The Clear & Present Faith Podcast

People living their faith in the every day

recent posts

  • Portraits of the Prodigal: The Fall

    The parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32) is one with which many people are familiar. This is the second of a three-part series looking at the various mindsets of the son as the parable progresses. You can find Part 1 here.

    When we last left the prodigal son, he had requested his inheritance prior to his father’s death. He then collected his things and moved to a “…distant country, where he squandered his estate in foolish living” (Luke 15:13). It didn’t take long; after all, we’re only 3 verses into the story…

    Shortly after he reached financial ruin, we read that the land is overtaken by famine (Luke 15:14) and he is left without any means to provide for himself. He takes a job feeding pigs (Luke 15:15). Here’s the thing to keep in mind with that. Jewish law identified pigs as being unclean (Leviticus 11:7-8; Deuteronomy 14:8). This would have been a dishonorable job for a Jew. And while the young man in the story isn’t identified as Jewish, Jesus’ audience was. To compound the matter, the job still wasn’t “paying the bills.” We see that the prodigal son was so desperate for sustenance that he considered eating the food he was giving to the pigs (Luke 15:16) because no one would help him.

    We want to pause here to consider this place of “rock bottom” where the prodigal son finds himself. The choices he made as he squandered his money likely gave him satisfaction in the moment, but the consequence of his pursuit of pleasure led him to the place where he found himself at this point – lost, without food, without a place to sleep, and notably, alone – any friends he may have had during his high-spending days were now nowhere in sight. 

    While the passage doesn’t speak to his state of mind, we can imagine at this point he is consumed with the shame of his decisions. David’s discourse in Psalm 38 paints a vivid picture of shame’s influence in our lives. It is a prayer of penitence, describing the pain of living in sin. The mental burden (v. 4, 6b), the physical strain (v. 3, 5-6a, 7-8), and the impact on relationships, both isolation from friends and family (v. 11) and the predatory advances of enemies (v. 12). Shame becomes consuming, overwhelming, and can grow exponentially if left unchecked.

    There’s good news. When we acknowledge that sin and take it to God, there is hope on the other side. Psalm 32:5 reads “Then I acknowledged my sin to You and did not conceal my inquiry. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,’ and You forgave the guilt of my sin.” In Psalm 51, David goes on describing his desire for God’s power to remove his shame. I leave you with the words of verses 7-13 of that passage. And if you are suffering from the weight of shame, I pray you will take it to God this week. And, if we can pray for you, please reach out.

    Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones You have crushed rejoice. Turn Your face away from my sins and blot out all my guilt. God, create a clean heart for me and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not banish me from Your presence or take Your Holy Spirit away from me. Restore the joy of your salvation to me, and sustain me by giving me a willing spirit. Then I will teach the rebellious Your ways, and sinner will return to you.

  • Christ is Risen

    Today, many have celebrated Easter and the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. May we never limit that remembrance and that celebration to a single day every year or even a single day every week. My prayer is that Christ’s sacrifice is ever-present on our minds, a driving force in our life to obey Him, and to serve Him and the world around us every day.

    Now I want to make clear for you, brothers and sisters, the gospel I preached to you, which you received, on which you have taken your stand and by which you are being saved, if you hold to the message I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I passed on to you as most important what I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures… (1 Corinthians 15:1-4)

  • Speaking to God – Part 1

    Serving God requires a relationship with Him, and key component of any relationship is communication. We speak to God through prayer.

    Edwin Crozier is a preacher in Lutz, FL, author of Plugged In: High Voltage Prayer, and co-host of the Text Talk Podcast. I had a great conversation with Edwin about prayer and its purpose. So good in fact that it was hard to cut material, so this interview will be broken into three parts.

    You can find a list of the platforms on which we’re live on The Podcast webpage. Thanks for tuning in and I hope you enjoy my conversation with Edwin Crozier.

    Also, if you haven’t read this week’s blog post, check it out here.

  • Portraits of the Prodigal: The Rise

    The parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32) is one with which many people are familiar. This is the first of a 3-part series looking at the various mindsets of the son as the parable progresses.

    As we begin reading this parable, we learn of a man who had two sons. His younger son demands his portion of the inheritance, now, before the passing of his father. The father, loving as he was, granted the son’s wish. Not long after, we see that the son gathered his belongings and left to go to a “…distant country, where he squandered his estate in foolish living” (Luke 15:13).

    What is the mindset of a man who would demand his inheritance prior to his father’s death? The overarching mindset is one today’s world would call “entitlement.” The indication is that this young man likely had very little want in his life; yet, he wanted even more. He felt he should have what was coming to him (Luke 15:12) sooner rather than later. And what was the motivation behind this entitlement? Entitlement most often comes from a self-centered focus, where a person perceives themselves, their needs, and desires above the needs and desires of anyone else. This calls to mind the spoiled character in Willy Wonka, Veruca Salt, who’s chant “I want it, and I want it NOW!” leads to her quick demise. And when entitlement pursues physical gain, wealth, or things, we know it as greed.

