Latest Itisnear Podcast Episodes
Gaza vs Israel
It is Near - March 07, 2024 09:00 - 44 minutesCould the ancient struggles and prophecies of Israel hold the keys to a future where peace reigns supreme? Join us as we traverse the spiritual and geopolitical landscapes that have defined Israel's place in history, and ponder whether current events could be signaling the fulfillment of biblica...
The Thought Police
It is Near - September 28, 2023 04:00 - 51 minutesThirty-one years ago we took on an emergency family project -- we wrote a point for point rebuttal of a full page newspaper ad placed by Holocaust denier Bradley Smith in the Ohio State Lantern. In this podcast, I read the article we wrote, which was also published at the University of Michigan ...
Hell - Man to Man part 2
It is Near - July 29, 2023 06:00 - 1 hourOwen Kindig has a man to man conversation on what the Bible says about Hell with J. Murray Murdoch, emeritus professor of History at Cedarville University. Their viewpoints could not be more different, but their respect for the Bible and each other is profound. Enjoy this earnest and honest comp...
A City is coming...
It is Near - July 08, 2023 22:00 - 38 minutesWe all live in a tent city. Temporary, half-baked, unfixable. But the vision of Abraham persists. "A City with foundations". Many long for it. Is it a vain hope? An impossible dream? The end of death; a global resurrection. Even the findings of physics and astronomy -- that all the heavier atom...
Abraham's 7 insights
It is Near - July 06, 2023 02:00 - 49 minutesWho wants to live in a tent? Millions don't have a choice. But Abraham did and today we'll find out why. Something permanent is coming ... and it is near. This wide-ranging episode looks at migrants, including the recent ship full of them who were lost at sea. We turn to Abraham for seven insigh...
Hell: A man to man talk
It is Near - June 14, 2023 04:00 - 53 minutesTwo Christians have a calm, respectful discussion about a topic they profoundly disagree about. Sounds like fun, doesn't it? And maybe, impossible? Murray grew up in orthodoxy, Owen grew up as a heretic. But they are good friends and brothers in Christ: and whichever side you are rooting for, y...
What is "It is Near"?
It is Near - June 13, 2023 08:00 - 1 hourit is Near explores the immediate future -- the next two or three decades from now to 2050. Is it bad? Way worse than even pessimists think, Is it good? Way better than any of us can imagine. I'm hoping you will join me to look with curiosity and without fear at all of the happenings that a...
What is "Near"?
It is Near - June 13, 2023 08:00 - 1 hourit is Near explores the immediate future -- the next two or three decades from now to 2050. Is it bad? Way worse than even pessimists think, Is it good? Way better than any of us can imagine. I'm hoping you will join me to look with curiosity and without fear at all of the happenings that a...
What is Near?
It is Near - April 05, 2023 17:00 - 42 minutesTalk about grabbing a tiger by the tail. "It is Near" launches with an overview of challenges we all face and blessings humanity can expect. Touching on Matthew 24 and 2 Peter 3, we glimpse an ocean of mysteries and baffling issues that have most people wondering. This goal-setting podcast is re...
Seven Questions - a Baptismal sermon - Romans 12
It is Near - September 18, 2022 04:00 - 1 hourAre you open to considering outside input about your attitudes? Most people are. Christians are by definition -- willing, even eager to know God's will and guidance regarding all of their thoughts and motivations. That's the defining message of Christian discipleship, as described by Paul in Rom...
Power of the Cross - Part 2 - Queen Elizabeth and Mikhail Gorbachev
It is Near - September 10, 2022 14:00 - 45 minutesOn her 21st birthday, Queen Elizabeth pledged that her lifelong motto would be "I serve." We pay tribute to her for this noble sentiment, and remember that this character quality is the commandment of all true disciples of Christ, according to Jesus in Matthew 20:25-28. In this episode we will c...
Power of the Cross - Part 1
It is Near - September 08, 2022 16:00 - 50 minutesWhen describing the Power of the Cross in 1 Corinthians 1, Paul notices that most people are not impressed. Though Christianity seemed to spread to a place of world domination for many centuries, Paul's words have always remained true: the world at large, whether Jew or Gentile, sees the Cross a...
Listening to God
It is Near - March 31, 2022 05:00 - 1 hourWhen we listen to God we often try to turn up the volume. But it seems the ancient prophets didn't hear it clearly until they turned their faces toward the wilderness. In this episode we explore the experiences of Samuel, Moses, Balaam, Jonah, Paul, Barnabas, Zecharias, Mary the mother of Jesus...
