A Cup of Cold (Refreshing, Thirst-Quenching, Life-Giving) Water

Posted on April 19, 2015 by deweybertolini

This is going to be So.Much.Fun for me. (And for you, I hope!) So indulge me here, because I LOVE this stuff.

Look carefully and you might see my bemused smile on my face! It is just so comical to me how easily we take what Jesus made so simple, only to make it so insufferably complicated.

And to be perfectly honest with you, I am awestruck. That’s the tone with which I want to teach this PODCAST’s passage.

I am awestruck at Jesus’ ability to say so much in so little, so many thoughts communicated in so few words. All of which so practical, helpful, relevant, refreshing, and inspiring to us today.

Let me set it up like this: You know the guy in the circus with the hundred plates spinning on a hundred poles? OK. So here’s my question: What does that picture of a hundred plates spinning high atop a hundred poles have to do with this portrait that Jesus paints here in Matthew 10?

The simple, uncomplicated picture of giving someone who is thirsty a cup of cold water? A picture, BTW, that forms the conclusion to Jesus’ training manual for ministry. The ministry manual that we have been studying for lo these eleven weeks or so. The Ministry Manual that Jesus gave to His apostles to prepare them for their very first missions trip.

What do spinning plates have to do with a cup of cold water? As you are about to hear, Everything. Everything.

Please remember that depending upon your web browser and connection speed, it may take up to 60 seconds for this podcast to begin to play.

God bless you as you listen!

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Beginning at the Beginning (A Throwback Thursday Podcast)

Posted on April 15, 2015 by deweybertolini

Welcome to this introductory lesson that launched the series: Jesus in High Definition.

Two and a half years ago, my faith was in a free-fall. I needed to get back to the basics. Wipe the slate completely clean. Forget about everything I thought I knew and believed about who Jesus was. Forget everything I had ever been taught about who Jesus was. Forget everything I myself had ever taught about who Jesus was.

Back to the beginning I went. With no preconceived ideas about this man, Jesus, I started with His birth and began moving slowly and deliberately throughout His life and ministry. 

At Safe Haven, 116 podcasts later, we are at about the halfway mark. It would be the height of understatement for me to suggest that this study has been for me absolutely REVOLUTIONARY. A picture of Jesus is emerging each and every week that is paradigm-shifting in the extreme.

This little blog post is my way of inviting you to come along for the ride. Depending upon your responses, each Thursday I’ll post the next podcast in the series. That way, you won’t have to jump in at #116. You can hear it as we gave it — every week — over the last many months.

I sure hope that you enjoy it!

By harmonizing the four Gospels — Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John — we will study the life of Christ in chronological order, from the first utterances of the angels heralding His birth, to His crucifixion and resurrection. It is our sincere hope and expectation that as we immerse ourselves in Jesus’ life and ministry, we will fall more deeply in love with Him (I certainly have!), and become more and more like Him (I certainly hope that I am).

In this first lesson, we will provide you with an overview of the entire Bible — think of it as looking at the boxtop of a puzzle — so that we will understand exactly where the individual “pieces” of the Gospels fall within the grand sweep of the biblical drama.

Sit back, relax, and enjoy our study of Jesus in HD.

PLEASE NOTE: With some browsers, it may take up to 60 seconds before the podcast will begin to play.

God bless you as you listen. And please, invite others to join us on this journey.

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This Daddy’s Lament

Posted on April 12, 2015 by deweybertolini

You might call this discussion “One Daddy’s Lament.” Or to put an even finer point on it, “This Daddy’s Lament.” The “This Daddy” in this title referring to your humble servant, me.

All if which I will explain in mere moments as you listen to this PODCAST.

But for now, consider this: I don’t have to tell you that Jesus was a radical in every sense of that word.

Jesus did things things that were totally unexpected, unpredictable, unconventional. More to the point of this discussion, Jesus said things that were totally unexpected, unpredictable, unconventional.

I have no doubt that if we had been alive and well back then, privileged to watch Jesus in action, honored to hang on His every word, there would have been situations weekly if not daily where we would have done a total double-take. We would have cocked our heads, blinked our eyes, pulled on our ears, and said to ourselves,

Jesus did what?

Jesus said what?

You talk about a guy marching to His own drumbeat, that was Jesus. And that is certainly true here.

As Jesus came to the conclusion of His training session, as He prepared His men for their very first missions trip, Jesus — Are you ready? — basically put the whole of the Christian life into its proper perspective. Read that sentence one more time:

Jesus basically put the whole of the Christian life into its proper perspective.

What does it mean to be a committed Christ-follower? Jesus answers that question here.

What does it cost to follow Jesus? Jesus answers that question here.

All of this in what is arguably the single most radical statement that Jesus ever made.

Please remember that depending upon your web browser and connection speed it may take up to 60 seconds for this podcast to begin to play.

Thank you for listening.

May God bless you richly as you listen.

