Trauma-Informed Church Kid

He Who Causes to Be

Season 2 Episode 3 of the Trauma-Informed Church Kid podcast
 
The family of Abraham has been enslaved and oppressed by the head of the superpower of the day. One man who grew up within that empire discovered that he identified with the "stranger" and is forced to leave -- to become a "stranger in a strange land". Those who remain behind groan with a deep, soul-level pain to their Father. He "remembers and knows" them, like a mama bear hearing her cub's cries of pain. Adonai is coming near to bring comfort and judgment: to cause to be the things that currently are not.
 
Join us as we look at Exodus 3-4, examining the incident at the burning bush and understanding God's Name better. We will look at what the "mountain of God" is, and begin to understand sacred space. We will explore the figure of the "Angel of the Lord" and his relationship to the Second Person of the Trinity. We will ponder if there is a fundamental difference between the Jesus of the New Testament, and the God of the Old. We will listen to Moses' protests about his calling, and see the true role of divine anger or wrath. In the end, we center our understanding of God's response to trauma as "He Who Causes to Be" -- as Creator, as Father, as Redeemer, and as Husband.
I hope you will join me on this journey to find resurrection on the other side of deconstruction! Please like, subscribe, and/or leave a comment!
 
SHOW NOTE REFERENCES
Dr Michael Heiser -- YHWH
Dr Michael Heiser -- The Two Powers in heaven
Kenites
The Angel of the Lord
 

Slavery and the Stranger

Season 2, Episode 2 of the Trauma-Informed Church Kid podcast.
 
At the beginning of Exodus, the family of Abraham is in trouble. They have settled in the land of a foreign empire, but they are treated with fear and suspicion as strangers. What will become of the ones who will be the light to the nations?
We're not sure how or when exactly this came about, but in time the empire of Egypt does what all empires do: they treat humans as disposable. In service of building monuments to their own name and out of fear of those who are different, a series of Pharaohs enslave and oppress the family of Abraham. Does Adonai hear them; does he even care?
 
Join us as we look at Exodus 1-2, examining the difficult and uncomfortable issue of slavery in the Bible. We will look at the nature of "the stranger", and why Adonai cares so much about them. We will explore what the Scriptures say about the generational vortex of sin, reflect on the history of slavery in America and the West, wrestle with the complexities of a God who works with humans as they are, confess the bad which is in the Bible and the evil and wicked ways in which it has been used, and uncover the good that might be hard to see in the Scriptures. In the end, we center our understanding of slavery on the one who "took the form of a slave" (Phil 2:7) and opened the way to perfection for all the images of God -- oppressor and oppressed alike.

Father of Faith(fulness)

Season 2, Episode 1 of the Trauma-Informed Church Kid podcast!At the end of Genesis 11, humanity is in trouble. A series of three "falls" have left them at enmity with Adonai and with each other. They are subjected to death, they have succumbed to depravity, and now they find themselves enslaved by demons. What is solution to this problem? Can there be "good news" to come out of this? Enter Abraham: the man who is called by Adonai from among the nations to be the father of all who are faithful. He is promised that his family will be "like the stars" and will be the healing and blessing for all the nations. But how will this promise come about: just by "believing", or by obeying? Or both? And what is this reconstituted and resurrected family of God supposed to look like: diversity, or unity? Or both? Join us as we take a speed-run through Genesis, centering around Abraham. This will be a review of Season 1, and a teaser for Season 2 (which will focus on Exodus and Leviticus). We will examine the nature of the promise the faithful are given as "sons of Abraham", explore the strengths and weaknesses of both unity and diversity, look at what it means for God to show himself to us (and if we really want that), mourn the experience of being shepherded by religious wolves, try to understand what assurance of salvation is (and isn't), and wrestle with the uncomfortable realities of so-called "heroes" of the faith. In the end, we seek to learn what it means to follow the father of faith(fulness) and do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with our Father. May we all hear the words: "well done; good and faithful servant."I hope you will join me on this journey to find resurrection on the other side of deconstruction! Please like, subscribe, and/or leave a comment!

House of David TV series review -- BONUS

Is the House of David TV series, currently streaming on Amazon Prime, any good? Is it closer to "The Ten Commandments" or "Prince of Egypt" or "Exodus: Gods and Kings"? Or is it just like all the other examples -- and there are far too many -- of cringey, cheap, contrived, and cloying faith-based media? What about its use of extra-biblical traditions? Can we trust the filmmakers to finally give us art that is beautiful, accurate, and moving?
 
This is the penultimate episode in Season 1, in another bonus review. This is mostly spoiler-free, although it does get into details which are also in the biblical narrative. I turn my somewhat-jaded eye (and heart) onto this adaptation of the story of David and Goliath, and find myself pleasantly surprised and cautiously hopeful for the future of Christian media. I hope this is one more waypoint on your journey to find resurrection on the other side of deconstruction!

With All Your Heart, Soul, and Mind -- NERD ALERT!

What is the center of a person? Why does our heart need to be pure? How does God heal the broken-hearted? If our heart is sick, do we have free will? How can we be more free -- by choosing what we want, or choosing well? How do we "see" with the "eyes of the soul" what to choose? Is this even possible when that "eye" is darkened? What is the difference between soul and spirit? Is the soul created at the same time as the body, and how can it exist apart from the body? What does that mean, and how does that relate to the Resurrection body? What about final judgment? How can we have a secure soul-attachment to our bodies?
 
