Radical Life Support

Rick and Robin have a new assignment to share about pastoring the Open Bible church in Austin, Minnesota. If you are ever in the area, please come and join them for Sunday service at 10 AM at 301 4th Street SW, 55912They also challenge their listeners to take on an assignment for the new year to pray II Chron. 7:14, "If my people, who are called my my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sins, and heal their land." Set your alarms for 7:14 AM and 7:14 PM every day. Pray for yourself, your family, your church, and your country.

A new year always seems to present possibilities. New beginnings. A hope for better days ahead. This is especially true for this coming year after all we have been through in 2020. Let me ask you a question? How did you face the challenges of last year? On a scale of 1 to 10, what was your level of anxiety and stress? If you rated low, let’s ask how we can better face 2021? I tell you plainly that you need to face it with Jesus. Imagine this next year is like taking a journey across America. Compare the journey to your life going into this new year. You are going to have to navigate through a wide variety of environments and situations. The journey or a year can present so many different scenarios you cannot predict or control. The key to going through any year is to keep Jesus at the center. Then, there is one constant in your journey and that is Him. No matter what hits you, you will not be moved internally despite your circumstances because you know Jesus is in you and with you wherever you go and whatever you face.And the second part of making the journey as successful as possible is to let Jesus drive the vehicle. Give Him control and trust Him to take the best route. He will be your constant companion to guide you and comfort you when the journey seems to be so long. He is there and you are not doing the journey alone.Psalm 22:5 says when you put your trust in the Lord, you will not be disappointed. I can promise you with all certainty that if you keep your eyes on Jesus, you can face anything. Jesus is the answer in walking through life’s storms. He will either take the storm away or He will help you get through the storm. Either way as you have found out from last year, trying to handle life in your own strength or by relying on others to lead you, just doesn’t work. So many of us try to figure life out on our own, barely giving Jesus the time of day. You continue to do that, you will end up hobbling through another year and I don’t want that for you. Jesus doesn’t want that for you. He says there is a better way by putting your trust in Him and relying on Him. Let Him take the wheel and give the directions. He already knows what is ahead so let Him get you to your destination smoothly and safely.New implies change. Jesus says to stop doing things the old ways. It is time to do things a new way, to do things Jesus’ way, the way you were created to be, filled with Him and following Him. You have to get rid of your old ways of thinking. It will weigh you down, restrict you and you get stuck and you can’t move forward. Jesus has a better and new way for you to live and that is to face the new year with Him. Surrender and implement all His new ways and you will find is that heaviness is gone and you now can live out your days with joy, excitement, praise, and thanksgiving.[Eph 4:22-24] “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” Joel Osteen says, “Inside each of us there are two people: One says, ‘I will become everything God has created me to be. I can do all things through Christ. I’m surrounded by God’s favor.’ The other says, ‘I’ll never get out of debt. I’ll never lose the weight. I’ll never break that addiction. I’ll just learn to live with it.’ One wants to stretch. The other wants to settle. You choose which person you will be.”My prayer is that you choose to make Jesus the center of your life for the coming new year and embrace all His ways. Let Him drive the car on your journey and don’t look back. Forge ahead, be not afraid because you have the King of the universe at the wheel.Happy New Year!!

We are going to talk about the action of abandoning. An action we need to take to abandon something, not someone. So, to make a distinct difference, there are some things that we must abandon. Things we need to renounce, terminate, stop, surrender, relinquish, or discontinue. Biblically we use words and phrases like leave behind troubles and sorrows, letting go of the past, put off the old self, and throw off everything that hinders.Note: on New Year’s Day we are going to talk about all things new but in ending the year, we want to focus on leaving 2020 behind.· [Matt 11:28] “Come to me who are weary and heavy ladened and I will give you rest.” Need to take weight off to move forward.· [Phil 3:13b] “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead.” There comes a point in all of our lives where we need to let go. We need to let go of the past: the hurt, unmet expectations, loss, hopes, and dreams. Holding on is unhealthy and it keeps us stuck. · [Is 43:18a] “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.” At all times, we must learn to forget the past and forge ahead. If we fail to let go of the past, it is very difficult to move forward.· [II Cor 5:17] “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away.”· [Gen 19:17] God told Lot’s family not to “look behind you,” don’t look back. Don’t long for or look back at the sinfulness and wickedness and destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.· [Luke 9:62] “Jesus replied, ‘No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.’”· [Prov 4:25] “Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you.”· [Rom 8:13] “For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body.”· [Heb 8:12] “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” If God is not going to hold our sins against us, we should not condemn ourselves.· [Eph 4:31-32] “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander to put away from you, along with all malice.· [Heb 12:1] “Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.” With God, your past mistakes do not hold you back. God punished all of our sins on the cross in His beloved Son, Jesus Christ, so you would no longer be stuck in your sin, or be held back. Sins blocks your relationship with God and Jesus.Leave behind grief and disappointment which can lead to depression, don’t revisit painful memories too often and also live with constant negative emotions. Don’t keep opening up the wound, leave alone so it can heal. Release anger, resentment and forgiveness or bitterness will take over. Lay aside past hurts in childhood or you won’t mature. Maybe you might need to let go of a toxic relationship. All of these things stop you from moving forward.Reminds Robin of a story where a man was walking on path in the fog and didn’t see where he was going and fell of the side, lucky enough to grab a branch on the way down. He cried out for help but the fog was too thick to see anything. Finally, he heard a voice telling him to let go but he said he couldn’t or he would die. The voice insisted if he let go, he would be alright but he wouldn’t because he was too afraid and didn’t trust the voice. Eventually the fog lifted and he looked down and saw he was hanging two feet above solid ground holding on to the branch. Moral of the story, don't hold on to fear, let go and trust in Jesus' voice.

Welcome to our Christmas special episode from our series on the ABCs of the Attributes of Jesus Christ. Merry Christmas Everyone! We are so glad you are joining us on this special day when we celebrate the birth of the Son of God, the Savior of the world. Remember that without the birth of Jesus, and without His willingness to die to pay the price for our sin and to bring us to God, we would have nothing to celebrate at Christmastime.Let’s ask the study question here in the story of Jesus’ birth: “Who do you say that I am? What does the Christmas story tell us about who Jesus is and what He is like?He is the Christ-Child at Christmas. In John 1:14 it says, “The (Almighty, Eternal, Infinite) Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” The Christ-Child was a weak, limited, helpless, vulnerable infant laying in a manger who was completely dependent on His earthly parents to take care of Him and provide for all His needs; but at the same time it says in Col 1:15-20, “for in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” It is a mysterious thing to contemplate.Theologians call the birth of Jesus the “incarnation,” a Latin term meaning to enter into or become flesh. One definition says the incarnation is where “Christ took our human nature and brought it into union with His Divine Person, and became man.” We saw His divinity in the miracles and in all of the healings He performed. He proved in His actions that He was God in the flesh.In Matthew chapter 1, it states that Jesus will be called Emmanuel, God is with us. Mary held God in her arms and it reminds me of the lyrics to the song, “Mary Did You Know when you kiss your little baby that you are touching the face of God?” The heart of Christmas is that God came to dwell on earth and to bring peace and good news to man. And what specifically was this peace and good news that this little baby brought?The birth of Jesus does bring hope, peace, joy and love because that is who Jesus is, His very nature. But most importantly Jesus brought salvation, the gospel, the good news. Yes, we need all of those other things, but we need a Savior first and foremost. That is why He was named Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.Jesus was eternal. He stepped into time and was born. He grew and then showed us how to live an abandoned life. Jesus lived only to do the divine will of God. Then He accomplished His mission by dying on the cross, rising again in three days, and then returning to heaven. Those who put their faith in Him can then live eternally too just as He is living eternally now.In Him is good news for all mankind: Fear is banished. Love is displayed. Death is defeated. Hope is renewed. He is the Savior of the World. That is why He came.God’s Free Gift at Christmas. Jesus is a beautiful undeserving perfect present for us. The Son of God wrapped in human flesh. Let’s face it, child birth is a little messy and His birth place was a little smelly in the stable. No Jewish person expected the Messiah to come in such a manner. But God topped it off with a shiny star in the sky for all to see and a heavenly host of angels announcing the news. God is a great giver, He gave His one and only Son. He is generous and thoughtful. With joy, He selected the perfect gift for us in His Son. Our Creator loves the people He made so much that He devised a plan, a permanent solution, to save us from sin, from the evil in this world, and from eternal death. And that plan called for Jesus to become human. Jesus voluntarily became one of us. He died on the cross and took on all the sins of the world upon Himself. Jesus came as a baby on a rescue mission to save you and me. Focus on who He is and why He came. He came for you. He loves you and gave His life for you. In His eyes, you are a special creation, worth dying for.

