Light In Your Corner

The Son of Man, and Micro-dosing and Beasts, Oh My!

Hey Friends! We are back and today we are talking about just some of the many times Jesus called himself the Son of Man. It was a name that brought comfort to those seeking God’s kingdom, and it unsettled those who meant to establish their own kingdoms. 

So which camp do we fall into?

In a world where we struggle to find meaning in hardship and relief in our struggles, it can be tempting to try one of the many paths presented to us. But true healing comes when you know that this isn’t all there is—that Jesus came Himself as one of us, a Son of Man, and that one day He is coming back to bring His kingdom that will never end. 

In the meantime, we are talking about what it means to live in anticipation of that kingdom and how to worship in gratitude for all He has done for us. 

If you would like to join our Light In Your Corner gratitude circle, download the Gratitude Plus app and text us or message us over Instagram at @lightinyourcorner. Or email us at light in your corner at gmail.com. We would love to have you join us!

ALSO:

• Why do bad things happen?
• Cautions about some uncertain methods of healing
• The link between gratitude and worship
• The parable of the weeds
• Healing and forgiveness 
• The intentional vulnerability of Jesus

References:

• Daniel 7
• Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43
• Matthew 9:1-8
• Matthew 8:18-20
• The Poppy Fields by Nikki Erlick

@thebibleproject

@blurrycreatures

@gratitudeplusapp

Who do you say I am?

Opinions. Spend thirty seconds online or in a grocery store with another human being and you are going to hear someone’s thoughts about something as small as toilet paper or as large as global politics. You can’t escape the opinions, and the voices just keep getting louder. 

That said, thank you for taking the time to listen to OUR voices today. Really, it means so much. 

People had all kinds of opinions in Jesus’s day, too. In fact, He asked His disciples what others were saying about Him. And then He asked them a more personal question: Who do you say I am?

We are getting back to the basics in the next few weeks—looking at who Jesus is, based on who He said He was. It’s easy to get distracted and overwhelmed by all the voices. At Light in Your Corner we are going to look specifically at His words, hearing His voice, and leaning in as His light shines into our lives. 

ALSO:

• The legacy of faith
• We're still here!
• Living like your life is over
• “Nothing’s more timely than the Office of the Keys!”
• Praying for education in all its forms 
• Faith like children, but no acting like babies
• Spaghetti brains and spiritual milk

References:

• Matthew 16:13-20
• 1 Corinthians 3
• Ballad of Wallis Island
• Paul David Tripp Podcast, ep. 933
• Wild Horses
• “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen R. Covey

To Fast or Not to Fast? That’s Just One of Many Questions

Hi, friend, we are so glad you are with us today! In today’s episode we have a discussion about what we are doing, and what others suggest we do, to grow in living out our faith. 

It started as a text conversation in response to an interview John Mark Comer did about his book “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry,” but we knew there was more to discuss, and where better to discuss it than here on “Light in Your Corner”?

So buckle up, folks. We are about to discuss fasting, spiritual disciplines, embracing discomfort, hearing voices, and a lot of other stuff. And still, we land on this truth: we belong to Christ already. There is nothing we need to do to earn it. It is a gift and it is ours in Jesus. Let that be our starting place, our ending place, and the truth that guides us every step of the way. 

ALSO: 

• Just a couple international cosmopolitan ladies
• Regional idiosyncrasies: “We’re not the same”
• Defining love based on who God is
• The benefits of confession
• The Theology of the Body

References:

• Podcast episode: The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry: John Mark Comer; No Small Endeavor with Lee C. Camp; John Mark Comer Tokens Podcast
• “Fasting for Spiritual Breakthrough”, by Elmer Towns
• “One Thousand Gifts”, by Ann Voskamp
• “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry”, by John Mark Comer
• Back to the Frontier. On HBO
• Blurry Creatures podcast
• “Practicing the Way” 
• 1 Corinthians 13
• Isaiah 58
• Joel 2:12-13
• Colossians 2
• Romans 6:3-4

“He’s Not a Tame Lion”

We are back, Friends! It’s been a good summer, but we are happy to be back together and getting back into the swing of things podcast-wise. 

In this episode we are going to catch up a little. It has been a month since our last episode, so we are going to check in and see how things have been going. 

