RG AUDIO 061621   1 Thessalonians 4:1-6 You have probably witnessed a material possession designed for one purpose being made new as it was repurposed for something more useful. Such an item is no longer ordinary. Its new unique use will often draw praise and delight from others. I grew up in a family that […]

RG AUDIO 061521   1 Thessalonians 3:6-13 When we nurture another living thing, we give something of ourselves in each caring moment. Paul finds great joy after sacrificing for and investing love in the believers at Thessalonica when he is made aware of their growth in faith and trust in Christ. He, too, rejoices knowing […]

RG AUDIO 061421   1 Thessalonians 2:17—3:5 In a few moments of conversation with my colleague, I realized what I had not previously grasped fully in my five years living cross culturally and working as a chaplain at a Christian university in Kenya. I had simply greeted her with my condolences at the loss of […]

RG AUDIO 061321   Psalm 42:1-8 It’s interesting how water is seen and used in the Hebrew scriptures. Many times, when the psalmists reference water, it is in the metaphor of rising tides and waves, or a surging flood. In Psalm 63, the psalmist is longing, panting for streams of water, as if he were […]

RG AUDIO 061221   Galatians 6:1-10 John Wesley established three general rules for Methodists: 1) Do no harm. 2) Do good. 3) Attend upon all the ordinances of God. Galatians 6:10 has caused a fair amount of conflict in the church. Paul says, “as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially […]

RG AUDIO 061121   Colossians 1:21-29 What am I here for? The apostle Paul would answer that question quickly and succinctly: I am here to present the Word of God (i.e., the gospel of Jesus Christ) fully. The NIV translation says, “to its fulness” (v. 25b). In this passage, Paul uses words like holy, fullness, […]

RG AUDIO 061021   1 Peter 4:12-19 Jesus’ revolutionary message in His Sermon on the Mount opens with volleys of blessings like firework mortars being shot into the air, exploding with a new and different kind of good news. Jesus says you are blessed when you’re insulted and have people say false things about you […]

RG AUDIO 060921   Acts 18:1-8 Vocation defines us because a vocation is a calling. There are many around the world who have sensed a call into a certain field or work: medicine, teaching, journalism, counselor or psychologist, carpentry, artist, acting. There are many vocations, and all play an important role in society and culture. […]

RG AUDIO 060821   1 Thessalonians 2:9-16 Paul loves this community in Thessalonica that became the church. He and his ministry companions lived there with these Christian converts, shepherding and guiding them in this new life they had found in Christ. Not as a heavy-handed disciplinarian, but as a parent who works patiently with their […]

RG AUDIO 060721   1 Thessalonians 2:1-8 Paul’s focus, his laser-tight aim, was to do one thing and one thing only: give witness to the gospel of God. He knew it was like approaching a wildfire with a water gun. This “pleasing task,” as Charles Wesley called it, is one Paul recognized that had been […]