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From Crash and Burn to Rise and Shine (An Epic Tale of Gracious-Filled Redemption)

Posted on April 5, 2015 by deweybertolini

It was without a doubt the absolute worst day of Peter’s long and storied and challenging life. As you are about to hear in this PODCAST, we’re talking about one particular Saturday — the day after the crucifixion.

The day after Peter had denied Jesus three times before Jesus’ accusers. The Saturday before the very first Easter Sunday.

And since for the precious and beloved people at Safe Haven, I happened to give this message on the Saturday before Easter Sunday. Thus, we would do well to consider exactly what was going on and why during that singularly fateful day.

A very dark day in otherwise dazzling life of Peter.

You talk about an epic fail, a spectacular fall from grace, a stunningly unpredictable turn of events, and crash and burn of mind-numbing proportions… Here’s a quick thumbnail of how Peter’s not-so-Good-Friday developed, leading up to his Horribly-Bad-Saturday before Easter.

A day Peter no doubt spent cowering in a corner…

  • Disgusted by the arrest of his rabbi;
  • Devastated by execution of his hero, mentor, friend;
  • Demoralized by the death of his dream of freedom from the oppressions of Romans;

A man whose faith was now in a free-fall. If there was any faith left in the man to fall.

The week leading up to Peter’s Not-So-Good-Friday and Horribly-Bad-Saturday began the Sunday before, Palm Sunday, with the event we commonly call the Triumphal Entry.

Jerusalem swelled to overflowing by the multiplied thousands upon thousands of pilgrims streaming into the Holy City in preparation for Passover. Every person in the place was there in commemoration of the Israelites’ deliverance from four hundred grueling years of oppression by the Egyptians, AND in feverish anticipation of what they hoped and prayed was their imminent deliverance from the brutal, barbaric, and oh.so.bloody occupation by the Romans.

Messianic fervor was always at its highest in the week leading up to Passover. You can understand why. Freedom was in the air.

But in this podcast, I don’t want you merely to understand why. I want you to feel why.

Please remember that depending upon your web browser and connection speed, it may take up to 60 seconds for this podcast to begin to play.

God bless you as you listen.

And PLEASE “Share” a link to this podcast with a loved one or friend.

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What’s Not to Love about a Delightful Little Dove?

Posted on March 29, 2015 by deweybertolini

I want to show you something that I discovered just this week. A treasure of a truth that is so practical and so refreshing. Especially in light of this discussion that we began last week.

As you will hear in this PODCAST, we are asking a vitally important question, this in light of Jesus’ words to His apostles:

Everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven.  But everyone who denies me here on earth, I will also deny before my Father in heaven.

Fairly intense words; a rather severe warning, right?

Everyone who denies me here on earth, I will also deny before my Father in heaven.

So last week and this, we are asking and answering the question:

What does confessing Jesus before men, or acknowledging Jesus publicly here on earth look like?

Or to put it another way:

  • How outspoken are we to be about our faith?
  • How aggressive are we to be in sharing our faith?
  • How forceful are we to push our religion on others?

Frankly, over the years — at countless services, Bible studies, camps, conferences — I have literally been guilted into thinking that I (and YOU) should be VERY outspoken, VERY aggressive, and VERY forceful in sharing our faith with others.

And then I’ve been taught, as a follow-up to that premise, that to fail to share my faith aggressively and forcefully is the moral equivalent of…

Denying Jesus before men,

Putting myself at risk of having Jesus deny me before His Father,

Covering my hands with the blood of our family and our friends because if they die and go to Hell, it is my fault.

To which I must ask, “Really?”

Well, it’s quite fascinating. Really!

Jesus gave this instruction — to confess Him before men — to His men as a part of their training in preparation for their very first missions trip in Matthew 10:32. But Just.Prior.To.That, in Matthew 10:16, Jesus said something else. Something that explains exactly HOW we are to confess Him before men. Something so refreshing that I can hardly contain my excitement.

So please get this picture. A vitally important picture both for His apostles then, AND for us as His followers now.

How outspoken, aggressive, and forceful are we to confess Jesus before men, or to acknowledge Jesus publicly here on earth?

Here’s the answer.

Please remember that depending upon your web browser and connection speed, it may take up to 60 seconds for this podcast to begin to play.

God bless you as you listen.

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Stand Your Ground — What to Do and What Not to Do

Posted on March 22, 2015 by deweybertolini

Welcome to one of the most practical and profitable passages in all of the Gospels.

As you will hear in this PODCAST, Jesus’ words hit us right where we live.

I mean, this goes right to the heart of who we are as Christ-followers, how we interact with our world, and how the world consequently perceives us.

Given the positive responses of so many of the people at Safe Haven where this message was taught, I know that you will find this most helpful in your own Christian life.

I must admit that I approach this passage quite frankly with a fair amount of fear and trembling. This because Jesus’ words here in Matthew 10 have, at least in my experience, been misinterpreted, misused, and misapplied in a way that has caused enormous damage to the cause of Christ in our world, and unnecessary angst in the hearts and souls of far-too-many sincere and precious Christ-followers.

