This is exactly the episode we needed to hear. Hopefully you feel the same. John Eldredge said, "We live in a love story set in a world at war." How do we maintain our pursuit of Jesus and His Kingdom in the middle of the war story with which we're all quite familiar? With all these competing interests, what does it look like to push everything else aside and run for Jesus like the only one who can sustain us. So as not to bury the lead, it requires daily connection with Jesus and with others who love Him like you do. Thank you for coming along with us on this, our 79th episode. (Still a little ways from 100.) If you like what you heard, feel free to leave comments or find either of us in the YouVersion Bible app or Bible.com.
Starting with Acts 17:28 we go on an exploration of what it means to live, move, have our being, exist, and find our identity in Jesus Christ. Paul borrowed this concept from two, at the time, well known Greek philosophers, Aratus and Cleanthus. Paul realized that Jesus is the integrating force of the entire universe and he worked with the contemporary language of his day to help his audiences understand this. Now, 2000 years or so later, how are we to understand this and live into it? We're not scholars or theologians, but this is what we dive into in this episode.
The wilderness. It's often lonely, trying, and humbling. We've all been there in some form or fashion, whether it's estrangement from loved ones, the feeling that God is a million miles away, or just a crisis of faith that pushes us to our soul's breaking point. What can we learn from Moses, David, Elijah, and Jesus in their wilderness experiences? In this episode Rick shares stories of his own times in the wilderness and we pull out some beautiful lessons and even more lovely reminders that even when we feel lost and like we're wandering in a wasteland, God promised to never leave us or forsake us. We're never truly alone. Let's go into the wild together.
For the first time in three months we're back in front of the mics. It was a great holiday period (albeit quite busy) but it's so good to come back and talk about the Kingdom of God. It's a new year but the message is the same. Today we talk about developing themes in our walk with God, particularly "presence" and what it means to be "people in two places at once." They may seem like disparate themes, but it's all about Jesus, our union with Him, and how He wants nothing more than all of us so He can give us all of Him. Thanks for joining us. If you like what you hear, please comment and like. Happy New Year!
What is the posture of a servant? There are no volunteers in the Kingdom of God, only servants. A servant is, perhaps more than anything else, available and humble. They don't bristle at service. They don't consider themselves too good for even the most menial task. Being a servant isn't a position, rather it's a condition of our hearts. There's a vast difference between a server and a servant. Jesus is without question the ultimate example of a servant. Someone once asked, "If you knew you had one day to live, what would you do?" Jesus knew and He washed feet. How then should we live?
Our discussion today ranges across a spectrum from the way the Bible continues to amaze us no matter how many times we read these inspired and timeless words to how we long just to be as much with Jesus as is possible. However, where we eventually land is that Eden is inevitable. The story God has been telling since the beginning is the only way that this will all turn out. We get to choose what side of the story we end up on, but God gets the final word and that final word is nothing but good, better than anyone can imagine. Thanks for going with us on this journey. You can reach us at info@thecosmiccarwash.com if you want to hear more.
Somewhere I heard it said once, "In the end, people don't get what we deserve, we get what we desire." On the face of it, when considering this from the Eden perspective, the Kingdom of God viewpoint, I believe it's a true statement. But as we explore this topic further we realized it isn't so binary as it seems at first. And once we pushed into the topic further, it became clear that even God doesn't get what he deserves, but if we strive to give God what He deserves (all our worship, devotion, and love), He delights to give us what He desires - union with Himself. He transmits His existence to us. MIND BLOWN! Thanks for exploring this with us and coming away with a deeper question rather than a pat answer. Reach out to us at info@thecosmiccarwash.com
The Kingdom of God is not for spectators and the presence of God is not a vacation spot. Similarly, resilience doesn't happen by accident. It's our union with Jesus that restores our humanity and enables us to be a light in the darkness, that shining city on a hill Jesus spoke of. More than intimacy with Jesus, we are invited into, indeed we are made for union with Jesus. But this union must be cultivated. Like any farmer will tell you, cultivating for growth and good returns requires sustained intentionality over a period of time. As the dark of the world gets darker, it's union with Jesus developed by purposeful engagement with Him that makes His people shine ever brighter. Join us as we explore what this means and how we can work it out in our lives. If you want to connect with us, you can do so at info@thecosmiccarwash.com.
