Dewey Bertolini's Podcast

In our run-up to Easter, please join us in this week’s PODCAST as we follow Jesus step-by-step on this Virtual Israel Study Tour through the final hours of Jesus’ life. Last week, we joined Peter in the seclusion of the Garden of Gethsemane. This week, we’ll meet again in the courtyard of the High Priest. Please remember that depending upon your web browser and connection speed, it may take up to 60 seconds for this podcast to begin to play. God bless you richly as you listen.

Easter is almost upon us. Consequently, for the next four weeks, I would like to take you on a virtual tour of four places that factored most prominently in Jesus' final hours. In this PODCAST, we will visit the Garden of Gethsemane together. From there, we will move in the coming weeks to the house of the High Priest, the Antonia Fortress, and finally--on Easter weekend--we will walk together on the stones of the Via Dolorosa. I will be privileged to serve as your humble, awestruck tour guide. My prayer is that with every step we take, we will again and again be reminded that the Bible is God's written record of... Real people who lived in real places, who had real experiences, all of which point to a real God.

This morning I am (once again!) literally walking where Jesus walked. But I have not left you PODCAST-less. Here's a glimpse into my sizable soul during my two years of wilderness wandering. IOW, how I lost my faith completely, and got it back vibrantly. May my story be an encouragement to your own. God bless you as you listen.

As you are about to hear in this PODCAST, it’s always been a delicate and debatable dance — a Committed Christ-Follower's relationship to the government. This tension forms a theme that meanders throughout the pages of the Old Testament. It spills over into the Gospels and Acts. It's certainly mentioned in several epistles, as it is here in 1 Peter. Fortunately for us, the Bible is quite clear, concise, and unambiguous on this topic. Please remember that depending upon your web browser and connection speed, it might take up to 60 seconds for this podcast to begin to play. May these words, humbly offered, be a blessing to and in your life.  

Don't have time for the full podcast? How about two minutes? Enjoy! Hear the entire podcast here: http://traffic.libsyn.com/thesafehaven/1_Peter_in_HD_31.mp3

So many questions. And as you will hear in this PODCAST, so many stunning answers. Just to whet your appetite, just a few of the questions (that will indeed be answered in this podcast): Did God engage in genocide—the wholesale slaughter of innocent men, women, and children? What does the Bible actually say about homosexuality? What is the real reason that God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah? Please remember that depending upon your web browser and connection speed, it may take up to 60 seconds for this podcast to begin to play. God bless you richly as you listen.

Don't have time for the full podcast? How about a minute and a half? Enjoy! Hear the entire podcast here: http://traffic.libsyn.com/thesafehaven/1_Peter_in_HD_30.mp3

May I share with you an observation? As you are about to hear in this PODCAST, the observation is this: The precision of Bible is nothing short of awe-inspiring. A precision that goes down to the level of its individual words and phrases. Case in point—The. Precise. Phrase that Peter used here in 1 Peter 2:11 to describe us as committed followers of Jesus. Peter wrote, "You are foreigners and strangers on this earth." As you will hear, a most remarkable statement, the depths of which we will only begin to plumb in this message. Please remember that depending upon your web browser and connection speed, it may take up to a minute for the podcast to begin to play. God bless you richly as you listen.

Don't have time for the full podcast? How about a minute and a half? Enjoy! Hear the entire podcast here: http://traffic.libsyn.com/thesafehaven/1_Peter_in_HD_29.mp3

I will simply say that if you want to know what it should look like to be a committed follower of Jesus, This.Is.It. In this PODCAST, you will hear the Apostle Peter highlight what is IMHO the attribute of God most often overlooked. My preparation for this message was for me life-changing. As you hear this message, may it be a blessing in your life as well. Please remember that depending upon your web browser and connection speed, it may take up to 60 seconds for this podcast to begin to play. God bless you richly as you listen.

