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God‘s story is the story of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. But it‘s also humanity‘s story, the story of a world fallen and blown apart and of a world reshaped and restored. It‘s the beginning of all beginnings and the end of all ends. Join Brent Siddall and the Rev Ian ‘Reido‘ Reid as they explore God, time, salvation and the cosmos. Explore the stories of Western culture as they pivot and interact with the main narrative of salvation history.
Episodes
Apr 9, 2022
Apr 9, 2022
23 min
What makes people lonely and what we can do about it?
Susan Mettes is a behavioural scientist with extensive experience conducting research for faith-based organizations including Barna Group, Thrivent Financial and World Vision.
‘The Loneliness Epidemic – Why So Many of Us Feel Alone – and How Leaders Can Respond’ is published by Brazos Press, a division of the Baker Publishing Group. .
- (1:30) Has the Covid Pandemic actually increased loneliness?
- (2:11) How we define loneliness;
- (3:30) Research on loneliness;
- (4:41) How researchers measure loneliness;
- (5:33) Why Christians in the States find loneliness embarrassing;
- (7:30) The New Zealand statistics;
- (8:16) Are some countries lonelier than others?
- (10:16) Do we need loneliness from time to time?
- (11:25) A ‘friendship’ crisis;
- (12:51) The church has a loneliness problem;
- (13:52) What the church can do about loneliness?
- (17:11) Social media impact on loneliness;
- (18:53) How we can protect ourselves from loneliness;
- (21:15) A cure for loneliness?
Links mentioned in this episode:
The Loneliness Epidemic: Why So Many of Us Feel Alone-and How Leaders Can Respond
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Apr 6, 2022
Apr 6, 2022
28 min
Is the God of the Old Testament angry, sexist and racist?
David Lamb is the Allan A. MacRae Professor of Old Testament and Dean of Faculty at Missio Seminary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His book, ‘God Behaving Badly: Is the God of the Old Testament Angry, Sexist and Racist?' is published by IVP America.
- (0:57) Is the God of the Old Testament really angry, sexist and racist?
- (2:01) Some of the negative perceptions of the God of the Old Testament;
- (3:50) Tension between divine love and divine anger;
- (6:46) God’s anger tied up with God’s holiness;
- (8:32) The God of the Old Testament is no different from the God of the New Testament;
- (10:20) Jesus’ perceptions of the Old Testament;
- (11:40) The ‘progressive’ aspects of the Old Testament;
- (14:17) The significance of Jesus’ foreign ancestors;
- (17:33) The extent to which the Old Testament speaks of women as ‘godlike’;
- (19:37) The Canaanites.
Links mentioned in this episode:
God Behaving Badly: Is the God of the Old Testament Angry, Sexist and Racist?
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Apr 2, 2022
Apr 2, 2022
27 min
Brent and Ian discuss the three main topics in Hebrews 13: Sex, money and acceptance.
- (2:10) Hebrews as a warning;
- (3:12) Chapter 13 as a summary;
- (3:59) Brotherly love, hospitality and the suffering church;
- (4:15) Sex, money and acceptance;
- (6:20) Sex as an idol;
- (7:06) How money can divert our attention;
- (8:34) Contentment;
- (10:51) How we should treat our church leaders;
- (13:37) Acceptance. The ways we live for a different reality;
- (15:28) A sacrifice of praise and a sacrifice of doing good;
- (16:35) Respect for leaders and leading by example;
- (20:30) A doxology.
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Mar 30, 2022
Mar 30, 2022
29 min
Have you ever wondered how God is present and working in ordinary, everyday places?
Tim Muehlhoff is a Professor of Communication at Biola University in La Mirada, California, and his book, ’Eyes to See: Recognizing God's Common Grace in an Unsettled World' is published by IVP America.
- (0’56) What common grace is;
- (1:59) Why we don’t recognize common grace;
- (4:11) Why God doesn’t always answer our prayers in the way we expect;
- (6:43) Do non-Christians get more common grace than Christians?
- (7:00) How common grace can help those who question God;
- (8:59) Invention of penicillin;
- (11:32) Why God choose to work through common grace;
- (13:00) God mentoring humanity;
- (14:08) Common grace in the Covid pandemic;
- (17:15) How common grace restrains violence;
- (18:48) How the arts have demonstrated common grace;
- (22:00) Communication as a form of common grace;
- (23:49) The human immune system and common grace;
- (26:25) God’s foreknowledge and common grace.
Links mentioned in this episode:
Eyes to See: Recognizing God's Common Grace in an Unsettled World
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Mar 26, 2022
Mar 26, 2022
30 min
Brent talks with Chantal Giorgini about her new book from Castle Publishing in New Zealand called ‘Hope in the Storms – When Faith Can Move Mountains’.
Do the storms of life threaten to overtake you? Whereabouts is God in the storm?
- (0:41) How Chantal’s life has been characterised by storms;
- (2:15) How God is faithful through our storms;
- (3:57) How God is busy in the background of our lives;
- (6:00) God never gives us situations we can’t handle;
- (7:00) Why God allows storms in our lives;
- (8:40) Chantal’s early life and abuse;
- (9:50) How Chantal came back to God;
- (11:00) Advice for victims of abuse. Get a good support network;
- (13:10) Cancer;
- (14:55) Personal experiences of God;
- (16:27) Cancer and writing this book;
- (18:00) Self harm;
- (21:05) Advice about panic and anxiety attacks;
- (23:00) Experience of hospital chaplaincy;
- (24:20) Love in the theatre;
- (28:36) Living with pain.
