Doable Discipleship

When we talk about character, particularly in an election season, we have to talk about civility. At its heart, civility is about respect – respect for other people – and that is something that we’ve seen to move away from. One could say it's a lost art . . . but it shouldn’t even be considered an art – it should be an inherent value. Yet as a culture we seem all the ready to disregard the opinions and considerations of others and lose civility in the process. 

So, how should Christians consider civility? All people should be civil, but  today's episode is specifically talking to the church and offering that reminder that Christlike character is expressed civilly. And there are many deep elements about this truth that my guest is going to guide us through today. That guest is Tom Holladay, frequent guest on this podcast and former teaching pastor at Saddleback Church. In this conversation, Tom and I talk about whether the loss of civility really is a modern thing or is seen in history as well, the winsomeness of civility, why civility matters in us and in leaders, and how we can approach our relationships with civility. 

Doable Discipleship is a Saddleback Church podcast produced and hosted by Jason Wieland. It premiered in 2017 and now offers more than 380 episodes. Episodes release every Tuesday on your favorite podcast app and on the Saddleback Church YouTube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/saddleback).

Related Doable Discipleship Episodes
The Power in Gentleness - https://youtu.be/So3n7PaBbYM
How to Live with Humility - https://youtu.be/UHroSMEUkXU
Navigating the Bible: Genesis - https://youtu.be/ddhjMfOoasA
Living With Hope in the Midst of Struggle - https://youtu.be/99Nki49V0fI
Thinking About the Fruit of the Spirit - https://youtu.be/1JPaiNnbcAs

“Please, Lord, prove that your power is as great as you have claimed. For you said, ‘The Lord is slow to anger and filled with unfailing love, forgiving every kind of sin and rebellion. But he does not excuse the guilty. He lays the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected – even children in the third and fourth generations.’ In keeping with your magnificent, unfailing love, please pardon the sins of this people, just as you have forgiven them ever since they left Egypt.” - Numbers 14:17-19 (NLT) 

This passage from Number 14 gives us a rather significant peak into the heart of the book of Numbers, the fourth book of the Bible. Numbers continues the story of the Israelites, bringing us deeper into the life of Moses, Aaron and the rest of Israel as a people in-between Egypt and the Promised Land, all the while learning to live with the God who wants to dwell with them. This is an extraordinarily rich book where we find life in the Israelite camp, the beautiful priestly blessing of chapter 6, the wandering in the desert and God’s provision in it, the scouts reporting on the land of Canaan, the earth swallowing up people, Moses’ devastating sin, Balaam and his donkey, battles and much more. 

To help us navigate the book of Numbers, host Jason Wieland joined by Dr. Michael Morales, Professor of Biblical Studies at Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary and author a commentary on the book of Numbers. 

Doable Discipleship is a podcast produced and hosted by Jason Wieland. 

Resources Related to This Episode:
Numbers 1-19 Commentary by Michael Morales - https://www.amazon.com/Numbers-Apollos-Old-Testament-Commentary/dp/1789744717

Numbers 20-36 Commentary by Michael Morales - https://www.amazon.com/Numbers-20-36-Apollos-Testament-Commentary/dp/1789745551

Related Doable Discipleship Episodes: 
Navigating the Bible: Exodus - https://youtu.be/1ELkgAlWFGg
Navigating the Bible: Genesis - https://youtu.be/5zXHObysL6g

Inspiring Dreams by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/
Creative Commons CC BY 4.0
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Today’s conversation is about gentleness. Two weeks ago we started a series on Christian Character with an episode on humility. Today we are going to couple that with a look at gentleness. In Matthew 11:29, Jesus says, “Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” There’s a link here between being humble and being gentle, but they are indeed two distinct characteristics and worth talking about separately. Now, many people may consider gentleness in the same light as soft or weak, but my guest today will put this idea on its head and show the strength that is to be found in gentleness. 

That guest is Buddy Owens – a teaching pastor at Saddleback Church and a fan favorite on this podcast. In this conversation, Buddy and host Jason Wieland talk about what biblical gentleness really looks like, how biblical gentleness compares to what the world says about it, the winsomeness of gentleness, how we need to be extra intentional in an election season, and much more. 

