Exploring Faith, Pursuing Grace

E81: Fruit of the Spirit - Joy

You've waited 4 months, and your wait is over! This episode is part 2 in our series discussing the Fruit of the Spirt, in which Kevin and Lee discuss Joy. 
 
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E80: Sincere Thinking vs. Critical Thinking

Why do you believe what you believe? Why do you think the way you think? The opinions people hold, the values people possess, and the conclusions people draw are always (or almost always) held sincerely. For many of us, we don't think too hard or too deeply about those things, they simply are. But what would change if we started to think more critically about things? How could that improve our outlook, and even our lives?
In this episode, Kevin and Lee discuss the difference between sincere thinking and critical thinking, and map out ways we can all begin to think more effectively.
 
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E79: Coping with Religious Trauma - Krystal Shipps, MA, LPC

Faith is often a powerful tool that helps individuals live fulfilled lives. Faith can be a balm for the soul in times of distress and is often an anchor in our darkest days. But sometimes, the way our faith is programmed and expressed isn't helpful, and often times can manifest itself in toxic ways. 
Religious trauma is real, and often times that toxic faith that breeds religious trauma leaves a wide wake of destruction that can take decades to heal from, if one even heals at all.
In this episode, Kevin and Lee are joined by Krystal Shipps, a Licensed Professional Counselor who helps people cope with Religious Trauma as one of her several specialties. Krystal has personal experience with Religious Trauma, and is uniquely equipped to provide help to those who struggle with the damage toxic religion can often bring. 
Krystal's resources can be found here:
TikTok:  @mendedliving
Facebook group:  Mended Living with Krystal Shipps
Website:  mendedkc.com
 
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E78: Myth as a Biblical Genre

Prophecy, History, Poetry, Apocalypse, Epistle, Narrative, Law, all of the preceding represent some of the genres we find in the Bible. Learning to recognize genre leads to a better reading of scripture and provides needed context that is often lost with a 'straightforward' reading of the Bible. What often surprises many Christians (and even scares some) is the realization that Myth is a Biblical genre.
This idea of Myth as a Biblical genre is often ignored and even rejected by many believers. After all, if the Bible contains myth, how can we trust any of it?
Kevin and Lee discuss this concept in this episode.
 
Wanna tell us how good we're doing? Wanna knock us down a few pegs? Email us at exploringfaithpursuinggrace@gmail.com!
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E77: Is it Wrong for Christians to have Fun?

Life is hard, folks. We have ups and downs, we have times for celebration and times to mourn, we have stress and we have moments of levity in which our cares and stresses are forgotten. For many Christians, those moments of happiness and pleasure can sometimes bring about guilt afterwards, because the Bible also teaches that suffering is a part of the Christian life as well. Some take this idea too far.  
For many Christians, having fun and pursuing fun shouldn't be part of the equation. After all, "There's no scripture that authorizes a Christian to have fun! Any pleasure a Christian experiences should be spiritual." But is that so?
Lee and Kevin discuss this idea (which is more common than you think) in this episode.
Have questions? Wanna reach out to us? Email us at exploringfaithpursuinggrace@gmail.com
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Q&A 10, continued. Will Those Who Have Never Heard About Jesus REALLY Be Lost?

In our 10th Q&A, Kevin and Lee discussed the implications of Romans 2 and the Parable of the Good Samaritan and how those passages seem to imply that God's grace can extend even to those who have never heard about Jesus. We STRONGLY encourage you to listen to that episode before listening to this one.
That conversation generated a LOT of discussion in our discussion group, so Kevin and Lee thought it wise to continue the conversation.
 
Have questions? Comments? Give us a shout at exploringfaithpursuinggrace@gmail.com
 
Thanks for listening!

E76: The ”Office” of an Elder - Dr. Patrick Mead

"1Ti 3:1 ¶ This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work."
Church governance has taken different forms across different denominations and religious groups. Within the Churches of Christ, church government is managed and overseen by Elders and Deacons. This arrangement can often lead to disagreements over the 'qualifications' of Elders, and whether or not a man meets those qualifications to serve as an Elder. 
Dr. Patrick Mead, former pulpit minister of the 4th Avenue Church of Christ and co-founder and Senior Pastor of Our Safe Harbor Church joins Kevin and Lee for a conversation about his life, his ministry through the years, and the so-called 'office' of an Elder and how it can be approached in a very different yet still Biblical manner today.
More of Dr. Mead's work, including sermons and his "Who Told You..." series can be found on their YouTube Channel and Our Safe Harbor Church's podcast channel.
If you'd like to reach Kevin and Lee, email us at exploringfaithpursuinggrace@gmail.com
 
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Holiday Special: Christmas

Christmas is arguably the largest, most celebrated holiday in the world. Widely celebrated as the birth of Christ, when December rolls around on the calendar many Christians get excited and eagerly look forward to the festive season, while other Christians view the season as an opportunity to decry Christmas as a man-made, pagan tradition that Christians should take no part in. 
Much like the previous Holiday Special on Halloween, Kevin and Lee examine Christmas and discuss the following questions;
Does Christmas find it's origin in paganism? Who first celebrated Christmas and why? How did December 25th come to be regarded as Jesus' birthday (we didn't get into the Eastern Orthodox view of Jan 6)? Is it possible to celebrate Christmas in a secular sense?
These questions and more are discussed in this episode. 
Have other questions or comments? Shoot us an email at exploringfaithpursuinggrace@gmail.com
Thank you for listening!