Say That

Ask A Question: saythatpodcast@gmail.com thebridgechicago.tumblr.com/ask (Anonymous) Intro and a miraculous emergency ((00:00-17:18) What does having a “Christ-centered” relationship actually mean? (17:30-30:19) How much can I disagree with a pastor or mentor? There is no such thing as someone who is right all the time. How much disagreement is normal? (30:23-48:11) The Bible says pretty clearly “God is love”. I hear Christians say that there is a balance to that in that God is also just. Are those opposites? Is one more important than the others? (48:16-01:01:38) Closing Song: Amos 5:24 (David and Alaina Coplin)

Ask A Question: saythatpodcast@gmail.com thebridgechicago.tumblr.com/ask (Anonymous) Intro and a christian radio conspiracy (00:00-15:30) What do you do when you feel frustrated with God? Or frustrated with life, but that’s the same thing, right? (31:09-47:06) How much do I need to try at my job? I heard a lot growing up about “working as if for the lord, not for me” and “excellence in all things”. But, that kind of seems like a scam when it means do more work than I am getting paid for. (31:09-47:06) Hebrews 6:1 talks about “moving beyond the elementary teachings about Christ”. What does that mean? Are there extra teachings? How do you know if you’re ready to move on? (47:10-01:00:24) Closing Song: God Don't (Lee Younger)

Ask A Question: saythatpodcast@gmail.com thebridgechicago.tumblr.com/ask (Anonymous) In this 600th episode(!) the guys take a look back at the Christian world of 2012 when the podcast launched. Including the Dove awards, Christianity Today headlines, and some characters that would reoccur over and over. Closing Song: The original SayThat outro song

Ask A Question: saythatpodcast@gmail.com thebridgechicago.tumblr.com/ask (Anonymous) Intro and a pastor made his own cryptocurrency, that is definitely an emergency. (00:00-21:460 I tried a meditation app. It talked about just letting your thoughts happen without judging them. How does that go with “taking every thought captive to Christ”? (21:55-36:49) A friend recommended a Christian book to me. I really didn’t like it and thought it had some harmful stuff in it. They are very excited to hear what I thought. What do I tell them? (36:53-53:00) I have heard people talking about “social media fasts” and how being online is so toxic. I don’t like get into fights or get obsessed about likes. I don’t really post that much, but I enjoy scrolling through stuff- maybe spend a little too much time doing it some days. How do I know if this is a problem or not? (53:03-01:07:14) Closing Song: So Here I Am (Jed Brewer)

Ask A Question: saythatpodcast@gmail.com thebridgechicago.tumblr.com/ask (Anonymous) Intro and a winter weather emergency. (00:00-15:24) Did you guys see the story of the Ohio pastor who was charged for letting homeless people sleep in his church during the cold snap (https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2024/01/19/ohio-pastor-charged-zoning-violations/72281784007/). It got me thinking about what I would do. Would breaking the law be the right thing to do? (15:37-33:14) What is fasting for? I don’t see how being hungry is going to make me a better Christian. (33:19-49:17) In Mark 7, Jesus is roasting the Pharisees about how they honor God with they lips “but their hearts are far from Him”. Isn’t that true of everyone? Is there something particular about their case? (49:20-01:03:04) Closing Song: Child of Wandering Will (Lee Younger)

Ask A Question: saythatpodcast@gmail.com thebridgechicago.tumblr.com/ask (Anonymous) Intro and the rare good movie emergency (00:00-19:00) I would like to try something different with reading the Bible in 2024. I have done the one year Bible and audio Bible. Any other suggestions? (19:31-31:20) Any tips for dealing with seasonal affectedness? (31:26-41:03) In John 4, Jesus tells the woman at the well that whoever drinks from him will ever thirst again. I feel like I need to be refilled over all the time, and I hear other people talk about that too. How does that reality match with what Jesus says in the story? (41:12-59:14) Closing Song: Cannons on a Lighthouse (Randall Goodgame)    

Ask A Question: saythatpodcast@gmail.com thebridgechicago.tumblr.com/ask (Anonymous) Intro and Sports Emergencies! (00:00-18:04) There are things I would love to “leave in 2023”. But I am not sure how to go about actually putting them behind me. (18:17-31:57) I am a little confused about the way the Bible talks about Old Testament figures.  Some of them do pretty bad stuff, but then in the New Testament they are described in glowing terms (David is a man after God’s own heart, Abraham walked in Fatih, Moses was faithful in all God’s house). Am I missing something? (32:06-45:18) What is the difference between wanting to succeed and/or have nice things and being greedy? (45:26-01:01:07) Closing Song: Though The Mountains (The Yearwoods)

