If It Ain’t Broke, BREAK IT!

My heart goes out to Jesus.

After preparing for this week’s PODCAST, I feel such a profound sense of compassion for Him.

Thing of it is… I knew that the religious leaders of Jesus’ day hated Him. I understood that at this point in His ministry they no longer regarded Him as an irritation to be tolerated or a troublesome teacher to be discredited. Now they saw Him as a colossal threat to be killed. I got all of that.

What I didn’t get until this week was how toxic — both to Jesus and to the precious people to whom He ministered — the religious environment in which Jesus found Himself had become. Even more significantly, the source of its toxicity. And even more significantly, what it means to our lives today.

The challenges He faced within His own religious tradition were overwhelming. So are ours. Trust me when I say that we have a sympathetic Savior who knows all about it. He’s been there, and lives to tell the tale.

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.

BE ENCOURAGED, and HAPPY LISTENING!!!

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Paintings, My Friends. It’s All About the Paintings. (And Oh What a Painter God is!!!)

In this PODCAST, so many, many questions will be answered.

How do we know there is a God?

Why does the Bible say that all people are without excuse?

How did people in the Old Testament get “saved”?

What about people who have never heard of Jesus before?

Just to name a few!!!

Open your ears. Open your eyes. Most importantly, open your heart. You will be amazed at all that you are about to learn!!!

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!!!

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The One (and Only) Sin that Can Never be Forgiven

Call it what you will… The Unpardonable Sin. The Unforgivable Sin.

No matter what the name, its consequences are unimaginable.

In this PODCAST (which I believe for you will find to be enormously encouraging and reassuring), you will learn exactly what this sin is, what this sin isn’t, whether or not it is possible today to commit this sin, and if so, whether or not you have or ever will commit it.

In terms of its eternal ramifications, no conversation is more vitally important than this one.

Find out what Jesus said, to whom He said it, why He said it, and what His dire warning means for us today.

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

HAPPY LISTENING.

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Jesus Heals a Mother’s Broken Heart

While I am away speaking at one of my all-time favorite places on the planet (Hartland Christian Camp), here in this Encore PODCAST is some much-needed hope for every brokenhearted mom. Not to mention every brokenhearted dad.

This hope comes courtesy of a man named Levi, though you’d never know it by reading his account of Jesus’ life and ministry.

While there is scant little detail in the Bible regarding this remarkable man (Levi is mentioned by name a grand total of only 5 times), scratch beneath the surface and we could write a book about him.

Levi deserves our focused attention, and we will be all the richer for having had this discussion.

A polarizing figure, Levi was. They either loved him or hated him. Or to put an even finer point to that: The religious hated him; Jesus loved him.

And in loving him as Jesus did, Levi becomes a living, breathing canvas on which the heart of Jesus is painted in vivid colors and bold relief.

Please Note: Depending upon your web browser, it may take up to 60 seconds for the podcast to begin to play.
HAPPY LISTENING!

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A Woman’s Place is in the… Church!!!

 

Jesus was a revolutionary on so many, many levels.

As you will hear in this PODCAST, Jesus was never afraid to break with convention and go with something that was totally counter-cultural to the times in which He lived, and to the religious tradition to which He belonged.

It is both my sincere hope and confident belief that you will find in this lesson much refreshment for your soul, especially if you are a female. The time has come for us to — courtesy of Jesus — balance the books that have been so out of balance for so long in so much of our present-day Christian culture.

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

God bless you as you listen.

And PLEASE “Share” this with your family and friends if you do indeed find it to be an encouragement to your soul.

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Jesus’ Startling Conclusion to His Signature Sermon

If you know of anyone who has some mental obstacles to understanding who Jesus is, THIS is the message for them to hear. 

I would even go so far as to suggest that if my many precious Jewish friends were to listen to just one podcast, this would be the one. They would be in for a very pleasant surprise, I am sure. 

An Encore PODCAST while I am speaking at Hume Lake Christian Camps. 

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

God bless you as you listen.

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#Oh.My.Word

We could give this PODCAST a variety of titles.

The Ballad of the Broken and Battered Woman.

The Indignation of the Idolatrously “Holy” Man.

I prefer the title, Oh.My.Word, for reasons that you will soon hear.

We have come to a tipping point in the life and ministry of Jesus. After this encounter with a broken woman and a “holy” man, things will never again be the same for Jesus.

The full fury of the religious leaders will come to full flower as a result of this one meal that Jesus shared with this one man and one woman.

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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A Very Gentle Jesus

As you are about to hear, my fragile faith was in a total free-fall. Not something I’m proud of, I assure you.

Leave it to Jesus to know exactly what to say and how to say it to bring me back.

What did He say? And what does it mean to you?

You are in for a treat. And so is anyone with whom you share this podcast. A totally biblical, radical, and (May I say?) a thoroughly refreshing view of exactly who Jesus REALLY is. From His lips to your heart.

 

 

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THE Definitive Word on Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage

While I am away speaking at one of my all-time favorite places on Earth (Hartland Christian Camp), the topic of this encore PODCAST is one of those subjects that touches us all, deeply and profoundly.

The ripples of any divorce, every divorce spread their concentric circles far and wide.

Which compels us to take a sober look at exactly what Jesus DID SAY HERE in Matthew 5:31-32, as well as — and perhaps especially — what Jesus DID NOT SAY HERE.

Because once again, this is one of those passages which, when lifted out of its context — both Scriptural and Cultural — is so often and so tragically made to say something other than what Jesus intended for it to say. Heaping truck loads of unnecessary grief and guilt upon poor precious people who are just trying by God’s grace to rebuild their broken lives.

Trust me! Over the years, having dealt up close and personal with many, many people, I have heard some of the most atrocious applications of this passage. This to the point where emotionally and spiritually fragile individuals, whose lives have just been rocked by their own tragic divorces, now have whatever fragments they have left of their broken lives crushed by well-meaning, but grossly misinformed, Christians errantly and judgmentally spouting this passage. And then in fine Pharisee-esque style, walk away from them, leaving untold wreckage in their wakes.

Not here. Not in this PODCAST. No way!

Jesus doesn’t do that.

Please note 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, PLEASE, PLEASE share this podcast with your friends.

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A Tale of Three Cities

Sometimes things really are as simple as they seem.

This will certainly be true in this PODCAST, as we discuss together one of Jesus’ most remarkable statements.

We could use a whole series of words to describe what Jesus said, all of which begin with the letter “S.” His message was surprising, as Jesus will say something that sounds totally out of character for Him. His message was sobering, as His words contain a warning that, as you will hear, went completely unnoticed. His message was simple; in fact, you could boil down all that He said in this powerful passage to one simple word. One word that truly is the Gospel in miniature.

Leave it to Jesus to take what we make so complicated and turn it into something so simple.

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.

From my heart to yours, HAPPY LISTENING!!!

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