Buzz King: Grace & Joy thru Scripture

They were astonished

Sat, 07 Mar 2026 19:00:00 -0700

I once saw John Wayne in a fancy mens store. I was a boy, and was with an older volunteer who was buying clothing for a kid whose family had no assets. We look at her bold behavior. We consider several passages from the Bible that all tell us how we should behave when living out our faith. We see that this volunteer, this older woman, truly followed the instructions of God as she approached John Wayne.

Paul's "Poem": A Christian Creed for Today

Sat, 28 Feb 2026 19:00:00 -0700

A very successful man who was in the hospital in great pain reminded me of an important Bible passage about humility: the apparent Creed that we think Paul inserted into his letter to the believers at Philippi. We consider Creeds in general, like the Apostles and the Nicene, and then look at this beautiful, rhythmic passage of Paul's. We then consider why Paul's poem might be a much better Christian Creed for today.

By Paths We Have Not Known

Sat, 21 Feb 2026 19:00:00 -0700

Years ago, when I had an as-yet untreated corneal disease, I had very limited vision. I once accidentally stepped into a coffee cart line in a hospital lobby, and without meaning to, cut off a number of people. I got yelled at loudly - and felt both angry and embarrassed when the woman who yelled at me didn't seem to care that I couldn't see well. We look at a few quotes, from Deuteronomy, Isaiah, and Ecclesiastes, that have to do with how we treat others, how God looks after us, and our duty to take care of other people - and to see things from their perspective. There was another, very real reason why I had no business being unhappy with this woman.

A Vision from God: The palace will not be for man

Sat, 07 Feb 2026 19:00:00 -0700

When I was a boy, the cross on the top of my church was covered with gold leaf. We consider the First Temple, Solomon's Temple, which King David declared "will not be for man". We consider an amazing vision of the Prophet Ezekiel: a valley of dried and disconnected bones rising up and reforming the lost people of God. We consider the result of the gold leaf being put on the cross of my childhood church by a person who was honoring himself and not God - and the greater issue of God speaking to us, sometimes very dramatically and sometimes very quietly.

A Man Buried in Sand: We ourselves forgive everyone

Sat, 31 Jan 2026 19:00:00 -0700

My wife and I once saw a side-dump trunk tip over and completely bury and crush a car - with a man still inside. It seemed like the perfect example showing that we can die at any time. We look at the Lord's Prayer, its text from the Gospels, what it really meant (as opposed to what we might think it means), and we consider how it relates to us today. We look at the Lord's Prayer as the perfect prayer to offer at any time we are in need - and to offer every single day.

Ezekiel's Poo Bread

Sat, 24 Jan 2026 19:00:00 -0700

When I was a boy we used to look for particularly salacious or gross stories in the Bible and talk about them on the playground at recess. My favorite one is the bread that God orders Ezekiel to bake - by cooking it over human poo. We look at the Old Testament purity laws and what they were really meant to inspire in the People of God. We look at what they mean for us today. We consider how we can be "pure" in the eyes of God - in a spiritual sense.

The (Spiritual) Second Coming: Can we overcome the world?

Sat, 17 Jan 2026 19:00:00 -0700

I once spoke with a young woman who had been badly traumatized in life. She understandably had a jaded feeling about the ability of Christianity to change humanity. We look at two similar stories in the Gospels, about the "Second Coming", or the "Parousia" in Greek. We look at this from the perspective of a spiritual, not a physical, second coming - and what this could mean for those of us who still believe that people could transform this world before Jesus comes again.

Servant Songs: Scriptural Appropriation?

Sat, 10 Jan 2026 19:00:00 -0700

We look at the four famous "Servant Songs" from Isaiah. We also consider Sister Marie, who was one of my boyhood teachers - and what she told me about the use of Jewish scripture and our relationship to the Jewish people. As it turns out, there is strong disagreement between Christians and Jews as to what these "Servant Songs" mean. This leads us to the much bigger question of how to interpret the Bible as a whole.

Every Good and Perfect Gift: What is Faith?

Sat, 03 Jan 2026 17:00:00 -0700

I once met a man who had lost one foot and had just been told he would lost part of his other foot. He had something to say about how this relates to faith. We look at the age old debate of salvation through faith vs. salvation by acts. We consider a bit of a different perspective to try and see if we can find a way out of the seeming conflict. Is there a way to look at faith that does more than conclude that a person with faith will want to live out that faith? Just what does it mean to have faith? Perhaps that tells us what really matters.

And the Sea gave up the dead

Sat, 27 Dec 2025 19:00:00 -0700

A buddy of mine, long ago, once gave me surfing lessons. I grew up near the ocean and was aware of its dangers. Sure enough, my first time on a board, I ended up under water, spinning, trying to discern up from down. We look at the Book of Revelation, specifically how it uses the Sea as a metaphor for the chaos of the world and the power of God. From this we draw the bottom line: the true message of Revelation, written by John of Patmos, based on visions of his from his years of exile on that rocky island.

Christmas Eve: Must we believe in Bethlehem Ephrathah?

Tue, 23 Dec 2025 19:00:00 -0700

I once prayed with a man who was watching his grandmother pass away; she had largely raised him. I prayed for a joyous eternity in the Kingdom. He asked me if the story of Jesus in the New Testament was engineered to match Old Testament prophesy, and therefore, Jesus wasn't really the Messiah promised by the prophets. We consider the classic passage in Micah that predicts a savior born in Bethlehem. We look at the aspects of this prophesy that some say were used to tailor the story of Jesus' birth. We consider the issue of faith, of believing in Jesus, and how questions like this should impact us.

The Temple is Gone: The fragmentation of Faith

Sat, 20 Dec 2025 17:00:00 -0700

I came upon a man at the San Francisco airport who was reading his Bible, studying a passage from the New Testament where Jesus speaks of himself as being a Temple. The man at the airport had had a severe conflict with his brother, another Christian, over a Bible translation, and was wishing that we could, as people of faith, come together as true community. We consider the view that as Christians, we are collectively, like Jesus, the Temple. We look at modern technology, which could be used to create an Internet Temple.

