In the Fire

We turn the clock way back for the 46th episode of "In the Fire" - all the way back to the beginning of the universe! In this episode, we read through Genesis 1, which tells the story of creation. We take some time to discuss God's creation of the world and the heavens, and talk about some highlights from this amazing part of the Bible. We also discuss what this means for us today. In other words, how can we take the story of creation and apply it to our current-day lives? Join us and find out!

In this episode, we tackle an interesting topic by asking ourselves one question: what is gluttony? One of the "seven deadly sins," gluttony is an interesting combination of greed, selfishness, over-consumption, and so much more. In our discussion, we focus in on not only what gluttony is, but also where it can be found, how it affects us in our daily lives, and ultimately what can be done to re-focus our lives on Christ and escape the trap of gluttony that we all fall into. We've all been victims of this sin, whether we know it or not...so, want to think a little more about how gluttony exists in our world today? Join us in the fire and find out.

On the 1-year anniversary of the "In the Fire" podcast, we examine an important, yet overlooked topic that the Bible teaches: Rest. What does rest mean in the context of Christianity, and how can we, as believers, use our faith to enter into the rest freely offered to us? Moreover, we take an in-depth look at how the gift of rest given to us gives us a glimpse of our ultimate Heavenly home. It's been a great year in the fire with our listeners, and we are thankful for you all as we continue to bring our podcast to you. Please enjoy this week's episode!

King David is one of the more significant figures in the Bible for several reasons. He unites and builds up the nation of Israel, he works as a precursor to Jesus, and he teaches us plenty of important lessons through his own story. But despite his Christ-like qualities and admirable faithfulness, David is still fully human. This week, we take a look at one of Scripture's most well-known instances of sin, when David's temptation and pride give way to a series of unspeakable actions. Join us as we read through 2 Samuel 11 and 12 and discuss what lessons we can learn through both the fall of David, as well as his repentance and redemption that ultimately lead to God's forgiveness.

For this episode, we are joined by Stephen Cartwright of the "Tesserae" podcast, who enters the fire with us as we take an in-depth look at the last section in the book of Jude (verses 17-25). Among other things, these verses focus on maintaining our lives with God by persevering and remaining steadfast in God's love and mercy. We also look at the prophet Jeremiah as an example of the lessons that we learn by reading Jude's words. As always, we are thankful for all our listeners and we hope that you enjoy and learn from this episode! 

For this episode, we pick up where we left off a few weeks ago by taking a look at Exodus 3 and 4. Most notably, these chapters include the story of Moses and the burning bush, where God calls Moses to return to Egypt and free the nation of Israel from bondage. As God and Moses speak to each other, Moses expresses hesitancy, fear, and doubt regarding God's plan to use Moses to free His people. As God listens to Moses's fears, He provides Moses with the encouragement, reassurance, and confidence that Moses needs to accomplish the difficult task ahead. As we read these chapters, we discuss the relationship between doubt and faith, and focus in on what we can take away from this intriguing conversation.

The "End Times" is a topic of much discussion, intrigue, and even controversy among the Christian community...which is understandable. It's a confusing topic that comes up in several places throughout the Bible, and the prophecies relating to the end times are often ambiguous and difficult to understand. In this episode, we take a look at Matthew 24, where Jesus speaks to his disciples concerning the end of days. This passage discusses both the "end times" that all of humanity has lived in since Jesus's crucifixion and resurrection, as well as the specific final days leading up to Christ's return and God's judgment. The purpose of our discussion in this episode is not to debate controversial topics or to predict anything at all; rather, this episode gives a broad overview of what Jesus talks about regarding the end times and, more importantly, the main takeaways from Jesus's words for our lives today. Sit back, listen in, and enjoy!

The Bible prepares Christians for living on earth by telling us that we will encounter trials in our lives. Peter discusses this issue in a letter (the book of 1 Peter) to Christians dispersed throughout Asia Minor. As we discuss, Peter writes this book of the Bible during a time when Christians were starting to be heavily persecuted in Rome. So, how does Peter tell us we are to live our lives while undergoing such difficulty and trial? He tells us to look to our wonderful inheritance: our salvation in Jesus Christ. Today, we discuss how we can do this by remaining grounded in faith and hope as we read some excerpts from the first chapter of 1 Peter.

Exodus chapters 1 and 2 tell us the story of a crucial period in the history of Israel, as well a tragic one. These chapters mark the beginning of Israel's slavery in Egypt - a time of oppression, punishment, and death. But throughout the incredible evil that the nation of Israel faces, it also finds itself fully within God's grasp. In this episode, we discuss some of the details in these chapters that point to the fact that God is always working for good, even when His people are in the midst of turmoil and trial. In these chapters, Israel sees great growth as a nation, grows stronger in resilience and emboldened in faith, and receives a new gift from God in the form of a baby named Moses who will grow up to lead the nation out of bondage and toward great blessing.

In this episode, we take a look at a passage out of 1 Peter 2, where Peter writes about how Christians are called to live as foreigners and sojourners in a foreign land (or, strangers in a strange land). What does this mean? That's what we discuss this week as we touch on some important topics, including faith, hope, and how believers are to act in our current world and society while still keeping our hearts set on an eternal home. We also flip over to Hebrews 11 and discuss some Biblical examples that we can look up to to help us navigate this important issue.