Links mentioned in this episode:
Castle Publishing, quality Christian and family friendly books
Hope in the Storms - Chantal Giorgini
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Mar 23, 2022
Mar 23, 2022
28 min
Brent talks to John Norsworthy, an Adjunct Lecturer at Faith Bible College, NZ about his new book from Castle Publishing called ‘Why Humility Matters – The radical idea of the practice of humility’.
- (1:10) Why humility is such a radical idea. Definition of humility;
- (4:30) Is the practice of humility distinctively Christian?
- (5:30) Was humility valued in ancient society?
- (6:30) Modern political leaders;
- (7:10) The Greek idea of ‘hubris’;
- (8:30) What successful leadership is. Service;
- (9:00) Humility often the best form of defense;
- (11:40) How does the OT value humility?
- (16:15) How Jesus embodies and demonstrates humility;
- (20:00) How Paul dealt with humility in his letters;
- (21:40) Our position of honor is achieved by the sacrifice of Christ;
- (25:20) How we best practice humility;
Links mentioned in this episode:
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Mar 19, 2022
Mar 19, 2022
33 min
Brent talks to Tom Nelson, the president of ‘Made to Flourish’ a network that seeks to empower pastors to lead churches that produce human flourishing for the common good.
Tom’s new book from IVP America is called ‘The Flourishing Pastor: Recovering the Lost Art of Shepherd Leadership’.
- (0:55) What makes a flourishing pastor;
- (1:13) Is the art of pastoral leadership a lost art?
- (2:30) Why so many pastors burn out;
- (3:00) The celebrity culture in parts of the modern church;
- (6:00) The pressure churches are putting on pastors;
- (7:30) Advice to young pastors in prominent ministries with high visibility;
- (9:30) Pastoral apprenticeships;
- (12:15) Ministry should be a communal experience;
- (14:00) How we form shepherd leaders;
- (15:28) Good leaders need to be good followers;
- (16:46) Pastors as artists;
- (20:00) How to cultivate a flourishing church culture;
- (22:30) Turning a toxic church culture around;
- (26:14) The church and the workplace. Why pastors should equip us for the workplace.
- (30:00) How to navigate ethics in the workplace.
Links mentioned in today’s episode:
Chris Brooks & Tom Nelson 'The Flourishing Pastor: Recovering the Lost Art of Shepherd Leadership'
Made to Flourish | Faith, Work and Economic Wisdom
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Mar 16, 2022
Mar 16, 2022
26 min
Brent talks to Kelly Kapic, a professor of theological studies at Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Georgia about his new book from Brazos Press, ‘You’re Only Human: How Your Limits Reflect God’s Design and Why That’s Good News’.
We find out how our limits reflect God’s design and why that’s good news!
- (0:45) Why should we reflect on our human limitations?
- (1:30) Ways we’re not in control;
- (2:39) How we can face our human limitations;
- (3:52) Anxious children;
- (4:20) Modern life is ‘violent’. Anxiety is an inappropriate relation to time. Anxiety can overwhelm us;
- (5:30) The history of clocks and of time;
- (6:00) Our view of time;
- (8:16) Is God efficient?
- (9:15) How we live in harmony with time;
- (10:00) Cultivating the fear of the Lord. God is near;
- (10:30) The original temptation was to be infinite;
- (12:45) We sometimes view matter as evil;
- (14:00) How we should relate to ourselves with regard to body image;
- (16:50) How does our culture interfere with our ability to be ourselves;
- (18:45) How do we get real with time;
- (20:00) Sleep as a spiritual discipline;
- (21:22) The importance of humility;
- (23:30) Why we should praise God for our limits.
Links mentioned in this episode:
Brazos Press Division Homepage | Baker Publishing Group
Kelly Kapic 'You're Only Human: How Your Limits Reflect God's Design and Why That's Good News'
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Mar 12, 2022
Mar 12, 2022
26 min
Brent and Ian discuss Hebrews chapter 12 verses 14-29
How do we live out the truth of the gospel and persevere in faith?
- (2:00) Living at peace with people. How do we do it?
- (3:25) Is it always possible to live at peace with everyone?
- (4:30) Difficult people in churches;
- (5:30) Holiness is God’s goal for our lives;
- (7:30) Why it’s important to become more like Jesus;
- (9:00) Exercising appropriate anger and still living at peace with people;
- (10:00) Bitterness and immorality;
- (10:52) Bitterness connected to legalism;
- (11:38) What is legalism and what’s lawlessness?
- (13:45) How grace is the antidote for bitterness;
- (15:00) How immorality damages us;
- (19:40) Why we shouldn’t necessarily buy into what our culture tells us;
- (22:00) God as a consuming fire. A warning;
- (27:25) How God’s holiness is consistent with His grace.
Links mentioned in this episode:
Palmerston North - Grace Presbyterian Church of New Zealand
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Mar 9, 2022
Mar 9, 2022
26 min
Brent and Ian discuss Hebrews 12:1-13
Are you struggling to keep believing in Jesus? Are you having trouble keeping going in the Christian faith?
- (1:03) Hebrews is addressed to Christians who are struggling to persevere;
- (3:54) What the writer advises us to do to put our eyes on Jesus;
- (4:30) Running and race imagery in the passage;
- (4:55) What to do with things that are keeping us from Jesus;
- (6:23) Fixing our eyes on Jesus;
- (7:02) Persevering and enduring hardship;
- (10:55) God using suffering for the purpose of discipline;
- (11:20) Why Christians suffer;
- (13:35) The goal of God’s discipline;
- (16:00) We’re being trained for heaven;
- (18:30) How discipline produces a harvest of righteousness and peace;
- (22:35) The Christian race is a team effort;
- (24:20) How pastors can train their churches to run the race.
Links mentioned in this episode:
Palmerston North - Grace Presbyterian Church of New Zealand
Leave some feedback:
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