Exploring My Strange Bible

Resurrection as a Way of Life E1 — The topics of resurrection and new creation in the teachings of Jesus and the apostles are crucial for how followers of Jesus view the world, the future, and themselves. In this first episode of a five-part series, Tim teaches from Luke 24 on the story of Jesus offering a new vision of the messiah to two disillusioned disciples on the road to Emmaus. Tim gave this message at Door of Hope Church in Portland, Ore., on July 3, 2016.

Why Church Matters E2 — Why is sharing our stuff so hard? And how does church play a critical role in helping us form this habit? In this second episode of a two-part series, Tim explores the portrait of the first church community in Acts 2, who committed to sharing their resources with each other. This demonstrates a core habit of the Church from the beginning: crossing over boundary lines to freely release our time and resources to other people. Tim gave this message at Door of Hope Church in Portland, Ore., on January 11, 2014.

Why Church Matters E1 — When people think of Christians, openness to new ideas is not usually the first thing that comes to mind. That's because we've lost a key part of the mindset of a “disciple,” a word that actually means “learner.” In this first episode of a two-part series, Tim explores the earliest depiction of the Church in Acts 2, where a group of people commit to each other and to Jesus so they can learn new ideas and form new habits of living and thinking together, all centered around Jesus. Tim gave this message at Door of Hope Church in Portland, Ore., on January 4, 2014.

Heaven & Hell E4 — Everything we learn in the Bible about heaven and hell comes from a series of complex, ancient images, and it’s easy to misunderstand them. What do images of eternal death and everlasting fire refer to in their original context? And what do images of new creation and resurrection actually mean? In this final episode of a four-part lecture series, Tim brings everything together. He explores Jesus’ teaching on God’s final justice, as well as the apostles’ hopes for a renewed creation, which closes out the grand story of the Bible. Tim gave this message at Blackhawk Church in Madison, Wisc., on September 30, 2011.

Heaven & Hell E3 — The definitions of human life and death on pages 1-3 of the Bible are based on the idea that humans can live in a state of death. But the goal of God’s rescue mission is to take people out of “living death” and transfer them into a mode of “eternal life” here in the present. In this third episode of a four-part lecture series, Tim moves onto a new part of the story, which is the Old Testament vision of final justice. Why does God bring divine justice into human history, and what comes after it? Tim gave this message at Blackhawk Church in Madison, Wisc., on September 30, 2011.

Heaven & Hell E2 — The biblical authors didn’t see death as something that just happens to you at the end of your physical life. Rather, both life and death are present realities, starting on page three of the Bible. (And believe it or not, zombies are a biblical idea!) In this second episode of a four-part lecture series, Tim tackles the biblical word for “heaven,” exploring what it does and does not mean, and then unpacks the language of life and death throughout the rest of the Bible. Tim gave this message at Blackhawk Church in Madison, Wisc., on September 30, 2011.

Heaven & Hell E1 — Popular culture and the media show us many misconceptions about heaven and hell. For example, it may be surprising to learn that, in the Bible, the opposite of heaven is not hell, but Earth! In this first episode of a four-part lecture series, Tim explores the popular misunderstandings and distortions of the concepts of heaven and hell in Western culture. Starting on page one of the Bible, he looks at the themes of life, death, the grave, eternal life, and eternal death. Tim gave this message at Blackhawk Church in Madison, Wisc., on September 30, 2011.

The phrase “Come, Holy Spirit” has deep roots in the Christian Church, across many centuries and traditions. It’s a phrase regularly used both in communal worship and personal prayer, but what does it actually mean? In this message, Tim teaches from a variety of biblical passages to identify what followers of Jesus are actually saying (and not saying) when they pray, “Come, Holy Spirit.” Tim gave this message at the 2025 Holy Spirit Conference in Portland, Ore., on February 8th, 2025.

Practicing Faith E3 — In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus models for us how to daily bring our requests to God. But implied in its words are ways of being and acting that will align with our words. In this final of three teachings on Christian practices, Tim explores the meaning and significance of the Lord’s Prayer, which has incredible potential to change our lives. Tim gave this message at Door of Hope Church in Portland, Ore., on August 24, 2014.

The 10 Commandments E13 — We’ve arrived at the 10th and final commandment, which feels very different from all the ones that came before it: “Do not desire … anything that belongs to your neighbor.” While most translations use the word “covet,” we simply find khamad, which is the general Hebrew word for desire. All the other commandments involve observable actions, but desire is entirely internal. So why does God warn us about desiring things that belong to our neighbor? In this episode, Jon and Tim finish the 10 Commandments by showing how this command works as an undercurrent beneath all the others.

Practicing Faith E2 — In the lives of Jesus and the apostles, we discover the twin practices of fasting—-that is, withholding food from yourself for an intentional reason for a period of time—and also feasting and celebration in community. What are these practices and how do they work together? In this second of three teachings on Christian practices, Tim explores the meaning of feasting and fasting and why it’s important to have both. Tim gave this message at Door of Hope Church in Portland, Ore., on August 3, 2014.

Practicing Faith E1 — In the Gospels, we find moments when Jesus steps away from the crowds for times of solitude to reflect and pray. What value did Jesus find in this practice of solitude, and how has it served his followers over the centuries and across the globe? In this first of three teachings on Christian practices, Tim explores the practice of silence and solitude, considering how to balance it with the equally important practice of community. Tim gave this message at Door of Hope Church in Portland, Ore., on July 20, 2014.

New Testament Themes E6 — Some people reject Christianity or the Bible because of something they hear about the end of the world, final judgment, or Heaven. But often, they're not actually rejecting Scripture, but rather some distortion of it. In this final message in a six-part series, Tim teaches from Revelation’s final chapters on how the New Testament depicts Heaven and new creation, compared to some deep misunderstandings in popular culture. Tim gave this message at Door of Hope Church in Portland, Ore., on December 9, 2012.

