Dewey Bertolini's Podcast

The scene could not have been more chaotic. Crowds clamoring for Jesus’ blood. The blood-thirsty mobs hurling their false accusations at Jesus as they tried to convince the Romans that this man needed to die. The Roman soldiers salivating at the prospect of torturing yet another helpless victim. And through it all, once the mayhem ended, once the maelstrom calmed down, the echoes of one question continued to reverberate against the city’s walls and over her cobblestone streets. You can read this singularly significant question in John’s account of Jesus’ execution. Pilate, the Roman governor who held Jesus’ fate in his blood-stained hands, looked Jesus right in the eye and inquired of Him a three-word question that, in a haunting sort of way, continues to resound in our day. Jesus had just said to Pilate, “What I say is true.” Pilate then sneered and cynically asked Jesus, “What is truth?” In this PODCAST, we will discover the answer together. Please note that depending upon your web browser, it may take

I’m telling you… If anyone knew how to make someone feel affirmed, feel that they have value, that they have purpose, that they are significant, it was Jesus. This little PODCAST is going to be fun and oh so inspiring! We began last week’s discussion with these words: “I cannot think of a more beautiful tribute to committed Christ-followers than Jesus’ words here in the Sermon on the Mount: ‘You are the salt of the earth.’” Ditto for this week, referring to Jesus’ brilliant and blazing affirmation of every single one of us, including YOU: “You are the light of the world.” I honestly do not know what kind of a day you had today… But no matter what kind of a day it was, when you wrap your mind and heart around these words, “You are the light of the world,” Jesus will absolutely make your day, your week, your month, your life. YOU are the light of the world. Please note that depending upon your web browser, it may take up to 60 seconds for this podcast to begin to play. God bless you, and HAPPY LISTENING!!

“You are the salt of the earth.” Trust me when I tell you that those 7 simple words were in reality the loftiest compliment, the highest praise, that Jesus could have conferred upon us, His people. I promise you that you will be both encouraged and challenged as you listen to this week’s Safe Haven PODCAST. Please note that depending upon your web browser, it may take up to 60 seconds for this podcast to begin to play. HAPPY LISTENING, and may God richly bless you as you do.

Is it really true?  That the gateway to God’s blessing in my life opens wide when people say hateful, hurtful, spiteful, or malicious things about me? Or when they treat me in a hateful, hurtful, spiteful, or malicious way? Simply because I desire to live a righteous life, rather than an unrighteous one? In this PODCAST, you are about to learn how blessedly true that really is. Please note that depending upon your web browser, it might take up to 60 seconds for this podcast to begin to play. HAPPY LISTENING!!!

Get ready to be encouraged. Super-encouraged, truth be known. I say this because THE THING that everybody wants (and I say “everybody” without any fear of contradiction, without any worry of exaggeration)… THE THING that everybody wants is readily available, and ours for the asking. It’s just that so many people have no idea what it is they really want. But trust me, we all want this… You could call it the “Search for the Holy Grail.” The Holy Grail: defined in two ways by our friends at the Webster Dictionary website:  1. In its formal usage: The cup/chalice from which Jesus supposedly drank in the Upper Room during the Last Supper, sought after (some would say) protected throughout the Middle Ages by the Knights Templar. Which is NOT the Holy Grail to which I refer. 2. Informal usage: Something that we all very much want, but that is very hard to receive or to achieve. Which is indeed the Holy Grail to which I do refer. However, I would dispute the part about “very hard” to receive or to achieve. 

Leave it to Jesus to offer a blessing that includes the word “meek,” the word which the noted Bible scholar William Barclay called “the most untranslatable word in the New Testament.” Dr. Barclay was right. As you are about to hear in this PODCAST, I know of no other statement made by Jesus that has been so universally mistranslated, misinterpreted, or misapplied. Except that Jesus did not come up with this... Believe it or not, Matthew 5:5 is a quote taken verbatim from the Old Testament, specifically the book of Psalms, even more specifically Psalm 37, and even more particularly Psalm 37:11. Consequently, it is only in the understanding of that singularly significant psalm that we can correctly understand and apply Matthew 5:5, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” to our lives. Let me assure you that the words of this beatitude were and are revolutionary. We are talking about a world view here, one that is not natural. No one by nature has a single strand of meekness woven into his