Doable Discipleship is a Saddleback Church podcast produced and hosted by Jason Wieland. It premiered in 2017 and now offers more than 380 episodes. Episodes release every Tuesday on your favorite podcast app and on the Saddleback Church YouTube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/saddleback).

Related Doable Discipleship Episodes
How to Live with Humility - https://youtu.be/UHroSMEUkXU
Navigating the Bible: Genesis - https://youtu.be/ddhjMfOoasA
Living With Hope in the Midst of Struggle - https://youtu.be/99Nki49V0fI
Thinking Differently About Shame - https://youtu.be/sqKGDjBcHHc
Thinking About the Fruit of the Spirit - https://youtu.be/1JPaiNnbcAs

“The Lord also said to Moses, ‘Give the following instruction to the entire community of Israel. You must be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.'” - Leviticus 19:1-2

 Genesis begins the story of humanity and the God who wanted a family to love and to love him. Exodus offers the first look at the lengths God will go to care for his people on a grand scale. Leviticus, the third book of the Bible, shows us the lengths God will go to care for his people on a personal scale. Leviticus is, ultimately, about relationship – it is a holy God telling the people of Israel how they can be in relationship with him despite the brokenness of sin. It’s an extraordinary book in teaching about who God is and who we are. Now, Leviticus has a reputation of being a rather difficult or tedious book – one that many people skip. But as we navigate through Leviticus, today's guest will make you want to dive into Leviticus head first and see it in a new, exciting way. 
 
To help us navigate Leviticus, host Jason Wieland is joined by Dr. Jay Sklar, Vice President of Academics and Professor of Old Testament at Covenant Theological Seminary, and author of not one but two commentaries on Leviticus. In this conversation, Jay gives an incredible explanation about why we shouldn’t skip Leviticus but instead see it through new lenses that will make you see the book in a whole new way. 

Doable Discipleship is a podcast produced and hosted by Jason Wieland. 

Resources Related to This Episode:
TOTC Commentary on Leviticus by Jay Sklar - https://www.amazon.com/Leviticus-Tyndale-Old-Testament-Commentaries/dp/0830842845

Zondervan Commentary on Leviticus by Jay Sklar - https://www.amazon.com/Leviticus-Zondervan-Exegetical-Commentary-Testament/dp/0310942187

From Dr. Sklar:
OT Pentateuch.com - https://www.otpentateuch.com/audiohttps://bibleproject.com/classroom/exodus-overview-carmen-imes/

Related Doable Discipleship Episodes: 
Navigating the Bible: Exodus - https://youtu.be/1ELkgAlWFGg
Navigating the Bible: Genesis - https://youtu.be/5zXHObysL6g

Inspiring Dreams by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/
Creative Commons CC BY 4.0
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

“Before destruction a man’s heart is haughty, but humility comes before honor.” - Proverbs 18:12. Humility is, without question, an integral part of what is means to be a Christian – a follower of Jesus, as we humbly acknowledge that there is a better way than what I could come up with on my own devices. When we get down into it, humility is an integral part of what it means to be saved – the acknowledgement that I cannot save myself from my sin and the humility to realize that I need a savior. But we have an interesting relationship with humility because the line between genuine and disingenuous humility is so, so thin. Jane Austen said, “Nothing is more deceitful than the appearance of humility. It is often only carelessness of opinion, and sometimes an indirect boast.” So what makes biblical humility different and how should humility look in our daily life? What are the marks of a genuinely humble person? 

For this conversation host Jason Wieland is joined by Jamin Goggin, co-author of the books Beloved Dust and The Way of the Dragon or the Way of the Lamb. In this conversation, Jamin and Jason talk about what biblical humility is, the stark contrast between humility and pride, how we can be more intentional in our humility especially in this season, humility in leadership, and much more. 

Doable Discipleship is a Saddleback Church podcast produced and hosted by Jason Wieland. It premiered in 2017 and now offers more than 380 episodes. Episodes release every Tuesday on your favorite podcast app and on the Saddleback Church YouTube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/saddleback).