New Testament Themes E5 — The New Testament shows us that a church is meant to be a group of disciples calling out the best in one another and embodying a faithful witness in their neighborhood and city. But drama, unhealthy leadership, and even spiritual abuse can make it hard to stay committed to a church community. In this fifth message in a six-part series, Tim teaches from Hebrews 10 on what it means to regularly gather as a community of Jesus’ followers, committed to one another. Tim gave this message at Door of Hope Church in Portland, Ore., on November 25, 2012.

New Testament Themes E4 — In the Apostle Paul's mind, the good news about Jesus becomes most persuasive when his followers live with incredible generosity. And that’s because radical generosity permeates the New Testament, most powerfully revealed in Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. In this fourth message in a six-part series, Tim teaches from 2 Corinthians 8 on how financial generosity demonstrates the claim that Jesus really is the risen Lord of the world. Tim gave this message at Door of Hope Church in Portland, Ore., on November 11, 2012.

New Testament Themes E3 — In the New Testament, “witness” is what Jesus' followers do together as they live, committed to one another and to Jesus. How is this understanding of witness different from how it’s viewed in modern Christianity? And how can we protect this kind of communal witness? In this third message in a six-part series, Tim traces the theme of witness in the book of Acts, concluding in Paul’s farewell speech in chapter 20. Tim gave this message at Door of Hope Church in Portland, Ore., on October 28, 2012.

New Testament Themes E2 — Many who are intrigued by Jesus of Nazareth have a difficult time balancing his overwhelming generosity and grace with his challenging call to discipleship and making serious sacrifices. So how do these two aspects of Jesus go together? This second message in a six-part series looks at some of the very challenging things Jesus says about counting the cost of following him in Luke 14. Tim gave this message at Door of Hope Church in Portland, Ore., on October 7, 2012.

New Testament Themes E1 — When we open the New Testament and start reading about Jesus, his message, and his mission, it’s not what most people imagine when they think of Christianity. Early on, we find the phrase “Kingdom of God” or “Kingdom of Heaven.” But what does this phrase mean? Why is it important to Jesus? And what bigger storyline is it a part of? This first message in a six-part series gives an introduction to Jesus and his mission, as it’s offered in the Gospel of Mark. Tim gave this message at Door of Hope Church in Portland, Ore., on September 23, 2012.

During his earthly ministry, Jesus interacts with multitudes of hurting people. So how does he process, understand, and respond to all the suffering and evil he encounters? Tim explores the book of Job as the biblical framework for understanding pain, evil, and suffering in a world created by a God of love. Tim gave this message at Bridgetown Church in Portland, Ore., on April 6, 2022.

Theology of Work E2 — Many Christians believe the world will ultimately be destroyed when Jesus returns, and so our day-to-day lives don't really matter. But the Apostle Paul teaches the opposite in 1 Corinthians 15 and Colossians 3. The eternal, redeemed nature of the new creation makes our work more meaningful than we can imagine. In the second half of a two-part teaching, Tim explores how our hope about the ultimate outcome of history significantly impacts the way we think about our jobs and career goals. Tim gave this message at Door of Hope Church in Portland, Ore., on March 3, 2013.

Theology of Work E1 — Whether we’re young and still discovering our career, or perhaps more seasoned in work but new to following Jesus, integrating our vocation with our discipleship to Jesus is challenging. Why? Because the modern American story about work is very different from the Bible’s. In this message, Tim explores Genesis 1-3 to show how work is not a curse, but actually one of the greatest gifts God has given to humans. Tim gave this message at Door of Hope Church in Portland, Ore., on February 17, 2013.

Prayer and encountering God’s presence are biblical topics we can study, but they’re also very personal experiences for each of us, and so this message combines both. First, Tim shares his personal history with prayer, and then dives into a biblical study of God’s Eden paradise appearing where we least expect it. Tying these two parts together is a personal parable involving a wild huckleberry field on a remote mountainside. Tim gave this message at Bridgetown Church in Portland, Ore., on October 19, 2022.

Ecclesiastes E2 — In the first teaching of this series, we explored the teacher’s core metaphor for life, which is the Hebrew word hevel, meaning “smoke” or “vapor.” The teacher takes a pretty dim view of things, saying that everything in life is unpredictable, enigmatic, absurd, and ungraspable. So what do we do with such a sobering truth? In this message, Tim explores how embracing life as hevel can actually be a gift to enrich our days, rather than diminish them. Tim gave this message at Door of Hope Church in Portland, Ore., on January 13, 2013.

Ecclesiastes E1 — In the book of Ecclesiastes, the teacher shows how most of our daily time and energy is spent on meaningless things. The core metaphor he uses to make this point is smoke or vapor, which in Hebrew is the word hevel. So why is such a bleak book in the Bible? Tim unpacks Ecclesiastes’ introduction, its authorship, and how the book as a whole seeks to motivate humility, integrity, and enjoyment of the simple things in life. Tim gave this message at Door of Hope Church in Portland, Ore., on January 6, 2013.

Making of the Bible E3 — The manuscript history of the New Testament is very different from that of the Old Testament. The number of manuscripts, the amount of time they cover, the history of manuscript discoveries—it’s all very complex and fascinating! Then there is the separate history of how the New Testament has been translated and regarded by the Church over the centuries. In this third and final lecture of the series, Tim explores this manuscript and its translation history, as well as the process and dynamics of how these books were collected into an official canon of Scripture. Tim gave these lectures in February 2012 at Blackhawk Church in Madison, Wisconsin.