Jesus pronounced this amazing blessing on His people: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” An amazing blessing to be sure. But is it an empty one? Who of us is actually “pure in heart”? Did not Jeremiah pronounce our hearts “desperately wicked”? Yes, I’m afraid he did. And who of us can actually see God? Did not God tell Moses that “no one can see Me and live”? Yes, I’m afraid He did. So what gives with this blessing, and its corresponding promise? Oh, my friends. As you listen to this PODCAST, you are about to see some things that you have perhaps never seen before. If it is a blessing to you, PLEASE share it with your loved ones and friends. Please note that depending upon you web browser, it may take up to 60 seconds for the podcast to begin to play. HAPPY LISTENING!!!

Did you know that there are nine different Greek words used in the New Testament to refer to grief, sorrow, sadness, mourning? Nine! As you are about to discover in this PODCAST, there needs to be a variety of words because sadness is such a large part of our daily lives. If you think about it, the whole of human history is a solemn story largely written with the ink our tears.  Sorrow, sadness, grief, and mourning are often the threads of which the human tapestry is woven. Yes, it’s OK to mourn, to feel sorrow, to know sadness, to experience grief. On multiple levels, with multiple levels of intensity. The biblical writers understood this, legitimized this (if I may use that word), so that we need not feel guilty, ashamed, or somehow unspiritual or spiritually inferior when we do. Sorrow and sadness are legitimate human emotions.   In fact, there are times in each of our lives when it would be inappropriate not to feel sorrowful or sad, or to mourn. Indeed, there is a wealth of insight, a richness to th

It is mentioned 611 times in the Bible; 147 times in the book of Psalms -- the prayers, the heartfelt pleas of God’s people as they (we) reach out to Him. It is the universal cry of the human heart. Down through the millennia of human history, our most precious literature is replete with references to this elusive quality. Yet, in our culture, in our day, I hardly ever hear it mentioned anymore. It has indeed become a casualty of a culture in collapse. In its place, we are witnessing a coarsening of our conversation. Hate-speech fills our airwaves. Violence fills our streets. And an increasing sense of isolation floods our souls. In this PODCAST, as we continue with our rich and rewarding study of Jesus in High Definition, we will rediscover together this missing facet of a dynamic faith. Please note that depending upon your web browser, it may take up to 60 seconds for the podcast to begin to play. HAPPY LISTENING!

Have you ever sat back in wonder while beholding a masterpiece?  In this PODCAST, you are about to do just that. Not my sermon. No, no, no, no, no. We’re talking here about Jesus’ signature sermon. A masterpiece: You could call it His pièce de résistance, magnum opus, tour de force. (You pick the synonym.) Jesus’ message on the mountaintop exceeds all of those lofty designations. A masterpiece: An artistic wonder the sheer power of which compels us to look or listen in amazement while we behold its beauty.  It is no wonder that as Jesus concluded His inspired and inspiring masterpiece, “the crowds were amazed at his teaching” (Matthew 7:28).  They had never heard anything like this before.  And neither have we. Please note that depending upon your web browser, it may take up to 60 seconds for this podcast to begin to play. HAPPY LISTENING!!!

This week, my dear bride and I are ministering at a place near and dear to our hearts -- Hume Lake Christian Camp. But fear not, my friends. I have not left you in the lurch. In this Bonus PODCAST, you will hear a message that I spoke at Hume some two years ago, one that contains my favorite and most personally meaningful biblical principle.  Jesus used a metaphor familiar to His original audience -- yet a metaphor not so familiar to us -- to convey one singularly significant thought. What His listeners heard Him say that day -- and what you will hear Him say to you today, especially after understanding this most meaningful metaphor -- is this: “I will take care of you NO MATTER WHAT!” Please note that depending upon your web browser, it may take up to 60 seconds for this podcast to begin to play. HAPPY LISTENING!!!

...And all I can say is, “Oh my...” We are going to connect several dots in this PODCAST. So much about to come into focus. AND we will complete a major segment of life and ministry of Jesus. In the coming weeks, you will notice a dramatic change in the tone and themes of this Jesus in HD series. But for now, light bulbs are about to come on in your head as we place a rather remarkable and compelling story under the spotlight. And you might even experience a tremendous sense of healing, relief, and release as you watch Jesus in action. Please note that depending upon your web browser, it might take up to 60 seconds for the podcast to begin to play. HAPPY LISTENING!!!

