The Simple Not Shallow Podcast

If there is any hope of our reaching our goal of hearing God say to us, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant." There is something we must continually strive to experience: the fullness of the power of the Holy Spirit.  For it is his power that gives us wisdom, knowledge,  and insight. Join Gerald Yerkes as he explores this with you. And please, share your thoughts in the comment bo...

So, we've prepared our minds for action; now comes the challenge of what to do with this preparation. In this episode, we will look at the challenge of stepping up to the plate, beginning to exercise... self-control. And please, share your thoughts in the comment box on this episode's homepage.  Link to this episode's homepage: https://www.simplenotshallow.com/the-sns-podcast/124 Sc...

A critical part of our journey is preparing our minds for action. It begins by acknowledging that we are indeed at war with our spiritual enemy, the devil. In this episode, we will explore what it means to prepare our minds and how this equips us to win the battles we face.  And please, share your thoughts in the comment box on this episode's homepage.  Link to this episode's homepage: h...

On our journey so far, we’ve explored being receptive to God’s call and some steps we can take to do so. In this episode, we explore what’s involved in the call to follow Jesus; to be his disciple in this call to holy living.   And please, share your thoughts in the comment box on this episode's homepage.  Link to this episode's homepage: https://www.simplenotshallow.com/the-sns-podcast/...

Welcome back!  So, we’ve started the journey toward hearing God say, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” We’ve become receptive to God’s call. And we want to grow. But what are some steps we can take to do so? This is the topic of this episode.  All Scripture referenced is listed below. And please, share your thoughts in the comment box on this episode's homepage. The link is below.  Link...

So, we’ve started the journey toward hearing God say “Well done, good and faithful servant!” We’ve become receptive to God’s call. What’s next? We are called to grow. But how does that start, and what does it entail? This is the topic of this episode.  All Scripture referenced is listed below. And please, share your thoughts in the comment box on this episode's homepage. The link is below.  L...

In order to reach our goal for this journey, hearing God say, "Well done, good and faithful servant!" We must be receptive to God's call. Yet, what does that mean? What does that entail? That is what we will talk about in this episode. All Scripture referenced is listed below. And please, share your thoughts in the comment box on this episode's homepage. The link is below. Corr...

Every journey begins with one step. Last time, we saw that the first step is to be born again. And this is only experienced through a personal relationship with Jesus.  The first thing required for this step is that we must be receptive to God’s call. What is this call? That is the topic of this episode. All Scripture referenced is listed below. And please, share your thoughts in the comment box o...

As with any journey, if we have any hope of reaching our destination and hearing, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant!” as we stand before the Lord. Not only must we be on the right path. But we also must follow the right directions. What these directions are is the topic of this episode. Join Gerald Yerkes as he discusses this foundation for a successful journey toward hearing God say to y...

Every journey begins somewhere. The journey of being a follower of Jesus is no exception. Are you certain you are a follower of Jesus, a child of God? On what is that certainty based? Join Gerald Yerkes as he shares what Scripture says is the way to know for certain that you are a redeemed child of God. Scriptures referenced: 2 Timothy 2:15 Work hard to be able to present yourself to God unashamed...

In this episode, the question we will explore in order to enrich our faith is: What is repentance?              Before going crazy talking about this, let’s look at it through the lens of what it means to be a Christian. Which is a following of Jesus that, first and foremost, involves a relationship with him, leading to studentship under him, and then to a life lived for him based on everything he...

In this episode, the question we will explore to enrich our faith is: Why is forgiving others so important to our faith? And since this is to enrich our Christian faith, we must look at it through the lens of what it means to be a Christian. Otherwise, whatever we enrich, it may not be our faith in Jesus.  And as a reminder, this lens is a following of Jesus that, first and foremost, involves a re...

In this episode, the question we are going to explore to enrich our faith is: Why does God sometimes feel distant from us?  As we begin to consider this question, let’s remember to look at it through the lens of what it means to be a Christian. Which does mean, first and foremost, to be in a relationship with Jesus, one that leads to studentship under him, that then leads to a life lived for him b...

