The Lou Cru & YOU!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from the LouCruandYou Podcast team and all of Cru! This Christmas episode answers common questions surrounding the Christmas season. We help Charlie Brown answer what Christmas is really all about, why we celebrate Advent, what is the Incarnation, and was the Grinch right about it being about gifts, gifts, gifts? We answer this and more with hopes that this Christmas you can know the real reason for the season. 

There is nothing you can do that God cannot forgive... right? This episode looks at the blaspheme of the Holy Spirit and unpacks this famous "unforgivable sin." We clarify what this sin actually is and look at God's forgiveness. 

Miracles Happen... or so the song goes. Miracles are all over the Bible; Jesus turns water into wine, feeding the 5,000, and of course, Jesus rising from the dead! Today is seemingly different though, why do they happen less often? Are miracles even possible today? That is what today's episode covers. 

Single, dating, marriage oh my! It can be confusing. What if I want to date someone, what should I look for? What if we are dating and I want to marry? And is being single a bad thing? All this and more are answered on this episode, through a biblical perspective as always. We discuss being content, boundaries to set, and what to look for before even thinking about dating someone. 

"How do I pray? Should I pray? Does God hear my prayers?" With our first episode of this semester, we tackle the topic of prayer in the Bible. With a new semester starting and midterms seemingly around the corner, I know we need a lot of prayers right now. But does prayer even "work" and what is the point of praying anyways? All that and more will be discussed and hopefully, by the end of this episode, you will be praying continuously! At least, that is our prayer ;)

"What is Sabbath? Is it still relevant to Christians today? Why are we commanded to rest? How do we rest?" Many of us just wrapped up finals and are looking forward to a busy summer of work between semesters. In the midst of these transitions, and catching up with old friends and with family we haven't seen all year, it can be easy to lose track of our rest! But, does it even matter? Spoiler alert: YUP. What does it mean to truly rest as a Christian and how do we do it? These are the things we explore in this episode!

HAPPY EASTER LOU CRU! “Did the Resurrection happen?” “Why is the Resurrection so important?” Today we talk about the death and life of Jesus Christ, and yes, in that order. Because we are discussing the crucifixion and resurrection of our Savior! We also talk about popular Easter symbols and our favorite Holidays, so this episode is like a whole Easter basket of goodness. Praise God that His Son is Alive! P.S.: listen alllllll the way to the bitter end for a fun Easter egg ;)

“Who is the Holy Spirit? What does it mean to live a Spirit-filled life?” As we looked back on our first semester of episodes, and looked forward to the new questions we have received in the last month, we realized we've talked a lot about God the Father, and just as much about Jesus the Son, but not really at all about the Holy Spirit! We didn't want anyone to think that the Spirit was in any way the least of the three parts of the Trinity, so we took this week to discuss all things Holy Spirit!

“What is Free Will? What is Predestination? How do God’s sovereignty and Man’s responsibility intertwine? What does this mean for me personally?” In this episode, we tread off the beaten path of answering traditionally strict, right-or-wrong theological questions and approach a topic in more of a discussion-based format! The doctrines of Free Will and Predestination are NOT conviction/salvation-level issues, but rather are secondary/persuasion-level issues. Cru does not take a firm stance on one or the other. We will be taking more of a survey-type approach to discussing these topics. St. Augustine once said “In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity.” So Free Will vs. Predestination is one of the “non-essential” theological topics within Christianity where there is freedom for disagreement or differences of perspective. Join us on this journey!

The Lou Cru & The One Where They Record In Front Of A Live Audience! This week's episode addresses several questions in one, including questions submitted to us live and on-the-spot as we recorded "panel-style" during our weekly Cru campus meeting! Join us to learn more about God, what it means to be "glory thieves", whether or not good works can save us, what it looks like to "live on mission", and some fun facts about cockroaches...You don't want to miss it!

“Why did Jesus suffer and die for us when we CHOOSE to sin and turn away from Him constantly? Why does God allow sinners to carry out His Word? What happens to me if I continue to sin?” These are the questions we address to kick off a brand new semester and a brand new year! Amidst the brokenness of our world, we want to shine God's light and yet it feels overwhelming (if not downright impossible) to be everything we are called by Him to be every single moment. Will God still use us? Will God still save us? Listen in for our best scriptural and experiential answers!

A quick message from Mitchell on behalf of the Lou Cru & You! group. Recorded from Indianapolis on Dec 25, 2020 in my childhood bedroom (so pardon the acoustics), we wanted to send some Christmas love your way this holiday season!

Background audio: "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" by Steve Hall

As you head home for Thanksgiving and beyond, it may seem tough at times to love even our own friends and family. If that can be difficult, how then are we to love our enemies?? And yet the Bible calls us to do just that. In this episode, we look at first what is love? and then, how do I love my enemies? my family? and my friends? Feed your soul with this episode and the Word as you feed your body over the extended holidays!

“What if I’ve been “burned” by the church? What if I’ve been hurt by Christians? How do I make sense of the hypocrisy I see in the church? If Christianity is true, why are there hypocrites in the church? How do I overcome my aversion to Christianity and the church?”. Episode 4 examines the sin and evil that exists even within the followers of Christ, and how to understand and navigate previous horrible experiences with those who claim to be Christians but don't seem to act the way they should. 

In this episode we look at the actual image of God, and talk about what that means for us as His "image bearers"! 

Episode Two tackles the second most-asked question from our survey on Welcome Week: "Why does a good God allow suffering?" We cover why suffering exists, what evil is, why it happens, and what forgiveness means. The podcast is intended for students at UofL but is applicable to everyone around the world!

In Episode 1 we dive RIGHT IN to the most hard-hitting question y'all posed: "What is the purpose of life?" Also asked as "What is my purpose?" or "Why am I here?" or "What is the point of life?" and many more variations. Join us on a journey through the mysteries of life!