Ask A Question: saythatpodcast@gmail.com thebridgechicago.tumblr.com/ask (Anonymous) Intro and a cascade of emergencies (00:00-26:00) Reading bible books like Numbers 5 makes me very angry to be a Christian. How do you guys reconcile such content in the bible? And how do you keep hope for decent relations between men and women? Thanks for your thoughts! (26:12-43:38) I know it’s the Christian thing to be kind to people when they are being unkind to me. But like, how kind do I need to be? (43:43-51:34) Sometimes, when I see churches or ministries try to hop on a social media trend, or do something “cool” it kind of rubs me the wrong way. Like it’s cheapening the message to put it to a tik tok dance. Is that legit? Or am I falling into the same thing as people who don’t like contemporary worship just because it doesn’t seem as churchy? (51:38-01:02:41) Closing Song: I Am New (Jed Brewer)

Merry Christmas from SayThat! Please enjoy this Christmas meditations we put together a few years ago.

Ask A Question: saythatpodcast@gmail.com thebridgechicago.tumblr.com/ask (Anonymous) Intro and an emergency from an Indiana creationism conference. (00:00-17:00) There is a lot of advice out there about how to go after what you want, or let go of things you want. What do you do when you have no idea what you want? (17:02-28:58) What does it mean to make amends? Is that part of repentance? (29:02-41:20) Why is John the Baptist important? He is talked about in early chapters of the gospels as this huge deal but I don’t really get why. (41:24-54:03) Closing Song: I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day (Lee Younger)

Ask A Question: saythatpodcast@gmail.com thebridgechicago.tumblr.com/ask (Anonymous) Intro and emergency (00:00-15:20) “Be still and know” sound like a great concept, but I have a really hard time sitting still. I don’t find it relaxing. It stresses me out kinda. How do I get better at it? (15:30-27:49) How important is doctrine? It seems like the people who talk about “good doctrine” the most don’t do most of the stuff Jesus talked about. (27:53-44:28) How can my partner and I make my parents see that not having kids is the right choice for us? (44:32-01:03:07) Closing Song: Away in a Manger (Lins Honeyman)

Ask A Question: saythatpodcast@gmail.com thebridgechicago.tumblr.com/ask (Anonymous) It's a post-Thanksgiving emergency buffet! We talk about dance bans, the "facts" about rock & roll from a 70s Tennessee jail ministry, and a men's conference speaker hosted by a guy named Bazzel Baz, and that's not the wildest thing about it. And more! Closing Song: Angels We Have Heard On High (The Poolhouse Guru)

Ask A Question: saythatpodcast@gmail.com thebridgechicago.tumblr.com/ask (Anonymous) Intro and a traditional Gripesgiving Emergency (00:00-15:55) Seeing family during the holidays, one of the things I think about is how differently they se “being a good Christian” than I do. How do I deal with people who think I am not a very good Christian, and I feel the same about them? (16:32-29:43) I…don’t really feel thankful. Lots of stuff is bad and it has been a hard year. Why should I put effort into trying to be thankful? it feels fake. (29:46-45:23) I see the story of the widow’s offering used to say that people should give money even if it puts them in financial distress. That seems really wrong, but it does also seem like the story is saying that. Am I missing something? (45:27-01:00:06) Closing Song: You Have Better (Jed Brewer)

Ask A Question: saythatpodcast@gmail.com thebridgechicago.tumblr.com/ask (Anonymous) *Matt's audio is better this episode. We promise it will be fully fixed by next week. We had a stern talk with our audio engineer...who is Matt. Intro and an emergency with a twist. (00:00-11:30) How should Christians think about the economy changing? Like, I know giving is good, but if I want to buy a house someday soon, I probably need to save more than I thought I would need to. (11:47-25:30) I was recently told I was “too negative.” I don’t consider myself a negative person. I would say I am positive sometimes and negative other times and that I try to be realistic. Is it possible to just be a “negative” person? What do I do? (25:33-42:34) How do I deal with people who talk about all religion like it is a cult? I heard someone talking about Scientology recently and someone commented something like “yeah, that’s weird. But they all are.” That kind of offended me, but I didn’t know what to say. (42:40-01:00:55) Closing Song

