A lecture given at L’Abri Fellowship in Southborough, Massachusetts. For more information, visit https://southboroughlabri.org/

by Esther Dalton

The account of Jesus being led out into the wilderness to be tested by the devil is familiar and is found in all three Synoptic Gospels. Like tests in school, the question behind the challenges Jesus faces is "Have you internalized what you have been taught?" This lecture will look again at this familiar story and some of the Old Testament texts behind it as we seek to answer the question, "What had Jesus internalized that allowed him to pass the test?" and to discover what the answer might uncover in our own hearts as we seek to walk in the way of Jesus.

The Copyright for all material on the podcast is held by L'Abri Fellowship. We ask that you respect this by not publishing the material in full or in part in any format or post it on a website without seeking prior permission from L'Abri Fellowship. ©Southborough L'Abri 2024

A lecture given at L’Abri Fellowship in Southborough, Massachusetts. For more information, visit https://southboroughlabri.org/

by Marta Crilly

Discussions about America's past and how we remember (or forget) it have spurred some of the most charged debates both inside and outside of the United States. Our understanding of our personal, family, and national pasts directly impacts how we act in the present and how we comprehend ourselves and others. Join us for a discussion of how we imagine the past and the importance of memory in building a healthy community.

Marta Crilly is the Head of Public Services at the Burns Library, Boston College. Prior to working at Burns Library, she spent 12 years as a truculent municipal worker at the Boston City Archives. In her spare time, she reads everything she can find about the Apostle Paul and takes 4-hour walking tours exploring sites of European fascism.

The Copyright for all material on the podcast is held by L'Abri Fellowship. We ask that you respect this by not publishing the material in full or in part in any format or post it on a website without seeking prior permission from L'Abri Fellowship. ©Southborough L'Abri 2024

A lecture given at L’Abri Fellowship in Southborough, Massachusetts. For more information, visit https://southboroughlabri.org/

by Joshua Chestnut

While we may intuitively think of a life of lazy resignation as being diametrically opposed to a life of hyperactive busyness, our ancestors in the faith may have seen things differently and understood these two common ways of life as being symptomatic of some deeper, spiritual problem, i.e. acedia. Sometimes translated as "sloth," acedia originally identified an internal habit of resistance (or laziness) to the Christian calling of loving God and our neighbor. This lecture will consider acedia in its historical context as well as its contemporary instances while considering what might be its remedy.

The Copyright for all material on the podcast is held by L'Abri Fellowship. We ask that you respect this by not publishing the material in full or in part in any format or post it on a website without seeking prior permission from L'Abri Fellowship. ©Southborough L'Abri 2024

A lecture given at L’Abri Fellowship in Southborough, Massachusetts. For more information, visit https://southboroughlabri.org/

by Ben Keyes

When we think about the role that faith plays in the life of the Christian, we often (rightly) think of Paul's theology of salvation: we are saved by grace, through faith, to do good works (Ephesians 2:8-10). This lecture will focus instead on the gospel narratives, particularly those stories in which Jesus comments on people's faith. What is the nature of the faith he is hoping to find and grow in his followers? How does the strength of a person's faith impact how they relate to Jesus? This lecture will turn to a number of gospel texts to address these questions.

The Copyright for all material on the podcast is held by L'Abri Fellowship. We ask that you respect this by not publishing the material in full or in part in any format or post it on a website without seeking prior permission from L'Abri Fellowship. ©Southborough L'Abri 2024

A lecture given at L’Abri Fellowship in Southborough, Massachusetts. For more information, visit https://southboroughlabri.org/

by Mary Frances Giles

The 2023 blockbuster film Barbie has been both praised and censured by critics and moviegoers alike. One reviewer referred to it as "joyous from minute to minute," while another claimed it is "very pretty but not very deep." Far from just being a story about a pink plastic doll, the film asks important questions about the nature of reality via themes of gendered power struggles and the imminence of death. Drawing from the Biblical narrative, this lecture will seek to look at those themes through the lens of our shared humanity and hope for our lives beyond "Barbieland."

The Copyright for all material on the podcast is held by L'Abri Fellowship. We ask that you respect this by not publishing the material in full or in part in any format or post it on a website without seeking prior permission from L'Abri Fellowship. ©Southborough L'Abri 2024

A lecture given at L’Abri Fellowship in Southborough, Massachusetts. For more information, visit https://southboroughlabri.org/

by Ben Keyes

This lecture explores two fundamental human desires: the longing to seek new experiences and the longing to come home. Drawing on examples from literature, we will explore the nature of these two longings and ultimately point to their biblical foundations. Because the longings for the new and the familiar are part of how we have been made by God, only in relating to Him do they come together and find fulfillment.

The Copyright for all material on the podcast is held by L'Abri Fellowship. We ask that you respect this by not publishing the material in full or in part in any format or post it on a website without seeking prior permission from L'Abri Fellowship. ©Southborough L'Abri 2024

A lecture given at L’Abri Fellowship in Southborough, Massachusetts. For more information, visit https://southboroughlabri.org/

by Esther Dalton

In his sermon, "No Little People, No Little Places," Francis Schaeffer demonstrates how becoming infected with our culture's "syndrome of size" causes all kinds of problems for us regarding our identity and purpose in the world. In contrast, Schaeffer explores God's way of measuring value and Jesus' call to take the lowest place. As Christians, how do we recalibrate our systems of measurement to match God's? This lecture uses Schaeffer's sermon as a starting point toward following Jesus into these important questions of who we are and what we do.

The Copyright for all material on the podcast is held by L'Abri Fellowship. We ask that you respect this by not publishing the material in full or in part in any format or post it on a website without seeking prior permission from L'Abri Fellowship. ©Southborough L'Abri 2024

A lecture given at L’Abri Fellowship in Southborough, Massachusetts. For more information, visit https://southboroughlabri.org/

by Ben Keyes

The Copyright for all material on the podcast is held by L'Abri Fellowship. We ask that you respect this by not publishing the material in full or in part in any format or post it on a website without seeking prior permission from L'Abri Fellowship. ©Southborough L'Abri 2024

A lecture given at L’Abri Fellowship in Southborough, Massachusetts. For more information, visit https://southboroughlabri.org/

by Sarah Chestnut

In this lecture, we will consider how remembering, creating and praising are central to our humanity, and how Christian spirituality has everything to do with the recovery of and growth in these human practices.

The Copyright for all material on the podcast is held by L'Abri Fellowship. We ask that you respect this by not publishing the material in full or in part in any format or post it on a website without seeking prior permission from L'Abri Fellowship. ©Southborough L'Abri 2024

A lecture given at L’Abri Fellowship in Southborough, Massachusetts. For more information, visit https://southboroughlabri.org/

by Mary Frances Giles

In our modern culture, we have a complicated relationship with the idea of "home." Our TVs are flooded with home makeover shows, and we spend billions of dollars a year buying real estate and home decor. But we also live in a time of significant immigration crisis, and culturally we are becoming more and more detached from family and community. In light of these contradictions, this lecture will look at what the biblical narrative might have to teach us about our ideas of home and how we find our home in the world today.

The Copyright for all material on the podcast is held by L'Abri Fellowship. We ask that you respect this by not publishing the material in full or in part in any format or post it on a website without seeking prior permission from L'Abri Fellowship. ©Southborough L'Abri 2024