Episodes

Oct 13 Vagabond Diaries: Robert Vagabond Diaries Welcome Back to our new Gospel Rant series called Vagabond Diaries. We are finding fun and creative ways to proclaim the love of God for the unlovable, the unloved, and the unlovely. To accomplish that, we will use every trick in the book: story, drama, satire, comedy, mystery, and even a fun visit to a counselor’s couch to help unpack some biblical truth and application. You’ll see what I mean. This week, meet Robert, a cynical professional j...

Oct 6 Vagabond Diaries: Jude Vagabond Diaries Welcome Back to our new Gospel Rant series called Vagabond Diaries. We are finding fun and creative ways to proclaim the love of God for the unlovable, the unloved, and the unlovely. To accomplish that, we will use every trick in the book: story, drama, satire, comedy, mystery, and even a fun visit to a counselor’s couch to help unpack some biblical truth and application. You’ll see what I mean. This week, meet Jude, a young man who despises his ...

Vagabond Diaries Welcome Back to our new Gospel Rant series called Vagabond Diaries. We are finding fun and creative ways to proclaim the love of God for the unlovable, the unloved, and the unlovely. To accomplish that, we will use every trick in the book: story, drama, satire, comedy, mystery, and even a fun visit to a counselor’s couch to help unpack some biblical truth and application. You’ll see what I mean. This week, meet Shula, a royal who has gone to counseling to deal with some relati...

Vagabond Diaries Welcome Back to our new Gospel Rant series called Vagabond Diaries. We are finding fun and creative ways to proclaim the love of God for the unlovable, the unloved, and the unlovely. To accomplish that, we will use every trick in the book: story, drama, satire, comedy, mystery, and even a fun visit to a counselor’s couch to help unpack some biblical truth and application. You’ll see what I mean. This week, meet Michelle Angel. She is running a Heavenly Press briefing in front ...

Top 10 Old Testament Prayers #1: Song of Songs 1:2-4. OK, OK… so this is on nobody's Top 5, or 10, or even 50 list. It should be. I hope that I will convince you of how powerful, relevant, and personal this proclamation of the bride of Christ’s desire for her groom. I know, it is likely not what you heard about the Song of Songs. Let me change your mind. Enjoy. It truly deserves to be #1. Next time, we get into my new avant-garde series, Vagabond Diaries. Something new, fun, and different. I c...

This prayer has been so poorly understood and translated so badly, that it is no wonder that it has been largely overlooked. It is perhaps the greatest prayer of faith by someone who has been subjected to arguably the greatest injust in the history of the world, at least before the Cross. What difference does a God-born faith actually mean to someone who has lost it all? What does Heaven sourced faith feel like to beat-up, abused people? Here it is. Let me know what you think. Should it be #2? ...

Teaser: Vagabond Diaries I am taking a short one week break in my summer series, Top 10 prayers of the Old Testament to give you a teaser for my new Gospel Rant Series beginning on Sept 15. It is called Vagabond Diaries. Each week, I will tell a story, a tale, a colorful account of some Biblical character or principle, but not done in the usual way—line by line, precept by precept. No, this will be more like a storyteller, more Chronicles of Narnia-esque—you get the idea. Why? I am passionate a...

This prayer has been often labeled the black psalm. You will see why. It ends, “Darkness is my closest friend,” clearly a slap in the face of the God who loves the unlovable. Can we really say such things to God? Isn’t that a sin? Yes and yes. But such imprecatory psalms have been given to us because they most effectively give us our heart’s real unvarnished words—not careful, theologically accurate and whitewashed words. In this groaning creation, we are going to need such prayers. I just call ...

Vagabond Diaries 2 This is the actual beginning of our new Gospel Rant series called Vagabond Diaries. We are finding fun and creative ways to proclaim the love of God for the unlovable, the unloved, and the unlovely. To accomplish that, we will use every trick in the book: story, drama, satire, comedy, mystery, and even a fun visit to a counselor’s couch to help unpack some biblical truth and application. You’ll see what I mean. This week, meet Jana. What would happen if God tells a woman tha...

As far as I know, this particular prayer is on no one’s Top 10 list of Top Old Testament prayers—but it should be. If you have ever been hurt, betrayed, disappointed, robbed or abused—and who hasn’t—and you have not experienced real justice, reparation, and forgiveness, you are going to love this prayer and it just may end up being something you want to pray to God a lot. It is time that we stop overlooking this prayer and begin to wonder about what Christianity might look like if we took it ser...

Top 10 Old Testament Prayers #5: Hannah in 1 Sam 1 In my recent book, Dance Daughters of the Most High! I did a chapter on Hannah, largely due to this prayer. What makes it #5 in an impressive list of prayers in the Old Testament? You will see. She is the most transparent, aware, honest prayer I know, and the one who seems to most know that she desperately needs a fresh shot of God’s love for the unlovable. Very impressive and hurting lady. She deserves to be at #5. Enjoy. You'll see what I me...

Thanks for the great feedback. I am so pleased that you are enjoying this summer Gospel Rant identifying and looking deeper into my Top 10 Old Testament prayers. Exodus 33 is perhaps the most provocative to-date. For me, it captures the very spirit of what I think is the greatest prayer in the entire Bible—and I don’t mean the Lord’s Prayer—another show for another time. I am referring to Jesus’ humble prayer to his Father, “Not my will, but your will be done.” Moses is a very complicated charac...

