Student of the Bible

If someone was to write your life's story, would you be a hero or a zero? Kind of harsh if you think of yourself as a zero and definintely pretty inflated if you think of yourself as a hero, right? The truth is that we all fall short of who God designed us to be and without Him, we are definitely more like Zeroes than heroes! Take a walk with me through the Book of Esther and let's examine some of the key characters. You may be surprised with whom you identify in the story!

Have you ever felt broken, discarded, abandoned, forgotten? Have you ever thought that you are in just too many pieces to repair? Paul talks about the treasure that is found in jars of clay. The treasure is the Gospel of Jesus. The jars of clay are us! Listen to how God chooses YOU to be His vessel of this treasure!

I despise New Year's resolutions! There, I got it off my chest. I don't like making them and I definitely don't like breaking them! But there's one resolution that was made that will never be broken and that is the promise that Christ died for me and my sins are forgiven! Listen to my latest podcast on what the Bible has to say about our plans and resolutions and what it has to say about God's plans for us.

What does peace look like? Does it depend on your own personal experience? What responsibility do we have to create peace on earth? Is Utopia possible? Throughout world history man has yearned for peace. Listen to this podcast on the second week of Advent, focused on Peace. Learn who truly creates Peace on Earth.

What is Advent? It is a season of anticipation and of hope. Hope of what? Hope of Christ's return. Advent means "coming". We have hope in Christ's return. This hope is our anchor in turbulent waters. He is our rock and our redeemer. Christ is coming back!

How many of us are frustrated with God because we see evil seeming to get away scott free? How many of us cry out for justice? Jeremiah did this! He wept over his nation and his people but he also got super frustrated when he didn't think God was working quickly enough to free his children from evil. Walk with me through this second part of my 2 part podcast on Jeremiah and let's learn together just how merciful and just God really is!

Jeremiah was the "weeping" prophet. What a horrible nickname! But after trying to get people to listen to me for 40 years with no measurable success, I might turn into a cry baby too! Let's dive into who this prophet was and why his story is still relevant for us today.

Did you know that the first thing God gave us to do, was to work? Yes! Work has been around since we've been around. But what kind of work? Can any kind of work glorify God?

When doors are shut and walls are built and obstacles block our way, look up to God and thank Him! What? Not what you were expecting? Listen to our latest podcast on the huge plans God has for your life and how a "No" or a slammed door can actually be an opportunity to focus back on God and His plan for you.

What does the Bible say about fear? Are we betraying our faith if we have fear? Is there anything or anyone that we are supposed to fear as followers of Jesus? The Bible mentions fear 500 times. It is a pretty important and relatable topic! Let's face our fears together and step into the word of God to see what He says we are to fear and fear not.

How are you doing with your attitude of gratitude? Is it a bit shaky? Is it more dependent on your mood and your mindset than on who God is and what He has done? Listen to this quick 10 minute reminder of what gratitude is all about!

What is the Lord's Supper? When was it started and why? Can anyone receive it? Do we need to receive it in order to go to Heaven? What do different faith traditions believe about the Lord's Supper? How can bread and wine be the body and blood of Jesus? So many questions! Let's dive in, together.

Have you ever felt rejected by the people who are supposed to love you and care for you? Have you ever felt completely misunderstood for who you are and for what you believe? Jesus was rejected by His own neighbors and was almost pushed off a huge cliff for declaring that He was the fulfillment of the prophet Isaiah. Learn about what actually happened on Mount Precipice, outside of Jesus' hometown of Nazareth.

We all have idols, let's be honest. Really what's the big deal? It's not like we worship them. It's not like they take our attention away from God. It's not like we're breaking any commandments, right? Wrong. Idolatry breaks the very first commandment which causes us to break every other commandment as well. If we don't love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength then that means that we love something else more and that we don't trust God and His word. That means we're making God a liar. That's a problem.

Have you ever felt unworthy of God's call? Who are you to try to spread the Gospel? Well, here's some good news, or maybe some really scary news, God has chosen us, sinful, unworthy, flesh focused sinners to be His messengers of the Gospel. God's ways are foolishness to man. Get ready for a crazy ride - and yes, you are called!

Have you ever wondered why God chose you? Have you ever felt unworthy of the calling, after all who are you to share the good news of Jesus? You are a sinner! Why wouldn't He choose someone smarter, younger, or maybe older, wiser? What is God up to? Listen to this podcast and find out!

Jeremiah 29:11 tells us that God has plans for us to prosper and to give us a hope and a future. This is the new year. We all are starting to make plans or to tweak our existing plans. What happens when our plans and God's plans don't align? That's when we invoke Plan B. What is Plan B for your life?

Do you know who Junker Jorg is? What does he have to do with the reformation? Listen to this final installment of the Reformation podcast series and learn about some of the intended and unintended outcomes of the Great Reformation.

Martin Luther focuses on the care of souls. He asks the questions, how can mankind save themselves? How can they be righteous in the eyes of God? Find out what Martin Luther finds out that changes EVERYTHING!

With over 45,000 Christian denominations worldwide you might be wondering how we went from one, holy, catholic and apostolic church to the many flavors of Christianity we have today! Let's explore what took place in the early church and gain some insight into what led to what we call the Reformation. In this first podcast of this series, we will take a look at what life was like for people in Europe during the late 15th and early 16th century.