First Fifteen

Do you live a storybook life?  Most of us don't.  In fact, our daily routines and happenings often seem so ordinary to us that we seek excitement, adventure or escape through songs, movies or stories of other people that attract us (or at least distract us).  But the truth is, you are living out a story whether or not you are aware of it, and the things that happen in your life become elements of your own personal story.   

In season five we're learning to pray the most common type of scripture: narrative or stories.  They make up almost half of the Bible so it's important we learn how to read and pray this very common type of Scripture. 

In our regular episodes we take time to listen to God's word, reflect on it and learn to pray to God and carry that word through the rest of the day.  We use the entire Bible to do that and not just the psalms, prayers or "uplifting" parts of it that seem suited for devotionals.  On today's episode we take time for a conversation between Ron and Angela about how to read and pray Scripture stories especially in the family setting.

1 Samuel 1-3 introduces several parents and children: Elkanah and Hannah and their son Samuel along with Eli and his two sons Hophni and Phinehas.  The story helos us notice the contrast between Eli's two wicked sons and young Samuel growing up in Shiloh under Eli's supervision.  One natural question is how is faith formed in children (or deformed by adults making their own choices)?  Ron and Angela reflect on that in light of their own experiences and offer some guidance about  intentionally sharing stories from the Bible with young people.

Make sure to follow or subscribe to this podcast.

Angela Oltmanns has written a month-long series of family devotions based on 1 Samuel.  Get a copy of the book 1 Samuel: How to Be a Child After God's Heart on Amazon (or the ebook).

We also have a study based on the stories of Elisha called Spirit of Elisha: A Double Portion for Moms on Amazon (the ebook is here).

The Action Bible is a great resource for visually engaging with Bible stories, both for older children and adults who are young at heart.  See our review of this book on our Youtube channel.

Want to go deeper into reading narrative parts of scripture?  We recommend these four short videos done by The Bible Project to get you further into reading, understanding and praying Bible stories:   Plot,  Setting,  Characters, and the Bible as Ancient Jewish Meditation Literature.

Connect with us on one of our social channels:
Twitter  @WordofPrayer15
Instagram @WordofPrayer15 
Facebook Page at Word of Prayer 15.

Support our show with your purchase of one of our products:
Etsy store WordofPrayer
Amazon Ron Oltmanns

Additional resources at https://word-of-prayer.com

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The story of your life can be told with a few words.  Your story is really about who you are, where you've come from, what you're overcoming, and where it's all headed.  We get the story of Samuel's life in summary form in 1 Samuel 3 as he first hears the word of the Lord and has to decide how to respond to it. 

In season five we're learning to pray the most common type of scripture: narrative or stories.  They make up almost half of the Bible so it's important we learn how to read and pray this very common type of Scripture.  We also need to grasp the overall storyline of the entire Bible.

If you are getting started in a relationship with God, trying to have a quiet time or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place.

Spend your first minutes of the day listening to God and responding in a personal way.  This podcast will show you how and teach you in an easy to follow process.

We will listen to God's word, reflect on it and learn to pray to God as well as carry that word with through the rest of the day.  It's the perfect way to get started in each day's journey of faith!

1 Samuel 1-2 sets us up to understand Samuel's background and the important background of Eli and his sons.  By looking at the first three chapters of Samuel, we learn a few key things about stories in general as well as how stories in the Bible are a little different. 

We mentioned before the three key parts of any story are the plot, setting and characters.  Plot is the basic action sequence, and two additional parts of it are conflict and resolution.  You really don't have a story without some kind of conflict.  If we didn't have the all-important information from v. 1, we wouldn't really have a conflict in this story.

1 Samuel 3 starts and ends with an emphasis on the word of Yahweh, and Samuel's story is distinctive because he listens to God and fearlessly speaks it to others regardless of their position.  That's what makes him a prophet.  Even with the lack of many details, description or even a moral judgment on the actions of the characters, the Bible creates a big impact with a very few words.

