SNS 005: Who Are the Unlovable?

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Click on the white arrow in the green button above to hear this episode. Below are the show notes. Feel free to read along, check out the Bible references I make, and subscribe through the podcast service you prefer by clicking any of the buttons on the upper right side of this post.

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Show Notes

Last time, I mentioned that the increase in my ability to love the unlovable is a proof that God is real. Who are the first people that come to your mind when you hear the phrase, “the unlovable?” Is it the homeless person who has not bathed in a month? The one who is cruel to animals? A member of the opposing political party? Or perhaps a Christian brother or sister who does not think exactly as we do? This is what we are going to explore here in episode 5.

My name is Charles, and this is the Simple Not Shallow Podcast. A podcast for those who want a deeper faith, not a confusing one. That is what our name is about, keeping faith in Christ simple enough for a child like me to understand it and yet, not so shallow that when the storms of life hit, our faith runs aground. 

So, who are the unlovable? While only you can answer that for yourself, allow me to focus on some that might not have immediately come to mind. What about that church member who shoots down every idea you have, simply because it is not theirs; or worse, simply because it is yours? How about that Christian brother who always wants to argue because he always has to be right? Or How about that sister in Christ, the one who thinks she has the inside track into true Christianity and so knows the best way, the only way, to worship and love God. The one who is never content until she has had her 2 cents put in. Oh, let us not forget to mention the Christian who has a slightly different take on our favorite Bible passage or favorite Christian idea, you know, the one whom we are tempted to quickly deem a heretic.

Did a particular name come to mind? It would not be surprising if one or two did. Not surprising and yet also very sad. And what is even sadder is that Jesus knew we would consider our family so unlovely.

Indeed, he knew this so well that he was compelled to issue a command to love one another. Loving should be second nature to those who claim to love Jesus. Yet too often, this family has been torn apart through loveless-ness. Often from a very self-centered idea that we know better about… most everything related to God. Should we be sprinkled or dunked, use ‘contemporary’ or ‘traditional’ worship services, baptize infants or not, or even, what is sinful and what is not? And the list goes on and on and on and on and on. It is not hard to hear the charge of heresy being made, even over the smallest of disagreements.

What happens when we are not loving? I have seen people wield ball bats (figuratively speaking) while claiming, as they do so, that they are only “speaking the truth in love.” If that was the way the love, I really never want to see them say anything in an unloving manner…. I can honestly say that I have never seen such a ball bat used lovingly. Though, I have seen people love their use of one; simply because wielding it makes them feel righteously good. After all, at least they are doing something to correct a wrong… And Jesus knew we would do this. That we would treat our siblings with both disrespect and ill will. 

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also love one another” (Jn 13:34).

“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another” (Jn 13:35).

Not if you have the “right” style of worship. Not if you have a “holy” looking building. Not if you always say and do “godly” things. Not even how “right” you are in your beliefs or how quick you are to correct the errant knave who is getting it wrong. No. It is how you show love to the unlovely, your fellow Christians, that will draw others to Christ. That is the proof that those not a part of God’s family need to see, in order to know Christ is real and in order to know that we are indeed his followers.

Please do not mistake what is being said. There are wrong ideas and there are heretical beliefs and these do need to be addressed and corrected. Yet, if we are truly following the command of Christ to love, we may find that we begin to speak softly while not carrying that big stick. Big sticks have their place; they are good when walking in a dark alley, on a wilderness trail, or even while playing in a baseball game. But not so much when dealing with broken humanity that is in desperate need of love.

I know it is more difficult to love than to judgmentally correct, no doubt about it. And I also know that when things are impossible for us to do, they are not impossible for God to bring about (Mt 19:26). This is very simple, yet it requires you to not be shallow. Are you up for it?

Will you venture into these depths? I hope so, for your sake. For in the raging storm, it is never safe to be in the shallows.

