<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[SanBerto]]></title><description><![CDATA[I am a pastor, teacher and writer based in Vancouver, WA. ]]></description><link>https://www.sanberto.com/read-all</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Wed, 22 Apr 2026 09:39:25 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.sanberto.com/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[Son Of_____]]></title><description><![CDATA[Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are from the English Standard Version (ESV). Luke does not mention his name. It is possible that he omits it for censorship reasons, given what the name means. We only know this blind man’s name because Mark is not so cautious when he retells the story in chapter 10 of his gospel: Bartimaeus. It is two Hebrew words put together. Bar  means “son” and tame  means “filth” or “unclean.” His name literally translates to “son of filth.” In the Old...]]></description><link>https://www.sanberto.com/single-post/son-of</link><guid isPermaLink="false">697fcd16396306036ecb1739</guid><pubDate>Sun, 01 Feb 2026 22:03:08 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/3399af_59551229c9b348128ba05903d23623c9~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Alex Portillo</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Here Be Dragons]]></title><description><![CDATA[What if the places you fear most are where faith actually begins? An essay on dragons, ancient maps, and moving forward unhindered.]]></description><link>https://www.sanberto.com/single-post/here-be-dragons</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6967522bf1ba376a5bc1ddb9</guid><pubDate>Wed, 14 Jan 2026 08:38:48 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/3399af_464856d6d4d148508a374984943ed2ed~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Alex Portillo</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[A Hebrew Prayer for when you are Frustrated—Psalm 25:4]]></title><description><![CDATA[Praying with Scripture English Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Hebrew Transliteration Děrakeka Adonai hoodi’ěni Orkuteka lam’meděni Context of Prayer Psalm 25 isn’t a quiet, private prayer. It’s a scene filled with tension, where the psalmist isn’t alone. There’s an audience—his enemies—watching and waiting to see what happens. The psalmist waits for God to respond, while his enemies wait to see him fail. If God stays silent, it won’t just be disappointment; it’ll be...]]></description><link>https://www.sanberto.com/single-post/ahebrewprayer_psalm25-4</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6771ebe9723b5c26ebb453c3</guid><pubDate>Tue, 31 Dec 2024 19:23:38 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/3399af_4914f06229554b8cb7bf3f5b2391c97e~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_576,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Alex Portillo</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[A Hebrew Prayer—Psalm 116:7]]></title><description><![CDATA[Praying with Scripture English Return, O my soul, to your rest;  for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you. Hebrew Transliteration...]]></description><link>https://www.sanberto.com/single-post/ahebrewprayer-ps116</link><guid isPermaLink="false">66bd19b662003f03c4ba4946</guid><pubDate>Wed, 14 Aug 2024 22:27:13 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/3399af_564bc88b580a4b42b2633695909dd301~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_576,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Alex Portillo</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[How to Speak to Your Soul and Find Inner Peace]]></title><description><![CDATA[When you pray, speak to your self too. ]]></description><link>https://www.sanberto.com/single-post/speak-to-your-soul-1</link><guid isPermaLink="false">66bd1fad66759c34e63c8e5d</guid><pubDate>Wed, 14 Aug 2024 21:23:08 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/3399af_051ae46696654e6aabd84ed450b02fa3~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Alex Portillo</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Books that Made Me—Pt 1]]></title><description><![CDATA[Windows to the Mind As a kid, my dad used to tell me, "every book you read is a window you open in your mind." These words meant very...]]></description><link>https://www.sanberto.com/single-post/books-that-made-me-1</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6310f217e40cb19686fed138</guid><pubDate>Thu, 01 Sep 2022 21:15:19 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/nsplsh_f911de280ed341869d0e5ac7bbff7785~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Alex Portillo</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[How to Create Inner Silence]]></title><description><![CDATA[When from our better selves we have too long Been parted by the hurrying world, and droop, Sick of its business, of its pleasures tired,...]]