Stairway to Heaven (Pt 2): The Slow Build Epic
Teach Us To Pray
Summary In this episode, a joyful exposition of both Genesis 28 and Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven," I suggest that prayer is akin to Jacob's setting up of a pillar in acknowledgement of God's presence. Episode 66 | Stairway to Heaven (Pt 2): The Slow Build Epic Hosted by Jeff Hoffmeyer, Vice President of Advancement and Theologian in Residence, this podcast seeks to focus on the practice of prayer through scripture as a primary way to know, trust, and rest in God in our daily work and life. I would love to hear from you! Please reach out to me at with your...
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Stairway to Heaven (Pt 1)
Teach Us To Pray
Summary In Genesis 28, Jacob, the "fleeing deceiver," sees a vision of a ladder (or stairway) linking heaven and earth. The surprise of this story, which leads to prayer, is not about the dream itself, but in the Who, the When, and the Where. Episode 66 | Stairway to Heaven (Pt 1) Hosted by Jeff Hoffmeyer, Vice President of Advancement and Theologian in Residence, this podcast seeks to focus on the practice of prayer through scripture as a primary way to know, trust, and rest in God in our daily work and life. I would love to hear from you! Please reach out to me...
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The Light Has Come: Angels, Linus, and Why I Believe
Teach Us To Pray
Summary Luke 2 is the wondrous story of the shepherds hearing of Jesus' birth from the chorus of angels. As we trust in this story we are formed by it; we are "made better," which is what Handel hoped would happen for those who listen to his oratorio, Messiah. Episode 64 | The Light Has Come: Angels, Linus, and Why I Believe Hosted by Jeff Hoffmeyer, Vice President of Advancement and Theologian in Residence, this podcast seeks to focus on the practice of prayer through scripture as a primary way to know, trust, and rest in God in our daily work and life. I would love to hear...
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The Light Has Come: The Darkened Between
Teach Us To Pray
Summary Movement 9 of Handel's Messiah combines two texts from Isaiah, one which proclaims that the exile is about to be over, and one that celebrates that the exile is over. This combination of passages is a beautiful juxtaposition that orients us in betweenness, which is what Advent is all about. Episode 63 | The Light Has Come: The Darkened Between Hosted by Jeff Hoffmeyer, Vice President of Advancement and Theologian in Residence, this podcast seeks to focus on the practice of prayer through scripture as a primary way to know, trust, and rest in God in our daily work and life. I...
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The Light Has Come: Seeing the Light
Teach Us To Pray
Summary In this episode, I explore Isaiah 9:2 and Handel's interpretation of that text in Movement 11 of Messiah. Advent is all about light, which means it is also all about darkness. This dialectic is beautifully explored by Handel in the way he juxtaposes major and minor chords. God's light is how we pray in the darkness. Episode 62 | The Light Has Come: Seeing the Light Hosted by Jeff Hoffmeyer, Vice President of Advancement and Theologian in Residence, this podcast seeks to focus on the practice of prayer through scripture as a primary way to know, trust, and rest in God in our...
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Soli Deo Gloria: God's Glory and Our Work
Teach Us To Pray
Summary Psalm 127 is a wonderful and beautiful prayer about work. All of us long for our work to somehow remain, or endure, and praying this psalm is a way of praying about God's glory, which can act like the mortar for whatever it is we are building through our work. Episode 61 | Soli Deo Gloria: God's Glory and Our Work Hosted by Jeff Hoffmeyer, Vice President of Advancement and Theologian in Residence, this podcast seeks to focus on the practice of prayer through scripture as a primary way to know, trust, and rest in God in our daily work and life. I would love to hear...
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Psalm 19: The Starry Host Above and the Moral Law Within
Teach Us To Pray
Summary Psalm 19 brings together God's work as creator and God's work as lawgiver in a beautiful hymn of praise that not only conveys the unity of God's creative work but also invites our praise. Episode 60 | Psalm 19: The Starry Host Above and the Moral Law Within Hosted by Jeff Hoffmeyer, Vice President of Advancement and Theologian in Residence, this podcast seeks to focus on the practice of prayer through scripture as a primary way to know, trust, and rest in God in our daily work and life. I would love to hear from you! Please reach out to me at with...
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The Ninety-Nine and the One: Following the Good Shepherd
Teach Us To Pray
Summary Jesus' parable of the Lost Sheep is the first of three parables in Luke 15 about lostness. This parable is abound being found by God, and also about leaving the ninety-nine and going after the one, a journey that may be costly but that also leads to joy and freedom. Episode 59 | The Ninety-Nine and the One: Following the Good Shepherd Hosted by Jeff Hoffmeyer, Vice President of Advancement and Theologian in Residence, this podcast seeks to focus on the practice of prayer through scripture as a primary way to know, trust, and rest in God in our daily work and...
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God Loves Work: Barns and Self-Talk
Teach Us To Pray
Summary Jesus' parable of the "Rich Fool" in Luke 12 is about money, and about a lot more than money. It's about what we put our store in–where we place our hope. In prayer, we can pay attention to the conversation we are having with ourselves about the barns that we are building. In prayer, this conversation can be scripted by God rather than by the culture in which we live. Episode 58 | God Loves Work: Barns and Self-Talk Hosted by Jeff Hoffmeyer, Vice President of Advancement and Theologian in Residence, this podcast seeks to focus on the practice of prayer through...
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God Loves Work: The Merciful Samaritan
Teach Us To Pray
Summary Jesus' story about the Samaritan who showed mercy to the wounded man on the road is not simply about being a good human. It's actually about who God is. It's about the eternal story of God, and how we can live this story out in our lives, through prayer. Episode 57: God Loves Work: The Good Merciful Samaritan Hosted by Jeff Hoffmeyer, Vice President of Advancement and Theologian in Residence, this podcast seeks to focus on the practice of prayer through scripture as a primary way to know, trust, and rest in God in our daily work and life. I would love to hear...
info_outlinePsalm 27 orients us to God's presence, and calls us to practice that presence in every moment of our lives. This is what "Coram Deo" means, "before the face of God." What if we lived every moment with the awareness that we are in God's presence?
Episode 52: Before the Face of God: Practicing God's Presence
Hosted by Jeff Hoffmeyer, Denver Institute’s Vice President of Advancement and Theologian in Residence, this podcast seeks to focus on the practice of prayer through scripture as a primary way to know, trust, and rest in God in our daily work and life. I would love to hear from you! Please reach out to me at jeff.hoffmeyer@denverinstitute.org with your feedback.
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RESOURCES
- "The Lord of the Rings; The Riders of Rohan" - Eliott Tordo feat. Victor Macabies
"The Death of Theoden," Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
"What is Prayer and How to Begin" - Conversation with Roberta Bondi, interview by Krista Tippet