The Simple Not Shallow Podcast

Every journey begins somewhere. The journey of being a follower of Jesus is no exception. Are you certain you are a follower of Jesus, a child of God? On what is that certainty based? Join Gerald Yerkes as he shares what Scripture says is the way to know for certain that you are a redeemed child of God.

Scriptures referenced:

2 Timothy 2:15 Work hard to be able to present yourself to God unashamedly.

Matthew 25:21 "Well done, good and...

In this episode, the question we will explore in order to enrich our faith is: What is repentance? 
            Before going crazy talking about this, let’s look at it through the lens of what it means to be a Christian. Which is a following of Jesus that, first and foremost, involves a relationship with him, leading to studentship under him, and then to a life lived for him based on ever...

In this episode, the question we will explore to enrich our faith is: Why is forgiving others so important to our faith? And since this is to enrich our Christian faith, we must look at it through the lens of what it means to be a Christian. Otherwise, whatever we enrich, it may not be our faith in Jesus. 

And as a reminder, this lens is a following of Jesus that, first and foremost, involves a relationship with him, leading to...

In this episode, the question we are going to explore to enrich our faith is: Why does God sometimes feel distant from us? 

As we begin to consider this question, let’s remember to look at it through the lens of what it means to be a Christian. Which does mean, first and foremost, to be in a relationship with Jesus, one that leads to studentship under him, that then leads to a life lived for him based on all that is learn...

In this episode, we are going to look at the best and worst parts of Christian life. And we are going to do this while looking through the lens of what it means to be a Christian, which is a following of Jesus that involves a relationship leading to studentship leading to living a life based on everything learned. Indeed, it is only as we look through this lens that we can see these parts as being fully the best and fully the worst...

In this episode, we are going to talk about the question: Who is Jesus? I know. In a fairly short video, are we going to explore this question fully? Yeah, no. But we are going to talk about a framework you can use while pursuing your relationship with him while learning who he is.

So, what comes to mind when you hear the question, who is Jesus? You might be saying, “He is God.” Yes, but is that all we know about...

In this episode, we are going to consider the questions: what is prayer, and why is it so important? Many have talked about prayer, going into depth on the hows and whys of it all. 

So… what can a man, even one standing in these hallowed halls while chatting over a cup of coffee, contribute to the insights of such heavy hitters as these and other thoughtful scholars? I don’t know, but what better place to k...

In this episode, the question we will explore to enrich our faith is: What is Christianity? Or to phrase it another way, what does it mean to be a Christian?

I mean, since the goal here is to enrich our faith as Christians. We should probably discuss what it means to be a Christian. Right?

Here’s what I have found while looking through the Bible. Christianity is following Jesus. Now, before you say, “Well, duh, Captain Ob...

In this episode, I’d like to introduction to the Coffee-side Chat series rather than offer a question to explore. If you've been following this podcast, you might be thinking, “This is a strange time for an introduction, as you are several episodes in at this point.” And, yeah, you would be correct.

But not having explained things earlier, I’m concerned that not everyone will understand why the motivation beh...

In this episode, the question we will explore to enrich our faith is: How does the phrase ‘go big or go home’ apply to our faith?

Well, last time we spoke about how being perfect means to be maturing, growing up, in terms of loving God and our neighbors. That got me thinking. Wouldn’t it be nice if God helped us out with this by telling us how to do it?

I think I found where he did so a time or two. Let me offer the...

In this episode, the question we will explore to enrich our faith is: Should Christians expect to be perfect people? 

So anyway, what brought this to mind? I was reading in the book of Matthew and came upon 5:48, where Jesus says we are to be perfect, as God is perfect. Was he putting forth an unrealistic expectation of us? Telling us to always get everything right? It doesn’t seem likely that he would do that. I mean, he...

In this episode, the question we will explore to enrich our faith is: How can the narrow gate and the restricted, difficult path lead to an abundance of life? 

I mean, in Matthew 7:13-14, Jesus said that narrow is the gate and restricted is the way that leads to life. And in John 10:10, he also said that he came to give an abundance of life to those who believe in him. The question is, how does this work? Narrow, restricted, an...

So, today’s question is this: What do you think sin is? Before you answer too quickly, it may be worth considering what we spoke of last time.

Last time we spoke, we discussed how God’s thoughts differ from ours (Isaiah 55:8, 9). And how his idea of love is different from ours. Did we not? What if this also applies to sin? 

Well, in light of this, today’s question becomes more interesting, don’t you think...

So, today’s question is: “How would you explain Christianity in just a sentence or two?” As you ponder this, allow me to offer my thoughts. I would say that following Jesus is about living a whole life from our whole life. Isn’t that interesting? 

So, living a whole life from a whole life. Where should I begin?  Do you remember Jesus saying that he came to give us an abundance of life (John 10:10)?&...

This past week I have had cause to get angry at work. Now, the ins and outs of why are not crucial to our chat. For we all know what it’s like to get mad at work, right? But the anger itself is what is of interest. Because it brought to mind an age-old question; is getting angry a sin? Is it a sign of weak faith? This is what we are going to chat about in this episode.

Now, my name is Charles, Charles Yerkes, and this is the f...

Can I just say that once again, the Psalms have turned what I have thought about asking for God’s blessing on its head? Here, the psalmist asks God to bless the king so that others may also become blessed. Also, this gives a whole new perspective to something that two other psalms say. For instance, in Psalm 1…. Well, tell you what, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Let’s first hear the psalm; then, we can ...

Can I just say that, once again, I have been pleasantly surprised to find in the Psalms a most excellent example of a teaching of Jesus? Yes, a teaching of Jesus and one from James. The teaching of Jesus is that of having troubles in this world but to be of good cheer found in John 16:33. And the one from James is that trials should be considered pure joy as they help produce perseverance, which brings about spiritual maturity and ...

Can I just say that I never considered pain and sorrow to be a part of a worship service before? Yet, here, the psalmist is very honest about his pain, sorrow, and despair, and still, this Psalm is contained in the prayer book of the Bible. Now, let’s keep perspective, the pain and sorrow are not being celebrated but the Psalmist’s response to them is a profound act of faith and worship. Now, well…. Tell you what...

Can I just say that this Psalm contains so much that wants to be spoken about; that it has been difficult deciding what to talk about? For instance, there is the topic of Christians encountering despair and how to deal with it. There is also the topic of just how gritty and realistic Scripture can be in portraying hard times and difficult emotions. So much to talk about and so little time. So, to choose just one topic, the one thin...