The Bible for Everyday Life

Don't let baggage regarding keeping the Sabbath keep you from enjoying this most wonderful of spiritual disciplines/gifts that we have the privilege of enjoying. Do the things that you don't have time todo during the rest of the week. Slow down, rest, enjoy, play, live and love. It's a gift from this amazing God who is and always has been crazy about His kids.

If you've been struggling with your spiritual life. If you've wondered if perhaps you aren't passionate enough in your spirituality. Start now ... celebrate joy! I know, I know, not everything is going to be happy and stress free and naturally full of joy filled moments. But that's why it is so important ... to celebrate joy! Practice joy! Live with joy!J oin us as we discover God's wish for all of His kids to experience and celebrate joy.

Jesus came to this earth to confront us with a choice. Are we going to commit to following him, or are we going to drift along? The good news He says, is that it is possible to follow him, to be transformed. Again, this is not about how to be saved, this is about how to live our lives in such a way that people see Jesus through us. On our own we don't naturally drift into that kind of life. When Jesus lived that kind of life it was a shock to the world. But the good news is, this God who is crazy about us, He haspromised to help us live this amazing life for which we were born to live. That is the secret to trainingsmarter and not harder.

Christianity has lost much of its power because we really don't expect anyone to change as a result of being a Christian. At least we don't expect them to be more loving and more tolerant and more positive. We aren't surprised if a person becomes a Christian and they get grumpy. But that's not what God has called us to do.

What happened on the cross was not some legal transaction to satisfy a blood thirsty god who needed for somebody to die before He could let us live. It is so much more than that ... but what is that more and how does it change everything?

It is a sacred moment to be there when somebody breathes their last breath, and their heartstops beating. It is also a sacred time to be there when people are facing the end, and they know it. Frequently they share what is on their hearts, their hopes, their disappointments, their frustrations andtheir fears. Jesus' last words to his followers before he died and left this earth carry that same weight andimportance. There is so much to learn from last words.

We have talked a lot about God and how he can be trusted. We have looked at the life of Christ and how it affirms the loving, trusting, compassionate nature of God. The question today is, “Will you actually trust him with your life?” Maybe you are like me, and you still don't have it all figured out. Maybe there are some parts of the Bible that still seem squirrely. Maybe you still have unanswered questions, but you've seen enough to begin ...

In our 21st century minds we are obsessed with making sure we believe the right things. This focus on believing the right things is not new. It really started to build momentum during the Renaissance period, Age of enlightenment or reason. It was an important development in our history, but as with most things ... the pendulum often swings well passed center before it returns.

When we turn our eyes on Jesus and see how he loved, then we understand the OT better. You see, The Eyes Have it. What are we focused on? If we keep our eyes focused on God as a God of love, if we keep our eyes on Jesus living that example of love, then when we see weird things in the Bible and it looks like God is mean or unfair, or just crazy ... if we keep our eyes on this God of love, then we know that somehow there is more to the story. If it looks unloving, then we've got it wrong, because God is love. If it looks crazy and unbelievable then we are missing something, because God is anything but crazy ... except ... it's true God is crazy in this one thing. He's crazy about you.

We all agree that sin is bad, but we are often more sympathetic toward sin than we are towards God. What I mean by that is this. If sin ends up killing somebody, we understand that. It makes us sad, but we expect it. After all, Paul tells us in Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, ...But if we perceive that God has killed somebody for sinning, we get really upset about it. How can God do that? Sin can kill, and it's understandable. But God? ... that makes us angry.

Let's talk about Easter. It's the Superbowl of Christianity. Without Easter nothing makes sense. Without Good Friday, Christ's death on the cross, we have no hope and without Easter Sunday, the resurrection ... Good Friday is meaningless. This is it. The Superbowl ... the big showdown between Christ and Satan. It was a close call. On Friday night ... it looked like Satan had won. Christ was defeated. That Sabbath 2,000 years ago was truly a Black Sabbath, way before Ozzy Osbourne sang with the group.

SeasonTwenty-fourPodcast SynopsesWhen You're not sure you want to believe1.Title:E24:01–Romantic Love is Crazy ... in a good way!Synopsis:As we are going on this journey to find faith again, to become more passionate in ourspirituality, consider this. Think loving thoughts, toward your spouse, toward your family, your neighbors,those you don't even know, and toward God. Do loving things. It's the best way to build loveandto buildfaith. Romantic Love ... it's God's gift ... it's not always easy, but ... it's probably one of our best insightsinto how much this amazing God is crazy about His kids.

Not everybody relates to God in the same way. Did you know that there are at least 9 different spiritual styles? We all have our primary style in which we most easily connect with God, and we all have ways in which it is harder. None are more right than any of the others. They are just different. Maybe you'll discover why you see God differently than your friends and family and maybe ... together you can discover even more about this amazing God when you learn to see Him through the eyes of other people.

