Christian Questions Bible Podcast

So, have you ever been or have you ever known someone who has been a victim of fraud?  You know, had their credit card number stolen or their bank account hacked or their social security number breached?  It is all quite real and it is all quite unsettling.  Now, have you heard the term “fake news”?  Think about it – fake news is fraud as well, since in its reporting we are led to believe something is true that isn’t.  This phenomena is quite real and it is quite unsettling.  Now, have you ever taken something from work that is not yours or “padded” an expense report or “forgotten” some income on your tax return?  These things are also fraud – they are quite real and they are quite unsettling.  The bottom line is, fraud is everywhere and we as Christians can be victims of it and we can also perpetrate it. So, what do we do?  How do we keep fraud from being a part of our lives? As a Christian, thinking about fraud is disturbing enough but thinking about being a perpetrator of fraud should really make us ask how this can be so.  How is it that I need to be on my guard against doing something that is so far removed from my Christian principles?  The answer to these questions can be easily summed up in one word...subtlety.  Because we have access to so much with such ease, because we have the ability to be pretty much anywhere in the virtual world with anonymity and because our culture has made most everything acceptable, we are faced with the opportunity to be fraudulent in a thousand ways with almost no external accountability.  Subtle. In the fraud prevention world there are three basic steps that should be taken by consumers who seek protection.  They are MONITOR, COUNSEL and RESTORE.  Many companies tell us that if we trust them for our fraud protection they will enact these steps on our behalf.  These three steps are not only in place to help prevent fraud, but they assume fraud will happen and are in place to fix an inevitable problem, as every fraud prevention company knows that no one can prevent all fraud. What if we took these three steps and applied them to our personal experiences?  What if we decided to MONITOR – to look into and around our decision making and determine where weaknesses might be lurking that would tempt us to engage in some action that compromises our highest values?  What if we decided to seek COUNSEL – to look outside of our own thinking and interpretations to find solid input and advice that can “keep us honest"?  What if we decided to RESTORE - to be truly committed to making and keeping our actions on a level of the highest integrity? Check out our May 15, 2017 podcast, “Does Your Mind Have Fraud Protection?” and not only learn what three ingredients need to be in place to perpetuate fraud but more importantly learn the many ways we can truly protect ourselves from getting into fraudulent situations in the first place.  MONITOR, COUNSEL and RESTORE – why not start now?  

Vengeance, indignation, burning anger and jealousy.  These are some of the words the Bible uses to describe God’s reactions to this present evil world.  To put it mildly, God is not happy.  Can you blame Him?  Look at us – look at what this world does, what it stands for and how we treat one another! God will not allow such sin and corruption to continue.  He will act and when He does, there will be no mistaking His response.  The Bible emphatically describes what look like world ending events – these events are called “The Day of Vengeance,” “Armageddon,” “The Time of Trouble,” “The Day of Wrath”…  So wait!  We are always talking about God being a God of love – how could this vengeance of God possibly be interpreted as an act of love?  Is God so vengeful and angry that He is going to squash us like bugs or is there another way to understand what His vengeance is, how it works and what it accomplishes? As we pursue understanding what it means to experience the vengeance of God we really need to ask some other far less obvious questions – how important is God’s vengeance in relation to the rest of His plan?  Is God’s anger the paramount factor in biblical teaching?  Obviously you will get a variety of answers depending upon who you ask, but consider the following as a starting point:  Christians all believe that Jesus is the centerpiece of the Bible’s message.  This means that we would cling to his teachings and example as the centerpiece of our lives.  That being the case, how often did Jesus focus us on God’s vengeance?  How much of a central theme was the "Day of Wrath” in his teachings?  The answer is...not much at all.  Outside of the prophecy he gave about his own return and the conditions surrounding it, the vengeance of God did not seem at all important. We can draw a profound lesson from this.  The prophecy of the Day of Vengeance and all that it stands for, while noteworthy, does not rise to the point of being a centerpiece of God’s plan.  Why is it not a centerpiece?  Because it is a specific prophecy about a specific and short period of time - simply a small piece in the puzzle of God’s grand plan for the human race.  Having said that, the Day of Vengeance IS coming and our understanding of it should be clear.  For most of us it is not.  Most of us assume the worst Hollywood depictions of a God whose furious and uncontrollable anger swoops down upon this sinful world to vengefully destroy it and all who abide there. Nothing could be further from the truth. God’s vengeance is NOT like our vengeance, for God’s character is above our human propensities for emotional outbursts and revenge-based actions.  To know what the Day of Vengeance is REALLY about, how it happens and what its results are can be an enormous awakening.  Check out our May 8, 2017 podcast, “Will God’s Vengeance Squash Us Like Bugs?” and follow along with us as we put God’s wrath, sin, the ending of social orders and what comes next into perspective.  You just might be surprised!  

