Biblical math never makes a whole lot of sense to us, but this time Jesus really goes over the top when he teaches Peter about forgiveness. Susan helps us sit with Matthew 18:21-35 and consider what forming this kind of forgiveness habit means for people of faith. Here's our previous episode about Rejection.
Episode 67: Pizza and Chinese Food: a Portrait of Love
What do Chinese food, pizza delivery, airports, fishing boats, and the Ten Commandments have in common? Susan describes what it means to love your neighbor during our discussion of Romans 13:8-14.
Episode 66: Spiritual Fake It Til You Make It
Like mastering a musical instrument, excelling in a sport, or any other thing that requires steady discipline and practice, becoming a more Christ-like person is an ongoing challenge for Christians. So, let's practice! Kris offers Romans 12:9-21 and a tool called the Rule of Life to help organize your spiritual chaos as you engage in … Continue reading Episode 66: Spiritual Fake It Til You Make It
Episode 65: Recalculating… Recalculating…
What do you do when your expectations about your life, you relationships, your kids, your call, or even your Jesus... just aren't met? Susan gives us a glimpse of Peter's up close and personal look at what happens when we try to constrain God to our ideas of Should and Supposed To in Matthew 16:21-28. … Continue reading Episode 65: Recalculating… Recalculating…
Episode 64: Messy and Miraculous
Your body is complicated and suprising and functional (and sometimes dysfunctional)... so it's a perfect metaphor for how we have to try to work together in Christian community. Kris wows us (and perhaps grosses us out) with fun facts about the human body and thoughts on Romans 12:1-8. To do your part and donate to … Continue reading Episode 64: Messy and Miraculous
Episode 61: Show Me Your Receipts
When it comes to most things in life, your impact far outweighs your intentions. It's true for Jesus as he gets on the case of some Judgey McJudgersons in Matthew 15:10-20, and it's true for us now. Often, the real measure of what we care about is seen not in what we think, but in … Continue reading Episode 61: Show Me Your Receipts
Episode 60: The One About Charlottesville
In the story where Jesus walks on water, the disciples have normalized the storm, and the truly scary thing is seeing that there is hope beyond it. Hope doesn't let us cower in the boat, but calls us, also, to step out onto wild waves and rough waters. The day after the white supremacists marched, … Continue reading Episode 60: The One About Charlottesville
Episode 59: Fear and Loathing
We have no shortage of inputs telling us to be afraid, to think of everyone else as Other. Susan takes a look at Matthew 14:22-33 and the invitation Jesus offers us to be brave and nervy in the face of these fears, even when we might falter or fail, because courage is holier that the … Continue reading Episode 59: Fear and Loathing
Episode 58: Heaven Is Down to Earth
(This is the episode where Kris calls trans people boring.) Just like mustard seeds, yeast, and all the other diverse yet mundane things Jesus compares to the kingdom of God, we humans also embody heaven on earth. So why would we judge those who express that divine spark differently? Kris offers a basic primer on … Continue reading Episode 58: Heaven Is Down to Earth
Episode 57: In the Weeds
There are those pivotal moments in our lives when we need to evaluate what gives us life and what does not. Susan guides us through the weeds in Jesus' parable about a field, and a man's surprising choice about how to handle the mix of wheat and weeds in Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43.