Announcement definition. News means newly received or noteworthy information, especially about recent or important events.There is good news today! Jesus Christ is born! In our world, broadcast stations mostly announce bad news but our God was announcing good news. The good news of peace, hope, joy, love, and salvation for everyone. How did God announce the birth of His Son? God doesn’t announce the same way that man announces the biggest event of history. Let’s consider a chronological list.1. OT prophecies: God has been announcing the coming of His Son since the very beginning. First mention of one coming who would crush Satan’s head in Gen 3:15. But in regards to His birth, Is 9:6 “For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given.” 2. Luke 1:31, Angel come to announce to Mary that she “will be with child and give birth to a son and you are to give Him the name, Jesus. 3. Elizabeth’s child leap with joy at the announcement of Mary’s arrival4. Joseph and his dream. Others in village of Nazareth. Joseph had his own supernatural encounter. [Matt 1:20-23] First the angel revealed that the child was conceived by God’s Holy Spirit, which made Him the literal Son of God. Second, the angel announced that the child would be the long-awaited Messiah. 5. Shepherds and people in Bethlehem. The rich and powerful in Jerusalem were blissfully unaware [as it was in the days of Noah] of the momentous event taking place in the countryside, angels appeared to outcast shepherds. Host of angels to the lowly shepherds in contrast to breaking news of today’s standard. Behold I bring you good tidings Luke 2:10. A great company of the heavenly host. All of heaven rejoicing. The shepherds immediately left their sheep alone to go to “Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” They found it just as the angels said. They must have gone from fear to joy and wonder at the announcement of the birth of the Savior. They became evangelists. The Greek word for evangelism—announcing of good news. There were thousands of people who emerged on the town then who were available to hear the announcement. They were amazed at what they heard and then promptly forgot about it. 6. Simeon and Anna. When Jesus was presented on the eight day in the temple as required by law, Mary and Joseph encountered Simeon, a righteous and devote follower, and Anna, a prophetess. The Holy Spirit announced and prophesized to them that the baby would bring salvation to the world.7. Magi saw star and followed it, fully expecting it to lead them to a great king, in the capital city, in a royal palace. Jesus however, the rightful heir to the throne of Israel, quietly was born in a small town with no fanfare among no one of great worldly importance.8. The Magi made an announcement to Herod and all in palace which ignited death of babies under the age of two.9. Skip ahead 30 years and you have John the Baptist saying one who is greater will come.10. God at Jesus’ baptism and God on the mountain of transfiguration11. Jesus himself told His disciples.12. The Demoniac and the Samaritan woman told those outside of Jerusalem.13. Demons announced who He was.14. All witnesses from then until today.The announcement today is that He is coming again. No one knew the day of the Messiah’s arrival though there were many prophecies. No one knows His second arrival, though many prophecies in Revelation. The message is always the same. Be ready!

Why is Jesus called Emmanuel, God is with us? When contemplating who Jesus is, the best place to start is at the top. If you start at any other place, you will get who He is wrong. Jesus is not saying He is a mere man with great moral insights like other religious figures. He is saying He is God in the flesh who walked among us. Jesus isn’t just saying He is sent by God, that He speaks the words of God or that He lives perfectly in the ways of God. He is saying He is God. How can this be? Jesus’ earthly mother was Mary but His Father was God. To explain the human/divine nature of Jesus, the bible begins by saying that Mary, His human mother, was a virgin when Jesus was conceived. There was no human father in the equation for His conception. The Holy Spirit came upon Mary and provided male component needed for the development of the child Jesus. Phil 2:6-8, that says Jesus “being in very nature God” was “being made in human likeness.” Jesus was born and was “found in the appearance as a man.” Mary certainly, more than anyone, knew that Jesus was conceived in holiness. She knew she hadn’t been with another man and it would have been impossible for her to become pregnant. At any point, in the beating, and torturing, and crucifixion of her son, she could have called out and confessed that it wasn’t true. But she knew it was true.Matthew found the message of Jesus’s promised presence so important that he bookends his gospel with it. In Matthew 1:23 is says, “the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel—which means, “God with us.” In the last chapter of Matt 28:20, Jesus says, “And surely, I am with you always to the very end of the age.” Jesus was and will always be with us from beginning to end. It is a promise that we will never be alone.The birth of Jesus and His deity was foretold in the Old Testament. [Is 9:6-7] “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given…And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Note that it says a son is given. Jesus is that son. Not just a son to Mary but God’s Son, the Son of God. And it says He will be called Mighty God. That is because Jesus is God. John 1:1-2, affirms Jesus’ deity. Jesus is described as the Word. John says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.” Jesus is distinct from God but God in the fullest sense. He existed before he became man. Then in verse 14a John says, “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.” And that is Jesus Emmanuel. No other person in the world can truly be called this holy name in the fullest sense of the definition.At one point Jesus asks the Twelve disciples, "You do not want to leave too, do you?" Simon Peter answered Him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.’” His true followers knew who He was. If they didn’t believe it to be so true, they wouldn’t have died as martyrs for Him.Jesus purposefully sought to be with certain people. He invited Himself over to Zacchaeus the tax collector’s home; He invited zealots and fisherman to follow Him, He intentionally went through Samaria to meet the woman at the well, He hung out with sinners, He touched people with every kind of deformity and disease, and He said, “Come unto me and I will give you rest.” This should bring us great comfort that although you may feel alone, hated, and an outcast, Jesus desires to be with you today and every day.[John 14:1-4] Jesus tells His disciples, “I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am…Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me…I am going to prepare a place for you...When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.”

Fulfillment means the achievement of something desired, promised, predicted, required, pledged, or expected. In this podcast, we will talk about God fulfilling His promises, the fullness of Jesus Christ, being filled with the Holy Spirit, and filling the emptiness we have in our hearts.We can be assured that God fulfills all of His promises. The scriptures must be fulfilled is a common statement. You can trust that when God makes a promise He will bring it to fulfillment. He makes faithful promises to the Israelites, the church, and He makes personal promises to us.[Jos 23:14] “You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed.” [Ps 57:2] “I cry out to God Most High, to God, who fulfills His purpose for me.” [Ecc 5:5] “It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it.” God fulfills His promises but we aren’t as faithful to Him or to each other.Jesus fulfilled all prophecy. There are 400 Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah and Jesus fulfilled every single one of them. There were calculations made to figure out the odds that one individual could fulfill just 8 of the prophecies and the odds were 1 in 1027, that is 10 with 27 zeros. All throughout the New Testament is says, “this was done to fulfill prophecy.”[Col 2:9-10] “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.” NIV commentary says the very essence of deity was present in totality in Jesus’ human body.[II Chron 7:1] After Solomon build temple, it said, “the glory of the Lord filled the temple.” God’s presence was there. We are now the temple of God and believers can be filled with the presence of God through the Holy Spirit. [Eph 5:18] “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.” NIV commentary says the Greek present tense is used to indicate that the filling of the Spirit is not a once-for-all experience. Repeatedly, as the occasion requires, the Spirit empowers for worship, service and testimony. There is a contrast here between wine and the Spirit. Each will affect you in some way. You need to choose whether to be under the influence of wine or the Spirit.[Matt 5:6] “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” This is a promise.Heart longs for fulfillment. God promises to fill us with hope, joy, and peace. He can fill every need that you have. Every person has a need for love, purpose, identity, security, and relationship. [Rom 15:13] “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as your trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” We are designed with a great capacity for God. God has placed a deep-down desire in our hearts on purpose. We have a heart-shaped vacuum that can only be filled by Jesus. When our hearts ache to be filled, we tend to fill it with things to dull the ache. Things like alcohol, drugs, immoral fantasies, food, relationship, work, shopping, money and busyness. We can also fill it with worry, anxiety, depression, fear, anger, greed, malice, and other unhealthy emotions. These things only give a temporary satisfaction because they don’t fit the space. The bible says to guard your heart and be careful what you let in. If you fill it with negative things, then there is no room for the positive. You need to open up space in your heart and ask Jesus in.Jesus is enough and is the only one who can fill that empty space in your heart. And the beautiful thing is that He can fill it to overflowing, He uses the word abundant. He can satisfy any longing and meet your deepest need. All you have to do is ask Him to come in and fill it.

Deliver or deliverance means the action of being rescued or set free, to liberate, release, ransom, redeem, and save. This was Jesus’ mission. His entire ministry was a ministry of deliverance. But what did Jesus come to deliver us from? What was so wrong that the Son of God had to come to earth in human form to deliver us from it? The answer is sin. In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve sinned and from that point on, every person born was born with a sin nature. And this sin separates us from God. But God so loved the world that He sent Jesus to deliver us from our enslavement to this sin nature. He took away all of our sins on the cross and those who put their faith and trust in Him are freed from this sin nature and will have eternal life. Only by the Atonement and shed blood of Jesus Christ are we delivered from sin. What can we say Jesus is like from this? Some people say that Jesus wasn’t all about sin, He was about love and acceptance of everybody. But sin was the very reason why He came. The bible also says that without the shedding of blood, there can be no forgiveness of sins. We needed forgiveness. He knew very well that He was coming to deal with sin, once for all. To say that Jesus wasn’t about looking at and dealing with the sin in people is a wrong view of Jesus. When the woman was caught in adultery, He rescued her from death, loved her, but then told her to “go and sin no more.” Jesus was not shy about addressing the sin in people’s lives. Whenever the disciples said or did something wrong, He loved and forgave them but He immediately admonished them for their lack of faith or corrected them for their wrong thinking or challenged their pride and prejudices. He even told Peter once, “Get behind me Satan…you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” The bible says Jesus knew what was in the heart of man. He did not let sin go unaddressed. He didn’t wink at it, ignore it, or pretend it didn’t exist or wasn’t so bad. Sin had to be dealt with, there is no getting around it. Sin separates us from God and Jesus came to deliver us from sin so we could be in right relationship with God. On the cross all the sin of the world was placed on Him and His death is what truly showed His love for us.Jesus can only deliver because He is master over and has power over all things. When Jesus was on earth, it says that He had compassion on the crowds and He delivered many people from various problems, heart-aches, and difficult situations. For example, he delivered people from physical danger and disaster, basic needs like hunger, financial crisis, from a difficult life, mental illness, physical handicaps, and spiritual ruin. Ps 37:40 says, “The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord; He is their stronghold in time of trouble. The Lord helps them and delivers them; He delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in Him.”David knew where his help comes from and he always expressed his honest feelings in times of trouble as Ps 70:5 says, “I am poor and needy; come quickly to me, O God. You are my help and deliverer; O Lord, do not delay.” David always went to the true source of power with petitions for deliverance. So, go to the one who can deliver you. Don’t go anywhere else. Go to Jesus. He is the complete Deliverer for every circumstance. Not only did He come to completely deliver you from your enslavement to sin but He is always with you to deliver you from anything trouble that may stand in your way.

