This series examines relevant topics pertinent to the Christian lifestyle.  Listening is a great tool to support and encourage others, yet effective listening is extremely difficult.  Why is effective listening so hard, and what can we do to make ourselves better listeners?

Also in this episode:

* Why spoken words do not always accurately depict our thoughts and feelings?

* What do we communicate when we are bad listeners?

* What can we do to make ourselves better listeners?

* He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. (Revelation 2:7)

What is your favorite Bible verse?  Americans have weighed in on this question.  In this episode of the Scripture and Spice Podcast, Micah and Curtis  discuss Paul’s second most popular passage, this one from the book of Romans.

Also in this episode:

* The legend of the Holy Grail

* Richard Dawkins concludes that religious faith is a cop-out

* What not to say at funerals

* How Paul could defend his explosive statement about God’s purposes.

* And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.  (Romans 8:28)

 

 

What is your favorite Bible verse?  Americans have weighed in on this question.  In this episode of the Scripture and Spice Podcast, Micah reflects on the beautiful passage from Isaiah that promises that we shall mount up on wings like eagles.

Also in this episode:

* What is a Kewpie?

* America’s national emblem

* Why we love eagles

* What is unique about Isaiah 40?

* Isaiah 40 Why do you say, O Jacob,

    and speak, O Israel,

“My way is hidden from the Lord,

    and my right is disregarded by my God”?

28 Have you not known? Have you not heard?

The Lord is the everlasting God,

    the Creator of the ends of the earth.

He does not faint or grow weary;

    his understanding is unsearchable.

29 He gives power to the faint,

    and to him who has no might he increases strength.

30 Even youths shall faint and be weary,

    and young men shall fall exhausted;

31 but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;

    they shall mount up with wings like eagles;

they shall run and not be weary;

    they shall walk and not faint.

What is your favorite Bible verse?  Americans have weighed in on this question.  In this episode of the Scripture and Spice Podcast, Micah and Curtis  address assumptions regarding Philippians 4:13.

Also in this episode:

* Should UFC Fighters praise God when the knock their opponent out?

* What kind of headband does Curtis use when he works out?

* Why context is so important when reading the Bible

* I can do all things through him who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13)

What is your favorite Bible verse?  Americans have weighed in on this question.  In this episode of the Scripture and Spice Podcast, Micah and Curtis  begin a discussion on our favorite Bible verses.

Also in this episode

* The problems with taking scriptures out of context

* The worst bible verses to put on church signs

* Jeremiah 29:11  For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

 

For Christians, Jesus is our Prince of Peace.  In this world that celebrates violence, what can we learn from the ways that Jesus handles violence?  During Advent, we celebrate the peace that God gives to the world through Christ.  In this episode Micah and Curtis contemplate ways to achieve peace in our world today.

Also in this episode:

* We consider Jesus our Prince of Peace, but there was another Prince of Peace in the ancient world.  Who was this hero?

* What do the disciples think about achieving peace?

* How do we achieve peace in our world today?

* Scripture of the Day:  Isaiah 9: 6-7

6 For to us a child is born,

    to us a son is given;

and the government shall be upon[d] his shoulder,

    and his name shall be called[e]

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

7 Of the increase of his government and of peace

    there will be no end,

Why is the season of Advent is a special time to recognize the anticipated arrival of the Lord Jesus?   The festivities and family traditions of Christmas serve a purpose, but cannot match the hope God grants us through the coming of Christ.  Micah addresses the underlying message of comfort that arrives on the first Christmas.

Also in this episode:

* Why is Advent a celebrated season given that Jesus’ birthday is not specified in the Bible?

* What is God’s message to those who suffer?

* What lessons did God teach Micah with the passing of his father?

* How can churches remember the sufferings of their parishioners during Christmas?

* Scripture of the Day:  Isaiah 40:1-5

Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.

Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,

    and cry to her

that her warfare[a] is ended,

    that her iniquity is pardoned,

that she has received from the Lord‘s hand

    double for all her sins.

A voice cries:

“In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord;

    make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

Every valley shall be lifted up,

    and every mountain and hill be made low;

the uneven ground shall become level,

    and the rough places a plain.

And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,

    and all flesh shall see it together,

    for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

What makes Paul, the Apostle, an authority figure in the early church?  Does he have the right education, credentials, or job experiences that make him an expert?  Questions of authority arise early and often during Paul’s career.  In this Scripture & Spice Podcast episode, we consider church authority in our times and in Paul’s day.

Also in this episode:

* What’s on your resume?

* How does society recognize achievements?

* Paul’s complicated relationship with the Corinthians

* What gives someone authority in church?

* Scripture of the Day: 2 Corinthians 11:22-27

23 Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. 24 Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27 in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food,[b] in cold and exposure.

The Apostle Paul is considered a hero in the Christian faith.  He preaches the gospel, performs miracles, and suffers immense persecution as a result.  While many admire the man, others characterize him as a sexist and supporter of slavery. In this Scripture & Spice Podcast episode, Micah address these concerns by examining Paul’s theology and his actions.

 

Also in this episode:

 

– How to pronounce Philemon

– Does Paul support slavery?

– Is it fair for us to expect figures from the past to have transcended their times?

– Scripture of the Day: Philemon 1-25

The Apostle Paul is considered a hero in the Christian faith.  He preaches the gospel, performs miracles, and suffers immense persecution as a result.  How does Paul handle tragedy and suffering? More specifically, what does Paul do when his faith is shaken?  In this Scripture & Spice Podcast episode, Micah suggests that Paul uses tragedy and suffering to shape and grow his faith.

 

Also in this episode:

 

– When our faith gets shaken

– What kind of things challenge our faith?

– How do we respond when our faith is challenged?

– Scripture of the Day: Acts 19:22