Ask A Question: saythatpodcast@gmail.com thebridgechicago.tumblr.com/ask (Anonymous) Apologies for Matt's audio (the sound quality, not what he says, though maybe that too), intro, and a medieval emergency. (00:00-15:45) I feel like life is extremely unfair. Not necessarily to me, I have had it pretty easy all in all, but in general. This is proving to be a big sticking point when I think about life and God. How do I deal with this? (15:51-27:31) Sometimes my friends talk about believing in “something bigger” or a “higher power”. That is kind of frustrating to me because I think they are trying to say that is the same as my belief in Christ. But I think it is very different because I know what I believe in. Am I wrong to be bothered by that? (27:35-40:12) I normally don’t care much about end times stuff. But I was reading 2 Timothy 3 recently, and it was describing things that sounded pretty similar to today. Can you help me be less freaked out? (40:15-54:57) Closing Song: Micah 6:8 (The Poolhouse Guru)

Ask A Question: saythatpodcast@gmail.com thebridgechicago.tumblr.com/ask (Anonymous) Intro and an Christian nightclub emergency. (00:00-16:50) How do I deal with bad leadership? Like, if someone has a good heart but just is not good at organizing things or leading a team. Do I need to just not worry about it and do what I can? (16:57-31:27) What can you do to stay encouraged when you feel stuck? (31:31-43:30) The verse about how “if God is for us, who can be against us?” Kind of confuses me. God isn’t for everything everyone is doing all the time, right? How do I know if He Is “for” me in a situation? (43:34-54:48)

Ask A Question: saythatpodcast@gmail.com thebridgechicago.tumblr.com/ask (Anonymous) Intro and an emergency about the worst-named holiday of all time. (00:00-17:50) Luke 1:37 says “for no word of God will ever fail.” What does that mean? I get that it’s encouraging, but it seems confusing to me. (17:57-30:51) What is the line between processing and talking about my experience with someone and gossiping or trash talking about them? (30:54-47:03) Do I need to have a good reason for every decision I make? Like if I break up with someone, or leave a job, or move, do I need to have a really good reason for it to be a wise choice? (47:07-1:03:03) Closing Song: Oh The Deep Deep Love of Jesus (Lee Younger)

Ask A Question: saythatpodcast@gmail.com thebridgechicago.tumblr.com/ask (Anonymous) Intro and a coffee and condescension emergency (00:00-20:00) I feel like I get in a pattern where I expect the worst of a person or situation and then the situation spins into the worst. How do I get out of that pattern? (20:05-30:32) What does 1 Thessalonians 3:3 mean when it says we are “destined for trials”? (30:37-42:44) Two pieces of advice I get from people are “be patient” and “be bold” can I do both of those at the same time? (42:48-55:31) Closing Song: Romans 12:15 (The Poolhouse Guru)

Ask A Question: saythatpodcast@gmail.com thebridgechicago.tumblr.com/ask (Anonymous) Intro and a Big League Emergency (00:00-19:00) How do I deal with my family when they are driving me crazy? I want to maintain relationships, but I feel like drama is taking up too much of my time right now. (19:14-33:41) I am getting discouraged about prayer. I don’t feel like anything is happening. And I don’t really feel anything. What can I do? (33:44-47:54) When someone is spouting nonsense in real life or online in the name of Christianity, is there any responsibility to point out that they are wrong? I know it won’t change their mind, but what about people who are hearing them? (47:57-1:00:25) Closing Song: You Tell Me (Front Toward Enemy)

Ask A Question: saythatpodcast@gmail.com thebridgechicago.tumblr.com/ask (Anonymous) When I have two options before me, I often think of it in terms of picking the “right” one. Is there a right decision? If God is looking out for me, what would making the “wrong” decision even mean? (17:41-28:41) There are a lot of examples of churches and leaders doing a really bad job with scandals. How should a church or organization deal with a failing? What would a good response be? (28:43-41:31) What does Jesus mean in Matthew 7 when he talks about the wide and narrow gates? I feel like those verses get used to talk about hard work or not being “worldly”. (41:35-54:51) Closing Song: You've Made Up Your Mind (Jed Brewer)