Well, what do you think? I’d love to hear from you, so please, go to simplenotshallow.com, and under the Simple Not Shallow Podcast section, find this episode, #5, and leave a comment for me there. Also, in the show notes, I’ll list all the verses I referenced, in the order and at the location in the transcript at which I referenced them. That way you can check me out to make sure I’m not totally in left field.  Also, please take a second to rate this episode and subscribe to this podcast through iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify… or whichever service you use. And feel free to roam around the website, simplenotshallow.com. There is a blog, some videos (I’m not the most dashing looking individual, but I promise, I’ll not break your screen either.), and new things to be added all the time. And please let me know what you think, and if you have some suggestions for topics or questions you’d like addressed, let me know what they are as well. Thank you. I’ll catch you next time.

SNS 004: How Do You Know God Is Real?

Thank you for visiting.

Click on the white arrow in the green button above to hear this episode. Below are the show notes. Feel free to read along, check out the Bible references I make, and subscribe through the podcast service you prefer by clicking any of the buttons on the upper right side of this post.

Also, to click the like button or leave a comment, please click here. Then simply scroll down to the bottom of the post and click like and comment away.

Thank you.

Show Notes

I was once asked, “How do you know that God is real?” That drew me up short, to tell you the truth. I had to pause and think about it. How did I know?  That is what we are going to explore here in episode 4.

My name is Charles, and this is the Simple Not Shallow Podcast. A podcast for those who want a deeper faith, not a confusing one. That is what our name is about, keeping faith in Christ simple, simple enough for a child like me to understand it and yet, very not shallow, ok, that’s probably not very good English, but very not shallow, so that when the storms of life hit, and they will hit, our faith need not run aground. 

It has often been observed that science cannot prove that there is a God. It is also true that it cannot prove that there is no God. In fact, science can do nothing in establishing the reality of God, but that is a topic for another episode. I only mention it now, because as I was thinking on this that I began to wonder, was I looking for physical or scientific proofs, such as those given for the existence of gravity or of the earth being a big blue ball rotating around the sun? Or… is proof of a relational God better found in terms of the non-physical, ones outside the scientific realm? That is, should a proof of the relational be sought in terms that are relational?

So, where did I go in looking for proofs? The first place that I went looking for proof was my Bible. The first passage I found was in John 8, “If you remain in my word, then you are truly my disciples. You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free” (Jn 8:31, 32). So, if we continue in His word, reading, pondering, and acting on what we learn, then we are His disciples and we will know the truth. At first glance, this may look like a circular argument. Meaning that we are trying to make our belief the proof; that we prove God is real because we believe him to be real. Which is truly no proof at all. Yet, a closer look into what the Bible says, we see that this is not what is being said.

Jesus says, just a few chapters later, “If you remain in me, and my words remain in you…. you will be my disciples (so far tracking with John 8) …. Remain in My love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in My love…. This is my commandment, that you love one another, even as I have loved you” (Jn 15:7-12). 

Did you notice how Jesus opened up this remaining in his word to involve loving others? Knowing how to love, knowing love, is part of knowing the truth. And nothing takes us out of the realm of mere physical proofs quicker than loving others. And lands us straight smack dab in the middle of relational ones. It is at this point that things begin to get interesting. 

In 1 John it says, “This is how we know that we know him: if we keep his commandments” (1 Jn 2:3). Which, opens up a very interesting thought: if we know him, by default, we know him to be real. And as we saw above, this does involve loving him and others. For, “One who says, ‘I know him,’ and doesn’t keep his commandments, is a liar, and the truth isn’t in him. But God’s love has most certainly been perfected in whoever keeps his word. This is how we know that we are in him” (1 Jn 2:4, 5). Is this not fascinating?   

Paul emphasizes this when he prays “That he (God) would grant …. that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be strengthened to comprehend with all the saints … and to know Christ’s love which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God” (Eph 3:16-19). Grounded in love in order to comprehend and know the fullness of God. What a simple and yet thoroughly not shallow thought; to love is to know. 