></description><link>https://www.sanberto.com/single-post/create-inner-silence</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6307cd109693fff3e4c3f94d</guid><pubDate>Thu, 25 Aug 2022 19:40:37 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/nsplsh_523649576f62695457316b~mv2_d_4779_3186_s_4_2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Alex Portillo</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Listening Heart]]></title><description><![CDATA[In a dream, the Lord said to king Solomon “Ask what I shall give you.” If God gave you this offer, what would you ask for? Solomon had...]]></description><link>https://www.sanberto.com/single-post/listening-heart</link><guid isPermaLink="false">62f2a397b8682aba696936ae</guid><pubDate>Tue, 09 Aug 2022 18:33:56 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/nsplsh_6c4970756245335f444551~mv2_d_3433_2289_s_2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Alex Portillo</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Be Contemplative]]></title><description><![CDATA[Be contemplative. This does not mean living an isolated life spent pondering high-minded concepts. Instead, the contemplative Christian...]]></description><link>https://www.sanberto.com/single-post/be-contemplative</link><guid isPermaLink="false">62a9faa11a52bfaebaf67905</guid><pubDate>Wed, 15 Jun 2022 15:48:57 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/nsplsh_5a66302d39305370444430~mv2_d_3792_3034_s_4_2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Alex Portillo</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Blessed Are Those Who Doubt ]]></title><description><![CDATA[Forty days after the resurrection, Jesus lead his disciples out as far as Bethany. During that time Jesus had appeared to his disciples,...]]></description><link>https://www.sanberto.com/single-post/doubt</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6287d38fbaff19966fcfdcfc</guid><pubDate>Fri, 20 May 2022 18:13:02 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/3399af_f6c95c5e904443b7a6fad6d2fa60ba8b~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_576,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Alex Portillo</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Two Shepherds ]]></title><description><![CDATA[Mark 6:14-43 describes two shepherds: Herod the bad shepherd, and Jesus the good shepherd. The kings of Israel were always thought of as...]]></description><link>https://www.sanberto.com/single-post/two-shepherds</link><guid isPermaLink="false">627d520e497e79aa91348cb6</guid><pubDate>Thu, 12 May 2022 18:37:23 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/3399af_8e3daa3c37ea4693b3798629a074626c~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Alex Portillo</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Lie of Shame ]]></title><description><![CDATA[This morning I read Genesis 3, the story of humanity’s temptation. As I was reading the story a basic question came to my mind, “if they...]]></description><link>https://www.sanberto.com/single-post/lie-of-shame</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6226925dd5706f9fee8ad9cc</guid><pubDate>Mon, 07 Mar 2022 23:20:09 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/nsplsh_42556b552d56687a572d73~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Alex Portillo</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Morning Prayer ]]></title><description><![CDATA[It is frustrating when God seems to not answer our prayers. A few years ago, when I was pastoring in Winnipeg I felt the weight of divine...]]></description><link>https://www.sanberto.com/single-post/the-morning-prayer</link><guid isPermaLink="false">61fac94a2de10ff4bd24a043</guid><pubDate>Wed, 02 Feb 2022 18:12:14 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/3399af_7769ffc002b240cf92ad70728b8aa036~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Alex Portillo</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[How To Prepare For Communion ]]></title><description><![CDATA[Jesus, the king, invites us to sit at his table to commune with him. The table is a symbol of his acceptance of us, the bread a symbol of...]]></description><link>https://www.sanberto.com/single-post/how-to-prepare-for-communion</link><guid isPermaLink="false">614366f5abf4b00016c282a6</guid><pubDate>Thu, 16 Sep 2021 15:55:01 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/3399af_66df6570bc9c4a5d98b4758f3afc86ae~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_550,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Alex Portillo</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[My Journey Toward A Daily Practice]]></title><description><![CDATA[If you would have asked me what my daily routine looked like before March 2020 I would have given you a pretty impressive answer. I woke...]]></description><link>https://www.sanberto.com/single-post/my-journey-toward-a-daily-practice</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6000942af533f000177825a3</guid><pubDate>Thu, 14 Jan 2021 22:19:20 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/3399af_a4db3f842b2049fc93eeecf986a67448~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Alex Portillo</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>