Resources for this episode: 
The Way of the Dragon or the Way of the Lamb - https://www.amazon.com/Way-Dragon-Lamb-Searching-Abandoned/dp/0718022351

Beloved Dust - https://www.amazon.com/Beloved-Dust-Drawing-Discovering-Yourself/dp/0529110202

Related Doable Discipleship Episodes
Navigating the Bible: Genesis - https://youtu.be/ddhjMfOoasA
Living With Hope in the Midst of Struggle - https://youtu.be/99Nki49V0fI
Thinking Differently About Shame - https://youtu.be/sqKGDjBcHHc
Thinking About the Fruit of the Spirit - https://youtu.be/1JPaiNnbcAs

“Moses protested, ‘If I go to the people of Israel and tell them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ they will ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what should I tell them?’ God replied to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM. Say this to the people of Israel: I AM has sent me to you.’ God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: Yahweh, the God of your ancestors-the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob-has sent me to you.” - Exodus 3:13-15

Genesis introduced us to the world and to ourselves. Exodus, the second book of the Old Testament of the Bible, does more to introduce us to God – to he who was, and is, and is to come. To a God so eternal that he identifies himself as I AM, but also a God so personal that he also chooses to identify himself in relation to people – the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Exodus is a book of movement, propelling the true story of God and his people forward in such a way that sets forth not just the rest of the Biblical narrative, but human history up to where we are today. It is in Exodus that we see the baby in the basket, the burning bush, the ten plagues, the first Passover, the parting of the Red Sea, the 10 commandments, and so much more. 

To introduce us to the book of Exodus, host Jason Wieland is joined by Dr. Carmen Joy Imes. Dr. Imes is an Associate Professor of Old Testament at Talbot School of Theology, author of the books Being God’s Image and Bearing God’s Name, and is currently working on a commentary of Exodus. 

Doable Discipleship is a Saddleback Church podcast produced and hosted by Jason Wieland. It premiered in 2017 and now offers more than 380 episodes. Episodes release every Tuesday on your favorite podcast app and on the Saddleback Church YouTube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/saddleback).

Resources Related to This Episode:
Being God's Image - https://www.amazon.com/Being-Gods-Image-Creation-Matters-ebook/dp/B0BLD43TVC

Bearing God's Name - https://www.amazon.com/Bearing-Gods-Name-Sinai-Matters-ebook/dp/B07V6ZW9C1

From Dr. Imes:
Torah Tuesday - https://www.youtube.com/c/CarmenJoyImesPhD
Exodus Classroom for Bible Project - https://bibleproject.com/classroom/exodus-overview-carmen-imes/
Exodus Class for Biblical Training - https://www.biblicaltraining.org/learn/institute/exodus-imes

Related Doable Discipleship Episodes: 
Navigating the Bible: Genesis - https://youtu.be/5zXHObysL6g

Inspiring Dreams by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/
Creative Commons CC BY 4.0
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Do you feel you get enough rest in the course of your day or your week? Most people would probably say no – who couldn’t use more rest? What if I were to tell you that you could be at rest right now. Even in the midst of whatever you’re doing at this very moment, you can enjoy rest – the way God intended it. Because true rest is different than what we generally think it means. In fact, we can go all the way back to the story of creation to learn about how God sees rest and how it can completely change the way we view and experience genuine rest. 

In today's episode, host Jason Wieland is joined by Rachel Booth Smith, author of the new book Rest Assured. In this conversation Rachel and Jason talk about how what the Bible teaches about rest is different than our typical understanding, the role of intention, the uniqueness of the creation story found in Genesis, the difference between forced and relaxed faith, and much more. 

Doable Discipleship is a Saddleback Church podcast produced and hosted by Jason Wieland. It premiered in 2017 and now offers more than 380 episodes. Episodes release every Tuesday on your favorite podcast app and on the Saddleback Church YouTube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/saddleback).