Back to the original question, “How do you know God is real?” My first answer would now be “I know that God is real because my love continues to grow.” Not just my love for him, for as we discovered in the last two episodes, our love for him must include our love for others. So, I know God is real, not only because my love for him grows but also because my love and compassion for the unlovable are growing. The more I am able to care for those I (by all natural desires) should despise, the more this relational God is proven to be real. In the book of John, Jesus himself even said that this is how others will know he is real and that we are authentic followers of his; “If you have love for one another” (Jn 13:35). Not if we have religious knowledge, a vast store of memorized Scripture to pull up at any given moment, a holy sound in our voice, the word “Christ” repeated often in our music, a thoroughly highlighted Bible, or… anything else. It is by love and only by his love. His love, which flows through us and is both returned to him and passed on to others. That we love others as he does is proof that he is real.

Now, there is much more that could be said on this topic. Much more. And yes, there are non-relational things, such as deductions made form facts, and arguments of logic that can be made, the complexity of the human cell, the fine-tuning of the universe for life, and so much more which support God’s existence. And it is not my purpose or intent to downplay or disrespect any of these. These things are important to know and to talk about. Yet, I have never found one of these that is as effective in proving the reality of God as the simple statement made by Jesus, God himself, in John 13. His love is the simplest and most profound proof that anyone can have, know, and offer to others.                                                                                                                                                                

In light of this:

Love simply, love wisely, love well, and know that God is real.

Well, what do you think? I’d love to hear from you, so please, go to simplenotshallow.com, and under the Simple Not Shallow Podcast section, find this episode, #4, and leave a comment for me there. Also, in the show notes, I’ll list all the verses I referenced, in the order and at the location in the transcript at which I referenced them. That way you can check me out to make sure I’m not totally in left field.  Also, please take a second to rate this episode and subscribe to this podcast through iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify… or whichever service you use. Thank you. I’ll catch you next time.

SNS 003: God's Love, The Power To Be All God Wants You To Be

Thank you for visiting.

Click on the white arrow in the green button above to hear this episode. Below are the show notes. Feel free to read along, check out the Bible references I make, and subscribe through the podcast service you prefer by clicking any of the buttons on the upper right side of this post.

Also, to click the like button or leave a comment, please click here. Then simply scroll down to the bottom of the post and click like and comment away.

Thank you.

Show Notes

God’s love, the grit, the traction, and the power to be all God wants you to be. That’s what we are going to explore in this episode, episode number 3. 

Hi. My name is Charles, and this is the Simple Not Shallow Podcast. A podcast for those who want a deeper faith, not a confusing one. That is what our name is about, keeping faith in Christ simple enough for a child like me to understand it and yet, not so shallow that when the storms of life hit, our faith runs aground. Ready to leave the safety of the harbor and travel free on the open sea? Here we go.

The other day, I came across something in my reading. I was reading 1 Corinthians and I found something that just leaped off the page at me. The kingdom of God is a matter of power and not cheap talk (1 Corinthians 4:20). In light of what we were talking about last time, this became electric. Love, the most important thing a Christian must do, is also a matter of power and not cheap talk.

Before going any further, and I can’t stress this enough, love is not a powerful tool, weapon, or excuse. To try and disguise any of those as love, is to not be loving. Those who do this are at best hypocrites and at worst… well, you don’t need me to tell you what they are. 

No, it is the power, the grit, and the traction needed for living as God would have us live, that is to live as more than conquerors (Romans 8:37). Track with me for just a little bit. First, let’s consider God’s ideas about power looking quite different from ours. In Isaiah, God tells us that his thoughts are not our thoughts and his ways are not our ways. “For even as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8, 9). 

So, God’s concept of power… I think a good place as any to start is with Jesus himself…. I mean, he is God, right? I found three passages where he reveals parts of his concept of power. In no particular order, let me share them with you. In Mark, he says that, in his kingdom, to be a leader means you are everyone’s servant (Mark 10:14). In Matthew, he says that in his kingdom, those who we deem to hold the first positions in life will become last, and those who hold the last or least positions will come to be first. Already this seems backward, in terms of power, does it not? The last passage I will touch on is my favorite as I find it to be the most intriguing statement Jesus makes about his kingdom. He says, again in Mark, that his kingdom belongs to the childlike (Mark 10:14). The kingdom of God is a matter of power AND the kingdom of God belongs to the childlike. The power of the kingdom involves being childlike… mind blown.