    Greed can cause a multitude of problems in our lives. Greed says, “there is something in this world more important than God in your life.” Greed says, “there is something in this world more important than the people in your life.” Greed says, “you are the most important thing in your life and you should be served by the world around you.” The Bible certainly warns us about greed (Matthew 6:24; Colossians 3:5). For the purposes of this parable, I find 1 Timothy 6:9-10 to be most informative:

    But those who want to be rich fall into temptation, a trap, and many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and by craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

    (SPOILER ALERT: that fall and that ruin is coming in our story….)

    Greed can only be eliminated by learning contentment and a reliance on God (Hebrews 13:5). He will give us the things we need to most effectively serve Him in our day-to-day lives. And learning how to lean on Him for strength and sustenance is important for our growth.

    I hope you’ll be back for part 2 of our series next week. In the meantime, I pray you will find contentment in your life and learn to trust in God and His plan for you.

  • The Lost Parables

    In Luke 15, we find the “lost” parables. No, we didn’t misplace them and suddenly discover them. No, it’s not the working title of the next Indiana Jones movie. We’re talking about those parables that identify how God responds to people who are lost to Him.

    To set the stage, we see in Luke 15:1 that “tax collectors and sinners” were coming to Jesus to hear His message. As a result, the Pharisees and scribes, the pious aristocracy of the time, complained “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them!” (Luke 15:2). Jesus then proceeds to tell three parables designed to demonstrate the value of the lost soul: the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, and the Prodigal Son.

    In the parable of the Lost Sheep, we see a shepherd who leaves his flock of 99 sheep to go out and find a single sheep that had wandered away (Luke 15:4-7). In the parable of the Lost Coin, we see a woman with 10 silver coins who lost one and searches her house until she finds it (Luke 15:8-10). I’d like to draw a couple of points from these two parables:

    First, “one” is important – It could be easy to look at situations like the ones described in these parables and say, “He’s still got 99 sheep – what’s the big deal?” Or, “She still has nine coins – is it really a bad thing that one is missing?” The answers are “yes, it’s a big deal,” and “yes, it’s a bad thing.” God wants everyone to know the truth and be saved (1 Timothy 2:4). So, the “one” is important.

    Second, finding the lost one calls for celebration – In both cases, the searchers rejoice with their friends and neighbors over finding that which was missing and had been restored (Luke 15:6, 9) and Christ draws a comparison to the way the angels in heaven will rejoice over a lost soul returning (Luke 15:7, 10). It is a joyous occasion when someone chooses to become a Christian. It is just as joyous when someone who chose to follow God and later turned away from Him, determines to come back. When I was in college, the long-time evangelist at the congregation I attended passed away from cancer. He was a man of God in every sense with a true servant’s heart and his passing touched the hearts of many, and served as a reminder of the brevity of life. The Sunday after his funeral could have been a very sorrowful day. Instead, there were three individuals who had rejected Christ after becoming a Christian who determined to come back that morning. And what could have been a disheartening day was instead a delightful day of rejoicing in the return of three souls.

    Also, I mentioned a third parable? Beginning with next week’s blog post, we’ll be publishing a 3-part series on the parable of the Prodigal Son. There’s a lot to unpack there as we look at the rise, fall, and return of the title character in this story. I hope you’ll be back to read about that. In the meantime, if you’re feeling a little lost, take comfort in knowing that God is waiting for you, and there are people who are willing to help you. If we can pray for you in any way or if you have a question, don’t hesitate to reach out at https://clearandpresentfaith.com/contactus/. Have a blessed week, and I’ll “see” you next Monday.

  • A Godward Orientation – Part 2

    When we think about what “living for God in the every day” looks like, I think we have to start with where is our focus? What kinds of things are occupying our thoughts and our time? What provides orientation and direction in our lives?

    B.J. Sipe is a young gospel preacher in Danville, KY. When I first reached out to him about being our first guest and explained the concept to him, he coined a phrase that I think really encapsulates the theme of the podcast. In order to live for God in the every day, we have to maintain a Godward orientation. In our conversation, we talk about what that looks like and how we can apply it practically in our daily life. This is the second part of a two-part interview, so make sure to go back and catch the previous episode if you missed it.

    For a list of the podcast platforms on which we’re live, visit The Podcast page on the website. Any likes, subscribes, and shares would be greatly appreciated.

    Enjoy the episode!

  • A Giving Heart

    As I mentioned in a post a few weeks ago, I’m co-teaching a class on the Gospel of Luke for the congregation my wife and I are a part of. Last week, one of my co-teachers made a comment that really bears repeating…

    We were in Luke 16, talking about the parable of the rich man and Lazarus (v.19-31). In the story, there was a rich man with expensive clothes who gave lavish feasts. Then, there was Lazarus – a poor man, covered in sores and lying at the rich man’s gate. He was so desperate, the Bible tells us “He longed to be filled with what fell from the rich man’s table…” (Luke 16:21). So, we have one man in a dire situation and another in a position to do something about it.

