Word of Life Church Podcast

The prophets and psalmists of lament show us how to find faith and hold on to hope in the time of tears.

“I believe” is a powerful statement. When we express our faith in Jesus we are not saying one thing, but four things. The shape of faith is made up of four sides: belief (what we do with our minds), confidence (what we do with our hearts, trust (what we do with our bodies), and allegiance (what we do with our will). Growing as people of faith requires growing in all four areas. 

Jesus spoke of the kingdom of God primarily in parables. These parables are not folksy illustrations to help us better understand the point—quite the opposite in fact. The parables of Jesus are often deliberately disorienting. Jesus wants to throw us off balance so that we might stumble into a previously unknown world—the world of God’s grace where many of our most common assumptions are subverted.

The gospel story of the cross says this: Because of God’s love the Son of God came into the world, and despite his actions of love, healing, and mercy, the Son of God was ultimately rejected, condemned, and crucified by a sinful world built upon violent power. And yet, in that moment, when the world did its very worst, the Crucified One was not condemning the world, but saving the world.

Sweet Sounds Of Heavenby The Rolling Stones (feat. Lady Gaga)I hear the sweet, sweet sounds of heavenFallin' down, fallin' down to this earthI hear the sweet, sweetest sounds of heavenDriftin' down, driftin' down to this earthBless the Father, bless the SonHear the sound of the drumsAs it echoes through the valleyAnd it burstsLet no woman or childGo hungry tonightPlease protect us from the painAnd the hurtI smell the sweet, sweet scents of heavenTumblin' down, tumblin' downTo the earthI hear the sweet sounds, the sweet sounds of childrenAnd they're praisingThe land of their birthNo, I'm not, not going to hellIn some dusty motelAnd I'm not, not going downIn the dirtI'm gonna laugh, I'm gonna cryEat the bread, drink the wine'Cause I'm finally, finally quenchingMy thirstYou can't have a light without a little shadowAlways need a target for your bow and arrowI want to be drenched in the rain of your heavenly loveLet the music, play loudLet it burst through the cloudsAnd we all feel the heatOf the sunLet us sing, let us shoutLet us all stand up proudLet the old still believeThat they're young

Beautiful ThingsBenson BooneFor a while there, it was roughBut lately, I've been doin' betterThan the last four cold Decembers I recallAnd I see my family every monthI found a girl my parents loveShe'll come and stay the nightAnd I think I might have it allAnd I thank God every dayFor the girl He sent my wayBut I know the things He gives meHe can take awayAnd I hold you every nightAnd that's a feelin' I wanna get used toBut there's no man as terrifiedAs the man who stands to lose youOh, I hope I don't lose youPlease stayI want you, I need you, oh, GodDon't takeThese beautiful things that I've gotPlease stayI want you, I need you, oh, GodDon't takeThese beautiful things that I've gotPlease don't takeI found my mind, I'm feelin' saneIt's been a while, but I'm findin' my faithIf everything's good and it's greatWhy do I sit and wait 'til it's gone?Oh, I'll tell ya, I know I've got enoughI've got peace, and I've got loveBut I'm up at night thinkin'I just might lose it allPlease stayI want you, I need you, oh, GodDon't takeThese beautiful things that I've gotPlease stayI want you, I need you, oh, GodI needThese beautiful things that I've got

Imago Interlude by nobigdyl.Christian music or music that Christians useTo get they fix just another hit of the clicks and viewsOfficially I don't play by your silly rulesWe independent cuz that's how I felt the Spirit moveLooked for Yeshua I didn't see him on the tubeI couldn't find him on the web or in triple letter newsI saw him on the corner begging for some drugs and foodI couldn't stop cuz I'm a little late for Sunday schoolChristian music or music that Christians useI read epistles and take a sip of the liquor tooAnd everyone you listen to I saw they did it tooI saw a lot of dying happenin' in livin' roomsIs that a preacher or a wolf that's covered in the woolIs that a fetus or human covered in the wombWe disagreeing or are we just politicians toolsCan't pledge allegiance to a system feeding off of foolsChristian music or music that Christians useI looked for Jesus and I didn't see him on the newsSaw him in Palestine the power lines were out of juiceHe was a 9-year-old her body had been battered bruisedSaw him in Zion too a missile through a tattered roofA father clinging to his child pleading out to youSaw him in Kyiv and MoscowThe bleeding won't stop nowThe cop and the black body he shot downChristian music or music that Christians useLooked for Messiah I couldn't find him in interviewsSittin' in silence I felt an ancient pullHe said to be Samaritan to every single JewRight then he showed me rockets over top of Tel AvivColonizers shippin' people across the seven seasTelevangelist devisin' petty schemesYou don't know Jesus till you see him in your enemyI hate the people that we becameI love the people we became

