First Fifteen

Give Us a King! (1 Samuel 8)

December 10, 2022 21:00 - 16 minutes - 11.5 MB

Israel was unique in the ancient world, but they often struggled with their God who made them unique, and that power struggle is a feature of every person's story. The central question is: Who will be king? 1 Samuel 8 is more than a story about how Israel gets a king. It's about how they displace the King they already had. Season five is focused on listening to and praying Bible narratives. In our podcast we take time to listen to God's word and turn it into prayer. We started season fi...

In Our Own Eyes (Judges)

September 19, 2022 00:00 - 16 minutes - 11 MB

The eyes are a window to the heart. Unless we're striving to do what is right in God's eyes, things are not going to go well for us! That's the message in the book of Judges as part of our series on praying Bible stories. Season five is focused on listening to and praying Bible narratives. In our podcast we take time to listen to God's word and turn it into prayer. We listen to part of Judges 2 in today's episode. It reveals a pattern that repeats over and over in Israel's early history ...

Into the Promised Land (Joshua)

May 08, 2022 23:00 - 29 minutes - 20 MB

What is the secret to standing strong in faith? We see a specific truth about that in the book of Joshua. Season five is focused on listening to and praying Bible stories or narratives. In our podcast we take time to listen to God's word and turn it into prayer. We look at four readings from the book of Joshua that tell the story of Israel entering into the land God promised them. First there is a new leader before Israel. With Moses' death, Joshua and chosen to lead the people into th...

Psalm 2

April 24, 2022 11:00 - 1 minute - 1.13 MB

The Psalms lead us in prayer and teach us to pray. Listen to Psalm 2 and pray along with it. Want a fuller devotional based on Psalm 2? Listen to it here in season 3 episode 3 of our podcast. In our regular podcast you can listen to God's word for you, reflect on it and learn to pray to God as well as carry that word with you through the rest of your day. It's a perfect way to get started! Enjoy listening to God's word and follow/subscribe to this podcast to hear more. Season Three featu...

Psalm 1

April 23, 2022 15:00 - 1 minute - 727 KB

The Psalms lead us in prayer and teach us to pray. Listen to Psalm 1 and pray along with it. Want a fuller devotional based on Psalm 1? Listen to it here in the pilot episode of our podcast. In our regular podcast you can listen to God's word for you, reflect on it and learn to pray to God as well as carry that word with you through the rest of your day. It's a perfect way to get started! Enjoy listening to God's word and follow/subscribe to this podcast to hear more. Season Three feat...

The Law, Again (Deuteronomy)

April 03, 2022 23:00 - 28 minutes - 19.6 MB

God gave the Law to Moses at Mount Sinai. So why did Moses repeat the law again to the children of Israel in Moab 40 years later? We find out in today's episode. Season five is focused on listening to and praying Bible stories or narratives. In our podcast we take time to listen to God's word and turn it into prayer. We aren't looking at any specific laws in this episode. Instead we consider the story of why Moses gave the law again and the final events before Israel entered Canaan. We li...

In the Wilderness (Numbers 14)

January 31, 2022 19:00 - 18 minutes - 12.4 MB

In the wilderness is where God leads, provides, judges and forgives. God gives the Law and tests his people in the wilderness. After Genesis (actually Exodus 13) all of the the action in the next four books of the Torah/Pentateuch happens in the wilderness. Today’s episode is one story from the wilderness that shows God's nature, the people's failure and how to pray in the midst of this. Season five is focused on listening to and praying Bible stories or narratives. In our podcast we tak...

In the Wilderness - Numbers 14

January 31, 2022 19:00 - 18 minutes - 12.4 MB

In the wilderness is where God leads, provides, judges and forgives. God gives the Law and tests his people in the wilderness. After Genesis (actually Exodus 13) all of the the action in the next four books of the Torah/Pentateuch happens in the wilderness. Today’s episode is one story from the wilderness that shows God's nature, the people's failure and how to pray in the midst of this. Season five is focused on listening to and praying Bible stories or narratives. In our podcast we tak...