If that doesn’t turn your idea of being powerful upside down, I don’t know what will. With this in mind, let’s take a look at what Jesus came to give us. For, he was here on kingdom business and full of kingdom power, right? In John, he tells us that he came that we might have life and that in abundance (John: 10:10). The power of the kingdom, then, is found in the power to live life in abundance. 

As a quick side note, I find it very informative that, no matter which translation of the Bible I read, it is always the life given that is in abundance. It is never an abundance of the things or circumstances which surround that life. As we will see, that is a simple and yet very profound difference. I have never found where Jesus ever says, “I have come to give you an abundance of things and surround you with comfort.” But I have found where he makes us more than conquerors (Romans 8:37). So, it is not a stretch to say that having an abundance of life involves being more than a conqueror. 

But how is that equated to love? Well, last time we saw that the 2 greatest commands were to love and that every other command in the Bible is based on these two. Since Jesus came to give us an abundance of life, it seems no stretch to see that this would include the ability to live life-based on these two commands. Indeed, I also found, in the book of John, where Jesus touches on this. He speaks about his joy being in us and our joy being complete as we abide in him and his love (John 15:1-17). It is as we abide in him that his love becomes the power needed for our joy to be made complete; that it becomes the power to live in abundance. Again, as we saw last time, it is only as we love that God, Jesus, abides in us and has his love perfected in us (1 John 4:7 – 12). Love, then, is the key, the power that unlocks abundance in life.

If that is true, then love should provide all kinds of grit and the traction needed for living abundantly in our daily life, right? I have found that it does so in two areas of life. First, it helps me thrive as I relate to others, especially to those who don’t like me very much. Second, it helps me thrive as I relate to my own life when facing things that threaten to oppress me.

Let’s first consider how it helps us thrive while interacting with those… who do not have our interest at heart. And here… all romantic nonsense and mushy ideas about love get left in the dust.

Scattered throughout the New Testament are statements telling us of the traction God’s love gives us in daily life. It is the grit we need to: Show proper respect to everyone… everyone (1Peter 2:17). To bless when cursed, to pray for those who mistreat us (Luke 6:28). To do good to those who hate (Matthew 5:44). To be weak that others may be strong. To be dishonored that others may be honored. To answer kindly when slandered (1 Corinthians 4:10-13). To not repay evil with evil or insult with insult but with blessing, because for this we are called (1Peter 3:9). Did you hear that? It is the power to do that for which we are called. Love is the power to love as Jesus wants us to love. To love instead of retaliating, until you can do this, you are not truly living in abundance, not truly being more than a conqueror. Like I said, so much for warm, gushy, romantic ideas.

Ok, so that is in relation to others. What traction does it give us in relation to ourselves, when we no matter what we do, things threaten to overwhelm us? 

God’s love is the grit needed to: be foolish in Christ, work hard, and to endure persecution (1 Corinthians 4:10-13). The traction needed to live hard pressed but not crushed; perplexed but not despairing; struck down but not destroyed; persecuted but not abandoned; and to have the grit necessary for death to work in us so that life may be at work in others (2 Corinthians 4:7-12). To be sorrowful yet always rejoicing, to be poor yet making many rich, to have nothing yet possess everything, and to be genuine even though slandered as an imposter (2 Corinthians 6:10). It is what helps you have peace while your world crashes around you. That is to be living in abundance. That is some pretty powerful stuff. And we’re not done yet.

It is the power to know that our troubles are light and momentary. It does this by helping us keep our eyes focused, not on the seen but on the unseen. For the seen is temporary and the unseen is eternal (2 Corinthians 4:17, 18). The seen is the world around us, the unseen is God, the one who is bringing us home to him.

