The Shield ONLINE

Can violence be redemptive? Scripture (and history) says no.And yet, we keep trying.Today we revisit the story of Cain and his brother Abel to see if we can understand the root of violence and how God responds to those who perpetrate it. How are we told to respond?

Paul had said that we need to have the same attitude and make the same choices and take the same actions as Jesus. Which he knew a lot of folks would think might be too hard! So he gave us two examples of ordinary folks who lived that out so that we could know it wasn't just some kind of unreachable goal, but was actually something that is EXPECTED from each one of us.Who were they and what was their witness to the world? And, more importantly, what is YOUR witness? Are you a testimony to Christ or do your choices suggest you are following a different commanding officer?

Look, I'm sure that your national pride, like that you might have for a favorite sports team, can be a fun component of your approach to life. However, Followers of the Way of Jesus need to make sure that Jesus is Lord!In his letter to the Philippians, Paul lays out the requirements for being and keeping our citizenship in God's Kingdom. Those may start and end with rejoicing (they do!) but citizenship has both rights and responsibilities attached. If we refuse to live those out, then we aren't citizens of Christ and maybe we never were. But don't despair! Paul explained in some detail the attitude we need to have to be successful! So listen to today's message, then go live it out.

Does it seem that there is more reason for sorrow than for joy? There's not.Am I ignoring the pain and suffering which is so prevalent in life?I'm not. It sucks. We should rely on our JOY as we combat those things.How can there be anything to rejoice about when there is war, injustice, people being falsely accused and condemned, people taking advantage of others for their own benefit, people working to bring misery on others, people living in fear?Because JOY is GREATER than that. The reasons for joy are GREATER than the reasons for giving up. And the JOY that will sustain you comes from a source which is greater than any misery the world can muster. And you can count on it at all times and in every way.

Know what we need a little more of in our lives? JOY! What if I told you that I have a gift for you which can fill you with joy to the point that you NEED to share it because there's too much for you to hold onto yourself? Paul wrote a letter to some friends once, trying to express the same thing to them and letting them know that these things apply to ALL of us! We can all become bearers of amazing and unending love and joy, and bring the gift of wholeness to others around us. In fact, it may be more than a possibility; it may be a command...Welcome to the Book of Philippians! REJOICE!

DEAD OR ALIVEJesus was dead. There is no question about that. So what happened to make someone who had spent their life wishing that was true come to believe that Jesus is alive?It's Resurrection Sunday! Maybe there's more to it than jellybeans and colored eggs.

LIES ABOUT PALM SUNDAYPalm Sunday is the most mistold tale since the Christmas story, making it the perfect cap to top off our series about the lies our Sunday School teachers taught us. Although I probably would lay the blame for this one more on pastors and teachers who turn an event that wasn't into a spectacle. It's not hard to see how so many people misunderstand what happened that day! All you need to do is STOP READING before the gospel writers finish telling their stories... I guess if you don't like the ending, stop before you get to it, right?Today, we read the WHOLE story and change the way we understand Palm Sunday to something quieter, deeper, and more dramatic than the lie most people have embraced.

Good news! You have the keys to Hell. The owner has given you the right to come and go as you please. And the right to share Hell with others by sending them in or setting them free. Will you take up residence, or insist that others must, or will you open the gates?Jesus gave you those keys. He also explained why and how you can use them, if you choose.

TODAY YOU WILL BE WITH ME IN... WHERE, EXACTLY?We are working through some of the lies that we are taught in Sunday School! As in all walks of life, we need to be careful to separate the fantasy and superstition from our religious walk, or our understanding of God and how we were created live will be distorted.This week we examine what scripture teaches us about what happens after we die. It may not be what you think! Be sure to examine the scripture and history for yourself.

Have you ever wondered if God might get so mad that he flings poo at someone like an angry chimpanzee? If so, this is the week for you to check in here!We're taking a break from our LIES series to talk about one of my favorite subjects: The Bible itself! We'll play a game (yes, there are prizes!) and examine how we get the book that we read and also run down the pros and cons of some popular translations.What could reading the Bible regularly mean for your faith? And what could it break? If you believe that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments were given by the inspiration of God and that they only constitute the Divine rule of Christian faith and practice, you might want to be particularly mindful about what and how often you read them. Just saying.