You want to be happy.  I want to be happy.  Everyone wants to be happy, I mean, who wouldn’t want to be happy?  The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America talks about “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” as being unalienable rights of humanity.  What can we conclude from all of this?  Happiness is a central objective and desire that belongs to all.  Having said that...why aren’t we happy?  Why are so many of us frustrated, disappointed and anxious about our lives?  Why do we overeat, binge, eat chocolate, shop or do any number of other things to hide from our lack of happiness?  Why can’t we just be happy?  Why can’t we stop comparing, stop wishing, stop regretting, stop rationalizing and just start living today for the glory of it being our present?  There is hope because happiness is attainable!  We just need to know where and how to look for it and how to recognize it when we see it. The first thing we need to figure out about our pursuit of happiness is what kind of happiness we are truly looking for?  Do we want the kind that you get when you open a gift or have a day off or you get a bonus check?  That kind of happy is around and has the possibility of being attained periodically according to circumstances.  The issue is, that kind of happy comes with circumstances and then it goes with circumstances, so it is enjoyable but not enduring.  The other kind of happy is a different story, for when it comes, it tends to stay and positively affect your everyday life.  Though much more desirable, this kind of happy is more elusive, for it needs to be found in spite of our circumstances and is therefore often hidden from our everyday observations.  So, how do we find it? We find it by not looking for it.  We find it by realizing that it comes to us by way of our desire, determination and ability to be content.  Great!  I want to be happy but I shouldn’t try and find happiness because it will find me if I am content.  So what does it mean to be content?  Does it mean that I should stop striving to better myself or my circumstances or my habits?  Does being content mean I should give up on the future and just accept whatever the present is?  I’m confused and being confused doesn’t make me happy or content! Okay, let’s regroup.  The problem here is that most of us view happiness and contentment as things you put on and not as things that grow from the inside out.  The Bible defines contentment in a very unique way, and once we begin to understand contentment through this biblical lens the whole equation changes.  We begin to see how to think, what to do and why, so we can achieve a life of contentment and therefore invite happiness in as a permanent life fixture.  Check out our May 1st, 2017 podcast, “Why Can’t I Just Be Happy?” and learn what the secret of contentment is.  Take some solid steps towards making your life a truly happy one!