Resources for this episode: 
Rest Assured by Rachel Booth Smith - https://www.amazon.com/Rest-Assured-Creation-Intended-Trusting/dp/0802432743

Related Doable Discipleship Episodes
Navigating the Bible: Genesis - https://youtu.be/ddhjMfOoasA
Living With Hope in the Midst of Struggle - https://youtu.be/99Nki49V0fI
Thinking Differently About Shame - https://youtu.be/sqKGDjBcHHc
Thinking About the Fruit of the Spirit - https://youtu.be/1JPaiNnbcAs

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” With that single sentence, thus unfolds the Bible, the word of God, and the beginning of history. Genesis, the first of 66 books of the Bible, takes the reader on an incredible journey from the creation of the universe to the creation of man to the fall of man to an ark that survives a global flood to a childless man who God promised would have descendants outnumbering the stars to a man who wrestles with God to a young man who goes from being a slave and prisoner to the second in power of all of Egypt. But Genesis isn’t just a series of historic accounts, it is an introduction to who God is, to the Gospel message, and to his never-ending love for us . . . for you. There are themes in Genesis that resonate throughout all of Scripture and truths in this book that can impact your life today.

For this episode, host Jason Wieland is joined by Dr. Andrew Steinmann, a recently retired professor from Concordia University Chicago and author of many books including a commentary on Genesis. In this conversation, Jason and Dr. Steinmann talk about the authorship of Genesis, the narrative flow of Genesis, what Genesis teaches us about God and about humanity, and much more. 

Doable Discipleship is a podcast produced and hosted by Jason Wieland. 

Resources Related to This Episode:
Genesis: Tyndale Old Testament Commentary - https://www.christianbook.com/genesis-tyndale-old-testament-commentary/

Inspiring Dreams by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/
Creative Commons CC BY 4.0
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Have you ever prayed hard for something - maybe for someone to be healed or for a job or for a healed relationship - and you didn't get the answer you were hoping for? Have you felt like God said "no" to your prayer? It can be very difficult for us when our prayers aren't answered the way we hope they would be. But what does this say about God and what does it say about us? How should we approach things when God says no? 

For this episode, host Jason Wieland is joined by Saddleback Church Teaching Pastor Buddy Owens to talk about when God says no. Jason and Buddy talk about what we should know about prayer and how it affects what we expect as a response from God, the reality of not understanding all of God's ways, the role of faith and much more. 

Doable Discipleship is a Saddleback Church podcast produced and hosted by Jason Wieland. It premiered in 2017 and now offers more than 380 episodes. Episodes release every Tuesday on your favorite podcast app and on the Saddleback Church YouTube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/saddleback).

Originally released September 12, 2022

Related Doable Discipleship Episodes: 
Walking Through Sickness in Faith - https://youtu.be/ahVwSg0fc_E
Types of Prayer - https://youtu.be/LldUFR4DDes
The Power of Intercessory Prayer - https://youtu.be/29qWvhFZaII

Shame is, without a doubt, one of the most difficult, devastating, negatively impactful, and yet human experiences. We all have felt and will feel shame in our lives – it’s a part of the human story going all the way back to Adam and Eve – and perhaps some of you are in an incredibly difficult spiral of shame right now. But what does shame tell us? We can’t deny the reality of shame, so what does it tell us about who we are, how we think and relate and process, and most importantly about who God is. 

In this episode host Jason Wieland is joined by Dr. Curt Thompson, author of many books including The Soul of Shame and host of the Being Known podcast. In this conversation, Jason and Curt talk about what shame really is, the difference between guilt and shame, the isolating and distancing effects of shame, the hope of grace, living in humility, the beauty of the Gospel as response to shame, and much more. 

Doable Discipleship is a Saddleback Church podcast produced and hosted by Jason Wieland. It premiered in 2017 and now offers more than 380 episodes. Episodes release every Tuesday on your favorite podcast app and on the Saddleback Church YouTube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/saddleback).

Resources for this episode: 
The Soul of Shame by Dr. Curt Thompson - https://www.amazon.com/Soul-Shame-Retelling-Stories-Ourselves/dp/0830844333/

Other books by Dr. Curt Thompson - https://www.amazon.com/stores/Curt-Thompson-MD/author/B003BHHH7I

https://curtthompsonmd.com/

Related Doable Discipleship Episodes
Living With Hope in the Midst of Struggle - https://youtu.be/99Nki49V0fI
Understanding Spiritual Warfare and Your Role In It - https://youtu.be/b1xj92NVDDk
What God's Love Teaches About How We Should Love Others - 
https://youtu.be/Hcu3TTzS9A4
Thinking About the Fruit of the Spirit - https://youtu.be/1JPaiNnbcAs