Episode 106 – Grapes in the Desert Pt 6: Enough Is Enoughi.fb-icon-element.fontawesome-icon.fb-icon-element-72{ color: #515151;}i.fb-icon-element.fontawesome-icon.fb-icon-element-72:hover { color: #e00400;}i.fontawesome-icon.fb-icon-element-72.icon-hover-animation-pulsate:after {-webkit-box-shadow:0 0 0 2px rgba(255,255,255,0.1), 0 0 10px 10px #333333, 0 0 0 10px rgba(255,255,255,0.5);-moz-box-shadow:0 0 0 2px rgba(255,255,255,0.1), 0 0 10px 10px #333333, 0 0 0 10px rgba(255,255,255,0.5);box-shadow: 0 0 0 2px rgba(255,255,255,0.1), 0 0 10px 10px #333333, 0 0 0 10px rgba(255,255,255,0.5);}Key Passage(s): Exodus 16:19-2; Deuteronomy 8:2-5; Matthew 6:25-33The idea that we don’t have enough permeates our lives. We don’t have enough money. We don’t have enough sleep. We don’t have enough time. We’re constantly looking for ways to acquire more. But “more” rarely delivers the contentment we’re looking for. And the wilderness is the place where God strips away the faulty distractions and excess that increasingly define our lives. In the wilderness, God recalibrates our understanding of what’s essential and what’s enough so we experience the contentment we were made for.

Discussion Questions

What was your biggest takeaway from the teaching?

If we were to follow you around and listen in on your life what would we hear you saying you don’t have enough of?

Think back on some of the wilderness experiences of your life. How did those experiences re-order your understanding of what was enough?

One of the telltale signs of a scarcity mentality is that we start believing other people’s success means there’s less for us. In what ways have you experienced that in your life?

How have you experienced God providing you with enough during the COVID-19 pandemic?

How will you begin living out the truths of this teaching this week?

For Further Study

The Soul of Money by Lynne Twist

The Bible and the Land by Gary M. Burge – Chapter 3 is on the desert 

The Land Between by Jeff Manion – Outstanding book on navigating the deserts of our lives

Episode 105 – Grapes in the Desert Pt 5: Feet for the Pathi.fb-icon-element.fontawesome-icon.fb-icon-element-75{ color: #515151;}i.fb-icon-element.fontawesome-icon.fb-icon-element-75:hover { color: #e00400;}i.fontawesome-icon.fb-icon-element-75.icon-hover-animation-pulsate:after {-webkit-box-shadow:0 0 0 2px rgba(255,255,255,0.1), 0 0 10px 10px #333333, 0 0 0 10px rgba(255,255,255,0.5);-moz-box-shadow:0 0 0 2px rgba(255,255,255,0.1), 0 0 10px 10px #333333, 0 0 0 10px rgba(255,255,255,0.5);box-shadow: 0 0 0 2px rgba(255,255,255,0.1), 0 0 10px 10px #333333, 0 0 0 10px rgba(255,255,255,0.5);}Key Passage(s): Habakkuk 3:19; 2 Samuel 22:33-34There are moments in life when the path ahead is unclear or downright scary, moments when everything in us wants out of the situation or circumstance we’re in. It’s only natural to ask God to rescue us or change things. That’s part of what prayer is about. But there’s another dimension of prayer we find in the Scriptures. It’s one we often fail to pray, making our prayers incomplete. It’s the prayer David prayed. It’s the prayer Habakkuk prayed. And it’s an astounding prayer of strength and trust that God will empower us no matter where our path leads. This teaching explores how to pray more completely in the wilderness seasons of life.

(Click on images to Enlarge/Download - Courtesy of Todd Bolen of BiblePlaces.com)

Discussion Questions

What was your biggest takeaway from the teaching?

Words are often powerful because of when they’re spoken. What are some of the powerful words people have spoken into your life in the midst of a difficult season?

Sometimes we have no words of our own and need to borrow the words of others to sustain us in difficult times. What are some of the words (quotes, scriptures, etc.) that you cling to in challenging seasons?

How has God given you feet for the path in the past?

Where do you need feet for the path in the current season?

How will you begin living out the truths of this teaching this week?