Out of Egypt - Genesis 37-Exodus 18

December 19, 2021 20:00 - 28 minutes - 19.6 MB

Jesus spent time in Africa as a baby, and when the time was full scripture says, "Out of Egypt I called my son." The meaning of that phrase has a deep resonance that reaches back to the prophets (especially Hosea) and then further back to the prophet Moses. One of the great stories of the Bible is how God's people came to live in Egypt, slide into slavery and oppression, then see a mighty deliverance from Egypt by God. Today’s episode is about the story of God bringing Israel out of Egypt...

Out of Egypt (Genesis 37-Exodus 18)

December 19, 2021 20:00 - 28 minutes - 19.6 MB

Jesus spent time in Africa as a baby, and when the time was full scripture says, "Out of Egypt I called my son." The meaning of that phrase has a deep resonance that reaches back to the prophets (especially Hosea) and then further back to the prophet Moses. One of the great stories of the Bible is how God's people came to live in Egypt, slide into slavery and oppression, then see a mighty deliverance from Egypt by God. Today’s episode is about the story of God bringing Israel out of Egypt...

How Jacob Became Israel (Genesis 32-33)

November 22, 2021 12:00 - 26 minutes - 18 MB

How do you deal with someone who is slippery? You're not sure you are getting the full story from them or they seem to have other motives or intentions. Some people are pretty good at plotting and planning and getting the better side of a bargain. This might even describe you! One of those people in the Bible is a man named Jacob. Today’s episode is How Jacob became Israel. Season five is focused on listening to and praying Bible stories or narratives. In our podcast we take time to lis...

The God Who Sees Me (Genesis 16)

October 26, 2021 16:00 - 27 minutes - 18.8 MB

The Bible is full of surprises. There is an overarching story that God is directing, and yet he chooses to write it with human characters. Even when they go “off-script”, God’s story will get told, with extra twists and turns included. In season five we're learning to listen to and pray Bible stories or narratives. In our podcast we take time to listen to God's word, reflect on it and then pray it back to God as well as carry that word with us through the rest of the day. Abram and Sar...

Abram's Big Blessing - (Gen 11:27-12:20)

September 20, 2021 10:00 - 25 minutes - 17.4 MB

When things are going well people sometimes say “I have been so blessed!” Before the blessing comes, though, how do you act, how do you talk, how do you behave? How we act before we receive the blessing shows something revealing about our character. In season five we're learning to listen to and pray Bible stories or narratives. In our podcast we take time to listen to God's word, reflect on it and then pray it back to God as well as carry that word with us through the rest of the day...

The Big Story of the Bible

August 20, 2021 18:00 - 17 minutes - 12.1 MB

Stories draw us in. It's hard to resist listening to a good story that is well told. Stories hold our interest. What's less obvious is that stories shape us, inspire us and teach us important truths. There is great untapped power in the stories of the Bible. As we learn to pray them we can grow closer to God and experience a growing faith too. In season five we're learning to listen to and pray Bible stories or narratives. We plunged into the beginning of the story of Samuel first then ...

Towering Pride (Genesis 11)

August 03, 2021 21:00 - 14 minutes - 10.1 MB

What's the tallest building you've ever seen up close? In Genesis 11 there was a city and a people who decided to build a tower to heaven. Why they did it and what it meant has a deeper meaning than just a story with a moral about towering pride. In season five we're learning to listen to and pray Bible stories or narratives. We started in the middle of the story at 1 Samuel 1-3 before turning to beginnings in Genesis. In all the plot twists and different settings, with the growing lis...

It All Comes Flooding Back (Genesis 6:9-9:29)

July 19, 2021 23:00 - 29 minutes - 20.3 MB

The Great Flood and Noah’s Ark is a universal story, a familiar tale to many people regardless of their background or religion. In the story of the Bible it is a prominent marker on the path that shows us what God is up to in the world. It also tells us a lot about humans. In season five we're learning to listen to and pray Bible stories or narratives. In Genesis 1-2 we heart about God creating the world in an orderly way and calling it good. He meant for humans to rule over creation ac...

