Parakaleo Podcast

In the gospel of Mark chapter 6: 45-52, Jesus urged his disciples to go ahead of him to a the other side of the lake.  The disciples soon find themselves caught in a life-threatening storm. The portion of Scripture describes them as  "making torturous progress' because the wind was against them.  We have  the image of the storm-tossed boat at the dread of night describes the danger and distress that the disciples were experiencing at stage of their journey.  Jesus remedies the situation by "walking on the water" to the stressed out disciples. 

If you experiencing a situation where you feel that you are making 'torturous progress' in this life, this episode of Jesus walking on water will encourage you to keep placing your confidence in Him. Jesus walked on water to reveal to his disciples and us that he can be trusted in the midst of life's challenges. 

Genesis 6:1-8 reminds us that God is not absent from our lives but deeply involved in the affairs of humankind—God is involved in the affairs of man encompasses his heart and his grief. In other words, God is deeply invested in us and He experiences pain when his creatures rebel against Him. In this study, we look at God who experiences pain and what we can learn from His experience. In this section of Scripture, we find that God knows the source of his Pain and out of his Pain comes his Plan. Yet in the midst of all the chaos, we find a man by the name of Noah who experiences God's Grace. 

I invite you to join me as we look at God's pain and what that experience teaches us. 

 In a book published in 1967 entitled: “The Conspiracy Against Childhood” Eda J LaShan  writes : “A new baby is like the beginning of all things - wonder, hope, a dream of possibilities.” The birth of child can engender hope and expectation for the future. This may have been the case for Lamech with the birth of Noah. This podcast looks at the birth of his son, Noah. Lamech, in naming his son, Noah, gives us some insight into how the grieving process work. It involves:

• the recognition of a “grief-generating” event (s);

• the focus on the present and

• hopeful expectation in the future.

As we study at the words of this father, we will discover that our confidence must be in God who alone is our source of Hope in the midst of experiencing loss and pain. 

The premature death of a son is a terrible experience. It is even more horrifying to have one son murder another. Eve, the first mother, suffered the tragic loss of two son (one dead and the other banished). This podcast looks at Eve through the lens of a grieving mother and the lessons that she teaches us when we experience pain and loss. 

There are encouraging clues on how people in pain can experience comfort in Isaiah 6:1-8. This podcast is aimed at those who are in pain and are looking for ways in which God comforts them. After the devastation that the nation Israel suffered under the hands of the Babylonians, the once proud nation of Israel lies in ruins. With the remaining population being made up of mainly orphans and widows, Yahweh instructs his servants to comfort His people. 

In issuing this command to comfort a grieving people, God gives us clues on how He comes alongside those in pain to strengthen their hearts and resolve. If find yourself in need of encouragement in the wake of devastating loss or know people who are experiencing loss, my prayer is that this podcast will encourage your heart and to entrust yourself to Him who can give your real comfort. 

Why use the Bible to comfort people who are grieving?