When you are a follower of Jesus, a dark celebration like what happens on October 31st presents a quandary of what to do... 

In this episode, Andrew tells about his experiences with Halloween through the decades in Chico and offers three suggestions on how we might choose to spend our time and influence on a night marked with drunkenness, darkness and bad behavior.  Some biblical principles that undergird this podcast:  

In this week's podcast, I'm telling the true story of an encounter that was a good example of a "supernatural encounter."  It started off as my effort to help a local business deal with an angry female customer, and by the end of my time there - there was a shift in the spiritual atmosphere and change of heart because of the power of the Holy Spirit working through a posture of love.   The key takeaway from this experience was remaining "unoffendable."   

Pontus Pilate asks a question that many of us are asking 2000 years later, "What is truth?"  The quest for truth in our culture seems more difficult with each year that passes.  What can we believe as truth?  The world has been trying to question and undermine any existence of absolute truth that can be knowable.  In this podcast we will see that God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are all called "the truth" and those who will lead us to truth that can be knowable and believed!  

God the Father - Psalm 31:5

God the Son - John 14:6; 8:31-32

God the Holy Spirit - John 14:17; 16:13

3 Primary Ways we receive truth from God

1) The Written Word - John 17:17; 2 Tim. 3:16-17  (Logos)

2) His Spoken Word(s) to our Spirit - John 6:63b (Rhema)

3) Through the Confirmation of several other Jesus Followers - Prov. 11:14

Questions to ponder: 

Q1:  Are your wise counselors willing to tell you something you don't want to hear? 

Q2: Do your wise advisors hold to Biblical values or do they pick and choose? 

Q3: Who will you make an effort today to connect with as a wise counselor in your life? 

Isaiah 40:8 

Sometimes when I pray, it seems like I must doing something wrong because things seem like they get worse!  In this episode I share a story about one of the times this happened and the valuable lesson that I learned as I look back.  Could it be that God would sometimes allow a situation worse so that you will seek Him more, trust Him more completely and pray more fervently?  Is it really true that prayer changes the atmosphere and lessens stress, tension, conflict and strife?  

Here's a key verse I mention in this podcast: 

Romans 8:28 (NIV)  28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Why would we embrace experiencing and expressing pain?  Don't we spend most of our lives running away from it?  What good could come from entering into someone else's pain?  While there are many answers to that question - I will point to the benefit of grief doing a maturing work in me.  The book of Psalms is divided into Psalms of praise and Psalms of lament.  Most Old Testament scholars say that two-thirds of these "songs" are that of lament.  Lament is a form of praise (in the midst of pain) while simultaneously engaging as a prayer to God for help.  It is not complaining or putting God on trial for the pain we are feeling, it is an appeal to God based on confidence in His unchanging character. When we participate in the pain of others in a shared grieving, there is a love and solidarity that is seldom found in this world.  Lament is not our final prayer, but it is a "prayer in the meantime."  Most Psalms of lament end with a promise to praise and thank God, and evidence that there has been new revelation, a rehearsal of God's unchanging character and hope that this pain will not last forever.  Let us learn to lament!  

I don't think Jesus followers in our day and age have learned the power and biblical value of lament.  While others may tell you to "get over it" when you experience loss and pain, I've learned that simply stuffing your hurt down into your insides is dangerous.  Repressed grief is a recipe for a disastrous meltdown.  Lament is a "passionate expression of grief or sorrow."  The Bible helps us see that practicing lament is mingling grief and sorrow with prayer as we bring it into the presence of God.  Lament gives our pain a name and expresses it out loud.  This expression leads us to a place of our hope returning, and it usually contains some remembering and rehearsing where God has come through in the past.  From the biblical examples - we see that lament often ends in new trust in God and renewed strength.  This practice of authentic expression in a corporate manner can shape the culture.  It is my prayer that this short teaching will be used by our God to invite you into a more honest place of grieving your losses, weeping with those who weep.   

Whether it's a piece of art on the wall or staring at the daily artwork in a sunset outdoors, God is always revealing His creative nature.  The Bible tells us that all of creation is worshipping the creator God.  Nature displays the splendor and majesty of the one who created it.  Creation gives proof that God exists, His fingerprints are seen in breathtaking design of our entire world.  The beauty of God's handiwork leads us to worship Him - whether it's in a museum or in the park.  

Most people I know don't want to think about heaven, they are convinced that this world has more to offer than what God has planned.  While we are called to be present, to love others well and serve Jesus in this life - we must consider what we are living for, who we are living for and take on an eternal mindset. C.S. Lewis, one of my heroes, talks about heaven and in this episode we are sharing a bit of his perspective as we consider the topic: heaven.

Have you ever had a response that was over the top to someone else?  Maybe a time where they asked you to do a simple task, but you snapped at them for no reason that was obvious?  That happened to me recently and I learned a valuable lesson about taking time to reflect on why I had the explosion of a response.  For me, fear was hiding underneath my loud, defensive outburst.  Unexamined fears will unwittingly lead you.  Beware.  It's time to switch from defense to offense. It's time to face our fears, sort out the lies and apply truth to them.  When we do that, it's like throwing a bucket of water on a melting wicked witch.  

Do you ever wonder if you are really forgiven?  This podcast takes a look at Psalm 103 and the incredible promises in it that will encourage you and reassure you that when you are forgiven by God - it's a forever thing.  When Jesus died on the cross he cried out "tetelestai" a Greek word that means, "It is Finished."  That word was used in a quite a few contexts in the first century, including on receipts for business deals.  In that context it meant "Paid in Full."  The truth is that our sins were paid in full, and Jesus' work was finished and complete on the cross when He gave His life for us.  

Psalm 103 (NIV)