A Man With a Shotgun: The former things have passed away

Sat, 13 Dec 2025 19:00:00 -0700

I once walked into my L.A. apartment to discover a burglar leveling a cutdown pump action shotgun at me. We consider the warnings that God sends our way from time to time, reminding us of our mortality. We know that we will die - that this life is very temporary. Are we ready? We look at the issue not of dying, not of going to Heaven, but of the final End Times, what will happen - how this should change our behavior and our mindset right now on Earth.

I will pour out my Spirit: The slow road to Heaven

Sat, 06 Dec 2025 19:00:00 -0700

I had a student in a class of mine once who had recently been treated for bone cancer in her spine. She was using a cane. She talked to me about faith and Heaven, and the fears she had when she was sick. We discussed the issue of what it means to believe. Today, we look at the Book of Joel, in particular at a passage referenced in Acts that says that all people will one day be able to accept God. This serves as a critical motivational factor for Acts: to fulfill an ancient prophecy. We consider the larger issue of who can believe, what it means to believe, and if there are alternative ways to "believe".

Giving to the Holy Spirit

Sat, 29 Nov 2025 17:00:00 -0700

I once visited a woman who was almost a hundred years old and was about to die. She expressed some sadness that she had not given enough as a Christian. We reflect on the Book of Acts and the common misunderstanding that the early church was somehow rigidly socialist. We consider the real gift we are supposed to give, the gift that does not involve personal assets. We also consider what it means to lose a loved one who is very elderly.

Rivers of Babylon

Sat, 22 Nov 2025 17:00:00 -0700

We look at the very dramatic Psalm 137. It tells of the fall of Babylon and the longing that the exiles have for their holy city and destroyed Temple. We consider two people I met who reacted in very different ways to the feeling they had been harmed by others. We look at why the Babylonian invasion is such a major cornerstone in the history of the Israelites. We consider its use as a metaphor in both the Old and New Testaments. We consider today - and how we should react to betrayal and loss.

Grace: Authenticity, Variations, and Units

Sat, 15 Nov 2025 19:00:00 -0700

We look at the spaghetti and butter sandwiches that I ate as a kid in grammar school. We consider Grace. We look at three issues: first, whether it is a real thing or something invented by us or by New Testament writers; second, different variations or applications of Grace in our lives, and 3, how to measure Grace. We see that this last issue has a lot to do with the butter in those sandwiches.

It's Still a Gift: The Christian as Reprobate

Sat, 08 Nov 2025 17:00:00 -0700

A student once asked me for advice on how he should react to his family, especially his father, who did not approve of him being baptized a Christian. I gave him a lesson that I learned from Acts. In this book, we see "the Way" spread to Jews in Jerusalem and then to Gentiles outward in the Roman Empire. There is a turning point midway through Acts that is carefully engineered by God when the first Gentile, Cornelius the Centurion, is converted. We learn from this what a great gift it is to have faith...

A Branch of Temple Judaism: The Way

Sat, 01 Nov 2025 17:00:00 -0600

I was once toured around Jerusalem by a 12 year-old boy named Yaakov. He showed me many sites, including a number of Christian sites, as he knew I was a Christian. He also talked to me about the evolution from Temple to Rabbinic Judaism - something that is critical to understanding the theological underpinnings of the Book of Acts. We consider this new movement that is called "the Way" in Acts, and we see what it has to do with the end of Temple Judaism.

The Household Plant Prophet: Faith, Perseverance, and Mantras

Sat, 25 Oct 2025 17:00:00 -0600

I once was asked to sit with a Buddhist patient who was passing away. She asked me to recite a mantra with her. We look at the Prophet named Habakkuk. We see that he offers an unusual message for a Prophet. He doesn't simply warn people that God will punish his people for their wayward means. He offers us an upbeat message of hope no matter what happens. We consider prayer, and the relationship between the practice of reciting a mantra and reciting a prayer. We see that both offer peace for someone who is seeking perseverance and calm.

Amos and Corruption: The light of the world

Sat, 18 Oct 2025 19:00:00 -0600

We look at how the grammar school I went to long ago managed to ensure that all people, including the less well off, were given equal justice. We consider Amos, the minor prophet, and the prophet who preached about justice and righteousness. He was from the southern kingdom but preached in the north, all during a time of great prosperity. The book is beautifully written in stunning poetry. We consider the lessons it teaches by examining a number of passages and analyzing them carefully.

Praying in a hospital parking lot

Sat, 11 Oct 2025 19:00:00 -0600

I was once approached in a hospital parking lot to pray with the father and sister of a badly injured young man. We look at the Book of Daniel, and at other Bible passages, where we are told to pray with others and to share our faith with others and to make spiritual decisions with other believers. We see the power of doing this. We learn that just as Daniel was able to do what seemed impossible, by praying with fellow faithful we too can do so much more.

Daniel: Prophesy after the fact or universal lessons?

Sat, 04 Oct 2025 17:00:00 -0600

In 2022, Vladimir Putin did what ancient kings in the Old Testament did: he invaded another nation - and he did it on his own. We look at the Book of Daniel, and how it proports to be about the Babylonian exilic period, but perhaps was written hundreds of years later, when the Jews were fighting the Greek speaking Seleucids. We look at this book and ask the question: Is Daniel simply a prophesy after the fact, or is it something that we should take in a more general context? Was Daniel doing something wrong if he claimed to be writing about a much earlier period, but was doing it for a faith-based reason?

1st Enoch: The corruption of being Godlike

Sat, 27 Sep 2025 19:00:00 -0600

We look at a (very) non-canonical book called 1st Enoch, which tells us the story of the Prophet Enoch, who lived before Noah. (But this was not written until just before the life of Jesus). It tells us about the Watchers, evil angels who create a race of giants on Earth. We see that there was apparently some influence of this book on the New Testament. We consider what this means for us today - especially with respect to how we should live with humility and love. We also look at professor I knew who was quite arrogant and pissed off the queen of his country.

