"Raising kids is is piece of cake" said no parent anywhere! Parenting well is hard work ... soul stretching work. Being a new grandpa (you need to follow me on Instagram and Facebook so you can see pics! No seriously, go check out the pics!) has me thinking about kids and parenting. So in this episode I explore a biblical view of children and how that should shape our parenting.  My Parenting Book -- For more of my thoughts on the specific strategies for raising kids click here, check out my book on parenting - preparethemtoflourish.com As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.  If you want to stay in the loop and get updates and offers from me, subscribe at johnwhittaker.net.  Free Resources: You can deepen your walk with God by reading the Bible and praying consistently. Get a free reading plan here or take a free 15 minute mini-course here to help you get started.  Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram Patreon: You can support John's podcast for as little as $5 per month on his Patreon page by clicking here. You'll get access to bonus material and help me create an audio commentary on the New Testament.    

In Philippians 3:20, the apostle Paul says that we are "citizens of heaven," and I think most modern Christians misunderstand what he means. We think he means that we've got our ticket and we're going to heaven when we die. While it may be true that Christians go to heaven when we die (although that isn't our final hope, by the way), that's not what Paul means by describing us as "citizens of heaven." What he means has a lot to do with the culture and situation of the Christians in Philippi, and that's what we explore in this episode.  If you want to stay in the loop and get updates and offers from me, subscribe at johnwhittaker.net.  You can deepen your walk with God by reading the Bible and praying consistently. Get a free reading plan here or take a free 15 minute mini-course here to help you get started.  I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.  You can support John's podcast for as little as $5 per month on his Patreon page by clicking here. You'll get access to bonus material and help create an audio commentary on the New Testament.    

Be good. I grew up thinking being good referred to my morality. But in the Bible goodness is less about morality and more about our interactions with others.  Goodness is something we show to people and give to people.  In this podcast we explore Galatians 6:7-10 and consider just how important doing good actually is ... and how long we should do it for.  If you want to stay in the loop and get updates and offers from me, subscribe at johnwhittaker.net.  You can deepen your walk with God by reading the Bible and praying consistently. Get a free reading plan here or take a free 15 minute mini-course here to help you get started.  Connect with me on facebook and instagram As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.  You can support John's podcast for as little as $5 per month on his Patreon page by clicking here. You'll get access to bonus material and help me create an audio commentary on the New Testament.    

In this episode of the Bible in Life, John chats with Aaron Couch of Real Life Ministries about reading the Bible in context. Aaron is a preacher and pastor and has led a number of tours to the Holy Lands. John talks with Aaron about his experience in Israel and this significance of the Jewish background to the Gospels and to Jesus.  Aaron hosts a podcast called A Better Conversation and you can find that here: https://liferotp.com/abetterconversation.  You can follow Aaron on Istagram @kelsguy1113.  If you want to stay in the loop and get updates and offers from me, subscribe at johnwhittaker.net.  You can deepen your walk with God by reading the Bible and praying consistently. Get a free reading plan here or take a free 15 minute mini-course here to help you get started.  Connect with me on facebook and instagram As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instragram, Twitter, via email.  You can support John's podcast for as little as $5 per month on his Patreon page by clicking here. You'll get access to bonus material and help me create an audio commentary on the New Testament.

You go to church pretty regularly. And Bible study too.  You read your Bible sometimes. You actually know the Bible pretty good. You even have passages in your Bible highlighted! Warning - that could be just enough to trick you into thinking you're a real disciple! And if that's the case, there's a good chance you might get disappointed - maybe even disappointed with God - when your life seems like more of a wreck than you think it should be.  That's because when it comes to following Jesus, learning and knowing the Bible is not enough. There's one really important thing we all must do if we want to be a disciple of Jesus and have a solid life. And that one thing is what Jesus tells us in this final paragraph of the Sermon on the Mount. ___ If you want to stay in the loop and get updates and offers from me, subscribe at johnwhittaker.net.  You can deepen your walk with God by reading the Bible and praying consistently. Get a free reading plan here or take a free 15 minute mini-course here to help you get started.  Connect with me on facebook and instagram As always, if you appreciate this teaching share freely - on Facebook, Instragram, Twitter, via email - and make it easy for other people to find it! Do you want to help support John’s podcast financially? Become a patron and support the show by clicking here. You'll get access to bonus material and help me create an audio commentary on the New Testament.