Go ahead and get started listening and follow or subscribe to this podcast to hear more from God's word.

We have a Youtube video based on this scripture that you can watch here.

The four step process demonstrated in this episode is available here.

Angela Oltmanns has written a series of family devotions based on 1 Samuel.  Get a copy of the book 1 Samuel: How to Be a Child After God's Heart on Amazon (or the ebook).

Additional resources at https://word-of-prayer.com

Support the show

What comes next?! A good story pulls us in and makes us look forward to where we're going next.  In the Bible book of 1 Samuel we start with a sad wife who is ridiculed and she becomes a grateful mother through God's goodness.  What comes next is what we cover today in 1 Samuel 2. 

We began season five with a focus on praying the most common type of scripture: narrative or stories.  In this season we will learn to read and pray the half of the Bible filled with narrative or stories and also grasp the overall storyline of the entire Bible in the process.

If you are getting started in a relationship with God, trying to have a quiet time or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place.

Spend your first minutes of the day listening to God and responding in a personal way.  This podcast will show you how and teach you in an easy to follow process.

We will listen to God's word, reflect on it and learn to pray to God as well as carry that word with through the rest of the day.  It's the perfect way to get started in each day's journey of faith!

Like most good stories, we begin this podcast season "in the middle of things" by featuring 1 Samuel 1-3.  By looking at the first three chapters of Samuel, we observe a few key things about stories in general as well as dive into the storyline of scripture.  In later episodes we'll turn to Genesis and then to other narrative parts of the Bible.

We mentioned in episode 1 the three key parts of any story are the plot, setting and characters.  Plot is the basic action sequence, setting is where it happens and characters are the main actors we pay attention to in the story.  The setting of today's episode is still ancient Israel over 3,000 years ago in the town of Shiloh.  The key characters are Hannah, Eli and his sons Hophni and Phinehas--and of course God, the hero of every Bible story!  The main plot points are summarized on this episode.  Beyond that, we reflect on the theme of parents and children and how that theme stretches across the books of 1-2 Samuel and really the larger narrative of Genesis 12-2 Kings.

Go ahead and get started listening and follow or subscribe to this podcast to hear more from God's word. 

The four step process demonstrated in this episode is available here.

Angela Oltmanns has written a series of family devotions based on 1 Samuel.  Get a copy of the book 1 Samuel: How to Be a Child After God's Heart on Amazon (or the ebook).

Additional resources at https://word-of-prayer.com

Connect with us on one of our social channels:
Twitter  @WordofPrayer15
Instagram @WordofPrayer15 
Facebook Page at Word of Prayer 15.

Support our show with your purchase of one of our products:
Etsy store WordofPrayer
Amazon Ron Oltmanns and Angela S Oltmanns

Support the show

It began with a story.  When we were young we listened to stories being told or read to us and it's one of those human activities we never outgrow.  Whether in gatherings with family or meetups with friends, at work or afterwards, at school and in our movies we tell and listen to stories throughout our entire lives.  The Bible is a book filled with stories (almost half of it is narrative), and what's more it tells one coherent over-arching story from beginning to end.

We begin season five with a focus on praying the most common type of scripture: narrative or stories.  In this season we will learn to read and pray the narrative half of scripture and also grasp the overall storyline of the entire Bible in the process.

If you are getting started in a relationship with God, trying to have a quiet time or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place.

Spend your first fifteen minutes of the day listening to God and responding in a personal way.  This podcast will show you how and teach you in an easy to follow process.

In fifteen minutes (or less) you will listen to God's word for you, reflect on it and learn to pray to God as well as carry that word with you through the rest of your day.  What a perfect way to get started!

Like most good stories, we begin this podcast season "in the middle of things" by featuring 1 Samuel 1.  We'll use the first three chapters of Samuel to make some comments about stories in general as well as dive into the storyline of scripture.  In later episodes we'll turn to Genesis and then to other narrative parts of the Bible. 