This is the (finally) final episode of our Anthropology of Adam series, looking at the Greek words for heart, will, mind/spirit, and soul. We will take a close look at how the nous (mind/spirit) is central the health of the soul, and what it means to love Adonai with our whole being. I hope you will join me for a journey to find resurrection on the other side of deconstruction!
 
The Mind and the Heart in the Christian East and West
Nous - OrthodoxWiki
Nathan Jacobs Podcast -- apokatastasis
Saint Origen - First Things
What in Tarnation? | Ancient Faith Ministries
Soul, Heart, and Mind: Orthodox video
Powers of the Soul: Orthodox video
 

It Just Isn't Natural -- NERD ALERT!

What is "nature"? Did the first Christians change this because of Greek philosophy? What is a "person"? Whom am I, underneath all the "masks"? What does it mean to be Self-led, or self-controlled? What does it mean to partake of the divine nature, and how do we do that? What are passions, and how did we get them? How do we overcome them? Do we have a sin(ful) nature? Is it even possible for flesh to seek after God? And what purpose did the Law of God serve in this goal? What does it mean for our nature -- and person -- to find its rest in God?
 
This is the third of four in our Anthropology of Adam series. This one covers the Greek words for body, flesh, nature, being/essence, person, and individual/subject. This covers a ton of philosophical ground, but I hope it doesn't hurt your head too much. I always pray it doesn't hurt your heart. I hope that you can join me on this journey to find resurrection on the other side of deconstruction!
 
Orthodox Apologetics: Prosopon and Hypostases
St Gregory of Nyssa: Differentiating Ousia and Hypostasis | Eclectic Orthodoxy
The Christian Transformation of Greek Philosophical Concepts ---- The Distinction of ousia and hypostasis in the Formation of the Trinitarian Formula “One ousia and three hypostaseis”.
Basil ousia and hypostasis
Greek Trinitarian Terms in the Early Church (Part 1) – Krisis & Praxis
Anthropological background: The human composite and spiritual healing
Substance, Nature, and Human Personhood
The "Sinful Nature" Translation Dilemma and the Upcoming NIV Revision - Jason Staples
Our Heart is Restless Until It Rests in You - Augustine -

I Know It In My Inward Parts -- NERD ALERT!

What is the human heart, according to the Bible? Is it the seat of thoughts, or emotions? How is it related to our desires and our wills? Is it "desperately wicked"? Can we trust our feelings? What does it mean to have our "bowels moved" for someone else, and is it really as gross as it sounds? Does God feel toward us like a Father, or like a Mother? Or does he just demand blood to satisfy his anger?
 
This is the second of three four "Anthropology of Adam" episodes, where we will look at the words in the Hebrew Bible which represent who adam is. Along the way, we learn that our hearts are deep, murky waters with thoughts and intentions that can either incline toward or away from Adonai. We also discover that Adonai himself is inclined toward us, with a gut-level compassion that comes out of his "womb". I hope you will join us on a journey to find resurrection on the other side of deconstruction.Podcast episode from BibleProject about the "Womb of God"

Anthropology of Adam -- NERD ALERT!

What is "the flesh"? What is the best way to think of and treat our bodies? What is the relationship between the spirit and the body? Is our spirit the essence of who we really are? Or is that our soul? Is that something other than our body? Do we have souls or not? And will our bodies be part of the new heavens and new earth?This is the first of three four "Anthropology of Adam" episodes, where we will look at the words in the Hebrew Bible which represent who adam is. Along the way, we learn that we are souls, composed of body and spirit, who are created good and despite the falls of humanity are still able to desire and seek out Adonai. I hope you will join us on a journey to find resurrection on the other side of deconstruction.

Permeable Creatures -- NERD ALERT!

What are spiritual beings? Are they some kind of ethereal substance, or just in our minds? Are things in our minds real? Where do our thoughts come from? What about ideas? Can spiritual beings influence us, and in what ways do they do so?  Is that the same as being "possessed"? What does it mean to conform our wills to theirs? And what does it mean to actually have "free" wills?
 
In this episode, we take a look at what it means to be human, and what it means to be a spiritual being, and explore the overlap of the two. Along the way, we discover that humans are permeable creatures: designed to have our wills interact with the wills of the spiritual realm. In the end, we try to understand how all this relates to everyday life and becoming better "spiritual beings" ourselves. I hope you will join me on the journey of finding resurrection on the other side of deconstruction!
 
But We Have the Mind of Christ | Ancient Faith Ministries
The Most Important Question -- Nathan Jacobs Podcast
What's a Spirit When It's at Home? | Ancient Faith Ministries
Bible Project video on spiritual beings
Stimulus - Reaction - Response graphic
 

The gods of the Nations

What is the third "fall" of humanity? Why is it so bad for people to build a tower? Does it actually reach to the heavens? Why does God confuse their language and scatter the people? And who are the gods of the nations? Do they exist at all? What is their purpose? Is there anything we can learn from the Babel narrative about what God wants for his human family?
 
In today's episode, we take a closer look at the Genesis 11 Babel event and its connection to the redemptive plan of God: to lovingly shepherd his children back to him, in order to unite them in their diversity, so that the unique glory each possesses can participate in his life once more. I hope you will join us on a journey to find resurrection on the other side of deconstruction!
 
The Gods of the Nations | Ancient Faith Ministries
Pentecost and the Ziggurat — Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
The Human Desire to Be Godlike - TheTorah.com
Language Is Baffling – The Story of the Tower of Babel - TheTorah.com
What-is-spiritual-warfare-from-Heiser-DEMONS-MS-unedited.pdf
The Angels Who Left Their Former Estate - The Whole Counsel Blog
The Unseen Realm Collection (10 book series) Paperback Edition