Celtic Preacher

When you think about it, life is one extensive, multilayered healing opportunity. Recognizing our need for help and healing is what it means to be human. The text is Luke 17.    The Ten Lepers Pod 199

Is it possible to live without regret? In today's parable, Jesus reminds us that avoiding, ignoring, or procrastinating things we need to say or do ultimately diminishes us and holds us back. The text is Matthew 21—the Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids. Pod198

Mourning is the way to go, Jesus teaches. Don't deny it, shy away from it, stuff it, medicate it, grieve! Grief has many faces: unwelcome changes, a relationship ends, a loved one dies, we can lose a sense of purpose or sense we have no place in this world. The suffering of others around the world can take its toll. Today, Jesus teaches about the necessity of learning how to grieve well. Matthew 5 Blessed are those who mourn. 

Far too many of us carry heavy baggage from years of mistakes, guilt, failure, hurt, pain, and bad choices. Jesus addresses this in our teaching today.  It's time to learn how to unpack all the worthless weight we have been packing and learn how to live free. Text John 8 Pod 196

Inner tension isn’t necessarily a sign your doing something wrong. Jesus teaches that living in this world will cause us tension. It will feel like a pull to go in the very direction you try to avoid. This hidden, unseen inner battle is a part of living in this world. It's not something we can escape from, and it shows us our loyalty is to something more than what we can see here on this earth. Pod 195 Matthew 22

Don't make excuses for yourselves, Jesus taught. Don't be too easy on yourself. If you make up stories about why you neglect the most essential things in your life, treat it as a wake-up call, and don't let yourself off the hook. Why settle for less? The Parable of the Banquet  Luke 14 and Matthew 22. Pod194

Do you know how to refresh and restore yourself? It's emotional/spiritual health, lesson 1. The students of Jesus didn't pick up on the cues their bodies were giving them, and they are headed for disaster unless they can turn this around. Sometimes, it's the simple things that trip us up because, as easy as it sounds, refreshment and restoration are hard to come by unless we learn how to listen to what our body is telling us. Text Mark 6. Pod 193

Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places

It can appear to others that we have everything we need, but deep down, we know we lack. We know something is missing. Jesus, in today's teaching, shows us we can become attached to the wrong things. We might think our ways of coping are harmless and only affect us, but before we know it, we have lost our freedom. We are left with a restless longing. Text Mark 10 and Matthew 19 Pod 192

An Unfulfilling Pursuit- If I Could Have…

Comparing ourselves to others can create a cycle of discontent. Jesus recognizes this tendency within us and addresses the mind that likes to compare and all its false promises. Pod 191 Text Matthew 20

Let's make sure we are on the same page. God has a plan for us. If we were a house, the project would be a complete tear-down and renovation, including the foundation. God is not making a few cosmetic changes here and there. This explains why our spiritual/emotional life feels overwhelming at times. God is making radical changes in us to help us become the people we were created to be. Matthew 18 Pod 190