<![CDATA[Closer Than You Think: The Community]]>https://www.ctyt.net/s/the-communityhttps://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!TmyP!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0dc31245-deb4-486c-ba2f-e25058c8c090_500x500.pngCloser Than You Think: The Communityhttps://www.ctyt.net/s/the-communitySubstackTue, 14 Apr 2026 08:10:06 GMT<![CDATA[Cores for Kids ]]>https://www.ctyt.net/p/cores-for-kidshttps://www.ctyt.net/p/cores-for-kidsSun, 16 Nov 2025 16:00:56 GMTCTYT CORE (Part 8)

This is the eighth CTYT Core lesson. We have talked a lot about theology and the Bible and the core practices of the Christian faith. In this lesson, we turn our attention to what it all means for raising and teaching children.

This is important and dear to my heart because so many of the messages children receive about God stick with them for the rest of their lives and influence everything.

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]]><![CDATA[Healthy Paradigm Shifts for Reading the Bible Effectively (Part 2)]]>https://www.ctyt.net/p/healthy-paradigm-shifts-for-reading-df2https://www.ctyt.net/p/healthy-paradigm-shifts-for-reading-df2Sun, 02 Nov 2025 15:45:03 GMTCTYT CORE (Part 7)

This is the seventh CTYT Core lesson. The lens we use to read the Bible is often so ingrained in us that we are not even consciously aware of it, but it is important to bring it to the forefront so we can see how it may be affecting our understanding of the Bible.

This is part 2 of 2 video lessons in which we look at a total of four paradigm shifts that will help us have a much healthier perspective on the Bible. There are five shifts altogether when you take the prior lessons into account, and these shifts will help us accept and understand the Bible on its terms.

This series of videos comes out every other Sunday in the Fall of 2025.

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]]><![CDATA[Healthy Paradigm Shifts for Reading the Bible Effectively (Part 1)]]>https://www.ctyt.net/p/healthy-paradigm-shifts-for-readinghttps://www.ctyt.net/p/healthy-paradigm-shifts-for-readingSun, 19 Oct 2025 14:59:26 GMTCTYT CORE (Part 6)

This is the sixth CTYT Core lesson. The lens we use to read the Bible is often so ingrained in us that we are not even consciously aware of it, but it is important to bring it to the forefront so we can see how it may be affecting our understanding of the Bible.

This is part 1 of 2 video lessons in which we look at a total of four paradigm shifts that will help us have a much healthier perspective on the Bible. These shifts will help us accept and understand the Bible on its terms.

NOTE: There were technical difficulties that cut this video lesson short.

This series of videos comes out every other Sunday in the Fall of 2025.

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]]><![CDATA[The Bible is Not Good For What We Think]]>https://www.ctyt.net/p/the-bible-is-not-good-for-what-wehttps://www.ctyt.net/p/the-bible-is-not-good-for-what-weSun, 05 Oct 2025 14:45:24 GMTCTYT CORE (Part 5)

This is the fifth CTYT Core lesson. If you hear people complaining about the Bible being used as a weapon, then this lesson explains how that might happen. Our preoccupation with forming lists of doctrines to define who is in and out of our tribes or camps is not only unhealthy; it is unbiblical. I argue in this lesson that the Bible is much better designed to give us a relational theology than a systematic theology. This will surprise (and may even upset) some Christians and church leaders. I welcome your perspective, whether affirming or dissenting.

This series of videos comes out every other Sunday in the Fall of 2025.

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]]><![CDATA[The Four F's of the New Testament]]>https://www.ctyt.net/p/the-four-fs-of-the-new-testamenthttps://www.ctyt.net/p/the-four-fs-of-the-new-testamentSun, 21 Sep 2025 15:02:08 GMTCTYT CORE (Part 4)

This is the fourth CTYT Core lesson. The New Testament was formed through the writings of letters and Gospels that were circulated beginning in the first century. This lessons highlights some of the characteristics of its rapid formation and acceptance. The early followers of Jesus, who recognized Him as the Christ, went to great effort to demonstrate He was the fulfillment of the prophecy and scriptures that made up the TaNaK, or Hebrew Bible.

This series of videos comes out every other Sunday in the Fall of 2025.

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]]><![CDATA[The Bible That Jesus Used]]>https://www.ctyt.net/p/the-bible-that-jesus-usedhttps://www.ctyt.net/p/the-bible-that-jesus-usedSun, 07 Sep 2025 15:02:20 GMTCTYT CORE (Part 3)

This is the third CTYT Core lesson. It focuses on the culmination of events to form the TaNaK and the Septuagint, the primary scriptural texts that Jesus and His apostles would use.

This series of videos comes out every other Sunday in the Fall of 2025.