If you want to skip all that and get right to the heavy conversations, you can always go to minute 30 where we will start to discuss things like how God is good enough to get in our way. He slows us down. He doesn’t bow to our whims or our foolish attempts to play God. He doesn’t always speak in the way we want Him to speak, either, but that is a good thing. 

Because He tells us over and over again that He loves us. He tells us in His Word and in His world. He provides all that we need not just for life here, but for life eternally with Him. He doesn’t get worked up when we aren’t producing what we think we should be producing. That’s not why He loves us anyway. 

That’s what we want people to come and see. That’s why we are back here recording. May this episode bless you and shine light on your day, Friend. 

ALSO:

• Being good with God
• “At some point you just have to trust what He said.”
• Looking back at how God has been faithful
• When God gets in the way
• “I want to be the kind of person that says, ‘Come and see.’”
• You don’t always have to be producing

References:

• Ryan Teagan
• Forrest Frank
• Happy Gilmore 2
• The Ballad of Wallis Island
• Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
• The Breakfast Club
• Downton Abbey 
• Gilded Age
• Good Hang
• Blurry Creatures
• Our American Stories
• LifeWise
• Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
• Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

“Taken,” Trahan, and Other Things That Point us to Jesus

Welcome, Friends, to our July episode of Light in Your Corner. Over the summer we have had to scale back on the number of episodes we drop, but what we lack in quantity we make up for in length—and quality, too. 

Today we will talk a lot about what we have been doing and reading and listening to and watching, and how our lenses of faith filter those things and point us to Christ. 

We also discuss what happens when we build up a false idea of Jesus in our minds and how God’s love might be painful as He strips away our misconceptions to draw us closer to Him. At the core of it all is our identity as children of God, grafted in and loved beyond measure. 

Thanks for joining us for this episode. We pray it brings some light to your day!

ALSO:

• When Liam Neeson and Jesus give similar warnings
• The parable of the talents IRL
• “If he wanted to, he would.”
• The Florida Man phenomenon 
• How your identity affects your decisions

References:

• Florida Man articles
• @becomingsomething podcast
• @girlsgonebible podcast
• @momsandmysteriespodcast
• @iamtysonbradley
• @thejamiewinship
• @ryantrahan
• @thechosentvseries
• @airbnb
• “The God Question” by Dr. Armand M. Nicholi 
• “The Receive Experience”
• “Gold and Greed: The Hunt for Fenn’s Treasure” on Netflix 
• “Taken” and “John Wick”
• “Arrested Development”
• “Frasier”
• “The Materialists”
• “Bespoke Inns”

Bible references:

• Romans 11
• Matthew 25:14-30
• John 15-16
• Matthew 5:2-12

#love #faith #Jesus #TheChosen #airbnb #identity #fear #hope #funny #podcast

Hey, Friends! It is officially summer vacation for our kids but we are still getting together and recording episodes about all kinds of things to lighten your day! 

Today we are going to talk a lot about mindset and what it looks like to live and serve from a place of love instead of insecurity. We are also going to talk about some pop cultural advice and hold it up against scripture and see where things align or deviate. So if you have your Bible on you, we will be referring primarily to Isaiah 46, Philippians 4, and 2nd Timothy 2. But, as usual, we gotta start just a few steps into the weeds.

Enjoy the next hour and give yourself a high five—you are God’s child and you are already loved. Nothing you do will make Him love you any more or any less than He already does. Let that truth seep deep into your bones, heart, and mind as you live and serve today!

ALSO:

• Setting summer boundaries for ourselves and our kids
• God ordered creation and it’s so cool
• High-fiving yourself every day
• ”Everything in moderation” might actually be good advice
• Monica’s great-grandma has some wisdom for us all
• When church resembles CrossFit 

References:

• The Brant and Sherri Oddcast
• “The High Five Habit” by Mel Robbins
• “The Let Them Theory” by Mel Robbins
• “Why Francis Chan Abandoned His Megachurch for Living Rooms” (May 22nd episode of “The Deep End with Lecrae”)
• Isaiah 46
• Philippians 4 and 2
• 2nd Timothy 2
• ”Losing” by Tenth Avenue North

God on the Mountaintops and in the Messes

Welcome, everyone, to the top of this episode and the top of Mount Sinai! It’s been a few weeks, but we are back with Moses and talking about all kinds of good things, like the benefits of taking time to recall what God has done, sifting through the details to get to the heart of things, and how we are designed for community—regardless of the mess. 