Hating Your Neighbor: the upside of Obediah

Sat, 20 Sep 2025 19:00:00 -0600

I once had a neighbor who kept me up all night with loud rock and roll. Then one day, there was a massive car accident in front of our two buildings. I discovered that just as we see in Obediah, my neighbor apparently had learned a lesson. In Obediah, we see a people called the Edomites who assist the Babylonians in conquering the people of Israel - the neighbors and linguistic cousins of the Israelites. We look at the typical, simplistic theory of Obediah, one that has to do with God's vengeance - and then we look a little deeper.

Classic Cars and Expensive Guitars: Idolatry Today

Sat, 13 Sep 2025 19:00:00 -0600

We consider the progression of idol worship from the Old Testament to the time of Jesus - to today. We also consider a man I met who collected restored classic cars and another man who owned a wall of expensive guitars, but who could no longer play them because he had developed a disability. We consider that question of how we end up like our idols: blind, deaf, and spiritually lifeless.

If you want to know why, read John

Sat, 06 Sep 2025 20:00:00 -0600

My mother believed in miracles - and when I was born very sick, she baptized me herself, because at the time, the Catholic Church taught that unbaptized babies that died went to Limbo. We look at the miracles of Jesus, and how the Synoptic Gospels refer to them as "deeds of power", while John refers to them as "signs". We see that there is a very deep reason why John does this - and we consider how this reveals the very theological nature of the Gospel of John.

I Commit My Spirit: What is biblical truth?

Sat, 30 Aug 2025 17:00:00 -0600

I once spend four hours in the middle of the night with a man who was dying from COPD. A nurse had called me so that he would not die alone. I heard his last words. We look at the final words of Jesus as he was dying, which vary from Gospel to Gospel - significantly. We consider this: Were some of the Gospel authors wrong about Jesus' last words on the cross? Or were their goals something other than the obvious? Were they trying to communicate some greater truth? We consider the bigger issue: what do we mean when we say that the Bible is indeed the truth?

Politics and Religion: Bringing the Kingdom of God to Earth

Sat, 23 Aug 2025 19:00:00 -0600

When I was an academic, I was exposed to a lot of anti-Christian diatribe. Christians, I was told, are corrupt, selfish, and use their faith as a political weapon. We look at the story of King Josiah in the Bible and how some think that he manipulated parts of Scripture, of our Old Testament, to suit his political purposes. We then consider what would happen, what our planet would be like if all political leaders everywhere truly lived like Christ. We also consider what our obligation is as truly sincere believers.

Only a Child Is Innocent: What is Heaven?

Sat, 16 Aug 2025 19:00:00 -0600

I once spent time with a couple who had just lost their only, very young child, their daughter. Like many other people who have lost loved ones, they asked about Heaven. We take a survey of Heaven, looking at the current Evangelical interpretation, and then stepping back and walking through time, from the 100's A.D. to the Middle Ages, to the Renaissance, and to the emergence of the "Social Gospel". Our goal is to see what Scripture tells us about the nature of Heaven, and to consider the highly varied interpretations of Heaven that have emerged from the minds of Christian Theologians. Then we ask the question: What does it all mean?

A Dead Man's Address Book: Go to Hell?

Sat, 09 Aug 2025 17:00:00 -0600

Our conventional notion of Hell is not necessarily what we would derive from reading the New Testament. We look at three somewhat different theories about the nature of Hell - all of them reasonably backed up by the Bible. We also look at my father's father, who ran off when my father was a tiny boy. My father never found his father, although he sought him out his entire life. We see how this relates to the third of the three theories of Hell: Annihilationism, Eternal Punishment, and Restorationism. We also consider why the Bible might deliberately be ambiguous about the nature of Hell.

The Infancy Gospel of Thomas: The boy who kills

Sat, 02 Aug 2025 17:00:00 -0600

The apocryphal Infancy Gospel of Thomas gives us stories about the boy Jesus from the age of 5 to 12 - and it portrays him as precocious at best, and perhaps even evil-minded at worst, as Jesus struggles to understand his powers and his identity. These stories have been widely read since the second century, and ancient manuscripts have been found in many languages. We look at what these stories are, and what they tell us about what ancient Christians thought of the child Jesus. We see what this means for us today, as people raising children, and as adults who, like the apocryphal version of the child Jesus, always have room to grow.

The Garbage People: People of deep faith

Sat, 26 Jul 2025 17:00:00 -0600

There is a Christian community on the outskirts of Cairo, up in the mountains, that is built into a huge cave. The people are called the "Garbage People" by the general population of Cairo because they scratch out a living collecting garbage by hand and sorting it into recyclables. We consider the Gospel of Mark - written by the man who founded the church that became the Coptic Christian Church in Egypt. We consider persecution - faced by the Garbage People - and we consider the need to be giving, faithful people.

The Contortions of the Literalist Believer

Sat, 19 Jul 2025 19:00:00 -0600

I once spoke to a young woman whose father had just died in a bike vs. car accident. She told me that while her father had deep faith, she could not believe the "myths" in the Bible. She read to me from Matthew, about the faithful being able to move mountains. In this episode, we look at some of the Bible stories that are difficult to interpret literally, like the Creation story. We consider why the literalist view is actually harmful and not simply misguided. We consider the depth of the Bible and how a non-literalist view can indeed allow us to "move mountains".

An Angel to Shut the Mouths of Lions

Sat, 12 Jul 2025 19:00:00 -0600

I once spoke to a woman who was struggling to show true empathy for her mother, who was an alcoholic and had given this woman many terrible childhood memories. She felt that there was no way she could care for her now very sick mother - and she wished God could send an angel to come from Heaven and care for her mother for her. We look at angels in the Bible, in particular, in the Book of Daniel. We see God send these heavenly beings to rescue people. We also consider how this woman with the sick mother solved her dilemma of trying to show genuine love for someone she couldn't help but resent.

A Schizophrenic's Flipflop: Luke's parable

Sat, 05 Jul 2025 19:00:00 -0600

I once spoke to a young schizophrenic man who talked to me outside, after it had rained. I was about to sit down on a very wet bench when he did something very kind. We look at the Gospel of Luke, the Gospel that has a number of unique parables in it, including the Good Samaritan. We look at the traditional interpretation, and we look at a more theological interpretation. Then we look at the impact that this schizophrenic man had on me.