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]]><![CDATA[The Bible is Not the Word of God, But It Is Something!]]>https://www.ctyt.net/p/the-bible-is-not-the-word-of-godhttps://www.ctyt.net/p/the-bible-is-not-the-word-of-godSun, 24 Aug 2025 16:21:40 GMTCTYT CORE (Part 2)

This is the second CTYT Core lesson. It focuses on the development of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) from a historical view.

This series of videos comes out every other Sunday in the Fall of 2025.

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]]><![CDATA[Getting Through the B.S. to Get to God]]>https://www.ctyt.net/p/getting-through-the-bs-to-get-to-1a5https://www.ctyt.net/p/getting-through-the-bs-to-get-to-1a5Sun, 17 Aug 2025 13:10:26 GMTCTYT LIVE/CORE (Part 1)

This attempt at CTYT LIVE introduces the Four Core Practices of Christianity, presents a short lesson on what the difference is between Bible Study and Theology and why it matters, features a story from a CTYT subscriber (spoiler: it’s my mom) about a grief support ministry, and more.

In the future, these video lessons will be published on Sunday mornings and be called “CTYT Core". They will not continue to be recorded live on Zoom.

Hope you enjoy! Please send me your feedback.

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]]><![CDATA[Thou Shalt Not Use the Law to Spread Bad Theology]]>https://www.ctyt.net/p/thou-shalt-not-use-the-law-to-spreadhttps://www.ctyt.net/p/thou-shalt-not-use-the-law-to-spreadMon, 23 Jun 2025 21:27:53 GMTThe Texas Legislature passed Senate Bill 10, which Governor Abbott signed into law, requiring all public school classrooms to prominently display the Ten Commandments. Although it may face legal objections, I would like to take this opportunity to explain why this law is a poor idea from a Christian perspective. I am not speaking as a school official or employee, but as a follower of Jesus.

This episode addresses some of the theological concerns I have with this type of legislation. I welcome (and I sincerely mean that) any feedback, critique, or challenge to my arguments. I only ask that they be done respectfully. Please refrain from simply responding with a single Bible verse apart from any context or explanation.

This episode will be FREE to everyone for a couple of weeks.

As mentioned in the episode, below is a section of the New Testament from Paul’s letter to the Corinthians. You can find it at Bible Gateway and explore the context further if you would like. You can also select various translations to read or hear them differently. The version I chose is the New International Reader’s Version (NIRV).

2 Corinthians 3

3 Are we beginning to praise ourselves again? Some people need letters that speak well of them. Do we need those kinds of letters, either to you or from you? 2 You yourselves are our letter. You are written on our hearts. Everyone knows you and reads you. 3 You make it clear that you are a letter from Christ. You are the result of our work for God. You are a letter written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God. You are a letter written not on tablets made out of stone but on human hearts.

4 Through Christ, we can be sure of this before God. 5 In ourselves we are not able to claim anything for ourselves. The power to do what we do comes from God. 6 He has given us the power to serve under a new covenant. The covenant is not based on the written Law of Moses. It comes from the Holy Spirit. The written Law kills, but the Spirit gives life.

7 The Law was written in letters on stone. Even though it was a way of serving God, it led to death. But even that way of serving God came with glory. The glory lasted for only a short time. Even so, the people of Israel couldn’t look at Moses’ face very long. 8 Since all this is true, won’t the work of the Holy Spirit be even more glorious? 9 The law that condemns people to death had glory. How much more glory does the work of the Spirit have! His work makes people right with God. 10 The glory of the old covenant is nothing compared with the far greater glory of the new. 11 The glory of the old lasts for only a short time. How much greater is the glory of the new! It will last forever.

12 Since we have that kind of hope, we are very bold. 13 We are not like Moses. He used to cover his face with a veil. That was to keep the people of Israel from seeing the end of what was passing away. 14 But their minds were made stubborn. To this day, the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. The veil has not been removed. Only faith in Christ can take it away. 15 To this day, when the Law of Moses is read, a veil covers the minds of those who hear it. 16 But when anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Holy Spirit. And where the Spirit of the Lord is, freedom is also there. 18 None of our faces are covered with a veil. All of us can see the Lord’s glory and think deeply about it. So we are being changed to become more like him so that we have more and more glory. And this glory comes from the Lord, who is the Holy Spirit.

]]><![CDATA[Getting Through the B.S. to Get to God]]>https://www.ctyt.net/p/getting-through-the-bs-to-get-tohttps://www.ctyt.net/p/getting-through-the-bs-to-get-toSun, 23 Mar 2025 12:22:04 GMTThis distinction might help clarify how to move toward spiritual maturity and wisdom without the religious pressure to “hear from God” in every Bible verse.

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]]><![CDATA[I’m 50! What’s next?]]>https://www.ctyt.net/p/im-50-whats-nexthttps://www.ctyt.net/p/im-50-whats-nextSun, 09 Mar 2025 01:59:24 GMTTHIS IS A RECORDING FROM MY FIRST LIVE VIDEO!

This was my first trial run of a live video on Substack. As you can tell, I’m a novice. Ha!

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