One Right Church

Prayer is a mystery and a privilege. Prayer is to being a Christian as conversation is to marriage. In this episode, we discuss what makes prayer effective and why we should pray. Christian prayer is distinguished by having Christ Jesus as a great high priest. It isn't just that Christ makes prayer Christian; he makes it successful. We hope this will help you pray more and better.

Jesus' parable of the Prodigal Son provides valuable insight into the dynamics of shame and honor in our relationship with God. The son dishonors the father, then falls into dishonor of his own. His repentance is rooted in his understanding of his own shame. The father restores the son to a place of honor instead of the shame he deserves.

We hope this conversation about shame and the Prodigal Son helps you understand the way shame works. But more than that, we hope it helps you understand the beauty of God's grace.

Shame can be the central tool of a group. That tool is used to control or shape the behavior of members. Some entire cultures are known as Shame/Honor cultures. When a group exercises shame, it looks like the threat of being cast out, publicly censured, or humiliated. This becomes a powerful means of control.

In Galatians 5:1, Paul writes: "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." Healthy faith communities liberate rather than subjugate.

In this episode, we expand our look at shame to the group to which one belongs. Shame can become an invisible tool of control. Once you see it, you can't unsee it.

We all experience shame in some form or another. In this episode, we discuss how shame turns us into people pleasers. We become overly concerned with other people's acceptance and approval. When we fail, we cannot truly recover. Shame haunts us and makes us look over our shoulder, wondering if we'll be rejected again.

Jesus knew shame. He took our shame on the cross that we might be free from shame. We recommend you follow Jesus for freedom from shame!

"Shame on you." That's something many of us heard growing up. Unhappily, shame follows us throughout our lives. Shame breeds in family systems and churches. We have been thinking about shame and would like to discuss it here. We believe it will take several episodes to discuss, and we will begin in this episode. We hope this will help you recognize the role shame plays in your own life and motivations.

The good news is that God put our shame on Christ. One of the reasons we need Jesus is to deal with our shame.

That God knows your situation can be a wonderful comfort. God knows your situation, and that can be an excuse not to take responsibility. This episode discusses how people use the phrase "God knows" differently. I hope it helps you think about how trusting God makes a difference in your life and in your church.

Our church is looking for a pastor. Like passing a baton in a relay race, the transition is critical. The Followers of Christ did not make the critical transition, and the baton never got passed. Everything about the church has been affected by the lack of leadership. In this episode, we will discuss why a pastor is important and why the transition between them is so important.

You can bet on being a good person and going to the right church, or you can bet on Jesus. In this episode, we maintain that Jesus is a better way. Jesus makes promises that are better than what you can hope for from your own effort. Jesus offers a better way to salvation.

Wisdom is, among other things, the ability to predict consequences. Wise people know decisions have consequences. Choose first where you want to end up, then make your decision.

In this episode, we encourage listeners to choose the consequences and then choose the decision that leads there.

In this episode, we interview William Hughes. Bill, as he asked us to call him, is a retired pastor in England. His call to the ministry and the gentleness of his character will be evident as you listen to this interview.

We were introduced to Pastor Hughes through SermonAudio, which has an archive of over 600 of his sermons. One of our favorite messages, "Blessed are the Meek," is a good place to start.

We hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did.