Passages Craig S. Brown

Jesus' ministry of healing is not just limited to what people may ask of Him. Jesus brings a healing beyond everyone's expectations. The whole person matters to Jesus. It may cause us to wonder about how we pray for healing. Are we praying for what we seek or are we praying for what Jesus seeks? Is our faith directed at what we want or is it directed at Jesus?

Jesus' teaching on money is hard for the 21st century Christian to hear. Much of our culture is focused on getting and having enough. Worry about financial security continues to confront families in poverty and in wealth. In this sense, worry happens regardless of how much we have. Jesus offers us a way to be set free through generosity. If we can embrace generosity, it will have lasting effects on our lives.

Greed continues to plague the human condition. For thousands of years human beings have often been gripped by their fear of loss and security. This fear gives rise to the practice of greed which sees the "self" as the center. In this week's episode, Jesus begins to open us up to the power of greed in our lives and how we might be set free.

The Gospels record a significant amount of Jesus' teaching on money. Over all of these centuries, very little has changed in our relationship with wealth. This week's episode explores how money can become a great resource when it serves us as we serve the God who gives all things.

Passing on a legacy is complicated. For parents, it often means sharing the learnings from one's successes and failures. When King David draws close to his own death, he pauses to share some important words with his son Solomon. Like any parent, David wants his son to learn from his father, for good or ill.

Being a child or being a parent is filled with joy and challenges. We have all experienced moments when we wished things between our parents or children were different. What is it like to have a perfect parent? This week's episode explores what it means for us to have joy and freedom as children of God.