The Yellow Balloons Podcast

S 10 Ep 6: The Voice of The Lord

In this episode, we continue to discuss ways to hear from God. We focus on two powerful ways to observe who God is and what He is doing. The first is by noticing Him in nature and throughout all of our circumstances. The second is by listening to the Holy Spirit within. Listening to the spirit is not always easy, even though He’s always speaking. In both internal and external whisperings, our discernment plays an important role. To heed God’s voice has great upside.

S 10 Ep 7: Buying Gold

In this episode, our series on how to be rich continues with a discussion about the opportunity we have to listen to God. Scripture promises we can buy all the gold we want by listening to God. Not physical gold, but spiritual riches. Reading scripture invites us to hear the voice of God, bear witness to the historical and eternal working of the divine, and discern what that means for our daily life.

S 10 Ep 8: Ways to Hear

In this episode, we continue discussing how to listen to God as a method to experience the riches of the Kingdom of God. There are myriad ways to listen to God. Today we focus on hearing God in nature, listening to godly people as image-bearers of Christ, and listening to the Holy Spirit in ourselves. A book by Brother Lawrence, “Practicing the Presence of God,” is a rich example of listening to the Spirit and a reminder of the incredible divinity of God in the smallest of things.

S 10 Ep 9: A Foundation

In this episode, we continue to explore the key to being rich: listening to God. There is nothing more important than a willingness to listen to God. It is the only thing that leads to a prosperous life and the true riches of The Kingdom of Heaven. Diving deeper into three ways to listen presented in previous episodes, we discover more about this fundamental practice. Proverbs is a major source for this reality, an Old Testament foundation for each of the ways to listen to God and participate in the riches of his kingdom.

S 10 Ep 10: According to Proverbs

In this episode, we discuss a fourth way to listen to God: through godly people. Like the three from the previous episode, this is also rooted in Proverbs. Solomon’s teaching on the wise and the foolish serves as a sort of blueprint to show us the way to meaningful success in our lives. What would life be like if we lived according to Proverbs, aligning with the path of wisdom? It would be characterized by controlled, not controlling appetites, personal relationships founded in wisdom, and a deeper understanding of God.

S 10 Ep 11: Being Rich

In this episode, we continue our series on success in the Kingdom of God. We are not talking about how to get rich, but how to be rich. The wealth of God’s Kingdom is not an external marker of achievement but an internal consistency of character. To help us see this, we will unpack 1 Timothy 6:6 and discuss what kind of gains this verse is talking about. We also discuss the means by which these will come.

S 10 Ep 12: Contentment

In this episode, we try to answer the question: “what is contentment?” Putting our trust in people, circumstances, and things will never satisfy us. To be satisfied, we must put our trust in the things that man cannot touch. Peace, joy, and purpose come through eternal things. They are not achievable through superficial ways. We will look at the secrets of contentment and the vital role striving plays in experiencing what it means to be content.

S 11 Ep 1: Believe vs Believe and...

Paul writes The Book of Romans to the believers in the most prominent and influential city of the age - Rome. These believers, like many Christians, are struggling with a specific theological tension. Is belief enough? Or are certain works required as well? There are Jewish believers on both sides of the argument and the Gentile believers in Rome are not sure what to think. In this episode, we talk about this central question, how Paul addresses it, and how we still wrestle with it today.

S 11 Ep 2: The Good Guys and The Bad Guys

The Book of Romans is designed with all the elements of a great narrative. In episode one, we talked about the tension of the plot. In this episode, we look at the heroes and the villains of the story. Paul and his friends are on one side and the Jewish leaders on another. The Jewish leaders are making accusations against Paul, which he addresses head on. In the middle of the two sides are the Gentile believers in Rome, yearning to discern the truth.

S 11 Ep 3: We’re All Condemners

In this episode, we dive into the weeds of the central question of Romans - are works required or is faith enough on its own? The problem with works as a standard is that it creates a false sense of control. We become dependent and proud of our own capabilities. And it leaves room to judge others. But Paul’s opponents point out that faith alone makes the law meaningless and promotes bad behavior. Paul defends his side by arguing that obedience through faith is a fulfillment of the law.