Second Stage Ministries Podcast

We are all going to experience boredom in our life. There is really no way to avoid it. But being bored is not really the problem. It is the attitude and choices that we make while we are bored. In this episode, we are going to look at a moment of boredom in David’s life and how he handled it. BIBLE PASSAGES USED: 2 Samuel 11:1-4, 2 Samuel 11:27, 1 Timothy 5:13

In this episode, we take a look at a question that one of the pastors in my life used many years ago and stuck with me ever since I heard him say it. It is a very subtle question from a very familiar story in the book of Genesis. This question helps us realize that what we sometimes hear is not God talking, but what we hear is coming from someone else. Let’s dive in together. BIBLE PASSAGES USED: Genesis 2:25-3:11, Revelation 12:10-11a, Revelation 3:20 and Romans 10:9-10+13. BIBLE PASSAGES REFERENCED: John 8:44 and Matthew 4:1-11

In this episode, we are going to discuss how…. fear is a killer. Fear robs us of our happiness. Fear robs us of joy. Fear robs us in our relationships. Fear robs us of our progress. Fear robs us of things we don’t know we are being robbed of. Fear has robbed us in the past. Fear robs us in the present. Fear robs us in the future. Fear is a killer. Fear kills our dreams. Fear kills our goals. Fear kills relationships. Fear kills what God has for us. Fear is a killer. BUT GOD…. has something different say. Let’s dive in together! BIBLE PASSAGES USED: Proverbs 3:5-6, 1 Samuel 17 and Philippians 4:12-13

SERIES DETAILS: It’s time to go to the movies! This year for our annual At The Movies series, we are going to be looking one movie and the characters in that movie. This year we are going to be looking at the movie Inside Out. So I guess you could say that this year’s At The Movies series will be emotional…. Anyway, let’s dive in! EPISODE DETAILS: In the first episode of the series, we are going to be looking at one the funniest, even though it’s not really funny, emotions from the movie - ANGER. We are going to see how anger affects us in many different ways and how we can do better when it comes to our anger. BIBLE PASSAGES USED: Philippians 4:12-13 and Ephesians 4:26-32

EPISODE DETAILS: Bible translations can be an interesting thing to navigate. But what if I told you they are there to help us understand the Word of God even more. There are so many different Bible translations and it seems that many people have their favorite translation that they like to use. They also have their opinions on what they think is the “correct” translation. But is there a right or wrong translation? If we understand the idea behind the different translations then we might not get so up in arms about the matter.  SERIES NOTE: It is important to note here that the episodes in this series are going to be presented in their original form. BIBLE PASSAGES USED: Matthew 13:19 and John 3:16 OTHER RESOURCES: Download the free YouVersion Bible app. This is a handy app that gives you the Bible on your phone. The app has many different translations of the Bible. You can also take notes and highlight verses as well. It’s real handy tool.

EPISODE DETAILS: Over the years, two questions that I have often got about the Bible are 1) Where do I start reading the Bible? and 2) How do I understand it all? These questions are good. Where to start reading the Bible is a solid question. It is hard to know where to start with such a big book. Then understanding the Bible is another great question and speaks to the point that the Bible can be hard to understand and confusing at many points. In the episode , I hope to provide a little bit of an answer to these questions. SERIES NOTE: It is important to note here that the episodes in this series are going to be presented in their original form. BIBLE PASSAGES USED: 2 Timothy 3:16 and Hebrews 4:12a OTHER RESOURCES: 1. Download the free YouVersion Bible app. This is a handy app that gives you the Bible on your phone. The app has many different translations of the Bible. You can also take notes and highlight verses as well. It’s real handy tool. 2. Start in the Gospel of John. Also check out the other go

SERIES NOTE: It is important to note here that the episodes in this series are going to be presented in their original form. EPISODE DETAILS: Why read the Bible? It’s so old and out of date. The Bible is just a bunch of rules. A list of dos and don’ts. The Bible is old fashioned. The Bible was written so long ago it can’t be relevant to us now. Why read the Bible? The Bible is boring and really isn’t all that interesting. These are some of the things that have been said about the Bible. But really when it comes to reading the Bible, it really just depends on how you look at it. BIBLE PASSAGE USED: 2 Timothy 3:16

In this final episode of our “I’ve Got The Joy” series, we are going to see encouragement from Paul on how to have a life to full. BIBLE PASSAGES USED: Philippians 4:10-23 and 2 Corinthians 11:24-27

Only 2 episodes left in our study in Philippians! In this episode, we are going get some advice from Paul on how we should “fix our thoughts”. If we do what Paul suggests in this passage, we will experience a peace that is hard to understand. BIBLE PASSAGES USED: Philippians 4:6-9

