Fall colors, jars of perfume, and a beautiful act of devotion highlight this episode. A woman pours out something expensive and gets called wasteful for it. Jesus defends her and says what she did will be told wherever the gospel goes. This week we talk about why her worth doesn’t rest on what she produced, how that cuts against what our culture says a woman’s worth is built on, and what it looks like to pour ourselves out in view of God’s mercy.

In 1988, a retired NASA engineer sold three million copies of a book explaining exactly when the Rapture would happen. When the date passed, he recalculated. This week we start there and get to what Mark 13 actually asks of us — hold fast to Jesus, wait well, preach the gospel. Plus how to wait without being anxious about it, because part of being disappointingly normal is not getting swept up in the minutia.

Why do people land in such different places culturally and politically? This week we get into Jonathan Haidt's work on intuitive reasoning — the elephant and the rider — and the six moral foundations that shape how we actually make moral judgments, usually before we've reasoned about anything at all. And then we consider how Jesus subverts and fulfills every one of those values. Your heart will sing as you hear how he changes everything. Give this a listen and you will be challenged, encouraged, and blessed

How do we disagree well? What should we cling most tightly to when it comes to theological or cultural issues? What is close-handed and what is open-handed when it comes to the bible and how should we think about it? This episode is all about the theological triage tool discipleship tool from Jesus First and it will help you better engage your own beliefs as well as the world around you.

In what way can looking to Jesus First settle us?

First of three special episodes working through the Jesus First sermon series and cultural engagement tools. We start with a quick recap of Looking to Jesus by seeing the gospel as the true metanarrative, then look at why putting Jesus first reframes everything else. Finally we get into the tools themselves.

We walk through the Idolatry Check: what would I be devastated to lose, what do I talk about most, what makes me most anxious or angry when I open my phone. Then we consider the Conviction × Compassion grid, which brings clarity to where we find ourselves when it comes to issues of truth and love. Finally we see the good news that Jesus dies for idolaters.

Why was I too cool for the 8th grade spelling bee? This week we're talking about what we actually run to when life gets hard — and why Genesis 1 and Psalm 121 were written to answer that question directly. Plus the Holy Spirit, why technique is quietly crushing us, and what it looks like to be fully known and fully loved in a community where the gospel is actually true.

Join us for another episode of the Disappointingly Normal podcast. This week we break down how to craft the ultimate playlist and what the word "Messiah" means. We look to Jesus for security and significance and hear a powerful story that teaches us what life can look like when we're tapping into the power of Jesus.

In this episode we dig into how to think when we fail, what "low anthropology" means, and more about preaching. Then, we dive into the big word - propitiation and gain a better understanding of what Jesus has accomplished for us. Finally, we consider how God's love changes us to look like him.