In this episode, we are going to look at the best and worst parts of Christian life. And we are going to do this while looking through the lens of what it means to be a Christian, which is a following of Jesus that involves a relationship leading to studentship leading to living a life based on everything learned. Indeed, it is only as we look through this lens that we can see these parts as being...

In this episode, we are going to talk about the question: Who is Jesus? I know. In a fairly short video, are we going to explore this question fully? Yeah, no. But we are going to talk about a framework you can use while pursuing your relationship with him while learning who he is. So, what comes to mind when you hear the question, who is Jesus? You might be saying, “He is God.” Yes, but is that a...

In this episode, we are going to consider the questions: what is prayer, and why is it so important? Many have talked about prayer, going into depth on the hows and whys of it all.  So… what can a man, even one standing in these hallowed halls while chatting over a cup of coffee, contribute to the insights of such heavy hitters as these and other thoughtful scholars? I don’t know, but what better...

In this episode, the question we will explore to enrich our faith is: What is Christianity? Or to phrase it another way, what does it mean to be a Christian? I mean, since the goal here is to enrich our faith as Christians. We should probably discuss what it means to be a Christian. Right? Here’s what I have found while looking through the Bible. Christianity is following Jesus. Now, before you sa...

In this episode, I’d like to introduction to the Coffee-side Chat series rather than offer a question to explore. If you've been following this podcast, you might be thinking, “This is a strange time for an introduction, as you are several episodes in at this point.” And, yeah, you would be correct. But not having explained things earlier, I’m concerned that not everyone will understand why t...

In this episode, the question we will explore to enrich our faith is: How does the phrase ‘go big or go home’ apply to our faith? Well, last time we spoke about how being perfect means to be maturing, growing up, in terms of loving God and our neighbors. That got me thinking. Wouldn’t it be nice if God helped us out with this by telling us how to do it? I think I found where he did so a time or tw...

In this episode, the question we will explore to enrich our faith is: Should Christians expect to be perfect people?  So anyway, what brought this to mind? I was reading in the book of Matthew and came upon 5:48, where Jesus says we are to be perfect, as God is perfect. Was he putting forth an unrealistic expectation of us? Telling us to always get everything right? It doesn’t seem likely that he...

In this episode, the question we will explore to enrich our faith is: How can the narrow gate and the restricted, difficult path lead to an abundance of life?  I mean, in Matthew 7:13-14, Jesus said that narrow is the gate and restricted is the way that leads to life. And in John 10:10, he also said that he came to give an abundance of life to those who believe in him. The question is, how does th...

So, today’s question is this: What do you think sin is? Before you answer too quickly, it may be worth considering what we spoke of last time. Last time we spoke, we discussed how God’s thoughts differ from ours (Isaiah 55:8, 9). And how his idea of love is different from ours. Did we not? What if this also applies to sin?  Well, in light of this, today’s question becomes more interesting, don’t y...

So, today’s question is: “How would you explain Christianity in just a sentence or two?” As you ponder this, allow me to offer my thoughts. I would say that following Jesus is about living a whole life from our whole life. Isn’t that interesting?  So, living a whole life from a whole life. Where should I begin?  Do you remember Jesus saying that he came to give us an abundance of life (John 10:10)...

This past week I have had cause to get angry at work. Now, the ins and outs of why are not crucial to our chat. For we all know what it’s like to get mad at work, right? But the anger itself is what is of interest. Because it brought to mind an age-old question; is getting angry a sin? Is it a sign of weak faith? This is what we are going to chat about in this episode. Now, my name is Charles, Cha...

Can I just say that once again, the Psalms have turned what I have thought about asking for God’s blessing on its head? Here, the psalmist asks God to bless the king so that others may also become blessed. Also, this gives a whole new perspective to something that two other psalms say. For instance, in Psalm 1…. Well, tell you what, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Let’s first hear the psalm; the...