It is significant to know what Paul was calling light and momentary. This includes: being flogged, exposed to death time and time again, 40 lashes minus 1(5 times), beaten with rods (3 times), stoned (with rocks, not drugs), shipwrecked three times, being a night and a day in the open sea, and going without food (2 Corinthians 11:23-27). These were life and death things, and they are what he was calling light and momentary. If this is so for Paul, how much more so are the things in my life, which do not rise to the severity of his light afflictions. 

You know… with this in mind, let me take a second and read for you a little something of what Paul says directly about love. Just to see if anything new opens up for you. This will be from 1 Corinthians 13.

Love is patient and is kind; love doesn't envy. Love doesn't brag, is not proud, doesn't behave itself inappropriately, doesn't seek its own way, is not provoked, takes no account of evil; doesn't rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will be done away with. Where there are various languages, they will cease. Where there is knowledge, it will be done away with. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part; but when that which is complete has come, then that which is partial will be done away with. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I felt as a child, I thought as a child. Now that I have become a man, I have put away childish things. For now, we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, even as I was also fully known. But now faith, hope, and love remain—these three. The greatest of these is love (1 Corinthians 13:4-13).

As you think back over the grittiness of love, in terms of relating to others and yourself, do you have any new appreciation for the patience and kindness of love? For it not seeking its own way? For why it never fails while everything else will? How living from love is to put away childish things? And how, of faith, hope, and love, love is the greatest?

Do we see how love is the power to be more than conquerors in Christ? It is the traction we need to be the salt of the earth and to rise above our circumstances and be the light upon the hill (Matthew 5:14). It is the power to be childlike, not childish.

Well, what do you think? I’d love to hear from you, so please, go to simplenotshallow.com, and under the Simple Not Shallow Podcast section, find this episode, number 3, and leave a comment for me there. And please tell me what opened up for you from the reading of 1 Corinthians 13. Also, for your convenience, in the show notes, I’ll list all the verses I referenced and I’ll list them in order of use. Also, please take a second to rate this episode and subscribe to this podcast through iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify… or whichever service you use.  Thank you, thank you very much. Until next time, love simply, love wisely, and love well.  

SNS 002: What's the Most Important Thing a Christian Must Do?

Thank you for visiting.

Click on the white arrow in the green button above to hear this episode. Below are the show notes. Feel free to read along, check out the Bible references I make, and subscribe through the podcast service you prefer by clicking any of the buttons on the upper right side of this post.

Also, to click the like button or leave a comment, please click here. Then simply scroll down to the bottom of the post and click like and comment away.

Thank you.

Show Notes

What’s the most important thing a Christian must do? Let me phrase it this way, what’s the one thing we must do or we are not truly Christian? That is what we are going to explore here in episode 2.

Hi. My name is Charles, and this is the Simple Not Shallow Podcast. A podcast for those who want a deeper faith, not a confusing one. That is what our name is about, keeping faith in Christ simple enough for a child like me to understand it and yet, not so shallow that when the storms of life hit, our faith runs aground. 

Ready to leave the safety of the harbor and travel free on the open sea? Here we go. 

So, the other day I was reading my Bible and came across some very interesting things. And with just a little cross-referencing (don’t let that fancy word scare you, it’s my way of saying that I took a second to look up a few other related passages, easy when using the index of words in the back of my Bible, otherwise known as the concordance.). Easy breezy, lemon squeezy. Anyway.

After doing little of that and for just a little bit, and then put 2 and 2 together, I found something so profoundly simple, so profoundly not shallow, and yet, at the same so blessedly hard for us to do, consistently. Well… let me share this journey with you and see if you also find these discoveries to be exciting. 

This journey begins with Jesus, God himself, telling us what the greatest commands, ever given, are. I know you know what they are. But did you know that he does so in three of the four gospels? And did you know that in each one, he shares new insight into them? Oh yeah.

