Rarely do you hear a satisfying answer as to why, more often than not, God seems so mean in the Old Testament. Here, at last, is that answer. Like any good parent, God is willing to be misunderstood in order to save His kids from great peril! Combining Bible understanding, hilarious storytelling, and practical applications, Daniel Brown makes sense of the seeming inconsistencies that abound between the Old and New Testaments, and gives you a litmus test to apply to the Bible when you feel like the God it portrays isn�t very nice.

How do you leap from Jesus� comments concerning His mother, and land into an expose' on the modus operandi of demonic spirits? Join us today as Daniel continues to explore some of the sayings of Jesus that we don�t often hear about, and discover that there�s always something to be gleaned by paying close attention to the details in the Bible.

Jesus not only claimed to speak directly to God-He actually claimed that He offered humanity a food and drink that would never leave them empty. The only problem about that was well, this special food happened to be His own flesh and blood. A pretty nasty thought, right? You�ll be fascinated to hear how Daniel Brown makes sense of this very disturbing claim, and how it balances out a lot of our mistaken thinking about God.

Some of the things Jesus said don�t receive quite as much press as others--and some of His comments are downright jarring because they break in on our rose-colored view of life. Once we get past our reluctance to hear them, however, we�ll discover how much sense and order they bring to our real-life experiences. How about this one? �If they call your Master the �Dung-God�, what makes you think you won�t be called �Disciple-of-the-Dung-God�? You put yourself higher than your teacher if you think you won�t be criticized even as He is.� This week's teaching, the first of several on the not-so-welcome topics Jesus brings up, exposes both the cost and the inestimable rewards of being identified with Him in the world

Have you ever wondered (or tried to explain to someone) why doing good things isn�t quite enough to �get into heaven�? The new Christians of the early church were wondering the same thing. As Paul explained in his letter to the Ephesians, every single one of us is locked inside a washing machine stuck on the spin cycle-unable to escape unless someone opens the door from the outside, hoists our dizzy, disoriented selves out, and transports to us a seat beside Him in another dimension. That�s grace. You�ll enjoy this and the many other word paintings Daniel offers in this lighthearted message of hope.

What we wouldn't have known, apart from God's determination to reveal it, is that we were designed for a life and a home not confined to the flesh we now wear nor the earth we presently inhabit. Our watch on this globe will be ending--in a manner and for a purpose fully disclosed beforehand by the One who made it all in the first place. Join Daniel as he concludes his message about our broken planet and the meaning of "Maranatha". You'll be encouraged to hear how things get set in order at last...and that you will be there when it happens!

Almost everyone has gotten news of the terrible tsunami that devastated so much of coastal Asia on Christmas 2004. In the aftermath of an event of this magnitude, most of us are left with questions and concerns: Didn�t God care about all the innocent lives that were lost? Was this a judgment against a people or a region? How do I think about the future of the world, or even of my own life and loved ones, on a planet that feels like a sinking ship? And how can I help the people who are left in the midst of so much suffering? Daniel Brown addresses these heartfelt questions as he redefines what "Maranatha" means to us today.

It's no accident that a new year so readily inspires us to break with the past and press into something fresh for ourselves. This is another one of those "ways of God" still evident throughout the earth, because what resonates in our hearts this time of year is an echo of two fundamental things that He has carried in His heart for all eternity. First, nothing we can ever resolve to do, feel or say is adequate to separate us from the "yuck" of our past--but our wanting to be freed from it reflects His very passionate desire to be near us and to see us unshackled from our guilt and failure. That's why He's taken upon Himself the full responsibility of giving birth to an entirely new "you" (not just a revamped old "you") the moment you ask Him to. And that new "you" will never sin--and never die...

You don't have to already be doing well in order to qualify for a good future; nor do you have to be miserable in order to be poised for transformation. It all has less to do with what you bring to the table than it does with how close you allow God to get to you. As Daniel concludes the pivotal message he began last week, he offers all kinds of bright illustrations to help us grasp this one great truth: the best is yet ahead, and you can't drag your past along with you if you'd embrace all the fulfillment that's in store. (And it's trusting the promises of God--not your promises to yourself--that propels you forward to get there.)

How do I "get my life back" when I've reached the close of a season, and I feel too depleted to have any vision for what's ahead? This week and next, Daniel offers a fresh reading of some Bible texts that will help energize anyone who's facing the uncertainties of transition. In each season of life, there really is a way to maximize the abundance that Jesus has promised. So, as you listen personally to each of these portions of Scripture, be ready to recieve from God a new sense of purpose and hope--both for NOW and for your FUTURE.