Three key parts of any story are the plot, setting and characters.  Plot is the basic action sequence, setting is where it happens and characters are the main actors we pay attention to in the story.

Go ahead and get started listening and follow or subscribe to this podcast to hear more from God's word.  You can also watch other videos on Youtube at the Word of Prayer channel (link).

The four step process demonstrated in this episode is available here.

Connect with us on one of our social channels:
Twitter  @WordofPrayer15
Instagram @WordofPrayer15 
Facebook Page at Word of Prayer 15.

Support our show with your purchase of one of our products:
Etsy store WordofPrayer
Amazon Ron Oltmanns and Angela S Oltmanns

Angela Oltmanns has written a series of family devotions based on 1 Samuel.  Get a copy of the book 1 Samuel: How to Be a Child After God's Heart on Amazon (or the ebook).

Additional resources at https://word-of-prayer.com

Support the show

"Do Good."  It seems so basic, like something you don't have to even say.  If you follow Christ, you should no doubt be active in doing good.  Yet, throughout Paul's letter to Titus there is a repeated emphasis on "doing good." Today we explore that and focus on the third and final chapter of this short letter.

If you are trying to have a quiet time, getting started in a relationship with God or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place.

In each episode you will listen to God's word for you, reflect on it and learn to pray to God as well as carry that word with you through the rest of your day.

In season four we have been praying through some of the letters in the Bible.  We conclude the short letter to Titus today.  As one of the "Pastoral Letters" (along with 1 & 2 Timothy),  Paul writes to one of his co-workers about how to strengthen the church in Crete as well as how to teach, appoint leaders, and leave a legacy of faith behind.   

Throughout the letter to Titus Paul repeats the importance of "doing good."  We explore that theme further in this episode as well as look at the concrete way that Paul says it can be done.  The Christian faith has a bias for action; we should be doing good rather than spending most of our time on arguments and interpretations and controversies.  Paul also shares another summary statement about what God has done through us through his Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ in Titus 3:4-8. 

From his opening emphasis in Titus 1 on character and leadership to a wider focus on living out our faith in our given roles in community (Titus 2), this letter sets forth simple but foundational truths that God's people in all places at all times should practice.  

We have used the letters to grow closer to God in season four.  We can't exhaust the riches in each part of scripture we cover, but you can go deeper into them on your own using our four step process.  You can download the helpsheet that details and demonstrates the four step process we use on First Fifteen using Psalm 1.

If you want to get more daily encouragement you can follow me on Twitter or Instagram @WordofPrayer15 .  Go ahead and get started listening and follow/subscribe to this podcast to hear more from God's word.   You can also find us on Facebook at Word of Prayer 15.

We have a course on Philemon and Colossians for in-depth Bible study called "Christ Supreme".  If you are interested in going deeper, check out the links on our website or the Facebook page.

 Additional resources at the Word of Prayer website https://word-of-prayer.com

Support the show

There is a type of growth that's harmful to the body.  We call it cancer.  When Paul wrote to Titus on Crete, he was deeply concerned about a type of teaching that was growing like cancer among the young churches on the island.  In Titus 2 we see Paul describe the effects of healthy teaching in the church and how it would produce people bent on doing good. 

If you are trying to have a quiet time, getting started in a relationship with God or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place.

In each episode you will listen to God's word for you, reflect on it and learn to pray to God as well as carry that word with you through the rest of your day.

In season four we are praying through some of the letters in the Bible.  We are listening to Paul's letter to Titus, one of his shortest letters.  Paul turns from instructions about leaders to the roles that each separate group plays in a healthy body, old or young, male or female, slave or free.

In the last few verses of chapter 2 Paul grounds his teaching in God's grace and what God himself teaches us through the example of the Son, Jesus Christ, who gives us instruction and power to turn away from ungodliness and toward virtue. 

The key word in this chapter is "teaching" and especially healthy teaching which grows good people.  