In Matthew he says, not only are the they the greatest, he also shares how all of the Law and the Prophets, his way of saying all of Scripture, and so every command and teaching Scripture contains, depends upon, hangs upon, is springs from these 2 commands (Matthew 23:34 - 40). Then… I’m sorry, would you care to hear what those 2 commands are? Alright, they are: To love God with our entire being, mind, body, heart, and soul. The second is a close second, to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. 

Now, in Mark, he then stresses their importance by saying that not only are these the greatest commands, and there is no command greater than these (Mark 12:28 – 31). It seems, that as far as God is concerned, the greatness of these two commands cannot be overstated. Then, in Luke, Jesus, again God himself, not only confirms that they are the greatest, but he also gives us our first insight into why they are the greatest. And here, things start to get eye-opening. 

He says that the one who keeps them is the one who inherits eternal life (Luke 10: 26-28). We’ll continue to explore this throughout this episode. But think on this, God has just said that if we love him with our entire being and our neighbors as ourselves, we will be in a relationship with Him, through Jesus. Since this is the case, then, if we do not keep both of them we do not have eternal life, that is, we are not in a relationship with God. Let that sink in for just a second. If we do not love, we are not Christians, not true followers of Christ.

Now before going further, I want to make one thing very clear. An alternative gospel message is not being offered. For salvation, the restoration of a relationship with God, only comes through Jesus, through faith in Jesus alone. There are too many passages which tell us this; such as Ephesians 2:8-9. There is no other way. There is no other true gospel message.

So, keeping these commands is not a condition for being reunited with Christ. What is being said is, that if you truly have come to God through faith in Christ, if you are truly a Christian, then you do love both God and your neighbor. They go hand in hand. The one leads to the other. There is no other way.

Now that is a pretty big jump. If you do not love, you are not in a relationship with Christ. So, I wanted to check into this a little more, just to make sure I hadn’t missed the boat on this one. And I stumbled over other passages that say this exact thing. For instance, in 1 John, we are explicitly told that the one who does not love his neighbor does not even know God, for God is love (1 John 4:7, 8). We have to love or we don’t know God. The depths of this can be mind-blowing, for how is it even possible to have a relationship with someone we don’t even know?

Well, what about doing the right and holy things; isn’t that important in Christianity? If the discoveries we have made so far are worth thinking about, then it should be possible to find Scripture that tells us how loving and doing relate to each other… right? Well… in doing that little cross-reference thing, I found several passages that tell us how they relate. You know, several. More than 5 and less than a thousand. Several. But I only have time to share 4 of them here. So here we go, in no particular order.

We are told, in Romans, that is it the one who loves that fulfills the law because love does not harm a neighbor (Romans 13:8 – 10). It seems, then, that to truly do what is right and holy involves following the 2 great commands. Indeed, in John, I found where Jesus said that if we love him, we will keep his commands (John 14:15). What impresses me is that this is a simple statement of fact. Much like the statement, if you live, you will breathe. If you love you will keep. Are you hearing in-between the lines, so to speak? Our third passage, again in John, should help you do so. For in our next passage, Jesus says very plainly that it is only the one who loves is the one who keeps his commands. And he says that the ones who do not love, will not keep them (John 14:23, 24). Not that they don’t try, but that they don’t. Their attempts are failures in terms of truly keeping his commands.  And in our fourth passage, from 1 Corinthians, Paul opens this up for us. He shares how, that even if we were to follow the letter of every command found in the Bible, perfectly, but did so without having love as the basis for it, without it being our motivation, or as he says, without love, then not only would these actions be meaningless, not only would they not truly be keeping Jesus’ commands, they will be obnoxious and repugnant as well (1 Corinthians 13:1 – 3). 

In light of all this, to love (that is God with our entire being and our neighbors as ourselves) seems to be the most important thing a Christian must do. Otherwise, a) he is not a Christian for he truly has no relationship with God and b) it is the only way to live in keeping with what God wants you to do. To truly do what is right and holy.