Shelter from the StormBob Dylan’Twas in another lifetime, one of toil and bloodWhen blackness was a virtue, the road was full of mudI came in from the wilderness, a creature void of form“Come in,” she said, “I’ll give you shelter from the storm”And if I pass this way again, you can rest assuredI'll always do my best for her, on that I give my wordIn a world of steel-eyed death, and men who are fighting to be warm“Come in,” she said, “I’ll give you shelter from the storm”Not a word was spoke between us, there was little risk involvedEverything up to that point had been left unresolvedTry imagining a place where it’s always safe and warm“Come in,” she said, “I’ll give you shelter from the storm”I was burned out from exhaustion, buried in the hailPoisoned in the bushes an’ blown out on the trailHunted like a crocodile, ravaged in the corn“Come in,” she said, “I’ll give you shelter from the storm”Suddenly I turned around and she was standin’ thereWith silver bracelets on her wrists and flowers in her hairShe walked up to me so gracefully and took my crown of thorns“Come in,” she said, “I’ll give you shelter from the storm”Now there’s a wall between us, somethin’ there’s been lostI took too much for granted, I got my signals crossedJust to think that it all began on an uneventful morn“Come in,” she said, “I’ll give you shelter from the storm”Well, the deputy walks on hard nails and the preacher rides a mountBut nothing really matters much, it’s doom alone that countsAnd the one-eyed undertaker, he blows a futile horn“Come in,” she said, “I’ll give you shelter from the storm”I've heard newborn babies wailin’ like a mournin’ doveAnd old men with broken teeth stranded without loveDo I understand your question, man, is it hopeless and forlorn?“Come in,” she said, “I’ll give you shelter from the storm”In a little hilltop village, they gambled for my clothesI bargained for salvation an’ she gave me a lethal doseI offered up my innocence and got repaid with scorn“Come in,” she said, “I’ll give you shelter from the storm”Well, I’m livin’ in a foreign country but I’m bound to cross the lineBeauty walks a razor’s edge, someday I'll make it mineIf I could only turn back the clock to when God and her were born“Come in,” she said, “I’ll give you shelter from the storm”

I woke up this morning with the blues all around my headI woke up this morning with the blues all around my headI felt like someone in my family was deadI jumped up like a rabbit and fell down to my kneesI jumped up like a rabbit and fell down to my kneesI called all around me,Have mercy on me, pleaseThen over by the window, a voice came low and hollowOver by the window a voice came low and hollowIt s poke into my pain, into my yearning sorrowSpoke into my painWho was it? I criedWhat wild ghost has come in agitation?Who is it? I criedWhat wild ghost has come in agitation?It's half past midnightOh, why you disturb me so late?Then I saw a movement around my narrow bedI saw a movement around my narrow bedA ghost in giant sneakers, laughing stars around his headWho sat on a narrow bed, this flaming boyWho sat on a narrow bed, this flaming boySaid, "We've all had too much sorrowNow is the time for joy"All across the world they shout out their angry wordsAll across the world they shout out their angry wordsAbout the end of loveYet the stars stand above the earthBright, triumphant metaphors of loveBright, triumphant metaphors of loveThat blind us all who care to stand and look beyondThat dare to stand and look beyond, aboveAnd I jumped up like a rabbit and fell down to my kneesI jumped up like a rabbit and fell down to my kneesI called all around meHave mercy on me, please

