Finding God in a Modern World

What do you do when someone starts questioning your beliefs? How do you respond when you don't have an answer for their questions? People put Christianity to the test all the time, and sometimes that means believers getting put on the spot. In this episode we talk practical advice for dealing with the critics in your life.

There seems to be no end to the different denominations within the global church, and each one seems to have its own spin on what it means to be a follower of Jesus. How can a person manage to find a church that will help them foster their faith and grow in their discipleship when the choices are so overwhelming? In this episode we take a closer look at the various positions within Christian religious thought and try to make some sense of it all.

In the final episode of this three part series we trace a line of similarities all the way from Jacob in Genesis to the apostle Paul in the Book of Acts. We explore the calling of both men and their struggles with God and try to find meaning in the hardship and suffering that often falls on the heads of Jesus followers.Music: Inspiring and Upbeat, Dream Come True, by Scott Holmes

In this episode we continue to examine the strange story of Jacob wrestling with God at Peniel. Following the theme of wrestling with God into the New Testament, we find some haunting truths in an all too familiar story of loss and tragedy.

Sometimes life gets hard. And when life gets hard sometimes we start asking some hard questions. And that can bring answers that we don't want to hear. How do we navigate through times in our lives like that and why does it feel like wrestling with God?Music: Inspiring and Upbeat, and Little Idea by Scott Holmes Music

Sex is one of the most powerful and scandalous things on the planet. But it is also one of the foundations of God's plan for His creation. How did something so integral to God's plan become so wicked and taboo? The answer begins in Genesis and leads all the way through the Bible.Music: Upbeat and Inspiring and Dream Come True by Scott Holmes

The internet is exploding with the news of Kanye West's new gospel album and his apparent conversion to Christianity. Is it true? Has Kanye really given his life over to following Jesus? And how will this effect his career? Kanye's new album, "Jesus is King" is making waves, and I felt like I might as well throw in my two cents on the whole ordeal.

The Bible says in the Book of Hebrews that faith is the conviction of things unseen, but how well does that hold up in a world of science and proof? Is it enough to just believe, without having the evidence to really back that faith up? Or is there evidence that we just aren't seeing because we don't look in the right places? Great questions. Let's try to dig up some answers.Music: "Upbeat and Inspiring" and "Oceans Apart" by Scott Holmes

War has been a common theme in our last few episodes, and continuing with that theme this episode we take a look at the role that we play as soldiers for Jesus. Whether you realize it or not, followers of Jesus are called to be soldiers in an ongoing battle against the forces that rebel against God's sovereign rule. But if you are going to enlist, you had better know who to fight and what to fight them with.

God requires sacrifice, the Bible says so, but why? What was up with killing all those animals in the Old Testament era, and what does it mean to the Jesus followers of today? In this episode we take a look at those questions and how they relate to Jesus' command to take up our cross and follow Him.Music: "Inspiring and Upbeat", "Everest" and "Dream Come True" by Scott Holmes.

The Book of Joshua in the Bible's Old Testament chronicles the bloody conquest of the nation of Israel in the land of Canaan, a land promised to them by God Himself hundreds of years before. But why the need for war and violence? Is Yahweh not a God of peace and love? So many people have trouble making sense of what seems to be a glaring contradiction in the character of God. Can we reconcile this war and bloodshed? I believe we can, but in order to do so we must turn to the life and teachings of Jesus.

Christians often find themselves entangled in the argument against support of the LGBT community. Are Christians meant to be right winged and labelled intolerant, or should we lean more to the left and be supportive of alternative lifestyles? Getting caught up in political debates does not suit the Church well, and individual Christians need to know how they should react to people who live or support these lifestyles. The answers for all questions regarding righteous living lie in the words of Jesus; this debate is no exception.Music: "Upbeat and Inspiring," "Little Idea," and "Dream Come True" by Scott Holmes, https://scottholmesmusic.com/

An attempt to make some sense out of the laws of the Old Testament in regards to how they relate and remain relevant to an ever changing modern society, which can be accomplished only through an understanding of Jesus and His relationship with the Torah.

A look into the heart of one of the Bible's most import theological aspects, forgiveness. God has forgiven us through Jesus's sacrifice and new life; how then does that affect our forgiveness toward others?

Continuing on the theme of suffering as a follower of Christ we explore an interesting analogy from a man of God who knew all about suffering, Paul of Tarsus. What does it mean to persevere under persecution, and how can we link this to obedience and righteousness? Let's find out.

How do we begin to reconcile the problem of suffering among the followers of Christ with the theology of a loving and compassionate God? Why are some followers forced to wait for redemption while seemingly wicked people prosper? Why do there seem to be so many contradictions in the wisdom books of the Bible? Tough questions. Let's try to find some answers.

Was King David depressed? Looking closely at the Psalms that he wrote we can see that his sorrow at times ran very deep, but was it deep enough to be considered depression? And if so what does this mean for us as Christians today, in a world plagued by depression and mental illness? In this episode we try to answer these questions and more.

The choices we make shape our everyday lives, but they also shape our relationship with Jesus. The apostle Paul pointed this out in his letters and traced the idea all the way back to God's covenant with the Hebrews before Israel was even a nation. In this episode we take a close look at the impact our everyday choices have on our spiritual health and what we can do to improve that. This episode is dedicated to Elaina, my sage, who inspired me to make the "choice" to write it.

In this episode we attempt to answer some of the really puzzling questions about human morality like, why does it exist? Where did it originate from? How does it relate to God and how is it relevant in today's society? Is morality subjective or universally constant? Difficult questions, but the Bible provides comprehensive answers.

We finish up our examination of John 14:6 by exploring what it means for Jesus to be the life. We take a look at Jesus' role as the giver and sustainer of life in His followers, the surrender of His life in the crucifixion and the way His life leads the way in establishing the Kingdom of Heaven on earth.

We wrap up our discussion on Jesus' declaration of Himself as "the way" by examining the life of his disciple Peter, and exploring the connection between grace, faith and suffering.

In part two of our discussion on Jesus as "The Way" we expand on the theology of salvation by trying to figure out what it is we need to be saved from. We explore the topic of sin and its origins and its effect on not only us but the world we live in.

In this episode we begin to explore the idea of Jesus being "the way" as He described Himself in John 14:6, and we find out that He is not just any way, but the way to God. We also begin to discuss exactly what it means to follow "The Way."

In John 14:6 Jesus claimed that He was the way, and the truth, and the life. This is a core theological statement, and one that can be quoted by Christians all around the world, but do we really know what He meant? In this episode we begin breaking down and analyzing this statement by figuring out what Jesus meant when He claimed to be the truth.

We start our exploration of the Bible by getting acquainted with the Son of God, Jesus, who came to fulfill the role of The Messiah.

Why should we think that the Bible is the proper place to start looking for God? In this episode we look at the criticism and acclaim that has surrounded this ancient book, and try to figure out what it's really all about.

We start off our journey to find God by asking the question: "Why even bother?" The answer lies in knowing that God is the only way to truly satisfy the deepest of human desires. In part one of this three part series we explore how God is able to give our lives true purpose.

In part two of this three part series we continue asking why it is worthwhile to even bother looking for God by exploring the Bible's teachings on how God is able to provide people with acceptance.

In the final part of this three part series we finish off answering the question of "Why bother trying to find God?" by delving into the largest and most important theme of the Bible, love.