Don't have time for the full podcast? How about 2 minutes? Enjoy! Hear the entire podcast here: http://traffic.libsyn.com/thesafehaven/Jesus_in_HD_Encore_28.mp3

Snowpocalypse 2019 has hit the PNW. Which means that out of concern for the safety of our precious Safe Haven people, we encouraged each one to stay home, be safe, and be warm and cozy. But despair not, my friends. I dug through our massive archives--5 years back, to be accurate--to pull out one of the most helpful PODCASTS I've ever done. So many answers to so many of your questions will be made crystal clear as you listen. Please feel free to share the link to this podcast with your friends -- http://traffic.libsyn.com/thesafehaven/Jesus_in_HD_Encore_28.mp3. And do remember that depending upon your web browser and connections speed, it may take up to 60 seconds for the podcast to begin to play. Enjoy, and be blessed.

Don't have time for the full podcast? How about 2 minutes? Enjoy! Hear the entire podcast here: http://traffic.libsyn.com/thesafehaven/1_Peter_in_HD_28.mp3

I don’t usually give you the takeaway of a lesson up front, preferring to spring it on you at some point unexpected in each lesson. But as you are about to hear in this PODCAST, given the fact that there are two takeaways tonight, I’ll give them to you upfront, at the very beginning. Takeaway #1. You really are some-one and some-thing special. Takeaway #2. Jesus truly is gentle, and His burden really is light. Meaning that we have one singular sublime and simple purpose. Meaning that victorious, effective, God-pleasing Christian living is not difficult, nor is it complicated. If you are ever tempted to feel as though the Christian life is a heavy burden, then this is for you! Please remember that depending upon your web browser and connection speed, it may take up to 60 seconds for this podcast to begin to play. God bless you richly as you listen.

Don't have time for the full podcast? How about a crisp and compact 4 minutes? Enjoy! Hear the entire podcast here: http://traffic.libsyn.com/thesafehaven/1_Peter_in_HD_27.mp3

God’s timing is perfect!!! As you are about to hear in this PODCAST, this passage for me (and I have no doubt for some of you) has come at just the right time. Let me explain. Simply put, for some time I have been experiencing something of identity crisis. I have been haunted by this one question: “Where do I fit?” When it comes to this whole Christian scene, our contemporary Christian culture, at the risk of sounding overly maudlin—a great word that means self-pitying, tearfully sentimental—I honestly don’t know where I fit anymore. Well, thanks to Peter, that’s not true any more!!! I now know exactly where I fit. And soon, so shall you!!! Please remember that depending upon your web browser and connection speed, it may take up to 60 seconds for this podcast to begin to play. God bless you richly as you listen.

Don't have time for the full podcast? How about 90 seconds? Enjoy! Hear the entire podcast here: http://traffic.libsyn.com/thesafehaven/1_Peter_in_HD_26.mp3

Here’s the thing: As you are about to hear in this PODCAST, at precisely 6:13 this past Monday morning, I had an epiphany. Fact is, between last Saturday night and Monday morning, I was stymied by one perplexing question: “Here in 1 Peter 2, why in the world didn’t Peter use the word for stones that is his name? Petros?” Or to put that another way, “Why did Peter here in 1 Peter 2 use the word for stones, Lithos? They are, after all, synonyms—Petros and Lithos—at least in English. Both are translated “stone.” So why didn’t Peter refer to himself—and to you and me—as a Petros? Why a Lithos? Oh, my friends, the answer to that question is breathtakingly beautiful. Beautiful indeed. As are you! Please remember that depending upon your web browser and connection speed, it may take up to 60 seconds for this podcast to begin to play. God bless you richly as you listen.

Don't have time for the full podcast? How about 25 seconds? Enjoy! Hear the entire podcast here: http://traffic.libsyn.com/thesafehaven/1_Peter_in_HD_25.mp3

You are in for a real treat, I do believe. As you are about to hear in this week’s PODCAST, it’s one of the most basic principles of proper biblical interpretation, the ground rule of hermeneutics. Ready? Here it is: “The Bible is the best commentary on itself.” Ever heard that before? Well, you’re going to get a classic example of that rock-solid (pun intended) truism right now. Let’s start with this: Peter, it seems, was obsessed with  stones and rocks. And that for a very good reason. Please remember that depending upon your web browser and connection speed, it may take up to 60 seconds for this podcast to begin to play. God bless you richly as you listen.