In this, the last episode of at least this form of Scripture Talk, it's all about Christian community. Western Christianity makes a big deal about our personal salvation. Certainly, we need to form a deep, personal, and saving relationship with

Scripture Talk: Revelation 2:1-17

Jun 13th, 2022

Revelation is not just weird creatures with even weirder numbers of eye balls, death, destruction, and eventual victory. It opens with a section that's a lot more like Paul's letters with God passing messages, through John, to various churches.

Scripture Talk: Luke 24:13-35 (2022)

Jun 7th, 2022

So much of the Gospels feel like a fantasy land to us. We know that they tell of true events, but their ability to directly access Christ in a tangible way - to walk with him, talk with him - is so far from our own faith experience. The Road to

Scripture Talk: Act 2:1-21 (2022)

Jun 3rd, 2022

It's Pentecost, once again. We are reminded that the Spirit is with us, once again and that miracles are possible, once again. Since that same Spirit is with us and that it never went away, we can know that things can always get better. We may

Scripture Talk: Luke 24:36-53

May 24th, 2022

Jesus rises to Heaven, but the story of God's people keeps going. It's not that Jesus is gone. It's that he's given us the power that we may keep the mission going. Earthly kings keep the power. Jesus gives us away and gives us the opportunity

Scripture Talk: Revelation 21:10, 22-22:5 (2022)

May 18th, 2022

You ever wonder where is this whole thing going? When you're thinking of devoting your life to something, it's important to consider what's its end goal. What's the vision statement? Saving the world? Conquering the world? Curing cancer? Making

Scripture Talk: Acts 11:1-18

May 11th, 2022

Gentiles receiving the Holy Spirit? To the average Jewish Christian, circa shortly after Pentecost, this still would have seemed mildly crazy. They'd been trained, since birth, that only a narrow band of people got a connection with God. To see

Scripture Talk: John 10:22-30

May 5th, 2022

Jesus ran into skeptics in his own time. He knew that you're never going to satisfy everyone because at the core of faith in God is still an act of faith. For some, no amount of miracles or declaring himself the Messiah was going to be enough.

Scripture Talk: Acts 9:1-20 (2022)

Apr 26th, 2022

If Christianity has been doing one thing consistently for the past 2,000 years, it's radically changing lives. Behavior change is one of the hardest things to do as any teacher, psychologist, or public health officials can tell you, yet stories

Scripture Talk: John 20:19-31 (2022)

Apr 21st, 2022

Doubting Thomas? Really? Is that the take away here? It seems more that Jesus is calling out all the disciples for having the easy avenue to belief. They get to literally see Jesus, to walk with him, and to eat with him. Instead, it's a warning

Scripture Talk: John 18:1-19:42

Apr 16th, 2022

Upon leaving the Last Supper, Jesus goes on a journey. He's betrayed by a friend, arrested by his enemies, subjected to series of ridiculous show trials, tortured, killed, and buried. John 18-19 give us the most detailed window into the physica

Scripture Talk: Luke 19:28-40 (2022)

Apr 5th, 2022

Jesus enters Jerusalem in triumph. His followers celebrate. The crowds gather. The authorities grumble. For us, as Christians, it's the cue for the climax of Jesus's earthly story, and he begins this climactic week with a spoiler of the ending

Scripture Talk: Philippians 3:4b-14

Mar 31st, 2022

Paul is a man who will flourish at whatever he sets his mind to, and Philippians 3, we get rare testimony by him as to his accomplishments. According the Judaism of the time, he lived a close to perfect live. He did the right things, studied th

Scripture Talk: Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

Mar 22nd, 2022

The Parable of the Prodigal Son deserves its place in the scriptural Hall of Fame. It's a beautiful story of God's grace that looks at humanity as we are and shows the depth and power of God's love for us anyways. Despite being 2,000 years old,

Scripture Talk: 1 Corinthians 10:1-13

Mar 14th, 2022

Our world can be a sea of temptation, and human beings are often convinced that no one has ever felt what we've felt. So, when we run up against temptations, we give ourselves that excuse of - "no one could possibility resist." Paul puts the li

Scripture Talk: Philippians 3:17-4:1

Mar 9th, 2022

All life is interested in survival. Animals, bugs, plants, and humans each do what they need to do to physically make it. For humanity, there's a yearning for a deeper level of existence than subsistence. We long for purpose, depth, and meaning

Scripture Talk: Luke 4:1-13 (2022)

Mar 3rd, 2022

Jesus goes off into the wilderness fasting the whole time. Satan shows up at his weakest possible moment and tempts him. The fascinating thing about these temptations is that none of them are objectively bad. They're just not what God wants for

Scripture Talk: Luke 9:28-43a

Feb 22nd, 2022

Jesus takes the core of his crew up with him to a mountain top, and they get an all timer of a spiritual experience. Moses and Elijah show up. God speaks. Christ glows. You can understand why Peter wanted to stay, but they don't. Instead, the d

Scripture Talk: Genesis 45:3-11, 15

Feb 15th, 2022

Forgiveness is a powerful thing. To not give it is to purposefully destroy your own soul. To not receive it is to live without closure. Aren’t we glad that God, in Christ, does not withhold forgiveness? The story of Joseph and his brothers nest

Scripture Talk: Jeremiah 17:5-10

Feb 7th, 2022

Connecting with God makes a tangible difference in more than just our afterlife. A relationship with God and truly seeking after God within that will lead us in the places that God needs us to go and will lead us to God's peace. To live a life

Scripture Talk: 1 Corinthians 15:1-11

Feb 1st, 2022

Paul has a far different view of Christ than the disciples, who knew the earthly Christ directly. His encounter with Christ happens on a more spiritual level, but it also brings about a much bigger transformation. He is the mirror image of Juda

Scripture Talk: Jeremiah 1:4-10

Jan 25th, 2022

Humans yearn for purpose. This is not a strictly religious passion. You don’t solely learn about a need for purpose from a pastor or a Sunday School teacher. There’s something far deeper in the soul that says, “there most be more to this life.”

Scripture Talk: Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10

Jan 19th, 2022

Nehemiah captures this wonderfully hopeful moment in the history of God's people. They landed themselves in exile because of their own behavior, but now, they're back. They rebuild Jerusalem, and in chapter 8, gather around and recommit themsel

Scripture Talk: John 2:1-11

Jan 11th, 2022

As John tells it, turning water into wine isn't just a miracle of Jesus, it's his first public revelation of his glory. It's a miracle rooted in joy, celebration, and community. It paints a picture of Jesus as a person who met people where they

Scripture Talk: Matthew 2:1-11 (2022)

Jan 6th, 2022

The Magi get their own Christian holiday, Epiphany, and that in some traditions is almost as big as Christmas itself. They are the first Gentiles to bow down and worship Christ, and they even get to play in a role in keeping the Christ child al