Accused of Xenophobia: Be warmed and filled

Sat, 28 Jun 2025 19:00:00 -0600

When I was a professor, I once had a French student accuse me of Xenophobia, of giving her a bad grade simply because she was French. I was quite worried that this could explode into a serious problem, as universities want students to be happy and do not want claims like this making their way into the press. I ended up putting my mother on the phone and letting her talk to this student. The interesting part is that my mother was French. We look at the Book of James. We examine whether it was truly Jesus' kid brother who wrote it, and what it teaches us about dealing with problems, and interacting with people who are suffering.

Off a Small Cliff: To understand and to know God

Sat, 21 Jun 2025 19:00:00 -0600

When I was a young guy, I bought my first car with a steering column lock. It locked up on me - with a key in the ignition - as I was taking a freeway curve at 75 miles an hour. I went off a small cliff. Yes, I said a quick prayer to God. We look at Jeremiah, Isaiah, and a Psalm to learn just what we should be doing with our lives BEFORE we turn to God for help.

One Last Act in the Name of God

Sat, 14 Jun 2025 19:00:00 -0600

I once spoke with a man who had been undergoing treatment for cancer, but who was at the end of effective treatments. It was time to let go, and as he put it, welcome the Kingdom of God. But he had an adult daughter who was going through an extremely difficult time - and he wanted to be there for her. So he had decided to continue treatments so that he could live a bit longer - even though he would suffer. We look at the issue of "theology", what it is, and what it means to truly understand Scripture and what it tells us about God and our relationship to God. We see how this man's understanding of theology ended up impacting his final decision about remaining alive.

Your father who sees in secret: Madeleines for dessert

Sat, 07 Jun 2025 19:00:00 -0600

I picked citrus with migrant workers when I was a boy. They were paid partly by being given food in the field, which they insisted on sharing with me - who wasn't supposed to get any of that food. They also picked the tops of my trees, to keep me safe. We look at the Book of Lamentations, and a passage that focuses on the harsh impact on children as a result of the Babylonian invasion and slaughter. We consider just what it means to be giving, especially to children, and who are most likely to give. We also consider how my mother thanked the men who fed me.

We shall see God

Sat, 31 May 2025 17:00:00 -0600

I once visited a recently retired reverend whose wife had just left him and who was terminally ill with heart disease. We talked about Paul's thorn in his side, and how this reverend was unable to handle the huge thorn in his side. We consider the way that God created us: imperfectly, with imperfect lives. We see that humility is the product of suffering, and that it has a number of major benefits, ones that greatly outweigh the benefit of having our thorn removed.

Speak Up: An OD

Sat, 24 May 2025 19:00:00 -0600

I once got to know a young woman who was an addict and who required a series of high risk surgeries. Because someone slipped her drugs the night before one particular surgery, the outcome was horrific. We look at the Book of the Covenant in Exodus and some words of advice to a new king in Proverbs - and then we consider the issue of how our society does or does not protect vulnerable people.

A Gift Not of this World: An ancient doll stuffed with rice

Sat, 17 May 2025 17:00:00 -0600

My father's father was a burglar in World War I and served in the trenches for two years. He came back home very mentally ill and lived on the street in Quebec for the rest of his life. My dad's mother raised my father alone. When she was close to death, she gave me the only thing she had from her childhood, a cherished possession. In doing so, she taught me a lesson that we see in Paul's writings and in the words of Jesus.

Proselytizing in Prison: Letting our faith see the light

Sat, 10 May 2025 17:00:00 -0600

I once ditched a boring "team building" academic meeting to hang out for a bit with a bunch of jail prisoners. One of them was a man who had been incarcerated for sleeping in the snow on someone's private property. He was planning a Bible study session with the rest of his Christian inmates. In this podcast, we look at Paul, who also proselytized while in prison - and quite successfully. We see what this means when it comes to living not for the things of this world, but for the joy of God's world.

We Are All Ants: Carrying holy crumbs

Sat, 03 May 2025 18:58:00 -0600

Quantum physics tells us that we understand very little about the physical matter that makes up the universe, the way we proceed through time, and the nature of events in the universe. We consider Tony the ant, who lives in an anthill, bringing carrying huge crumbs of unidentifiable organic material back to the anthill. The most important and powerful people who live in this world, who live in the Kingdom of People, are like Tony the Ant when he manages to bring back a piece of pure dark chocolate. It is a blazing success that, in the greater scheme of the universe, is incredibly minor. What truly matters is what we do in the Kingdom of God. We consider what this means, how to accomplish it, and what the Bible says about the way God wants us to live in the anthill.

A Good Name and a Good Website Name

Sat, 26 Apr 2025 19:00:00 -0600

We look at Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, and at how I managed to get BuzzKing.com as my domain. We see that Proverbs and Ecclesiastes both tell us about the importance of having a good name. They also tell us that it is important that we, as believers, remember that we represent the Church at all times. We need to protect our good name - and the good name of the Church. We also see that there comes a time - at death - when all that we might have obtained by corrupting ourselves in this life disappears, and all that is left is our name.

Every Day Is Easter: We can all rise

Sat, 19 Apr 2025 17:00:00 -0600

I once sat with a woman in her nineties who was on comfort care. Her adult children could not be there because they were out of the country, so I was with her. She ended up telling me why she had no fear whatsoever of death - and it had to do with Easter. We take a bit of a biblical survey, looking at both the literal version of the Easter story, and at the more personal side of the resurrection story. We see that getting caught up in defending the resurrection from a scientific perspective misses the true gift of Easter to each of us personally.

The Skull: Faith and Forgiveness

Thu, 17 Apr 2025 19:00:00 -0600

Luke tells us that Jesus died at a place called The Skull, from which we derive the Latin word Calvary. I once saw a skull of a Pueblo Indian. The goal of the display was to show us that the Pueblos ground corn with sandstone, and so when they ate cornmeal, they also chewed on grit, thus wearing down their molars. But to me, the skull reminded me that real people - long dead - once lived in those cave dwellings. Jesus chose his death at The Skull to tell give us the most important advice ever offered humanity, and he backed it up with Old Testament references.

