Dewey Bertolini's Podcast

Whenever I talk about Satan, demons, spiritual warfare, or anything remotely related, the numbers of distractions in the room increase exponentially.   This is a pattern I have documented over 40 years of ministry.   Regardless of time of day, day of week, season of year, or venue in which I teach, it’s as if the devil himself does not want anyone (including you) to hear what the Bible teaches about our (and God’s) archenemy.   That was certainly true at Safe Haven when I recorded this PODCAST.   Coincidence? Maybe.   I can say without fear of contradiction that the principles you will learn in this message from the life and ministry of Jesus to a demon-possessed man, Satan does NOT want you to hear.   Don’t be surprised at the numbers of distractions that you will face when you try to hear this.   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.     God bless you as you listen. And PLEASE share a link to this podcast

He is truly an unsung hero of the Christmas Story.   Ironically enough, as you will learn in this Christmas-themed PODCAST, his name means “one who listens.”    Are you ready to listen?   Having read the biblical accounts of the birth of Jesus, I have no doubt that you have heard of him. But I would be very much surprised if you knew much about him.   All of that is about to change.   Ready to view the coming of Christ through a slightly different lens? My Yuletide gift to you, in a little more than 30 minutes.   Please remember that depending upon your web browser and connection speed, it may take up to 60 seconds for the podcast to begin to play.   If it is a blessing to you, PLEASE share a link to this podcast with your family and friends.     God bless you as you listen. And have a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS.

Ever feel spiritually inferior? Like you don't measure up? Like you can't measure up? Then you are in the right place. This message is for YOU! In this PODCAST, we bid a fond farewell to the parables.  I cannot put into words how much I have enjoyed our study of each of them. The seven parables of Matthew 13 speak so clearly to us, revealing to us exactly what Jesus said the spiritual climate in the world in which we are now living would be like. With pinpoint accuracy, He said it would be so. And it is. So somewhat sadly, we turn the page and move immediately into the next phase of Jesus’ ministry. I do say “immediately” because we read this in Mark 4 (as we harmonize the four Gospels and present Jesus’ life and ministry in chronological order)... ... And I’ve got to tell you, I cannot help but to chuckle when I read this: "Jesus taught them using parables; privately to His disciples He explained everything. On that same day when evening had come, He said to them, Let’s go over to the other side of the lake.

It has become THE doctrinal debate of our time -- Is there really a Hell?    It is THE question that is addressed clearly and unambiguously in this PODCAST.   Is there Really a Hell?   This 7th of 7 parables answers the question.   And if the answer is “Yes,” the logical followup question would be, “What is Hell Really like?”   Turns out that the Bible is amazingly straightforward about whether or not there is a Hell; if so, what it is truly like, who will be going there, and why they will be going there.   As I often say, It’s amazing what we learn when we read the Bible.   Well, get ready to be amazed.   Please remember that depending upon your connection speed and web browser, it may take up to 60 seconds for this podcast to being to play.   God bless you as you listen. And PLEASE share a link to this podcast with your friends.     Happy listening.

You are in for a Thanksgiving treat! One PODCAST consisting of two precious parables.   Why these two parables don’t get more attention, I’ll never know. For contained within them are two of the most blessed truths of our faith.   The two parables of which I speak: The Parable of the Buried Treasure, and the Parable of the Pearl of Great Price.   Two parables that, despite their similarities, reveal two totally distinct but equally precious truths.   If you need a jolt of overwhelming encouragement, you need look no further.   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.   God bless you as you listen.   And PLEASE share a link to this podcast with your friends.      Enjoy!!!

It is without a doubt one of the most beloved and timeless stories in the entire Bible, courtesy of Jesus Himself.   In this PODCAST, you will hear the story has you have never heard nor read it before.   A story for Jesus’ day; a story for our own day.   A story for Jesus’ disciples; a story for us as Jesus’ disciples.   Just imagine that the principle player in the story told you his story in his own words, in his own voice.   A much needed story for us all to hear, especially at this tender time in our nation’s history, especially in this day when so many precious people are so woefully divided one from another.   This is one of those special stories that gives us a glimpse into the enormous heart and sizable soul of Jesus.   Think of it as a Thanksgiving gift, from my heart to yours.   Sit back, relax, and enjoy.   Please remember that depending upon your web browser and connection speed, it may take up to sixty seconds for this podcast to begin to play.     God bless you as you listen.

