podcast series on the biblical story …

A few years ago I prepared a series of 20 minute podcasts that give an overview of the whole bible. Emergent Village will be re-releasing the podcasts – for listening online or downloading as mp3’s. A lot of people have told me this series has been helpful to them – you can get the first two episodes here.
Speaking of the biblical story – I had a tremendous time over the weekend in Portland, Maine with the good people of Immanuel Baptist Church and several other area churches. Sunday, I preached on Luke 4:1-21 … 4:1-13 address our inner life, confronting our inner demons, seeking the purifying work of the Spirit in our lives. Then beginning in 4:14, we see Jesus begin his public ministry, proclaiming the Spirit’s anointing for addressing poverty, oppression, blindness, debt, and so on. I think we were all struck that this passage brings together two things that never should have been “put asunder” – the inner life of devotion, formation, and character development and the outer life of mission, action, and social change. Both are Spirit-guided activities. Both are essential to the spiritual life … we need to be (to borrow from Richard Rohr) centered in action and contemplation.