Are you ready to have a life-changing discussion? And believe me, I don’t use that term “life-changing” lightly. There is nothing clichéd about that. In this PODCAST, you are about to be introduced to a concept which, if we will fully embrace it, will change our lives AND revolutionize our relationship with God in ways that we cannot as of yet even imagine. PLEASE NOTE that depending upon your web browser, it may take up to 60 seconds for this podcast to play. HAPPY LISTENING!!!

They were ready to kill Him on the spot. They had the motive -- Jesus healed a man on the Sabbath. They had the means -- an inexhaustible supply of rocks. They had the opportunity -- Jesus stood before them, a sitting duck for their carefully aimed stones. In this PODCAST, you will hear Jesus on trial for His life. And in defending His life, He will call a full complement of five witnesses to testify on His behalf. A quintet of compelling witness who will leave no doubt that Jesus is exactly who He claimed to be -- God Incarnate, God in the flesh. Your faith will be bolstered, your spiritual life strengthened enormously as you listen to Jesus on Trial. Please note that depending upon your web browser, it could take up to 60 seconds for this podcast to play. HAPPY LISTENING!

It is indeed the singularly significant question that every single one of us must answer at some point in our lives.  Not only that, but we must answer this one question correctly.  In this PODCAST, you will hear the question asked, listen as the question is answered, and understand why the answer to this question is absolutely true.  Please note that depending upon your web browser, it might take up to 60 seconds for this podcast to play.  HAPPY LISTENING!!!

It begins... Those two words sound sort of ominous, don’t they? And well they should. I won’t give anything away here. No spoiler alerts necessary. Except to say that I have a feeling that in this PODCAST, you are about to meet a soulmate. Someone who “gets it,” someone who understands what you’re going through, what it’s like, how it feels... And someone who can offer you truck-loads of comfort, compassion, encouragement, and understanding. This message is for YOU. Please note that depending upon your web browser, it might take up to 60 seconds for the podcast to begin to play. HAPPY LISTENING!!!

I woke up this morning with these words ringing in my ears, “We must never forget.” Our salvation was paid for with Jesus’ blood. That we will never forget. But there is a whole heavenly host of precious committed Christ-followers who have gone on before us, without whose testimony we would never have heard about Jesus’ shed blood. They shed their blood too. And that, we must never forget. So in that sense, our salvation was paid for first and foremost by Jesus’ shed blood. But by the shed blood of countless saints who are in Heaven today -- men, women, and children who shed their blood rather than renounce their faith; men, women, and children who passed their spiritual legacy onto us. Of them it must be said, “We must never forget.” You are about to hear a bonus PODCAST, a message that I gave two summers ago at a very special place, a place near and dear to my heart: Hartland Christian Camp. The audience consisted of the most wonderful high school campers you’d ever want to meet. The theme of the eveni

I’ve got some great news for you. The best news, really. Courtesy of Jesus, and the 3 Gospel writers -- Matt, Mark, Luke -- who recorded these precious, life-giving, spirit-refreshing words. In this PODCAST, we are about to consider together one of the most exciting sayings of Jesus in the entire Bible. Quite a claim, I understand. But I am confident that in the next few minutes, you will see that this passage here in Mark will indeed live up to its advance billing. Trust me. If you have ever felt spiritually burdened, weighed down by your inability ever to be good enough to be loved by God, or to enjoy His pleasure, this is for you. May you find great refreshment for your some-times-troubled soul. I sure did. Please Note: Depending upon your web browser, it may take up to 60 seconds for the 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!

The time bomb starts ticking. A time bomb that will one day detonate, the concussion of which will reach around the world and throughout human history. An explosion that will result in Jesus’ execution. It all starts here in this story that you are about to hear. There is so much going on here that I cannot possibly even begin to tell you about it with these written words. You’ll just have to listen to this PODCAST to take it all in. Believe me, it is quite stunning. Please note that depending upon your web browser, it may take up to 60 seconds for the podcast to begin to play. HAPPY LISTENING.