Never before have we been in such a place of insidious contradiction.  On the one hand technology has opened a once locked door of accessibility, for anyone with an internet connection can now reach that which was once thought to be unreachable regarding knowledge understanding and goodness.  On the other hand technology has given the world the opportunity to throw open the door of reckless indulgence and to have our curiosities draw us into a dark and powerful vortex of destructive sights, sounds and activity.  Sexual behavior, once considered a sacred behavior has become a mainstream and malignant tumor within our culture that quietly eats away at our humanity under the guise of freedom of expression.  Pornography with all of its degrading extremity, explicitness and violence has become the single most popular destination of the billions who search the web.  It is a web – a web of entrapment that leads to the ruining of countless lives and relationships.  What can we do about it?  What should we do about it?  Is there a way out of this godless web once you have become entangled? First and foremost, it needs to be said that God DOES DEEPLY care about such things, and if you are reading this as a Christian who uses pornography even occasionally, I hope this is the beginning of your wake-up call.  Yes, God does care - especially when those who claim to follow his son Jesus engage in works that are in every way disingenuous to godly behavior, desperately vulgar in their content and destructive in every possible way.  In short, the sex industry with all of its sensuality and temptation can easily be a ticket to misery, broken lives and loneliness for Christians, as well as anyone else for that matter. How can something as inherently human as sexuality be so bad?  Didn’t God create sex?  He did.  He created it as a sacred bonding part of the relationship between husbands and wives.  He created it as the way through which reproduction would occur and families would exist.  So, what happened?  How did we go from a sacred and private expression of love to worldwide instantaneous access to blatant acts that in most cases have zero resemblance to any act of love?  We got here because of sin – but that is not our focus right now.  Right now we need to focus on what to do, because so many people (especially men) get drawn into this world of dark destruction and cannot find their way out.  So, what do we do?  We find the truth.  We look at and absorb who pornography hurts (and this is shocking to see), we understand what happens to your brain when viewing pornography (and this is scary to learn) and we boldly look in the mirror and ask the hard questions about ourselves (and this is humbling to experience). Please check out our April 24, 2017 podcast, “Virtual Sex and Pornography – Does God Care?” At the risk of sounding like I’m begging – I’m begging you – listen.  What we uncover can fundamentally enlighten and change lives.  Even if you don’t ever go near anything pornographic yourself you need to hear this because chances are you know someone who is struggling with or even addicted to this stuff.  To know and understand the truth is to be prepared to stare evil down and fight it.  Please do this!

After the greatest act of love ever committed, Jesus lay dead in a donated tomb.  His loyal companions and followers were stunned, sickened by what they had witnessed.  But beyond the gory details of this death, they were hit with the uncomfortable thought that perhaps all they had known the past 3 ½ years was a lie, fake, delusional.  This man Jesus they had trusted and loved was dead.  He died like everyone else.  There was no last minute fire from heaven to kill the Roman soldiers or the angry mob of his own brethren demanding his death.  There was no angelic rescue team to pull him off that dreaded piece of wood.  He was dead.  For real.  No one was coming to save them from the Roman rule.  They would not be sitting on anyone’s right hand in the new government.  They had seemingly been duped.  Now what?  Well, three days later, it was imperative that the risen Jesus convince them beyond a shadow of doubt that all he had promised was REAL and was happening.  His followers needed to be 100% convinced and energized to tell the Good News at any cost to all who would listen.  The man Jesus was gone forever, but the spirit Jesus would have life within himself, and power to restore all of mankind back to his Father.  They needed to urgently tell that story to you and me.  How did they go from feeling ultimate betrayal and grief to absolute certainty and joy? Walking someone along a path of believing in something outside of their own circle of experience is hard enough.  Jesus was risen from the dead.  Just think about the import of that fact alone!  His disciples had seen Jesus raise other people from the dead before – but it was he who had raised them and it was he who had always assured them about all of his miracles.  Now Jesus was not only the one raised up to life, his nature was changed – he was different – he was spirit.  How do you walk someone down the path of not only observing such unorthodox and never-before-seen changes, but accepting them so thoroughly that they would be willing to stake their very lives on them? You do that in small steps, very small steps.  Jesus’ resurrection was announced by an angel, and this dramatic presentation of an event that Jesus himself foretold certainly got their attention.  He then needed to show himself – but how?  Remember, his followers had just days ago been through the most traumatic experience of their lives as they were all witness to the cruel, inhumane treatment Jesus was subjected to.  They watched in horror as he was brutally crucified, and some of them saw him die on that cross.  They were now panicked, hiding and unsure.  Jesus knew all of this so when he did show himself, he did it in such a way that he could ease them into a whole new level of faith.  Jesus did it step-by-step. Check out our April 17, 2017 podcast, “Jesus’ Resurrection – What Changed?” and walk with us through the thrilling and inspiring events that took place during the 40 days after Jesus’ resurrection.  Listen to how he methodically, unmistakably and compassionately revealed himself.  Surely this is a journey that you do not want to miss!  

