The most played episodes among Podcast App listeners.

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   Number 1: Am I Too Bitter to Be Better?

   It is easy to live with bitterness. I am not suggesting it’s initially comfortable, but I am suggesting that being bitter towards one or many people or circumstances is considered acceptable. We know it’s acceptable because if we pay attention, we will see that the harsh and angry results of a bitter temperament are widely encouraged. Bitterness can enter at every turn and enters easily and stealthily. Once in, it quietly takes root, masked as what we might consider justifiable anger or a justifiable reaction to wrong, or simply a justifiable defense of one’s own self. Then it grows – quietly and under the surface at first so that we get comfortable with it, until one day we wake up and it rules our life. Bitterness is more destructive than we like to think for several reasons: It reformats the way we see the world If I have been terribly wronged by someone’s purposeful action and suffer lasting consequences, bitterness can be natural and understandable. Allowing my bitter feelings to be at home in my heart is easy, as they provide a way for me explain away my now stagnating life. This produces comfort. Once we get comfortable with something, we no longer question it. Without my conscious permission, my life perspective has now changed. I see the world differently. Over time, I will inevitably be presented with several opportunities along the way to ease that bitterness, but I will most likely reject them as disruptive or useless. It destroys our lives is through its complexity Being bitter often brings us to being sad, disillusioned, angry and disappointed. Each of these are challenging symptoms all on their own. Routing out any one of them can be a mammoth challenge. Even when we do manage to get one or more of these under control, we still have the root cause of bitterness alive and intact within our hearts. In the New Testament, the Bible basically defines bitterness as poison. How much poison are we willing to live with? You can dilute poison with lots of water, but are you still willing to drink it? Are we willing to rationalize and say that our bitter feelings are not as bad as someone else’s, so we’re okay? The Bible frames being bitter as a significant target for Christians to overcome and not tolerate. Check out our January 10, 2022 podcast, “Am I Too Bitter to Be Better?” for more. We look at several biblical examples of bitterness to see what drives them and what can derail them. What we find is both alarming and hopeful. First, we find that bitterness can upend our lives in ways that we might never have thought of. But we also find that there are many things we can do to dig down and root out our bitterness. Join us for a journey of growth and change as we seek to root out the poison of a bitter heart.

   January 11, 2022·1h 3min
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   Number 2: Is the Devil in the Details of My Life?

   The source of the phrase, “The devil is in the details” is a bit unsure. It is thought to be a derivation of the phrase “God is in the detail,” thought to be from an old German proverb sometime in the 1800’s. Whatever the origin, both phrases are profoundly true. As we begin a new year, we often look to get things in order, so that we can improve our quality of life. For a Christian, this is a great practice but is also one that should be approached with a measure of caution. Why? Because the devil CAN be in the details! Just because we decide we want our lives to be better does not mean we will automatically go about it in a God-honoring way! So, what do we watch out for? How can we be sure to have the details of our desires be more appropriate, have godliness written all over them and no trace of the devil? What do we know about the devil? The devil is a spiritual being not of this earth. But through several prophecies, the Bible tells us a fair amount about his heavenly position and responsibilities. These prophecies reveal he was called a “morning star.” This was a very high rank among all of God’s created beings. They also tell us how he was given a measure of oversight over the earthly creation. All of this adds up to Satan being in a natural position of powerful and influence over humanity. This became obvious when he deceived Eve in the Garden, and she followed his direction rather than God’s specific instruction. How is the devil in our details? The nature of Satan’s rebellion against God is prophetically revealed in Isaiah 14:12-14. These verses describe not only his mindset, but his objectives as he sought to be like God. When we couple the prophetic history of Satan with his blatant rebellion against God, we end up with an alarming influence over humanity that is evil. The unfortunate conclusion from all of this is that the devil is not only in the details of our lives, he is naturally in those details. This means his rebellious characteristics of arrogance, deception and subtlety have an indelible effect on the human race. We as humans often look to make decisions to improve our lives and focus our ambition, especially at the beginning of a new year. Knowing what we know now, we need to proceed with wisdom, as we want to have God in the details of our lives and not Satan. Check out our January 03, 2022 podcast, “Is the Devil in the Details of My Life?” for more. We look at four specific aspects of Satan’s desires. We compare his desires with our typical human attempts to make our lives better. What we find is reason for caution and hope. Caution, because it is painfully easy to give in to the devil’s way of doing things by always putting ME first. Hope because these things are recognizable and changeable! God belongs in the details of our lives. Let’s make sure He is there!

