Deeply Spiritual but Rather Uncertain - with Skip Collins

God's Wrath - is it a thing?

Have you ever cringed when you read the line, "the wrath of God", in the Bible or heard a sermon on God's wrath?  Have you ever wondered if you would manage to escape God's wrath?  Yeah, me too.  That's why I did this podcast.  I probably don't have all the answers, but here are some really good questions to ponder!  Is the wrath of God really a thing?

In the podcast, I mention the book below by Brad Jersak.  I've read a couple of his books and have found them really helpful.  Here is the link:

A More Christlike God

 

 

 

Mark VanStraaten Interview - The Law of First Learning

I actually love change.  But I know many people struggle with change especially when it comes to Christian beliefs.  Today I sit down to talk with my friend and colleague Mark VanStraaten to talk about what he calls The Law of First Learning.  Mark is the Founding Pastor of Grace Family Church in Durban South Africa.  This is a great conversation that you won't want to miss.  

Shift Happens

When you hear people say, "I just believe what Christians have always believed" you can pretty confidently (but nicely)  say "actually you don't".   The truth is that what we believe today is the result of numerous shifts in Christian thinking over many centuries.  In this episode, we look at some of those shifts as well as the shift that is happening right now!  Could we be in the midst of a new reformation?  

Joshua Collins Interview

Recently I got to sit down with my oldest son, Josh and talk about his life and his spiritual journey growing up as a Missionary Kid in South Africa.  It's a conversation that we have had before but I felt like it was important enough to share with this community.  If you grew up as a Missionary Kid or Preachers Kid or in a Christian home you may very quickly relate to much of this interview.  If you are in ministry with small children I think you will also find this quite helpful.

Whatever Happened to Sin?

Season 2

Let's start Season 2 on a happy note. Let's talk about sin!   The word is used hundreds of times in the Bible.  But what is it really?  How do I know if I've done it?  Are there levels of sin?  Should I even worry about it if I'm doing the best I can?    

The Big Five of the Bible - Mission Episode 14

This week we wrap up our series on the Big Five themes of the Bible and we talk about Mission.  At the same time we wrap up Season 1.   I am going to regroup a bit, spend some time with my Houston grandkids who are coming to visit and then spend some time planning and working towards Season 2.

But today we talk about Mission and how I certainly see it in pretty much every page of the Bible.  Enjoy!

The Big Five of the Bible - Redemption

At what point in my spiritual journey am I actually forgiven?  Are we born inherently evil - totally depraved?  Did God's wrath actually have to be appeased by killing his own son?  These are questions that have plagued me for a long time. 

In this weeks episode, we will explore the big picture of redemption which includes things like salvation, atonement justification and other theological words.  The bottom line is why did Jesus die?  Did he die to save me from my sin or was there something bigger at play here?   

The Big Five of the Bible - Justice part 2

In this episode, we continue our discussion of the theme of Justice in the bible.  We explore the Hebrew word for righteousness as well as the Greek word in the New Testament that is used for both justice and righteousness.  If that sounds boring then how about this...  We are going to be talking about racism as well as the refugee crisis that exists in our world.  It's an important discussion!   

The Big Five of the Bible - Justice part 1

Without a doubt, if you are talking about the major themes of the Bible you have to talk about justice.  It comes up over and over again in both the Old and New Testaments.  The word Misphat which is Hebrew for justice shows up more than 200 times in the Old Testament.  The word in Greek that is translated justice or righteousness, dikaiosunei s spoken of 86 times in the New Testament.  

Justice is a theme that has been often completely ignored in many evangelical churches, but there is no question that as followers of Christ we are called to justice.

This episode is not trying to put anybody on a guilt trip or make you feel more worthless then you already do about yourself!  It's about understanding God's heart for justice and our seeing all of life and the Bible through that filter.  

The Big Five of the Bible - Grace

If you had to pick the five major themes of the Bible, what would you say?  Of course, we know that the answer to that is very subjective.  There really isn't a right or wrong answer.  But I thought I would have a shot at what I think they are.  Grace, Justice, Redemption, Mission and Jesus.  For the next 4 weeks, we will be unpacking these themes.  In this episode, we'll talk about Grace.  So often we tell people that grace is a free gift - but when you read the fine print you find out it's actually not.  So is it actually free or do I have to earn it?  

Resources mentioned in the Podcast:

• Cross Vision by Greg Boyd 
• Reknew