A command is an order, a compelling task given to an inferior. When you add ‘-ment’ to the end you get another word = Commandment. Commandment means a divine rule that must be obeyed, especially one handed down by God like the Ten Commandments. The Hebrew and Greek literally are translated as “The Ten Words.” Ten Commandments, not the 10 suggestions. Does God have the right to command us to do anything? The Jewish people made a covenant with God. It was a legal binding agreement. God kept up His end of the bargain but the Israelites did not. NIV commentary says, God’s covenant people are to render complete submission, allegiance and obedience to Him out of gratitude for His mercies, reverence for His sovereignty, and trust in His continuing care.Jesus reduced to two commandments. Love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength (covers commandments 1-4) and love your neighbor as yourself (overs commandments 5-10). Mark 12:28-31.Many might think that because of grace, our need to follow the commands strictly is not necessary; but Jesus actually taught an even stricter adherence. In Matt 5, the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said He did not come to abolish the Law but to fulfill it. He said to break God’s commandments inwardly is equivalent to breaking them outwardly.1. You shall have no other gods before me. No deity, real or imagined is to rival the one true God in our heart and life. Anything that takes a higher priority in your life than God.2. You shall not make for yourself an idol, you shall not bow down to them or worship them. God says He is a jealous God and this is a jealous love. He wants all our love to go to Him.3. You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God. By profaning His name or swearing falsely by it. Jesus said when we pray that we should honor God’s name, hallowed be His name. 4. Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Having completed His work of creation, God rested on the seventh day and we are to observe the same pattern in service of God in creation. Jesus said that the Sabbath day was created for us, not us for it. 5. Honor your father and your mother. Honor means to prize highly, care for, show respect, and obey. The first commandment with a promise. 6. You shall not murder. The Hebrew word refers to a premeditated and deliberate act. Jesus said, anyone who is even angry with his brother will be in danger of the fire of hell.7. You shall not commit adultery. Jesus said, anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.8. You shall not steal. There is no justification for stealing in any way, whether on your taxes, supplies from your workplace, fruit off your neighbor’s tree, and words like plagiarism.9. You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. Basically, do not lie. Here, Jesus elaborates on oath-taking in Mt 5:33-37, saying let your yes be yes and your no be no, anything beyond this come from the evil one. 10. You shall not covet anything that belongs to your neighbor. To desire something with evil motivation. God’s commandments aren’t there to punish or restrict us. Deut 10:12-13 says, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good. God’s commandments can be described as warning signs for life. Life is like a mine field. God doesn’t say don’t enjoy life but He does say that there are dangers that you are going to want to avoid. Follow His path through the mine field and you will live. If you take away the commandments then you will follow the wrong path through life and it will lead to death.

The cross is the principal symbol for the Christian religion. It represents the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, His Passion, and His death. The cross is a sign both of Christ Himself and of the faith of Christians. In New Testament bible times, the cross symbolized a very different thing, a shameful form of execution for criminals. When you place the cross on anything, you are basically stating an identity with Jesus. Believers of Jesus Christ know the magnitude of what happened on the cross. Jesus didn’t just die on it. The weight of all mankind’s sin was nailed to the cross. Jesus’ blood was shed on the cross. The King of the Jews hung there in agony to save the world, to redeem it, and to bring it near to God. The earth shook and darkness descended on the land. All love and forgiveness emanated from the cross. Sorrow and tears flowed. Burdens of guilt and shame were laid at the foot of the cross. The work Jesus came to earth to do was finished there.Every single prophecy concerning the crucifixion of Jesus Christ was fulfilled to the minutest detail. For example, He was delivered to Gentiles for judgement, the execution was to be outside of Jerusalem, He would hang on a tree, He would be lifted up from the earth, the Roman soldiers would pierce His hands and feet, they cast lots for his clothing, none of His bones would be broken, and people would hurl insults at Him. The Old Testament contains over 400 prophecies about the coming Messiah. Jesus Christ perfectly fulfilled every one of them. Calculations have been made to figure out what the probability would be of just eight of the prophecies being fulfilled in any one person who had lived up to the present time. The result: 1 in 10 to the 27 power. These odds should turn any reasonably thinking person to believe that Jesus is who He says He is.The last words spoken by Jesus were on the cross. A person’s final words prior to death generally are taken to have particular significance. Words of Forgiveness - Luke 23:34: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Words of Salvation - Luke 23:43: “Verily, I say unto you today, thou shalt be with Me in paradise.” Words of Relationship - John 19:26-27: “Woman, behold thy son.” And then He said to John “Son, behold thy mother.” Words of Abandonment - Matt 27:46 and Mark 15:34: “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Words of Distress - John 19:28: “I thirst.” Words of Triumph - John 19:30: “It is finished.” Words of Reunion - Luke 23:46: “Father, into Thy hands I commit My spirit.” I Cor 1:18 says, “For the message of the CROSS is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” So, the cross has power in its message and power in the Savior who died on it. Matt 10:38 says “Anyone who does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” Cross-bearing is a willingness to suffer and die for the Lord’s sake. How do you feel about that? Would you be willing to lay down all of your self-focus each day at the feet of the cross and make Jesus the sole object of your life and actions. This is a difficult, scary, and radical message and one that has kept many from being a true follower of Jesus Christ.But here is some encouragement from Heb 12:2-3, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus…who for the joy set before Him endured the CROSS, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men.” When we look at the cross, remember all He endured in accomplishing our redemption, our salvation, our freedom, “so that we will not grow weary and lose heart.” Our present suffering for the gospel’s sake is nothing compared to the hope of our future glory with Him in heaven.

The definition of resentment is bitter indignation and displeasure at having been treated unfairly. A persistent ill-will at something regarded as wrong, an insult, or an injury. It could be an act made against you or a remark made by a person. It is a very complex multi-layered emotion mixed with disappointment, disgust, anger, hostility, envy, grievances and feelings of revenge. It is a strong emotion. A lot of people don’t want to admit that they have strong negative emotions. You might say you dislike or are annoyed with someone because those words are milder and you don’t want to admit that you actually have hate in your heart toward anyone because it is such a strong word. Resentment is a very strong and destructive emotion. The complete opposite word for resentment is love. If you are resentful toward someone, you are not loving them. Some may think the opposite of love is hate. Hate and anger are components of resentment. If resentment lands on you, you want to make sure you take it off quickly. Don’t let it take root. If you have resentment, you are angry because you have been treated unfairly. In general, if you have some resentment in your heart, it is going to overflow in your attitude, overflow in the decisions you make, you can be easily critical of people and in your relationships. There is a quote from Carrie Fisher of Star Wars fame: Resentment is like drinking a poison and waiting for the other person to die. You are hurting yourself. Resentment puts you in bondage to it. It doesn’t release on its own. So what can we do to free ourselves? How do we break free from it? Rick says, no psycho-babble will get you out of it. The only thing that is going to get you out of it is Jesus. Going to him and casting all of your cares upon Him.One thing you have to do first off is to acknowledge that you have resentment in your life. You can’t go to Jesus about it if you are in denial that you have a problem. Resentment is sin. The next thing is to think about the other person and you need to forgive them. Then, You have to decide that you are not going to harm the other person. Make a conscience decision, or then you will be the one doing the harm and you will have to ask for forgiveness. Rick got the picture of a somebody who has a little tiny snowball. When you go out after a fresh snow, and it has warmed up a little bit, the snow that was so fresh, it gets sticky. And you take that little snowball of resentment and you start to roll it and start to play with it. What you need to do is destroy it. What you want to do is roll it up into a ball and you want to throw it as someone. Or you want to make such a big snowball or a boulder out of it that you can roll it over them.What did Jesus do when he faced mocking and injustices? He was falsely accused. He faced all kind of things that He could have been resentful for but He wasn’t. And on the cross, He said, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” He looked inside the person and understood that they didn’t even realize what they were doing but He forgave them anyways and He was treated just about as unfairly as anyone could have been treated. So today if anyone can relate to what Rick and Robin have talked about, and you are saying that is me. You have resentment for somebody for something they did. And you may be totally right in what they did is wrong. Jesus was totally right in what He was saying about those who were killing Him and they knew it. Jesus is our example. The one who set before us what to say and how to be. He forgave us and he tells us to forgive others as He has forgiven us. If you want to move on and move forward, forgive others who have hurt you, who have abandoned you, who have persecuted you, who have spoken falsely against you. That is what you do to live a radical life.

