The Walking Closer Podcast

If we want to make changes that stick, we need a process that puts us in a position to actually change. This episode explores such a process.

Sometimes, our hearts are like junk drawers. They collect things over time that eventually keep us from being able to open them. You may have things in your heart that are holding you back because you haven't released them. 

While the term "faith" is at the core of Christianity, there seems to be lots of ideas about what faith actually is. This episode looks at what faith is in light of its usage during the bible times and what it means to actually live by faith.

In the final episode of this series, we bring it all together and show how we respond to the "graces" or "favors" we have been given. I also discuss how we are put into a unique position of being a benefactor of God's grace to others.

There is language in the NT that ties us to the concepts of the Patron system, and yet, the language is used in a context that rises so far above the limitations of what a Patron would be expected to do. As such, it not only compares and contrast God to earthly Patrons,  it also put God in stark contrast to the gods of that time. 

The NT is filled with complex narratives. Narratives where complicated social relationships unfold before our eyes. Today’s episode will continue to unpack some of these complexities.

Understanding social structures can help the biblical text come alive. This episode looks at a biblical narrative in Luke 7 where the social context of Personal and Public Patronage is played out in the biblical text. 

Did you realize the terms "grace and faith" were not particularly religious terms, but words which were used to describe a specific relationship between two people? This is where understanding social systems can be beneficial and can challenge our perspectives. 

This episode shows how the concepts of "Challenge Riposte" are interwoven into the fabric of the "Honor Shame Society" of the biblical times.