The Clear & Present Faith Podcast

People living their faith in the every day

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  • Be Generous

    It was a tough spot. I was in my second-to-last semester of college. The lease on my apartment was going to run out in December. With only one semester remaining, I hesitated to sign another one-year lease, not knowing where I would be landing next. A couple who had been longtime family friends, second parents for me to a degree, had an empty room in their home. So, I reached out and asked, “Would you consider letting me rent this room from you for one semester while I finish school?” The answer was “Yes…but…”

    “Yes, we’d be happy for you to come and stay with us; but, you’re not paying rent.” I tried to argue about utilities going up with an extra person in the house, grocery budgets increasing, and let me help with something. And the response was “no” with an encouragement that one day, I might be in a position to be generous – and that’s when I would have the opportunity to pay them back.

    In Luke 3, we see the beginning of John the Baptist’s ministry, preparing the way for Christ. John speaks to the gathered crowd and encourages them to “…produce fruit consistent with repentance” (v. 8). Shortly thereafter, the people ask “What then should we do?” John responds:

    “…The one who has two shirts must share with someone who has none, and the one who has food must do the same.” (v. 11)

    This isn’t the only time in Luke’s writings that we see this dedication to generosity. Shortly after Peter’s sermon on the day of Pentecost when 3,000 were baptized in Acts 2, we read about God’s people being generous with their possessions, “…[holding] everything in common…For there was not a needy person among them because all those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the proceeds of what was sold, and laid them at the apostles’ feet” (Acts 4:32-35).

    Generosity is probably most often associated with physical possessions or money. However, we can be generous in many ways.

    • We can share our time – sometimes a few minutes of a listening ear is more meaningful to someone than any amount of money.
    • We can share our resources – maybe you have a truck and someone needs help picking up a piece of furniture.
    • We can share our abilities – if you’re adept at home improvement projects, maybe you give your services to someone a little less adept.
    • We can share our knowledge – and what better knowledge to share than what we know about our amazing God and His Son. After all, how can people know about Him, unless we share it (Romans 10:14-15)?

    So, this week, I encourage us all to be generous in whatever ways we are able!

  • Seeking Opportunity

    People often seek opportunity. A new job. A side hustle. A new relationship. More growth. Just the word “opportunity” can conjure feelings of excitement and anticipation for the potential good to come.

    A few weeks ago, we talked about the importance of seeking God and that if we knock, the door will be opened to us (Matthew 7:7). How often do we seek opportunity to be the one standing on the other side of the door when it is opened for someone looking for a better understanding of His plan for our lives?

    In Colossians 4, Paul is in prison, and this is his request of the brethren at Coloassae: “Devote yourselves to prayer; stay alert in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us that God may open a door to us for the Word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains, so that I may make it known as I should.” (v. 2-4)

    Paul could have asked the Colossians to pray for so many things:

    1. Pray for my safety in prison
    2. Pray for my health in prison
    3. Pray for me to GET OUT of prison

    But, he didn’t. He prayed for the opportunity to be able to speak to others about Jesus. Perhaps he was remembering the time he and Silas were imprisoned in Philippi (Acts 16:25-40). As they prayed and sang hymns at midnight, there was an earthquake that opened the prison doors and loosed everyone’s chains. The jailer responsible saw the scene and drew his sword to take his life before Paul stopped him, taught him about Christ, and baptized him and his entire family that night. Whatever prompted his thinking, Paul could have asked for prayers for so many things…and he prayed for opportunity to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

    So, when we ask God for opportunity, let’s remember to ask for the opportunity to share more about Him, His Son, and His Word in the world around us!

  • Ask Your Questions

    Fair warning: I’m coteaching the Gospel of Luke for the next couple of months with two outstanding brothers, so don’t be surprised if some of the content from those studies ends up in the blog posts…

    In Luke 1, the angel Gabriel appears to two people: Zechariah (or Zacharias, depending on how your translation renders it) and Mary (Jesus’s mother). He comes to tell them both wonderful news – a baby is coming into your life. They both had questions about this news.

    In Luke 1:18, we read “‘How can I know this?’ Zechariah asked the angel. ‘For I am an old man, and my wife is well along in years.’” Zechariah came from a place of asking for proof. What sign was Gabriel going to give him to validate the words being spoken? Zechariah needed evidence.

    Mary’s response was a little different. Luke 1:34 reads, “Mary asked the angel, ‘How can this be, since I have not had sexual relations with a man?’” Mary’s question came from a place of true curiosity. Mary knew “where babies come from.” So, how was this going to take place?

    Asking questions is a natural, human tendency. Google handles over 8.5 billion search queries a day (according to Google). And while they may not all be phrased as a question, per se, that is essentially what those are. So, when we talk to people about God, it should come as no surprise that they will ask questions. When they ask those questions, they will often come from one of two perspectives: 1) they are seeking evidence; or, 2) they are curious and want to understand the “why” and the “how.” It is up to us to be ready to respond (1 Peter 3:14-15).