Live Long and Prosper! (Gen 5:4-6:8)

July 06, 2021 00:00 - 31 minutes - 21.8 MB

“Live long and prosper.” The line from Star Trek’s character Spock is a sentiment common to all human cultures. Most people who enjoy any kind of quality of life desire to have a long life. What the Bible says about that challenges our common assumptions. In season five we're listening to Bible stories and learning to pray them. We started in the middle of things with the beginnings of the story of Samuel before turning back to the very start with creation and how the first couple chose...

The Plot Thickens (Genesis 4)

June 06, 2021 13:00 - 25 minutes - 17.3 MB

Murder. Intrigue. Outrageous behavior. Those sound like elements of a crime story. It’s actually part of the story in the first book of the Bible, Genesis 4. In season five we're listening to Bible stories and learning to pray them. We started in the middle of things with the beginnings of the story of Samuel before turning back to the very start with creation and how the first couple chose to go their own way, to know good and evil on their own apart from God's clear teaching. In our...

Picture This! (Conversation on Narrative 2)

May 28, 2021 13:00 - 39 minutes - 27.4 MB

Most good stories have a strong visual component, and the stories of creation and beginnings in Genesis 1-3 are no different. In this conversation we explore how the first couple is portrayed imaginatively in art as an extended meditation on the imagery of creation and the fall. In season five we're learning to pray the most common type of scripture: narrative or stories. They make up almost half of the Bible so it's important we learn how to read and pray this very common type of Scri...

The Fall (Genesis 3)

May 17, 2021 12:00 - 21 minutes - 14.8 MB

The goodness of creation and the close relationship that man and woman shared with God gets severely tested and ultimately changed because of a series of decisions. Genesis 3 takes us from the ideal state of "everything was good" to a serious rupture in the relationship. What happened? Is there any hope? In season five we're listening to Bible stories and learning to pray them. Our focus today is the very human story of how the first couple on earth used their freedom and choices to...

In the Garden (Genesis 2)

May 11, 2021 04:00 - 27 minutes - 18.7 MB

If "In the beginning" is the perfect way to start a story of creation, why not have a flashback and tell the story again but with a close-up camera angle? That's what Genesis 2 does, touching on some of the common themes already introduced, but advancing the plot and conflict further by zooming in on the human scale of things in a garden. In season five we're listening to Bible stories and learning to pray them. They make up almost half of the Bible so it's important we learn how to re...

In the Beginning - Genesis 1

April 30, 2021 05:00 - 30 minutes - 21 MB

"In the beginning" seems like the perfect way to start a story, even better than "once upon a time". This is especially so if we're telling a true story about things that really happened that answers some of our deepest, most basic questions about where we came from and our place in the world. In today's episode we are reading Genesis 1 together and going back to the beginning. In season five we're learning to pray the most common type of scripture: narrative or stories. They make up a...

In the Beginning (Genesis 1)

April 30, 2021 05:00 - 30 minutes - 21 MB

"In the beginning" seems like the perfect way to start a story, even better than "once upon a time". This is especially so if we're telling a true story about things that really happened that answers some of our deepest, most basic questions about where we came from and our place in the world. In today's episode we are reading Genesis 1 together and going back to the beginning. In season five we're learning to pray the most common type of scripture: narrative or stories. They make up a...

Stories that Shape Us (Conversation on Narrative 1)

April 23, 2021 10:00 - 43 minutes - 29.9 MB

Do you live a storybook life? Most of us don't. In fact, our daily routines and happenings often seem so ordinary to us that we seek excitement, adventure or escape through songs, movies or stories of other people that attract us (or at least distract us). But the truth is, you are living out a story whether or not you are aware of it, and the things that happen in your life become elements of your own personal story. In season five we're learning to pray the most common type of scri...

Speak, Lord (1 Samuel 3)

April 16, 2021 22:00 - 24 minutes - 17 MB

The story of your life can be told with a few words. Your story is really about who you are, where you've come from, what you're overcoming, and where it's all headed. We get the story of Samuel's life in summary form in 1 Samuel 3 as he first hears the word of the Lord and has to decide how to respond to it. In season five we're learning to pray the most common type of scripture: narrative or stories. They make up almost half of the Bible so it's important we learn how to read and pra...