Palm Sunday, to a Kid of Cement and Steel: The donkey as a symbol of peace and royalty

Sat, 12 Apr 2025 19:00:00 -0600

We look at the two times in my life that I have encountered donkeys, once as a boy on the edge of town, and once in Santorini, Greece. These incidents remind me of the two biblical qualities of donkeys, and why this makes the donkey the perfect animal for Jesus to ride into Jerusalem. We also look at why Jesus was not the savior that many people in Jerusalem were hoping for, and this reinforces why he was indeed on a donkey. We look, as well, at the Old Testament prediction of a king on a donkey...

3D Animation: Was Joseph an autistic genius?

Sat, 05 Apr 2025 19:00:00 -0600

I taught 3D modeling and animation at my university. I had a student who apparently was on the autism spectrum, and one day I knocked his notebook computer off his desk onto the floor - and he did not react. We look at a figure from the Old Testament, one of the fathers of the Israelite people, Joseph, who was sold into slavery by his brothers. There is a theory that he was also on the spectrum. We look at what we can learn about faith, forgiveness, and achieving all we can as we strive to serve God and God's people.

The Meeting Place: Riding on three tires and a rim

Sat, 29 Mar 2025 19:00:00 -0600

We look at the construction of the Tabernacle in Exodus - and at a man whom I once drove behind as he bounced along on three wheels and a broken rim. His determination to make his journey, to get to his meeting place, reminds us of where God is truly located, where God lives. We also see that although history has assumed that the Israelites and Jews thought that they had to be in the Temple to be with God, their beliefs were not so different than ours, or of that man throwing up sparks as he drove down Venice Boulevard.

The Sylmar Earthquake: Fish all over the floor

Sat, 22 Mar 2025 19:00:00 -0600

When I was 15, there was an Earthquake that did a lot of damage in Southern California. A fish store that I frequented had all its aquariums land on the cement floor. It was a huge failure, a loss for the owner. We talk about one of the biggest failures in the Bible, Peter denying Jesus after Jesus had wanted him to serve as the rock upon which he would build his church. Peter did rise up, however, and do just that. He overcame his failure. But he was also executed, we believe, for his trouble. We talk about letting God take our failures and turn them into successes - and about letting God decide just what sort of success we will achieve.

Making it to Spain: The Pickpocket

Sat, 15 Mar 2025 19:00:00 -0600

We look at the long-standing mystery of whether Paul the evangelist ever made it all the way to Spain - and we look at Buzz making it to Spain, but hardly behaving the way Jesus would have. We consider the historical data that supports the theory that Paul spread the Word in Spain. We look at what Paul had to say about forgiveness in Romans, the letter to the church he wanted to visit on his way to Spain...

Only one rudder, only one sail

Sat, 08 Mar 2025 19:00:00 -0700

We look at Noah's ark - the story that is eerily similar to older, polytheistic flood stories. We consider the act of God destroying all of humanity, due to its total corruption, but showing enough mercy to allow a remnant to survive. We look at a natural disaster, a much smaller flood, that happened in Colorado, and how such natural phenomena remind us of our vulnerability, our dependency on God. We note that in the flood story, the Ark is engineered by God to very specific details: height, length, width, the number of decks, and what it is to be made out of. But nowhere does God provide what would seemingly be very critical information when making a boat that humans are going to occupy. Why was this information left out?

Voyage au centre de la Terre

Sat, 01 Mar 2025 19:00:00 -0700

My mother identified strongly as French. Thus, when my best friend's mother lent me Voyage to the Center of the Earth to read, she immediately took me to get the real version: the original French. We look at the story of these adventurers and their naivety. We also look at Proverbs, Chapter 2, and a speech to a son by a father, who is trying to teach the son about the importance of gaining wisdom and living the way God wants us to. We see the hidden relationship, as detailed by my friend's mother, between Voyage au centre de la Terre and Proverbs.

A torque wrench is like giving: Gaining Leverage

Sat, 22 Feb 2025 19:00:00 -0700

When I was a boy, my father ran a car shop with a buddy of his I called Uncle John. One day Uncle John taught me about torque wrenches and - more importantly - leverage. We talk in this episode about the reasons that a Christian gives, and the constrains on our practice of giving. We also talk about why giving is very much like the leverage we get from a torque wrench with a very long handle.

Pursued by God and a Turkish Carpet Salesman

Sat, 15 Feb 2025 19:00:00 -0700

Wendy and I were once in Istanbul. We were pursued aggressively by a Turkish carpet salesman who was desperate to make a sale, given their terrible economy. We look at Psalm 23, traditionally used at funerals and memorial services by Christians. But this Psalm is not about saying goodbye to a loved one. We look at what Psalm 23 is truly about - and why it reminds us of this relentless carpet salesman.

From the Old to the New Testament: From Fact to Fiction?

Sat, 08 Feb 2025 19:00:00 -0700

I once had dinner with Sony Bono. I did not write about this dinner contemporaneously and am only now talking about it more than forty years after this occurred. So, I might have some of the details wrong. The Bible is also not a contemporaneous document. There were also some reasons for the authors to twist or exaggerate parts of the story - they were telling us about faith, not about the literal details of ancient history. So what do we make of this? How does this impact our understanding of the Bible and our belief in God?

Dead Corneas: Pouring down a blessing

Sat, 01 Feb 2025 19:00:00 -0700

I have had both my corneas replaced with transplants. My left eye was repaired successfully with one graft, but my right eye proved very problematic. We look at the Israelites returning from exile in Babylon, only to find their farmlands in very poor shape and one oppressor (the Babylonians) replaced with another (the Persians). Malachi tells the People of God that they must be patient, that they must put their full trust in God. I had to live with only one eye working for some time. The Israelites had to live in far greater doubt...