Thinking about the death of Jesus always produces a variety of emotions. On one hand, we feel a deep sense of gratitude, hope and praise, for without his willing sacrifice and ignominious death, we would all remain under the sentence of sin with no possible way out. In short, we and the entire human race would be doomed to destruction. On the other hand, when we think of his death we feel the dull, persistent aching pain of sadness, because we know Jesus was an entirely innocent man who was subject to the most unfair and devious kinds of deception, mistreatment and torture. Did you ever wonder what was behind the events that brought Jesus to the point of crucifixion? Did you ever think about who did what and why to position the Savior of all mankind as an enemy of the state? To clearly understand the events that led to Jesus’ death, we can examine a really simple question – “Who crucified Jesus?”  The most obvious answers are “the Jews” as provoked by their leadership and “the Romans.”  These are two groups of people who were very much at odds with each other, and that just provokes another question – did they collaborate together on this or was there more to it?  Well, there was more to it – there was much more to it. Let’s start with the Jews of that time, specifically those in Jerusalem who had authority over their own people of Israel.  Being under Roman rule meant that their “authority” was very limited but that did not prevent major internal wrangling for power and influence among those who were in positions of perceived authority.  First you had the Pharisees, a group who elevated themselves above the people by way of generations of adding “oral traditions” to the original Mosaic Law, which made following the Law an impossible task.  Then there were the Sadducees who were supposed to be the “priests” among the Jewish people but instead focused themselves on politics – on expanding their political power as far as the Romans would allow it.  Pharisees and Sadducees did NOT agree on a lot and did NOT get along, yet in the end they joined forces to eliminate Jesus. Next we have Annas, a Sadducee who was supposed to be the High Priest over Israel at that time but was not allowed that title by Rome because he was a forceful, powerful man.  Annas, even without the title of High Priest, maintained major influence.  And then there was Caiaphas, also a Sadducee, who became the High Priest as an appointee of Rome.  Though he was the nephew of Annas, he was deemed a much more controllable man by Rome. When you combine these two groups and these two men you get a real mix of power and a great divergence of opinion and process in wielding that power.  Unity was not their strong suit, and yet they all united to eliminate Jesus, the most peaceful, apolitical and God-honoring man to ever walk the earth.  What did they do, how did they do it and most importantly how did they get away with it?  Mix Pontius Pilate and Roman rule into the picture and you find a tangled web of political influence and intrigue.  Check out our April 10, 2017 podcast, “How Were Politics Part of Jesus’ Crucifixion?” and trace the pieces and influences that led to Jesus’ death. If you are like me, you will find the whole thing to be astonishing!

We make choices every day.  Some are easy choices that we don’t even need to think much about and there are others that require some on-the-fly time and attention.  Then there are the choices that can be difficult and even agonizing.  These are the choices that can make or break a life or shape a destiny, or at the very least, alter the near future.  These are the biggest choices we face, but they may not necessarily be the most important ones.  We probably don’t think about how often our really big decisions end up being a sum total of many small and seemingly irrelevant choices we have made without much thought.  The point is that all of our choices carry a measure of importance!   So, what guides us in the choices we make?  Are we most often influenced by how we feel about things or by what our friends or family will think?  What are the most important factors in successful Christian decision making? The whole process of making choices is very much a matter of subconscious thinking.  It has been said that 95% of our mental processes regarding our choices are “below the surface” and this can be alarming.  Think about it – this means our everyday choices are substantially based upon how we feel about things rather than what we think about things.  So, our emotional interpretations of our past experiences (which you and I both know can be highly skewed) can easily carry much more weight in our decisions than sound thought and reasoning.  Understanding this as a Christian who is supposed to be following in Jesus’ own footsteps should prompt us to want to know how to reframe the whole decision making process. We would like to suggest to you that there are four key elements we can employ in our decision making.  For Christians, being aware of these elements makes it possible to not only use them but to direct them as well.  The first and most difficult of our key elements of choice is that of principle.  For a Christian, principles are the external fixed points of reference that are built upon integrity, morality and godly righteousness.  Abiding by principles in decision making is difficult because to do so is an intellectual decision.  By definition, our thinking, no matter how sound it is, does not carry the same decision making weight as our feelings.  This creates a real dilemma because God-based principles are often unnatural, require strong effort to follow and are contrary to our emotions. How do we plow through such a dilemma and grab hold of these most important principles?  We define them with simplicity and rehearse them regularly so they become a part of our very fabric instead of just being some ideas that we visit on Sundays.  As we go through this process it is also imperative that we define and understand the other three key elements of our choices.  What are they and how do we master them?  Check out our April 3, 2017 podcast, “So, What are My Choices?” and follow along with us as we take on clarify and attempt to maximize these important and emotional aspects of our life choices.  

