Practicology Podcast

A cup of tea, a warm fire, a comfy chair, a quiet time, and my Bible. Beautiful. We treasure those times. But let’s also be mindful of treasuring the times the church gathers to hear the Word preached. It is also a precious privilege and another vital reason that God’s path for the Christian includes the fellowship of the local church.

Scriptures Referenced:
1Tim 4:13-16; 2Tim 4:1-2; Revelation 1-2

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What if the biggest obstacle keeping you from church is actually the biggest opportunity? We shy away from the local church because we love our freedom. But if freedom is what you’re after, then the church is the place to be. To see why people’s number one strike against the church is one of the greatest things going for it, you need to (1) hear a story, (2) run a science experiment, and (3) see a picture. This is the first of a six-episode series on the local church.

Scriptures Referenced: Exodus; Matt 16, 18; John 8:31-34; Gal 5:13-14

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Our sixth edition of Cloak, Books, and Parchments gives you ample time to purchase wisely this Christmas. In this episode we discuss the following books. Please update your wish list accordingly.
– The February 2025 reading challenge book: Screwtape Letters. C. S. Lewis
– Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout. Cal Newport (Portfolio)
– Finding My Vocation: A Guide for Young People Seeking a Calling. William Boekestein (Reformed Free Publishing)
– Strangely Bright: Can You Love God and Enjoy This World? Joe Rigney (Crossway)
– Keeping Holiday. Starr Meade (Crossway)
– Little Christmas Carol. Charles Dickens and Joe Sutphin (Moody)
– How to Read Proverbs. Tremper Longman III (IVP Academic)
– What It Means to be Protestant: The Case for an Always-Reforming Church. Gavin Ortlund (Zondervan)
– When Darkness Seems My Closest Friend: Reflections On Life And Ministry With Depression. Mark Meynell (IVP)
– The William Monk Mysteries: The First Three Novels. Anne Perry (Ballantine)
– Up From Slavery. Booker T. Washington (Dover)
– Repeat the Sounding Joy: A Daily Advent Devotional on Luke 1-2. Christopher Ash (The Good Book Company)

Scriptures Referenced: 2Tim 4:13

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It’s easy for us to pick up the wrong messaging about sex. That’s why we need Scripture to fix our mistaken thinking about sex and wash our defiled views. Building on episode 177, Helen and Mike bring our sexual detox series to a close, tackling commonplace distortions in the culture (“It doesn’t matter who I sleep with”) and in the church (“Sexual sin is the worst; there’s no hope for you if you’ve fallen”). Is sex just a base animal instinct, or is it a sacred mystery about the meaning of the universe? Tune in to find out!

A downloadable summary sheet is available here.

Scriptures Referenced:
Mat 19:1-12; 1Cor 6:9-11; 6:12-20; 7:1-5; Eph 5:22-33; 1Tim 1:15; Psalm 51

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The LGBT2Q+ movement has been successful in convincing a lot of people that God may bless same-sex unions, and that Scripture doesn’t really speak to modern gay and lesbian relationships. Mike and Matthew address this from a Biblical perspective and also provide some helpful guidance on the issue of Christians who experience same-sex attraction.

Scriptures Referenced:
Lev 20:13; Mat 19:12; Rom 1:24-27; 1Cor 6:9-11

CORRECTION: Mike mentioned the name of Richard Bauckham on this episode, when he meant to say Richard Hays.

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In this episode, Mike is joined by his wife, Helen, for a conversation on the topic of “sexual detox.” They explore the concept of purging wrong ideas about sex that society, culture, and even the church can instill. The couple emphasizes how distorted views on sex—gathered from media, jokes, music, and even certain religious teachings—need to be realigned with biblical truth. This detox involves a renewed understanding of sex according to Scripture, which is good and pure.

Scriptures Referenced: 1 Thess 4:1-8; Gen 1-2; Prov 5:15-19; Song of Songs 1:2; Mal 2:14-16; Prov 2:16-17

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When we are struggling, the Lord doesn’t break us – he heals us. He has no pile of discarded disciples with whom he wants nothing more to do. In today’s episode, we see the Lord Jesus as the fulfiller of prophecy and the restorer of our souls.

Scriptures Referenced: Isaiah 42: 1-4; Matthew 12:15-21

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To many people, marriage is just a piece of paper. Who needs a license to love? In this follow-up episode to PP173, we discuss why such thinking is wrong. Wedding vows and the marriage covenant are not obstacles to passionate love, but the fertile ground in which it can survive and thrive. And even if we’ve strayed from God’s design for romantic relationship, there’s still hope, because the ultimate source of enduring love is none other than Jesus Christ.

Scriptures Referenced: Song of Songs 8:5-7

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Once we hit our teens, and certainly in our twenties, we like to think we’ve left childhood far behind. But what if there were important lessons from our childhood that we should revisit? What if children can teach us about receiving the grace of the gospel?

Scriptures Referenced: Isaiah 55:8-9; Matthew 18:2-4

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The Song of Songs depicts love in marriage as an unquenchable fire. But where can we find such love? Today’s relationship advice often leads to short-lived flames. We need an older wisdom to guide us. We need the ancient wisdom of Scripture. Already married and wanting to keep the fire blazing? Unmarried, but hoping to enjoy such lasting love some day? Our Bible passage gives us four surprising directions where to find the fire.

Scriptures Referenced:
Song 8:5-7

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