Practically Christian

As parents, friends, relatives, and mentors we have an impact on the children, youth, and young adults in our lives. Join us as we begin to discuss ways Christians can effectively pass on the faith to he the next generation.

Christians often talk about God's "glory," but what is it? Does God do things for His glory? What does it mean to do things for the glory of God?

Join us in this final installment (for now) of our series on Metaphor and the Bible and find out!

Join us for part 2 of our "Metaphor in the Bible" series. Because it is true that what you hope for shapes what you live for, it is crucial for followers of Jesus to correctly understand our shared eternal hope.

Join us as we explore metaphor in the Bible.

Join us for our final conversation about artificial intelligence. We've learned that A.I. is a powerful tool, so we should not be afraid to put it to work. But how is it being used on us?

This is episode two out of a three part series exploring Artificial Intelligence. Join us as we discuss how to think Christianly about using A.I. in a productive way.

Join us as we explore the intersection of theology and technology. In this series we explore Scriptural and practical aspects of Artificial Intelligence.

In part one, we explore the Image of God and A.I. The basis of this conversation is an educational seminar the Luke Heirendt presented at Creekside Community Church in 2023.

In this final installment of our series on how to hear God's voice we address common questions and fears. We all have fears about hearing God incorrectly or not at all, such as:

• How can I tell the difference between the voice in my head and God?
• What if it is Satan disguising himself as God?
• What if I mishear God?
• Would God mislead me or lead me on?
• What if I pray, and He doesn't speak to me?

In this episode we explore these questions and more. 

Join us as we discuss how God speaks through His Word: the Scriptures. Do we just need to read the Bible and take its lessons, or is the Holy Spirit active in our hearts and minds as we read? We invite you to practice reading the Bible in a new way with us as we look at the story of Peter walking on water with fresh eyes.

Many Christians struggle with hearing God's voice. In this series of episodes we explore the fact that God desires to speak to us. Join us as we have a conversation exploring questions like: Is prayer a one way street where we talk to God and he listens, or does it go both ways? How does he speak? What should we look out for when we are listening?

Progressivism -- for some this term represents everything right in the direction of our politics and society, and for others, it's code for everything wrong. What is the worldview of Progressivism? As Christians, how can we interact with Progressivism in a way that is faithful to the call of Jesus?

Christian Nationalism is on the rise in America and lots of other places too! What is it, and how should we think about patriotism and its intersection with Christian faith?

Well-known atheist, Richard Dawkins, wrote: "The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.”

How do you respond when people critique the picture that the Old Testament paints of God? This can be especially difficult if you yourself are disturbed by some of the stories.

In this series we dive into four of the most infamous Old Testament stores and explore them in-depth. And, spoiler alert, there is a lot more going on in these stories than it may first appear!

In this episode we explore Psalm 137, which infamously concludes with this line: "Happy is the one who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks." As Christians, what do we do with texts like this in the Bible? If the Psalms are our prayer book, how are we supposed to understand and even pray this?

Join us for this enlightening conversation as we explore these questions and more.

Well-known atheist, Richard Dawkins, wrote: "The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.”

How do you respond when people critique the picture that the Old Testament paints of God? This can be especially difficult if you yourself are disturbed by some of the stories.

In this series we dive into four of the most infamous Old Testament stores and explore them in-depth. And, spoiler alert, there is a lot more going on in these stories than it may first appear!

In this episode we look at the account of Achan's sin, and the subsequent killing of his entire family...even all of his animals.

Well-known atheist, Richard Dawkins, wrote: "The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.”

How do you respond when people critique the picture that the Old Testament paints of God? This can be especially difficult if you yourself are disturbed by some of the stories.

In this series we dive into four of the most infamous Old Testament stores and explore them in-depth. And, spoiler alert, there is a lot more going on in these stories than it may first appear!

In this episode we look at the account of the conquest, exploring the question: If God is good and loving, why would he command the Israelites to kill the Canaanites? Related, Is God guilty of commanding ethnic cleansing, or genocide, in this account?

Well-known atheist, Richard Dawkins, wrote: "The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.”

We're back! It has been two years since we've released an episode. Why is that? Welp, a lot of life change happened. Catch up on what has been happening with us.

Good news: If you're subscribed to the show, you will begin getting episodes every two weeks.

Why should hospitality be a cornerstone of the Christian life? And, if you're unsure about how to get started, where do you begin? Listen in as we interview our friends, Dave and Teresa Schoel about how their family practices hospitality together.

So far in this series, we've discussed how the moment you entrust yourself to Jesus, God sanctifies you. In the last episode, we discussed how the ongoing process of sanctification involves taking off the old self--meaning demolishing bad habits/ways of life that keep you from who God wants you to be. In this final episode of the series, we discuss the concept of transformation: How do you participate with the Holy Spirit to "put on the new self" and become more like Jesus?

On this episode of Practically Christian we look at the topic of Mortification and how it plays a role in our sanctification. Mortification is the destruction of sin in our lives. While sanctification is normally understood in a positive side, becoming more like Christ, mortification is the negative side of that. It is how we become more like Christ by fighting against the sin within us. 

We hope that you are able to understand the importance of fighting the sin within yourself and are able to take a step towards mortifying the sin within you after listening to this episode. 

To be sanctified means to be holy-fied. While many people think of sanctification as something that happens as you become more like Christ, the Bible also speaks about sanctification in the past tense. It is something that happened to you the moment you entrusted yourself to Christ.

Discussion Questions (to process this content with a friend, family member or small group):

Name 4-5 attributes of a child of God. Why did these attributes stand out to you? 

Which of these attributes are often exemplified in your life? Which are hardest for you to live out?

How might you partner with the Holy Spirit to push into the areas you are weaker?

If your body is not peripheral to your person, but an integral part of your created being, how does that affect practical things like beauty, exercise, and body image? Are you "allowed" to pursue external beauty as well as internal beauty? Join us as we explore these questions and more in this episode of Practically Christian.

Application Questions (To process this content with a friend, family member, or small group):

Are there any areas of your life related to your body (such as your beauty, strength, hygiene, or self-presentation) that are taking up too much of your time/attention/resources?

Are there any areas that are not receiving enough time/attention/resources?

What are some steps you will take to get these more in balance?

Are there any sources of images or information that are particularly unhelpful to you in cultivating a healthy body image? (example: magazines, social media accounts, television shows) How can you better regulate or eliminate your "intake" of these sources?

On this episode we talk about Singleness, how to do it and how to wield it effectively. Often we only think about singleness either as a  state of not-yet being married or as those only gifted with singleness permanently, but it is so much more than that. Singleness is a time of life where you have flexibility to work in God's Kingdom, but it is also a state where you need to establish accountability and strong friendships. 

Application Question: 

As a single person how can you wield your time effectively? 

If you are not single, how can you help provide accountability, support and empower people in your life who are single? 

Allow us to introduce ourselves!