Counting The Cost Episodes

This podcast is responding a listener request about reincarnation. During the discussion, we learned a number of things. While addressing the issue of reincarnation, we also found out the following, and I have a feeling this is more common among professed Christians than you might think. These statements are telling. I find it really difficult to read the Bible; it’s just too hard to understand. I’m a good person. I think all people end up in heaven. Bad people come back reincarnated to learn th...

On our Red-Letter journey, we just stepped onto the ground of Matthew 24. This is where many modern wannabe prophets will hang their hat and create grandiose predictions about raptures and end times and date setting and all that. Spoiler alert, we are not trying to figure out when the end of the world will come. I think about this when people ask me why I don't want to go there. First, I can't deny that I have gone that. I have. But I think about this as a reason why I don't. I used to work in a...

It was early last night. I thought, I'm not getting anything productive done, I'll just turn in. So I did what I always do. I open my Bible - just where we left off on our Red-Letter journey. We are on the Temple court still early in Passion Week (most likely still Monday). A couple of Greeks ask a question that would keep me up for the next three hours. Not because of what they asked, but because of how Jesus responded...and how God responded. Notes for The Glory of Jesus is the Glory of God Ep...

Part of me wants to be offended by the question that James and John asked Jesus. Another part of me admires them for having the kahunas to do it! But then, they had to get their mother to do the asking. That's kind of weak for two grown men. I'm jesting a little here. This can be a pretty provocative section of scripture to the reader but after meditating on it a bit, the thought that occurred to me was that Jesus did say to Ask anything, and it would be granted. This is a great example of how t...

I think we can approach the rich young ruler as something that doesn't apply to me. That would be a mistake. The issue isn't wealth. The issue is dependence. What are you dependent on? Those things, by definition are idols. Some admittedly, are easy to give up. Others look like lifelong addictions. Whatever it is that you're holding on to is at some level, dependency. The amazing irony that we all must face and there is no such thing as independence. If you can't give it up, given the choice bet...

During the Red-letter journey, we encountered the Thomas. It occurred to me that we didn't know much about Thomas except this one phrase that has lingered through history - "Doubting Thomas". When Jesus is ready to turn back toward Judea, in the face of imminent danger - Thomas stands up and basically says to the other disciples: If He's going to face death, we're all going with Him. It's worth taking a deeper look at Thomas and reframing his legacy. https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/j25gsatzrmdhd...

Have you been to Chick-Fil-A lately? Those long lines! Or see what happens at the general admission doors at a concert for your favorite artists! What you might not see is that the guests of that artists don't have to deal with that! Have you attended a sports event recently? The closer you get to the players, the higher the cost of the seats. We don't even hide it anymore! We've commercialized it. This is exactly what Jesus is addressing in Luke 14:7-14. And maybe it's just me but is it really ...

Luke 14:25–33 stands among the most penetrating and demanding teachings of Jesus. After decades of studying this concept (not always in the Bible - I lived most of my adult life as an atheist), its weight still presses deeply, not because the English is startling or abrupt—though it is—but because the concepts Jesus sets forth cut to the very structure of human existence. The pivotal realization is this: Scripture permits no such thing as a “free spirit.” The notion of the untethered, self-gover...

How does your discipleship look? Are you seeing comfort in your relationship? Are you holding back until such a time when you'll have enough time to be fully committed. Are you straddling your commitments to the world and your commitment to Christ. Three seeming very reasonable requests to follow Jesus are rejected by Him. How would you fare? Notes to Commitment Episode Link: https://www.rabbitholesandmeditations.com/commitment-vs-seeking-comfort-putting-things-off-holding-on-to-your-world/

There's a subtle lesson I'm slowly beginning to learn. Start your day in scripture and the rest of your day will follow you. Start your day in the world, in your email inbox, on your phone or social media and you're the follower! Today, we started in a very well-known passage. Peter has just confessed Jesus as the Messiah but his understanding of what that means led to one of Jesus' sharpest rebukes in the Bible: "Get behind me Satan". Even the reader, and certainly Petere, might stagger in bewi...

We just left Caesarea Phillipi where Peter proclaimed Jesus as the Messiah. Shortly after this, Jesus has a discussion to let His disciples know what MUST now happen. It is news the disciples are not quite ready for... though I can't imagine there ever being a good time to bring this up! We walk through this short passage in Matthew 16:21-23, Mark 8:31-33 and Luke 9:22 and then try to empathize with how the disciples would have received the news. We piece together what they had been taught from ...

Matthew 7:13–14 (ESV) “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” Did you ever want to dig deeper into this passage? Here's your chance. This presents a very sobering view for every Christian and every person that identifies as Christian. I know that Jesus says the road is difficult. But for me, while it is in some w...

This is convicting for a lot of Americans... but it doesn't have to be. God doesn't deny you your wealth. The question isn't about your money but what is it that you're relying on? Notes to Heavenly Retirement https://www.rabbitholesandmeditations.com/heavenly-retirement/