In the last episode, I shared with you the story of a shepherd who had a front row seat to the entrance of God's most inexplicable entrance into this world. That story was born from quite a bit of research, prayer, and holy imagination. But the more I studied that history, the more I realized there very well could have been a little more to the story than we read in the book of Luke. So today I'd like to suggest how I think that testimony may well have ended...  

Godly Passion, Holy Flame

Tidings - A Shepherd's Story (Part 2)

I've always been captivated by God's decision to herald the most glorious announcement in history to a group of backwater herdsmen out in the hills. Have you ever wondered what it was like on the night the Bethlehem shepherds were surprised by angelic visitors?  A while back I spent some time researching the background of these intriguing characters, and so now, with a bit of holy imagination, I thought I would take a stab at re-enacting the story for you, just as it might have been remembered by one of the shepherds themselves...If you enjoyed this little story, I invite to tune in to second half: Tidings: A Shepherd's Story (Part Two)

Tidings - A Shepherd's Story (Part 1)

Prayer isn't comfortable. Sometimes it can be downright painful. But it is a vital responsibility and an honored privileged for men who aim to be warriors for the King.

The Battle of Prayer

What an unprecedented year it has been! I know many people, myself included, who have been rattled and shaken this year in ways they just did not anticipate. If you happen to be in that cirecle, I'd like to share some thoughts that I believe the King has been whispering to me in recent weeks -- thoughts that have helped solidify my faith and stregthen my buckling knees. 

Lessons on Needing God

A few weeks ago I told you that we can never understand the mercy of God unless we first come to grips with His righteous anger. What I told you was true. But it was only one side of the equation. Now it's time to complete the story. Come and spend a few moments listening to the extraordinary lyrics of a song written by an ancient prophet who was given a glimpse of what it would look like on the other side of God's audacious miracle.

Audacious Miracle (Isaiah 12)

There are a lot of barriers in a man's life that keep him from building blood-deep, life-altering relationships with other men. It is not easy. It is not comfortable. It is not common in today's world. But it is vital to the health of your soul. Today I want to challenge you to examine your own life and friendships and to honestly evaluate whether you have broken through those enemy-planted barriers. I want you to discover what King had in mind when He invented brotherhood. Gentlemen... it is worth it.

Blood Brothers

How did an unknown, inconsequential wanderer from an obscure Israeli village turn history upside down? What was the secret to the Messiah's extraordinary ministry? Where did he get his wisdom and power? Don't respond too quickly, because I would like to suggest that the answer may not be what you think it is. And the implications for your life and mine are jaw-dropping.

The Spirit and the Messiah (Isa 11)

So, today's episode is going to be completely different than normal. I'm going to take you behind the scenes to explain How and Why to make a podcast. Here are some of the tools and resources I use:Lexis Audio Editor (for recording from my Samsung phone)Audacity (for transforming the recording into .mp3 format, and for adding music)Youtube Audio Library (for free intro/outro music that's licensed for re-use)Buzzsprout (for hosting the podcasts and distributing them to ITunes, Spotify, etc)Today's intro music: "This Little Light of Mine", by E's Jammy Jams.

Behind the Scenes

I considered not recording this episode. And after I recorded it, I considered not posting it. And after posting it, I thought seriously about pulling it down. There are some things that are true, and right, and need to be talked about -- but that doesn't necessarily mean I want to be the one doing the talking. In fact, in this particular case, I'd just as soon leave it to someone else. But that's the problem: no one else is discussing this. Two hundred years ago, this was a fairly common topic in churches and pulpits. But I doubt you've heard a sermon on this in the last 20 years. Maybe that's part of the problem. Maybe this is a message we have avoided at our own peril. So, ready or not, it's time to suit up and dig in.Consider yourself warned...

You're Not Going to Like This One (Isa 9)

If Christianity is true -- I mean really, actually, capital "T" True -- how should that impact your heart? What would your life look like if you genuinely believed it all? Can you articulate the life-changing benefits of belonging to Jesus? Recently, I had the opportunity to have that conversation with someone, and in this episode, I'd like to try to express some of my answers to those questions.

Make Your Case

Some passages of Scripture can become so familiar to us (especially those that we hear every holiday season) that they are at risk of losing their impact in our hearts. It is my prayer that Isaiah's famous "Christmas prophesy" might be rescued from such a fate, because it is truly one of the most astounding portraits of our Savior in all of the Bible.

Unto Us A Child (Isaiah 9)

What is the first thing you do in the morning? When the snooze alarm is finally silenced, what is the first thing that you've got to get into your system? Because, whatever it is, it says a lot about you as a man -- about your character, about your values, about what really matters to you. Which is why I find this early morning picture of our Savior so captivating. So grab a cup of coffee, open up to the book of Mark, and take the next few moments to see what really mattered to the Messiah.

While it was Still Dark (Mark 1:35)

AW Tozer once wrote, "Come near to the holy men and women of the past and you will soon feel the heat of their desire after God. They mourned for Him, they prayed and wrestled and sought for Him day and night, in season and out, and when they had found Him the finding was all the sweeter for the long seeking." Today, I'd like to spend a few minutes drawing near to one of those holy men of the past: Listen to the words of King David as he describes what his soul felt like when it had lost the vital connection it was designed to depend upon. He wrote, in Psalm 63, that the isolation and loneliness that comes from being disconnected from intimacy with God reminded him of the desperate drudgery of living in a hot, dry desert. Thankfully, he also left behind some clues to help the rest of us in our desperate efforts to quench our own thirsty souls.

Quenching a Parched Thirst (Ps 63)

Where do you go when life gets dark? When your boat gets shaken in the storm, what's your go-to source for stabilizing truth? There are a lot of voices in our media-saturated world that contend for our attention, and there is no end of counselors on the book-racks offering us their advice. But in our continuing sojourn through the prophesies of Isaiah, the ancient sage reminds us that there is only one Book -- God's Word -- that deserves our deepest trust. The decision to bury it deep in our soul is more crucial than we can possibly imagine. Because if the dark waves haven't hit you yet... they are most certainly coming!

Cling to the Book (Isaiah 8)

With the fate of the nation hanging in the balance, King Ahaz was given the opportunity of a lifetime: Isaiah offered to give him a miraculous sign to prove that God could be trusted in his darkest hour. Ahaz chose poorly. What's at stake in your faith test?

Faith in Immanuel (Isaiah 7, part 2)

A clarion call to the men of God in the TriCities and beyond. This ministry exists to challenge and inspire you, and to light a torch of holy fire within your heart, that you might serve and love the Lord God Almighty with all the passion of a warrior.

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Godly Passion, Holy Flame

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