   January 03, 2022·1h 1min
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   Number 3: Whose Voices Are You Listening To?

   Technology brings the world to the palm of your hand. This means we are bombarded with voices. Worldly voices of opinion, anger, politics, perspective, ego, trends and personal interpretations of morality. If you have technology in your life, it is virtually impossible to completely shut these voices out. On the other hand, we have the voice of God through His Word and through His people. This voice is powerful but quiet. It is relevant but subtle; nourishing but it seems outdated. It is transformative in a very positive way, but it is also laughed at as out of touch. So, how do we identify the voices around us and then intentionally choose whose will influence us to listen? The voice loop Our morality as humans is directly related to the voices we choose to listen to. It is woefully easy to get stuck in a “voice loop” where we allow certain voices, certain perspectives, to circulate nonstop in our minds. This results in two tragic consequences: We probably don’t even know it’s happening. We have become accustomed to and comfortable with the voices we have chosen. They are now part of the furniture of our minds. Our conscious thoughts accept them as unequivocally belonging. These voices affect our behavior, leading us to something called “moral disengagement.” Moral disengagement is a cognitive mechanism that detaches our internal moral standards from our actions, allowing us to engage in unethical behavior without feeling distress. Historically, one of the most dramatic examples of this was Nazi Germany. The Nazi propaganda of that time labeled Jews, Gypsies and others as less than human. The victims were seen as rats. This voice loop became so pervasive that it led to a systematic attempt to exterminate these "vermin." It’s called genocide and became acceptable. What does this atrocity have to do with us? Unfortunately, more than we might be comfortable admitting. Our “voice loops” likely include a lot more dehumanizing language than we might be aware of. Now, we can say that we’d never resort to genocide, and I hope that is true. The more piercing question is, are we on the same highway as those who became so morally disengaged that they consciously and efficiently destroyed millions of lives? Check out our December 27, 2021 podcast, “Whose Voices Are You Listening To?” for more. We look at seven mechanisms of moral disengagement, beginning with dehumanization. We apply these mechanisms to how our tech-driven world shapes us and find some disturbing trends. Next, we apply these mechanisms to several people in the Bible who had power and influence. We find striking similarities! With all of this unsettling material to pour through, we also present sound scriptural principles to help us manage these difficult challenges. If the idea of being involuntarily fed destructive voices on a regular daily basis is disturbing, then join us. We face the issues of influence with faith, courage and godly solutions!

   December 28, 2021·1h 5min
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   Number 4: How Do We Keep Christmas About Jesus?