Leaning into Jesus as much and as often as we can. Being authentically human. Living our lives like Jesus would if He were us. Jesus' thrilling and imminent return. Join us as we dive into God n' Stuff. We love talking about and living out the Kingdom of God. Of course every day we find ourselves not being fully the people that we want to be, but rather than getting DIScouraged, we are ENcouraged that Jesus keeps working with us, on us, and through us. The Kingdom of God isn't far off in some other galaxy, billions of miles away; it's as close as the nose on our face, closer than the air we breathe. If you are following Jesus, however imperfectly, don't give up. Your faith will soon be richly rewarded when He returns. If you aren't a Jesus follower, we implore you as vehemently as we can to give Him your allegiance and experience what real life is like. Check out the NT Wright video we reference here If you want to reach out to us, you can do so at info@thecosmiccarwash.com.
We've each got the particular lives we lead. They include our hobbies, our jobs, our families, friends, vacations, and moments that really matter to us. And of course those look different for everyone. What we explore in this episode is how we are each tempted every single day to go to those things for the resilience, rest, and recovery that God wants us to find in Him. We're not talking about sin, that is always wrong, but rather the perfectly acceptable things about life that only become problematic when they are a substitute for the presence of God. Thanks for joining us. If you want to reach out to us, you can do so at info@thecosmiccarwash.com.
We just finished working our way through the book of Job, one of three books from the Old Testament classified as part of Israel's wisdom literature. Like many before us, and many who will come after us, we have been reflecting on his story. His friends were the worst, God never did explain to Job why he went through everything, and in the end Job was restored from all his suffering. There's a lot we can learn from Job and the way he conducted himself. Like always, this conversation is rich and chock full of wisdom. Thank you Lord!
We often say in church that no problem is too big or small for God, but when it comes to actual practice, we don't think to invite Jesus into our daily routine. Or, if we think about it, we convince ourselves that He doesn't care. Maybe we've heard someone else say to God (or we've said it ourselves), "God, if you're not busy..." But that's not the God that scripture teaches and that's not the God we've come to know. Psalm 37:23 says, "The Lord watches over the godly. He delights in every details of their lives." (New Living Translation) That God cares about the details of our lives matters a whole lot, and that's what we dive into in this episode.
Let's be honest, life is a lot to deal with. It has been for as long as we can remember, but especially in the last four or five years it seems like the crazy of the world has been turned up to 11. A lot of time and money are spent on ways to help us find resilience, that ability to get up again each time you get knocked down. Mindfulness, presence, serenity...all well and good. But what do you do and where do you turn when these run out of steam? Fortunately for everyone of us, God has plenty to offer us to keep our lamps burning all through the night. He offers us Himself. He is the resiliency we seek and when optimism and mindfulness have run their course, the presence of the living Jesus is just getting started. We dive into resiliency, what we've found in the message of the Great Renewal and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Thanks for joining us. If you'd like to reach out to us, you can do so at info@thecosmiccarwash.com.
As has become our style, we just had a conversation the way we do about what to do when you don't know what to do. Rick texted me as he often does just to ask, "How ya doin' friend?" The prophet Daniel wrote that in the last days, the spirit of desolation would come on everyone living on the earth. Desolation makes serving God seem like too much of a chore. It wears us out and slighly beckons us to turn our search for life somewhere else, anywhere else besides God. When that moment comes on us, what we need is one another. We need a fellow Warrior Poet to come alongside and encourage us, lift us up, and help get some oxygen back in our soul. And it doesn't hurt to be reminded over and over again, especially when we don't feel like it, that we belong to God. An especially potent reminder is Rick's song, I Belong To God. If you listen to this and like what you hear, or didn't, please contact us at info@thecosmiccarwash.com or by leaving a comment here. Thank you!
