Episodes
7 days ago
Impossible Things
7 days ago
7 days ago
Text for discussion: Mark 10:17-31.
When we reflect on our lives, we would all like to think that we are good. When we try to justify ourselves, a reflection on our deeds and our lives will remind us forcefully that we fall short. In understanding this, Jesus shows us how to do the impossible: thread a camel through the eye of a needle.
Hymn: Built on the Rock (public domain).
Pictured: The Rich Young Ruler by Alexandre Bida (public domain)
Friday Mar 15, 2024
The Eyes of Faith See Different Things
Friday Mar 15, 2024
Friday Mar 15, 2024
Text for discussion from Mark 8:22-30.
When we look at the world's problems and troubles, the solutions we seek are worldly solutions. Through the eyes of faith in Christ we see different problems and different solutions.
Hymn: On My Heart Imprint Your Image. (Public domain).
Painting: Christ Healing the Blind Man, Gioacchino Assereto, circa 1640. (Public domain).
Friday Mar 08, 2024
Playing for ALL the Chips
Friday Mar 08, 2024
Friday Mar 08, 2024
Text: Mark 7:24-37
When the Father sent the Christ, He did not send Him just for a particular tribal family, a small nation, but for all the peoples of the earth. Yet, the Christ comes from a specific people, descended from Abraham, from Judah, from King David. Despite being Jewish, Jesus even has Gentiles in His heritage.
In Christ, God intended to rescue all humanity from sin, death, and the devil.
The hymn: Lord of Glory, You Have Bought Us (public domain)
The Woman of Canaan illustration from Women of the Bible by Harold Copping (of unknown date) at Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.
Friday Mar 01, 2024
Advice for the Dark Times
Friday Mar 01, 2024
Friday Mar 01, 2024
Text for discussion: Mark 5:1-20
A man who had been living in the tombs encounters Jesus. The demon-possessed man falls down before Jesus, and in a frightening turn of events, 2,000 pigs rush down a steep bank and into the sea. Jesus heals those who live in darkness. Jesus is always the answer for the dark times of our lives.
The painting: The Swine Driven into the Sea by James Tissot. Public domain.
Hymn: A Mighty Fortress. Public domain.
Friday Feb 23, 2024
The Wounds Only God Sees
Friday Feb 23, 2024
Friday Feb 23, 2024
Text for discussion: Mark 2:2-17
Jesus heals both the wounds of the body and the wounds of the soul. He heals only the wounds that God can see, wounds that we don't even know are there. He has the authority to forgive sins.
The hymn: Just as I am Without One Plea.
The artwork: Man with Palsy Lowered to Christ. by James Tissot. Public domain.
Friday Feb 16, 2024
Refocus, Recenter
Friday Feb 16, 2024
Friday Feb 16, 2024
Text for discussion: Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21
Is life unrelenting? Has it gotten to busy, too full? There are times and seasons in our lives when we reset. We do not enslaved to the patterns of the past. Lent is a time to reset, and recenter our lives on faith, on the things of God.
The Hymn: Savior When in Dust to Thee (Public Domain)
Pharisees in the Temple, by Rembrandt. 1648.
Friday Feb 09, 2024
Breaking Down the House!
Friday Feb 09, 2024
Friday Feb 09, 2024
Leviticus 14.
What do you do when a house is unsalvageable? Before you do that, you might see if the foundation is good and the studs are in good shape. You might tear everything out down to the studs. If it is unsalvageable, here comes the bulldozer.
People are different. God makes what seemed unsalvageable, salvageable. He makes the unclean clean, and the dead to life, alive. And in Christ, He raises the dead to life!
The engraving: by Dore. Moses is represented. Public domain.
The hymn: Beautiful Savior. Public domain.
Friday Feb 02, 2024
Of Ants and Grasshoppers
Friday Feb 02, 2024
Friday Feb 02, 2024
Luke 16
We can become engrossed with worldly ways and perspectives, forgetting that life is transient, and neglecting the bigger picture. Christ has risen from the dead, and He has a future beyond this life in store for us.
The hymn: My Faith Looks Up to Thee (public domain).
The painting: Lazarus and the Rich Man by Eduard von Gebhardt, 1865. Public domain.
Friday Jan 26, 2024
Are People Expendable?
Friday Jan 26, 2024
Friday Jan 26, 2024
Text: Luke 15
Sustainability is not a word that comes up in Scripture. What was God's desire for His very good creation?
In this episode we look at the Parable of the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, and the Prodigal Son. Prodigal is a word that means "overly extravagant, or wasteful." Who is truly the prodigal one? And, in the end, are people expendable?
The hymn: What Wondrous Love is This (public domain)
The art: Return of the Prodigal Son by Bartolome Esteban Murillo. (1667-1670, public domain).
Friday Jan 19, 2024
Salt and Life
Friday Jan 19, 2024
Friday Jan 19, 2024
Text for discussion: Luke 14.
Jesus was constantly being scrutinized by the Pharisees. For us, following Him will not be easy. It may put us at odds with family and friends. It may mean persecution. Being salt is not easy. What does this mean?
The hymn: Savior Again, To Thy Dear Name we Raise
Painting: Christ Weeping over Jerusalem by Ary Scheffer, 1849. Public domain.