Listen Now

Do you have a regular personal devotional time? Do you find it a challenge to stay motivated and consistent? If so, you might be missing this – other people! ISOLATED OR IN COMMUNITY Many westerners try to grow spiritually alone. With our own copy of the scriptures (or many copies!) we often try to go […]

I’ve been thinking about two recent events in the news:  The March for our Lives organized by students on March 24, 2018, to demand greater gun control as a response to the deadly mass shooting at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. The march was impressive for several reasons: ◊ The sheer number […]

What’s the first thing you do when you get a new calendar? One year I watched with intrigue as my mother took her brand-new calendar, flipped through it until she found the month of November and wrote in these words, “Don’t go to the Christmas bazaar!”   THE NEED TO SAY NO I thought it […]

          Learning to Listen February is a good time to make New Year’s resolutions since most resolutions made in January don’t stick! One resolution I encourage you to consider is learning to listen to God in prayer. Most of us are not good listeners. In our conversations with others most of […]

I took a longer break over Christmas and New Year’s than I had planned. I tell you why in this episode where I talk about 3 people who helped me become the person I am today: My father Rev. Don Krause 3. Helen Keirstead – click here to read the post I wrote about her in […]

What word best describes your typical Christmas? busy? chaotic? food? frenzy? debt? How about joy? Yeah, I’m serious! JOY For many of us, joy is just a theme of one of the Advent candles or a frequent word that appears in the Christmas carols we sing. However, joy is a major theme in the gospel […]

Show Notes In last week’s episode,  Would Jesus Waste His Time on Facebook? I mentioned how Jesus deliberately sought out people who needed him, like Zaccheus, the woman at the well and Blind Bartimaeus. The followers of Jesus are called to do the same – seek out the lost. free online magazine by Christians for […]

Show Notes Would Jesus waste his time on Facebook? No, and probably yes. WASTE HIS TIME? No, Jesus would not waste His time. Jesus is not like many of us who mindlessly click on links, videos, ads and posts just to satisfy our curiosity or to put in time as we procrastinate doing something that […]

Show Notes 4 words that describe Jesus’ strategy for changing the world: Small Jesus chose only 12 disciples. He could have chosen more. At times He appeared to discourage others from becoming His disciples, particularly when the crowds grew large, such as in these examples: a) Matthew 8:18-22 b) Luke 14:25-27  c) John 6:56-66     […]

Show Notes Every Christian is called to be an agent of change. Our Mandate -the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) –  Change the world by making disciples (Learn more by listening to the episode , “The Church’s One Thing”). -the Great Commandment (Matthew 22:35-40) – Change the world through love. Jesus’ Mission -Luke 4:18,19 to proclaim good news to the poor… […]

Show Notes Have you ever bought something only to find that you already had it at home? Some people leave the Christian faith to go elsewhere to find what they are looking for not realizing that it was there all the time. What some people are looking for that they don’t always experience in Christianity […]

Show Notes The One Thing – the surprisingly simple truth behind extraordinary results, published in 2013 was written by Gary W. Keller and Jay Papasan.  The ‘one thing’ is important to ask ourselves if we seek to be productive and focus on what is most important. It is essential for the local church to know its […]

  Show Notes 3 reasons why I like Google Calendar for prayer: Quick and easy to input requests. Many options for scheduling your prayer requests – Different frequency choices throughout a calendar month or several times during the day.  An old hymn  – “Whisper a prayer in the morning, whisper a prayer at noon, whisper […]

Show Notes My 2nd episode of the National Podcast Post Month (NAPODPOMO). Why wear black on Thursdays? Participate in the worldwide movement called Thursdays in Black (TiB) –  a campaign of solidarity and advocacy against all forms of sexual and gender-based violence. If you live in Canada you can order TiB pins from the Women’s Inter-Church […]

Show Notes My 1st episode for National Podcast Post Month (NAPODPOMO). One reason people sometimes feel disconnected with the church is because their focus is too narrow. They don’t have the big picture in mind. Two Questions Asking, ”What’s God’s will for my life?” is incomplete and too narrow in focus. It treats our lives as a […]

Show Notes Ways to listen to this podcast: Looking For More Podcast Community Facebook Page Living in 3D blog SUBSCRIBE – iTunes and Stitcher National Podcast Month starts next week. The challenge – 30 podcasts in 30 days during the month of November. Let me know if you have suggestions for topics for November. Canadian […]

Show Notes I’m challenged! I’m participating in the 2017 National Podcast Post Month (Napodpomo) from November 1-30. The challenge is to produce 30 podcasts in 30 days. If you have suggestions for topics you would like me to cover in November contact me by: email (sldemerchant@gmail.com) Facebook (Looking For More Podcast Community) comment on the blog […]

Show Notes Wall Street Journal article, “I Can’t Understand a Word My Priest Says” by Mary Shelley (October 5, 2017) Three questions arose as I read this article: I. If she could accept a priest she could not understand, then are the rest of us expecting too much of our ministers? THE PERFECT PASTOR Good […]

  SHOW NOTES The news these days is scary and disturbing: floods and hurricanes in the southern US hurricanes in the Caribbean devastating places like Puerto Rico the earthquake in Mexico the threats between Trump and North Korea and just this week, the mass shooting in Las Vegas There is a lot of anxiety in […]

SHOW NOTES From “Cinderella With Amnesia – A practical discussion of the relevance of the church” by Michael Griffiths: “The Bible talks about ‘the bride of Christ’, but the church today seems like a ragged Cinderella, hideous among the ashes. She has forgotten that she is supposed to be growing up…to be a beautiful lady! […]