Rev Leon's Podcast

Most of us know something about Judas. Not necessarily the Judas of Scripture alone, but the Judas experience. The friend who betrayed our confidence. The family member who cut us. The coworker who undermined us. The leader who abused trust. The companion who smiled in our faces while working against us behind our backs.

Many of us still carry the pain of that betrayal. We replay the conversations. We revisit the disappointments. We wonder how things could have been different. So many unresolved questions and uncertainties. There is an important question that we must present to God.

How do we forgive Judas and still move forward wisely?

Amen,
Rev Leon

Psalm 43

Look around us. Our society worships idols: popularity, power, and money. Popularity counts likes and followers, and people are eager to gain ground in these areas. Power counts who holds the room. Money is number one, and everything else is secondary. When a nation bows to those idols, it measures people by their usefulness and price.

The students in Greensboro, NC have once again provided a clinic for the world. While some may see what is happening as progressive, many of us see and feel the effects in a very different way. For many, it is felt psychologically, economically, and spiritually. We who believe have to tend to our spiritual healing and move to heal the world. This is our prayer today.
God bless,
Rev Leon

Psalm 1,

We live in a world that constantly asks for loyalty. We pledge our loyalty to political parties, corporate brands, sports teams, and, most often, to the people in our lives. We give our deepest loyalty to friends, partners, mentors, and leaders. It is natural to love and trust those we can see. But if we are honest with ourselves, we frequently place far more loyalty in human beings than we ever place in God.
This is an exploration in to where you might locate your loyalty.
God bless,
Rev Leon

Exodus 33:12-23

Across every denomination, tradition, and background, we share a common experience: we are all seekers on a spiritual journey. Many of us have felt that quiet call deep within our hearts, inviting us into God’s family and into a life of faith. Yet after responding to that call, we often discover there is something more. There is a difference between simply being called and experiencing what it means to be chosen.

God bless,
Rev Leon


Scripture Reading: Matthew 22:1-14

Proverbs 12:18: "The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing."

This is a direct line between how we speak and the impact that speaking has on the well-being of others. Careless remarks wound like weapons, while intentional words mend broken spirits. We have the power to harm or heal. It requires serious internal work of the heart to develop an intention to heal. That is why we must Condition our Hearts to be about the business of healing.

God bless,
Rev Leon

Psalm 19

There is a particular exhaustion known only to those whose hearts are wired for deep, expansive empathy. It is the exhaustion of the person who walks into every room looking for what needs to be fixed, who carries the invisible burdens of others, and who quietly pours into others out of their energy day after day, year after year.

If you are that person, you may have looked in the Bible and passages like Philippians 2 in particular, with a quiet, heavy resentment. You hear words like “Do nothing out of selfish ambition,” “In humility value others above yourselves,” and “Make your minds like Christ Jesus who emptied Himself,” and a weary voice inside you whispers: “Empty myself? I am already hollow. I have given everything, and what do I have to show for it? Just empty hands, and people who keep reaching out for more.”

You look around at the landscape of your life, and you see a glaring absence of reciprocity. Others take and take, offering not even a simple gesture of acknowledgment or gratitude. And you ask yourself: Should I feel bad for wanting a basic ‘thank you’? Should I feel slighted? Or am I just a fool, throwing my pearls before swine?

 We will examine how to care for givers.  Perhaps givers are looking in the wrong places to be nourished.
God bless,
Rev Leon
Philippians 2:1-13

There is a quiet honesty in how we approach the sacred today. If we look across any room, we see the broad span of where people stand. Some approach with cautious suspicion, while others believe “just in case,” hedging their bets against eternity. All the while keeping life firmly under their own control, grounded in caution rather than grace. 

Others move to the opposite extreme: an over-belief, a performative faith that requires an audience, a broadcasted virtue that plays a role rather than roots a soul. And then, there are those rare, luminous souls who need no explanation. Their presence is a sanctuary; their words and deeds breathe a quiet truth that makes you feel blessed just to be near them.

This is a reflection upon where one might be on their spiritual journey and how to find grace.
God bless.
Rev Leon
Philippians 1:21-30

There are those whom we must honestly acknowledge, set out intentionally to harm us. These may be people entirely unknown to us; they may be friends, co-workers, or even family members. There are no limits on where such harmful intentions can originate. We are all subject to being wronged. Regardless of the intention, harm is the result. And what are we to do with that? What is our recourse?

Often our human nature wants to get even and strike back in some fashion. Too often, that knee-jerk reaction is just fuel added to an avoidable fire. In that moment of sting and sorrow, we may not always realize that we have options.

We do have options.

God bless,
Rev Leon

Genesis 50:15-21

We live in a culture saturated with quick, provocative ideas. Browsing through the endless scroll of social media, you might come across a meme with a phrase like: “Saving money is doubting God.”

At first glance, it sounds radical, perhaps even deeply spiritual. But when we pause and examine the thinking behind it, a dangerous theology reveals itself, a theology of “blind faith.”

We have a greater capacity than that. We are capable of far more than one would imagine and God is looking to us to become responsible for our outstanding IOUs of love. That is the path to healing the world.
God bless,
Rev Leon

Romans 13:8-14

How often in our lives have we passed an opportunity to serve God and not noticed? How many people passed a lost child without realizing it? Too often, we are not just passing one person but a much larger story? We are busy in our lives that we are passing many stories that we simply do not understand. In real terms, we are passing opportunities prepared by God.

In John chapter 5, Scripture tells us about a man who had been disabled for thirty-eight years. He lay beside the Pool of Bethesda, hoping for healing. When Jesus asked him if he wanted to be healed, the man’s answer revealed the loneliness of his condition:

“Sir, I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred.”

Who do you have to help you in your life? Who in your life can you help? Where is your opportunity to be the hands, the voice and the heart of God? If each of us has the presence of God within, what will it take for us to be the expression of God in this world?  The world needs your God expression right now. Please bring it.

God bless,
Rev Leon