discussing the meaning of Passover and Easter. It includes a discussion of the Shroud of Turin and what it tells us about Jesus and the Resurrection.

Pastor Rich

We are constantly tempted to division - to being opposed to the other. Yet God is ONE, and all life is one in God. Therefore, our path is not to fragmentation but to unification and gratitude.

What should believers do as we approach the midterm elections in the US, celebrating Simchat Torah, and my meeting with Country Music star Tery Taylor, a most impressive young man. That and listener calls in this episode of Faith Unscripted.

In this special episoce for the Jewish High Holy Days we discuss the meaning and importance of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are important for all believers, and what we can learn from these beautiful commemorations of the New Year and the Day of Atonement respectively

Being present to life is easier said than done. We are often so twisted by the past or worried about the future that we forget that we only live in the moment; we only live NOW. This and other topics are addressed in this episode of Faith Unscripted

The importance of kindness - to others and ourselves.

How Christians and other people of faith should engage in the debates and struggles of our times?. Believers must be involved in the world, but they must be engaged in a thoughtful and informed way. With so much spin and deception, how can we inform ourselves well enough to understand the issues? What do we need to know about the issues, and ourselves in order to be responsible in the public square? All this and more in today's episode of Faith Unscripted.

While teaching in the Synagogue on the Sabbath, Jesus encountered a disabled woman. He spoke to, touched, and healed her when he saw her. The people who witnessed this healing praised God. The synagogue leader, however, criticized Jesus for healing on the Sabbath. That leader, too, needed healing from his rigidity and legalistic thinking. He needed to reconnect with the Lord of the Sabbath and the meaning of Sabbath rest. (Luke 13:10-17)

"It is the Father's great pleasure," Jesus tells us, "to give us the Kingdom." God LOVES to give what is most important, and all we have to do is accept the gift, and value it more than the stuff we accumulate. We should sell that and give to the poor - we should, ourselves, in other words, be find great pleasure in being generous. Then we will treasure what is truly valuable, compassion. That is the treasure that lasts into eternity.

"I have come to bring fire," Jesus tells his disciples, "and how I wish it were kindled." "I have not come to bring peace but division." With this warning, we must be prepared, be ready, and don't be afraid. We are not used to Jesus speaking about the division His message will bring, but he warns us that discipleship will not be easy. We can't expect our faith to make us popular; quite the contrary. The call of Christ invites us to follow him, ultimately to the cross. While it is demanding and it can be daunting, it is the only path to life and joy.

On August 15th, Christians around the world celebrated the feast of the Assumption of Mary. What does that mean, and what is the significance of Mary for the Church and our spirituality? Today's episode explains the Assumption's meaning, a belief dating back to Apostolic times. But what does it mean for us? Why did Carl Jung, the great Swiss psychiatrist, write that Pius XII's declaration of the dogma of the Assumption was the most crucial religious teaching of the 20th Century? What does Mary teach us about being a faithful child of God? All this and more in today's episoce

Roxanne Watson received a lifesaving heart transplant 12 years ago. Since then, she has been a tireless advocate for organ donations, recruiting thousands of new donors. When Roxanne received her transplant, Roxanne received not only a new heart but a grateful one. She is thankful to Michael, her donor, and his family. She is grateful to God, the author of life, who gave her, through Michael, a second chance to live. Roxanne realizes that every day, every moment of life: is a gift.

Greed is a terrible thing - it destroys families and it destroys lives. Jesus' Parable of the Rich Fool is a cautionary tale for all who are simply good business people, but miss the bigger picture and the greater challenge of life. What makes a good business person a fool? Well, you can read the parable or listen to this podcast to hear what Jesus, and the entire Judeo-Christian tradition means by folly.

What is our relationship with God? Who are we as we stand before Him, and how do we come to know the One before whom we stand? The sacred texts of the Judeo-Christian tradition answer these questions - or at least they point to an answer. God is the creator, the Lord, and sovereign of the universe he created by speaking it into existence. So majestic is the Lord that his name is unutterable. Pious Jews will never pronounce YHWH, the word God gave Moses when he asked the name of the One who spoke from the burning bush. "I am who I am." the Lord told him. He is the great "I Am." Yet Jesus teaches that the One who created the universe, the One who liberates the enslaved, can be addressed as "Father." We are in a tender relationship with God, who prefers us to think of him as Abba, Father. Our Abba longs to hear our voice like a human father loves to listen to the prattle of his children. All this and more, plus listener phone calls on this episode of Faith Unscripted.

We hear, in Luke 11, that Jesus' disciples asked the Lord to teach them to pray. They did not ask for a prayer to say but for teaching about prayer. Jesus teaches them to pray to God as "our Father." We are the images and children of the God who creates, rescues, and redeems. The essence of this prayer is relationship. The God who created the universe loves us with a father's care. This episode reflects on the Lord's prayer as found in Luke's gospel.

Jesus grew up a pious Jew among faithful Jews, keeping the Law of Moses and following the traditions of His people. We are witnesses of our faith in Christ, which means we must stand apart from the world's values. As Jesus was a healer, so must we heal others by practicing generous forgiveness. I hope you will find this episode of Faith Unscripted, the Podcast, a blessing.

If we want to do what Jesus would have done in any situation in life that confronts us, we must first know how to live as Jesus lived. How did he live? The Gospels tell us clearly: Jesus was prayerful; he lived with kindness and compassion for the least, the vulnerable,  and the marginalized. Jesus was generous: he gave his life to save us. This episode reflects on how Jesus lived in the hope that it will inspire us to be more like him,

Knowing what we should do at any moment requires us to understand who we are. Agere sequitur esse, the Latin saying goes: what we do flows from who we are. Discernment is critical to our self-knowledge, which, in turn, guides us in our life choices. In this episode, I hope to deepen our understanding of the tools of discernment available to us as believers and as disciples (students) of Jesus. Christians are also frequently persecuted in places where they are in the minority. Two such places are Egypt and Nigeria. Recently, these countries have been deadly attacks on our Christian brothers and sisters. How are we to respond? We must respond both by raising our voices in protest and prayer.

What makes us who we are? How does our "hard work" contribute to our successes and failures? Do we make ourselves, or are we made by the circumstances of our lives? What is our God-given purpose? We reflect on all of this, plus some great callers and conversations in this episode of Faith Unscripted.