If there is a Disney Princess story in the Bible...The story of Esther is NOT it.In Sunday school, we tell it as if it is, but this (like the story of Samson) isn't a story meant to be told to children. It's a very adult story, filled with very adult themes. From sex trafficking to murder to politics and scheming to the death of tens of thousands, this is a story written to bring attention to God's love in a very subtle and unusual way...We can only hit the highlights today, so listen to today's teaching as a guide, then go read the whole thing for yourself. Questions, comments, and discussion are always welcome!

We're taking a short break from our Sunday School Lies series, but will resume it next week! This week, we need to talk about something else...Aren't we all basically good people? That's the central question of our Bible exploration today. The answer? Well... We'll consult with psalmists new and old and prophets and apostles and this guy named Jesus who you may have heard of. To reach a conclusion, we'll need to use our internal organs to make a very external decision and then live it out. What does that mean? Join us, and find out!

The children's story of Zacchaeus the tax collector teaches kids that short people are inferior, rich people are evil, and that if you have enough money to spread around, both of those can be overlooked.This isn't even close to what the story is really about.In fact, it seems possible that Zacchaeus is neither short nor a thief.So what IS going on, and what are we supposed to make of it?Grab your Bibles and be ready to follow along in Luke 19 for this week's study!

As a child, I was taught again and again that the glory of God was somehow shined up by the genocidal destruction of Jericho when Israel entered the Promised Land. As an adult, I've heard and been taught and had it explained that this is true and that it is a good thing. That there can be Holy War where we kill our enemies and their children and their animals and God loves it.Here's the problem:That's not true.It's not what this story is about.It's not what we are supposed to get from it.And it isn't AT ALL the intent, purpose, or hope of God.In fact, the story isn't even really about Jericho. This is Rahab's story.  And it matters to you and I today, if we have ears to hear it. 

Why did Jesus heal people? Was it because they came to him, repentant and ready to work for him, so he fixed them? Was it because he couldn't be around people who weren't perfect? Was it a way of buying their loyalty? Or was something else going on?Today we look at the story of a man who was paralyzed being brought to Jesus. But making that man's body work the same way as everyone else's wasn't at all what Jesus thought was important. Please join us for this week's look at the lies we are taught in Sunday School...

He's been called the Superman of the Bible, but that's not at all who or what Samson was. The example of this strong man is found in how weak he really was...Today we share the REAL story of Samson, one that should never be in a children's Bible. Join us?

There comes a moment in every boy's life when his father takes him up on a mountain to kill him... No, wait. That's not right, is it? And yet, somehow, we have got the idea in our head that God asking Abraham to sacrifice Isaac is a great story about a man willing to do whatever his god asks of him. That's NOT what this story is about. If it sounds messed up from beginning to end, that's because it is. Which leads (or should) to some pretty big questions about what was happening, what should we make of it, and is there anything in here which we can use to make our lives and our world better? Or is sacrificing our children necessary to sway the actions of the LORD?

There was this group of people called disciples who followed Jesus.How many were there and who were they and what did they do and was it the right thing or not?You probably think the answers to those questions are simple, because that's what our Sunday School stories suggest. The truth, it turns out, is much more complex, more rich, and far more compelling of a story...

I don't think Sunday School Teachers set out to lie to their charges - it usually happens because they are passing on wrong things they have been taught. They just don't take the time to research something that they think they already know. Or they teach from their modern point of view, missing or ignoring what the author(s) intended.Which is how the story of Jonah stopped being a tale of God's amazing grace and became about a man and a whale...Which is very much is NOT.

It's not unusual for people to simplify things for children. But when we do that with scripture, we can lose the original intent or even change the reason the story was included. This is BAD. Why? Because when you tell the story wrong, you always lose something. Sometimes you lose everything.For example, the story of David and Goliath is NOT about a small boy beating a giant. It's also NOT about the underdog taking on impossible odds. Is that the story you know? Then you'd better join us for today's dive into the true story.

