The parable of the ten virgins ends with a scary verse, one my wife and I have talked about a lot.

The wedding banquet door is closed, and some late, unprepared attendants are outside knocking, trying to get in. From behind the closed door, the groom says, “I don’t know you,” and doesn’t let them in.

That’s pretty scary, especially when you realize the groom is Jesus and the parable is about the end times.

As I studied and grappled with what Jesus meant by “unknown” in this context, I must admit that something odd happened. The ten virgins morphed in my mind into ten FLASKS. They became living vessels that could hold the required oil, similar to how the Holy Spirit lives inside us.

In this episode, I cover the beginning of the parable of the Ten FLASKS and introduce their homeland, Planet Flask.

Topics:

• The scary ending: “I don’t know you”
• Why ten flasks?
• The parable starts at verse zero
• They said yes without knowing when

This episode is part of the “Scary Verses or Grace?” discussion of passages that sound scary at first, but surprisingly lead us toward grace as we grapple with them and seek the heart of Christ.

My morning walk was supposed to be simple.

No side recordings. No Shorts work. Just some time with God.

But along the way, God interrupted my routine with a question I hadn't considered.

Not a heavy, condemning one...

A shocking, positive one:

“God, what am I doing right?”

Topics:

• My morning routine
• The question I hadn’t considered
• Why are we so negative?
• Is this even biblical?
• A practical example
• Why do we reject encouragement?

Matthew 7:23 used to scare me.

In it, Jesus says, “I NEVER knew you,” and I always heard that as a scary warning.

Like... Christians could be surprised to find out in the end that Jesus didn’t know us well enough, and we wouldn’t get into heaven.

But what if “NEVER” is a clue?

If Jesus knows me, even once, even briefly, he can’t lie and say, “NEVER.”

So, what is this scripture actually trying to tell me?

Topics:

• Buckle up, here we go
• The words that fooled me
• The twist
• Will Christians hear “I never knew you”?

This episode is part of the “Scary Verses or Grace?” discussion of passages that sound scary at first, but surprisingly lead us toward grace as we grapple with them and seek the heart of Christ.

Can sin time travel?

I know that sounds bizarre, but it’s a question I’ve wrestled with for a long time. If Jesus died once for all, and I sin today, how is that sin covered by his sacrifice long ago?

I don’t think the Bible gives us a detailed explanation of how the cross works across time. But it does tell us that Jesus’ sacrifice happened once, that it was enough, and that God still takes every sin seriously.

As I try to process all that, I sometimes imagine my sin traveling back through time, landing squarely on Jesus while he was on the cross. I watch as it adds weight to the price he had to pay.

That mental image has changed the way I think about sin. Instead of viewing it as merely breaking a rule, I see it as something more personal.

If Jesus really is my friend... then I don’t want to add to the suffering he endured for me.

Topics:

• Setting the stage
• How do you view the cross?
• One sacrifice, once for all
• The scapegoat
• Jesus intercedes for you
• Dying and rising with Christ
• Made holy in the moment
• Is grace a blank check?
• What’s one more sin?
• Would I do that to a friend?

John 15 used to sound terrifying to me.

Branches that don’t bear fruit are taken away, wither, and eventually burned.

It sounded like God was standing there with a chainsaw in hand, waiting for me to make one little mistake.

But what if that’s not what Jesus is saying?

What if the Vine and branches picture is actually an invitation to grace, friendship, and the opportunity to bear fruit that comes from him?

Topics:

• One mistake and you’re gone?
• Jesus is the true vine. Who are the branches?
• What kind of fruit?
• Bearing fruit, not producing it
• Abide does not mean “stay attached”
• If you abide, you will bear much fruit
• Abiding in His love
• The Greek does not say “cut”
• You are becoming more like Jesus
• If you’re in doubt, love

This episode is part of the “Scary Verses or Grace?” discussion of passages that sound scary at first, but surprisingly lead us toward grace as we grapple with them and seek the heart of Christ.

Is the narrow way supposed to scare us?

In Matthew 7:13–14, Jesus says the gate is narrow, the road is hard, and only a few find it.

For years, I heard that like a spiritual tightrope. One wrong step, and I was doomed to fail.

But what if the narrow way is not a test God hopes I fail?

What if Jesus is the gate, the path, and the one who comes after me when I wander?

In this episode, I explore why the narrow way sounds scary, but is actually full of grace.

Topics:

• When Jesus keeps raising the bar
• Jesus as the gate and The Way
• “Pick Me!”
• Ask, seek, and knock
• My yoke is easy
• Why the path is not a tightrope
• The hard part: “few find it”
• Jesus promises that those who seek God find Him
• Hunger and thirst for righteousness - you will be filled

This episode is part of the “Scary Verses or Grace?” discussion of passages that sound scary at first, but surprisingly lead us toward grace as we grapple with them and seek the heart of Christ.

What does it mean to be called a friend of God?

The night before Jesus died, he called his followers friends.

Then he said something that stopped me cold:

“You are my friends if you do what I command.”

That doesn’t sound like a friend to me. It sounds more like God saying, “It's my way or the highway.”

But as I explored friendship in Dezsma and wrestled with John 15, I began to see something deeper.

Jesus is already my friend.

So what does it mean for that friendship to go both ways?

Topics:

• Using Dezsma to set the stage
• When friends stand in the way
• Kat’s choice and the freedom to rebel
• Arkuuda calls Kat her friend
• Jesus says, “I Call You... Friend”
• The upper room and the command to love
• “You are My friends if...”
• Is friendship with God two-way?

My dad said something to me once that I never forgot.

After I finished a job, my dad looked over my work, and gently said:

“If you’re going to shovel the walk, shovel the walk.”

That one sentence has really stuck with me.

My dad wasn’t mad at all. He just meant that if you’re going to do a job, do it.

Years later, while clearing my driveway “edge to edge,” I started wondering if it had shaped more than the way I shovel snow.

Topics:

• Asteroids, chores, and making money
• Dishes, smudges, and my dad’s wisdom
• My first paid sidewalk job
• If you’re going to shovel the walk, shovel the walk
• Edge-to-edge living as a Christian
• Why “getting hit by a bus” theology missed grace
• When service to others becomes service to God
• Ordinary acts of love
• Abundant life in ordinary service

One night, I’d been praying about whether I should keep writing the Onu books.

Then, the next morning, I found two strange ice formations in my fire pit.

I could have dismissed the whole thing as a natural occurrence.

But what if those formations were God’s answer to the question I had been asking?

I explore that idea in this episode, along with how some “natural occurrences” became featured cover art for The Onu Adventures.

Topics:

• The Dezsma cover and Vince’s fire
• Why the book covers became black and white
• Hidden codes and OCLC
• Ice sculptures in my fire pit
• How the ice became Verdekt
• How the ice became Bolmek
• The podcast cover and one more person
• Seeking icy answers we almost miss

After I quit my job, I was stuck. I wanted to write a novel, but was struggling to get started.

Then a dream gave me a small glimpse of a character who would become the heroine of Dezsma.

And whoosh! I was finally off.

I believe that dream was a gentle nudge from God, an answer to prayer.

Have you ever had a dream that felt like it might be more than just a dream?

Topics:

• Dreams, visions, and messages from God
• I quit my job
• Praying for help, then a dream
• Don’t be afraid to dream a little
• What dream or vision have you had?