For Further Study

The Bible and the Land by Gary M. Burge – Chapter 3 is on the desert 

The Land Between by Jeff Manion – Outstanding book on navigating the deserts of our lives

Episode 104 – Grapes in the Desert Pt 4: Trusting Godi.fb-icon-element.fontawesome-icon.fb-icon-element-78{ color: #515151;}i.fb-icon-element.fontawesome-icon.fb-icon-element-78:hover { color: #e00400;}i.fontawesome-icon.fb-icon-element-78.icon-hover-animation-pulsate:after {-webkit-box-shadow:0 0 0 2px rgba(255,255,255,0.1), 0 0 10px 10px #333333, 0 0 0 10px rgba(255,255,255,0.5);-moz-box-shadow:0 0 0 2px rgba(255,255,255,0.1), 0 0 10px 10px #333333, 0 0 0 10px rgba(255,255,255,0.5);box-shadow: 0 0 0 2px rgba(255,255,255,0.1), 0 0 10px 10px #333333, 0 0 0 10px rgba(255,255,255,0.5);}Key Passage(s): Exodus 13:21; Exodus 14:10-12You’re not where you were, and you’re not where you’re going to be. You’re in between. Welcome to the wilderness. It’s in these ambiguous spaces where we either become who God is inviting us to be or we shrink into the smaller, more manageable stories we write for ourselves. Because it’s easier to be a slave in Egypt than to trust God in the desert. But no one aspires to be the person who shrinks. We want to learn to trust well and become all God intended for us to be. This teaching will give you practical ways to grow your trust in God in hard times.

Discussion Questions

What was your biggest takeaway from the teaching?

How do you feel about the statement, “It’s easier to be a slave in Egypt than to trust God in the desert?” In what ways have you experienced that to be true in your life?

What are one or two moments from your life where you felt like you really trusted God? What made your trust level so high in those moments?

What are some of the small, daily ways you choose to trust in yourself instead of in God?

What sliding door moments are before you now? How will you engage them?

How will you begin living out the truths of this teaching this week?

For Further Study

The Bible and the Land by Gary M. Burge – Chapter 3 is on the desert 

The Land Between by Jeff Manion – Outstanding book on navigating the deserts of our lives

Episode 103 – Grapes in the Desert Pt 3: Lament the Lossi.fb-icon-element.fontawesome-icon.fb-icon-element-81{ color: #515151;}i.fb-icon-element.fontawesome-icon.fb-icon-element-81:hover { color: #e00400;}i.fontawesome-icon.fb-icon-element-81.icon-hover-animation-pulsate:after {-webkit-box-shadow:0 0 0 2px rgba(255,255,255,0.1), 0 0 10px 10px #333333, 0 0 0 10px rgba(255,255,255,0.5);-moz-box-shadow:0 0 0 2px rgba(255,255,255,0.1), 0 0 10px 10px #333333, 0 0 0 10px rgba(255,255,255,0.5);box-shadow: 0 0 0 2px rgba(255,255,255,0.1), 0 0 10px 10px #333333, 0 0 0 10px rgba(255,255,255,0.5);}Key Passage(s): Psalm 13The practice of grounding yourself in gratitude is essential to a life well-lived. But in the wilderness experiences of life, gratitude isn’t enough. In those times, we need to identify, name, and express our losses. The Psalms are a case in point. Filled with both songs and prayers of praise, they’re also packed full of songs of lament. Because being grounded in gratitude and lamenting the loss are deeply human and deeply biblical. This teaching will give you a new perspective on how to hold both the gratitude and the loss.

Discussion Questions

What was your biggest takeaway from the teaching?

What are some things you’ve been grateful for during this pandemic, things you wouldn’t have experienced without the pandemic?

Why do you think Westerners tend to see sadness as treasonous?

Are you more of a glass-half empty or glass-half full kind of person? As illustrated in this teaching, why is it more helpful to be both?

What’s at stake if we only choose to live in gratitude and never lament the loss? What’s at stake if we only ever lament the loss and don’t express our gratitude?

How will you begin living out the truths of this teaching this week?

