Perhaps one of the most pervasive spiritual problems in human history is solipsism: extreme preoccupation with one’s self. In philosophy, it is the theory that only the self exists. In both cases, the practical implication is that we seem bent on thinking that everything is about us, and if it’s not, we have to find a way to argue why it should be, or even has to be.

The songbirds always manage to get up before I do, so by the time I start my morning run they have already been carrying on their lyrical dialogues, mostly the robins, but the song sparrows and Carolina wrens fill in the background. Their songs seem to be so thickly spun through the morning air that it feels as if I’m running through them. Their beauty envelopes me, as it does everyone else who wakes up later in the morning. They sing before an audience.

Matthew 6:19-24 is undoubtedly a difficult text to interpret.  Why, you ask?  Well, the verses are usually interpreted as if Jesus simply pasted them together.  In other words, there is no context for verses 19-21 and the same goes for verses 22-23 and verse 24.  They are treated as apothegmatic statements.  But is that what they are?  I want to contend that they are not.  Instead, we ought to think of verses 19-34 as a unit.  So, it might be good for you to open your Bible to Matthew 6:19 before we get started.

Aimee Byrd, Todd Pruitt, and Carl Trueman, hosts of the Alliance's Mortification of Spin podcast, recently sat down with PlaceForTruth.org's Jonathan Master, Dean of Cairn University's School of Divinity, to talk about the podcast. The conversation covered a wide range of topics as the hosts took some time to reflect on their experience with the podcast so far, some of the impetus behind its creation, how it fits in with their broader ministries, and a few of their favorite episodes. 

Our thanks to Cairn University for hosting Mortification of Spin and producing this video.