Blood is necessary to the life of humans and animals. It is essential to maintain life. So, it has been called lifeblood. Lev 17:11 says, “for the life of a creature is in the blood.” Without blood there can be no life. Jesus was human and had lifeblood too. But His blood was particularly special. Jesus’ lifeblood brings life to us. His lifeblood is key and necessary to our salvation.There are a couple of events that God put into place for the Jewish people that were a foreshadow of the blood of Jesus. God always had in mind His Son as He set up feasts, festivals, and ceremonies. Blood was an essential component in many of them. Passover for example was observed in remembrance of how God miraculously brought them safely out of slavery. The sacrificial animal they slaughtered to get the blood to put on the doorframes was called the Passover lamb. I Cor 5:7 says, “For Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed.” Jesus' death and shed blood, Christ fulfilled the true meaning of the Jewish sacrifice of the Passover Lamb. The bible confirms that Jesus was crucified on Passover day. And He was the sinless and spotless sacrificial Lamb of God who frees us from being a slave to sin. Those who put their trust in Him will escape the judgement of death. Heb 10:10 says, “we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” He substituted His life for ours and there was no longer any need for countless sacrifices. We know in Jesus’ last meal with His disciples, after he had given thanks, he took the cup saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you. This is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.’” The shedding of Jesus’ blood is a covenant sign, and God states our salvation is sealed and paid for by Jesus’ blood. And we are to regularly set aside time to remember that His body was broken and His blood shed for us.Jesus went through what we go through to identify with every aspect of life including having our flesh cut. He allowed every drop of blood to be shed while He was being whipped, the crown of thorns pushed on to His head, and the nails hammered into His hands and feet. Jesus knew with every blow the significance of His blood being spilt for the sins of man. The blood was spilt for the Pharisees, Pilot, Herod, the crowds, his disciples, His mother and even the Roman soldiers who were whipping Him. A speaker on Focus on the Family radio said that the human body can replace 20 million cells in just a few seconds, which means over a lifetime your body produces a lot of blood. Adult humans have somewhere around 25 trillion red blood cells in their body. This means that Jesus had this many red blood cells too and they were being replaced every few seconds. The speaker said he didn’t want to over spiritualize it but were there enough divine and powerrful blood cells shed so that there was enough for every person whoever lived in the world? Is it possible that we each have one red blood cell assigned for us? And that cell is so holy and pure that it can do what it says in I John 1:7, “the blood of Jesus…purifies us from all sin.”Jesus shed His blood for you to cleanse you from all unrighteousness. Cleansing is a result of being washed in the blood of Jesus. When God washes us, we become whiter than snow. White is a sign of purity. If you feel your life is so impure and stained with so much sin that you can never be made pure again, Jesus is saying and promises that His death and shed blood has the power to completely wash you clean so you can begin anew. All you have to do is accept this truth, confess your sins, and ask Jesus to come into your life and then you will receive the gift of this cleansing through His blood. Will you please do that today? Put your trust in Jesus who shed His lifeblood to bring you eternal life.

Contentment is a state of being happy and satisfied. Being pleased, fulfilled, and gratified. Not an excited kind of happy but more like a peaceful ease of mind.This is our first episode of our new series called “A Moe-Ment” and the first topic is a moment about contentment. It is nice that it is falling on Thanksgiving week because having a grateful attitude is a part of contentment.What are some of the characteristics of content people?· They are flexible, optimistic, open to new ideas, and can view life from different angles. They seek to see their situations from a spiritual point of view and get God’s perspective.· They put their faith in God’s timing, purpose, and ways and do not worry and fear. Prov 19:23 says, “The fear of the Lord leads to life. Then one rests content, untouched by trouble.”· They will most likely be healthier because being in a relaxed state of mind reduces stress and anxiety which takes a toll on our bodies.· They are more accepting and not judgmental of other people. They don’t react to or hold offenses. They realize all people go through things and all people are made in the image of God.· They love people more than money and possessions. Heb 13:5 says, “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you,’”· They realize joy does not come from material things. They can distinguish between wants and needs. They don’t have a constant need to strive for more. They do not desire more than they need, have joy in what they already have. · They are satisfied with their current status, situation, and possessions. So, they are able to let go of past failures and live in the present moment. And they don’t have attitude of, “When I get this or that in the future, then I will be happy.”· They don’t compare themselves with others because that will get you into a mode of trying to “keep up with the Jones.” · They do not envy or covet. I Tim 6:6-10 says, “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have good and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”· They don’t let what they have be who they are. They don’t look disagreeably upon themselves. They are able to view themselves as God views them, not by the world’s or someone else’s standard. There is an internal goal to be content and they take steps to meet that goal.· They have an thankful attitude and keep their eyes on the one who supplies all their needs and who says, “Come, all who are weary and heavy ladened and find rest.”Oswald Chambers says, “If God has made your cup sweet, drink it with grace; if He has made it bitter, drink it in communion with Him.” Turn it all over to Jesus and all your needs will be met.Ask yourself, if you lost every possession and person in your life, could you still be content? Paul says in Phil 3:8, “What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ.” Possessing Christ is all you need. He is more than enough.

Atonement originally meant “at-one-ment” or “at one with,” to be in harmony with someone. In Christianity, atonement refers to the needed reconciliation between sinful man and woman and the holy God. In Wikipedia, a human definition states that atonement is the concept of a person taking action to correct their own previous wrongdoing, offense, or injury. The person knows they have done wrong and they want to mend the wrong. To correct it, they might either take direct action, take equivalent action to do good in return for others, or express feelings of remorse, like apologize for what they did. They hope by doing any of these things they can atone for or undo the consequences of the wrong act because if you do something wrong there are usually consequences. Consequences are a part of God’s divine legal system too. God has great wrath against sin. God says eternal death is the consequence when we sin against God or break one of His laws. The sin causes a break and builds a barrier in our relationship with Him. It separates us from Him. Because of God’s love for us, He desires that we be reconciled to Him; so He created a very specific and necessary path to reconciliation. Many trying to correct something on their own that they have done wrong; but in God’s system no one can do anything to atone for their own sins. Everyone is born with a sin nature due to Adam’s first original sin. Everyone has sinned against God’s law, it is like the sin is on you and you can’t take your sinful nature off yourself. A sinful person can’t correct or remove his own sin no matter how hard they try. There is nothing he or she can do to atone for their sin and reconcile their relationship to God. So that is why God sent His only beloved Son, Jesus, into the world so that we can be at one with God, in harmony with God. Jesus Christ was God’s solution to our problem of sin. We could not atone for our sin so Jesus atoned it for us. The Atonement, purged our sins and reconciled us to God. God’s wrath for sin was forever satisfied by His Son’s death. It was God’s requirement for us to avoid the eternal consequences of death and to enter into eternal life with Him. We did not have to do anything. It was a gift from God by grace to all who will receive and accept it. [Rom 5:11] “We were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son.” [I Peter 3:18] “For Christ died for sins, once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.”We will never know what it was like to have the compressed all-encompassing weight of all the sins of the world placed upon Him. He took away my sin and died the death I deserved. Even though He knew why He was hanging there on the cross, He was also human and He deeply felt the absence of God because of the sin He was enduring in that moment. He was in physical agony due to the beating of His body. He was mentally abused in that He was unwarrantedly mocked, falsely accused, betrayed and slandered. He was emotionally exhausted and in spiritual anguish. There has never been a more terrible death. God’s wrath against us was turned away from us and directed toward Him. [I Peter 2:24] “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness.” Jesus dies for our sins, the innocent for the guilty.Oswald Chambers says, “The Atonement means that God can put me back into perfect union with Himself, without a shadow between…It does not matter who or what we are, there is absolute reinstatement into God by the death of Jesus Christ and by no other way.”Will we accept by faith Christ’s atonement and acknowledge that it was our sin that He bore in our place? When we believe, repent and put our trust in Him, we receive God’s free gift and then there is no more barrier between God and us. Will choose today to ask Jesus into your life and be reconciled to God.

Rick and Robin introduce their new topical series called “A Moe-Ment.” The word '-ment' is not really a word, it is a suffix that is put at the end of a word and in doing so it creates a new word. For example, ship+ment=shipment. The suffix '-ment' means an action, a state, or a condition. All of the topics of the series will have a word with '-ment' at the end. The topics will include fun ones such as “Enjoyment” and serious ones such as “Disappointment.” So don’t be disappointed and listen every Tuesday for a new episode for your enjoyment!

Welcome to our new Radical Life Support series entitled the ABCs of the Attributes of Jesus. This series will be focusing on the attributes, character, names, and works of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the second member of the Divine Trinity and He is described as “the exact representation of God’s being” (Heb 1:3). Jesus is not merely an image or reflection of God. There is God the Father, the Son of God and the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God and the Son Himself is God. It is very important to start with this view of Jesus. Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, was born to a virgin, became flesh and dwelt among us. Jesus came for a very specific reason as clearly stated in John 3:16 which says that, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him, shall not perish but have eternal life.” Jesus came and died on a cross for the sins of all mankind. He was buried and then 3 days later, He rose again defeating death. He ascended into heaven and now sits at the right hand of God the Father. One day He will return to earth and those who put their trust in Him will live with Him forever in heaven. This is the basic tenant of the Christian faith. It begins and ends with Jesus as the central figure in and for all creation.In our study on the ABCs of the attributes of God, our main theme came from a quote by A.W. Tozer, “What you think about God is the most important thing about you.” Now, with Jesus, what you think about Him has eternal consequences. Our quote for this series will be from Jesus Himself spoken to His disciples in Matt 16, Mark 8, and Luke 9: Jesus and His disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. Once when Jesus was praying in private and His disciples were with Him, He asked His disciples, “Who do people say that I am?" They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life.” “But what about you?” He asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God."The people of the day compared Jesus to good men, believing He was a good man. People even do that today. He was a good teacher they say; but that was not the right or complete description of Jesus. Peter accurately said He was the Christ, the long awaited anointed one. Stating Him as being divine, more than a mere man. When we talk about who Jesus was and is today, we must start at this point. It is a serious matter to get His identification correct. His true identity is of utmost and absolute importance for the world and each of us personally. It is a matter of eternal life or eternal death for those who would or would not believe in Him.We don’t need to guess who Jesus is or make Him up. In our study, we are going to see in scripture what God says about Jesus and what Jesus says about Himself. It is plainly stated to either be believed or not. The bible is the source of true knowledge regarding who Jesus is. People’s opinion or our own understanding of who Jesus is or who we want Him to be will always be inaccurate. Do not rely on it and make sure whatever you believe about Jesus matches with scripture.When you seek Him, the bible says you will find Him. That is a promise for anyone who is seeking with their whole heart. So, in these next weeks, let’s seek Him together. Let’s find out if we really know Him for who He is. We can’t afford to get it wrong. Ask yourself our theme question as if Jesus was asking you directly, “But what about you?” “Who do you say I am?”

