Cool of the Day

We're so used to the notion that God is with us that sometimes we forget that he is actually God!  Our very familiarity with him causes us to lose perspective on who and what He is.  This episode is meant to draw you back into actually seeing him again for everything he is.

We always wish God would reveal more of his plans for us—not keep us in the dark.  But what if that plan was something we didn't really want to hear?  Would we object and argue with God, or accept his will even if it meant going forward towards some scary destination?

The Christian life is a fine balance.  On the one hand, God means for us to be content and peaceful, but He never wants us to get to the point of feeling smug, satisfied and entitled, like we've got this walk with God “all figured out.”

God recognizes our need to have certain lessons repeated, sometimes many times, before they sink in.  What feels like repeated and discouraging failure is often a deeper form of growth and learning that God is making possible.

We get so invested in presenting a perfect image to the world that we become incredibly uncomfortable looking honestly at the topic of sin and of guilt.  This causes us to be artificial in dealing with our problems and superficial in dealing with others.  If we are Christian, then for our own health we need to get over our discomfort with acknowledging sin.

When fear is getting the better of us, it is often because our view of God has gotten smaller, and the objects that we fear are looming larger in our mind than He is.  This episode is about putting God back in the right perspective and getting a full view of his power.

We live in a world where death can come randomly and surprisingly.  It is disorienting and divides us.  On this podcast we pay tribute to a fallen hero.  

Jesus was capable of amazing and offending people at the same time.  That's because their preconceptions didn't have enough room to contain the reality of who He was.  Do you have a view of God that needs to be enlarged to account for all that we know of him?

Why does God appear to delay justice?  Why does he let hypocrites keep on lying when they give true believers a bad name?  Contrary to his mild reputation, Jesus is clear that he is an agent of judgment as well as mercy.

While God casts a wide net, only a fraction of the world responds to him.  What are the characteristics of those who hear him?  Are there ways we can prepare ourselves for God to do his work in us?

So often these days, people only want to consider God if He is neatly packaged and formatted to fit into their pre-established lives.  What if God really wanted to break through to us, and disrupt our routine?  Would we be ready to welcome him or would his outreach fall on deaf ears?

What is the unforgivable sin?  How do we know if we have committed it, and why is it unforgivable?  This episode explores the lengths people will go to concoct beliefs that keep God at a distance.

How do we balance competing priorities of justice?  Is it ever permissible to technically break a commandment in the pursuit of a righteous outcome?  Because Jesus came to live in our world, He experienced the challenge we face to keep all God's priorities in focus as we seek to obey His commands.

Do you need relief from a burden today?  Never let it be said that God the Father is harsh and judgmental while His Son Jesus is loving and compassionate.  Each member of the Holy Trinity embodies the full range of God's attributes—justice and mercy, righteousness and compassion.  God is eternally consistent and He invites you to come to Him and lighten your load.

While God loves to see us display faith, he is compassionate in response to our doubt.  In fact one of the greatest measures of faith are when believers are willing to be honest with God about their doubts.  Not to walk away from Him, but to talk it out with Him.  God loves it when we stay in the dialogue, even when we are confused.

Is following Christ truly your number one priority?  What if it cost you an important family relationship?  Are you willing to embrace the inevitable suffering that comes with being Jesus' disciple, and bring it with you into His service, or do you back away at the first signs of resistance?

Do you equate your political involvement with your Christian service?  Do you regard political opposition to your views as a form of religious persecution?  This episode is a caution to not look at our service to Christ as a purely political or social movement.

What if you could have a heart-to-heart talk with Jesus right now?  In person—just you and Him.  What would you ask him?  What would be on His mind to tell you?  This episode explores what it would be like if Jesus revealed his deepest thoughts and concerns to you personally.

It is an amazing truth that God gives us a role in our own healing.  The measure of our faith and our persistence is often a critical factor in how God chooses to work.  We have an awesome and mind-boggling opportunity to partner with God.

You may know what you want from God, but are you willing to accept what you really need instead?  Do you value your forgiveness more than your health and personal comfort?  Because Jesus said the former was way more important.

As Christians we often want the blessings of God, but we are reluctant to accept the lessons that must come with them.  We want the comfort, but we forget that a power like God's can be overwhelming, even a little scary.  Do we value our safety over godly growth?

Do we save our serious praying for emergencies only?  Do we think it is not worth God's time to go to him for mundane things?

Following God's will often means avoiding the conventional and obvious practices of the world.  Like a secret passage, Jesus said most people will miss it altogether.

Rather than living for God's approval, some Christians define their success by comparing themselves to others or by trying to produce a response in others.  Today's Scripture warns about measuring our spirituality against the standards of other people.

Just in time for the start of 2021, today's beautiful Scripture gives Jesus's perfect prescription for conquering the worry that plagues us all.

As you serve God, do you sometimes feel like there is a “second you” that is observing your own performance at times, and that is constantly evaluating how you are doing?  Today's Scripture speaks to eliminating that self-conscious feeling of “performing” our faith in God.

Sometimes, even when we have made a decision to follow and serve God, we have a hard time making our walk about God, and not about ourselves.  Our every decision and action seems dictated by our needs and perspectives.  Today's Scripture reminds us that being a servant of God means giving up our claim to ourselves.

What does it mean to be a good person?  Is it possible for a person to actually please God, and if so what standard of behavior do we need to adopt?

What is your personal brand?  When people think of you, what qualities do you bring to mind for them?  What qualities do you want to be known for?

We all want to be happy, but are there any surefire techniques we can follow to produce lasting happiness?  As Jesus begins his Sermon on the Mount, we learn that the path to happiness can seem counterintuitive.

What are the ways the enemy persuades you to delay, and never get started with what God is directing you to do?  If you have had trouble getting started with an important project, listen to today's podcast about "preparation" and "qualification."

How do we cut through the noise of passionate public discourse, and find clear and sane messages that God is intending us to hear?  Today we learn about discernment in the midst of bombast.

Where is God when innocent children suffer?  How can that possibly be part of his plan?  Today we learn that the Bible doesn't shy away from the tough questions.

Do your attempts to get to God meet with strange interruptions and unexpected obstacles?  Today we discuss what happens when worship meets the real world.

Have you ever had your best laid plans thrown into total chaos?  Hear how God uses the unexpected to fulfill his plan for your life.

Learn how God turns the messiness of real life into poetry, as his intentions for you are never thrown off course!