Our church, Summit Northwest Ministries, took a survey on church health. The survey is put out by Natural Church Development. In this episode I share the results of the survey with our church family. Listen in as we discover a bit about ourselves.

As we started 2024, I asked Panel of Collegiate Young Adults some questions about their generation and the church. Questions like: What do you wish other generations new about you? What arethe biggest challenges that Christian young adults face? Why aren't more Young Adults excited about God? What do you value in Church Community? What drew you to our Church community? Tune into hear their insightful responses.

God never changes … it's comforting and intimidating at the same time. Does this mean that all the harsh rules of the OT are still in effect? Does this mean that we need to do church just like they did 100 years ago? What does it mean that God doesn't change? And what part of God doesn't change? When we read the OT to find out stuff about God, it is quite a bit different than if we read it to find out what we are supposed to do. Let's discover together and amazing message about an amazing God who always has and always will be crazy about His kids. 

Shalom! The world needs more Shalom. It's what the angels came to sing. “Glory to God in the Highest and on earth peace, good will toward men.” And yet, this world has been anything but peaceful through out its history. And we aren't even in the worst of times. Find out about God's desire to bring us more peace and how His peace is different than the peace offered by anyone or anything else. 

Christmas and Hanukkah share similar space on the calendar, but is there more than that? Join us as we learn a lot from our Jewish brothers and sisters about God's desire to deliver his kids from the pain of this world. Hanukkah is not the Jewish Christmas, but there is so much for us to learn and be inspired by this great story of God's crazy love for His kids. 

Christmas is the best time of the year. People all around the world in some way or other are told the story of Christmas, the story of a baby born in a manger. But what about all the pagan origins of our favorite Christmas traditions? Are we really supposed to avoid them at all cost or only celebrate them with some level of shame or embarrassment as Christians? What about the beloved Christmas Tree? How do we celebrate and remember Christianity and enjoy the spirit of the season? Join us as we discover how to handle those pesky pagan origins in a biblical manner.

Judge not … you're so judgmental … don't judge me … we hear it. Maybe we even say it. Are Christians really not supposed to judge? But then there is a verse about judging people in the church … what about that? Join us as we make our way through the minefield of judging.

We comfort each other with these words, don't we? I've heard myself say it. “He's in a better place now.” But what does that mean? And are they in a better place? What if we promise they are in a better place, but they really are going to hell? And what about Hell anyway? Is there even such a place?

It's better to be lucky than good … but who brings the luck? Football players pray before games, hoping for a winning outcome. We pray when we buy a lottery ticket. God promises to be with us, but does that mean He will bring us good luck? What is God more interested in than providing us with good luck … or is there anything else?

We are told to believe in ourselves, to trust ourselves. It's in the movies, especially the ones for kids. But can we trust ourselves? Is our conscience a reliable guide? How can we make it more reliable? What can we count on? Join us to find out more.

We hear it everywhere. It's on mugs. It's in the movies. It's on memes and Church bulletins. Well-meaning family members say it to grieving people. But is it really true? Does God orchestrate everything so that they turn out for good? Let's do a deep dive into what scripture really says.   

God promises that if we raise up a child in the way they should go, even if they stray, they're promised to return to their training. Or does He promise that? Find out what it means to train up a child and what that verse really says.

We pray for God to show us the way. Should we take this job or that one? Should we marry this person, or that? Should we buy this house, or the other one? Discover what God is really interested in and what He just doesn't care about.

Is this what God expects of us, to Forgive and Forget? Is it possible? How do you forget some hurts that are so painful? Discover what theBible really says about forgiving and forgetting.

Faith, Believe, Trust ... all mean different things to us, but do we understand how they are used in the Bible? Is faith enough? Discover how we live by faith, but we are saved by grace.

When something goes wrong, we tend to try and make or enforce laws to make sure it doesn't happen again. What can possibly go wrong? Find out what Job has to say about not only the nation of Israel, but about us and this amazing God who is crazy about His kids.

God gets a bad rap in the book of Job. How could he cause or allow so much hurt to Job? Satan never gets accused of anything and yet ... it's Satan's nature to hurt God's kids and then get them to blame God for the pain.

The Book of Esther turns our understanding of scripture upside down. God isn't mentioned, prayer isn't mentioned ... Is there even a God watching over the Jews in Persia? Back home, yes, for sure, but here in a foreign land? Discover the good news found in this paradoxical book.

Nehemiah means Comforter. There are so many parallels to the New Testament it's hard to keep track. But Nehemiah also acts in very uncomforting ways. His great leadership devolves to leadership by violence and enforcing of civil laws. What can this possibly tell us about grace?

It's the story of Israel sandwiched between two periods of exile. The first is a return from bondage in Egypt. The second is a return from captivity in Babylon. Discover what these two major events have in common and what amazing message of grace they have for us today.

