064 Abraham: The Judgment

Sodom and its sister city, Gomorrah, controlled a lush, fertile valley through which the Jordan River ran. These two population centers were the economic hub for everything at the south end of the valley.

063 Abraham: The Intercession

God brought His friend, Abraham, into His confidence. The outcry against the repulsive depravity of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah had reached the point where God chose to step in. The time for judgment had come.

062 Abraham: The Visitors

Three visitors showed up at Abraham’s tent one day, and one of them….was God.

061 Abraham: The Covenant

of trust by leaving his hometown of Ur. Over 10 years since the Lord had promised Abram many offspring. He is now 85 years old and Sarai, his wife, is 75…yet the promise of an heir was still unfulfilled.

060 Abraham: The Rescue

Genesis 14 would make an exciting action movie. It contains all the elements necessary: a riveting plot, villains, a hero, strategy, swordplay, and acts of daring.

059 Abraham: The Choice

After Abraham settled in Canaan, God blessed him financially. The Bible says he was “very wealthy.” And he shared that abundance with his nephew, Lot.

Dave DeSelmJanuary 23, 2022Abraham, Abram, Sarah, Sarai, faith, trust, trusting God, journey of trust, journey of faith, Father of Faith, father of faith, who do you trust, Canaan, promised land, Bethel, Lot, greed, quarrels, relationships, relational breakdown, unityComment

058 Abraham: The Compromise

Self-protection is one of the strongest of human instincts and sometimes drives us to do foolish things. That’s exactly what happened to Abraham in his journey of learning to trust God.

Dave DeSelmJanuary 16, 2022Abraham, Abram, Sarah, Sarai, faith, trust, trusting God, journey of trust, journey of faith, Father of Faith, father of faith, who do you trust, Canaan, compromise, salvation, promised land, Egypt, lying, deceit, coping mechanism, control, manipulation, famines, famine, Bethel, repentanceComment

057 Abraham: The Call

Abraham’s journey of trust began in the Mesopotamian city of Ur, one of the greatest cities of the ancient world. It was a city of great wealth and culture.

Dave DeSelmJanuary 9, 2022Abraham, Abram, Sarah, Sarai, faith, trust, trusting God, journey of trust, journey of faith, Father of Faith, Hebrews 11, father of faith, who do you trust, Ur, Haran, Canaan, compromise, salvation, promised landComment

056 Abraham: The Journey

The extent that you trust God will be the key determiner for how you navigate your life. This is true no matter where you are along the spiritual spectrum – whether you’re a skeptic, a seeker, or a Christ-follower.

Dave DeSelmJanuary 2, 2022Abraham, Abram, Sarah, Sarai, faith, trust, trusting God, journey of trust, journey of faith, Father of Faith, Hebrews 11, father of faith, who do you trustComment

055 The Gift

We don’t know a lot about the Magi. They were from the East, probably ancient Persia. And they apparently had education, wealth, and status.

Dave DeSelmDecember 26, 2021Christmas, Magi, Wise Men, the wise men, gift, John 3:16, God gave His Son, Jesus, birth of Jesus, salvation, freely you have received, freely give, give to others, be the giftComment

054 Fear Not: Overcoming Fear

Three times in the Christmas narrative, angels appear to people bringing what would seem to be news of hope and promise. But each time they begin their tidings with these words: Don’t be afraid.

Dave DeSelmDecember 19, 2021fear, fear not, do not be afraid, don't be afraid, Don't be afraid, Christmas, Mary, Joseph, shepherds, It's too big for me, What will people think, Things will never change, surrender, trustComment

053 Fear Not: Moving Beyond Fear

Fear and worry are endemic in our culture. Whether it’s TV news, social media, our upbringing, or our genetics, it seems we are being conditioned to fear.

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052 Fear Not: The Cost of Fear

There’s a particular phrase that’s repeated over and over again in the Christmas story. It’s said to Mary, to Joseph, and to the shepherds. “Do not be afraid.”

Dave DeSelmDecember 5, 2021fear, fear not, do not be afraid, don't be afraid, Don't be afraid, Christmas, angels, identity in Christ, joy, fear robs joy, Joshua and Caleb, 12 spies, Numbers 13Comment

051 Pray First: Lifting Our Eyes

Psalm 121 begins, “I lift up my eyes…” A common expression in Hebrew Scriptures. It means to notice something, to become aware of the possibilities, to have your attention grabbed. Sometimes it’s a good thing that gets our attention. But sometimes it’s a difficult thing.

Dave DeSelmNovember 28, 2021prayer, pray first, intercession, pray for others, God listens to our prayers, pray, worry, anxiety, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Psalm 121Comment

050 Pray First: Open Doors and Opened Hearts

The Apostle Paul knew full well the power that could be unleashed when someone determined to really pray. That’s why in Colossians 4, he exhorted those believers to become passionate, persistent pray-ers.

Dave DeSelmNovember 21, 2021prayer, pray first, intercession, pray for others, God listens to our prayers, pray, pray for lost people, Mark Bubeck, Kenya, Bob prays for KenyaComment

049 Pray First: Because Someone Prayed

I’d like to tell you about someone. His name isn’t important. His gender is irrelevant (in fact we don’t know whether this someone was a “he” or a “she”). There’s no reason to think that this someone was a person of great significance. The reason why this person is important isn’t because of who they were, but because of what they did.

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048 Faith and Doubt: Living in the Tension

A young man once asked me, “If believing in God is such a big deal to him, why doesn’t God make himself more obvious?”

Dave DeSelmNovember 7, 2021faith, doubt, faith and doubt, belief, unbelief, leap of faith, uncertainty, humility, Jesus, apologeticsComment

047 Faith and Doubt: The Resurrection Factor

As we wrestle with issues of Faith and Doubt, the question that all of us must answer is: Who is Jesus? Is He who He said He is – the Son of God and Savior of the World? The answer to that question rises and falls on one single event: the Resurrection.

046 Faith and Doubt: Legend, Liar, Lunatic, or Lord

For many people, in this age of pluralism and tolerance, that any single religion would lay claim to exclusively being the truth – well, that is...intolerable. And it has resulted in deep doubts about Christianity.

Dave DeSelmOctober 24, 2021faith, doubt, faith and doubt, belief, unbelief, leap of faith, uncertainty, humility, Jesus, Jesus is Lord, legend, liar, lunatic, Lord, C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, pluralism, Jesus is the way to GodComment

045 Faith and Doubt: The Gift of Uncertainty

The Old Testament character of Job has become the poster child for pain, loss, and suffering. But though we’ve heard of Job and have felt sorry for Job, very few of us have ever considered what experiencing all that hardship did for Job.

Dave DeSelmOctober 17, 2021faith, doubt, faith and doubt, belief, unbelief, leap of faith, valley, John the Baptist, Job, uncertainty, valley of Baca, valley of tears, humilityComment

FINAL EPISODE

FAITH, SUFFERING, AND HOPE

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