Vertical Pursuit

Pastor Mike recaps a recent trip on NBA All-Star Weekend to the oldest prison in the United States, where some incarcerated men are actually discovering a freedom that is available to us all. 

When God wants you to grow, he makes you uncomfortable. No pain, no gain, right? This is a fundamental teaching, but it’s easier said than done. How do we really reach the point where we are lacking nothing? It sure isn’t by being satisfied with always being comfortable.

The Bible tells us to spend time, and our lives, with people who share our same vision. But, where is the line? Aren’t we supposed to go make disciples, even among non-Christians? What about close friends, and even prospective spouses?

What do Biblical numbers mean, and what do we do with this topic? Also in this episode we wrestle with the idea of a wrath of God, and what that could look like in today’s world. Are natural disasters God's judgment today?

Could we actually be on the verge of coming out of a very cloudy time where the truth was suppressed, shaped, and controlled by a select few, and into a time where there is power in consensus, and that’s easier to access? 

This episode is weird, hopefully in a good way. At times we make “going off on tangents” an art form, and this episode certainly falls under that heading. We start with the drone drama, and that took on to an off ramp of strangeness, viewed through a lens of faith, of course.

Not everything we read in the Bible is warm and fuzzy, and some is downright scary. And, that’s okay to admit. Are we doing enough? Will I make the cut? And, if I’m living in sin, does God even hear my prayers? Ugh.

If over 90% of men believe in God, why do only roughly 35% of men in the U.S. regularly attend church? Many of our female listeners have not only noticed this, but have asked for advice on how to get their men on the road to an abundant Christian life.

Actually, the question shouldn’t be "who are you,” but rather "WHOSE are you?” Paul sets this example for us in Ephesians by identifying that he is not bound to his past, and instead identifies himself by whose he is now, through Christ. That can help remove the pressure of our past mistakes, which leads to freedom.

We often choose to hold on tightly to anxiety and worry, thinking that we’ll be able to at least have some measure of control over our circumstances. We do not gain control through fear, but our fear ends up controlling us. The gap between our illusion of control and our reality then gets filled with anxiety. What do we do with this?