It was Aristotle who first used the phrase "The Unmoved Mover." (I didn't do the Google search to learn this till after we recorded so please forgive my ignorance during this episode.) God has always been in the background, working everything together for good for everyone who loves him. He's always been a good Father, standing on the porch, waiting for His wandering children to return to Him. In this episode we explore this a bit in our casual, conversational way. Our prayer is that as you listen, you'll look back over your life and see God's fingerprints in everything. If you like what you heard, we'd love to hear from you. You can reach us at info@thecosmiccarwash.com, or leave a comment here. Thanks for listening!
Of all the episodes we done so far, the one that keeps coming up over and over for us is "Living With Open Hands" from April 11, 2022. So, two years later we thought it was time to revisit the topic. Basically, open hands is a way of saying and showing that we're giving everything to God. No grasping for what we think we need to live our version of the good life. No withholding any part of our lives at the risk of missing the good things God has planned for all of us. Of course we fall short of this every day, but each day we wake up and surrender to God again. Hopefully this conversation encourages you the way it did us. If you want to reach out to us, you can do so at info@thecosmiccarwash.com.
Pulling on a thread from our last episode, "Fixed On Eden", today we start with Hebrews 11:40-12:1 and talk about what things we throw away (throw off, cast off...depending on which version of the Bible you're reading) and conversely, what things we embrace. There's numerous examples we can look to in Scripture of people who either threw away sin or threw away "slavery to God" (see Psalm 2. How tragic!) and what that means for the lives we live. In a manner of speaking, what we choose to embrace or throw away determines what kind of life we experience. Embracing Jesus, the Prince of Peace, and His way of life will likely mean some suffering now, but the promise of peace far surpasses the temporary trials we endure. But if we choose to embrace the pleasures of the world now, we may set ourselves up for heartache later. We hope you enjoy the conversation. If you want to connect with us, you can reach us at info@thecosmiccarwash.com.
Another entry into the Eden Episodes, today we're talking about what it means to live with the continual expectation that today could be "the day." Jesus said it would be much like it was in Noah's day, as people are going about their ordinary lives, doing what they've always done, He will return and culminate the age. We survey scripture and our own lives in this episode and examine the ways we keep hope alive, banding together with other Jesus followers, and building ourselves up in our most holy faith. From Deuteronomy to the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, through Romans and Hebrews, there is a lot of guidance that scripture offers to help us remain steady as we work and eagerly await the lifting of the veil between heaven and earth and the full realization of God's Kingdom on earth. If you like what you hear and want to connect with us, you can reach us at info@thecosmiccarwash.com or you can connect with us on the YouVersion Bible app. Find me at bible.com/users/pdailey76.
Sometimes you just need to do things because it's the right thing to do and not necessarily because it's all planned out from start to finish. Thus we bring you more Warrior Poet cabbage. Catching up with one another, we talk about a range of things from: - Our struggles with duplicity (and God's ensuing mercy and compassion)- The fact that the doctrine of the Rapture is fairly new and not biblical - Our anticipation of Jesus' return and the start of the Great Renewal, the Palingenesia, and - How beautifully Blaine Eldredge tells the story of the God's plan of redemption that culminates with the reunion of heaven and earthWe hope you find this encouraging and we welcome you to comment or to reach out to us at info@thecosmiccarwash.com.
We've all had the experience at some time or other of being awakened in the middle of the night to racing thoughts, worries, fears, and just the general sense that things are not okay. It's more than insomnia, though it could be that too. In the last several years there has been a dramatic rise in insomnia across all demographics, but that's not specifically what we're talking about today. So what do we do when our brains won't shut off and the clock tells us we should definitely still be asleep? The accusing finger of religion scolds us for not praying or being more spiritual at the same time our thoughts accuse us of being anyone other than who we want to be. But God doesn't accuse, He invites. He beckons us to be close to Him and when sleep evades us, He never will. If you've ever experienced this, we think you'll find this episode encouraging. If you would like some excellent resources to help you find God in the wee hours of the night, we recommend those available at wildatheart.org. If you like what you hear, please leave a comment or reach out to us at info@thecosmiccarwash.com.