OK… So... I am rarely one to say “I told you so.” But sometimes I just can’t help myself.   As you will hear on this week’s PODCAST, my dear friends, I told you so.   All courtesy of Jesus.    All centered upon a #MostSignificantParable.   One of a duet of parables, actually. The first having been discussed at length last week. The second to be discussed here and now.   Get ready to think. Be prepared to process. Buckle yourself in as we once again (thanks to Jesus) shift a paradigm.   In short, get ready to view the world differently.   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 as you listen!

Oh, my friends. You are about to be amazed... In this PODCAST, you will be amazed that in such a few words, Jesus taught such a tremendously timely and thought-provoking parable. Exactly WHAT the disciples (and US!) needed to hear; exactly WHEN they (and WE!) needed to hear it. If the world seems to be spinning out of control... If it seems that we are losing... If life becomes for you at times overwhelming... If you ever feel oh so tired, weary, worn down... Then you are in for a treat, courtesy of Jesus. 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 as you listen!

It’s a day that receives NO recognition.   I don’t know why. I have no explanation. It’s simply a fact.   This holiday (Holy Day) is the 3rd most important date on our calendars. 3rd only to Christmas and Easter.   And yet, year after year, it comes and it goes with nary a mention. As happened #JustLastWeek!!!   So in this PODCAST, we are going to mention it. What this holiday is. How it came about. What it means to you and me. And why we are the poorer for not observing it.   Get ready to feel affirmed, my friend. Because truth be told, this Holy Day is in reality YOUR day.   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.     God bless you as you listen.

Welcome to this Jesus in HD Encore PODCAST.   I am coming off of an exhilarating week with the best students in the world, the Joshua Wilderness Institute students. So in my absence, and for your edification and enjoyment, I have reached way back into the archives, all the way to Podcast #61. This was at the time a wonderfully received and enormously helpful discussion that brought so much peace to so many troubled (and sometimes tortured) souls.   If you were ever going to hear just one message on the mysterious and majestic practice we call prayer, let this one be the one. For here we come to the crux of the matter regarding this glorious thing we call prayer.   So much is going to become so clear in just the next few minutes: Questions about unanswered prayers. Questions about why God even designed this thing called prayer. Questions about the purpose of prayer. Questions about what we ought to pray for, and what we don’t need to pray for.    Why prayer sometimes doesn’t seem to work. Yet why every time we

Ready to have a somewhat sobering, definitely enlightening, and #Oh.So.Encouraging discussion?    Then welcome to this week’s PODCAST!!!   An encouraging discussion, certainly to me personally, and hopefully to you, because Jesus’ 2nd parable, The Parable of the Wheat and the Tares (the 1st we discussed last week, The Parable of the Farmer Scattering Seeds) is spot-on as far as Jesus predicting with pinpoint accuracy EXACTLY what would be taking place in our contemporary Christian culture and communities today...    ...And why!   A thought-provoking portrait upon which you and I need to gaze with insight and understanding.   This is one of those messages that puts so much into its proper perspective. Honestly, I can’t wait for you to hear it.   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 AS YOU LISTEN!!!

Welcome to Parable #1.    That’s right! In this PODCAST, we begin in earnest now to understand Jesus’ parables in Matthew 13.   Oh, you’re in for a treat. Because this first parable, just like the eight that will follow it, speaks directly to our lives at this time, in this place, in our day, today.   This is as personal as it gets.    Jesus now shifts His focus completely, from talking to the crowds of His day, about the many challenges that they faced, to talking directly to us in our day, about the many challenges that we each face today.   I cannot stress enough the absolute importance of understanding these parables. Neither could Jesus, who begins this first parable with the word, “Listen.” And then ends the parable by referencing those of us who do indeed “listen and understand.”   In this podcast, we will do both -- listen and understand.   Please note 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 as you lis

You’ve perhaps heard his name -- a rather strange name at that! His name is Job. The man who had it all, only to have it all taken away.   As you will hear in this PODCAST, in the blink of his eye, everything changed. And not for the better.   The book of Job poses for us a number of VERY IMPORTANT and DIFFICULT questions:   Why did such unspeakable things happen to such a godly man?   Why did God let it happen?   Why did God give permission to Satan to torment Job as he did?   What (if any) was God’s purpose behind it all?   What are WE supposed to learn from his story -- about our lives, about our circumstances, about our painful challenges, and about our God?   What does the story have to do with our ongoing study of Jesus in HD?    All of these questions, and so many more, will be addressed in this podcast.   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.     May God bless you richly as you listen, and share this m