Christmas is over. What was the point of it all anyway? Why do we always seem to leave the holiday season with the feeling that something was or is missing? And is that something that can be fixed, or is it just the way things are?Today we look at God's goal for his creation and the true meaning of the Christmas story. It's perhaps not what you thought and it's so much more than we usually celebrate about it.

Dear Magi,Thank you for bringing gifts to help with the raising of our child. They sure came in handy! It wasn't more than an hour after you left that we needed to pack up and move to another country, and we never would have been able to do that so easily without the extra funds you provided. Thank you! We enjoyed having you as our guests.I'm not so sure that the other parents in the area have quite the same fond memories of your visit...We'll be sure to stop in if Joe and I ever head over your way! We're married now, so we can travel without bringing all the chaperones, but I suppose you know what it's like traveling with a crowd.With gratitude,Mary (and Joseph and Jesus)

You know all those pictures of the blonde women with harps and halos and swan's wings flying over a bunch of shepherds and some sheep while spotlights from heaven light them all up while the birth of Jesus is announced?Where does any of that come from? Because it isn't from the stories in scripture. What does the Bible say happened? Oh, it's something so much better...Join us for the third week of Advent and the true story of why it mattered to shepherds that this particular baby was born where and how he was.

We've grown a whole tragic mythology around the Christmas story that makes me CRAZY. This is supposed to be a CELEBRATION, people! Why do we insist on ignoring all the joy and adding false horrors into a tale that has enough difficulty of its own?This Christmas, try sticking to the scriptural story of Christmas and see if the true story isn't a thousand times BETTER than the one you see on TV.

There is HOPE in the real story of Christmas that you'll never find under a tree. There are examples of people who have been clinging to the world's shame and condemnation accepting - if somewhat dubiously at first - that God can and does love and care for them for who and what they are. And that if that is true, which it IS, then the opinions being heaped on them by their family, their culture, and their world, do not matter one donkey dropping in the deepest desert.This is the Advent story we all need to know.

A lot of stories people tell over and over take on a mythic quality. The story of the first American Thanksgiving is one of those. Happy Pilgrims and happy Indians planning out a feast of turkey and pumpkin pie is a fairy tale, not a history.Many of the stories from scripture are the same. What we are taught isn't what you read. Sometimes the things you read are colored by your expectations and sometimes bits are skipped to make the story say what the narrator wants it to say. The REAL stories are often better, deeper, and maybe more uncomfortable...One example is the story of King David getting involved with a woman who was the wife of one of his warriors...

"Jumpin' Jehoshaphat!" has been a humorous non-swear swear for a long time. But who was Jehoshaphat and why was he so jumpy?This week I'm going to tell you a story from the Old Testament which highlights the difficulty of remaining at peace during times of way and how fight or flight are not the only options. There is a third way, a choice we can each make, one that involves following the Way of the LORD. Which way did Jehoshaphat jump and which path will you choose?

We live in a world full of violence and pain. Our culture celebrates retribution and preemptive strikes - the destruction or at least submission of our enemies as payback for what they have (or might have) inflicted on us.The Bible certainly contains many stories of the same kinds of struggles, of harm being done to the people of God and of their responses. Obviously, this provides a righteous path for us to respond to those who would harm us or our families or friends with the same kind of brutality and death they visited on us, right?Our final Horror Story of the Bible for this season is one of the deep craving we have to visit the pain we feel onto those we hold responsible for it and anyone associated with them. What does God call on his people to do in the face of violence being done to them?It may be that Old Testament vengeance isn't what you think it is.

This week, the Return of Horror Stories from the Bible continues with a tale of ghosts or demons responding to a call from King Saul. Why would Israel's first king turn his back on the commands of God to chase after messages from the dead? And what will he do when the message he gets is not at all what he hoped?Grab your popcorn and sit near a friend while we dig deep into this dark story from a dark time.

