Summary Psalm 34:8 is a very surprising line from David: “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” What does it mean to taste God’s goodness? Praying this prayer can help us perceive God within our embodied lives, in community, and, in particular, in the course of risky action. Episode 53: Taste and See That […]

Summary Psalm 27 orients us to God’s presence, and calls us to practice that presence in every moment of our lives. This is what “Coram Deo” means, “before the face of God.” What if we lived every moment with the awareness that we are in God’s presence? Episode 52: Before the Face of God: Practicing […]

Summary The seven last words of Christ on the cross end with a prayer of trust and surrender: “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” This dying prayer of Jesus can be a prayer we live and work by. Episode 51: Trusting the Father (Last Words of Christ Pt. 7) Hosted by Jeff Hoffmeyer, Denver […]

Summary Jesus’ sixth word from the Cross, “It is finished,” is a whispered victory cry. The momentum of God’s eternal love overtakes the momentum of sin and evil in the world, in in our lives. We may not fully be able to understand this cry, but we can receive it, in prayer. Episode 50: It […]

Summary In the fifth word from the cross, Jesus says simply, “I thirst.” This is an expression of Jesus’ humanity. Because of the Incarnation, which was the intersection of eternity with history, we can be those who experience what is eternal within ordinary, earthly moments.   Episode 49:  I Thirst: The Humanity of Christ and […]

Summary Christ’s lament from the cross, “My God, my God, why have your forsaken me?” is the fourth and most important of the seven last words. By praying this prayer, Jesus transforms our own experiences of godforsakenness, enabling our words of lament to become seedbeds for hope. Episode 48: Christ’s Cry of Godforsakenness: The Trans-Formation […]

Summary “Woman, behold your son. Behold your mother.” With these words, as he was dying on the cross, directed to Mary and to the disciple John, Jesus founded the church. By praying these words our vision is transformed, enabling us to see anyone and everyone as a beloved child of God, and so continue to […]

Summary As Jesus is dying on the cross, a conversation occurs between the two convicts who were crucified on either side of him. One of these men then says to Jesus, “Remember me, when you come into your kingdom.” Then Jesus says, “Today you will be with me in Paradise.” By allowing this conversation to […]

Summary In this first episode of a seven-part series on the last words of Christ, we examine Jesus’ prayer “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.” In order to forgive we must first realize our deep need to be forgiven. We also can pray this prayer before we really “mean it.” Episode […]

Summary Psalm 115 is a profound examination of the shadow side of our souls, what the Bible calls ‘idolatry.’ In this episode we examine how our souls both “make idols” and are in turn made by them. Episode 44: Souls are Idol Making Factories (Then Sings my Soul Pt. 3) Hosted by Jeff Hoffmeyer, Denver Institute’s […]

Summary God has designed the soul for beholding, and we become what we behold. 2 Corinthians 3:17-19 lays out how this works, and how prayer can be a participation in beholding Christ and becoming more like him. Episode 43: Soul Work (Then Sings My Soul Pt 2) Hosted by Jeff Hoffmeyer, Denver Institute’s Vice President of […]

Summary In this first episode on the soul and prayer, we look at an underutilized form of prayer found in the psalms – talking to ourselves. This kind of self-talk is different from other popular conceptions, because God is listening in. Psalm 42 commends a kind of prayerful self-talk in which we discover what is […]