Prayer and Prophecy for Parents (1 Samuel 2)

April 09, 2021 08:00 - 20 minutes - 14.1 MB

What comes next?! A good story pulls us in and makes us look forward to where we're going next. In the Bible book of 1 Samuel we start with a sad wife who is ridiculed and she becomes a grateful mother through God's goodness. What comes next is what we cover today in 1 Samuel 2. We began season five with a focus on praying the most common type of scripture: narrative or stories. In this season we will learn to read and pray the half of the Bible filled with narrative or stories and als...

Reading and Praying through Bible Narrative (1 Samuel 1)

April 02, 2021 20:00 - 31 minutes - 21.7 MB

It began with a story. When we were young we listened to stories being told or read to us and it's one of those human activities we never outgrow. Whether in gatherings with family or meetups with friends, at work or afterwards, at school and in our movies we tell and listen to stories throughout our entire lives. The Bible is a book filled with stories (almost half of it is narrative), and what's more it tells one coherent over-arching story from beginning to end. We begin season five w...

Doing Good (Titus 3)

February 26, 2021 12:00 - 22 minutes - 15.4 MB

"Do Good." It seems so basic, like something you don't have to even say. If you follow Christ, you should no doubt be active in doing good. Yet, throughout Paul's letter to Titus there is a repeated emphasis on "doing good." Today we explore that and focus on the third and final chapter of this short letter. If you are trying to have a quiet time, getting started in a relationship with God or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place. In each episode you wi...

Healthy Teaching (Titus 2)

February 19, 2021 23:00 - 31 minutes - 21.6 MB

There is a type of growth that's harmful to the body. We call it cancer. When Paul wrote to Titus on Crete, he was deeply concerned about a type of teaching that was growing like cancer among the young churches on the island. In Titus 2 we see Paul describe the effects of healthy teaching in the church and how it would produce people bent on doing good. If you are trying to have a quiet time, getting started in a relationship with God or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you...

The Character of a Leader (Titus 1)

February 12, 2021 19:00 - 28 minutes - 19.5 MB

We seem to have a perpetual shortage of leaders. That's really nothing new as we see today in Paul's letter to Titus. The problem isn't that we have no leaders, but the ones we have aren't very good. Paul was concerned as he looked at the small households of faith scattered over the Roman world and instead of good strong leaders, he saw the body of Christ being misled and deceived. He doesn't waste time complaining about it. Instead he gives instructions to Titus about what to look for a...

The Final Word (1 John 5)

January 27, 2021 00:00 - 33 minutes - 22.7 MB

Do you like to have the last word? 1 John has a lot of truths for us, and in the last chapter it circles back to many of those that we've visited before. John's final word about why he is writing and what's most important and even the last verse in the letter all hold something rich and powerful for us. If you are trying to have a quiet time, getting started in a relationship with God or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place. In each episode you will ...

Fear or Faith (1 John 4)

January 17, 2021 00:00 - 26 minutes - 18.4 MB

What is God like? 1 John tells us a lot about this, and it also says that how we behave toward others and live our lives shows what we think about God. Love, fear, faith, trust...how we approach our relationships gives us plenty of opportunity to answer on a practical level what we think of God. If you are trying to have a quiet time, getting started in a relationship with God or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place. In each episode you will listen to...

True Love (1 John 3)

January 09, 2021 00:00 - 23 minutes - 16.4 MB

Love is what we are called to, and God calls us his children. That's our identity: children of God. That's immense if we let it sink in. As children of the Creator God, we experience his love and are called to practice it in our lives. 1 John 3 takes us into the heart of this letter and it reveals God's heart as well. God commands us to believe in Jesus Christ and to love one another. If you are trying to have a quiet time, getting started in a relationship with God or seeking guidan...