I can’t tell you how excited I am, both about this particular message AND the enormous encouragement that I know it will bring you as you listen!!!   In this week’s PODCAST, we break the seal on the parables. As you will hear, Jesus had quite compelling reasons for completely changing His teaching style -- from preaching to the masses to huddling with the disciples; from sermons to stories; from proclamation to parables.   This particular discussion will set up our Fall, sort of a series within a series, as we will take the next several weeks to consider together each of Jesus’ parables in Matthew 13. Specifically, what they meant to the disciples to whom Jesus spoke them, and what they mean to us today.   Jesus used parables to reveal new truth never before mentioned in the Old Testament. This is brand new stuff. Stuff that relates specifically to the day in which you and I are living. Stuff that explains some of the many challenges we are facing as committed Christ-followers today.   This is a personal as i

My heart goes out to Mother Mary.   Her name means “Bitterness.” Sadly, and quite frankly, in many ways Mary lived up to her name.   Being the mother of Jesus was no small task. One that she fulfilled with great dignity. But boy did she face her challenges.   In this PODCAST, we will gaze upon a Scriptural snapshot of Mary unlike anything you have ever seen before. Not only that, but we will encounter Jesus in His darkest hour, second only to that night before the crucifixion when He sweat drops of blood in the Garden of Gethsemane.   As we do, our love for Him will deepen. Our respect for His mom will broaden. And our understanding of the both of them will stir up within our own hearts a sense of God’s presence in our lives like we’ve never experienced before.   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.     May God richly bless you as you listen!  

My heart goes out to Jesus. After preparing for this week's PODCAST, I feel such a profound sense of compassion for Him. Thing of it is... I knew that the religious leaders of Jesus’ day hated Him. I understood that at this point in His ministry they no longer regarded Him as an irritation to be tolerated or a troublesome teacher to be discredited. Now they saw Him as a colossal threat to be killed. I got all of that. What I didn’t get until this week was how toxic -- both to Jesus and to the precious people to whom He ministered -- the religious environment in which Jesus found Himself had become. Even more significantly, the source of its toxicity. And even more significantly, what it means to our lives today. The challenges He faced within His own religious tradition were overwhelming. So are ours. Trust me when I say that we have a sympathetic Savior who knows all about it. He's been there, and lives to tell the tale. Please remember that depending upon your web browser and connection speed, it may take u

In this PODCAST, so many, many questions will be answered. How do we know there is a God? Why does the Bible say that all people are without excuse? How did people in the Old Testament get "saved"? What about people who have never heard of Jesus before? Just to name a few!!! Open your ears. Open your eyes. Most importantly, open your heart. You will be amazed at all that you are about to learn!!! 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. HAPPY LISTENING!!!

Call it what you will… The Unpardonable Sin. The Unforgivable Sin.   No matter what the name, the consequences are unimaginable.    In this PODCAST (which I believe for you will find to be enormously encouraging and reassuring), you will learn exactly what this sin is, what this sin isn’t, whether or not it is possible today to commit this sin, and if so, whether or not you have or ever will commit it.   In terms of its eternal ramifications, no conversation is more vitally important than this one.   Find out what Jesus said, to whom He said it, why He said it, and what His dire warning means for us today.   Please remember that depending upon your connection speed and web browser, it may take up to 60 seconds for this podcast to begin to play.     HAPPY LISTENING.

Here, in this PODCAST, is some much-needed hope for every brokenhearted mom. Not to mention every brokenhearted dad. This hope comes courtesy of a man named Levi, though you’d never know it by reading his account of Jesus’ life and ministry. While there is scant little detail in the Bible regarding this remarkable man (Levi is mentioned by name a grand total of only 5 times), scratch beneath the surface and we could write a book about him. Levi deserves our focused attention, and we will be all the richer for having had this discussion. A polarizing figure, Levi was. They either loved him or hated him. Or to put an even finer point to that: The religious hated him; Jesus loved him. And in loving him as Jesus did, Levi becomes a living, breathing canvas on which the heart of Jesus is painted in vivid colors and bold relief. Please Note: Depending upon your web browser, it may take up to 60 seconds for the podcast to begin to play. HAPPY LISTENING!

Jesus was a revolutionary on so many, many levels.    As you will hear in this PODCAST, Jesus was never afraid to break with convention and go with something that was totally counter-cultural to the times in which He lived, and to the religious tradition to which He belonged.   It is both my sincere hope and confident belief that you will find in this lesson much refreshment for your soul, especially if you are a female.   The time has come for us to -- courtesy of Jesus -- balance the books that have been so out of balance for so long in so much of our present-day Christian culture.   Please remember that depending upon your connection speed and web browser, it may take up to 60 seconds for this podcast to begin to play.     God bless you as you listen. And PLEASE “Share” this with your family and friends if you do indeed find it to be an encouragement to your soul.