We are interviewing Dave Peightal at his home in Glenwood, Arkansas. Although Pegtop was really the name of the band Dave was in, started after Teen Rescue, many think his name is Dave Pegtop. Rick and Dave met back in the mid to late 1980s at Sunshine Festival over 30 years ago. Dave was in the Cutting Edge band at the time and they were introduced and shortly thereafter Dave began to travel with the RLS band. When Rick thinks back at the impact Dave had in the band, he remembers what was happening on stage was so evident. But what he saw when you were with the group and the band, Rick always saw this incredible gentle spirit that would be sitting there with whoever. Dave just ministered so beautifully to people. There was peace that was in the vehicle while they were traveling. Rick especially noticed it when Dave was not with us. He would ask to himself, why is there some contention today. And one of the reasons was -- Dave is not here. Rick thanks God for the season He gave him to have Dave present with Teen Rescue and in the band because Dave went on to start the band, Pegtop. Dave wrote several songs that RLS used. One specific one that was one of Rick’s favorites was “I Believe in You." Also, Rick remembers particularly the song, "Everything I Own." It was a song also covered by artist, Jason Gray. Dave states that a lot of the songs we wrote during the time he wrote that song were written during a very difficult time in his life. The songs were Psalm-like in that they came out of depression and oppression with intense honesty. Dave’s songs came from real life experience and they were songs that others could relate to who were going through similar situations. Dave was contemplating and being discouraged that his Christian walk had not progressed further than it had been. He was evaluating how he had spent his time. Realizing that most of the time we spend as humans is on things that do not really matter and he wished he had spent more time on things that matter. The song goes on to compare what Jesus has done and how He gave everything He owned. That is the hope that we have. Dave says the song was written out of despair and it is one of the few songs that still touches him when he sings it so he still plays it everyone once in a while. Rick asks Dave who he remembers from the days with Teen Rescue. Dave says that if it hadn’t been for RLS, Pegtop would never have been started. All the people he played with came from the RLS band: Wes T., Terry S., Ben C., and eventually Matt P. The team was knocking off new songs while they were traveling. Rick would be listening from the front of the van thinking how cool it was. Dave says that Rick put people in positions where they found themselves in Christ. Everyone in Pegtop were people that Rick had in one way or another challenged to get out and do things for Jesus. Others Dave remembers are Cindy T., Eric H., and Dwight L. Rick said Dave’s time with Teen Rescue was invaluable and amazing and the years that followed. And here we are today, God is still working things in and through us. Our journey isn’t over, not even close. Dave says it is an exciting time because things are happening. When people put their trust in the Father and walk in obedience, He promises to protect us. We need to learn to listen and obey that voice and walk in it. We do not need to be afraid. When we trust the Father completely, there is no fear. Rick replies that the bible says that those who follow Christ did not love their life even unto death. And that is spoke of about how do we defeat Satan and overcome evil? How do we overcome the accuser of the brethren? By the blood of the Lamb, the word of our testimony and that we did not even love our life even unto death. And that is what we call a radical life!!

Zealous is a super-positive word that accurately describes God. Zealous is a word that implies passion, enthusiasm, devotion, and dedication for something or someone. If you have zeal, you are willing, energized, and motivated for that thing or person and that is the real picture of God’s zeal. It is important to understand why God is so zealous for us. One of God’s names is Qanna and it is translated zealous, jealous, or envy. [Ex 34:14] “Do not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a Jealous God.” Zealous and jealous are sometimes used interchangeably with a similar meaning in translation.That God is zealous and jealous is best shown in the marriage relationship. God says when He created marriage, the two will become one flesh. When a man and a woman make a marriage commitment, they are making a covenant before God that they will be faithful through all circumstances of life and will not redirect their love to anyone else. Zeal can be described as God’s jealous love. In scripture, God is depicted as Israel's husband. God is like a jealous lover who is unwilling to abandon or give up His redeemed people. His passion and zeal is for them to be in covenant relationship with Him. As in a marriage relationship, God is wanting all our praise for Himself and no one else. He makes a commitment to be zealous and all out for our good and we in turn decide to be 100% devoted to Him and to love Him with all of our heart, mind, strength and soul.God made a covenant with His people in love. Because Israel turned to other gods, God said they had for all intentions committed adultery against Him. God was so displeased with the Israelite’s over their unfaithfulness that He sent His people into captivity for 70 years. We don’t often like to think that God hates sin as much as He does and that it angers Him; but the bible doesn’t hide this jealous attribute of God. We much prefer to hear the verses when God’s is no longer angry and merciful. God forgives after we have repented of our unfaithfulness and then with continued zeal works to restore the relationship. In [Zec 8:1,7] “I am very jealous for Zion; I am burning with jealousy for her…I will bring them back to live in Jerusalem; they will be my people, and I will be faithful and righteous to them as their God.” God always keeps His part of the covenant. And God has a right because of His faithfulness, to want us to be faithful to Him in return. There is no sin in His righteous jealousy.God is zealous and deeply cares that you think of Him rightly. So, let’s ask our series theme statement in a form of a question: What comes into your mind when you think about God? Deep in your heart, what do you believe God to be like? Tozer says that once we know what a person thinks about God, then, “we might predict with certainty the spiritual future of that man (or woman).” Your answer is of immense importance. Your answer to this question will show whether your view corresponds to the true being of God. Some may quote the Apostle’s Creed stating that is what they believe about God. But that can be just a religious statement that doesn’t dig down into the specific beliefs about God. We need to find out what God says in scripture about Himself and compare our thoughts against that. It could be difficult to find out that our knowledge is inaccurate and that we have believed God wrongly for so many years. How elevated is your view of God? Do you have a high opinion of Him? Is your view a view that God would consider is worthy of Him? Is it a view that causes you to live your life in a certain way?What you believe about God truly is the most important thing about you. Since God has taken so much effort to reveal all of His wonderful attributes about Himself through the word, through creation, through Jesus and in our hearts, shouldn’t we work with zeal to make sure we know Him rightly?

Yahweh is God’s name, not an attribute of God. But in OT times, a name wasn’t just a way to provide identification of someone, it could also describe their character and personality. God has many names in the bible. He reveals Himself to us through His names. Yahweh is a divine and sacred name. It is a name only used for the one true God, the self-existent, living God. "Let them praise the name of the LORD: for his name alone is excellent." [Ps 148:13a]. God stands behind His name with full force and truth and is zealous of His name. Yahweh or Jehovah is the name God uses of Himself. It is a covenant keeping name between God and man. It means Lord, Master. And even more personally, a name God uses to communicate with His own people and a name used when in relationship with the people He loves. He defined His name for us so that we could better understand who God really is and all of His attributes. It is a holy, eternal name that holds great might and power.This section references the Blue Bible Book website. Don Stewart: Why Is God Called Yahweh? (Jehovah). In [Ex 3:14] God said to Moses, “I AM who I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you.” God’s name here encapsulates the full depth of who He is. The One and Only True and Living God of all gods. It describes the eternal supremacy of all He is over all others in the universe. No one else holds a name greater than His name. Yahweh and Jehovah is used in combination with other names for God. These compound names include Jehovah Jireh: The Lord Will Provide; Jehovah-Shalom: The Lord is Peace; Jehovah Sabaoth: The Lord of hosts, The Lord of Powers; Jehovah Shammah: The Lord is There; Jehovah Tsidkenu: The Lord Our Righteousness; Jehovah-Raah: The Lord My Shepherd; Jehovah-Rapha: The Lord that Heals, The Lord Your Healer; Jehovah Nissi: The Lord My Banner; and Jehovah Mekoddishkem: The Lord Who Sanctifies You.Jehovah is translated as "The Existing One." Many scholars believe the most proper meaning is “He Brings into Existence Whatever Exists” (Yahweh-Asher-Yahweh). [Jer 33:2] He who made the earth, the LORD who formed it and established it -the LORD is his name. Yahweh-Elohim. This title is used of God’s relationship to humanity as Creator. First used in Gen 1:1. [Ps 95:6] Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.Jesus’ name was given by God to Joseph in a dream, [Matt 1:21[ “you are to give him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.” Jesus means Savior, appropriately named for what he would do and how His life would be represented and remembered. In Acts 4:12, it says that “there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be save.” This indicates the eternal significance for us of the power of the name of Jesus. In Phil 2:10 is says that, “God gave Him the name that is above every name and that at that name every knee will bow in heaven, on earth, and under the earth.”We should never take His name lightly. [Lev 22:32] says, “Do not profane my holy name.” We are to treat His name with reverence and grave significance in our minds and hearts. Do not use it casually, flippantly, or in vain. When you honor His name, you are showing Him devotion, respect, and admiration. You are showing that God's name is of the utmost importance to you. People will notice when you do this. If you take His name seriously, people will see that your heart is fully committed and they will more likely believe your witness about God and Jesus His Son. “Who is God to you?” When you pray, are you praying to an “it” or to a “thing?” I hope not, because God is a person with a name who created you and loves you. What does His name mean to you? Ask yourself, is He your Most High God, All sufficient One, Master and Lord? Is He your Provider, Shepherd, and Friend? God knows us by our name, shouldn't we know Him by His name?

