Tag: podcasts

Do Not Forget (Proverbs 3:1)

We tackle Proverbs 3 this week, and before we jump in, I just want to say a huge thank you for your comments so far. I hope you have been enjoying it and it has increased your hunger for wisdom.

My difficulty in writing about the Proverbs is knowing how deep to dive. As you can imagine, we could study a single line each day and spend the next 10 years on the book! Perhaps that is not a bad thing, but I do want to encourage you to study the depths for yourself too.

My son, don’t forget my teaching;

    but let your heart keep my commandments:

Proverbs 3:1 (WEB)

The chapter opens with an instruction not to forget the teaching. That sounds simple enough, but I wonder how easy it is?

This post lands on a Monday, and if I ask you what your pastor taught on yesterday at church, can you remember? What about the previous Sunday?

I mentioned before that I enjoy a number of Christian podcasts, and listened to several over the weekend. What were they about? Am I able to give you a summary? Not easily! The reason is, although I listened, I did not engage with the teaching. I agreed with it, found it helpful, but took no notes and did other things while listening. I may retain some surface knowledge of the subject, but did not meditate on it nor store up the knowledge in my heart (as Proverbs 3:1b encourages us to).

God has been leading me to “consume” less and to engage more. It is not about how many sermons I listen to, but what I learn from the ones I do.

It is not about how many sermons I listen to, but what I learn from the ones I do. #Bible #Christianity #Memory

Being perfectly honest with you, I am not doing very well with this command. I have cut back on the range of messages I listen to, but I cannot say that I have taken the steps I need to really engage more.

What I need to do, and I offer this as a suggestion for you also, is as follows:

  • Slow down
  • Give it my full attention
  • Make notes
  • Apply

Taking each in turn, I must first slow down. I turn up the speed on my podcast player so that a 30-minute sermon takes much less time. This may be of use in certain situations, but if trying to learn something, then slow and steady is far better.

As above, I tend to plug my earbuds in, turn on a podcast and then do a hundred other things while listening. Again, this is not wholly wrong but it must also mean that I am not giving the teaching my full attention. I may hear the words being said, but are they penetrating my heart? Unlikely. Rather, I should be sat down, limiting distractions and focus on the subject at hand.

My memory is naturally good, and so I have never been too reliant on notes. the truth is though, that when we write notes about something we are listening to, we are processing that information. Our retention of that message will be far greater if we have written down key things that were important to us.

Many years ago, I started a journal of sorts where I wrote down particular Bible verses and bullet points about things the Lord had shared with me (be it directly or through others’ teaching). This was a very7 helpful practice and I had hoped to build an almost entire commentary over the course of my life. I have let it slip, although still have it, and perhaps this post is a nudge from God to pick that up again.

Finally, if we really want to ensure we do not forget a teaching, we must apply it. We need to assess what we have learned and decide what we will do about it. Not every passage in the Bible lends itself to practical action. For instance, it is easier to apply an instruction to pray from an epistle, than it is to apply something from a historical narrative or word of prophecy.

Most Bible teaching should lead us to some form of corresponding action. I am quite a practical person so am always reading the Scriptures, and looking for something I can do with them. Often I am thinking, “How would I teach this passage?” It is not always a healthy approach, and so we should handle the Bible text appropriately.

Having discussed only one verse from Proverbs 3, I am coming to a close on this post. All that I have said above about not forgetting teaching applies also to blogs you and I read. I follow a number of Bible and Christian blogs, and all are helpful at times. Do I fully engage with them though? The truth is not always. I read, like, and then move on to the next one, missing huge opportunities to grow in my faith. How about you?

Will you take the steps above to improve your recollection of Bible teaching? Let me know how you get on.

The Early Church and Podcasts

It has been a bit difficult to write over the last few days. This is largely down to the demands of everyday life, and I sometimes under estimate the time it takes to put a post together. As long as I am able to however, I will continue to post daily. It has been nearly three months since I started to write each day and that is not a bad streak!

