“Red sky at night, sailor’s delight. Red sky in the morning, sailor take warning.” Simple saying rooted in simple observations. Yet for Jesus, it represents a powerful truth that should be a warning to us all. http://media.blubrry.com/provjeff/providencejeffcity.com/media/Do_You_Know_What_Time_It_Is.mp3Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS
Around Christmastime, there may be no more title synonymous with Jesus than, “The Prince of Peace.” We celebrate “Peace on earth, goodwill toward men.” Yet Jesus’s own words seem to contradict this. He tells us he did not come to bring peace, but division- to set this world ablaze. How do we reconcile these two…
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS
Sometimes the most loving thing we can hear is not in the form of encouragement, but instead in the form of a warning. In dealing with the Pharisees, Jesus issues a warning that is really there for all of us to heed- this moment, this life, this world is temporary- we’d do well to prepare…
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS
Fear is a core emotion that is universal to the human condition. Yet the Bible’s most frequent instruction to us is, “Don’t be afraid.” Unfortunately, the emotion of fear is not usually one we can just turn off on command. So how do we deal with fear? What happens when our fears seem to be…
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS
Who is church for? Is it a place where the rule followers and rule enforcers find a home? Is it a place where those that can’t seem to get life right are excluded and pushed away? Why is it that the rule followers can feel so comfortable in church while the rule breakers feel so…
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS
There is no “middle road” in the life of faith. Our path cannot split the difference between God and the world. Either we are walking the path of wisdom or the path of wickedness. So what does it look like to follow the path of wisdom? Is it just a matter of being better? Of…
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS
Seeing is believing, at least that’s what we’re told. We all know it’s not quite that simple. Sometimes our eyes play tricks on us. Sometimes what we see is so unbelievable even when we see it, we hold our minds in disbelief. And sometimes it takes believing before you can see. When Jesus performed his…
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS
The way we approach God and the language of prayer is often filled with much reverence, pomp, and circumstance. While the heart behind that approach is rooted in a high view of God and his majesty, Jesus’s own instructions about prayer look and sound very different. What happens when we approach God with pleading that…
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS
Jesus invites Mary and Martha into a deeper understanding of what it means to be a disciple. This encounter may have more to teach us about Jesus’ call to discipleship than how to have both active and contemplative faith. http://media.blubrry.com/provjeff/providencejeffcity.com/media/One_Thing_is_Necessary.mp3Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS
The Good Samaritan ranks as one of the most well-known stories in all of scripture. The lessons it teaches are numerous and readily applicable to our world today, but its biggest lesson might be its most unexpected. In showing us a good neighbor, Jesus also teaches us the power a faith free from obligation, but…
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS
There is only one place in all the gospels where we see something explicitly described as bringing joy to Jesus. A passage like that should get our attention and provoke joy in us too. Yet when we read Luke 10, it can lead to more confusion and debate than joy. What is it that made…
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS
Following Jesus can lead you to some unexpected places. For 72 of Jesus’s first followers, it put them out as “sheep among wolves.” Yet when they returned from their mission, they rejoiced in the power they had while out on mission. As followers of Jesus, how do we reconcile these two characterizations of our mission:…
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS
The Via Dolorosa (or Way of Suffering) in Jerusalem is one of the most visited parts of Jerusalem. It marks the path from Pilate’s fortress to Golgotha and the tomb where Jesus was laid. People flock to this path in order to walk the way that Jesus did and perhaps, in some way, experience the…
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS
When you watch a movie (or read a book), you can never replicate the first time you watch it. Once you know the entire plot line, you can’t unsee it or “unknow” it. This bit of information can either enhance or detract from your experience the next time you watch the movie or read the…
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS
Nothing can completely prepare you for the moment when you move from the driver’s seat over to the passenger’s seat so that your child can learn how to drive. It can be terrifying and no matter how good the student driver or the instructor there are sure to be moments where things don’t go as…
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS
As Luke concludes this section of teaching, he gives us one more glimpse into the power and person of Jesus. He shows us just who Jesus is- a man full of power, but also a man that took the time to care for the forgotten and the outcast. http://media.blubrry.com/provjeff/providencejeffcity.com/media/Can_You_Hear_It_Too_.mp3Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS
Packages have become a normal part of our everyday life, but receiving a package is still an event that can generate some excitement. So much so, that one of the most popular genres of videos on YouTube are “unboxing” videos. These are videos that simply show people opening boxes of items and showing what is…
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS
Did Jesus’s family think he was crazy? When Jesus dismisses his family’s concerns what does that tell us about what Jesus was trying to do? These questions are central to our understanding of Jesus and his mission. What we learn is that family is everything for Jesus, but his family is much, much bigger than…
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS
Sometimes the most powerful thing we can do is share our stories- to bear witness to God’s faithfulness in our own lives and in the midst of our trials. John McClellan graciously shares with us his history of fighting anxiety and mental health. In doing so, he shows us that even in the midst of…
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS
Soil, seed, lampstands, and jars. What do those simple objects have to do with God’s word? When Jesus uses parables, we would do well to listen and IF we do listen- he will speak. Time and time again we are told that if we seek God, we will find him. But the twin truth to…
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS