On this episode, Craig Dickerson and I delve into Matthew 23: 1-12, where Jesus warns the disciples to do what the Pharisees say, but not what they do. We talk on hypocrisy, uplifting others, and looking into the mirror to see our flaws, so we don't become too prideful. We're also including a link to the All Saint's Episcopal Church (http://saintsalive.net) - we're getting close to Thanksgiving, and there's no better way to give thanks than to give your service to those in need. All Saints provide food to those in need every two weeks and you can go on their website if you're looking for a place to volunteer.

On this weeks episode of Faith, Craig Dickerson and I discuss Matthew 22: 34-40. Here are some bullet points on the show:

- First commandment: love God (easy). 2nd Commandment: love thy neighbor (hard)

- Sometimes we must limit our emotions to effectively help others

- Analogy of the heavy curtain (God’s Word) and the weak wall (our acceptance of the word)

- The lessons we learn from our parents or grandparents may be simple but it’s our foundation. If we stray too far, we lose our foundation and our identity.

- Others will try to provoke you (like the Pharises). Don’t let them.

- The ONLY way to love God is to love your neighbor, even those you don’t want to be around

1 Thessalonians 1: 1-10 Grace and Peace to all. This is Paul’s salutation in all of his letters, whether it be to the Romans, Hebrews, Colossians, Ephesians and the other cities he’s writing to. His purpose is to make a strong connection to these people who will build the first churches, and he uses the standard Roman greeting, but adding “grace”, showing humility and thankfulness to these people. Craig and I talk about how we as Christians need to make serious connections to our fellow Christians and be sincere in our greetings, in our bond with others, no matter how different they are to us. We talk about how the failure in having empathy has damaged Trump in a very simple call to the mother of a fallen soldier, how we must take up the banner after our leaders leave us, whether it be Dr. King who died in ’68 or a member of Craig’s church, who is leaving the musical ministry after 12 years. I also talk about the dangers of individuality and bring up Marshawn Lynch of the Raiders, who got thrown out of a game Oakland won against the first place Kansas City Chiefs – without him. God may have blessed you with a gift, but you must use that gift for the benefit of others. And your first connection with others begin with your salutation. When you say “Hi – how are you”, do you really mean it? Do you really care?

Craig and I talk on Matthew 23:1-14 - The Parable of the Wedding. Many will be invited but few will be chosen. Jesus once again challenges the Pharises. But he also challenges us – some will serve him and others won’t, despite still coming to the wedding. Is that us? Are we collecting the gifts of God without giving back? Craig and I talk about pros and cons of obedience, contrasting that with being subservient and assimilation. When do you give up your freedom and when do you serve? Has God earned your respect for him? If so, have you earned your respect for God?

On this episode, Craig Dickerson and I talk about the violence in Vegas and get into the gun laws that need to be passed that aren’t – the parable talks of the violence of the tenants that kill the servants sent by the owner; if the owner is God, are we the tenants? Are you the tenant or the servant? Is the vineyard the Earth that we are destroying? Craig points out that Jesus doesn’t finish the parable – he stops and asks the question – what should the owner do to the tenants. Question: is he speaking to the pharises? Or the disciples? To us? Like a father administering discipline to his son (like my dad did), he asks – what punishment should I give?

On today's episode, Craig and I talk about the Pharises' confrontation of Jesus Christ in Matthew 21: 23-32, where they ask what authority does Jesus have to claim to be the Son of God? From there, Craig and I delve into authentication, authority - who gets to ask, how do we authenticate ourselves, what questions do we ask others and from what perspective do we ask - are we being humble or pious in our questions? We also talk heavily (we didn't plan this) on the NFL players protest and the NFL owners' response. It's an interesting listen and we'd love your feedback.

On this episode of Faith, Craig and I read Jesus' Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard (Matthew 20: 1-16) and discuss fairness and our perception of justice and the equality of christianity.

In this Episode, Craig and I continue to talk about forgiveness and continue the story of Jesus and the parable of the unforgiving servant. We also talk about allocution - when a person must state what they did wrong, before being forgiven. Please give us feedback and let us know what you think of the podcast.

On this episode of You Gotta Have Faith, Craig and I discuss the complexities of Forgiveness - we dive into Matthew 18, where Jesus shares to his disciples about the parable of the Master and Servant - the servant that fails to forgive (the way his master forgave him) faces a harsh punishment. We touch on why we hold on to grudges, how just saying "I forgive you" isn't enough and we share our own personal dealings with forgiveness. Give us feedback on what you think of this podcast. (PS I misquoted Dr. King - his quote is "if you DON'T believe in something, you'll fall for anything)

In our first ever podcast on Faith, Craig Dickerson and I go over the beginnings of Moses in Exodus 2:1-15, which talks about his encounter with the burning bush. We also talk about how we as people parallel with Moses, especially when we are approached by God and given a command. Are we answering his call? We also talk about Hurricane Harvey, The First Great Awakening, Joel Osteen's hypocrisy, and more on the purpose of this podcast.