Now, before this episode comes to a close, there are just 2 more things I really, really want to share with you. The first is what I found the Bible to say love is. This I found in 1 John, where it says, “This is love.”  It gets no more straightforward than that. This is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us so much that he came and died for us so that we would be able to enter into a loving relationship with him (1 John 4:10). And in Romans, we learn that he did this while we were still his enemies (Romans 5:8). While we did not like him or even know him. And we are also plainly told what a part of his love for us involves; that because he loved us this much, we must love others. And that it is only as we love others that God and his love live in us (1 John 4:11, 12). It is not until we are loving others does any of this happen. Love, then, is also that which gives itself to others; even when they are unlovely to us, when they are our enemies. Love is not about warm fuzzies or about how it makes us feel. It does not belong to the poet, songwriter, the hopeless romantic, nor to the one who abuses it.   

And lastly, and this is very, very, very important. Jesus never says that you have to love perfectly in order to love him. Indeed, the only perfect love ever mentioned is God’s love. Don’t forget that! Learning to love takes growth and growth takes time. Jesus never expects more of us than what we are capable of; he only expects that we push ourselves so that what we are capable of increases each day. That is growth. Don’t worry about getting it right all the time. You won’t. Nobody but Jesus ever has. Paul even says this about himself, in Philippians 3:12. I’ll let you read that for yourself. It is where I am, it is where every Christian I have known is. Everyone starts where they are, accept Jesus’ invitation, and grow as he leads. That is love. 

Well, what do you think? I’d love to hear from you, so please, go to simplenotshallow.com, and under the Simple Not Shallow Podcast section, find this episode, #2, and leave a comment for me there. Also, in the show notes, I’ll list all the verses I referenced, in the order and at the location in the transcript at which I referenced them. That way you can check me out to make sure I’m not totally in left field.  Also, please take a second to rate this episode and subscribe to this podcast through iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify… or whichever service you use. Thank you. I’ll catch you next time.

SNS 001: Simple Not Shallow; An Introduction

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Show Notes for SNS 001

Hi. My name is Charles, and this is the Simple Not Shallow Podcast. A podcast for those who want a deeper faith, not a confusing one. That is what our name is all about, keeping faith in Christ simple, simple enough that a child like myself can understand it and yet, not so shallow that when the storms of life hit, our faith is forced to run aground. We want a faith that is like a very good cup of coffee. Simple, strong, full of flavor, and richly satisfying. Like the cup I’m sipping on right now, an excellent French roast; very satisfying.  

In this first episode I just want to introduce myself and tell you a little bit about what we are all about as simplenotshallow.com. So, about me…  

As I said, my name is Charles, Charles Yerkes.  Basically, I’m a fun loving and deep-thinking kind of guy. I love Dad Jokes, and you may hear a few in these podcast sessions. And I love pondering the mysteries of life. I have always found that the deeper one thinks, the more he has to laugh; or he ends up taking himself and his ideas way too seriously. 

Mine has been an interesting path, I have done many things in my life. I’ve been a Staff Sargent in the Air National Guard, a carpenter, locksmith, founder of a Christian singles group, a photographer, storyteller… and many other things besides.

No matter what I was doing, I always tried to live a life that showed God’s love to others. However, a few years ago a couple of things changed and I began wanting to do more in terms of sharing God’s love with other people, specifically with other Christian people. I have always enjoyed stories and I enjoy writing. I figured the best thing I could do, then, would be to learn how to write like C. S. Lewis. A man who was very, very, very good at taking great big, complex, hairy ideas, theological ideas, Christian ideas and stating them in a sentence or two. I figured that I could do that. That is what I wanted to do.

So, I went back to school to learn how. It took a few years, but I now have a Masters of Arts in Theological Studies, a fine piece of paper on the wall saying so, and several other pieces of paper telling me that I owe quite a bit of money for that fine, fine piece of paper on my wall.

 The important thing is, the longer I was in school, my ideas and visions concerning how I wanted to share God’s love began to change. It became, no longer about merely writing like C. S. Lewis, it became about connecting with other like-minded Christians. Ones that are more interested in knowing Jesus and the abundance of life that he came to give than… rather than anything else. So, Simple Not Shallow was born. Since receiving that ‘fine piece of paper’ that is now hanging on my wall, I have begun connecting with others through videos, social media, blogging, and now this podcast.

