Episodes

  • Lessons from Dark Matter - JL232 - PPP115

    Lessons from Dark Matter - JL232 - PPP115
    Dec 16 2024

    Content

    Selflessness

    Purpose

    Choices

    Flesh vs Spirit

    Repentence
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    27 mins
  • On Getting Out of Bed Pt2 with Alan Noble - JL231

    On Getting Out of Bed Pt2 with Alan Noble - JL231
    Dec 9 2024
    We aren't always honest about how difficult normal human life is. In this 2nd part of a 2 part interview, we discuss that for the majority of people, sorrow, despair, anxiety, and mental illness are everyday experiences. While we have made tremendous advancements in therapy and psychiatry, the burden of living still comes down to mundane choices that we each must make—like the daily choice to get out of bed. In this deeply personal essay, Alan Noble considers the unique burden of everyday life in the modern world. Sometimes, he writes, the choice to carry on amid great suffering—to simply get out of bed—is itself a powerful witness to the goodness of life, and of God.
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    25 mins
  • JL 230 - Mental Health - PPP114

    JL 230 - Mental Health - PPP114
    Dec 2 2024

    Tips on Providing Help for Those Struggling with either Mental Health Challenges or Mental Health Disorders
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    13 mins
  • On Getting Out of Bed Pt1 with Alan Noble - JL229

    On Getting Out of Bed Pt1 with Alan Noble - JL229
    Nov 25 2024
    We aren't always honest about how difficult normal human life is. In this interview, based on Alan Noble's book we discuss that for the majority of people, sorrow, despair, anxiety, and mental illness are everyday experiences. While we have made tremendous advancements in therapy and psychiatry, the burden of living still comes down to mundane choices that we each must make—like the daily choice to get out of bed. In this deeply personal essay, Alan Noble considers the unique burden of everyday life in the modern world. Sometimes, he writes, the choice to carry on amid great suffering—to simply get out of bed—is itself a powerful witness to the goodness of life, and of God. For the majority of people, sorrow, despair, anxiety, and mental illness are everyday experiences. While we have made tremendous advancements in therapy and psychiatry, the burden of living still comes down to mundane choices that we each must make—like the daily choice to get out of bed. In this deeply personal essay, Alan Noble considers the unique burden of everyday life in the modern world. Sometimes, he writes, the choice to carry on amid great suffering—to simply get out of bed—is itself a powerful witness to the goodness of life, and of God.
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    38 mins
  • JL 228 - Lessons from the Movie Here - PPP113

    JL 228 - Lessons from the Movie Here - PPP113
    Nov 18 2024
    Look for the positive message not hung up on something's that makes you said. Honor your parents-friend shared how he and his wife were caring for his father who was in the early stages of dementia, his only wish not to go in a nursing home “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exod.20.12&version=NIV Stop worrying (verses) "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day its own trouble. Matt.6.34 NKJV Pursue your dreams (don’t stay stuck and feel like a victim, blaming others, make a choice and take complete ownership for that choice) Remember to always seek Gods will and not just ask him to bless your plans. We have a part and he has a part. That gets tricky when we're not hearing an audible voice. "“Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit’; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.’” James 4:13-15 Noteworthy this is from James who also said faith without works is dead, and emphasized our actions not just our beliefs as critical part of faith. Praise: "In the multitude of my anxieties within me,Your comforts delight my soul." Ps.94.19 NKJV
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    12 mins
  • Are We Doing Church Wrong with Jason Pierce-JL227

    Are We Doing Church Wrong with Jason Pierce-JL227
    Nov 11 2024
    j316173@hotmail.com For professional management: jrpierc2@uncg.edu You teach classes on having a vision for your life and it struck both of us as we were talking recently that you don’t hear this message about casting a vision for your life, often if ever in the Christian church. Why do you think that is? What are the consequences of this, I.e. how is this lack of direction from church messaging on vision affecting the way we “do” Church as well as the way we as believers live our lives outside the church? How might Christianity be different if this dynamic were to change? Is this Biblical? If not, what does the Bible say about how we should incorporate our faith, into our daily lives ? If a change is needed, what’s the best way to affect that change?
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    47 mins
  • JL 226 - Morning Prayers - PPP112

    JL 226 - Morning Prayers - PPP112
    Nov 4 2024

    I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the Lord sustained me.
    Psalm 3:5
    Give ear to my words, O Lord, Consider my meditation. Give heed to the voice of my cry, My King and my God, For to You I will pray. My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord; In the morning I will direct it to You, And I will look up.
    Psalm 5:1-3
    With my soul I have desired You in the night, Yes, by my spirit within me I will seek You early…
    Isaiah 26:9
    After this I awoke and looked around, and my sleep was sweet to me.
    Jeremiah 31:26
    As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness;when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness.

