Something To Gnaw On

Your kids will give you every opportunity to pray about “EVERYTHING”.   Someone’s gonna bite their nose in the nursery, or bloody their nose on the playground, or break their nose in a basketball game, and break their heart in relationships, and I hate to say it,… but some of us are going to see some pretty dark days… and it’s gonna break your heart to see.  The heartaches of life will come… in various fashion  You will feel fear, anxiety, pain… that’s not in question.   This episode takes a quick look at Moses' parents and examines the power of a praying parent..... especially when your kid is in the cross-hairs of the enemy!






“UPBEAT – ACCOUSTIC”

Used By Permission

Music by Stockaudios from Pixabay

Watergate is a great example of a cover-up attempt.... a conspiracy.   The basics of a cover-up are engrained in us all...  from stealing cookies and breaking windows to telling lies (whether little or big.)   At the same time, this concept of cover-up is at the heart of the resurrection story, and it's back story.   But so often we get lost in the weeds.  So often we get in the habit of throwing around theological terms like 'atonement' and 'sacrifice' and we lose contact with the situations that demand their presence.  This episode will be dropped on Good Friday.... a day where terms like this, or passover,  are used at length...  but I'd like to go back to the beginning .... to the need for such a thing... to the genesis of it all.  Literally, to Genesis 3.   What happened that triggered this Holy Weekend?  What happened in the heart of man, and what was happening in the heart of God?

What does a Hungarian POW and the Apostle Peter have in common?  They are both on a collision course that will change their lives.  It will be painful, but it will be good.  AW Tozer once wrote “it is doubtful whether God can bless a man greatly until he has hurt him deeply”, in this two part episode we will dig into how God uses personal pain, our personal disasters,  for his glory.   

“UPBEAT – ACCOUSTIC”

Used By Permission

Music by Stockaudios from Pixabay

Getting into the mess was easy... but how do you get out and STAY OUT!!!    The recipe for this episode includes a passage from Jeremiah 31, with a couple of excerpts from Paul, a dash of teaching from Jesus..... and a beautiful illustration from Bob,  Bob Wiley.... from the classic movie "What About Bob?"



“UPBEAT – ACCOUSTIC”

Used By Permission

Music by Stockaudios from Pixabay

Thinking the battle is over could prove to be a fatal mistake... certainly there are seasons of peace - times of rest...   but make no mistake about it - the Devil is always on the prowl...  and like most predators in nature, he doesn't attack head on.  He choses stealth, underhanded methodologies, and seeks vulnerability (aka the path of least resistance).   And he has a knack for taking advantage of our own fleshly tendencies to self-destruct, or give in to the 'deeds of the flesh'... then step in and finish the job with minimal effort.    But it doesn't have to be this way!  God has made a way out!!  But first, we need to see the reality of the problem.    

This episode is part bible-study, and part journal entry.  I hope it blesses you.....  opens your eyes to what's happening around you!!!    Be Blessed!!!!!




 

“UPBEAT – ACCOUSTIC” 

Used By Permission 

Music by Stockaudios from Pixabay 

We live in a culture that glorifies qualities like knowledge, wisdom, planning, and self-reliance.  And let's be honest, those aren't exactly bad things.... The book of Proverbs sing the praises of all four.   But a problem arises when these characteristics exist in a setting devoid of faith in THE Living God!   Listen in to a few stories of people exhibiting great faith, and see how God responds!!!  Be encouraged my friends!!!  God responds in a big way!!!  He responds 'exceedingly, abundantly, beyond anything we could ask or think....'         Be Blessed!

For the sake of continuity, and in the spirit of the 'short podcast',  both episodes have been put together on the same recording.   Feel free to pause in the middle if need be, (there is a natural break there).  

This episode begins with a light-hearted/semi-comedic look into the latter years of the old hymnals in church worship, and the transition to more contemporary style.   It is peppered with a few thoughts to get you thinking (hopefully) about the purpose and and impact of your current worship situation....   Is it biblical or cultural???  Or does it matter???

Blessings

You may recognize this story from "AN UNFORTUNATE ATTACK" with Arch Duke Franz Ferdinand's famous phrase "It's nothing".....   but the application comes from a short devotional I shared several months ago with our Living Free Ministry.   Sometimes we are tempted to trivialize issues of life with a Franz Ferdinand "It's Nothing" statement..... but it's not the most healthy habit.   Listen in, and check it out..... (and have your bible open to Hebrews)

There is power in prayer.   Not the 'yubba dub dub, thanks for the grub' dinner prayer or the 'now I lay me down to sleep' night time prayer, but there is prayer that it powerful and effective, prayer that changes the world as we know it.  Last episode we looked at two dynamics in  Paul's teaching:   Praying without ceasing, or praying 'always', and focusing more of our prayer time on others.   This episode will look at two more examples of powerful prayer......  earnest and urgent prayers...  the kind of prayers that stir Gods heart.