Remain in Christ (1 John 2)

December 31, 2020 02:00 - 29 minutes - 20.2 MB

"I write these things to you so that you may not sin. If anyone sins we have an advocate with the Father--Jesus Christ, the righteous one." These words begin 1 John 2, and clearly the desire is that we avoid sin. Jesus Christ is the answer to our sin problem, and it is essential that we abide or remain in him. If you are trying to have a quiet time, getting started in a relationship with God or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place. In each episode you...

Life in Christ (1 John 1)

December 20, 2020 22:00 - 26 minutes - 18.3 MB

"God has come. We have heard and seen him and touched him with our own hands..." This is John's boldly audacious claim in 1 John 1, and he has more bold and striking things to say. John sticks to the truth and boils it down to the essence, which is why we're listening to him. If you are trying to have a quiet time, getting started in a relationship with God or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place. In fifteen minutes or less you will listen to God's wor...

Mary's Prayer - Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55)

December 14, 2020 04:00 - 29 minutes - 20.2 MB

"My soul magnifies the Lord." Who said those words? What do they mean? In this special bonus episode we take a deeper look at Mary's prayer in Luke 1 and how we can pray them ourselves led by co-hosts Ron and Angela Oltmanns. If you are trying to have a quiet time, getting started in a relationship with God or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place. In this podcast you will listen to God's word for you, reflect on it and learn to pray to God as well as car...

Saved from Sin (James 5:7-20)

November 23, 2020 02:00 - 12 minutes - 8.74 MB

Sin is all around us and certainly in us, even if it’s not popular to call it that. The message of Jesus Christ is one of the few to take sin seriously and the only one to deal with it effectively. James 5:7-20 shows us the key concern of this short letter and draws the major themes of the letter together so we will be active in winning people back from the way of sin. If you are trying to have a quiet time, getting started in a relationship with God or seeking guidance at this point in...

The Stuff of Life (James 4:11-5:6)

November 18, 2020 16:00 - 12 minutes - 8.53 MB

Money is like a mirror for our character. It reflects back to us what is really there. If you like what you see in the mirror, or you don’t, it’s not because of the mirror, it’s because of your own heart. James 4:11-5:6 points us back to our hearts, whether it's speaking against our brothers, judging others, or using riches to oppress others--all of these go against the law of freedom. If you are trying to have a quiet time, getting started in a relationship with God or seeking guida...

Wisdom and Envy (James 3:13-4:10)

November 15, 2020 05:00 - 12 minutes - 8.58 MB

It’s not wise to envy, but we do it anyway. The solution James gives for envy is surprising, but it shows true wisdom if we follow it. James 3:13-4:10 reveals true vs. false wisdom and also what to do about envy or jealousy that threatens to take over our life. If you are trying to have a quiet time, getting started in a relationship with God or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place. In fifteen minutes or less you will listen to God's word for you, re...

Proper Speech--The Tongue (James 3:1-12)

November 11, 2020 11:00 - 10 minutes - 7.47 MB

The tongue is a unique muscle of the body, loose and unattached at one end. James says our basic failure to control our tongue is the main cause of so much harm in the world. James 3:1-12 addresses proper speech by focusing on the tongue, and James uses many word pictures in just a few verses to teach a series of truths about our speech. If you are trying to have a quiet time, getting started in a relationship with God or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right ...

Faith and Action (James 2:14-26)

November 08, 2020 12:00 - 10 minutes - 7.44 MB

There’s an expression that says “Talk is cheap”, and the point is that it’s easier to say something than to do it. James would have liked that expression. James 2:14-26 focuses on the theme of faith and action, expanding on being both a hearer and a doer of God’s word. Don’t just say you believe or trust God, follow it through with action and do what he says. If you are trying to have a quiet time, getting started in a relationship with God or seeking guidance at this point in your l...

Rich and Poor (James 2:1-13)

November 04, 2020 11:00 - 13 minutes - 8.97 MB

There’s a big misunderstanding that the Bible isn’t too concerned with money. The fact is, the Bible has a lot to say about money because the choices we make with money reflect what’s in our hearts. James 2:1-13 shows us our bias for the rich and God's concern for the poor while redirecting our hearts from chasing money to loving people. If you are trying to have a quiet time, getting started in a relationship with God or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right p...

