Project: Philippians

(Phil. 1:14)

I dare you to listen to the words that Paul wrote in this verse and really let them sink in. I dare you!

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I'd love to hear from you! Reach me at [email protected].

Music: "Most Holy Place," by Doug Beiden. https://www.beidenmusic.com/music.

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(Phil. 1:13)

Do you remember stereographs -- those crazy looking posters that used to be popular in the malls? You would walk past one and it would look like a jumble of random nonsense. But if you looked at it long enough and hard enough, and stared at it in just the right way, you would suddenly see an entirely new picture pop out at you in 3-D! All of a sudden, what looked at first like specks and scribbles would be transformed instantly into the three dimensional shapes of dinosaurs or rocketships. Hah! Fun stuff! But, I am convinced that God wants to do something just like that in your life: He wants you to get a brand new perspective on your situations and circumstances. He wants you to look at your life in a whole new way and to realize that what may appear to be nothing but a mess is actually a part of His masterpiece. He wants to redefine you, my friend, just like He did for the Apostle Paul.

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I'd love to hear from you! Reach me at [email protected].

Music: "Most Holy Place," by Doug Beiden. https://www.beidenmusic.com/music.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

(Phil 1:13)

One of my favorite things to do as a child was to go on "Scavenger Hunts". Have you ever been on one? Some thoughtful friend of yours would have to set it up: they would plant clues -- hide them all over the house or neigborhood -- and your job was to search for them, each clue leading to the next one, until finally, if you were persistent, you would reach the treasure at the end. Such fun!

You know, that's what I love about Bible study: it is a book filled with clues and mysteries and puzzles and adventures, and the Lord invites us to burrow in and search for those clues, and to keep searching, not giving up until we have found the ultimate treasure of all -- the treasure of knowing God! 

Well, get ready, because today's study is going to be just that: a long search for clues to answer one simple question, "Where was Paul when he wrote the book of Philippians?" And I hope you'll have as much fun on this hunt as I did!

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I'd love to hear from you! [email protected].

Music: "Most Holy Place," by Doug Beiden. https://www.beidenmusic.com/music.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

(Phil 1:12)

We're finally back in the book of Philippians after a long detour studying the biography of Paul. But that gigantic rabbit trail through Acts has led us back to the path, now, and has set the stage to help us understand this verse in a way you probably never have before. Today we're going to listen as Paul bears witness to how he has totally recalibrated his perspectinve on suffering and setbacks. 

Your journey may not be easy, my friends. Mine neither. But that's why it is so glorious to hear a man (whose journey was far harder than mine) when he says with genuine authentic enthusiasm, "Seriously, friends, it's all good!"

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I'd love to hear from you! [email protected].

Music: "Most Holy Place," by Doug Beiden. https://www.beidenmusic.com/music.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

(Acts 28: 11-31)

Winston Churchill is famously remembered to have said on one occassion, "This is not the end. This is not even the beginning of the end. But it is the end of the beginning." 

In today's episode we come to an end of sorts. We have finally reached the end of the book of Acts and our little mini-tour with the Apostle Paul from Asia to Jerusalem to Rome. And we are going to discover that the ending -- at least the end from the perspective of Luke's account -- is a bit "anticlimactic", to say the least. We are left wondering, What's next?

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I'd love to hear from you! [email protected].

Music: "Most Holy Place," by Doug Beiden. https://www.beidenmusic.com/music.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

(Acts 28:1-10)

Have you ever read a biography before -- a story about someone's life? I love to read them because they are rarely ever boring. Imagine reading a biography about someone who literally never had any problems. What a dull book that would be! No, all the good stories (just like all the good lives) are filled with unexpected twists and precarious turns. That's what makes a story interesting and enjoyable to read! And the Lord wants to remind us that that's what makes a life enjoyable to live. He's the Author of your story, and, boy, does He know how to write! Today we're going to get a glimpse into the stories of some people that most of the world would have considered unremarkable and unimportant. But God didn't. He saw their story, and He wanted to have a part in it. Just like He wants to in yours today. 

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I'd love to hear from you! [email protected].

Music: "Most Holy Place," by Doug Beiden. https://www.beidenmusic.com/music.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

(Acts 27:27-44)

In our last episode, we heard the first of Paul's "speechlets" to the crew of this ill-fated ship beset by the Mediterranean "Nor' easter". Today we will hear two more of Paul's little speeches, and we will be reminded once again of Paul's commanding and resonant voice. But more than that, we will learn from his example that when someone fully surrenders their life to the Creator of the Seas and the the Calmer of Storms, He will not only rescue them through the fiercest gales, but He will also grant them the holy privilege of being His spokesman, so that they might be the one lonely voice that can speak life and hope and salvation and comfort to those trembling in the darkness all around them.

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I'd love to hear from you! [email protected].

Music: "Most Holy Place," by Doug Beiden. https://www.beidenmusic.com/music.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

(Acts 27:1-26)

I'll never forget the time I went on a white-water rafting trip... and fell off the boat into the rapids! I was sucked under the boat into those turbulent waters, and I wasn't sure how I would get back out. Or even if I would. It was a terrifying moment, I'll be honest. But I look back on it now as a moment where I saw the hand of God on my life. There is something about the sheer power of roaring waves that can speak to us of our own vulnerability and weakness. But those same waves can also speak to us of the power of the God who is strong enough to still them with a word... or to take us on a wild ride right through them. The Apostle Paul learned that lesson first hand on his fateful and climactic boat ride to Rome. Come aboard with me today as we hear this gripping account and as we listen to the voice of a man who learned to trust God in the middle of the white-water.

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I'd love to hear from you! [email protected]

Music: "Most Holy Place," by Doug Beiden. https://www.beidenmusic.com/music.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

(Acts 26)

I have two children that are passing through the Middle School/early High School years, and one thing I can tell you about most kids that age: they are keenly aware of what other people think about them. And, you know what? I think it's pretty normal for adolescent children to be hyper-sensitive to the judgement of their peers. But here's the problem: a lot of us never outgrow that. It's a lesson I'm still trying to learn. But today, I want to explore the story of somebody who was a real master of not caring about what others thought of him. 

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I'd love to hear from you! [email protected].

Music: "Most Holy Place," by Doug Beiden. https://www.beidenmusic.com/music.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.