God Loves You . . . regardless
One of the hardest things for us to understand is the true meaning of unconditional love. Most of the people that "love" us, would abandon us if we betrayed them. If you abused the people who loved you, I am quite certain that you would significantly reduce that number. That is where God's love for us is so different. He's loves us regardless of what we've done and what we do. This podcast tells the story of how God loves us even when we take what he provides for us, use it for our own perverse pleasure and completely abandon Him. Sound familiar? Listen to His love as we read this story.

“God Loves You” is so cliche . . .
You have probably heard someone tell you "God Loves You". I've probably heard it tossed about all my life. "Good" christians say it when they are afraid to say the word "Jesus" in public and want to act like they are showing love to someone. Bumper stickers have been saying it since the 70's. I probably can't count how many of those "Smiley Faces" I've seen that have the phrase emblazoned across them. Don't get me wrong . . . I'm not opposed to the phrase. I'm completely and absolutely in favor of it. My problem with it appearing everywhere, is that it has now become part of the landscape of American culture. ( at least here in the south it is, y'all ) Because we have seen it so much, I meet very few people that have actually stopped and tried to comprehend this little phrase. Paul even prays a prayer for the church at Ephesus in hopes that they might begin to understand how much God loves them. Have you ever stopped and pondered the fact that the creator of heaven and earth is absolutely, head-over-heels in love with you?

How to Go from “Not Loving” to “Loving”
Jesus tells a very short, simple story in Luke 7 that teaches us how to "love much". This story epitomizes Christianity today as it details followers of God who "love little" versus those who "love much". If you are struggling with the inability to love others, this is a good starting place. I John 4:19 says, "we love because He first loved us" and this podcast attempts to relate this scripture to our everyday life.

That’s Not Fair!  and other cries of injustice
All too often we feel that we have somehow been cheated or treated unfairly. Whether it is in an athletic endeavor where the referee is clearly ( at least in our mind) helping the other team, or when someone "breaks in line" in front of us as we are nearing the end of a two-hour wait; whatever the occasion, we feel a strong sense of injustice. I have always loved what Martin Luther King said when he wrote, from inside a jail cell, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." Sometimes when I feel cheated I think of that . . . until God puts things back into perspective for me. If you think you are experiencing a "raw deal", then pause and consider what Dr. King went through, or better yet, consider what Christians are going through in Iran or Burma or Chad right now. Paul had an even deeper approach to our feelings of injustice in his first letter to the Corinthians and I believe this truth will help you when you are going through similar situations.

These Three Remain. . . Faith, Hope and Love
1 Corinthians 13 says,"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." Galatians 5:6 is also briefly covered as it proclaims, "What matters is faith expressed through love". This podcast ties up the previous podcasts on love and attempts to challenge you to set love as a priority in your life.

How To Lay Down Your Life in Three Easy Steps!
This podcast deals with the ins and outs of making yourself a living sacrifice. We've defined "laying down your life" as something more than just "laying down your death". If you've wondered how that actually plays out in real life, give it a listen.

Love Your Neighbor as You Love Yourself . . . Who’s My Neighbor?
One of the favorite questions that people seem to have when we are discussing love is "who is my neighbor?". Jesus said, "Love your neighbor as you love yourself" so many people strive to define their neighbor as someone that is easy to love. Many people say that Jesus was commanding us to love other christians, but listen to this podcast and see how deep the rabbit hole goes.

What’s Love Got to Do With It? Part 5 - Who to Love?
This podcast deals with the practical application of the simple command to "love one another". Loving you enemies and being "kind to the ungrateful and the wicked" are just some of the fun things we get into today!

What’s Love Got to Do With It? Part 4 - John 21 - “Do You Love Me?”
This podcast reveals what is really happening in John 21 when Jesus asks Peter, "Do you love me", three times in a row. If you are familiar with agape (or agapao) and phileo, then this passage will help deepen your understanding of their differences. See how Peter responds knowing that he himself denied Jesus three times on the night of His crucifixion. If you've been discouraged by a feeling of "letting God down" then maybe Peter's experience will help you overcome those feelings.

What’s Love Got to Do With It? Part 3 - Love Defined
This podcast is devoted almost entirely to creating a clear definition of the two words translated "love" in the New Testament. Philein and it's verb form, phileo, are used in conjunction with other greek roots throughout the scripture and are translated as love, hospitality and many other words. Agapan, or agape, and agapao are also examined in this podcast. We attempt to understand these words through the context in which they are used as well as through definitions given by Vines, Weust and the Strongs's concordance. This podcast strives to clarify in your mind the differences between these two words as we read them in the Word of God.

What’s Love Got to Do With It? Part 2 - Laying Down Your Life
We start breaking down the word "love" and see what John meant when he said, "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers." We attempt to gain a better understanding of "agape" or "agapao" as we look at more examples of Jesus using these words in his teachings to his disciples. In particular, we look at what the bible calls Jesus showing them the "full extent of his love" as he washes his disciples feet during Passover at what we call the "Last Supper".

What’s Love Got to Do With It?
I love pizza(really!). I love my dog(most of the time). I love my wife(all the time). Love has many different meanings. Exactly what does it mean to "love one another"? For that matter, what does it mean to "love god"? How 'bout "love your neighbor as yourself"? These are real popular phrases in christianity (at least they're supposed to be) but how can we understand them, much less do them, if we don't really understand the word "love"? This podcast uses the bible's own definition, given by John (the disciple), to explain the word.

Are You In Love with God? Part 5
Final podcast in our mini-series on loving God. This compares what we consider "loving God" to be with how the bible defines "loving God". We look at Mary and Martha and find ourselves somewhere between these two extreme-ends of the spectrum of what has traditionally been considered "love" as it relates to our creator.

Are You In Love with God? Part 4
Part 4 of "Are You in Love With God?" covers an approach to obedience that you may have not considered. We look at the actual application of what Jesus calls the "greatest" commandment and how we get from where we are to where he wants us to be.

Are You In Love with God? Part 3
The third part of "Are You in Love with God?". Examining our attitude towards God and his kids. This podcast answers the question, "What is pure religion in God's eyes?". If you can't answer this question, then give it a listen.

Are You In Love with God?  Part 2
A continuation of the previous podcast. We look at how our lives reflect our love towards God and deal with the whole "obedience" issue as God sees it. Jeremiah 17:10 says that "I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve." This emphasizes our motivation rather than our actions. We too often get caught up in whether our actions are "good" or "bad" and overlook this verse. This podcast will hopefully help you in that area.

Are You In Love with God?
Are you in love with God? It's a really simple question but unfortunately, it's one that most of us have never asked ourselves. Everybody says they "love God", but how many of us actually consider ourselves as being "in love" with God? This podcast will hopefully challenge you to evaluate your relationship with God and, if necessary, make adjustments that will change your view of the creator of heaven and earth.