Exempla

Summer Religion

In 1738, John was living an exemplary religious life, maintaining a high standard of devotion and piety. But he knew the bitter truth. Listen to the story of how John Wesley came face-to-face with the reality about his own heart and join me in reflecting on an important truth about religion and grace.

For Starters

Many drivers don’t pay much attention to what’s under the hood until something goes wrong. This episode, I tell a story about my struggle with an inoperative vehicle and an unexpected lesson about something else that is often overlooked.

Necessary Members

Church relationships aren’t always easy. Sometimes, members find it hard to connect with others and certain people in the church can seem like they just don’t fit. We have a vital principle to consider in this story about a woman who thinks one man in her church might be more trouble than he’s worth.

Nobody’s Hero

We love a good underdog story. We love it when the little guy stands up to the big guy, even though the odds look impossible. But is audacious heroism always a good thing? Listen to the story of one man who tried to be a hero and what resulted from his defiance.

Something Appropriate

In 1968, three men went to the moon for Christmas. Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and Bill Anders were the crew of Apollo 8, and on Christmas Eve 1968 they shared a momentous message with the world, a message that still holds the power to lend us some much-needed Christmas perspective.

Master Plan

Did a lowly postage stamp alter the course of history? Join me for the fascinating story of how the Panama Canal almost never became a reality (it involves volcanoes) and for an important reminder of the influences that shape the course of history.

Good Eyes

How many words do you hear every day? What does it take for those words to really stick? Listen to this personal story about a simple comment that had a profound and lasting impact.

Critical Error

Funny, isn’t it, how good we are at finding mistakes? There may only be one imperfection in an otherwise flawless pattern or project, but our eyes immediately fix on that one fault. Bowen learned the hard way how destructive that tendency can be. Join me as we hear his story and learn a valuable lesson about criticism.

Acting Badly

Where did we get the phrase “Read the Riot Act”? The Riot Act, put in effect by British Parliament in 1715, was designed to combat angry protestors. But did it work? Travel with me to August 16, 1819 to witness an attempt to silence a crowd of 60,000 people and learn a lesson about dealing with disagreement.

Unworthy Tribute

We have all been exasperated by the rules and regulations we are sometimes asked to follow. Does God have anything to say about that? Join me this episode for a story about a Jewish man, a coin, and a principle for how we ought to respond to inconvenient or unfair rules.