Because the truth is God knew this would be messy. He knew we would need Him, He designed us that way, and He draws us to Himself because He loves us. Keep that in mind as we dive in, because if anyone is messy, it’s us. 

ALSO:

—The Sinai/Sermon on the Mount/Pentecost connection

—Tired of Self-Improvement

—The uses of the law

—Discipleship necessitates community

—Moses must have been fit

—Don’t say stupid stuff out loud

—Rehearsing gratitude

—Where is the rest and where is the action?

References:

—Exodus 19-20

—Kay Arthur (@precept.usa)

—“Sermon on the Mount” by Jen Wilkin

—Good Hang podcast with Amy Poehler

—“It Takes What it Takes” and “Getting to Neutral” by Trevor Moawad

—“The Mountain Song” by Tophouse

—Colossians 3:18–4:18

—Poker Face

—Community

—Arrested Development 

—The Four Seasons

Mo People Mo Problems 

Hey, Friends! Welcome back to Light in Your Corner! We are in Exodus 18 and picking on Moses as we talk about leadership, mentorship, time management, ministry, and a hodgepodge of other stuff. Isn’t it great that God gives us the knowledge of His grace and love, and also some good pictures of what NOT to do? 

ALSO:

• Where’s Corm?
• Speak up and see what happens
• Pious Bias
• Accessing the Word for ourselves
• Having/Being a Jethro
• Not aspiring to Christian leadership
• Delegating as part of God’s plan 

References:

—Exodus 18

—“Finding God’s Life for my Will” by Mike Donehey @mikedonehey

—“The Tyranny of the Urgent”—https://bible.org/seriespage/11-tyranny-urgent-exodus-18

—A Purpose Driven Mom—https://apurposedrivenmom.com

@apurposedrivenmom

#Faith #Light #Lightinyourcorner #timemanagement #goals #trust #exodus #moses #leadership

When is Enough Enough?

Welcome, everyone, to our 70th episode! If God had only given us 10 episodes, that would have been enough, but He keeps on giving! And this episode has a lot to offer.

After all our book recommendations, we are going to dive into one of God’s most famous tests—the manna. Exodus 16 and 17 force us to ask the question, “What do I do when there isn’t enough?” 

In truth, we ask a lot of questions today because we all go through our share of Eden and Wilderness seasons. So how do we navigate those seasons and trust that Jesus is the true answer to all our needs? Stick around and we will talk about it!

ALSO:

• Interrupting the forgetting process
• Comfort Books
• Valuing the Giver over the gifts
• The difference between grumbling and grieving
• True Sabbath rest
• Jesus is better than manna

References:

• Exodus 16 and 17
• John 6
• The Bible Project
• Hank the Cowdog by John Erickson
• There’s a Boy in the Girl’s Bathroom by Louis Sachar
• Joe Pickett books by C.J. Box
• Educated by Tara Westover
• Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins 

#Jesus #Lightinyourcorner #grace #Light #Sabbath #Manna #Bible #faith #trust

Some Motivation to do Hard Things

Hi, friends! Today’s episode may get a little sassy as we discuss the importance of doing hard things. We can’t avoid them; hard things are just a fact of life. But how do we face annoying, or even impossible, situations in a way that brings peace and confidence instead of just reluctance and frustration?

Today we will remind each other that there is blessing in the doing. And God blesses us as we go places we don’t want to go, or stay in places we don’t want to stay. God fights for you and makes a way, just like He made a way for His people in Exodus, and just like He made a way for us through the blood of Jesus: the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

And BONUS—we reveal the name of Monica’s frog! 

ALSO:

• Aspiring to be a freeloader
• Benefits of getting out of your house to worship
• “Giving it to God” as our last resort
• Sometimes the answer is just “obedience”
• When God gives answers we didn’t see coming

References:

*Good Hang with Amy Poehler @goodhangwithamy

*Exodus 13-15

*1 Samuel 1

*Cormoran Strike books by Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling)

*The Brant and Sherri Oddcast

*Patterns of Evidence: YT: @PatternsOfEvidence