We normally think of God as a dwelling place for us, a place of safety and a fortress, and He is. But Barry reminds us, from Psalm 43, that even though God was hesitant to live in a beautiful temple, he is eager to dwell in the somewhat rickety tabernacle of our praise.     […]

Barry talks about the power of presence and populations disadvantaged by being out of sight and out of mind. That’s why the unborn need us to speak for them. But it’s also why we have to see the humanity in those we speak to, including those who have forgotten the unborn.       Referenced […]

We walk through Psalm 42, surrounded by desert, crying out in thirst. As we do, Barry reminds us that there are actually no deserts with God and what we must do is open our eyes to his provision. Hope is strong enough to quench our thirst here and now.         Scriptures: Psalm […]

What do the Chupacabra, the return of JFK Jr., and the resurrection have in common, Barry asks. Hopefully, nothing. Barry reminds us that the strength or passion of our faith isn’t as important as its object. A believer’s devotedness to both the return of Elvis and the resurrection isn’t doing us any favors.     […]

Barry finishes up the series on forgiveness and repentance, keeping in mind that knowing the destination is forgiveness doesn’t make the journey simple. This episode focuses on how the offended and community deal with offenders, pointing out that mercy does not have to mean enabling.         Scriptures: Psalm 119:165 Matt 7:1 1 […]

Barry continues our series about repentance and forgiveness, providing a few examples from Scripture. These examples help us describe the differences between regret, remorse, restitution, repentance, and resignation for violator, violated, judges, society, and God.       Scriptures: Matt 27:3-5 Psalm 51:3-4 Luke 19:1-10, 3:7-14   Article: “The Southern Baptist Horror” (https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/05/southern-baptist-evangelical-allegations-cover-up/629954/)

Barry begins a conversation about the complexities of repentance and forgiveness and reminds us that we need enough humility to acknowledge that our responses won’t be perfect, but enough faith that we can make a difference as we go about the business of both.       Scripture: Exodus 22:1-4

Barry reminds us that while we, as believers, are (hopefully) longing, praying, and yearning for what has not yet arrived in the world, God’s faithfulness has already been at work to bring about our redemption. This was true of his first advent as a babe and will be true of his second as King.   […]

Barry continues the conversation about how to make sure our faith matures but doesn’t become stale. He reminds us that our ultimate goal is not to have a good relationship with faith, but with the God of our faith that is making us into his image through the help of his Spirit and our brothers […]

Barry talks about the process of and barriers to the maturation of our faith. We want it to be fresh, but not always novel, stable, but certainly not stagnant. When thinking of our spiritual past, we don’t need the same things we needed then, but we do need some of the things we found then. […]