A dead man and only goodness in the City of God

Sat, 25 Jan 2025 19:00:00 -0700

When I was a grad student at USC years ago, I came across a man lying on his back. He appeared to have been killed with a shotgun blast to his chest. We look at the mistake this man made in his life, how he did not learn the lesson of Augustine and of Solomon, and that is to make sure that what we create in life is only good. This leads us to understand why there appears to be a paradox that a good God would somehow create evil.

The Bible and numerology: no safety in numbers

Sat, 18 Jan 2025 19:00:00 -0700

We look at the heavy duty use of numerical symbolism in the Old and New Testaments. We examine specific numbers and what they meant. Then we address the bigger question: why the preoccupation with numbers? What about our preoccupation with things like mathematics, art, and literature? What about our preoccupation with video games and social media? What of this is good? What did God intend? Where do we find safety?

Earning privilege: A wall of boxes

Sat, 11 Jan 2025 19:00:00 -0700

When I was a young guy working in San Francisco as a computer programmer at an insurance company, I decided to do something a bit unethical to help my mother's claims get paid. I made a one character programmer error, though, that would later make me realize that God had been speaking to me. We look at 1st Peter and Romans, and we talk about what it means to truly strive toward perfection, to be like God as much as possible in this life. We also see that society today has even lower standards of morality than when I was a young man.

The New and Improved Testament

Sat, 04 Jan 2025 19:00:00 -0700

When I was in college, I had a friend with a schizophrenic mother. She thought that God had commissioned her to write a sort of new New Testament, or what we cruelly called the "New and Improved Testament". We look at the story of Adam and Eve - and why it is both a clear allegory and a sort of very literal story. We look at why my friend's mother never had to learn the lesson that Adam and Eve failed so badly at learning...

A minor car accident and a serpent

Sat, 28 Dec 2024 17:00:00 -0700

Some years ago, a sixteen year-old from Kansas accidentally slid on the ice and slightly damaged my parked car in Boulder. I had a terrible interaction with his father who angrily blamed his son for being careless. Then some weeks later I got a call from this farmer father... We look at a few Bible passages that tell us about just how a believer should behave. We also look at the issue of how we interpret the Bible.

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Christmas Eve: When was Miguel born?

Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:00:00 -0700

I had a friend when I was a kid. His name was Miguel and he was adopted off the streets of Tijuana. No one knew when he was born. The same is true of Jesus, in truth. We look at the evidence that suggests that Jesus was born on some other day than Dec. 25 - and we look at why we don't care about this...

David and Goliath, and four chalkboards of math

Sat, 21 Dec 2024 19:00:00 -0700

When I was getting my Ph.D. in Computer Science, I had to take an oral exam where I was told to prove a mathematical theorem. It was not the most natural task for me. We look at the story of David and Goliath - and how a determined, faithful man was able to do something that must have surprised many of those around him. We consider how putting full trust in God can enable us to do things we might otherwise not be able to do - and how it can empower us to find the life that God truly wants us to live.

An Advent Message: Singing for the Birth of a Child

Sat, 14 Dec 2024 19:00:00 -0700

We begin by looking at the somewhat scary birth of my wife Wendy's and mine first child. Then, this advent, we look at the birth of Jesus. In this podcast message, we consider Mary's song, from the Gospel of Luke, which praises God for the birth of Jesus and prophesies the important role that Jesus will play in humanity.

A boy named Susie

Sat, 07 Dec 2024 19:00:00 -0700

We look at the story of Ruth and how a young woman gives up any chance of a better life by moving back with her Jewish mother-in-law to Israel, a land that will hold her, Ruth, as a pagan and as inferior. God rewards Ruth, however, for her love and courage. We also look at my father's love of dogs, and a story about an apricot poodle that was left wandering after its owner died by herself in her house.

Listening to the Still, Small Voice

Sat, 30 Nov 2024 19:00:00 -0700

We look at Nazareth, both modern and ancient. We consider why it was almost certainly a holy place. We consider Jesus growing up in this tiny, backwater town - and how it must have influenced him. We consider the prophesy of the Messiah from Nazareth, the savior who would help us listen to that "still, small voice" of God, as described to us in Hebrew Scripture.

The Dangers of Herbivores

Sat, 23 Nov 2024 19:00:00 -0700

When I was a boy, I picked citrus with Mexican migrant workers. The men always looked after the boys. I tell a few stories of their unearned protection, their unearned grace. We look at the transition from the Old to the New Covenants, the suzerain contracts that God has made with his people. We look at the movement from having a sense of debt to God to earning God's acceptance only through faith. We also look at what this means in our everyday lives.

Jerusalem: A Walk with God

Sat, 16 Nov 2024 19:00:00 -0700

We look at the city and history of Jerusalem, from its ancient beginnings, several millennia ago, to the time of Christ, to now. We consider the people who pilgrimaged there from all over the Roman Empire, so that they could visit God's city, and visit the home of God, the Temple. We consider what this means to us today and to the nature and to future of our faith.

Fig Trees and Pumpkin Vines

Sat, 09 Nov 2024 19:00:00 -0700

I was quite the kid gardener as a boy. Once, I planted pumpkin seeds - a lot of them - in my parents' front yard. It did not turn out well. We look at the story of the withered fig tree, the money changers at the Temple, and the power of prayer. We see what it has in common with the pumpkin seeds. We see that Mark and Matthew tell different versions of the fig tree/money changers/prayer story - and we consider what this means.

The New Gnostics

Sat, 02 Nov 2024 19:00:00 -0600

I was once at the hospital, with an elderly man who was holding the hand of his dying wife. He had been the founder of an electronics firm that made advanced computer components. He said that computers were the most dangerous invention ever. He expressed, in a more aggressive fashion, that our modern addiction to digital information, in the form of videos, web pages, social media, texts, etc., and our belief that Google can truly enlighten us, is leading us to a new age of Gnosticism. We consider the history of Gnosticism, and what we need today to regain our natural, pure relationship with the true source of spiritual knowledge.