For Further Study

The Bible and the Land by Gary M. Burge – Chapter 3 is on the desert 

The Land Between by Jeff Manion – Outstanding book on navigating the deserts of our lives

Episode 102 – Grapes in the Desert Pt 2: Davar in the Midbari.fb-icon-element.fontawesome-icon.fb-icon-element-84{ color: #515151;}i.fb-icon-element.fontawesome-icon.fb-icon-element-84:hover { color: #e00400;}i.fontawesome-icon.fb-icon-element-84.icon-hover-animation-pulsate:after {-webkit-box-shadow:0 0 0 2px rgba(255,255,255,0.1), 0 0 10px 10px #333333, 0 0 0 10px rgba(255,255,255,0.5);-moz-box-shadow:0 0 0 2px rgba(255,255,255,0.1), 0 0 10px 10px #333333, 0 0 0 10px rgba(255,255,255,0.5);box-shadow: 0 0 0 2px rgba(255,255,255,0.1), 0 0 10px 10px #333333, 0 0 0 10px rgba(255,255,255,0.5);}Key Passage(s): Hosea 9:10In Hebrew, the root word for midbar (desert) is the Hebrew word davar, which means to speak. While God is always speaking, we usually hear God best in the desert experiences of our lives. Why? Because in seasons of hardship and challenge, busyness and distraction are stripped away, and we become more present and open to God’s voice. When that happens, God often speaks exactly what we need to hear. What if the COVID-19 pandemic is a desert experience in which God is inviting us to pay attention and listen for His voice? If so, we might just receive a davar in the midbar that could change everything.

Discussion Questions

What was your biggest takeaway from the teaching?

What have been one or two desert experiences where you felt God speak to you in a meaningful or powerful way?

The poet Mary Oliver wrote that “attention is the beginning of devotion.” What do you feel are the biggest distractions that keep you from giving your attention to God’s voice?

When was the last time you felt God used you to speak His words to someone else?

What do you think are some of the characteristics of the kind of person God uses to speak His words to others?

How will you begin living out the truths of this teaching this week?

For Further Study

The Bible and the Land by Gary M. Burge – Chapter 3 is on the desert 

The Land Between by Jeff Manion – Outstanding book on navigating the deserts of our lives

Episode 101 – Grapes in the Desert Pt 1: Isolated But Not Disconnectedi.fb-icon-element.fontawesome-icon.fb-icon-element-87{ color: #515151;}i.fb-icon-element.fontawesome-icon.fb-icon-element-87:hover { color: #e00400;}i.fontawesome-icon.fb-icon-element-87.icon-hover-animation-pulsate:after {-webkit-box-shadow:0 0 0 2px rgba(255,255,255,0.1), 0 0 10px 10px #333333, 0 0 0 10px rgba(255,255,255,0.5);-moz-box-shadow:0 0 0 2px rgba(255,255,255,0.1), 0 0 10px 10px #333333, 0 0 0 10px rgba(255,255,255,0.5);box-shadow: 0 0 0 2px rgba(255,255,255,0.1), 0 0 10px 10px #333333, 0 0 0 10px rgba(255,255,255,0.5);}Key Passage(s): 1 Kings 19:10-18When things go wrong in life, one of the first things we feel is that we’re alone. And the social distancing and stay-at-home orders of the COVID-19 pandemic only amplify our sense of isolation. In the Hebrew Scriptures, the wilderness is the primary metaphor for challenging seasons of life. But what if the challenges and limitations of the wilderness actually call forth the richness of our creativity? This episode explores how creativity can help us overcome isolation so we can experience grapes in the desert.

Discussion Questions

What was your biggest takeaway from the teaching?

In the midst of this pandemic, so many people are having conversations and interactions with neighbors they never usually talk to. Why do you think disaster is such an effective incubator for connection?

What are some of the creative ways you’ve been connecting with others during the pandemic, and what have those experiences been like for you?

Stories of Italians singing together on their balconies, residents of NYC applauding healthcare workers, and drive-by birthday parties are really moving. Why do you think these simple gestures move us so deeply?

If you’re feeling a sense of isolation and aloneness, what can you do this week to remedy this?