This prayer should be of no surprise. It is one of the most recognizable prayers of the entire Bible. But the surprising thing about this prayer is not what David says--well--OK, it is that too--but the more astounding thing is what David is asking God for as a fix. You'll see what I mean. Love feedback, Bill@gospel-app.com. Top 10 Old Testament Prayers #7: David in Psalm 51 Support The Show: https://www.gospelrant.com/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advert...

SUMMER SERIES: TOP 10 PRAYERS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT This one just might surprise you. In Proverbs 30, a man that we know very little about prays an amazing, vulnerable and insightful prayer. In it we learn so much about him and God. This is the prayer of Agur in Proverbs 30. Enjoy. Let me know what you think. bill@gospel-app.com. Top Old Testament Prayers #8: The Prayer of Agur (Prov 30) Support The Show: https://www.gospelrant.com/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire...

SUMMER SERIES: TOP 10 OLD TESTAMENT PRAYERS #9. This is the first of three of the Top 10 that are from a woman. What does Miriam know about the unique character traits of God? Fun. Love feedback. Bill@gospel-app.com. Top Old Testament Prayers #9: Exodus 15:20-21 (Miriam) Support The Show: https://www.gospelrant.com/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

BRAND NEW SUMMER SERIES STARTS NOW. What, in my opinion, are the Top 10 prayers in the entire Old Testament? It is a very difficult exercise. So much of the Old Testament is prayers. But there are a few that stand out to me. My main criteria is that the prayer manifests something about the innate unique characteristics of God Himself that must have been revealed to the one praying. I give more weight to those prayers that assume God's unique love for the unlovable, the unloved, and the unlovely...

This is the final of 16 shows on the amazing letter to the Hebrews. The author of Hebrews is writing this very sophisticated homily to Hebrew Christians sometime in the late 50s to mid 60’s CE. It is still an infant church, maybe a decade or two old, and had just survived disruptive expulsion and injustices due to their virulent faith. But make no mistake—persecution is coming and far worse than before. Nero may have already risen to be the Emperor of the Empire and it is only a matter of time u...

Welcome to Gospel Rant and God’s Love for the Unlovable Show. We are in the last stages of our journey through the book of Hebrews: Chapter 12. In the end, says the author of Hebrews, if you want to stop your ongoing spiritual drift, if you want to stop spiritual dullness and be free from shame and guilt, you need faith. If you want to feel more that Jesus adores you as much as the Father loves the Son and the Son loves the Father, you need this powerful filling of the Spirit daily. How? Suppor...

Welcome to Gospel Rant and God’s Love for the Unlovable Show. We are in the last stages of our journey through the book of Hebrews: Hebrews 11. In the end, says the author of Hebrews, if you want to stop your ongoing drift, if you want to stop spiritual dullness and be free from shame and guilt, you need faith. Well you’ve no doubt heard that before, right? We are saved by grace through faith—right? That’s our mantra. We are supposed to trust in the Lord with all our heart—right? Without faith ...

Hey Dr. Bill Senyard here with God’s love for the unlovable and Gospel Rant podcast. Welcome to my series on the book of Hebrews. We will knock out the important Chapter 10 in this show. Often scholars emphasize the differences between the effectiveness of the temple in the Old Covenant and the work of Jesus in the New Covenant. Chapter 10 is about that for sure, but I am going to suggest that the larger issue is about how God-followers are affected, or not affected by each. You will see what I ...

Welcome to God’s love for the unlovable and Gospel Rant Podcast. We are going through the Book of Hebrews. Here’s the question for this show. Can you lose your salvation? And if you answer yes, what do you do or not do to cause that? Can you get back to faith? If you answer no, how do you control bad behavior? Heb 6 is one of the most controversial sections in the Bible. Curious? Check it out. Welcome to Gospel Rant and God’s Love for the Unlovable. Support The Show: https://www.gospelrant.com...

Hey Dr. Bill Senyard here with Gospel App ministries and Gospel Rant Podcast. Thanks for listening. We have a lot to cover today, two chapters, 8 &9. They represent a single argument or sermon. Very important. Very relevant today. We will dip into some weeds, but the punch line is golden. Review. From what we have seen in previous shows, the prime targeted audience of the book of Hebrews is Messianic Jews, believers, but they are observably ‘drifting’, ‘dull’, and suffering from ‘dead works’ (n...

So who is Melchizedek? Context? In Gen 14, Abraham had just won a surprising, miraculous military victory and is headed home. Two Kings came out to meet him in the King’s Valley (west of Jerusalem?). The King of Sodom, a picture of unrighteousness, self-focus, arrogance, hey, what about me? Attitude—who had already been defeated by the army that Abraham just defeated with 318 men—oh the shame and embarrassment. He will demand “Give me the people and keep the goods for yourself.” Very arrogant a...

I am very concerned about the well-being of teens and tweens today. Frustrated parents, we need big time help. I mean Captain Obvious right? Per the CDC, suicide and homicide rates (10-24) are the highest they have been in decades (since 1968). A shocking 42% of adolescents are experiencing sadness and hopelessness (up 50% from 2011)--57% of females. 22% of all students have considered attempting suicide (up 36% from 2011). It is a mental health crisis for one of our most vulnerable demographics...