Episodes

Have you ever found yourself asking God these questions: “What do you want with me? Why did you save me? What’s your purpose for me?” God’s answer is short and simple. He wants us to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God. That is, God wants us to spend our lives enjoying fellowship with him, becoming like him, and being agents of mercy in the world. Scriptures Referenced: Micah 6:3-8 Visit PracticologyPodcast.com for more episodes. Follow the Practicology Podcast on Twitter and ...

Shame, shame. We all feel it. How can we be free from it? Tune in to hear why it is that we experience and shame and how the gospel provides a way to deal with it. Scriptures Referenced: Gen 2:25; Isa 3:8-9; Rom 1:16; Rom 10:11; Heb 12:2 Visit PracticologyPodcast.com for more episodes. Follow the Practicology Podcast on Twitter and Facebook

Doubt is a monster that can sneak up and surprise us whether we’re young or mature in the faith. One day it even took John the Baptizer by surprise. In this episode we learn the surprising truth about who has doubts, what doubts are, where to take our doubts, and the wonderful potential they hold. Scriptures Referenced: Luk 7:18-35; Isa 35 Visit PracticologyPodcast.com for more episodes. Follow the Practicology Podcast on Twitter and Facebook

As they conclude a brief look at the Lord Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness, Mike & Matthew broaden their discussion to specific temptations that believers face today. Listen closely for when Mike & Matthew believe abortion needs to be practiced… and stay tuned to the end to pick up 7 tips to avoid being tripped up by temptation. Scriptures Referenced: Mat 4:1-11; Mat 6:19-24; Luk 4:1-13; 1Cor 10: 13; 1Tim 6:10-18; Jam 1:14-15; 1Jn 1:9; 1Jn 2:1-2; 1Jn 2:15-17 Visit PracticologyPodcast.com fo...

How’s this for a novel idea: telling other Christians why you thank God for them. That’s what Paul does to his friends in Philippi, and there’s good reason to believe he wants us to do the same. In fact, this novel idea can change how we pray, and the way we encourage each other. It can also drive us to more Christlike behaviour, and to a richer, more God-centred, theology. In this episode we also talk about the inductive Bible study method (observation, interpretation, application), and how to ...

Facing temptation is something we have in common with every other human being, including the Lord Jesus. In an episode that explores the combination of the Lord’s true humanity and sinless deity, we also learn from the Lord how we can become stronger in the face of temptation – even if that means going gluten-free. Scriptures Referenced: Mat 4:1-11; Luk 4:1-13 Visit PracticologyPodcast.com for more episodes. Follow the Practicology Podcast on Twitter and Facebook

Sharing our faith in Christ with unbelievers does not come easy for most of us. How can the gospel go from being something we can’t get out to being something we can’t keep in? The Apostle Paul shows us how we can grow in this area in the opening verses of his letter to the Philippians. Scriptures Referenced: Phil 1:1-2, 12-13, 2:5-11, 3:1, 8, 20-21 Visit PracticologyPodcast.com for more episodes. Follow the Practicology Podcast on Twitter and Facebook

Is Christianity’s vision of heaven less satisfying than Mormonism’s? Because Jesus taught that marriage in this life doesn’t carry over to the next? In this special March Madness episode, Mike and Matthew respond with a resounding NO! Tune in to hear other questions considered, including whether there’ll be Marmite or pets in heaven! More importantly, we discover that no matter our marital status in this life, all our relational longings will be satisfied forever in the new creation. Scriptures...

“I want to be married, but the Lord hasn’t provided me a spouse. Am I missing out?” This is a common sentiment for many, and an important follow up to our recent discussions on dating and whom we should marry. Tune in as Mike & Matthew help us develop a Biblical perspective on singleness and provide some healthy counsel for all of us, singles and married people alike. Scriptures Referenced: 1Cor 7 Visit PracticologyPodcast.com for more episodes. Follow the Practicology Podcast on Twitter and F...

Are you weary of life’s burdens at times? Join Mike & Matthew as they direct us to Christ, to find rest for our souls. And in this episode, not only do we get Mike & Matthew, but J.C. Ryle and Charles Spurgeon as well! (Musical Credits: “Give Me Jesus”, Ken & Nancy Biddington, arr. Jeremy Camp) Scriptures Referenced: Mat 11:27-30; Mat 23:4 Visit PracticologyPodcast.com for more episodes. Follow the Practicology Podcast on Twitter and Facebook

The way our culture prizes freedom gives us a huge opportunity to tell others of the freedom available in Jesus Christ. Unlike modern concepts of freedom, the freedom Jesus offers is not just freedom from, but freedom for. Only in the Lord Jesus can we enjoy both halves of freedom. As John Stott says in this week’s reading, “I have found Jesus Christ to be the key to freedom.” Scriptures Referenced: Luke 4:18-19; Exo; John 8:31-36; Mark 5:1-20, 8:34 Visit PracticologyPodcast.com for more episo...

One of the ways to keep our appreciation of Christ’s death fresh is to learn more about the cross. In this episode we learn that one of the reasons Christ died on the cross was to be our Christus Victor. When we view the story of the Bible from this lens, the incarnation becomes an invasion, Golgotha a battlefield, and the cross becomes the Snake Crusher’s mighty death blow to the head of the serpent. At the cross, Christ not only died for us, but also fought for us. And conquered by dying! Scr...