    Eventually, both men die. Lazarus is carried away to Abraham’s side (Luke 16:22) while the rich man ends up in torment in Hades (Luke 16:23). The rich man cries out to Abraham begging for relief. Abraham responds:

    Son…remember that during your life you received your good things, just as Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here, while you are in agony. (Luke 16:25)

    In the end, the good things the rich man had on earth did nothing to comfort him because he did nothing with them. A giving heart doesn’t come from having more things.

    I recently wrote about the biblical instruction and examples we see about the importance of being generous. And I think sometimes, we say to ourselves “It will be easier to be generous when I have more to give.” It might be. But biblical generosity doesn’t come with a minimum net worth (see the story of the widow bringing her offering at the temple in Luke 21:1-4). It comes from a mindset. God doesn’t tell us to be generous when we become rich. He doesn’t tell us to be generous when we have time. He simply tells us to be generous.

    My wife and I had family in town recently. During a dinner conversation, my sister-in-law asked my nieces what they had learned from a particular lesson they recently heard on the topic of hospitality (something very closely linked to generosity). My 12-year-old niece responded, “You don’t have to have the nicest or the biggest house to be hospitable. You can be hospitable with what you have.”
    Generosity is not about what you have – it’s about how you use what you have and the heart with which you do it.

  • Guard Your Heart

    During undergrad, I took a Communication in Cultures class. One day the professor was talking about the traditional metaphor of the United States being a melting pot of different people and different cultures all coming together as one and how she didn’t like that analogy, preferring the concept of a stew pot. “Why a stew pot?” she asked. The class talked about several different things, but there was one point that really stands out in my mind.

    In a melting pot, everything comes together and it becomes very difficult to separate those elements and pull something out. In a stew pot, you can see the carrots, you can see the beef, you can see the peas. And, while it would be time-consuming, you could go through and take every single piece of a particular ingredient out – but not their influence on the dish. You can remove all the carrots, but their impact from simmering with all the other ingredients will remain.

    This is why it is so important that we guard our hearts (Proverbs 4:20-27) and our minds (Luke 21:34-35). Satan is looking for any foothold in our lives. He’s searching for a way in that will provide him the chance to influence us for evil. And he’s going to do it in a way that is enticing and attractive. For example, I really enjoy music. Different styles, different genres (ok, not rap or opera so much, but others). I have a deep appreciation for the impact music can have on our mood and our perspectives. This means I have to be very conscientious about listening to a song that I may enjoy the melody, the “beat,” or the instrumentation but the lyrics are designed to pull my heart and my mind away from God. And for a music lover, even if I stop listening to a song, it’s still in my head and can be impactful if allowed.

    Satan is going to dress up evil influence in the forms of music, movies, relationships, or perhaps that promotion that will improve your financial situation, but pull you away from the more important things.

    So, what should we focus on? Colossians 3:1-4 reads:

    So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

    Let’s spend our time focusing on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience (Colossians 3:12). And, “above all, put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity” (Colossians 3:14).

    I hope you’ll spend some time this week meditating on things above.

  • A Godward Orientation – Part 1

    When we think about what “living for God in the every day” looks like, I think we have to start with where is our focus? What kinds of things are occupying our thoughts and our time? What provides orientation and direction in our lives?

    B.J. Sipe is a young gospel preacher in Danville, KY. When I first reached out to him about being our first guest and explained the concept to him, he coined a phrase that I think really encapsulates the theme of the podcast. In order to live for God in the every day, we have to maintain a Godward orientation. In our conversation, we talk about what that looks like and how we can apply it practically in our daily life. This is a two-part interview with the second part coming out in two weeks.

    For a list of the podcast platforms on which we’re live, visit The Podcast page on the website. Any likes, subscribes, and shares would be greatly appreciated.

    Enjoy the episode!

  • Iron Sharpens Iron

    Knives are a really great universal tool. You can slice food. You can open boxes. You can cut rope. The sharp edge of the blade can be used to accomplish so many daily tasks and help out in a pinch for those “once in a blue moon moments.”

    Unavoidably, knives dull. They lose their effectiveness and, eventually, their ability to perform the tasks at all. Regardless of how good the steel, all knives require sharpening. And the same is true for us as individuals. The trials of the world around us wear us down and we need refinement.There are a number of ways that sharpening can take place, not the least of which is the support of another. Proverbs 27:17 reads:

    Iron sharpens iron, and one person sharpens another.

    Sharpening can certainly occur through encouragement (1 Thessalonians 5:11; Hebrews 10:24-25; Proverbs 12:25). However, that won’t always be the case. When you sharpen a knife blade, you are actually removing microscopic bits of the metal in order to refine it into a useful tool. The process can be painstaking. The same can be true when others sharpen us. Sometimes, people will need to tell us things that are difficult to hear, perhaps even painful to acknowledge. Yet, it is the difficult conversations where we will experience the most growth.

    If we back up just a few verses in Proverbs 27, we read that “the wounds of a friend are trustworthy…” (v. 6). When people have our best interest at heart, sometimes it means having the hard conversation, telling us the thing we don’t want to hear – but, will ultimately lead us to being a strong servant for God in His kingdom.

    May we all surround ourselves with people who can sharpen us and be receptive to those moments.