It's that time of year: Horror Stories of the Bible return to help lead us up to the celebration of all the saints who came before us. Today we delve into the twisted story of a man who was able to snatch bitter defeat from the jaws of victory. While his story may burn itself into your memory, don't light a candle for him. His choices left a legacy in ashes and are to be viewed as a warning that we should sacrifice our pride, not our pride and joy.The fact that there are multiple stories in the Bible which could fit this description should remind us all to be careful to think before we speak or act. There is always a right choice that can be made.

Sure, the Beatitudes make a nice little framework for a life of faith in Jesus. Maybe I'll work on them sometimes, you know, like a church-related hobby. But we wouldn't want to go all in on them, would we? What would people think? We'd seem to be some kind of Jesus freaks if we did that. People might be mean to us. Some might even be angry! Jesus didn't really mean for his followers to take this stuff personally, did he?Oh, let me tell you, he made this all VERY personal when he told us to put the salt of our lives into our manure!Wait, what?Join us today for salt, light, and the ninth blessing.

Is there any way to look at being made to suffer at the hands of others that could be considered any kind of a blessing? And yet, Jesus offers us this wild saying that says we are blessed when we are persecuted for righteousness! What the heck is he going on about there? Has he spent too much time in the sun?Today, we dive into this Beatitude to uncover what it means and -  just as importantly! - what it DOESN'T mean. And what, exactly, it means for those of us who are trying to follow the Way of Jesus that leads us into the Kingdom of God.

"In the real world, that stuff [that Jesus said] doesn't work."This was said to me by a pastor friend as we discussed the importance of following the Way of Jesus as he laid it out. Our disagreement was about how we are to respond to those who are or may be trying to harm us.That friend is no longer a pastor, which I think is probably for the best, because if a representative of Jesus doesn't believe the teaching and example of Jesus matters in "the real world" then they aren't representing Jesus, are they? I believe that the things of Jesus ARE the real world and his instructions often lead us to take positions which don't match our culture.Like when he said that if we want to be identified as God's people, we need to make peace in all things...

Purity and holiness sound like terribly boring religious concepts requiring us to lead dull lives enclosed in harsh boundaries, deprivation, and perfection. When we screw up, we're out, right? ZAP goes the lightning, then straight into the depths of depravity and destruction!Yeah, that would be every bit as horrible as it sounds. Fortunately, that's not at all what the Bible means when it talks about being pure in heart! Remember that Jesus was pure in heart but his opponents got all over him for spending so much time at parties and having too much fun. So what DOES it mean and how do we get to live out the going to parties purity instead of the drudgery version? Join us for today's discussion and hear for yourself!

Sometimes people suck, and when they do they should be held up for ridicule and contempt and mockery... Oh, wait. That's what we DO, but is that what Jesus asks of his followers? Is it the example God provides us with? Or are we supposed to find it in ourselves, somehow, to show mercy?I suspect you already know the answer. Maybe looking at the examples Jesus gave for showing mercy will give us some hope that we might be able to learn how to do it. Or maybe we'll decide that we just don't care for that instruction and we'll stick with being unforgiving jerks who refuse mercy because we don't think some people are worthy of it.How do you think a citizen of the Kingdom of God would act?

Now that we've spent a few weeks talking about being blessed, let's talk about what the word BLESSED means and how it may not be exactly what we've been thinking it is. Then let's talk about the deeper meaning of righteousness and how it's something for every one of us to embrace, not just a thing for holiness superstars. Something to consider: Being righteous doesn't come from following rules! It's based on something else entirely. Something we all want!

Just because things rhyme, that doesn't mean they are the same. If you use a cat for a bat, you'll never get a hit, and if you wear it as a hat, you'll probably regret it. And yet we tend to mix up meekness by thinking it is a weakness when the reality is that it takes a lot more strength to live out meekness than it does to dominate, bully, or push your way over the top of anyone else.Well then, what IS meekness? And how could we live it out, if we chose to give it a try? And what does any of this have to do with an argument about Moses having married (according to his sister) above his station? For that, I guess you'll need to join us for this week's dip into the Beatitudes of Jesus.

Today we start with a lesson in the obvious: Life hurts. There are wounds which we need to tend to or they will fester and drive us to self-destructive means of altering or covering the pain because we just want it to stop hurting. Or the pain takes over so much that we don't realize we can feel anything else. How can there be any blessing in pain or loss or disappointment?But maybe there is...This week, we explore how that might work, and why we are never so alone as we think.