We are using the letters to grow closer to God in season four.  We can't exhaust the riches in each part of scripture we cover, but you can go deeper into them on your own using our four step process.  You can download the helpsheet that details and demonstrates the four step process we use on First Fifteen using Psalm 1.

If you want to get more daily encouragement you can follow me on Twitter or Instagram @WordofPrayer15 .  Go ahead and get started listening and follow/subscribe to this podcast to hear more from God's word.   You can also find us on Facebook at Word of Prayer 15.

We have a course on Philemon and Colossians for in-depth Bible study called "Christ Supreme".  If you are interested in going deeper, check out the links on our website or the Facebook page.

 Additional resources at the Word of Prayer website https://word-of-prayer.com

Support the show

We seem to have a perpetual shortage of leaders.  That's really nothing new as we see today in Paul's letter to Titus.  The problem isn't that we have no leaders, but the ones we have aren't very good.  Paul was concerned as he looked at the small households of faith scattered over the Roman world and instead of good strong leaders, he saw the body of Christ being misled and deceived.  He doesn't waste time complaining about it. Instead he gives instructions to Titus about what to look for and prioritize in good leaders for God's people.

If you are trying to have a quiet time, getting started in a relationship with God or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place.

In each episode you will listen to God's word for you, reflect on it and learn to pray to God as well as carry that word with you through the rest of your day.

In season four we are praying through some of the letters in the Bible.  We begin the short letter to Titus today.  Besides Philemon, this is Paul's next shortest letter.  It gives us a lot to reflect on, meditate about and to pray on in its 46 verses.  After briefly considering the context and situation that Paul is writing to, we turn to the main theme of the first part of this letter: leadership.   

Paul gives Titus specific instructions about appointing elders to guide and oversee the local churches on Crete (for more background, watch the video here).  These small groups of believers were already facing the challenge of many wayward teachers coming among them and leading them astray.  In Titus 1:10-16 we get a vivid picture of this "anti-leadership" or the opposite of what the body needs.  Paul shares with Titus in 1:5-9 the key desirable characteristics of leaders, and it really comes down to character or virtue.  These are old-fashioned words, but the need for leaders of strength never goes out of fashion. 

What is the prime virtue of character trait that leaders need according to Paul?  They should be "blameless" or "irreproachable" (Titus 1:6, 7).  Paul paints a vivid picture of desirable leadership, and the key themes center around self-control and social conscience.  In other words, leaders of the local body need to have the character of Christ and good emotional intelligence.

We are using the letters to grow closer to God in season four.  We can't exhaust the riches in each part of scripture we cover, but you can go deeper into them on your own using our four step process.  You can download the helpsheet that details and demonstrates the four step process we use on First Fifteen using Psalm 1.

If you want to get more daily encouragement you can follow me on Twitter or Instagram @WordofPrayer15 .  Go ahead and get started listening and follow/subscribe to this podcast to hear more from God's word.   You can also find us on Facebook at Word of Prayer 15.

We have a course on Philemon and Colossians for in-depth Bible study called "Christ Supreme".  If you are interested in going deeper, check out the links on our website or the Facebook page.

 Additional resources at the Word of Prayer website https://word-of-prayer.com

Support the show

Do you like to have the last word?  1 John has a lot of truths for us, and in the last chapter it circles back to many of those that we've visited before.  John's final word about why he is writing and what's most important and even the last verse in the letter all hold something rich and powerful for us.    

If you are trying to have a quiet time, getting started in a relationship with God or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place.

In each episode you will listen to God's word for you, reflect on it and learn to pray to God as well as carry that word with you through the rest of your day. 

In season four we are praying through some of the letters in the Bible.  We are finishing 1 John by listening to chapter 5 in this episode.  The language is simple but the truths are rich and plentiful.  We explore three of them and they all lead us deeper into faith.  

These 21 verses offer a lot to meditate on and perhaps you should focus on just one or two at a time.  In our daily walk with God we can listen to him and watch how he gives us opportunities to live out the truth in this passage. 

