WelshRev's Podcast

Who do you say Jesus is? In this Word for the Week, recorded on Mynydd Illtud in the Breacon Beacons range in South Wales, we walk through Mark 8:27-38: Peter’s confession at pagan Caesarea Philippi, Jesus’s first prediction of his suffering, and the call to deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow him. You will find out why the setting matters, why Jesus silenced the news that he was the Christ, what “Get behind me” may really mean, and what a cross meant to the people who first heard th

What is the point of a bridge? A bridge connects two places that would otherwise stay separated. Sitting quietly by the rebuilt Old Bridge (Stari Most) in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, I was struck by how well this matches what Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:18-20: Christ has reconciled us to God, and the bridge he built is cross shaped. In this Super Short Thought: How the Neretva River has long divided the east and west of Mostar and why rebuilding the bridge after the conflict matters.

What does unity really mean ... andwhere does it come from? In this Super Short Thought, filmed on a marble street in Mostar the day after preaching there, we look at a church full of people from different languages, cultures and ethnic backgrounds, all gathered because of Jesus. It felt like Acts 2. Quick answer: Christian unity does not mean everyone looks the same, sounds the same or comes from the same place. In Acts 2, the miracle was that people heard the gospel in their own languages an

What does the Bible say about friendship? In this Super Short Thought, recorded over coffee with an old friend in Mostar, we look at Proverbs 17:17: "A friend loves at all times, and a relative is born to help in adversity." In an age when relationships can feel disposable, this verse reminds us that faithfulness matters. A true friend stays when it is inconvenient, when you disagree, and when life is hard. And that kind of faithfulness is rooted in the character of God Himself. Watch more Sup

Jesus didn't ask "Who do you say I am?" in the Temple or in Jerusalem. He asked it at Caesarea Philippi, a city built for Caesar Augustus, at a shrine to the god Pan. Peter's confession, "You are the Christ," was a statement with political implications, made in the backyard of an empire that already had a king ... well, an Emperor, in fact. Mark places this scene deliberately: confessing Jesus was never safe or private. It was costly, in a place where it could cost something. Where is your C

What does it actually mean to "lose your life to find it"? In Mark 8:35-37, Jesus lays out two ways to live: the clenched fist that grips tight to comfort, reputation, and plans, or the open hand that lets go for His sake. This Super Short Thought unpacks a saying that sounds like a riddle but isn't, and asks what you're really clinging to today. Scripture referenced? Mark 8:35-37 This is part of the Discovering Mark series, working verse by verse through the Gospel of Mark for people who