This episode was inspired by a song Robin wrote on the ukulele which is recorded at the end of the podcast for your enjoyment.Some people don’t seem to want to take their troubles to the Lord. They would rather wring their hands and worry and fret. They want to keep their troubles from the Lord. We all have a list of troubles and trials to worry over. I will bet the list is not as long as the number of times God tells us to not to be anxious or be afraid. God said not to be dismayed because I am your God. Don’t be discouraged or hopeless or in despair but be encouraged and full of hope.Who do you take your troubles to? You take them to God the Father; God the Son, Jesus; and God the Holy Spirit. You can bring them to either or all three. Ask the Father in Jesus name to be filled with the Spirit. Each is a person that you can have a relationship with. Take your troubles to the God of all gods and His Son Jesus who have all the power in the universe to take care of everything. When do you take your troubles to the Lord? Immediately, right now, you do not have to wait. Why hang on to your troubles? We have a tendency to try and handle our troubles ourselves first and taking them to God is our last resort. Today is the day of salvation. Salvation is another name for God. Jesus means Savior. He doesn’t just save our souls but it is salvation for any trouble you find yourself in. Jesus says, “Come unto me all those who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest.” That call to come is always open, His door is open any time. When Jesus was on this world, He could only be in one place at a time. But now His spirit is available to all to be with them at any time, always present, always near. Where do you take your troubles? Some think they can only bring troubles in a formal church setting but you can bring them in your car or any place. One symbolic place to bring your troubles and your burdens is at the foot of the cross. Use your imagination to set them down at the cross. Jesus went to the cross just once, He died on the cross just once, He was put in the tomb just once, and rose again from the dead just once. So that He could be with the Father. He work was complete.What troubles should you take to the Lord? Remember it is not just about big things but God wants you to give Him small things as well, nothing is too small. God knows your heart and it doesn’t bother Him for you to give Him every detail of your life. Anything you might be stressing out about. Don’t be afraid to share with God that it is too insignificant to bother Him with. Give it all to the Lord.Whatever is going on with you, take your troubles to the Lord. This is just another characteristic and identifying mark of a radical life!TAKE YOUR TROUBLES TO THE LORDChorus: Take your troubles to the Lord, Take your troubles to the Lord, Take your battles, your sorrows, your pain and your tomorrows, Take your troubles to the LordVerse 1: Your job is overwhelming and your boss is bearing down, the kids are screaming louder and you can’t think through the sound, a friend told a lie about you just the other day, Take your Troubles to the Lord.Verse 2: You’re being mistreated ‘cause you’re different from the rest, another sleepless night filled with worry, fear and stress, you made a mistake and you don’t know what to do, Take your Troubles to the LordVerse 3: Not enough money to pay your bills again, you’re taking your prescription though there’s no more pain to mend, you just heard some news that’s turned your world upside down, Take your Troubles to the Lord.Bridge: Sing a halleluiah when you’re down and out, sing a halleluiah when your hopes run out, sing a halleluiah ‘cause you know it’s not the end, when you take your troubles to the Lord.

When saying God is exalted, we mean He is high above all else, placed at the highest or most powerful level; held in highest regard and standing. God is lofty, eminent, superior, and distinguished. God is to be honored, revered, and esteemed.Understand this though, that God is exalted whether we exalt Him or not. He is the exalted supreme being over all at all times. He doesn’t need anyone to exalt Him to a position that He already holds or to a place He already is. He is never low that He becomes exalted due to our exaltation of Him. Nothing is above Him and nothing is beyond Him. He can never be brought down nor can He be promoted from an outside source. He cannot actually be raised or lifted higher in the truest sense because He alone holds that solitary and solid highest position now and forever. We can only raise Him high and lift Him up in the position He holds in our hearts. If anyone is worthy, God is worthy to be exalted. We are the ones who should exalt Him for who He is, who He’s always been and always will be. We should exalt Him in our thoughts, words, and actions. We should praise Him and worship Him for His esteemed position as Creator of the universe and sovereign Lord over all the earth. We should elevate Him in our hearts and increase our estimation of Him. Nothing we think or do, affects that He is the High and Exalted One. That position that He alone holds is stationary. It is we who are either elevated towards Him or descend away from Him. It is we who decide whether we will give Him the highest position in our hearts or not.If no one on the earth were to exalt God, it could not affect God in any way. Who He is, is not affected by those He created. Tozer says, “He is what He is in Himself without regard to any other. To believe in Him adds nothing to His perfections; to doubt Him takes nothing away.” God desires our praise and deserves our praise; but our worship or lack of worship doesn’t make Him more or less exalted.One special thing that God created to exalt Him was music. I am particularly drawn to harmony like in a choir and love to hear voices singing together to create a united song of worship. God created different genres of music that appeal to different cultures and generations to praise Him. Sometimes we might have trouble or don’t know how to worship God. Music helps. A song can take you to a place of exaltation and praise. Corporate worship can elevate the worship experience. It is a prelude to heavenly worship. It is a way to pour out our hearts to God. Singing about praise, thankfulness, confession, petition and love. [Ex 15:1] “I will sing to the Lord for He is highly exalted.” Worship not only helps you focus on God but when God created music, He knew that worship benefits us as well. Jesus as the second member of the Trinity is exalted too. [Heb 7:26] “A high priest, (who) meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens.” Because Jesus was sinless in all His ways, He is exalted. No other priest on earth can claim to have lived a blameless life. Only His pure shed blood could wash away the sins of the entire world. He was the final Lamb sacrifice. After His death and resurrection, He sat down next to the Father indicating that the work was done. No other sacrifices were needed. Jesus is given by God the exalted position of King of kings and Lord of lords. No other man or philosophy of man is to be exalted over Jesus Christ.Acknowledge the exalted position that God holds and compare it to our humble position before Him. Although God allows us to be so familiar with Him to call Him Daddy, we also are to be reverent before an all-consuming, all-powerful, exalted God. It is so important to contemplate and worship God in His entirety of being. Let us not dwell on a few attributes of God which limits our thinking of who He is; but understand Him in all His divine attributes.

Robin has been thinking about children who do not get to be born. Children whose lives are taken. The children who are ripped apart. Her main attitude over the years has been one of resolution that abortion is wrong. She never remembers crying over the children before but lately the issue has brought her to tears. She heard on a prophetic word that we need to speak up for the children. We need to save the children. Robin listen to a man from the Catholic church who talked about the baby’s bodies being torn apart. Their blood is shed on their mothers and the hands of the nurses and doctors. And it made Robin really sad. She thought of the story of Cain and Able and God saying to Cain that the blood of your brother is crying out to me. Why would the blood be crying out? God hears the blood? Then, Robin read some verses that talked about the life-blood inside of us. We all have that life-blood. She looked up in the internal that the blood vessels and blood cells start to develop in a fetus within 15-18 days. A single blood cell would be enough to be life-blood for a child. Their blood is crying out and the Lord says He hears the cries of the innocent.Women who miscarry wanted their baby more than anything. They grief the loss of the child and grieving is healthy and important. But those who have aborted their children probably many haven’t grieved or taken the time to think about that the life of the baby is gone. Robin’s sadness included those women too who have had abortions. Racheal’s vineyard is a Catholic retreat for those who have had abortions. You can name your children, have a funeral for them, say good-by to them, and you can find peace in your heart for the loss of your child. There are places where you can go and properly grieve.Rick recalls a story after he was a youth pastor, he had taken a driving instructor position to make some extra money. Out of the blue, his young gal student asked him if God could forgive murder? She was probably 15 years old. He said, of course God does forgive anything. But he asked her if she was talking about abortion. She said that she had an abortion. Then he asked her to pull over the car because she started to cry. He began to minister to her the words of God. He spoke about in Revelation how one day God will wipe every tear away. She was deeply affected by this, carrying the pain and guilt. He told her of the love and forgiveness of God. That she needed to confess her sins to God.Without trusting in the Lord, how can you really get through anything in life. Ps 72:122, “For He (the Messiah) will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help. He will take pity on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death, He will rescue them from oppression and violence, for precious is their blood in His sight.” We know that our Savior shed His blood for us. If it wasn’t for the blood of Jesus there would have been no forgiveness of sins. Maybe you have shed innocent blood; but Jesus shed His blood for you to forgive you, to take away your sin and make you clean and whole. He is there to walk you through the aftermath of decisions of regret. When you come to Him and accept Him in your heart and ask for forgiveness, He will renew your life and you can trust Him and move forward.Rick remembers when he was first old enough to vote. He looked at all the candidates and what they believed and what they stood for. It all came down to one thing. He was going to vote for the people who are pro-life. We need to vote to save the children. It makes it so simple. When this election rolls around. If they are pro-choice, then they aren’t even to be considered. You have to vote for people who will fight and stand for the unborn. Rick and Robin don’t believe this is about politics. It is about life and death, right and wrong. What is right to do in the eyes of God.

