Episode 12: On Earth as It Is in Heaven Introduction Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus as central to our faith. And that’s true. But our understanding of it is warped—like the distorted image in a carnival mirror, where parts of reality are magnified way out of proportion, while other parts are diminished into almost…

Episode 11: What Does God Look Like? Introduction My friend, Gary Christy, said something in a sermon recently that jumped out and grabbed me.  One moment I was sitting quietly in a Sunday morning service, and the next my mind was racing down a path through history and scripture, furiously connecting dots that I hadn’t…

Episode 10: Hic Sunt Dracones Introduction One of the byproducts of a law-based understanding of God’s will, is a necessary fixation on knowing what is core. Which of the laws are essential to our salvation—to pleasing God—and which will He give us grace on? The answer to this question is the key to being right…

Episode 9: The Yeast of These Introduction When you read the gospel of Matthew with open eyes, one of the surprises is seeing who Jesus invites into the kingdom of heaven, and who is left out. Those closest to Jesus are continually astonished — often scandalized —  by his choices. And we should be, too….

Episode 8: By the Authority Vested Introduction On playgrounds across the country, there are certain institutions, certain standards of practice, that are universally followed. At least they were in the 70s, when I was a daily observer and participant in those playground institutions. One of those was the authorized method for dividing into two teams….