Jesus continues his final appeals at the end of the Sermon on the Mount, this time warning about pretenders who would lead genuine followers away from the narrow road. Such pretenders look good ... they look like genuine followers of Christ and they can perform impressive religious deeds; but they're fake. We have to be honest: not everyone who looks spiritual or religious is a sincere disciple of Jesus. Not everyone whose bible is marked up or who preaches powerful sermons really knows Christ.  How do you recognize pretenders?  Jesus says you recognize them by their fruit. And in this episode we explore what that means for us.  If you want to stay in the loop and get updates and offers from me, subscribe at johnwhittaker.net.  You can deepen your walk with God by reading the Bible and praying consistently. Get a free reading plan here or take a free 15 minute mini-course here to help you get started.  Connect with me on facebook and instagram As always, if you appreciate this teaching share freely - on Facebook, Instragram, Twitter, via email.  Do you want to help support John’s podcast? Become a patron and support the show by clicking here. You'll get access to bonus material and help me create an audio commentary on the New Testament.

Choices.  We all have them. Everyday we make them. Most of our choices are small. A few are big. But all have them shape who we become. The small choice of what food to eat shapes our health. The small choice of how to start our day affects our mindset and forms our character.  Choices matter. In this episode we reflect on Matthew 7:13-14 where Jesus uses the imagery of a gate and a road to present us with a choice: How will we choose to respond to Him and his teaching in the Sermon on the Mount? What road/way of life will we choose? If you want to stay in the loop and get updates and offers from me, subscribe at johnwhittaker.net.  You can deepen your walk with God by reading the Bible and praying consistently. Get a free reading plan here or take a free 15 minute mini-course here to help you get started.  Connect with me on facebook and instagram As always, if you appreciate this teaching share freely - on Facebook, Instragram, Twitter, via email.  Do you want to help support John’s podcast? Become a patron and support the show by clicking here. You'll get access to bonus material and help me create an audio commentary on the New Testament.

Was Jesus really born in a barn? Did Mary ride a donkey to Bethlehem? Were Joseph and Mary all alone at Jesus' birth? All of us bring assumptions and pre-understanding to our reading of Scripture and that is certainly true when it comes to the common (western) understanding of the Christmas story. The goal is not to pretend like we don't have such assumptions but to acknowledge them and try to inform and clear them up with solid research. In this episode I compare some of our common traditional understanding about the nativity story with Luke 2 in its cultural context. And then I consider why it matters.  If you want to stay in the loop and get updates and offers from me, subscribe at johnwhittaker.net.  You can deepen your walk with God by reading the Bible and praying consistently. Get a free reading plan here or take a free 15 minute mini-course here to help you get started.  Connect with me on facebook and instagram As always, if you appreciate this teaching share freely - on Facebook, Instragram, Twitter, via email.  Do you want to help support John’s podcast? Become a patron and support the show by clicking here. You'll get access to bonus material and help me create an audio commentary on the New Testament.

Christmas invites us into a familiar story, a story told in Luke 2 and Matthew 1-2: In those days, a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that a tax census should be taken of the entire Roman world... Mary and Joseph and the little town of Bethlehem. Shepherds and wisemen and angels and stars.  But, according to Revelation 12, there's more to the story than all of that. Revelation 12 presents another nativity story, a sort of a behind-the-scenes expose' of Christmas.  And in telling its story, Revelation 12 shows us that Christmas is about two kingdoms in conflict: the evil empire and the eternal empire. The superficial kingdom (the one we can see and experience all around us right now) and the real kingdom (the eternal one). And Revelation 12 dramatically depicts the outcome of this most celebrated of births.  If you want to stay in the loop and get updates and offers from me, subscribe at johnwhittaker.net.  You can deepen your walk with God by reading the Bible and praying consistently. Get a free reading plan here or take a free 15 minute mini-course here to help you get started.  Connect with me on facebook and instagram As always, if you appreciate this teaching share freely - on Facebook, Instragram, Twitter, via email.  Do you want to help support John’s podcast? Become a patron and support the show by clicking here. You'll get access to bonus material and help me create an audio commentary on the New Testament.

What if instead of criticizing each other prayed for each other? If instead of blaming and faultfinding, we prayed?  In context, Matthew 7:7-12 instructs us to do just that ... to treat others the way we want to be treated. Wouldn't you want people to refrain from self-righteous criticism of you? Wouldn't you want them to avoid pushing their "pearls" on you with a holier-than-thou attitude? Wouldn't you want them to pray for themselves and for you with a humble heart? So would I.  And that, I believe, is how Matthew 7:1-12 all fits together, which is what I explore in this podcast.  If you want to stay in the loop and get updates and offers from me, subscribe at johnwhittaker.net.  You can deepen your walk with God by reading the Bible and praying consistently. To help you get started,  sign up for a free reading plan here or watch a free 15 minute mini-course on how to read the Bible and pray here. Connect with me on facebook and instagram As always, if you appreciate this teaching share freely - on Facebook, Instragram, Twitter, via email.  Do you want to help support John’s podcast? Become a patron and support the show by clicking here. You'll get access to bonus material and help me create an audio commentary on the New Testament.