Do you know one of the greatest things about being a Christian? It means you are a follower of Christ! And there is no one like the Lord Jesus Christ. Refresh your appreciation of his uniqueness, and how the Christian faith is really all about Christ, in this first installment of our February reading challenge with John Stott’s Why I Am a Christian. Scriptures Referenced: Mat 11:28; Php 1:21; John 5:39; Heb 1:1-2 Visit PracticologyPodcast.com for more episodes. Follow the Practicology Podcast ...

Attention: the 2024 Practicology Reading Challenge begins now! This February we are reading through John Stott’s brief but compelling case for the Christian faith, “Why I Am a Christian” – a short book of wisdom for believers, seekers, and skeptics. Tune in to hear more or less everything you need to know to join in. There will be a prize draw for those who finish the challenge, with AT LEAST 10 Prints of Peace sweatshirts to be given away. See the Practicology website for a reading schedule! V...

Sometimes just getting out of bed in the morning can be a challenge, especially when our desire for God has gone as cold as winter. Perhaps it would help if we could wake up to the Lord Jesus calling us in the morning? Especially if his words revealed the wonderful truth, that even when our longing for him cools, his longings for us remain as strong and fervent as ever! Scriptures Referenced: Song 2:8-14; Eph 5:22-33 Visit PracticologyPodcast.com for more episodes. Follow the Practicology Podc...

In his book on How to Read Proverbs, Tremper Longman III says that one of that book’s themes is Loving the Right Woman. He adds “Proverbs understands that a good wife [or husband!] is one of the most important things in life.” While acknowledging that marriage isn’t for everyone, Matthew & Mike discuss the goodness of marriage and some principles from Scripture for how to identify someone with whom we should be happy to pursue a relationship. Scriptures Referenced: Gen 24; Prov 12:4; Prov 18:22...

It’s common to start a new year brimming with motivation to read the Bible, only to have that motivation quickly evaporate as the stress and busyness of normal life return. In this episode, a very special guest (the apostle Peter!) joins Mike and Matthew to give us four motivations that will keep us paying careful attention to God’s Word all year. We need to see the Bible against (1) the darkness, (2) the dawn, (3) man-made myths, and against (4) the backdrop of personal encounter with God. Scr...

A special Christmas GNFY episode, remembering the words of the angel to the shepherds on the first Christmas night. Stay tuned to the end for some info on some upcoming prize giveaways! Scriptures Referenced: Luke 2:10-11 Visit PracticologyPodcast.com for more episodes. Follow the Practicology Podcast on Twitter and Facebook

In part 2 with Vincent Kember, we continue our examination of the role of creative action in the life of all believers. The arts are revealed to be a powerful way to tell the world a different story. Not only can we appreciate the contributions of others, but in our own sphere, we can develop our God-given capabilities. Scriptures Referenced: Job 38, Psa 8, Psa 139, Jer 18 Visit PracticologyPodcast.com for more episodes. Follow the Practicology Podcast on Twitter and Facebook

Should Christians be concerned with art? In this episode, guest contributor Vincent Kember moves us towards a clearer understanding of the role of creativity and making as we work in the shadow of the Master Craftsman. We explore: – Myths about the arts – Scriptural clues pointing to the importance of creativity – The power of art as embodied creatures – A wider definition of “Christian art” Scriptures Referenced: Gen 1; Exo 31 Visit PracticologyPodcast.com for more episodes. Follow the Practi...

Sometimes it’s stories of failure that end up being the most inspiring. Failure is nothing less than an opportunity to learn something, an occasion to mature and grow. That’s certainly how God used a career failure in Peter Thiessen’s life, and God can use Peter’s story to instruct us. In this episode we learn how to find the kind of work we are suited for, how to value enjoyment of our work more than the amount of money or significance it gives us, and we are reminded how important it is to hav...

It’s one thing to say that God is enough; it’s another thing to live it. This past summer we worked through Psalm 25 and its teaching about the will of God. Now it’s time to hear one believer’s personal story of questioning God’s will when his life plan fell apart. Peter Thiessen joins us not to teach, but to tell. To tell a story of God’s faithfulness in the midst of defeat. This is the kind of testimony we desperately need to hear today. Scriptures Referenced: Joh 17 Visit PracticologyPodcas...

Just in case you are thinking of getting some books for Christmas (and who wouldn’t be?), we’re bringing you our fourth instalment of Cloak, Books, and Parchments (2Tim 4:13). There is no book like the Bible but we all learn from the ministry of others, including ministry that comes to us in written form. Mike & Matthew share brief reviews of eight books for your reading pleasure. – Digital Liturgies: Rediscovering Christian Wisdom in an Online Age by Samuel James (Crossway) – Of No Reputation: ...

In part two of our discussion with Bible teacher and clinical counsellor, Stephen Vance, on the subject of the Christian’s emotional health and the struggle with depression, we consider some aspects of preventative medicine and how to reframe our thinking towards joy. Scriptures Referenced: Lam 3:21; Prov 17:22; Php 4:8 Visit PracticologyPodcast.com for more episodes. Follow the Practicology Podcast on Twitter and Facebook