What does it mean to be poor and why would Jesus claim that this is some kind of blessed state? Why do we allow anxiety to drive us to cling to things we could release? What makes THIS the thing Jesus wanted to tell his followers to learn ahead of everything else?This week we cover the first of the Beatitudes, Jesus's instructions for life as a citizen of God's Kingdom.

"Guard your heart," declares scripture, "for everything you do flows from it."But what does that mean and what should we be letting in or keeping out of our hearts? It's not like Jesus left us a checklist... did he?Welcome to the new season of The Shield Online! We're starting with a life-changing dive into what Dallas Willard called, "a curriculum for Christlikeness," the Beatitudes!

What happened with Paul and the others? Did they get to Rome? What happened? What do we know? Did Luke wrap up all the loose ends in his story? And what does any of this mean for us in the modern world? All these questions and more are answered (and not answered) in today's message. Join us! Then maybe you'll want to go back and find the parts you may have missed.Grace and peace to you!

There's a little story towards the end of the book of Acts that most people slip past quickly, noticing only the unusual story about a snakebite. But this is the beginning of Luke's conclusion to the full message of the book he has written! Why is he wasting space on a little travel vignette? Or did he have a more important purpose in mind when he described the Followers of the Way living together with three different pagan groups? Find out by joining us for today's look into the Book of Acts.

They were sure this was going to work, but everything fell apart in an instant and they were plunged into chaos.How often has something similar happened to each one of us? There is a secret to understanding how to remain calm during even the most threatening storm. Do any of the people in today's passage learn it? Join us and see for yourself...

Good day. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to seek out pockets of evil scattered across the world and deal with them. You and your Mission:Possible team will be given light that will dispel the darkness and power to choose to act in ways that will bring healing and wholeness to a world that desperately needs it.Accepting this mission makes you Agents of the Kingdom acting inside territory the enemy would like to believe they possess. If you or any member of your team is caught, we will continue to affirm your citizenship and place in our family at all times.This message will not self-destruct. It is an eternal call to action.

Did you know that chapters and verses weren't part of the Bible's original texts? We've added that stuff in. In some ways, that's a blessing; in others it's a curse. We may be able to find things easier, but because of that we don't KNOW things the way we should.What kind of things? Well, how about what Jesus meant when he talked about climbing in and out an open gateway into heaven? Don't remember that one? Let's find and work through this together...

There is a passage in Acts 25 where Paul doesn't say a word - he doesn't even appear until the last sentence - but his witness has been so consistent that it drives people to want to speak with him, to hear him, and to learn more about Jesus.How does that work? Well, it started when he trusted in Jesus and became an aggressive dove...

In a world dominated by Empire, can a poor man from a distant province get justice from the highest authority in the world? Yes, he can!That's not exactly what's happening here, though, is it?Or is it?

We are celebrating the International Day for Children and Youth by taking a few minutes to examine the story of how one group of young people decided to respond to a difficult situation.When the big things are out of your control, will making the small changes you can to stay close to your God make any kind of difference?

People tend to confuse "justice" with just getting what they want. What do most people want? To hurt people who hurt them. Is embracing the idea of retribution going to help us attain justice?Today we look at Paul on trial, the reality TV vibe of scripture, secret motivations, and what justice and injustice looked like in one situation so that we can understand how best to seek justice in our own lives.

The people knew Jesus was a miracle worker, casting out evil spirits, healing the sick, even giving sight to people who were born blind! So when someone they love died the obvious question was, "Why did you let them die?"Death stinks. There are no words of comfort or solace that change that fact. Even Jesus wept because of the pain and loss brought on by the death of a friend, and he is the one person who actually had an understanding of the bigger picture.What do we choose to do when we know that? What CAN we do?

Paul is losing his life of freedom and privilege. And he's threatened with losing his life altogether! But somehow he is going to respond to all that as if it is meaningless. It's like he's got some secret which allows him to be content in even the most chaotic and dangerous of situations...Want to know what that is?