For Further Study

The Bible and the Land by Gary M. Burge – Chapter 3 is on the desert 

The Land Between by Jeff Manion – Outstanding book on navigating the deserts of our lives

Episode 099 – Parable of the Lost Son Pt 6: Shame on the Crossi.fb-icon-element.fontawesome-icon.fb-icon-element-93{ color: #515151;}i.fb-icon-element.fontawesome-icon.fb-icon-element-93:hover { color: #e00400;}i.fontawesome-icon.fb-icon-element-93.icon-hover-animation-pulsate:after {-webkit-box-shadow:0 0 0 2px rgba(255,255,255,0.1), 0 0 10px 10px #333333, 0 0 0 10px rgba(255,255,255,0.5);-moz-box-shadow:0 0 0 2px rgba(255,255,255,0.1), 0 0 10px 10px #333333, 0 0 0 10px rgba(255,255,255,0.5);box-shadow: 0 0 0 2px rgba(255,255,255,0.1), 0 0 10px 10px #333333, 0 0 0 10px rgba(255,255,255,0.5);}Key Passage(s): Luke 15:11-32Honor and shame played a significant role in the cultural context of Jesus’s life and ministry. Like a stain, shame diminished a person’s worth in the eyes of the community, and shame continues to have this crippling effect on countless people. From start to finish, this parable is saturated with shame, and Jesus seems to have designed it this way on purpose. Why? Because Jesus is telling us something about Himself and what happens to shame on the cross.

Discussion Questions

What was your biggest takeaway from the teaching?

What have been some of your own experiences with shame?

By scorning the shame of the cross, Jesus, in essence, also scorns the shame that marks our lives. What do you think it looks like to allow Jesus to speak to, touch, and bless the tender places of shame in your life?

It was said in the teaching, “There is no length God won’t go to remind you that you are loved, accepted, pursued, cherished, and celebrated.” Do you believe this is true? If you’re struggling to believe this, why do you think that is? What may God be saying to you?

How will you begin living out the truths of this teaching this week?

For Further Study

How to Read the Bible: The Parables of Jesus by BibleProject 

Stories With Intent by Klyne Snodgrass – Pages 117-143

Poet & Peasant and Through Peasant Eyes (Combined Ed.) by Kenneth Bailey – Pages 158-206 in Poet & Peasant 

Jesus, The Middle Eastern Storyteller by Gary M. Burge – Chapter 6 

The Parables by Brad Young – Chapter 7

The Return of the Prodigal Son by Henri Nouwen

Episode 098 – Parable of the Lost Son Pt 5: Joy is the Testi.fb-icon-element.fontawesome-icon.fb-icon-element-96{ color: #515151;}i.fb-icon-element.fontawesome-icon.fb-icon-element-96:hover { color: #e00400;}i.fontawesome-icon.fb-icon-element-96.icon-hover-animation-pulsate:after {-webkit-box-shadow:0 0 0 2px rgba(255,255,255,0.1), 0 0 10px 10px #333333, 0 0 0 10px rgba(255,255,255,0.5);-moz-box-shadow:0 0 0 2px rgba(255,255,255,0.1), 0 0 10px 10px #333333, 0 0 0 10px rgba(255,255,255,0.5);box-shadow: 0 0 0 2px rgba(255,255,255,0.1), 0 0 10px 10px #333333, 0 0 0 10px rgba(255,255,255,0.5);}Key Passage(s): Luke 15:11-32Two significant (but often overlooked) moments in the parable reveal there’s more than one way to be lost. It’s just as possible to be lost in the Father’s house as it is to be lost in the far country. Countless people end up lost not as prodigals, but by believing they’re earning God’s love and acceptance with their obedience. This is not how the Father runs the house. And this episode explores how joy is the litmus test that keeps us from getting lost on the inside.

Discussion Questions

What was your biggest takeaway from the teaching?

What are one or two specific ways you’ve been the older brother in your life?

If joy is the litmus test to a thriving relationship with God, what’s your joy level like right now? What are the implications of being at that level?

What would it look like for you to “join the party” this week or in general?

How will you begin living out the truths of this teaching this week?

For Further Study

Stories With Intent by Klyne Snodgrass – Pages 117-143

Poet & Peasant and Through Peasant Eyes (Combined Ed.) by Kenneth Bailey – Pages 158-206 in Poet & Peasant 