God's Gift of Wisdom (James 1:17-27)

October 31, 2020 10:00 - 13 minutes - 8.99 MB

When gifts are being given out, who doesn’t want to receive a gift?! God is the great giver of gifts and he has something special in store for you. James 1:17-27 emphasizes that God gives good gifts, and one of his great gifts is wisdom which is ours for the asking. True wisdom is shown by doing the word and not just hearing it. If you are trying to have a quiet time, getting started in a relationship with God or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place. In...

Blessed in Trials (James 1:1-16)

October 28, 2020 10:00 - 12 minutes - 8.72 MB

None of us really want to do foolish things. We want to be wise, or at least see ourselves as wise. James warns us not to be deceived and instead to ask God for wisdom, believing he will give it to us generously. If you are trying to have a quiet time, getting started in a relationship with God or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place. In fifteen minutes or less you will listen to God's word for you, reflect on it and learn to pray to God as well as carry...

Greetings (Colossians 4)

October 24, 2020 10:00 - 14 minutes - 9.72 MB

Greetings may seem unimportant, but don’t be too quick to dismiss them. When you’re on the frontlines serving and missing home, a greeting from someone who cares and gives some encouragement is life-giving! Colossians 4 gives us a rare glimpse into what was happening in cities across the Roman Empire in the first century: Christ was being preached, prayers were fervently prayed as letters and gospels were written , leaving us an unmistakable picture of faith and conviction amidst hardsh...

Above All (Colossians 3)

October 21, 2020 10:00 - 13 minutes - 8.97 MB

The ethical ideal of the Christian life is not something you attain by willpower or individual effort alone. Only Christ’s power activated within a person makes the moral demands of following Christ possible. Colossians 3 takes us from the truth about what is into the everyday world of what should be, how we should live out the reality of "Christ in you." If you are trying to have a quiet time, getting started in a relationship with God or seeking guidance at this point in your life, y...

Rooted (Colossians 2)

October 17, 2020 10:00 - 15 minutes - 10.4 MB

It’s dangerous to have a shallow faith. When life’s storms come along, that faith won’t stand. Paul and Timothy imprisoned and writing this letter knew that. Even as they praised the Colossians for having a vibrant, living faith, they encouraged and warned them about being uprooted. Colossians 2 is about being rooted in Christ, filled with his fulness of divine power, not settling for human substitutes or spiritual counterfeits. If you are trying to have a quiet time, getting started i...

In Christ (Colossians 1:15-2:5)

October 14, 2020 08:00 - 14 minutes - 10.2 MB

Have you ever stumbled upon something of surpassing beauty, which took your breath away and humbled you at the same time? It affects you so that you can’t turn away unchanged. The hymn about Christ in Colossians 1 is a lot like that. As Paul and Timothy develop their letter they focus attention on Christ, the center not just of the Christian community but of all God's work in the universe! If you are trying to have a quiet time, getting started in a relationship with God or seeking gui...

Grace and Peace (Colossians 1)

October 10, 2020 13:00 - 13 minutes - 9.33 MB

What’s missing in our culture today are courtesies, those words of respect, graciousness and sincere regard at the beginning of a conversation, a visit, a letter. So much is often said in those first few words if you only listen! We get to hear how Paul and Timothy greet the believers in Colossae today and catch a glimpse of how to pray for others to grow in their faith. If you are trying to have a quiet time, getting started in a relationship with God or seeking guidance at this point in...

Free in Christ (Philemon)

October 07, 2020 12:00 - 13 minutes - 9.24 MB

A fundamental problem of humans is our tendency to think we’re free while living under the influence or control of people and ideas that we seem blind to. When Christ comes into our life, we are set free from all of that and that’s really good news! Listen to the short letter to Philemon today and learn more about the freedom and responsibilities of love. If you are trying to have a quiet time, getting started in a relationship with God or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you'...

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