Know God

We introduce spiritual odyssey by following the unique journey of naturalist John Muir. Season 6 starts by considering the obstacles of faith and ways others are able to clear the way to faith. Our conversation in this podcast starts with Muir’s shift from a regimented church upbringing to his embrace of life in a natural, wild environment. His sense of place reflects his experience of the “natural revelation” of the Creator. Muir’s conviction was “you need to take more time in nature.” In nature he experienced solace and connection with God. Passages include Psalm 19:1-6, Romans 1:17-20, Acts 15:19, Mark 1:1, and Micah 6:8.

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This podcast is for Earth Day. And this podcast is a call to Christians about our  responsibility and call to take care of the planet. Since the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970, people around the world have been called to do something to take care of the earth. 
In one of our recent podcasts, The Science of Awe, we talked about the 1968 “Earthrise” photo taken by the Apollo 8 astronauts. A new perspective - the long perspective of seeing the great blue planet in its beauty and its vulnerability. The “Earthrise” photo was also a catalyst for the first Earth Day.

This makes the desolation of the planet unbearable to think about. Landfills overflowing. Air and water pollution. Microplastics. Forever chemicals. Climate change. Deforestation and desertification. War with massive waste of resources and the desolation of regions of the earth. 
In this podcast we challenge ourselves from a biblical perspective. Scriptures referenced include Genesis chapters 1-2, Psalm 24, and Romans 8:19-22.
Happy Earth Day! Take care of the planet!

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How did Jesus live out his own teachings? This question is addressed with a meditative guide designed for the week before Easter - “Holy Week.” We read from Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount” and from a few moments during the last week of his life found in the gospels. It’s a meditation to help each one of us see Jesus’ way of life.

Five readings are provided that may be listened to consecutively as a whole “hour of prayer,” or as 5 devotional segments separated by short musical interludes. Each segment is two and one-half to three minutes playtime. Listen altogether or over a period of days. The scripture readings are from the New International Version of the Bible.

Each meditation segment follows an order: Micah will read from the Sermon on the Mount, then Sandy follows with a gospel reading, with Tony ending each segment with a meditative prayer. 
These are the five meditation segments:

• Meditation 1: The meek will inherit the earth. Matthew 5:5. Matthew 21:1-11.
• Meditation 2: Father, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:5-13. Matthew 26:36-44.
• Meditation 3: Turn the other cheek. Matthew 5:38-40. Matthew 27:1-2, 11-31.
• Meditation 4: Love your enemies and pray for them. Matthew 5:43-45. Luke 23:3, 14-23, 33-34.
• Meditation 5: The persecuted will rejoice. Matthew 5:10-12. Matthew 28:1-10.

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Listen in on this third episode on AWE - the anticipation of awe at the end of time. Awe comes from a spiritual experience - wrestling with life and death. 
A focus on apocalyptic scenarios misses the essence of the renewal of all things in the future. We may expect to be more impressed with the physicality of end times rather than the inner experience, and in the spirit realm. 
The awe at the end of times  is a future based on the experience of the presence of God making his home among people. God has been introducing that new experience all along the way. This is the basis of experiencing awe in the end of times.
Scriptures discussed include Romans 8:18-23, 1 Corinthians 15:35-55, Philippians 3:20-21, Revelation 21:1-6, and Colossians 1:15-20.

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This Know God episode is our second  on AWE. We demonstrate finding awe in the texts and stories of the Bible. We discussed 8 pathways to awe as presented in the book, Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life, by Dr. Dacher Keltner. 
Scriptures discussed include Psalm 23, Genesis 28:12-18, 1 Kings 3:23-28, Luke 23:46-48, and Hebrews 12:25-29.

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The science of awe took off with the Apollo 8 mission of 1968. This episode explores the intersection of scientific research and biblical narrative as we consider the amazing benefits of the experience of AWE!
You’ve likely seen the iconic photo “Earthrise” taken by the crew of Apollo 8. For the first time humans saw their blue home planet rising above the forbidding lunar horizon. Awe enveloped them as this view of Earth changed their lives. Some say the beginning of the study of awe at the academic level began because of that Apollo 8 mission. Join us as we discuss “What is awe?” gleaning from scientific research and biblical teaching. Passages discussed include Luke 5:20-26 and 7:9-17.

We discuss 8 pathways to awe, from the work of Dr. Dacher Keltner, a professor of psychology at UC Berkeley. He and his colleagues identify eight different pathways to experience awe: 1) The moral beauty of people, 2) nature, 3) collective effervescence,4) dance movement, 5) the cultural stuff of visual design, 6) music, 7) spirituality, and 8) big ideas in life and death. 

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Community Context is the third podcast in the CONTEXT series. Community context involves slowing down, reading details, connecting dots, and giving attention to the street signs of our local communities.
Listen to our conversation about, “How can I become a good neighbor?”

Many people don’t know their communities, and their communities don’t know them. Many people are sitting in their house; they don't know their neighbors and are pretty much content with that. We could just be a little more human as we take the initiative to connect with others. Grasping community context will get us on the right track.
I became fascinated to understand the concept of community context while reading the book Contextual Intelligence: Unlocking the Ancient Secret to Mission on the Front Lines by Leonard Sweet and Michael Beck.
Scriptures include Ephesians 4:18-24 and Matthew 6:26–29.

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Relational Context is about finding opportunities to develop stronger connections with others. Sometimes referred to as relational intelligence,  we describe how it takes trust, authentic love, as well as a commitment to a “not ‘on the clock’ kind of time with others. As a God-created facet of humanity, to not possess relational intelligence is to experience something clouding it, blocking it, veiling it, or to simply be afraid of it.
Gain insights and tools for relationships as we discuss passages, including Matthew 7:1-3, John 2:43-51, and John 3:1-12.

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CONTEXT informs translation and core principles of the Bible. In this episode the translation of the Greek word lambano as  “take” or “receive” is covered in detail. Context is shown to be key to determining translation. It even has implications for how we view Jesus Christ. Key passages highlight this significance.
Gain new insight in the significance of “receive versus take” as we discuss passages, including Philippians 2:5-8, John 1:11-14, and Philippians 3:12-14.

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What is the impact of rivalry? Can I feed rivalry and competition outside of my church life and not work counter to the environment of the church? Rivalry impacts behavior not only in athletics and business, but also in recreation, education, church, and politics. We discuss that the opposite of  rivalry is be a teammate. Insights into the impact of rivalry will come from history, and biblical passages, including Galatians 5:16-21, 1 Timothy 6:2-5, 2 Corinthians 12:20, Titus 3:9, Philippians 1:15-18, and Matthew 20:1-16.

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