Good Old DaysThe RevivalistsChanges come, I watch them growIn your eyes, an ancient glowI caught a glimpse, a dangerous smileOh, my God, she's a wild childI've been dreaming, I've been pushing throughI'm not the star of the storyI've been hurting, I've been missing youI'm that special kind of lonelyThese are the good old days, they're ahead and behindThese are the good old days, I have to keep that in mindThese are the good old days, they're ahead and behindThese are the good old days...I came of age, tempting fateGrowing up, had to waitIn my dreams, I miss someoneLove is blind, deaf, and dumbI've been dreaming, I've been pushing throughI'm not the star of the storyAnd I've been hurting, I've been missing youI'm that special kind of lonelyThese are the good old days, they're ahead and behindPassing through, passing outDancing in the kitchen while the neighbors shoutFeeling up, getting downGotta show love while we're still aroundSo don't stop, just let it outDon't quit, don't let me downDon't stop, just let it outDon't quit, don't let me down'Cause I've been dreaming, I've been paying duesI'm not one for the gloryAnd I've been falling, won't be landing soonIt's not the end of the storyThese are the good old days, they're ahead and behind...

Crazy TrainOzzy OsbourneCrazy, but that’s how it goesMillions of people living as foesMaybe, it’s not too lateTo learn how to love, and forget how to hateMental wounds not healingLife’s a bitter shameI’m goin’ off the rails on a crazy trainI’m goin’ off the rails on a crazy trainHeirs of a cold war,that’s what we’ve becomeInheriting troubles,I’m mentally numbCrazy, I just cannot bearI’m living with something that just isn’t fairMental wounds not healingWho and what’s to blameI’m goin’ off the rails on a crazy trainI’m goin’ off the rails on a crazy train

The present tends to seem more distressing to us than the past, for the simple reason that we are not obliged to live in the past. Nevertheless the distress of our present age is real and therein lies the temptation to despair. We see senseless wars and war crimes; we see Machiavellian politics and political corruption; we see growing inequality and flagrant injustice; in the words of the psalmist, the arrogant prosper and the wicked have no pain. And so we are tempted to despair. But we do not have to despair.

Jesus is the teacher who in the parable of the Good Samaritan calls us to show mercy. Jesus is the Good Samaritan who comes to us and saves us after we're are left for dead. Jesus is the one beaten by robbers who we are to be a neighbor to by showing mercy. Jesus is the innocent one crucified with the robbers, so that he can save them too.

We are all familiar with this theological problem: If God is all-loving, all-knowing, all-powerful, why is there is so much evil and suffering in the world? Theodicy is the attempt to reconcile these realities and thus justify God. But is a Christian theodicy possible?

When James and John in their hostility suggested a drone strike on a Samaritan village because Elijah did something like that, Jesus rebuked them for their wrong spirit. From this story we learn that you can find things in the Bible that you cannot find in the spirit of Jesus.

Jesus is creating a new humanity by breathing the breath of life upon the Church, just as God in the beginning breathed the breath of life upon a pile of dirt to create the first humanity. This breath of life is the Holy Spirit. Our part in all this is to develop a posture of openness and receptivity to God the Holy Spirit. We want to be the kind of people who welcome the Holy Spirit on a regular basis. As Christians we remain open to receive the Holy Spirit primarily for two things: transformation and empowerment.

In a world where fear, division, and isolation often feel like the norm—what if love became our home? What if, at the center of the universe, there isn’t just chaos or power… but a holy relationship?On Trinity Sunday, we explore the image of God revealed through Jesus—one God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. A God who invites us out of the house of fear and into the house of love where’s a seat at the table for everyone. 

In 1971, commenting on the Charismatic Renewal, the German Catholic theologian Karl Rahner said, "The devout Christian of the future will either be a 'mystic,' one who has 'experienced' something, or he will cease to be anything at all." Christian mysticism is simply the experience of God, and the Holy Spirit is the experience of God.

The Ascension is not about the absence of Christ, but about the ascendancy of Christ. The ascension of Jesus to the right hand of God in the heavens is the ascendancy, the rise, the elevation, the promotion, the exaltation of Jesus to the position of all authority in heaven and on earth. Furthermore, the ascension of Christ does not lead to the absence of Christ, but to his cosmic presence everywhere.

The third appearance of the risen Christ to the disciples in John's Gospel is when Jesus restores Peter after his thrice denial around a charcoal fire in the courtyard of Caiaphas. The story of Jesus and seven disciples having breakfast around a charcoal fire on the shore of the sea of Galilee is one of the most tender and beautiful stories in all the Bible.