Word of Life Church Podcast

"I woke up this morning looking for someone to blame. Someone to hate. Someone who I could make the single target for my fear about the officers killed in Dallas and for what happened to Alton Sterling and Philando Castile. It was such a desperate feeling to want to discharge the uncertainty and scarcity. Then it dawned on me that this is the exact drive that fueled what’s happening right now. Ins...

Jesus, we sit with you in lament for the land. We lament the long history of injustice that has been upon this land. We weep for the Native Americans who were killed and driven from their land. We weep for the African slaves who were sold and suffered in this land. We weep for Native Americans who continue to suffer injustice in this land. We weep for African Americans who continue to suffer injus...

Jacob wrestled with God and became Israel—the God wrestler. In time Israel became the name for the people of God. The people of God are not those who have God all figured out or have learned to use God; the people of God are those who wrestle with God.

As we get closer to July 4th, people often ask: Is it OK to be patriotic? Can I be a Christian and a Patriot? Can I celebrate national holidays like the fourth of July? Answering questions like these require a clear definition of patriotism. If by patriotism you mean pride of place and love of people in that place, then yes, it's OK to be a patriotic. But...it is easy for patriotism to turn into n...

The land of the Gerasenes is opposite Capernaum on the other side of the Sea of Galilee. Though it’s only eight miles away by boat, it really was a world away from Capernaum -- the land of the Gerasenes was a land of Gentiles. So when Jesus said, "let’s go over to the other side," he was saying, "let’s go to 'them.'" (If we’re going to learn to love the other, we’re going to have to get to know th...

Let’s try to evaluate the church in the context of beauty and ask some fearless questions. Instead of contributing to the hateful rhetoric of our ugly age, could the church be a shelter from the storm? Instead of a furrowed brow of disapproval, a clenched fist of anger, a wagging finger of condemnation, could the church present to the world a compassionate countenance of grace? Instead of being su...

As a child Prince Mephibosheth was let down by a loved one; as a result he was crippled, living on the edge of hell. Have you ever been let down by a loved one and the episode left its mark on you? Have you ever been hurt by those who were supposed to help you? Do you limp through life, suffering from old wounds, feeling like you're going through hell? This is Mephibosheth. But it's not the end of...

Power as defined as the need to be in control, and to be able to control others, belongs to that part of the world Jesus wants to save us from. We are all addicted to power and we don't even know it. This kind of power is challenged by the gospel. Jesus takes away the sin of power through powerlessness, leaving for us an example to follow. Jesus says those who lose their life will save it. When we...

Simeon Bachos, the Ethiopian eunuch, became the first Gentile convert to Christ. There is a powerful message here, because Simeon Bachos was the ultimate outsider. Excluded by his ethnicity and wounded in his sexuality, Simeon had never belonged, never had a place he could truly call home. But when Philip preached Jesus to him and then baptized him, the prophecy of Isaiah was fulfilled—the inclusi...

Religion is bad when it fosters and legitimizes violence. Religion is bad when it is infected with hypocrisy. Religion is bad when it becomes a source of spiritual pride. Religion is bad when it becomes in end in itself. Religion is bad when it becomes a means of domination. Religion is bad when it becomes an apparatus of coercive power. But religion can also be good; not only good, but absolutely...

The book of Ruth is a short-story vignette stuck between Judges and Samuel. From Genesis to Judges the Bible's story is dominated by larger than life characters—Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Samson, Gideon. The great heroes of Israel. All of these heroes of faith experienced miracles and were marked by greatness. But at last, with the book of Ruth, we meet some ordinary people. Some...

Bible reading as part of a spiritual formation regiment can be extremely beneficial in helping form disciples of Jesus in Christlikeness. But this isn’t always the case. There are ways of approaching the Bible, reading the Bible, using the Bible that are detrimental to the soul. Because the Bible is such a powerful thing, the misuse of it can be extremely dangerous. So how do we read the Bible so...

God has a face—it’s the face of Jesus. We see the face of God when we see Jesus. The beauty of God is fully seen in the face of Jesus. We see the face of Jesus as it is revealed in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. As we gaze on the face of Jesus, we are gradually transformed into the same image. To be transformed into the image of Jesus is the full work of salvation. The Old Testament said no one co...

How can we live in the midst of a world marked by fear, hatred, and violence, and not be destroyed by it? By becoming aware that our true house is not the house of fear, in which the powers of hatred and violence rule, but the house of love, where God resides. Through the spiritual life we gradually move from the house of fear to the house of love.” –Henry Nouwen, Behold the Beauty of the Lord

We are not Levites at Sinai cutting down sinners in our zeal. We are healers from Mount Zion reconciling people to God. We are not given the ministry of death from the letter; we are given the ministry of life from the Spirit. If we have more passion to put up the Ten Commandments in courthouses than to advocate for immigrants, help prisoners, and reconcile sinners, we can be sure we are filled wi...

When the Law was given at Mount Sinai, the Levites took up swords and killed 3,000 people who had worshiped the golden calf. At Pentecost, when the holy spirit was given, Peter preached the gospel and 3,000 people were saved! The Apostle Paul says it this way: “The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”

God is triune but Jesus gets a lot of attention because the Father sends the Son and the Spirit glorifies the Son. Jesus said that the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, would come to glorify him. The work of the Holy Spirit is not to draw attention to the work of the Holy Spirit, but to draw our attention to Jesus. He does this by producing within us the fruit of the Spirit.

Ascension Day is easily the most overlooked holy day in the church calendar. In Western culture Christmas and Easter remain very prominent (even if commercialized). In the church Good Friday and Pentecost are still recognized as holy days. But Ascension Day has been almost totally lost. This should tell us something: We’ve lost the meaning of the Ascension of Christ. The gospel is the story of Jes...

The demonic seduction of accusation, empire, and propaganda (dragon, beast, and false prophet) always lead humanity to another bloody battlefield. Armageddon always looms. Yet hope abides. Armageddon is always a possibility, but never an inevitability. If we reject the ways of the beast and follow the way of the Lamb, Jesus will lead us away from the doom of Armageddon into the shalom of the New J...

The Book of Revelation may be the most important biblical text for American Christians right now, but only if we can rescue it from its egregious misinterpretations and learn to read it properly. Revelation is NOT a 1st century prediction of the geopolitical events of the 21st century; Revelation IS a prophetic critique of the idolatry inherent with economic and military superpowers. The overarchi...

The eschatological vision of the Bible is the answer to our constant prayer, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” So at the end of the Bible we are shown a prophetic picture of the arrival on earth of the heavenly city, the New Jerusalem; a garden city that embodies fidelity and justice.

“Jesus stands before a broken world and says, 'Come follow me.' He invites you to discover a beautiful life that lasts forever." - The Journey at Word of Life Church A beautiful life is the kind of life that last forever. A beautiful life is the kind of life that saves the world. The most beautiful life is the life of Jesus, our Lord and Savior. It is the beauty of Christ that shines in the darkne...

From the beginning Jesus has been gathering together a flock, a community of people, who follow Jesus and believe his teaching, a community that would share his life, eternal life. The Journey at Word of Life is not a solo project. It is an adventure we share together with friends and also with people who we would not necessarily be friends without outside of our shared faith.

Following Jesus is something we do together, but it is a self-initiated journey. No one can walk this journey for you; it is something you determine to do. God does give his Spirit, the Holy Spirit, to be our helper and companion. However, you make the daily decision to either cooperate with or work against the Holy Spirit. We are each responsible for our own exploration of The Journey. We have th...