As Bold As Lions Podcast

In the Book of Judges, a sad thing happens to the people of Israel; God's chosen people for His promise:  they fall into sin and disobedience.  After the years of being delivered, crossing the Red Sea, and even settling into the Promised Land, the people have done the very thing God warned them not to do.  They fell for the gods and idols of the people who surrounded them.  Into this, they ultimately forgot what God had done f...

As we follow Christ, there is a tendency that can always creep in to lull our hearts away from Him.  This temptation can take various forms.  Sometimes we can ask "If I am doing all of this for the Lord, where is the payoff for me personally?"  This can be very subtle and an idea that grows over time.  We see that in other aspects of life, hard work = reward.  But often the rewards we seek in the faith are not in this lif...

And the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and mighty men of valor. You shall march around the city, all the men of war going around the city once. Thus shall you do for six days.”  Joshua 6:2,3

The battle of Jericho was a unique battle in the timeline of Israel's history as a nation.  Having taken fresh steps into the Promised Land, Joshua leads the people to conquer Jericho...

Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to My voice.” Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?”  After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, “I find no guilt in him.  John 18:37,38

The question posed by Pilate t...

On March 11, 2014 my (Derek's) debut album Carry On was released.  It is amazing to think it has now been 10 years since that release date.  A lot of life has happened in that space of time.  This podcast episode is a slight detour from our normal content, but it's purpose is to celebrate and give God glory through what He has done.  Carry On was, in many ways, a first step into ministry and music for me.  It has opened m...

The second in this 2 part series on The Hiding Place, this episode finishes out the story and pulls some more themes together.  Through the extraordinary faith of Corrie and her sister Betsie, they are able to see the love and grace of God despite the dark circumstances they encounter.  Both go through months of imprisonment because they were part of the Dutch Resistance.  But they have the opportunity to lead Bible studies and enc...

In this first part of a 2-part series, Derek takes a look at favorite book:  The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom.  The Hiding Place is a story of extraordinary faith and trust in God's plan during one of the darkest periods in history:  World War II.  The story of Corrie and the ten Boom family is remarkable.  Through their efforts, it is estimated some 800 Jews were saved.  In this podcast, the effort is made to not just make...

This week's episode takes a look at the concept of a hardened heart.  We see this throughout Scripture and really it's a posture we can knowingly or unknowingly fall into if we aren't in right relationship with the Lord.  Certainly we see the hardening of Pharaoh's heart in resisting God's call to free His people.  We also see Israel itself hardening its heart when it came to carrying out God's plan to...

Coming to the end of Jonah, we look for a tidy wrap-up and conclusion to a short book that has many twists and turns.  But perhaps the question we want answered most, "What happens to Jonah?" is left unresolved.  We see through this chapter that Jonah still has a deep sense of pride and contempt in regards to the Ninevites.  We see that God provides something for Jonah (a plant), only to take it away.  At this, he is angr...

By Jonah 3, we see the prophet hearing the call of God, reinstated, and ready to go to Nineveh.  We know Jonah went into the city and preached repentance.  We know also that everyone in the city, from the king down to the citizenry, repented and fasted.  By the end of the chapter, we see that God relents from His decision to destroy Nineveh.  From this chapter alone, we learn much about how God feels towards the lost.  As believers...

In this second installment of Jonah, we see Jonah praying a prayer in an unlikely place:  within the belly of a fish.  We know from the first chapter, Jonah's disobedience landed him here.  But even as this place has brought him to his knees, Jonah's plea is not rejected before God.  Through the 10 verses of Jonah 2, there is a Psalm-like longing and hope within Jonah.  By the end, we see he has a heart of repentance and ...

This is the first episode of a 4-part series on Jonah.  This series looks at the life and ministry of Jonah in regards to his reluctant obedience as a prophet of God.  In this first episode (corresponding with Jonah Chapter 1), we see Jonah's flee from God's call.  We see his disobedience causing consequences for Jonah and even the men on the ship (innocent bystanders to what Jonah has done).  We also see God's care ...

For this year, spending some time in meditation in December led me to a word I don’t often think about or even use on a regular basis.  But it’s a word that has profound meaning.  It is the word attune.  I believe God is calling me/calling us to be attuned to Him in 2024.  

I had to do some digging to figure out what attune/attuned means.  Even though I’ve used it before and had thought I knew the word’s meaning, I wasn’t sure.  Her...

As we wrap up 2023, we take a moment to pause and reflect upon this year and the meaning of Christmas.  We consider it all afresh again and what it means personally for our lives.  We also take that posture into the new year; knowing that 2024 will bring its own challenges and difficulties.  How will we pull away and continue staying in a place where we quiet our souls in rest with our Maker?  Lots of questions to ponder as we end ...

This week is a bit movie review and a bit Bible study.  With the famous Christmas movie, It's A Wonderful Life as our backdrop (the BEST Christmas movie BTW), we look at the spiritual applications of our own lives (the presence or absence thereof).  George Bailey got a rare chance:  to see what it would be like if he had never been born.  Do we consider the weight of our lives and would there be a void if we were not in the wo...

OK, it probably needs to be said if you haven’t picked up on it by now:  I love Christmas music.  I start to listen and even share Christmas-music-related things in November...could even start as early as October.  Yeah, I'm that guy and you can call me crazy.  For me, this year was the opportunity to finally get some of these songs recorded and released out into the wild.  A 6 song EP titled GLORIA! released in November and i...

Is it possible to see the miracles, signs, wonders, and conversions seen in the early Acts church today?  Today's podcast seeks to find the key that unlocks these things; assuming they are real and still for today.  When we walk in the Spirit, we live with the ability to listen to the Lord's voice and obey.  As we do, we must know Scripture well enough to stand on the truth and proclaim it to those who are in darkness.  F...

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.  Colossians 3:16

Last year in November, Derek did a series of episodes titled "Things I'm Thankful For..."  Today's episode is an extension of that thought, turning it around and asking "What are you thankful for?"...

Apathy is a word meaning "lack of interest, enthusiasm, or concern."  Spiritually-speaking, it is a dangerous road to go down.  There may be seasons in which we feel a pull towards apathy in our lives.  Left unchecked, we can succumb to a number of things.  But if we recognize those seasons, what are some ways we can be spurred on to grow in Christ?  Today's episode outlines some ideas and practical steps that can he...