In this episode, we are going to see Paul start bringing his letter to the Philippians to a close. He begins with a few words of encouragement as well as a few reminders for them. Paul once again brings up how to handle conflict and encourages the people involved in the conflict to settle it and move on and encourages the people of the church to help them. These reminders are good for us as well. Let’s dive in! BIBLE PASSAGES USED: Philippians 4:2-5

In this episode, Paul tells us we need press on toward the goal of perfection (which we have not arrived at yet). He also encourages us to keep looking forward so we can be better tomorrow than we were today, but that remembering where we came from is part of our story. We are also encouraged to be a good example to follow and to stand strong and build our lives on the solid foundation of Jesus. BIBLE PASSAGES USED: Philippians 3:12-4:1 and Matthew 7:24-27

We are back to Philippians this week. In this episode, we are going to see Paul talk about who he was before he met Jesus and how Jesus changed his life. Also, we are going to see how knowing is not knowing. I share my story as well! Let’s dive in! BIBLE PASSAGES USED: Philippians 3:4-11. Acts 7:58, Acts 8:1 and Acts 9:1-9. Romans 10:9-13

Over the last several years, I have been pondering this idea of Jesus being fully God and fully man (human). I am sure that you have heard that said of Jesus. But as I think about it more and more, this causes a problem. I don’t mean it is a problem because that saying is false because it is 100% true. Jesus was fully God and fully man. I mean it causes a problem for us because of where we focus when we look at Jesus. Let’s dive into this thought right now! PLEASE NOTE THIS EPISODE IS PRESENTED IN ITS ORIGINAL FORM. As mentioned in the episode, here is the information about the medical condition:  Hematidrosis can be “caused by extreme distress or fear, such as facing death, torture…” [1] https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/hematidrosis-hematohidrosis [1] https://www.gotquestions.org/sweat-blood-Jesus.html

In this episode, we are going to see Paul remind us of the theme of his letter and how he writes these things to keep our faith safe. Paul also warns us of 3 things that we need to watch out for as we go through life as followers of Jesus. BIBLE PASSAGES USED: Philippians 3:1-3

We are at the halfway point in our study in the book of Philippians. In this episode, we are going to be looking at 2 people (Timothy and Epaphroditus) that Paul praises for their work and efforts for Jesus. Through this praise that Paul gives these 2 people, we can see that some people examples of what Paul has been talking about in the beginning part of his letter. BIBLE PASSAGE USED: Philippians 2:19-30. WEBSITE REFERENCED in this episode: gotquestions.org

In this episode, we return to the “I’ve Got The Joy” series. We are going to be looking at the encouragement that Paul has for us as he talks about how we can shine like Christ and why light is important. Paul also discusses how we are still a work in progress and that God is with us. BIBLE PASSAGES USED: Philippians 2:12-18, Joshua 1:8, John 13:34-35, Psalm 119:105, Psalm 119:111

As we enter a one week rest following Easter, we wanted to do a special episode we simply call “Rest Episode”. In this special episode, we are going to look back at two of episodes (first and last) from a series we did in 2021 called “How To Fight Your Battles”. We are going to look at Israel crossing the Red Sea and the story of Joesph. We hope that you are encouraged by what you hear. Please note: the episodes used to make up this episode are in their original form and unedited. BIBLE PASSAGES USED: Exodus 14 and Genesis 37-50 SONGS REFERENCED IN THIS EPISODE: “Surrounded (Fight My Battles)” by Michael W. Smith, 2018 and Elevation Worship “See A Victory”, 2019 This episode references the lyrics of songs. The meaning of the lyrics and the songs in this episode are my own interpretation.

Saturday was silent. But Sunday is here! In this episode, we are going to look at the Resurrection story as it is recorded in the gospel of Mark. We will also be finishing our Holy Week series “For The Joy” as we also continue to look at the book of Philippians. BIBLE PASSAGES USED: Mark 16:1-8 and Philippians 2:9-11

Today is Good Friday. It is right for us to remember and reflect on what Jesus did for us on this day many years ago. In response, in this episode, we are going to spend some time looking at the Good Friday events and reading them as they are recorded in the gospel of Mark. BIBLE PASSAGES USED: Philippians 2:6-8 and Mark 14:42-15:47

Today, we are starting a Holy Week mini-series called “For The Joy”. The title of the series comes from Hebrews 12:2-3. As we go through the events of Holy Week, we will be continuing our study of the book of Philippians and will be looking at Philippians 2:3-11. We will also be looking at the Gospel accounts of the Holy Week events. In this episode, we are going to see how we can look to interest of others more the ourselves. How do we do that? The Jesus Attitude. What is the Jesus attitude? Let’s dive in together. BIBLE PASSAGES USED: Philippians 2:3-5, Hebrews 12:2-3, and Mark 11:1-11