There should be no debate that God’s wonderful wisdom transcends all other wisdom. He is God, He created the world, so His wisdom about the world and how it works should supersede all other knowledge. God’s wisdom is holy, infinite, just and righteous. It is a wisdom that is real and unchanging yesterday, today and tomorrow so it is eternal. God’s wisdom is pure, loving, and good. We often view it as highly moral but that doesn’t do it justice. God’s wisdom is entirely perfect, with no fault, infallible. All of God’s acts are accomplished in perfect wisdom. When He acts, He is always promoting His glory and He is always doing the best thing for those who love Him. It would go against His nature to do otherwise. God uses perfect means to achieve the perfect ending. God can do anything in perfect wisdom because He sees the whole picture. God’s wisdom is flawless and precise. He knows the proper order so everything will fall into place. And He knows it all from an all-encompassing viewpoint.How do we receive Godly wisdom? James 1:5-6a, “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt.” Rick Warren said, “What matters is not the size of your faith but the size of the God you put your faith in...a little faith in a big God gets big results.” Ask God for wisdom and believe He will give without a doubt.[Is 28:29] All this comes from the Lord Almighty, WONDERFUL in counsel and magnificent in wisdom. [Rom 11:33] “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God.” [Dan 2:20-21] “Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are His…He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.” Proverbs is an entire book on valuing wisdom. “Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom though it cost all you have. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”[James 3:13] “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.” This verse simply sums up what wisdom is. It is not just a knowledge of scripture or of right and wrong. But a wise person though uses it, acts upon it, applies it in every day life, and makes decisions based on it. There is divine wisdom and human wisdom in our created world and they are constantly at war with one another. God allows both to exist even though human wisdom is woefully inferior and inadequate to God’s boundless wisdom and truth. God knows His wisdom is superior so He is not threatened by human wisdom thinking it is equal to God’s wisdom. He knows in the end that His wisdom will prevail. Worldly wisdom is limited, constantly changing, and often times completely inaccurate. Basing your life decisions upon a particular person or group is not wise. The world’s collective intelligence can’t remotely compare to the wisdom of our God. [I Cor 3:18-20] “Do not deceive yourselves. If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a “fool” so that he may become wise. The wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. God’s perfect wisdom is almost always the opposite of the world’s wisdom and this was especially demonstrated in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We do not have to worry when it seems like human wisdom is gaining ground in this fallen world because we know the end of the story and God’s wonderful wisdom wins. We know Jesus Christ our Savior will return. That is where we fully place all of our hope while we wait for all of God’s acts of wisdom to play out. Everyone will bow their knee to the only wise God. Our world will be freed, our tears will be wiped away, and we will see our reward for putting our faith in God’s wisdom.

Winter, spring, summer or fall. Seasons change. Fall is here and Summer is over. Rick says he is not sure God intended for there to be our current change of seasons when the world started in the Garden of Eden. God created a paradise. Rick would want one season and that is summer. Paradise to Robin means life and winter is dead. She imagines in the Garden of Eden all the trees and flowers were in bloom all the time. Rick does believe though that God intended for there to be change. Over the summer, Rick met a man who had committed a crime and landed in prison. He needed a radical change in his life. He made a vow with God. If God would do something, then he would do something in return. He would repay God. In their conversation, the man confessed that he hadn’t held up his end of the vow. He said God did His part but I didn’t do mine. He wanted to but didn’t and that guilt has been over his head for a long time. Rick lead this man to a place where he took a step of faith toward Jesus. He seemed sincere as he left that day that he was going to make some changes in his life. In order for a person to really make changes, there has to be some decisions made. There really needs to be a changing of direction for your life. The word repentance means to turn, to go the other way. In a car, we call that a U-turn. The most radical change you can make in your life is what Barry McGuire said in his song, “A funny thing happened on my way to hell, I got saved, saved, saved.” We need to make a turn, find God and move towards Him. There is only one path to God and we need to get on that path.When a person becomes a Christian and becomes a brand new creature, Rick recalls the verse that the old things have passed away and behold all things have become new. Although the word change is not in that verse, that is the most radical change that a life can take. One day you are going one way and it is the wrong way. And it becomes so evident when you make that turn, when you make a commitment to follow Christ and you become a Christian, when you begin to live in the new; it is a huge change.Maybe seasons weren’t the original intention of God; but after the fall of man there were seasons. God created the seasons and seasons can be a great metaphor for life. Seasons can represent hope. If you are feeling down because of fall and winter, they are not going to last forever. It is a season. If you are in a dead or cold season, hang in there, don’t give up because Spring and Summer are coming. There is hope because new life is coming. We know we need to change in our heart and in our mind. People make yearly resolutions because they know deep inside that change is needed. It is an inward feeling. We inherently know that we need to make a change in some area. Rick says as he gets older, the more hopeful he gets. He knows there is help and hope; but without change, what is help and hope? If you cannot receive the help and hope that is being offered to you then what do you really have? You have to become a receiver and an asker. When Jesus says, “Behold,” He is saying take a look at what I am doing. “Behold, I stand at the door of your heart and knock.” Jesus wants to come in. He will not burst through the door. Whoever opens the door, He will come in. That is the most radical change that a person can ever go through. There are many who won’t open the door to Jesus because they are afraid that Jesus will ask them to make changes that they do not want to make. The answer is that yes, He probably will ask us to make changes. But Jesus does it in a way that is loving and caring. He knows where you are isn’t where you can be. He will do everything to move you to that place. Change is good, they call it sanctification, to be set apart for Him. Change is definitely a part of a radical life.

Vast means of very great extent or quantity; immense. Other words include king-sized, mega, giant, massive, huge, extensive, mammoth, enormous, gigantic, colossal, stupendous, Herculean, titanic, humungous, monumental, astronomical, gargantuan, ginormous … Is there a bigger English word to describe God is vast?With this attribute we are going to look at this vast God from the standpoint of His involvement in our every-day lives. Not outside our existence but how big and vast He is within our world of time and space. Many can believe that God is vast and big; but this may lead them to believe that He is too big to have time or to see what is going on in our small little lives. They can’t imagine that He can be big and near at the same time. But, in Is 57:15b, God says, “I live in a high and holy place but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit.” He is in both places, heaven and heart. He can be in multiple places at one time because He is God. He wants to be in our hearts because He is God and He cares for us.We just don’t spend enough time considering how vast and big God is. We live such busy and self-focused lives that there is no time or maybe we feel there is no reason to think or consider about God. Probably the most common times we do consider Him is when we are out in nature. Job 37:14 says we should “stop and consider God’s wonders.”[Gen 2:1] “The heavens and the earth were completed (by God) in all their vast array.” If you live in the city, its activity and bright lights cover up the real view of the sky. When you get a chance to look at a night sky where there are no city lights, you see how many stars fill the sky. This is the same with God, you cannot see how vast and beautiful He is if you are entrenched in the man-made things of this world. It is only when you surround yourself with God focused things that you begin to see how awesome He is.To show the world His great and vast love, God sent His one and only Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus came as a man and lived within our time, in our finite world, with human limitations. God was showing us that He may be big; but is willing live so close to us, come down to our level, that humans could actually touch Him, look into His eyes, and hear the sound of His voice. He visited people’s homes, touched the sick, and fed the multitudes. Jesus proved His own deity and that He had all the power of God through His vast miracles yet His attitude to us showed that He is not a lofty god demanding that we bow before Him. No, He is an intimate God seeking to come so close and speak words of instruction, encouragement, comfort and life. Those who have the Holy Spirit in their hearts have the third member of the holy Trinity living inside of them. You have this vast God on your side. I John 4:4 says, “You are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” Rom 8:31-32, says, “If God is for us, who can be against us?”When God brought the Israelites to Canaan, they sent 12 spies. Ten came back and said, the land was filled with giants. They compared the giants to themselves and told the others in fear that they were no match to them. But, two compared the Canaan giants against the big, vast God they believed in and said, “If the Lord is pleased with us, He will lead us into that land…Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them.” How big is the God you believe in? If your belief is smaller than who God really is, then you are actually believing in some other god, you are not believing in the true God. How you view God is truly the most important thing about you and it effects how you live. Believe that God is bigger than your problems; then you can take a deep breath and relax, knowing He has your back or that He will provide all you need. You don’t have to strive or worry. You can move forward with confidence.

Rick and Robin travel to Washington, DC with friends to attend the 2020 Prayer March. Each one shares about the atmosphere, the unity, the fellowship with other believers, and the overwhelming presence of God. There was no race, gender, or denominational division. All attendees were there for one purpose, to pray for the United States of America. As Abraham Lincoln stated in his Gettysburg address, "that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain--that this nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom--and that government of the people by the people for the people shall not perish from the earth."