You are to be excused if you had not noticed the Prayer of Jabez before Wilkinson came out with the book. It's very easy to overlook. Not only is it a one verse prayer, but it is also stuck in the middle of a bunch of names. One of the longest genealogies in the Bible. It's boring. ... And maybe it isn't really about what it is made out to be.

There is so much more to names in the Bible than most of us realize. After all, we don't speak Hebrew. Elijah's name gives insight into the ancient near east and its religions. It points to a loving God and reveals the truth about God the Father and God the Son.

Ahab was a bad guy, no doubt about it. But did you know that for all his faults and in spite of all the horrible things he did, he humbled himself before God and God blessed him forit. It's an amazing story.

Solomon ruled over the Glory Days of Israel. It didn't get any better than it was during his rule. Unfortunately, as the saying goes, the bigger they come, the harder they fall. But this isn't a story about Solomon's fall, this is a story about an amazingly patient God who is just crazy about His kids.

There is a book in the Old Testament called, Jesus. We know it as Joshua, but it's the same word from Hebrew to Greek. Since we are lookingfor Jesus in the OT, what better place to look than in a book that bears His name. It also tells the story of a miracle that happened, that really didn't need to happen.

If there is anything in the Old Testament that creeps us out the most about God, it has to be the sacrificial system. How can a loving God command the destruction of so many animals? And why would He do that? And why does He appear to like it so much? It's a pleasing aroma? Seriously … God likes barbecue? Or is there something deeper? Discover how ‘A Pleasing Aroma' is one of the most comforting phrases in the Bible, instead of one of the creepiest. 

It's the stuff of legends, myths, and movies. One cannot overstate the significance of the Ark of the Covenant to the Jewish nation. There is so much about the ark that we don't understand, but its very physical appearance begs us to focus on mercy rather than the law.  Discover the meaning behind the not so hidden truth of this amazing piece of sacred furniture.   

Moses is confronted by God at the burning bush. It's Jesus in disguise. He reveals His name to be “I am.” Jesus claims the same identity and is crucified because of it. There is something about that name. It's as full of questions as it is answers. What does ‘I am' mean? Join us as we travel back in time to be with Moses on the mountain with ‘I am' as it is revealed what the name really means. 

God saves His children from the Egyptians. They have been in slavery a long time. Ten plagues and the last one kills all the first born. God saves His kids, but He looks like a monster in the process. That can't be right. Let's take a closer to look at the story to see the details we often miss. God isn't a destroyer; He is a deliverer. 

Let's face it, Genealogies in the Bible are boring. Long lists of strange names that we can't pronounce. Why are they even included? But when we learn the names, hear their stories, all of a sudden … this genealogy in particular is anything but boring. Find out how this once boring geneology becomes a very unboring message of the Gospel. 

There is so much more to the story of Joseph than first meets the eye. He is amazing. He is always faithful. He always does the right thing. He never does anything wrong. Joseph is the only character in the Bible, other than Jesus, whose narrative covers more than a few verses who is never recorded as doing anything wrong. He never sins. Who does that? Other than Jesus … maybe Joseph deserves a closer look. 

Jacob's ladder, we love singing about it. We love telling the story. But there is so much more to it than a comforting dream for a deceitful man. The Gospel is in that Ladder. Assurance is in that Ladder. There is comfort for worrying Christians in that Ladder. 

There are no legalists. Just ask anybody, they'll deny it. We all know legalists, but none of us are legalists. So, what does it mean? Join us as we discover what it means to be a legalist and how to avoid falling into that trap. 

God has a sense of humor. If you don't believe it reread the story of Abraham, Sarah and baby Isaac. Sarah laughed and sometimes she gets called out for it, but you know what? They all laughed. Even God was in on the joke. In the beginning God had a sense of humor.   

If all you had were the first three chapters of Genesis you would have the full gospel story. Discover how the Messiah shows up in those three chapters. And it isn't just a prophecy about the future. The sacrifice, the atonement, the love and passion it's right there. All you need to hear the Gospel is found in the very first chapters of the. Bible. 

If we know what God was like before sin entered this world, then we can have an idea of what God will be like in eternity after sin and the originator of sin have been finally destroyed. In the beginning God's first command to mankind is recorded like this, God blessed them and said, Be fruitful and multiply. God wants us to be happy. Join us as we discover God's amazing desire for us to be happy … before sin had a chance to ruin it all.  

In the beginning was mystery. As Christians we get freaked out by big numbers, millions and billions of years. But in the grand scheme of eternity … it's a blink. The Beginning is a mystery and we are glad it is. Creation and the God of creation are mysteries that we get to explore for all eternity. We don't need to be afraid of big numbers. We have a bigger God. 

In the last chapter of the Gospel of Luke we hear Jesus say these incredible words to the discouraged disciples as they made their way home to Emmaus. Lk 24:27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. Jesus just proclaimed that the whole Old Testament told the story of Jesus. It wasn't just bits and pieces; it was Moses and all the Prophets in all of the scripture. Join us as we retrace this amazing journey to find Jesus in the OT.