I do want to continue with the book of Acts, and we are up to chapter 5 which carries on the narrative of events from chapters 3 and 4. To be perfectly honest though, I am still rather stuck on the following verses which concluded the fourth chapter.

Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. 33 And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. 34 There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold 35 and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. 36 Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, 37 sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

Acts 4:32-37 (ESV)

Digression

I do not want to “go on and on” about it, as you’ve probably heard enough from me on this. The post on these verses – One Heart and Soul – came out last week, and then I put up a podcast mulling over some similar issues on Saturday.

Did you know I had a podcast? As I developed this blog further, and as I started to include some audio of sermons etc. I set up a podcast feed as well. The podcasts are replicated on the Audio page here too, but some prefer a pod-catching app to a website, so thought I would offer both.

If you are interested in subscribing, you can find “The Andy Brown Podcast” in your app of choice. It is available in Apple Podcasts, Spotify and where all good podcast are found!

Alternatively, you can find the podcast at the following link: https://anchor.fm/andy-brown2/episodes/Help-the-poor-efcjr3

While I am on the subject, and sorry for digressing from actually discussing the Bible, could I ask you – the reader – how often you read the blog? Would you prefer audio or video content to my written ramblings? I’ve noticed that Facebook videos seem to get more views than a typical blog post, but perhaps that’s because it is easier to just watch the video for a few seconds rather than read an entire 1,000 word post.

In my mind, it may be that the blog stays with its biblical study focus, and I use the podcast for more opinion or “Andy’s musings!” Whatever I do, of course I will seek the Lord about it first, but would also appreciate your views, so please comment below if you have any strong feelings one way or the other!

Anyway, I digress…

Early Church Life

It is fair to say that I have been rather challenged by the way the Early Church lived. It looks so drastically different to how we live today, and while that does not necessarily mean we ought to try to mimic them precisely, I think there is a great deal we should learn from them.

How do we implement their way of life in our modern world? This is something I have been thinking about and yet not necessarily come up with clear answers. As much as I love to teach what the Bible says, I am regularly forced to recognise that I do not know it all and so some of my writing is less instructional and more conversational. I find I can work out my thoughts as I write them, but apologies I cannot tell you to do this or do that.

Verse 32 says that they did not consider any of the things they owned as theirs. Everything they had became shared with the family. One of the problems the modern day church faces in this respect, is that we are not so closely connected as they were. We may refer to one another as “church family” yet, in my experience at least, we still have barriers between our church life and our personal life.

Does verse 32 require me, as a member of Christ’s church, to sell my home and give the money to the church? If I did, where would my family and I live? I think that common sense must apply here, and we ought not to be reckless or irresponsible when it comes to providing for those we care for.

I’ve been wondering about communal living arrangements and shared housing. I have heard and read lots about communal housing and property, where people pool their resources and share responsibility for all the necessary elements of running a large home. For example, they share cooking responsibilities or have a rota to cover the garden or farming work. Perhaps such an arrangement with a group of close-knit believers is a step closer towards the kind of Early Church life we see described.

To be clear, I am not telling you that the Bible or God is insisting you do this. Do not go out, sell your home and buy into a communal living arrangement based on my thoughts here today! I am perhaps “thinking out loud” and wondering if we are falling short of what God intended for His church.

The persecution the early believers faced is certainly a factor in their lifestyle. They had to unite to stay safe in a way that we, in the West, can only imagine. They also lived like people who believed Jesus would return soon. They did not cling to their possessions because they simply did not expect to be here that long. I am not certain we think or live that way either.

One final thought on this subject before moving on. Many would be reluctant to share their possessions in the way described in this passage for fear of being taken advantage of. If I give up all I have, what’s to stop someone else holding back? That question is answered in no small way in chapter 5! But note the passage said there no needy people among them at all!

If you have read this far into the post, then I am hoping it is a sign you do not mind my musings on this subject! It is rare for something to grab me so strongly as this passage has over recent days. Part of me is hesitant to move on for fear that I will forget its impact or just carry on as normal without any change. Keeping it at the forefront of my thoughts at least ensures I won’t forget!

Normal service will resume tomorrow… Lord willing!