    Gabriel responded. Zechariah was struck speechless and remained so until John the Baptist’s birth (Luke 1:19-20). He got his proof. Mary was told how the Holy Spirit would come upon her and she would conceive (Luke 1:35). Her curiosity was satisfied.

    Questions are going to come. Be ready to respond!

    If you have a question, please reach out via our Contact Us page.

    (Interesting side note on Zechariah: he was a priest according to Luke 1:5. He would have most certainly known about the story of Abraham being told about the birth of Isaac in Genesis 17, and he still questioned Gabriel’s message. Sometimes, we might think the person asking should “know better.” Questions are not a danger to faith when asked sincerely; rather they strengthen it. So, make sure to respond with the gentleness and reverence we read about in 1 Peter 3:16.)

  • Servant Leadership

    The subject of leadership is a hot topic in business and society.  Whether it’s because people want to become better leaders or trying to discern what to look for in a leader, people are thirsty to learn more about the concept of leadership. For example, when you do a search for “leadership books” on Amazon, it will generate over 70,000 results that fall under that subject.

    There are books, there are workshops, there are podcasts and conferences. And yet, people often overlook the best resource of leadership training – God’s Word. And, what is God’s “leadership philosophy?” Let’s take a look at Mark 10:42-45…

    “Jesus called them over and said to them, ‘You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those in high positions act as tyrants over them. But it is not so among you. On the contrary, whoever wants to become great among you will be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you will be a slave to all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.’”

    True leaders serve. The Son of God, who was present at the beginning and creation of the world (John 1:1-5) came to be a servant. More importantly, He didn’t just “talk the talk.” He taught leadership through the best possible means – He taught by example. In John 13:1-17, just before His betrayal, we see Christ performing the task of a servant, and washing the apostles’ feet. This was not a “good job” for a servant to get. People of this time didn’t have the benefits that we have today in many places in the United States with carefully designed roads, paved with concrete and asphalt with carefully laid sidewalks to make it easy and safe for you to walk from one point to another. Roads in Jesus’s time were dusty and rocky and unless you were blessed enough to own a donkey, a horse, or a camel, you walked everywhere you went.  People’s feet were filthy and disgusting.

    And yet Christ took on the role of a slave and washed the feet of the disciples.  And in so doing, He gave them an example to follow.  In verse 15, He tells the disciples “For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you.”  The Son of God stopped for a few moments the night before He was to be crucified on the cross and humbled Himself to show His disciples what true service looks like.

  • Happy New Year!

    May the LORD bless you and protect you; may the LORD make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; may the LORD look with favor on you and give you peace. (Numbers 6:24-26)

    Happy new year from the Clear & Present Faith Podcast!

  • Seeking God

    What would you say to someone who was looking for something important? Say you came to my house to find me sitting in a chair saying, “I can’t find my keys anywhere,” butI wasn’t really looking. Chances are you’d think something along the lines of “If you get out of the chair and look under pillows, in between the couch cushions, in the pocket of those jeans in the laundry basket (we’ve all done it, right?), you’ll have a better chance of finding them.”

    If we are going to find something, there are three things we must do: 1) ask questions about where it might be; 2) actively seek it; and, 3) being willing to go where necessary to find it. Jesus talks to us about this during the Sermon on the Mount:

    Ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. (Matthew 7:7-8)

    Seeking God requires action. It requires spending time in His Word to learn more about His plan for our lives. It requires spending time talking to Him in prayer, learning to cast our cares upon Him and seek strength through Him. It requires finding others who can help to guide us on our journey.

    It doesn’t happen if we think about it. It doesn’t happen if we just talk about it. It happens when we do it. And when we do it – God rewards us. In the verses following the passage above, we read:

    Who among you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him. (Matthew 7:9-11)

    I hope you’ll be able to spend some time seeking God today. Whether you are learning about Him for the first time or you are learning more about Him, may your search bring you encouragement and peace.

  • Working Together

    I enjoy team sports. There’s something amazing about watching people work together towards a common prize. Eleven men on a football field, pushing for the end zone – while eleven other men try to push them the other direction. A baseball infield learning to coordinate their movements to turn those double plays. A basketball team executing a pick-and-roll to move the guard into a better position to hit a jumper or get that alley-oop pass to the center for a thunderous dunk.

    In these sports, you rely on your teammates. If a quarterback steps onto the gridiron alone, he hasn’t much chance against the defense (let alone who snaps him the ball?). If a pitcher stands alone on the mound with no one in the field that hit that would typically be a double will easily be an inside-the-park homerun as the pitcher chases down the ball. Team sports are designed to require reliance on the people around you.

    God never intended for us to navigate our lives alone. Certainly, we should rely on Him (1 Peter 5:7 tells us to cast our cares on Him). Additionally, He provided us with our brothers and sisters in Christ as we walk our paths on earth.

    Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their efforts. For if either falls, his companion can lift him up; but pity the one who falls without another to lift him up. Also, if two lie down together, they can keep warm; but how can one person alone keep warm? And if someone overpowers one person, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not easily broken. (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)

    God tells us the importance of having people to go through life with us. Surrounding ourselves with people who encourage us to do good (1 Corinthians 15:33) and be wise (Proverbs 13:20) can help us to grow (Proverbs 27:17) in our walk with Him. Sometimes our pride whispers in our ear that we should try to do things on our own so we’re not a burden or inconvenience. If you do a survey of the New Testament, we learn two things about God’s expectations for our relationships with each other: love one another and serve one another (there’s A LOT to unpack there – future post). If we have the right people in our lives, they will not only be willing to help us, they will appreciate the opportunity to serve.

    So, find those you can lean on for support (spiritual or physical) and strength in your daily walk.

  • Perfection vs. Progress

    The idea for this podcast and blog has been marinating inside my head for a while. I came up with the concept in early 2024, bought some equipment with an Amazon gift card I’d gotten as a gift, and started recording interviews later that year. And those interviews sat, because I was trying to get things lined up, just right. I was trying to learn everything I needed to know before proceeding. I was trying to make things perfect – or at least as perfect as I could make them.

    A few weeks ago, I finally realized…perfect is not going to come. In fact, the search for perfection was prohibiting progress. So, at the encouragement of a very special person in my life (my wife), I purchased the domain, wrote my first blog post, and started reaching out to my previous interviewees to update them, and scheduled a new interview. It’s not perfect…but it’s progress.

    How often do people delay committing their life to God for a similar reason? Over the years, I have heard people say “I don’t know enough,” as a justification for delaying the decision to become one of His children. To be sure, there is a basic foundation a person needs before making the decision to follow Christ. What I found is that not knowing “enough” was sometimes code for not knowing “everything.” Thankfully, that’s not the expectation.

    Matthew 11:28-30 reads “Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

    There’s a few things to unpack in that passage (and when episode 5 of the podcast goes live, our guest will break it down). Today, I want to take note of the order: come to Jesus, and learn from Him. Our spiritual growth during our time in this world is not a destination; it is a journey. There will always be more to learn, more to study, more to understand. We don’t come to Christ perfect – His grace perfects us (2 Corinthians 12:9).

  • Boldness, not Relief

    Seems like everywhere we turn, the world around us is looking for the “easy way.” The get rich quick strategy towards easy money. Leveraging different tools and technology to make our jobs or life less complex. Letting artificial intelligence write blog posts…not mine, but others…

    Ultimately, this should be no surprise. The finite, physical nature of our minds and bodies would naturally push us that way. Perhaps you, like me, have even prayed for relief, for things to be just a little bit easier.

    This is what makes the events of Acts 4 so intriguing.

    Peter and John are brought before the rulers, elders, and scribes in Jerusalem. The guest list included the likes Annas (the high priest), Caiphas, and all the members of the high-priestly family (v.5-6). They were being targeted for their proclamation of the resurrection from the dead (v. 2). And so, they were asked “By what power or in what name have you done this?”

    Peter and John proceeded to respond, speaking boldly (v. 13) about what they believed. After hearing their testimony, unable to refute, the council resorted to the only remaining option: they threatened Peter and John (v. 17-18)…twice (v.21). Acts 4 doesn’t identify the specific threats; but when was the last time someone threatened you with something pleasant?

    What would we pray for under these circumstances? Safety? Deliverance? Certainly valid requests. Peter and John, however, prayed for courage.

    “And now, Lord, consider their threats, and grant that Your slaves may speak Your message with complete boldness…” (Acts 4:29)

    When faced with a clear, imminent challenge, Peter and John prayed for boldness. They recognized the message of the gospel was more important than any temporary comfort or relief. So, they prayed for the courage to continue boldly proclaiming the name of Jesus; and their prayer was answered.

    “When they had prayed, the place where they were assembled was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak God’s message with boldness.” (Acts 4:31)

    When we are faced with adversity, may we all pray for boldness.

  • You were worth it…

    As I approached the soda fountain, I saw him coming from the other direction. He was an older gentleman. His polo shirt bore the inscription “Vietnam Veteran,” and his hat was blazoned with “Purple Heart Recipient.”

    I grew up in a family that was taught to respect veterans. My maternal grandfather served in the Army in World War II (twice, actually…that’s a long story…). My paternal grandfather served in the Merchant Marines, spending some time in the Philippines to which he returned years later to evangelize. Veterans, and their families, have made tremendous sacrifices for the freedoms available to us every day. So, I proceeded to say what I always say when I encounter a former member of the military in public.

    “Thank you for your service.” I had said it hundreds of times before. This was the first time someone had responded this way…

    “You were worth it,” he responded.

    I was speechless. It was unexpected; and, a bit overwhelming. I had never considered that I would be worthy of the sacrifice that individual had made.

    John 3:16 tell us “For God loved the world in this way: He gave his One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” God thought I was worth it. God thought you were worth it.

    My prayer, for all of us, is that one day, we stand in judgment and Jesus looks at us and says, “You were worth it.”