Jesus, The Middle Eastern Storyteller by Gary M. Burge – Chapter 6

The Parables by Brad Young – Chapter 7

The Return of the Prodigal Son by Henri Nouwen

Episode 097 – Parable of the Lost Son Pt 4: Love as Letting Goi.fb-icon-element.fontawesome-icon.fb-icon-element-99{ color: #515151;}i.fb-icon-element.fontawesome-icon.fb-icon-element-99:hover { color: #e00400;}i.fontawesome-icon.fb-icon-element-99.icon-hover-animation-pulsate:after {-webkit-box-shadow:0 0 0 2px rgba(255,255,255,0.1), 0 0 10px 10px #333333, 0 0 0 10px rgba(255,255,255,0.5);-moz-box-shadow:0 0 0 2px rgba(255,255,255,0.1), 0 0 10px 10px #333333, 0 0 0 10px rgba(255,255,255,0.5);box-shadow: 0 0 0 2px rgba(255,255,255,0.1), 0 0 10px 10px #333333, 0 0 0 10px rgba(255,255,255,0.5);}Key Passage(s): Luke 15:11-24Sometimes people walk away from God, but few things are as painful as seeing your children walk away. Jesus’s words strike a deep chord with parents who’ve felt helpless as their children walk their own path. Parenting is a sensitive issue and addresses the most tender place within us: our deep love for our children. In this episode, we examine the Father’s posture of heart towards a son he knows is lost in his own home. Unlike other characters in the parable, the Father doesn’t pursue his son, leaving us wondering, why doesn’t he do more? Jesus offers us a picture of risky love that doesn’t coerce, or force or control, but instead let's go and waits expectantly with open arms.

Discussion Questions

What was your biggest takeaway from the teaching?

What is your first impulse or thought when you see someone you love making decisions that are potentially harmful to themselves?

The Father’s love compels him to let go of the outcome because if he tries to control, coerce, or force an agenda it will only make things worse. What are the situations, scenarios, and relationships in your life where you need to let go of the outcome?

Even though the Father doesn’t chase after his son, he’s still engaged. He’s waiting expectantly with open arms. What do you think it looks like to stay engaged and wait expectantly in a strained relationship?

How will you begin living out the truths of this teaching this week?

For Further Study

Stories With Intent by Klyne Snodgrass – Pages 117-143

Poet & Peasant and Through Peasant Eyes (Combined Ed.) by Kenneth Bailey – Pages 158-206 in Poet & Peasant

Jesus, The Middle Eastern Storyteller by Gary M. Burge – Chapter 6

The Parables by Brad Young – Chapter 7

The Return of the Prodigal Son by Henri Nouwen

Episode 096 – Parable of the Lost Son Part 3: Embrace the Gracei.fb-icon-element.fontawesome-icon.fb-icon-element-102{ color: #515151;}i.fb-icon-element.fontawesome-icon.fb-icon-element-102:hover { color: #e00400;}i.fontawesome-icon.fb-icon-element-102.icon-hover-animation-pulsate:after {-webkit-box-shadow:0 0 0 2px rgba(255,255,255,0.1), 0 0 10px 10px #333333, 0 0 0 10px rgba(255,255,255,0.5);-moz-box-shadow:0 0 0 2px rgba(255,255,255,0.1), 0 0 10px 10px #333333, 0 0 0 10px rgba(255,255,255,0.5);box-shadow: 0 0 0 2px rgba(255,255,255,0.1), 0 0 10px 10px #333333, 0 0 0 10px rgba(255,255,255,0.5);}Key Passage(s): Luke 15:11-24It’s easy to forget how much we’ve been forgiven. And when we do so, our relationship with God and others suffers greatly. In this episode of the parable of the lost son, we key in on the younger son and unpack his journey of being lost and then found. And in doing so, we get to marvel at the extravagant grace of God who embraces us despite our faults and failures. But until we allow ourselves to be embraced and changed by this grace, we’ll seek to manipulate and connive in our relationship with God, and we’ll also fail to extend to others the kind of grace God expects from us.

Discussion Questions

What was your biggest takeaway from the teaching?

How have you traditionally understood this parable with respect to the younger son? How did this teaching confirm or change your prior understanding?

Is there any way in which you’ve forgotten how much you’ve been forgiven? If so, how is that negatively impacting your relationship with God? Your relationship with others?

Where do you need to embrace God’s grace anew today?

Where do you need to extend that kind of grace to others?

How will you begin living out the truths of this teaching this week?

For Further Study

Stories With Intent by Klyne Snodgrass – Pages 117-143

Poet & Peasant and Through Peasant Eyes (Combined Ed.) by Kenneth Bailey – Pages 158-206 in Poet & Peasant 

Jesus, The Middle Eastern Storyteller by Gary M. Burge – Chapter 6

The Parables by Brad Young – Chapter 7