Plainfield Ponderings - Scripture Meditations
Hello! I'm Allen Greeley and I love thinking and meditating on Scripture. Another word for it, which we don't use very often, is pondering. When the mother of Jesus heard the shepherds retell the vision of the angels celebratory singing; the Scripture says, "Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart" (Luke 2:19). That alone is my goal with this podcast. I want us to treasure in our hearts what we hear from God and ponder it. It would be an honor to have you listen in and ponder with me. To God be the glory!
Episodes
96 episodes
A Weird Easter Sermon: Resurrection - Historical or Metaphorical?
Let's ponder the resurrection of Jesus together. Churchgoers everywhere are celebrating Easter and thinking about the resurrection. Stats show, however, fewer and fewer people are believing it. How are they getting around it? Can we accept the ...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 36
•
26:53
Where Should I Go To Church? Religious Consumerism vs. Discipleship
Let's ponder the question I'm sure many of you already have - where should I go to church? With the ease of travel today, the options are almost unlimited. Unfortunately, this has created a panic in many churches. It's created a business-like m...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 35
•
13:06
Anxiously Waiting in Doubt of God's Promises - Did God Change His Mind?
Let's ponder what it means to wait on God. Every era of God's people had to wait on God for something. We are no different, waiting for the Lord to return. But what happens when doubt creeps in? What happens when what we see physically doesn't ...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 34
•
26:25
A House Containing God, History Changing Promises - Christ in the O.T. Series #8
Let's ponder some of the most history-altering promises ever made by God. Sometimes the Lord breaks so forcefully into human history with such profound promises that history is never the same. Such is the case in II Samuel 7 and the parallel pa...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 33
•
31:04
The Troubling Violence of the Conquest, and Scripture as a Whole
Ponder the troubling violence of the conquest of Canaan with me. It is probably no secret that the violence of Scripture has troubled many people. It is a common argument against believing in the God of the Bible. Is this fair though? What does...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 32
•
12:08
Greatest Moabite Love Story Ever Told - Christ in the O.T. Series #7
Ponder the gospel with me, as told in Ruth. A Gentile is redeemed by a Christ-like figure named Boaz. I'll paraphrase this beautiful love story. After that, let's think through the connections together and where this story is leading us and why...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 31
•
31:46
Heart Widening Surgery - Helping and Being Helped
Ponder with me about widening our heart to one another! Paul once told the Corinthians that their own affections were holding them back (II Corinthians 6). Sometimes we get so focused on being willing to help people (we will focus on that in th...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 30
•
28:44
I Put You Under Oath - Read This Letter (Thessalonians)
Ponder the book of I Thessalonians with me. Today's episode is a little different, but very similar to the one we put out November 1st. We're going to read an entire epistle together, as a letter, start to finish, in one sitting. This is how th...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 29
•
15:31
Passing Through Carcasses, No Fingers Crossed - God's Faithfulness
Ponder with me about how much we depend on God's faithfulness. Almost everything we believe fully relies on the trustworthiness of God. We are on firm ground though. God stooped down and partook of a human oath ritual in Genesis 15 to show Abra...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 28
•
29:26
Legit Faith and a Legit Fall
Ponder the idea of eternal security with me. Sometimes called "once saved, always saved" -- is this true? Let's walk through this by looking at the legitimate faith of the Israelites who crossed the Red Sea. This is a faith he...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 27
•
27:54
Stars and Scepters, Christ in the O.T. Series #6
Ponder with me the same that the magi (wise men) did in Matthew 2. They saw a star rising in the land of Israel and they believed that meant a king was coming, worthy of worship. Herod's first thought was about the Christ, and he wa...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 26
•
32:16
"Someone Just Tell Me What God Wants Already!"
Ponder with me about what God wants from us. Actually, let's think about what comes before this. Have we appreciated that God has communicated this very thing to us? Concerning that communication from God - have we mixed God's...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 25
•
13:22
Christ's Resurrection, the Firstfruits of More - Christ in the O.T. Series #5
Ponder with me about how and why Christ's resurrection is called the "firstfruits" in I Corinthians 15. This allusion to the Old Testament is quite fascinating. There was a firstfruit holiday in the O.T. that was always celebrated o...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 24
•
27:33
Small Beginnings, Big Discouragement
Ponder with me about how all great projects begin small. All great projects have to begin somewhere. Many endeavors worth doing, and certainly worth completing, come to a screeching halt right after they begin...because we're discou...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 23
•
11:02
Is Jesus Really In Control Of This World?
Ponder with me about who is in control of this crazy world! Is it Jesus? The Scripture indicates He is. Repeated texts are given about all things put under the feet of Jesus and even Jesus admitted He had all authority in heav...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 22
•
13:28
The King from Judah and the Grape Harvest - Christ in the O.T. Series #4
Ponder another passage in Genesis about the Christ. The offspring of Abraham gets a little narrower, down to the line of Judah and it's the first time the reign of a king is mentioned (in connection with the Christ). The scope of Hi...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 21
•
26:46
The Hope of Living Forever, and Encouraging Others With It
Let's ponder eternity, and our hope of eternal life. We can't fall into the trap of thinking that religion is nothing more than being nice and living a decently moral life. God has so much more planned in eternity and when we take o...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 20
•
24:57
A Footstool of Enemies - Christ in the O.T. Series #3
Let's ponder some more themes about the Christ from the Old Testament. This lesson is a bit of a culmination of the first 2 lessons we did in this series. The domination of enemies was promised to Abraham's offspring as well. ...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 19
•
26:43
Sin Spiraling and a Call to Bless - Christ in the O.T. Series #2
Let's ponder another hint of Christ in the O.T. - the promise to Abraham that an offspring of his would bless the whole world. I'll try my best to emphasize the magnitude of this promise. Someone who blesses every single human being...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 18
•
31:30
God in a Troubled Marriage
Ponder with me about the vital nature of communication in marriage! I don't know of any marital problems that don't at least include a communication breakdown. God was in a troubled marriage too, with Northern Israel. What did...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 17
•
14:09
The Human Satan Crusher - Christ in the O.T. Series #1
Ponder with me about how serious God considers defeating Satan. It might surprise us to note that before God mentions forgiveness or a sacrifice for sins, He FIRST brings up the defeat of Satan. Mankind not only has a problem with s...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 16
•
30:25
Your Life's Wind Effect - Born Again Part 3
Ponder with me about how we can truly know we are converted. This is part 3 of a short series on being born again. Jesus told Nicodemus you can only see the effects of wind, but the wind itself is not something tangible. So, w...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 15
•
23:53
A Great Grace and a Severe Blow
Ponder the kindness and severity of God. Paul says to do this very thing in Romans 11:22, "note then the kindness and severity of God". Let's do that through the book of Amos. God was so good to Israel! He reminds them o...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 14
•
28:19
.jpg)
Salty Communication, and the Delicate Walk of Geese
Let's ponder the way we say things. This truly matters. The way we come across is just as powerful as the content of the message. When food is seasoned with salt, the food content doesn't change. It's just more palatable...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 13
•
13:14
How Low Can I Go? The Lowliness of Jesus
Ponder about how to help each other thrive with our manner of life. We normally think of moral issues when thinking about our manner of life, but when Paul mentions it in Philippians, he has our relationship to the church on his mind.&nbs...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 12
•
26:33
