

We Americans love our rights. Our country was built on them.  We love to proclaim them, any time we feel someone has infringed on them.  But God calls us to servanthood and that means surrendering a lot of things we think we have a right to. Are you willing to lay down your rights to better serve God and others and be available to Him for His purposes? Episode notes available here .  Learn more ab...

Wisdom says that we’re permitted to speak into others’ lives only to the degree they allow us. But not all friendships are equal and not all require the same commitment. So, what are the different spheres (or levels) of friendships in our lives and how do we prioritize them within healthy boundaries? In this episode, we discuss the characteristics and responsibilities of four spheres of friendship...

The cost of discipleship is more than just about saying “yes,” but also what we’re saying “no” to. The ministry of availability is a commitment of discipleship that promises access to your life within healthy boundaries. Are you available to those you want to influence and teach? Lionshare board members Mel Mills and Kent Chevalier discuss the principles of focus, margin, and the ability to say “n...

No one likes to talk about weakness, but God loves weakness. The Apostle Paul encourages us to see ourselves as needy and powerless, but we live in a culture where we don’t want to show any vulnerabilities. That’s an opening for attack.  But the Scriptures tell us God’s power is made perfect in weakness.  How do we live that way?  Episode notes available here .  Learn more about ministry and purch...

The new year is a time to reset.  We reflect, we plan and we take action.  But how about starting 2022 with something different — repentance? Taking time for confessions seems like a lost spiritual discipline these days. The heart and act of repentance that should follow takes humility and courage.  It's hard but worth it. Episode notes at Lionshare.org/podcast . Learn more about our ministry...

We’ve prepared a bonus episode for you featuring a sermon Lionshare’s founder and president Dave Buehring gave last month at Grace Chapel Fairview. He spoke on 1 John chapter 4. In verse 1 it says “Beloved, do not believe every spirit but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.” What does it mean to test the spirits? Dave shares thre...

During the last episode, we learned that Jesus paced Himself. He was surrounded by needs but he wasn't driven by them.   He obeyed only what God the Father showed Him to do.  He rested with His friends and was restored through life-giving relationships. How do we break from our frenetic pace?  Listen to three guests from three walks of life who share small steps they've taken to follow J...

We are six months into the year. For most of us, those resolutions we made at the beginning of the year and some of the lessons we learned during the worst of the pandemic are in the rearview mirror. We’re back to being overly busy.  Can Jesus relate? He spent a short time on Earth.  He had a lot to do.  He was surrounded by need but, He was never in a hurry and always on time.  What can we learn...

You have likely heard about the armor of God and how we can protect ourselves in the midst of spiritual warfare. But have you ever stopped to think which of the devil’s weapons work best against you? The first step is to know what tactics he likes to use.  The second is to realize which ones work the best against you. Find episode notes here .  Learn more about spiritual warfare, by downloading Li...

The words “spiritual warfare” can promote a visceral reaction.  Some Christians don’t want to talk about it all.  Some Christians talk about it too much.  And most of us haven’t thought about it in the context of work.  But think about it— taking something that doesn’t belong to me; saying something unkind and untrue about someone so I am the one promoted; undermining my boss out of spite for not...

The word "single" seems altogether different than the word "individual."  Individuality and individual rights and freedoms sound strong.  "Single" can feel incomplete, even among single Christians who sometimes feel overlooked by the church because of its emphasis on family, children and marriage.  What are the ways of God when it comes to singleness? Learn more about...

When we think of the ways of God, we tend to think about serious matters and lofty ideals.  But since we are made in God's image, we know that He has a sense of humor and loves to celebrate. Celebration, including acts of remembrance and demonstrations of honor, are all over the Scriptures.  In this episode, we celebrate the one year anniversary of the Wisdom Unlocked podcast and answer the q...

 Most of us will agree that the last 12 months have been hard. As we’ve already witnessed, things did not magically get better when the calendar flipped to January 1, 2021. But three months into 2021, it’s not too late for you to seize your great opportunity. Episode notes available here . The book "The Great Opportunity: Making Disciples of Jesus in Every Vocation" available at your loc...

In the Scriptures, we find God calling people to participate with Him in His purposes.  He puts His hand on the life of a man or woman and shapes them into a “polished arrow” in His hands.  Isaiah became that polished arrow. He saw God which led to his shaping by God, resulting in his sending by God.  But often we miss that middle step.  We see God and quickly rush as fast as we can through the sh...

It’s often said that integrity is measured by what you do when no one else is watching. But as followers of Jesus, it’s more than that—it’s about our hearts. Acting with integrity is not only something we should do; it comes from within. It’s a measure of our character, and something the world needs and wants. Episode notes here . Learn more about our ministry at Lionshare.org When available, epis...

It's rare to find someone who likes to forgive. We feel justified in refusing to forgive someone. They wronged us! Or we feel they aren't sufficiently contrite. Often, it's easier to hold onto unforgiveness, than to humble ourselves and forgive.  How do we really do it? And how do we know if we have? Episode notes here . Send in comments and questions about Wisdom Unlocked here .  L...

In our last episode, we discussed being offended and how we shouldn’t “pick up offenses.” We decided to dig a little deeper into that because so much of the world right now is engaged in expressing strong opinions, battling to be right, and there almost seems to be an industry around being offended! This episode, we discuss what it means to operate in the opposite spirit.  It’s something Jesus did...

It seems like everyone is offended these days, whether it be our opinion on politics, the church, race, vaccines, sports and yes, even masks. Offense usually leads to anger, and we have the bad habit of saying we are “righteously angry” to excuse bad behavior. What do the Scriptures have to say about being offended? And is it possible to choose to NOT be offended? When available, episode notes are...

At Lionshare, we often reference the practice of “beginning with the end in mind.” So, in the first week of January, let’s do that.  Let’s begin the year with the end in mind, not necessarily the end of 2021 but with the idea of “finishing well.” Research shows that on average, only one in three spiritual leaders from the Bible, church history, and in modern times finish well.  We certainly had so...

In this advent season, Jesus’ name Emmanuel reminds us that God is with us.  His act of coming to Earth as a baby and putting on the constraints of being a human was an act of humility.  In this episode, we revisit our discussion on humility—how it does not rule the day in our culture.  It’s looked upon as a sign of weakness.  What are some practical steps we can take to live a humble life, and wh...

Most of us will agree that 2020 has been hard.  There’s no guarantee that when the calendar flips to January 1, 2021 that things will magically get better.  But 2021 could be the year that you seize your great opportunity.  Episode notes here . Join the online book club by emailing info@lionshare.org. Learn more about ministry at Lionshare.org When available, episode notes are at Lionshare.org/pod...