4.26.26 Simple Requests

A Whale's Gratitude and How Paul Was Not an Escapist

Today we introduce our Summer Podcast series, talk about a whale showing gratitude, and share how scripture teaches us that God comes here to renew us.  Too often Christianity is taught with an escapist view... that God will whisk us off this planet, so we talk about a proper and biblical view to replace this.  1. Tangled Whale story: Tangled Whale Gives His Rescuers The Best Thank You Ever - The Dodo [https://www.thedodo.com/tangled-whale-says-thank-you-1238266959.html] 2. More on Bede the Venerable: Venerable Bede [https://undeceptions.com/podcast/venerable-bede/] 3. CT Article: The Apostle Paul Was Not an Escapist - Christianity Today [https://www.christianitytoday.com/2026/05/nijay-gupta-apostle-paul-for-the-world-theology-review-heaven/]

5.25.26 The Holy Spirit for Us

Today is Pentecost, and we discuss the teamwork within the Trinity as Jesus hands the baton off to the Holy Spirit and the church.  When the Holy Spirit falls, he doesn't just fall on one or a few, but he falls on all. This is instructive for us and the way we live our lives together on mission with Him.

5.17.26 Do I Know You?

In our passage today, folks are telling Jesus how much they've done for him, yet he rejects them as evil doers, because he doesn't know them.  It's easy to slip into thinking of our relationship with God in transactional terms; God's done this for me, so I need to do this for him.  But that is not what God is after.  He is after you and relationships WITH you.

5.10.26 An Inward, Real Holiness

Today, Jesus teaches us to look for the right fruit, and good fruit comes from a good tree. He's teaching us that he doesn't just want us to try to do good works but wants to transform our inner being such that we have an inner goodness and holiness that comes from him.  This is the goal in Jesus' teaching, not that we would just be saved from hell, but that we would be transformed in our inward person.

5.3.26 The Narrow Way

Jesus invites us to seek his Kingdom through the small gate and along the narrow way.  Perhaps this means the way to and of the Kingdom is narrower than we think it is, and that it must be sought with intentionality.  This narrow way of Jesus does give boundaries to our lives, but it also fills our lives with goodness and beauty.