Passages

Have you ever been caught between a rock and a hard place? The Bible is filled with stories of people who found themselves in exactly the same place. The story of Joseph, in Matthew's gospel, is a good example. He is faced with a daunting choice about his future. In the midst of that situation, an angel appears and offers him a new and glorious solution which had never crossed his mind.

Much of the life in American culture is build around transactions. This for that. This way of thinking becomes a problem when we bring it our relationship with God. When talking about money the topic of "transaction" becomes even more difficult. This week's episode explores how transactional thinking can be transformed. There is grace for us all.

There are moments in our lives when we are seeking direction. We pray and ask God to show the way. What we often mean is, "God, show me everything and the result, then I will decide." Being a follower of Jesus calls us to take one step at a time with him. Sometimes that one step of faith leads to another and then another. Where we find ourselves will surprise us!

Today's episode highlights the beautiful cycle of gratitude and generosity. In this short story from John's gospel we find Mary with a heart filled with gratitude for what Jesus has done and what he is yet to do. She offers a costly gift to Jesus. It is generosity born out of immense gratitude. Mary's example teaches us the centrality of our love relationship with Jesus and how that love can form a generosity beyond limits in us for others.

The age of social media often invites us to make statements about politics, injustice, etc. Often we feel that the opinion we have on something equates with fruitful action about it. John the Baptist makes it clear in his witness that we are all called to bear "fruit consistent with repentance." This week's episode explores how we are to embrace God's judgement as a way of bearing fruit while also rooting out our own hypocrisy and brokenness.