As Pastor Greg transitions into a new position that requires more of his time at present, the So I Was Reading Podcast will temporarily be put on hold until some future date that has yet to be determined. We want to thank everyone who has been listening, and look forward to when we can do this again

Until then, may the Lord bless you and keep you; may His face shine upon you; may He turn His face toward you and give you peace.

Pastor Greg delves into Psalm 5 and talks about David’s trust in the Lord even when it seems – at least at first glance – that God might not actually be paying attention to his plight at the hands of powerful foes. David – like many people today – asks God if he has His ear, but – unlike many today – David shows that he knows the answer to his own question.

In this week’s episode, Pastor Greg reflects on King David’s sickness in Psalm 38, and discusses David’s lament that, when deathly ill, he is unable to stand against his enemies – and ultimately those who oppose God - who attack him for no reason. Greg equates the situation to Jesus’ trial and execution, as well as to the attacks we face when we are weakened by sickness, whether physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual.

In episode 33 of the “So I Was Reading” Podcast, Pastor Greg is told to read Romans 5:1-11 where he is reminded that we have gained peace with God through His Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus. Throughout history, men and women have tried to introduce obstacles to block us from approaching Jesus, our Christ, our Way to the Father, and Greg notes that these obstacles are unbiblical and are actually denounced by scripture which clearly reveals Jesus as the Way to the Father, and that we need no other way to reach Jesus.

Today’s scripture reading of Deuteronomy 13:1-4 prompts Pastor Greg to consider the questions, If the God of the Bible is really the One, True God, then why are there so many options out there? and then the logical follow up, What exactly does it mean to “love God” anyway?

In today’s podcast Pastor Greg reads Luke 8:22-25 to address Jesus’s questioning of His disciples’ faith as they faced a literal life-threatening storm, then poses the same question of faith to us as we each encounter the sometimes literal, sometimes figurative storms in our own lives.

Pastor Greg reads Deuteronomy 10:12-22 and contemplates the meaning of “circumcising the heart,” the reason for the practice of covenantal circumcision, and how the physical act of circumcision is an incredibly fitting symbol for a life – male or female - committed to God and to His kingdom.

This week’s podcast “focuses” on Mark 5:21-32 and discusses the chief priests’ and scribes’ statement that they would believe that Jesus is the Christ if He save Himself from the cross. Pastor Greg takes us on a walk through Isaiah and Leviticus to show that this statement makes no sense in the context of the very scripture they know and teach, and that sometimes we may be guilty of doing the same thing – of demanding a “proof” that wouldn’t be a proof at all.

In episode 27, Pastor Greg looks at the story of Ruth and learns that sometimes God’s answer to our prayers is actually right in front of us in our own mirrors.

In today’s scripture reading of Deuteronomy 7:16-26, Pastor Greg looks at one of the different ways God will sometimes answer prayer and recognizes that, because of His omniscience and our limited view, we just have to trust that He knows what He’s doing even when we don’t understand what He’s doing, and He knows why He’s doing it the way He is even when we think we have a better way.