When you think of compassion, what do you picture?  Perhaps you see Jesus healing the multitudes or volunteers caring for victims of some natural disaster.  Perhaps you see an individual patiently working with a disabled person or a soldier protecting children in a war torn region.  Perhaps compassion makes you think of Doctors Without Borders or food drives for the hungry.  Whatever it is, thinking about compassion probably makes you think about the best of humanity – it probably makes you think about that glimmer of hope that says we can get along.  Now, when you think about compassion do you ever see yourself in the role of the compassionate?  Wouldn’t you like to be in that role?  Just what does it take to become a truly compassionate person and most importantly, what are the limits of compassion?   Are there times when compassion is NOT appropriate? To have compassion is a three-part experience.  It is to be aware of the misfortune or disadvantage of another, to deeply feel the pain or suffering of that misfortune or disadvantage and to have a genuine personal desire to help.  These three elements make for a powerful and compelling experience since, as humans, we can have compassion not only towards those we know but toward total strangers, animals and the entire world.  While our compassion can be a powerful catalyst for positive action, it can also be a powerful catalyst for anxiety and frustration.  You see, compassion in and of itself does not solve anything, and just because you or I have compassion for another does not mean we are miraculously endowed with the power to solve that person’s misfortune or disadvantage.  This sounds depressing, so let me explain... First, the best of compassion:  Jesus was an extraordinary example of compassion in action.  Every single time the Bible tells us “he had compassion” on a person or persons or a crowd – every single time he had compassion - he changed their circumstances – he healed or taught or fed the recipients of his personal compassion.  Because of his compassion, Jesus always lifted others to a better place.  This is not only comforting but  thoroughly inspiring as well.  If Jesus could achieve such totally positive results as a result of his compassion and we are Christians, footstep followers of Jesus, then surely we can look forward to achieving a measure of his results with our compassion! While that is a nice thought, it is not reality-  so here comes the rest of compassion.  The fact is, the Bible describes our compassion toward others in an entirely different way than it describes Jesus’ compassion.  It uses different words and comes to different conclusions as to the power and reach of our compassion.  What this means is that our compassion for one another has clearly defined limits and needs to be observed and understood for what it is...as well as for what it is not. Check out our March 27, 2017 podcast, “When is Compassion Wrong?” and fill in the gaps on how our compassion for one another works, what its limitations are and how we can maximize it for the betterment of all both now and in the future.  Compassion can be a powerful and principled tool of godliness – learn to use it!