The name Simple Not Shallow is referring to our faith. Specifically, to a faith that is simple enough that a child might own it, might understand it, might possess it (Mark 10:14,15). And yet, one that runs deep enough to have the wisdom of a serpent (Matthew 10:16). One that is thought out, practical, and strong enough to face the real-world challenges that face us all. It is interesting, there was a song out several years ago by a man named Charlie Peacock, off of his Secret of Time album, entitled Experience. Where he said that, in order to be understood, truth must be experienced, it must be owned, it must be possessed. It is not enough to have head knowledge; you have to be living it. And that is what we are talking about. The roots have to run deep enough to help you weather all storms that are coming your way. It is a faith that helps you thrive even as the storm rages around you. For it has nothing to do with the storms.

This is reflected in our motto:

Existence begins at life, living begins at love, God's love. 

So, our main goal is to help you learn more about God and his love. To help you live and not merely exist. To help you discover the vibrancy, reality, and authenticity that is to be found in a simply kept yet profoundly possessed and experienced faith; faith in Christ and Christ alone. 

A great part of this is keeping things real. It is to be a real and honest in pursuing this relationship with Jesus. Which involves asking some very tough but honest questions. Yes, asking those tough questions but then not settling for merely asking questions; which can be a smokescreen. It also involves fearlessly exploring for the answers and then boldly accepting the honest answers that you find. And it involves engaging in honest communication through comments and social media or person to person, face to face. That takes a lot of courage. 

Yet, it is only in this way that your faith in Jesus will become all you want it to be and, more importantly, it is the way it becomes all he wants and means for it to be. 

That is the lifestyle I have found very rewarding, very exciting, and very exhilarating. It is the life I call the Simple Not Shallow Life. For it is one focused on learning to know God, on learning how to love him… and our neighbors.

One quick housekeeping note before I bring this brief introduction to a close. Throughout these podcast episodes, I will reference Scripture quite often. For all the ideas I share, all the answer to life’s problems that I have found, all of the growing in Christ that I do, and that I think anybody does, is only done as we learn about who Jesus is and who God is. And all this comes through the Bible, it comes through Scripture. So, it will be interwoven through our conversations, through these podcast episodes. However, rather than interrupting the flow of the conversation to interject what that Bible passage was, I’ll keep going in the conversation and list the Bible passages in the show notes.  Well, for instance; if I’m talking about one of my favorite Bible passages, one that I reference quite a bit, which is the one about the greatest commands ever given. Rather than simply saying, “Jesus tells us what the greatest commands ever give are, which is in Matthew 22:34 – 40.” I’ll simply say, “And we are told that the greatest commands ever given are to love God with our entire being and our neighbors as ourselves. So, it’s something pretty important for us to do.” And then I’ll keep going with the conversation. However, in the show notes, after saying this, I will have the passage listed. It will look like this: “And we are told that the greatest commands ever given are to love God with our entire being and our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22:34 – 40). So, it’s something pretty important for us to do.”

That way you can know where I get my information. Now to see this information, again, simply go to simplenotshallow.com. Click on the podcast section and then click on the podcast episode that you are listening to. For example: this would be episode number 1 in the podcast section. And in the show notes you will see the show notes you will see the transcript of this episode and you will see Matthew 22:34 – 40 typed in at the point I referenced it.   

Well, there you go, there you have it, there it is. The Simple Not Shallow Podcast. In a nutshell… more or less. 

Thank you for listening. I do hope you like this podcast. Please go ahead and check out the other episodes and if you like them, please subscribe through the podcast service of your choice. And go to the show notes, because, in the show notes you can leave me a comment and tell me what you’re thinking. Ask me some questions, or tell me your disagreements. For honest communication involves all three. And I look forward to hearing from you soon.   

Until then, enjoy a good cup of coffee. For it is proof that God did not give up on mankind…. We’ll cover that eventually. Chow.