Yet, at the same time, I do not want to overreact to an extreme by becoming extreme myself. So this is an exercise in a balancing act on my part. I am most happy to have you come along for the ride. One that will be most beneficial, instructive, and inspiring to you. Of that I have no doubt.

Please remember that depending upon your web browser and connection speed, it may take up to 60 seconds for this podcast to begin to play.

God bless you as you listen.

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Alone, But NEVER Alone!

Posted on March 15, 2015 by deweybertolini

So here’s my question:

If you were Jesus, and you wanted to convey the idea in a way that no one could possibly miss,

That you loved someone…

That you cared about someone more than they could ever even begin to imagine…

That you would be there for that person No.Matter.What…

That in their loneliest moments, when they felt totally abandoned and isolated and detached from everyone, that you were still there for them; that you would ALWAYS be there for them…

That your love and care and kindness towards that person would never change…

That you feel their isolation more than they know…

And that you will be loyal to that person, never to abandon them, never to turn away from them…

But that you are there and will be there now and forever…

If you were Jesus, how would you convey that? What words would you use? What picture would you draw?

In this PODCAST, you will find out. And in finding out, you may never view Jesus in the same way again.

Please remember that depending upon your web browser and connection speed, it may take up to 60 seconds for this podcast to begin to play.

God bless you as you listen.

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What I Wish I Knew Then That I Know Now (A First-Person Rendition)

Posted on March 8, 2015 by deweybertolini

As you will hear in this PODCAST, I have now reached a point in my life and ministry where I am easily bemused. Bemused by a question that I get asked more and more frequently.

When I am out speaking at a camp or a conference, often times a young man or woman just starting out in the ministry, or headed for his first ministry, will with furrowed brow and pen poised at the ready ask me this singularly significant question:

What do you wish you knew then that you know now?

Meaning, if I could turn the clock back and start over completely…

What is the ONE THING that you know now that you wish you had known then?

What one lesson have you learned over your now forty-two years and counting of ministry that you wish you had learned right out of the chute, right at the beginning?

Ironically enough, it is the very lesson that Jesus sought to communicate to His men here in Matthew 10, this right at the beginning of their first missions trip.

Please remember that depending upon your web browser and connection speed, it may take up to 60 seconds for this podcast to begin to play.

HAPPY LISTENING.

And if you are encouraged by this message, PLEASE “Share” a link to this podcast with your family and friends.

God bless you as you listen.

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The Wrath of God

Posted on March 1, 2015 by deweybertolini

It is without a doubt THE single most unpleasant topic in all of the Bible. The subject of this week’s PODCAST: God’s wrath.

We discuss it here because here in Matthew 10, Jesus made reference to the iconic display of God’s wrath: the twin-cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.

And for good measure, Jesus also referred to “the day of judgment.”

Since Jesus brought it up, we will bring it up — unpleasant or otherwise — providing some Much-Needed-Clarification to an Often-Misunderstood topic.

Upon reflection, I suppose the overarching questions raised by this sobering subject are these:

Is Jesus a gentle Jesus?

Is Jesus a wrathful Jesus?

Or both?

And if both, how does the one (gentle) square with the other (wrathful)? Especially in light of what happened in Sodom and Gomorrah.

My friends, as always, we have a ton to talk about.

Please remember that depending upon your web browser and connection speed, it may take up to 60 seconds for this podcast to begin to play.

God bless you as you listen.

And PLEASE “Share” a link to this podcast with your family and friends.

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Swimming in a Sea of Tranquility

Posted on February 22, 2015 by deweybertolini

In this PODCAST, we will discover together an amazing privilege that is ours, especially given tormented world in which we live.

We have been given a unique gift of God’s blessing that Jesus Himself empowers us to bestow on His behalf to others.

Just so you know, this is the kind of person I long to be.

This blessing and privilege defines a pretty amazing purpose statement for our lives.

This is HUGE!

There are so many troubled people in this tortured world of ours. In case you hadn’t noticed, this world has become a #Very.Scary.Place. There seems to be a fog of uncertainty that leaves many of us reeling from feelings of unease in our world today — on a global level, as well as on a personal one. It seems to so many as if the world spinning out of control, as if their world is spinning out of control. To the point where God’s peace is the polar-opposite of what people experience in their self-medicated souls.

Something that is as unsettlingly true in our day as it was in Jesus’ day. Believe me: Life was tough then too.

So in this passage, a very gentle Jesus, who sees people then and now as harassed, helpless, confused, fearful, insecure, fragile… Precious people whom Jesus describes as vulnerable sheep without a loving, caring shepherd.

To people just like them, He then and He now offers the blessing of His peace: the calm contentment that in a world spinning increasingly out of control, Jesus is and ever shall be very much in control.

The most amazing aspect of this is the fact that — as you are about to hear — Jesus gave us, gave YOU, the ability to confer His peace on those so desperately in need of, and craving, His peace.

Please remember that depending upon your web browser and connection speed, it may take up to 60 seconds for this podcast to begin to play.

May God bless YOU with His peace as you listen.

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