Did you ever notice that there never seems to be enough time?  For some reason or other, we are always rushing around to do the things we need to do and we seem to scarcely be able to even take a breath in between this and that.  Our lives are often harried, and as a result we tend to feel unfulfilled and empty at the end of a day.  So, how are we spending our time?  What are we doing – or not doing - with that precious commodity of time to either fulfill or fritter away our lives? As Christians, are there different and specific guidelines for spending and investing our time than for others?  Are there ways to simply and efficiently reorder and reclaim our time?  Where do we start? What do we do? One way to figure out this issue (what I am about to suggest is done with a massive dose of sarcasm) is to put the question of time management out on your Facebook page, text it to your friends, Tweet it out to whomever is following and perhaps Instagram and Snapchat it as well.  See what responses you get, then re-tweet, update, chat, post, smiley face and archive accordingly…  By doing so you will have accomplished one very important thing – that is, you will have personally demonstrated some of the very basic reasons we feel like we have no time!  All of these methods of “getting the word out” are often (not always) disguised as important communication, but in reality they are mindless chatter that feels good, is fascinating and fun.  Unfortunately, our end result is probably a whole lot of time wasted without a whole lot of benefit. While it can be encouraging to hear from others on better managing our time, the most important thing that needs to be established is the answer to the very personal question of WHY.  Why do I as, a Christian, need to have a better handle on my time?  If we are sincere in the asking, then answering this question should bring us to the very core of our entire belief system.  What is it that I believe is truly most important in my life – where is it that my life should go based on that belief and what am I actually doing about it?  All of these questions and thoughts circle around defining what the vision is that we have for our life and whether or not that vision is powerful enough to make us want to take the next steps in reclaiming our time. This is the beginning, for our time can be used to serve our vision for life or our time can be allowed to mindlessly drain away.  To choose having time serve what is most important, we next need to establish priorities.  Priorities are the necessary ordering of our life details.  This again requires thought and action, but the upside of a clear vision and implemented priorities is immense and sets the table for the next practical and valuable steps. What are the next steps?  Check out our March 20, 2017 podcast, “Is MY Christianity a Waste of Time?” and not only find out what the next steps are, find out how and why to make them your own.  I promise you that your time invested in this podcast will open up a whole new and practical way to appreciate and use the precious time that you have been given!  

Raising children is different than it used to be. Somehow or other, the lines between parents and children have become blurred. Somehow or other, the very idea of firm discipline has become associated with beatings and abuse. Somehow or other, our children’s feelings have become the foundation for our parental actions and responses. What happened to parents unequivocally “ruling the roost?” Is that now wrong? What happened to parents being authoritative and firm? Is that now wrong? What happened to the clear lines of right and wrong being the solid foundation for parental decision making? Is that now wrong? Have we begun to approach the point where we assign so many rights to children that we as parents are inherently wrong? What do children need and how are we supposed to know what they need and how to give it to them? It’s really easy to find information and suggestions on raising kids.  What is not easy is finding information and suggestions that are really trustworthy and proven.  Think about it, you go online and read about a recent study that tells us how to approach our children when they do wrong.  The study flashes information about the potential damage from telling a child the word “no” and concludes that the use of that word should really be avoided.  This sounds easy and even attractive.  My issue with such a thing is simple.  Where is the generational proof that this anti-“no” approach is so much better than confronting a child with the truth of their actions and giving them consequences as tools of learning?  While it might feel more harmonious to avoid “no,” is it a provably healthy and viable alternative to the more uncomfortable approach of a firm and loving hand of guidance? Another way of finding child rearing information is to rely on the good ol’ fashioned ways of disciplining from generations past, and this is not without issues either.  If you look at the Bible for guidance in raising children, you will inevitably find what is perhaps the most famously-quoted child rearing verse in all of Scripture.  It is from the Proverbs 23:13: “Withhold not correction from the child; for if you beat him with a rod he will not die.”  To some, this verse seems to give unbridled permission to beat and abuse children as a way to “correct” them and this could not be further from the truth!  To others this verse is unequivocal proof that the Bible is old, worn out and irrelevant to our present day child raising challenges and this could not be further from the truth, either!  So, if both extremes are untrue then what is the Bible’s message on raising children? We firmly believe that the Bible - when taken in its proper context - offers us a balanced, firm, loving and just solution to raising children.  How do we know?  Check out our March 13, 2017 podcast, “Do Children Really Need Discipline?” and see how the Bible fashions our earthly family hierarchy after our relationship with God as our Father.  Follow along with us as we reveal the many pearls of child rearing wisdom that the Bible holds.  This old book might just give you the new approach to raising your children that you are looking for!