44 episodes

The Road to Shalom is a production of Hands of Hur, a faith-based nonprofit committed to helping people make sense of the world in which they find themselves. This podcast channel is dedicated to exploring what shalom is, where it's gone, and how it can be restored. Fran Sciacca, the Director of Hands of Hur, is the host.

The Road to Shalom Fran Sciacca

    • Religion & Spirituality
    • 4.9 • 50 Ratings

The Road to Shalom is a production of Hands of Hur, a faith-based nonprofit committed to helping people make sense of the world in which they find themselves. This podcast channel is dedicated to exploring what shalom is, where it's gone, and how it can be restored. Fran Sciacca, the Director of Hands of Hur, is the host.

    "WANTED: Raiders of the Lost Arc"

    "WANTED: Raiders of the Lost Arc"

         There's been a lot of taking, writing, and shouting about the "right side" and "wrong side" of history, and which "side" you should be on. It strikes me a bit odd that many believers have accepted this false idea of history and who controls it. People believe that history has an arc, and that it can be bent by the efforts of humanity. 
         History does in fact have an arc, but I'm afraid the believing community has fallen prey to error because we've lost our ability to truly "tell time." In this final episode of 2021, we're going on a provocative journey into the two "time zones" of the Bible with the goal of getting our watches set right.

    • 33 min
    "Are Peace-Keeping and Peace-Making Synonyms?"

    "Are Peace-Keeping and Peace-Making Synonyms?"

         Do you see yourself as a "peace-maker" or a "peace-keeper"? What difference would it make if you got this right? Or wrong? In any worldview that believes peace-keeping should be the priority, change is viewed with suspicion. Even change in the right direction. Threats to our personal peace and way of life—if uniformed by the purposes of God—result in us fighting for what's important to us, rather than what matters most to God.
         In this sixth and final interview with shalom-makers, Fran interviews his oldest son Ben, a veteran in peace-making in his own right. Ben's twenty years in urban space has convinced him that peace-making is often ignored or neglected by believers, not because it's wrong, but because it's difficult.
         You'll be nudged out of your comfort zone, but generously wooed into the circumference of truth is this interview.

    • 58 min
    "How Old Should You Be Before You Hop On The Road To Shalom?"

    "How Old Should You Be Before You Hop On The Road To Shalom?"

         Shalom is the "way things are supposed to be"…everywhere…among everyone…all the time. It's absence is what's wrong with the world. But because the whole idea of shalom is foreign to us as believers, we don't naturally ask life questions within its frame of reference.
         For example, do you think there are places where it's "more absent" than in other places? Or more absent among some people groups than others? How old should you be before you can understand shalom for yourself? Is there a difference between a road of shalom and the road to shalom?
         Veteran urban worker, history teacher, youth pastor and husband and father, Clint Cvacho helps us get answers to all of the above. In this fifth interview with shalom-restorers you'll be challenged to revise some of your preconceptions about people, place, and purpose

    • 41 min
    [REPLAY] "What Does It Look Like To Restore Shalom?"

    [REPLAY] "What Does It Look Like To Restore Shalom?"

         One of the things I've come to realize, after 51 years on the "Jesus Road," is that the Bible is new every morning. It's an example of a not so famous saying by Buddy Hinton in Kee Sloan's book, Jabbok: "The more I learn this, the truer it gets." In an age of glance, swipe and poke, hearing or reading something more than once is actually a good thing…because it's also a God thing.
         With that intro, I want to tell/alert you to the fact that this episode is the only interview I ever did on the Road to Shalom...nearly 3 years ago. But, it fits so well in the current series it's worth enjoying again…or for the first time.
         Join me in the living room of Dave Adkison, one of my best friends who also happens to be a world-class surgeon and a man who listens, touches, and heals...all of which are shalomic activities.

    • 34 min
    "What Do 800 Children Per Day Have in Common With the Dead Sea?"

    "What Do 800 Children Per Day Have in Common With the Dead Sea?"

         If  one of your older Bibles has maps in the back, you'll notice that this image doesn't match the Dead Sea in your Bible. That's because the water from the Jordan River is being syphoned off for irrigation before it reaches the Dead Sea. And as a result, Dead Sea is becoming "deader" for lack of water. It's become two separate bodies of water, one of which is disappearing.
         In this third shalom-makers interview, you'll meet a longtime friend of Hands of Hur and our family. Matt Letourneau has done more with his life in four decades than some do in a lifetime. He's an artesian well of innovation, vision and a passion for the gospel. Currently he's the CEO of NeverThirst, a ministry committed to bringing Living Water and clean water to the nearly 800 million people who need both. Now that's about as shalomic as it gets.
         Come with me on a journey that begins in the American Southeast and extends to Africa and Asia, and has all the evidence of God's anointing and the power of His presence.

    • 42 min
    "Are You Willing To Be A Drink Offering?"

    "Are You Willing To Be A Drink Offering?"

         In this second interview with shalom-makers—men and women who see themselves as agents of shalom because they're beneficiaries of grace—Fran introduces  Sarah Jackson. The product of a turbulent childhood in a loving home, she found herself being drawn to those we have marginalized, even forgotten, in our ceaseless pursuit of the next new thing. Sarah is a hospice nurse.
         Even though for most of us, pursuing Sarah's shalomic passion is unlikely, I promise you'll discover that the implications from this provocative interview will motivate you to say or do something for someone that you've known for a long time is overdue.

    • 40 min

Customer Reviews

4.9 out of 5
50 Ratings

50 Ratings

DMusser1234 ,

Biblical Theology at its best!

In an evangelical world sometimes obsessed with Systematic Theology, Fran steps in not to put down systematic theology (he has a degree in it!) but to elevate Biblical Theology. The first 8 episodes of season three, I believe, could be categorically shaping for so many people who do not know the one story of the one God. It is biblical theology at its finest and on a level that is so accessible. Listen to this if you want to understand your Bible better, the story we find ourselves in, and how to be a part of God’s mission to restore Shalom!

trigger chick ,

Passionate, Powerful & Practical teaching

There is none like Fran Sciacca, a true servant of our One True God. His passion is contagious because the Presence of the Holy Spirit is evident. His teaching is bathed in humility and Truths of Scripture always drawing us back to the message of our purpose and mission: to be restorers of Shalom bringing The Hope of Jesus and His Gospel to a broken and confused world. Don’t miss God’s blessing through His servant Fran.

Brian F in TX ,

Timely message

A fellow former student of Mr. Sciacca here. I just stumbled across this podcast and believe that his communication style is particularly suited to the podcast world. Believe me, Mr. Sciacca’s influence has made an impact on me and like many others, we find ourselves fondly remembering the lessons we learned nearly 25 years ago. So glad to have the chance to pick up some more Biblical wisdom from Mr. Sciacca even after all these years.

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