The differing yet consistent stories of Jesus

Sat, 26 Oct 2024 19:00:00 -0600

When I was a boy, someone stole a shotgun from a police car - and the only witnesses were kids who all described the thief very differently. We use this as a sort of "negative" analogy and consider the four Gospels of Jesus and what we should think of their differing stories about Jesus, the way they differ in the order of events, and their somewhat different foci. Is this a problem - or is this actually a good thing?

Our Creeds and a Rat

Sat, 19 Oct 2024 19:00:00 -0600

We look at two ancient prayers that are very similar - both are called "Creeds". We consider why they were written, what they mean, and how they differ. We look at the broader issue of differentiating mechanical beliefs from a deep seated, personal, holistic notion of faith and what it means to emulate Jesus. We also consider a very large rat that was living in my garage.

Wearing that Millstone

Sat, 12 Oct 2024 19:00:00 -0600

My father's father served in the trenches in World War I - and came home very mentally ill. He proceeded to abandon his family and live on the street (in Quebec) - and commit violent crimes. We look at the millstone metaphor of Jesus'. He told us that it was better to put a millstone around our necks and jump into the sea than draw someone away from a life of faith. We'll look at this story, at Capernaum (where ancient Israel made massive millstones and where Jesus was speaking from), and at why my grandfather thought that he was living by this lesson.

Waiting for Wings like Eagles

Sat, 05 Oct 2024 19:00:00 -0600

We consider a passage from Isaiah - from three different translations. We focus on one word from Hebrew that is translated alternately as "wait", "trust", and "hope". Which translation is correct? We decide which is the best translation, and from this, we determine that there is a huge lesson in this passage about how Christians should live their daily lives. It tells us what to do when nothing seems to be happening, when God does not seem to be active in our lives. It gives us an opportunity to use our time in the most fruitful and faithful way possible.

Washing feet: The Depth and Nuances of Scripture

Sat, 28 Sep 2024 19:00:00 -0600

We look at the Gospel of John, the thoughtful, literary Gospel, from which we derive much of what we believe. We see that Scripture can be very subtle and can be filled with double entendres. Looking at the foot washing scene in John as a primary example, we consider the depth and the nuances that are often missed by modern readers of English translations of the Bible. We see just how magnificent of a gift is Scripture.

A Messenger in the maze

Sat, 21 Sep 2024 19:00:00 -0600

We look at a book that most Christians are not that familiar with - Malachi. He is "the Messenger" from God who tells us that God will refine us like gold and silver. We look how God works to refine us, largely by building our confidence that we can indeed live as godly, good people. We consider what we as Christians look to as our leader through life. We don't have a prophet like Malachi as our Messenger. Who do we have?

Logos: We Are the Face of God

Sat, 14 Sep 2024 19:00:00 -0600

We look at the word "logos" ("λόγος") in the Bible. We look at its true, deep meaning, a meaning that is very difficult for a non-Greek speaker to appreciate. We discover that translating this word correctly and looking at the magnificent, poetic intro to the Gospel of John, we learn about our role as the faithful, the reason Jesus came to us, and what we can find in the face of God.

Rendering

Sat, 07 Sep 2024 19:00:00 -0600

We look at rendering of 3D wireframe images inside a computer into 2D, simulated 3D full color video. We draw an analogy of God rendering us from empty wireframes devoid of color and life into full color living human beings who have been forgiven. We consider Psalm 116, which notes God has rescued the Psalmist from Sheol or Hades, and which asks how the psalmist can render an appropriate act of thankfulness to God. Finally, ask what we can do today to render our thanks to God.

Yeshua, there's a pork in my shoe!

Sat, 31 Aug 2024 19:00:00 -0600

The title of this podcast comes from something my boy, who is 32, said when he was 3. We're going to look at the derivation of the name "Jesus", and learn some intriguing things about it. This will help us understand a parallel between the story of the conquest of Canaan with the story of Jesus. It will teach us something about language. It will also teach us something about what really matters on this Earth.

Faith on the Silk Road

Sat, 24 Aug 2024 19:00:00 -0600

For a millennia and a half, the Silk Road provided a vast avenue of exchange for trading commercial products, carrying on philosophical discussion and for the transmission of faith. We look at how this might have impacted the development of Christianity. We also look at the new Silk Road - the Internet, and we consider its positive and negative impacts on Christian faith.

The Gospel of the Holy Spirit

Sat, 17 Aug 2024 19:00:00 -0600

We look at the Book of Acts of the Apostles - which is very inappropriately named - and how it tells us of the incredible missionary journey of the Holy Spirit. We learn of the immensely deeper and inspiring sense that the earliest believers had of the Holy Spirit, compared to our modern notion. We see that we do not have to wait for Jesus to return, as the Holy Spirit is already alive, within us. We see just what the Holy Spirit can do to our lives.

The Grateful Dead

Sat, 10 Aug 2024 19:00:00 -0600

We look at the apocryphal book, the Book of Tobit. It is a wild tale in which a man marries a woman who has had seven previous bridegrooms die before the marriage was consumated, a man is blinded by bird crap, and an angel disguises himself as a man. It is also a tale that tells us just what it means to be a Christian. We will also look at how the Grateful Dead apparently named their band...

The truth about our creation myth

Sat, 03 Aug 2024 19:00:00 -0600

We look at the Genesis story of creation: many call it a useless myth, and say that we need to focus on the real, scientific way in which we came into existence. We see that there is tremendous truth in the Creation Story, and that in it we see the most critical facts about why we exist and what we are meant to do on this planet. We discover that the myth is truth.

(THIS IS A REPOST. THE ORIGINAL SOUND FILE BECAME CORRUPTED.)

Corrupted in the place of honor

Sat, 27 Jul 2024 19:00:00 -0600

I once had a student in one of my university courses come to my office after not having done any work all semester. Without asking if anything was wrong, I launched into a professorial lecture about how he should have been doing what I told him to do if he wanted a decent grade, and no, I would not give him an incomplete. He would fail. He broke down sobbing - and I learned that something very bad was indeed wrong in his life. We look at the parable of the man who insists on sitting at the seat of honor at a banquet. We look at what it means to live by one of the core beliefs of being a Christian, and that is to be humble.

