Save My Darlings

We saw on Sunday that God gives Satan the right to accuse us and test us with harrowing circumstances. He did it to Job. He did it to the disciples. Why would God let that happen? Doesn't this show the Bible to be silly and God to be unfair? Well, no. Listen to find out why!

5 minute sermon recap and weekly challenge

Plagiarized sermons? Sermon-writing laziness? How does the sausage get made? Over the years that I've been writing sermons with my friend Pastor Mike Lotzer of Mercy Road Church in Lakeville, MN, many people have wondered what that looks like and just what we do. Well, in this episode Mike joins us to help explain what the process looks like and how we're beginning to incorporate AI into it in ways that are helpful but anchored in Christian integrity. So glad to have him with us!

One question we didn't address on Sunday is "Why doesn't God give us some things that would be good for us?" That is, there's plenty of things that would probably make us better people and Christians, things that are good for us, that God doesn't allow. A great example is trouble with fertility/conception. It's undeniable that God wants us to "be fruitful and multiply." So why doesn't he give that gift to everyone who asks? Listen for a three-step explanation of why God doesn't always do what's good for us. This isn't THE explanation (because I don't know that there is one), but it is AN explanation. It's biblical and it has helped me during some of those periods of doubt and dissatisfaction.

"Not today, Satan!" is a popular meme these days. I think it's meant to mean that the enemy is out there trying to destroy us--which is true. But how, exactly, does he operate and what can we do about it? I survey a bunch of places in the Bible that show us what he's doing and how to live in victory!

Trying to understand the Bible when it talks about the end times is hard. Is there an idea or interpretive lens that can help? There sure is! It's called "partial preterism," and it's how I am able to make sense of some pretty confusing texts. Open up Mark 13 with me and check it out.

There is an odd bit in Luke 9 we skipped on Sunday in which the Samaritans don't welcome Jesus into their territory as he travels to Jerusalem. Why? What gives? And what if their reaction is a massive warning to us about missing out on the life God designed for us?

When warning us about the cost of following him, Jesus quotes an old farmer's saying, "Don't put one hand on the plow and look back." What does this mean and what is he trying to warn us about? The answer(s) may surprise you!

The title is a bit tongue-in-cheek, but this week's episode, "Why No Good Deed Goes Unpunished" explains how and why some suffering is built into the created order and why it is good. Knowing this hidden mechanic in the universe can give us encouragement, courage, and strength in some very challenging times, filling us with hope as we reframe our own pain as bearing the cost of new life.

Is Judas in hell? What about corrupt religious leaders? Does the Bible answer these questions with clarity? I argue that it sort of doesn't, because the Bible isn't all that interested in hell. Which seems weird since Christianity has a reputation for being all about heaven and hell. What gives? Listen to find out!