[None, OrderedDict([('@xmlns:itunes', 'http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd'), ('#text', 'How would you rate your knowledge of poetry? \xa0Is your knowledge limited to "The Night Before Christmas" or the always popular, "Roses are Red, Violets are Blue...?" \xa0Or maybe you are a true\xa0connoisseur\xa0of Shakespear\'s sonnets, of iambic pentameter, and various rhyming schemes. \xa0Or maybe you haven\'t given poetry much thought at all. \xa0As a student of the Bible, you are faced with reading and understanding poetry, no matter your expertise. As Mark Lanier begins a multi-part study of Psalms, we begin by learning that the Psalms are poetry. \xa0Yet they are not simply expressions of the heart and mind, but they are also tools of teaching. They inspire as they increase our understanding of God and man. The insights that can come from deliberative chewing on the messages within the simplest of verses, heightens the appreciation that God has used many different literary tools to present his revelation to humanity.')])]

[None, OrderedDict([('@xmlns:itunes', 'http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd'), ('#text', 'There are many areas in our world that need the light of God shining and illuminating the dark corners of sin, hypocrisy, and ignorance. Racism has no part among God’s people, nor does abuse of the poor. These are social messages, but that does not relegate them as distant concerns of God. As Mark Lanier returns to finish a study of Amos, we are reminded that God is not simply concerned about the personal sins of one’s life. God is also concerned with our corporate and social interactions on a larger scale. God cares about the justice in our society. He cares for the poor and downtrodden. He cares for the outcast and the alien. When God’s people do not care as he does, the words of Amos ring with direct confrontation and super clarity.')])]

[None, OrderedDict([('@xmlns:itunes', 'http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd'), ('#text', 'The United States of America is a country that prides itself on independence, freedom, equality, and economics. The American economic system is termed “capitalism.” It is a free enterprise system that allows the market to dictate prices for goods and services. People are allowed to work in this system for their own individual prosperity. The good side of capitalism is its ability to raise the level of life for everyone in a society, as raising water lifts every boat. Left without some manner of regulation, however, capitalism can lead to the wealthy preying upon the poor, letting “the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.” In a land of opportunity, many believe that kind of unfettered capitalism can be abusive. These ideas come to the front as Mark Lanier combines a lesson that teaches the last three letters of the Hebrew alphabet, and begins the study of the prophet Amos.')])]

[None, OrderedDict([('@xmlns:itunes', 'http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd'), ('#text', 'In Part 2 of Jonah, Mark Lanier explores several more themes, some particular details apparent in the Hebrew reading of the book, and the New Testament usages of Jonah, along with certain parallels found there.')])]

[None, OrderedDict([('@xmlns:itunes', 'http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd'), ('#text', 'One of the first questions often posed in a discussion on Jonah is, “Was it real?” People debate whether the story is a factual account of a large fish gobbling and then regurgitating Jonah or whether it is more akin to a C.S. Lewis story that has true lessons to teach, using a story medium to convey them (think Chronicles of Narnia or The Great Divorce). That is a subject that is almost moot to discuss. (God certainly has the ability to make a fish grand enough to accomplish the task. \xa0He is God!) Our goal needs to be to understand the narrative for its purposes rather than to debate the feasibility of the events. This is especially important as Mark Lanier considers the book of Jonah. This book has some incredible Hebrew word play, some very important messages both for Israel in its day and for the church in perpetuity, and it asks questions on an individual level that challenge people who wish to live right before God.')])]