We are using the letters to grow closer to God in season four.  We can't exhaust the riches in each part of scripture we cover, but you can go deeper into them on your own using our four step process.  You can download the helpsheet that details and demonstrates the four step process we use on First Fifteen using Psalm 1.

If you want to get more daily encouragement you can follow me on Twitter or Instagram @WordofPrayer15 .  Go ahead and get started listening and follow/subscribe to this podcast to hear more from God's word.   You can also find us on Facebook at Word of Prayer 15.

We have a course on Philemon and Colossians for in-depth Bible study called "Christ Supreme".  If you are interested in going deeper, check out the links on our website or the Facebook page.

 Additional resources at the Word of Prayer website https://word-of-prayer.com

Support the show

What is God like?  1 John tells us a lot about this, and it also says that how we behave toward others and live our lives shows what we think about God.  Love, fear, faith, trust...how we approach our relationships gives us plenty of opportunity to answer on a practical level what we think of God.   

If you are trying to have a quiet time, getting started in a relationship with God or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place.

In each episode you will listen to God's word for you, reflect on it and learn to pray to God as well as carry that word with you through the rest of your day. 

In season four we are praying through some of the letters in the Bible.  We are reading 1 John and listening to chapter 4 in this episode.  It gives us another simple but striking way of seeing God based on elemental truth.  God is love, and to embrace him means not being driven by fear.  

These 21 verses give us a lot to meditate on.  In our daily relationships we get to decide if we will come from love or selfishness, faith or fear.   

We are using the letters to grow closer to God in season four.  We can't exhaust the riches in each part of scripture we cover, but you can go deeper into them on your own using our four step process.  You can download the helpsheet that details and demonstrates the four step process we use on First Fifteen using Psalm 1.

If you want to get more daily encouragement you can follow me on Twitter or Instagram @WordofPrayer15 .  Go ahead and get started listening and follow/subscribe to this podcast to hear more from God's word.   You can also find us on Facebook at Word of Prayer 15.

We have a course on Philemon and Colossians for in-depth Bible study called "Christ Supreme".  If you are interested in going deeper, check out the links on our website or the Facebook page.

 Additional resources at the Word of Prayer website https://word-of-prayer.com

Support the show

Love is what we are called to, and God calls us his children.  That's our identity:  children of God.  That's immense if we let it sink in.  As children of the Creator God, we experience his love and are called to practice it in our lives.  1 John 3 takes us into the heart of this letter and it reveals God's heart as well.  God commands us to believe in Jesus Christ and to love one another.

If you are trying to have a quiet time, getting started in a relationship with God or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place.

In each episode you will listen to God's word for you, reflect on it and learn to pray to God as well as carry that word with you through the rest of your day. 

In season four we are praying through some of the letters in the Bible.  We're continuing through 1 John and listening to chapter 3 in this episode.  It's challenging because it brings up the reality of God's commands and his love, which is quite different from what the world means when it uses the word "love".   

There are a lot of words in these 24 verses, and we focus on vv. 1, 16, 19-23.  We talk about what to do with our feelings when our hearts condemn us.  The main two points, in this passage are to obey God's commands and to practice love toward others.  This simplifies what we need to focus on even if it's not easy. 

We are using the letters to grow closer to God in season four.  We can't exhaust the riches in each part of scripture we cover, but you can go deeper into them on your own using our four step process.  You can download the helpsheet that details and demonstrates the four step process we use on First Fifteen using Psalm 1.

If you want to get more daily encouragement you can follow me on Twitter or Instagram @WordofPrayer15 .  Go ahead and get started listening and follow/subscribe to this podcast to hear more from God's word.   You can also find us on Facebook at Word of Prayer 15.

We have a course on Philemon and Colossians for in-depth Bible study called "Christ Supreme".  If you are interested in going deeper, check out the links on our website or the Facebook page.

 Additional resources at the Word of Prayer website https://word-of-prayer.com

Support the show