   So, what is Christmas about? Well, that depends on who you are. For some, Christmas is traditionally a time for family and friends. It’s a time when we are more likely to put aside the stresses of our daily grind and give a little more, smile a little more and notice what is around us a little more. It is a time to slow down and have gratitude. For others, it is a time of gifts, parties, decorations and entertainment. Spending goes into overdrive and the excitement rules the day. It is a time to speed up and be everywhere. For Christians, Christmas should be a time for gratitude as we reflect on the birth of our Lord Jesus. While we can do the family and friends things and also be part of the excitement and entertainment, how can we maintain our focus on the most important thing? How can we define the most important thing? For me, it’s simple. I believe the most important thing is that the Bible not only reveals the voice of God, it also reveals that He has a plan. This plan is built around the fact that He knew humanity would sin. This sin would lead to eternal death. God pre-arranged a solution for this problem, and that solution would give every human being who ever lived a true opportunity for life. The solution's name is Jesus. God’s plan of redemption and reconciliation through Jesus IS the most important thing. 400 years of silence Leading up to this most important thing was a pretty unnoticeable process. The Old Testament quietly ended, which meant God was no longer talking to Israel through prophets. Malachi was the last of those Old Testament prophets, and his final written words described the conditions for Jesus to arrive on the scene. Four-hundred years later, the angel Gabriel appears to Zacharias, the soon to be father of John the Baptist. And the New Testament is born! God’s most important plan was now ready to bring the most important feature into focus. As the New Testament unfolds, we see how God orchestrated the events that lead to Jesus’ birth by way of His holy spirit and of angels. We will see how He designed the announcement of Jesus’ birth through angelic proclamation, accompanied by a magnificent chorus of countless angels. We will also see how God protected the child Jesus. This protection was enacted through several angelic messages. All of this added up to God providing powerful care so the greatest life ever lived could begin. Check out our December 20, 2021 podcast, “How Do We Keep Christmas About Jesus?” for more. We tell the story of Jesus’ birth with particular focus on the extraordinary providences of God along the way. The lesson here is dramatic. Our ability to keep Christmas about Jesus is deeply enhanced when we understand how profoundly God took care of the details surrounding his birth. Join us and hear the story that began the life that changed everything!

   December 21, 2021·1h
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   Number 5: Is God Happy With My Attitude? (Part I)

   Arguably, the most well-known sermon in the world is the Sermon on the Mount, delivered by Jesus over 2,000 years ago on a mountainside near the Lake of Gennesaret and Capernaum. It was his longest recorded sermon, covering important topics like loving your enemies, anger and murder, adultery and divorce, how to fast and laying up treasures in heaven. His audience was his disciples plus a curious crowd, attracted by his ability to perform wondrous miracles. The sermon began with several deceptively simple “blessed” statements called the Beatitudes. These statements are actually a profound foundation for all of Jesus’ teachings. They show us not only how to frame our view of life, they also show us how we are to treat those around us with godly grace. Just who was Jesus talking to? One of the key factors in understanding the Sermon on the Mount and its introductory Beatitudes is knowing who Jesus’ audience was. When we look at the scenario, we see Jesus sitting on a hillside surrounded by countless people who came to hear what he had to say. While it seems obvious that Jesus was talking directly to those masses, it is not the correct conclusion. The context before and after the Beatitudes were spoken clearly indicates that he was, in fact, directly addressing only his disciples. This fact raises several relevant questions: Does this mean the Beatitudes don't apply to the average person? Why speak these things with so many people around if you aren't intending them to benefit? To answer these, we make several observations: Jesus was wise. He always knew who was listening. He knew who he was specifically addressing and why. Throughout his ministry, he frequently focused on one segment of a group while intentionally allowing others to listen in. Why? He knew the principles of godly righteousness he always taught should be heard by all, even if they would not fully understand them. The Beatitudes fit beautifully into this explanation. Jesus DOES want all people to recognize, love and honor God. He wisely knows the vast majority who may listen are likely mere curiosity seekers. For them to be able to simply hear, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” is a positive thing. It points to the all-important basis of personal humility as a way for God to deal with us and for us to be true disciples of Christ. While the full depth and meaning of these words escapes the casual listener, it does impact and change those who would truly follow Jesus. Check out our January 17,2022 podcast, “Is God Happy with My Attitude?" (Part I) for more. We begin with defining the profound meaning of being “blessed” and then carefully examine each of the first three Beatitudes. We find so much more than a list of inspirational sayings. The seven teachings of Jesus are actually a lynchpin for a successful Christin life. Join us for Part I as we begin this journey into the mind and life of Jesus. This will help us to understand what our lives should look like. Part II picks up right where we left off, so don't miss this important 2-part series.

   January 18, 2022·1h 3min
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