Scripture is revelation. God revealed himself in Scripture and Son because he wants to relate to us. This brief episode comes from the end of a sermon in the Gospel of Luke about Jesus's Transfiguration. You will hear for reflections on Scripture (or divine revelation) and two practices: attentive Bible reading and conversational prayer. The episode closes with a reading of Ephesians 1:14-17.

"The Bible knows no such thing as casual prayer." This remarkable insight from David Thomas's CT Article about prayer and revival frames my reflections on contending prayer. To contend in prayer is to imitate Jesus, ancient Israel, and the Holy Spirit who groans to bring new life to creation. Is your prayer to casual? Will you contend? (NOTE: The reference to Isaiah 62:7 was correct; however, it should also include the preceding verse, which talks about watchmen who strenously intercede for God's people. Contemporary author referenced include Tyler Staton's Praying Like Monks, Living Like Fools, Timothy Keller's Prayer, and Richard Lovelace's Dynamics of Spiritual Life.)

Loneliness is dangerous and deadly. It hurts our bodies and distorts our souls. In this issue, I talk about the need for spiritual friends, four kinds of relationships in the New Testament, the role of spiritual companionship in our discipleship to Jesus. I draw upon insights from the Surgeon General's report on the Loneliness Epidemic, Michael Wilkins's biblical theology of discipleship, and Jesus's discipleship model in the gospels. (My apologies for the popping sound; I'm toying with a new microphone.)

In this dialogue, Tim and Liz talk about the practice of solitude. Liz shares about her introduction to solitude, its development in recent years, and its positive impact on her spiritual life. Then she provides encouragement to those looking to begin the practice of solitude, including finding a quiet place, having realisitic expectations, and dealing with noise. Liz references Finding Quiet by J.P. Moreland. Likewise, the dialogue references Psalm 27, 84, and closes with a reading of Psalm 46.

Jesus had a set of customs in his life (e.g., Luke 2:42; 4:16, 42; 9:18, 28; 22:39). We should, too. In this discipleship dialogue, Pastor Tim explains what it looks like to map your customs and why it matters. The more popular phrase for this idea is a Rule of Life. Mapping our Customs helps us pause, take our spiritual pulse, realign our passions toward God, and keep practicing on a daily, weekly, or occasional basis those habits that form us into Christlikeness. Here's a guide, adapted from Practicing the Way. This session also includes ideas from The Common Rule (Earley), Courage & Calling (Smith), The Emotionally Healthy Leader (Scazzero), The Life You've Always Wanted (Ortberg), Whatever You Do (Bobo, ed.) and Philippians 2:12-13.

To kick off the 2025 season of Discipleship Dialogues, Pastor Tim Sprankle talks about Simply Jesus Moments. The idea stems from the work of John Dickson, whose book The Best Kept Secret of Christian Mission features talking points called "Jesus Bites." These are quick, culturally relevant stories about Jesus that can be helpful in everyday conversations. In his version, Sprankle provides four parts of a Simply Jesus Moment and a few examples. For more from John Dickson, check out the undeceptions podcast. 

In this final installment, we discuss our highest purpose: to glorify the Triune God. We also make a defense of praying to each member of the Trinity, as well as how our ordinances (Baptism and Communion) and spiritual formation are Trinitarian practices.

Our God is a missional God. Father, Son, and Spirit work together in reaching the world. They invite us to partipate in their mission. The storyline of God's mission runs through the Scriptures, unfolding in various stages. A critical part of our spiritual formation is to join God on his mission. This episode talks about it.

Father, Son, and Spirit work together in our salvation. This episode describes the roles each person plays, as well as defines terms like "order of salvation" and "atonement." Ephesians 1:3-14 is a key text.

The Father, Son, and Spirit collaborated in creation. This is the first of three episodes describing the economic Trinity. From the beginning of creation to its daily preservation, each member of the Trinity plays a part. This episode considers key Scriptures and theological insights about collaboration in creation.