A place of joy and regeneration

Sat, 20 Jul 2024 19:00:00 -0600

I once drove to Mexico with my half-Brazilian father. When we drove back over the border, he discovered that he had forgotten to take an ID with him - and of course, he looked like a Mexican. In this podcast, we look at the task of building our church today. We realize that we are judged in very superficial ways - as I was afraid my father would be. We are seen as ignorant and hurtful. They see our church as coming to an end, with no revival possible. But God has a much longer and deeper view of reality...

God's grace can protect

Sat, 13 Jul 2024 15:36:00 -0600

When I was in kindergarten I decided one day to hitchhike to school. I stood on the sidewalk with my thumb out. Quickly, someone did indeed pick me up. We look at God's grace and how it can protect us, both spiritually and physically. We consider the issue of what our role is in God being able to use his grace to keep us from harm and to limit evil in this world.

The wedding banquet that matters

Sat, 06 Jul 2024 19:00:00 -0600

I once spoke with a woman who was dying from heavily metastasized cancer. She was worried that she would miss her daughter's wedding. I talked to her about the wedding that really matters, the one that both she and her daughter would be at - the wedding from the parable Jesus told. In this parable, the wedding stands for the final judgement. We look at the way Christians need to be confident that they will get an invitation to this wedding and that they will be honored guests.

God's Grace: ultimate power

Sat, 29 Jun 2024 19:00:00 -0600

I had an aunt who owned a pet ocelot. One night, a man with a gun tried to rob her. That ocelot loved my aunt beyond anything in the world. The ocelot bit off the robber's forearm. God is that kind of protector for us. We do not have to earn that protection with good works. Our faith is enough to ensure that God will always be with us. We look at a couple of the letters of Paul to see just what God's grace - that unearned grace, given through faith alone - can do to transform us.

A Covenant of Grace

Sat, 22 Jun 2024 19:00:00 -0600

We look at one of the biggest complaints about the Bible: the brutal massacre of the Canaan people, ordered by God. We take a historical perspective on the Bible, when, by whom, and how it was written. We consider the Canaan story in this historical context. We also look at a buddy of mine who got shot by a farmer with a shotgun. Our goal is to figure out not just the reason for this violent story, but also who we, as Christians are today.

Allies and enemies?

Sat, 15 Jun 2024 19:00:00 -0600

We look at a major issue in our society today: the insistence that people are either our allies, that they completely buy into our priorities and stand side by side with us as soldiers - or they must be considered enemies. We consider a man whom I knew as a boy, a man who married a woman with 7 young children. This man did not live that way. He looked for the good in people. He looked to improve himself. He was a man of faith who walked in the Kingdom of God, and was not trapped in the Kingdom of this world.

The spurious story

Sat, 08 Jun 2024 19:00:00 -0600

We look at a story that was apparently inserted after the fact in the Gospel of John: the story of the adulterous woman. We discover that it is a very complex, multi-faceted story that requires great study. The Pharisees want to stone the woman to death. Jesus writes in the dirt and mysteriously, the Pharisees slither away. Why did they do this? What are the various explanations for this passage? Why should we be glad the story did make its way into the Gospel? And where did the story originate, anyway?

The Lord holds us by the hand

Sat, 01 Jun 2024 19:00:00 -0600

When I was a young man working as a computer programmer in a subbasement office, I met a man who had been badly maimed by a grenade thrown in his tank in World War II. He gave me a perspective of God and our dependence on God that is reflected in a very unusual Psalm - number 37. This Psalm is very much in the Wisdom literature category. It tells us just how God deals with those who do good and those who do evil - and therefore how we should live each day.

He also created the worlds

Sat, 25 May 2024 19:00:00 -0600

The opening of Hebrews tells us about the difference between Old Testament revelation and the revelation of Jesus Christ. The Old Covenant was the ponderous War and Peace, but the New Covenant is the shortest of short stories - and one delivered not by a long series of human prophets, but by the Son of God himself. We look at what that means for us today, in terms of our urgency to live as faithful people. We consider practical things we can do to more fully live our faith today - to live a radiant faith today.

Do not imitate evil

Sat, 18 May 2024 19:00:00 -0600

There is tremendous conflict in the Christian Church in the U.S. and in the world today. We look at a letter called 3 John, the shortest book in the New Testament, by number of words, and we get a glimpse of conflict in the very early Church. We see that even at the very beginning of the Church, conflict like we have today arose. In the letter, we see a man named Diotrephes who is apparently the source of conflict, a man who, because of his anger and his impatience, is imitating evil. We look at this in the context of a conversation that I had with a man who wanted very much to make things right, to make it clear to people from his past that he was no longer a man who stirred up conflict...

The Way of Life and the Way of Death

Sat, 11 May 2024 19:00:00 -0600

The Didache is an Ancient Greek document that perhaps should have made its way into our Bible - but it didn't. It could have been written as early as the year 50 A.D., and it might have been source material for one or more Gospel. It was long lost - until it was rediscovered in the late 1800's. We look at its content: the Didache (the "Teaching") tells us about the Way of Life and the Way of Death, as well as how to organize and maintain a healthy church. It is tightly written and easy to read. We consider its relevance today.

Baptized with the Holy Spirit

Sat, 04 May 2024 19:00:00 -0600

We return to the Book of Acts, and to a man who I spoke with, a man who was about to find out if he had cancer. We look at a very powerful theme in the Book, but something that is often overlooked: our ability, if we accept the gift, to be baptized with the Holy Spirit. We see what it did, not just to the Apostles and to Paul, but to ordinary volunteers who worked with the Great Evangelists. We learn how our lives can be radically changed.

Putting teeth in the Two Great Commandments

Sat, 27 Apr 2024 19:00:00 -0600

We study the Torah - and consider the often talked about issue of it teaming with ridiculous laws, such as not being allowed to wear clothing made of two different materials, like linen and wool. In truth, we discover some very demanding - but valuable - laws, ones that push us way beyond the norms of our nation. We see what it means to put some real teeth in the two great commandments of Jesus, to love God with all our hearts, minds, and souls, and to love our neighbor accordingly.