Will Smith and Joe Biden on the Big Stage
It is Near - March 29, 2022 16:00 - 48 minutesTwo actors on the biggest stages of the world go off-script and cause a stir. What can we learn without pointing fingers? A charitable discussion of the limits of human power and the arc of history. The meaning of faith in Hebrews 11, the humbling of one of history's most famous kings in Daniel ...
Lament for Ukraine
It is Near - March 24, 2022 18:00 - 58 minutesThe devastation of Ukraine weighs heavy on my heart, and in this episode I turn to the words of David in Psalm 9 and 10 to voice the sadness and yet hope that all people of good will feel at times like this.
Lament for Ukraine
It is Near - March 24, 2022 18:00 - 58 minutesThe devastation of Ukraine weighs heavy on my heart, and in this episode I turn to the words of David in Psalm 9 and 10 to voice the sadness and yet hope that all people of good will feel at times like this.
God's Signature - 3 Metaphors for how his work of grace changes us
It is Near - March 15, 2022 18:00 - 40 minutesDo we reap what we sow? Does deal with us as with sons? Are we like clay in the hands of a potter? All 3 of these metaphors have a Bible basis but don't fully reveal the way God's grace works in our lives. As we work to understand the role of weakness and trials of faith in our lives, we step ba...
Manliness. (Virtue regardless of sex) A sermon that starts with Psalm 15
It is Near - March 14, 2022 18:00 - 42 minutesIn this more in-depth teaching that launches from Psalm 15, Owen looks at the decisions and deeds of characters of the Bible.
Weakness. A Bible study about real strength. Part 1
It is Near - March 14, 2022 18:00 - 27 minutesWhy do good people get run over? This multi-part Bible study starts with the prophecy of Joel 4 and explores the weakness of God's people and part one of understanding the "weakness of God. "
The 5 Rs of Strrrrrength, a study of Psalm 15.
It is Near - February 24, 2022 18:00 - 18 minutesWelcome to the first episode of Good Words. Psalm 15 is our topic -- the Five Rs of Strength. We will reflect on righteousness, resolve or resoluteness, responsibility, resilience and results.
Good Words: Manliness - The 5 Rs of Virtue, based on Psalm 15
It is Near - February 24, 2022 18:00 - 1 hourWelcome to the first episode of Good Words. Psalm 15 is our topic -- the Five Rs of Manliness (not in the sexist sense of that term!). First an overview, then a sermon I gave on this topic over 20 years ago. Please comment whether you like it or not and if you do, please tell a friend.
ABC's of Salvation 4 - ALL people receive a "feast of fat things"
It is Near - January 06, 2021 03:00 - 7 minutesAll weigh in on the "times of restitution of all things". All people gain life, joy, peace, justice. Hear the prophets' words: Zechariah, Daniel, Isaiah and more.
"ALL" ... ABC's of Salvation 3 -- the little word with a big meaning.
It is Near - January 04, 2021 23:00 - 7 minutes"All" is such a persistent word. It just won't let us ignore it or explain it away. And in the context of the Bible verses we read in today's meditation, ALL refers to every human, all mankind. It is not "all kinds of". Not "all the good folks", "all the believers". No qualification is supplied...
Abraham's Promise is "the Gospel" - ABC's of Salvation 2
It is Near - January 03, 2021 09:00 - 7 minutesAbraham has already received the fulfillment of his promise -- a great name, and possession of the land of Israel. 55% of the world's population now fulfill the promise made 4000 years ago that this one man and woman would produce children what would be globally recognized. The promises have be...
Saving Grace: "A" - Starting with Abraham
It is Near - January 02, 2021 18:00 - 7 minutesJanuary feels like a good time to chew on "Saving Grace". What does the Bible say about who is saved ... and how, when, why and where? It all begins with Abraham, so we'll first spend two sessions on the man and woman to whom almost two-thirds of the planet trace their religious heritage.
Looking forward. You are loved, and you can question God.
It is Near - January 01, 2021 21:00 - 8 minutesIf Job and Jesus could ask God, "Why?!" so can we. We cannot believe we are loved unless we face our situation honestly and have a conversation about it. Job chapter 21.
Looking back on 2020... COVID positives
It is Near - January 01, 2021 07:00 - 21 minutesWhat a year. A quiet reflection on what we have lost, and the price paid by our health care workers and public servants this year. And yet there are positives. What we can be grateful for, and a few of the things we have learned. What a year, surprisingly crowned by the goodness of God -- Psalm...
Launching a different kind of meditation.
It is Near - December 31, 2020 00:00 - 13 minutesThe first episode in a short, unedited, devotional meditation. This one starts with an intro to the concept. Today's Bible reading is Psalm 145, followed by a paragraph from Hank Lentfer's book, Faith of Cranes. Then there is a prayer. Many people are using meditation to medicate the stress o...
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