    Blessings when arising in the morning and relieving yourself, and putting on the Tallit Katan

    https://torahresource.com/product/brachot-bkol-yom-daily-blessings-pocket-size/
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    15 mins
  • Praying the Psalms with Jim Papandrea - JL225

    Praying the Psalms with Jim Papandrea - JL225
    Oct 28 2024
    Why did you write this book? The subtitle is “The Divine Gateway to Lecto Divina and Contemplative Prayer”. What is Lecto Divina? What is contemplative prayer? I’d like to drill down a bit into the 4 parts of Lecto Divina clarity The first is Lecto which means reading. What’s going on here? The second is Meditetio, meaning meditation or reflection. This is narrowing in a portion of the passage correct? You caution against private revelation, why is that ? Third is oratio, where reading becomes praying, where you make the words your own. Tell us more about this step Fourth is contemplation. You say this is complicated, more difficult than what it may seem at first and something you grow into. What about contemplating is so difficult? In the section on how to use this book, you rely on teachings from the church fathers. Tell us a bit about who you’re referring to when you say that and why you feel we should look to their advice? You talk about the difference between praise and worship vs prayer. What is the difference? Your book is a portion of the Psalms that are found in the Bible. What did you leave out and why? You made a new translation of the excerpts using the Hebrew, Greek (Septuagint), and Latin. First, why did you feel the need for a new translation rather than just using an existing one? Since the Psalms were originally written in Hebrew, explain what the Greek Septuagint is and why you took that into account. I don’t know much about Latin, other than it used a lot in the Catholic Faith and I know you are catholic. What’s unique about Latin, why has the Catholic Church used it and why did you consider it in your translation? You talk about how we should properly think about two references we see in the Psalms. One is our enemies, the other is images of fortifications like fortress, refuge and rock. Let’s take one a time, first how should we think about our enemies when praying? Next how should we think about images of fortifications? You chose to use the word “Father” when the name of God, or tetragramtron is used. For clarification, what is the tetragramatron, how has it been translated and spoken historically by Jewish believers as well as in modern Christian Bibles? Why did you decide to use the word “father” here. There’s a lot debate among the Messianic faith, which is what I practice, on whether we can and should pronounce the name of God. What is the position of the Catholic faith and you personally on this issue? We consider the Psalms as literary poetry, but you said you intentionally chose in your translation to focus on the meaning and less on the poetry. Am I correct in stating that and why did you take that approach? You suggest changing the tenses when reading the Psalms as well as inserting personal names where there are general references. Why ? I’d like to read a quote from John Cassian on pg 23 of the intro and get your thoughts on it With the breathing prayers and mediation you caution against Eastern or modern forms of meditation. What’s the difference between good and bad meditation? I do my quiet time in the morning and when I tried the breathing prayers I found myself falling asleep a couple times. How can I avoid this other than getting a good nights rest? Finally in your intro you had some thoughts on journaling and provided blank pages in your book for journaling, specifically that it can be beneficial but you had some cautions as well. What’s the best way to incorporate journaling into our prayers? At the end of your book you have a mood index where you have categorized the Psalm excerpts from the book based on feelings. I’ve heard a variety of opinions on how we as believers should think about and respond to our feelings, whether we should embrace them and be in touch with them, or alternatively redirect what we consider negative feelings and focus on being positive. This is particularly relevant when we’re going through difficult circumstances and trying to heal through those circumstances. For me personally my wife separated from me and has stated her intent to divorce me and I’ve experienced deep sadness both during this time as well as in the past, so this issue of our feelings is one I’m very interested in. How do you think we should think about our feelings? The bulk of your book is in fact the Psalms themselves and not your thoughts about praying them. Would you mind walking us through the process we’ve discussed by selecting one of them Psalms and demonstrating how you might pray with that Psalm. How can others get your book and contact you? Any final thoughts?
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    37 mins