Another fancy word for this attribute is immutable which means unchanging over time or unable to be changed and this definitely applies to God. He never will change in who He is in any way. He is unchangable and will be for eternity. He changes for no one and nothing. Nothing can influence Him to change. He will never stop being who He is in all His attributes, character, being and nature.The reason why I love this attribute so much is because as I learn about who God really is, I realize that what I am learning about Him was true, is true, and will always be true of Him. I can really jump in full force with all my trust because what I know I can depend upon Him for everything in my life. There will never be a time when He is not who He says He is and that gives me such a sense of calmness and security. I found it! I found the One where I can always find an answer, always find peace, always find meaning and purpose. When I am weak, He is strong. When I am poor, He is rich. He is always available, always cares, always protects, always leads me in paths of righteousness. He is an anchor in my life when the waves come to try and toss me about. I can always run to Him and He is there. He never changes. Heb 6:19 says, “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm, and secure.” This attribute screams, you can trust God with all your heart!![Mal 3:6] I the Lord do not change. [I Sam 15:29] He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change His mind; for He is not a man, that He should change His mind. Other verses declare that God’s solid foundation stands firm, His righteousness is unfailing, faithfulness continues through all generations, He remains faithful forever, His glory will never fade away, He never grows tired or weary, His kingdom cannot be shaken, all His commands are trustworthy and true, and God is from everlasting to everlasting.Some people define truth based on their current culture, society or history. But these are changing things and I don’t personally want to put my trust in something that is susceptible to change. Times and norms may change but God never changes and neither do His ways or His truths which have stood the test of time. God doesn’t change with the times and conform to any other standard. God and His word is steady and sure in the past, present, and forever. [I John 2:17] The world and its desires will pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.Jesus is also unchanging. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. [Heb 13:8][I Pt 2:22] Jesus committed no sin. He did not succumb to any temptation. Satan could not present a convincing argument to have Jesus change His mission to bring salvation to the world. He resolutely lived His life to do the will of the Father. Nothing was going to and nothing did change His mind to fulfill His purpose. He was perfect in word and deed. [Is 42:4] In speaking of the Messiah, “He will not falter or be discouraged till He establishes justice on the earth.” [Heb 1:10-12] Though heaven and earth will perish, though they will be changed, “You (Jesus) remain the same, and your years will never end.”In I Cor 13, when it talks about love, it is also talking about God. “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” God’s love never fails. [I John 4:16] And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.God’s unchanging, perfect ways are more than relevant for today and for tomorrow and can never fail anyone who puts their trust in them.

Today’s episode was recorded at Mercy Studios, Iowa Catholic Radio, Des Moines, Iowa, with Jimmy Olsen, Assistant Program Director. Jimmy has lived in Des Moines for the past 20 years. The joke in the town is that Jimmy has worked for all the radio stations in town but that is not quite true. Rick and Jimmy reconnected about 10 years ago when he was doing his Sunday morning weekend shift on Star 102.5. Rick enjoyed talking to Jimmy about radio because he loves radio. He thinks it is one of the coolest, most fun, and best means for communicating the gospel message about Jesus and living radically for Him.The two go back even further to the mid-1980s when they first met at a week long summer church camp and Jimmy was in 8th grade. Rick had long hair, three cords and the truth. Rick was only invited to one summer camp and two years later came to an Octoberfest weekend youth camp where Jimmy remembers playing touch football with him. Jimmy reminded Rick of his very first message entitled: My Very First All Beer Puke Shampoo. Most listeners from the early days will remember this message. Jimmy had the cassette but it was lost in a family house fire years ago. [Note: if anyone has a recording of this message, please let us know at rickandrobinmoe@gmail.com.] It would be great to have a throwback RLS episode. Rick did all of the music and the sermons at the summer camp every day. Jimmy still remembers one particular song entitled, Shut De Door Keep Out De Devil from Randy Stonehill, in which Rick had all the kids sing along with him. Jimmy remembers that it was fun. Jimmy had his first taste of Christian contemporary music when Rick came to the summer camp. His youth pastor also liked this type of music so he began to learn more about different artists and bands.Jimmy says he was a nerd back in high school and used to watch documentaries. So, he remembers that Randy Stonehill wrote the song on a plane ride back from Sweden. He ran across a podcast hosted by Jerry Bryant called Classic Jesus Music. Jerry Bryant only does music from the 70s and 80s and he also does interviews with Christian artists from that time period. (The podcast can be found on iHeartRadio). Jimmy grew up in a Pentecostal Charismatic church where he was forced to go four times per week. He was sick of church and was sure after high school that he would never go to church again. Even so, there were a lot of things that interested him and God always interested him. The summer camp began a change and he started getting more involved in church. He knew what he got listening to Christian music and the excitement that he had and it made him want to listen all the more. Slowly things started to change. One of the first times Jimmy felt he experienced God in his life was when he was a freshman in world history class. The kids sat in a circle and shared what world figure they wanted to do a paper on. When it was his turn, he said Jesus Christ. And the teacher said, I am not really sure. Then the kid next to him said, well it is a part of history. So, the teacher said, okay. Rick was so blessed to hear how bold Jimmy Olsen was to speak up for Jesus. He spoke up in front of his whole class and did the most radical thing: proclaim the name of Jesus. Very few kids have the courage to do that before their peers. It was crazy. It was radical. It was out there.Jimmy hated school, so he took what he thought would be an easy course, Radio TV and he interned at a local radio station in high school. After high school, he only attended one month of college and ended up back working in radio. He literally fell into it and has been in the business all these years.Jimmy Olsen has three of his own podcasts entitled: The Daily Plan-it, Storytime Theater, and The Gospel Road which you can play free on-demand with iHeartRadio.

What is God like? That is the question we have been asking ourselves in this study on the attributes of God. Transcendent means God is wholly independent and beyond all physical laws. God is exalted and far exceeds both the universe and human knowledge. God is incomprehensible and incomparable. He cannot be fully known. He is also above all in magnitude, spirit, being, nature, character, and every quality and aspect of life.If God transcends all things, then all of His attributes are transcendent like His love, power, sovereignty, holiness, beauty, glory, knowledge and wisdom. Since He is infinite and eternal, His transcendence was, is, and will always be in surpassing abundance forever. He has no equal. There is no comparison. He is not like anything or anybody the human mind can ever imagine. God cannot be fully grasped, seen, or attained.He will always supersed our highest thoughts of Him. He is truly mysterious. He is deeper, wider, longer, fuller, richer, and beyond greater.In Job, “How great is God—beyond our understanding! The number of His years is past finding out,” “The Almighty is beyond our reach and exalted in power.” [Ps 97:9] “For you, Lord, are the Most High over all the earth; You are exalted far above all gods.” [Ps 150:2b] “Praise Him for His surpassing greatness.”[Is 55:8] “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.”God is totally outside and not confined in any way to the world. He is Creator and we are creatures. In Rom 1, “For since the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made.” God intentionally built into creation some of His attributes so everyone would know that He exists and is real. But God isn’t nature or in nature. He transcends nature. He is like no other. Throughout history, man fashioned their gods based on their own moral beliefs. Nations created what they thought God was like and built whole societies around that view. We have to be careful that we don’t do the same today. We can create an imagine of who we think God is and build our lives around that image. In the first two commandments God says we are to have no other gods before Him. And we should not make for ourselves an idol in the form of anything. Because God has no visible form, any idol intended to resemble Him would be a sinful misrepresentation of Him. Idolatry, whether a physical or mental idol, defames God’s character and assumes that God is other than He is. It is a substitute for the one true God.Jesus is an exact representation of God. Jesus said, if you have seen me, then you have seen the Father. [Matt 11:27] “No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.” Jesus came not only to redeem us but to reveal the Father through the way He lived in perfect obedience, His non-condemning interactions with people, the authority of His teachings, His supernatural miracles, and His resurrection power from the dead. Jesus also has transcendent qualities. Eph 3 says the love of Christ surpasses knowledge. It is not unknowable, but so great that it cannot be completely known. Jesus says, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives.” It says in Phil 4:6-7 “The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” God’s love and care are beyond human comprehension.This transcendent, incomprehensible, incomparable God asks us to seek His face even though we can never fully know. He promises that those who seek Him will find Him. The knowledge of Him is so precious that you'll want His thoughts and His ways to become your thoughts and your ways.

Rick and Robin share their adventure to Des Moines, Iowa. Many things went as planned but many things were unexpected. As they were traveling, the entire left headlight flew off and went into the median of the highway. They noted the mile marker where it flew off and planned to see if they could find it on the way back. Their first stop was to a Luthier (a professional guitar repairman). Rick and Robin curbed an original Martin D-28 guitar laying on the side of the road. It was missing all of the tuners and strings but otherwise it was in good condition. This was a guitar that Rick had always dreamed of having but never thought possible because they were too expensive. The repair cost only $167.00 and it was appraised at $3,800! Robin noted an AMC theatre across the street that caught her attention.Rick then scheduled a time to do a podcast at Iowa Catholic Radio with Jimmy Olsen that afternoon which was 1.7 miles away. On the way, they stopped to get gas. Robin noted a Village Inn restaurant next to the gas station. They had their Teen Rescue interview which will be aired at a later date.Their next appointment was to have dinner with their friends, Spencer and Mary Thury. Since they had time, Rick decided to do an Uber Eats delivery which surprisingly lead them back to the Village Inn and was to be delivered, you guessed it, to the AMC theater. Rick and Robin marveled at how it was all playing out so smoothly.Before going further in the story, it is important to note that Rick is infamously known as someone who always drives under the speed limit. Two blocks from the AMC, they get pulled over by a policeman. Rick exits the car with license in hand and asks the policeman what he did wrong. He never imaged that he had been going 41 on a 30 mile per hour road. When the policeman learned they were from Florida, he began apologizing for pulling them over. Rick then explained that he needed to deliver some food and the policeman said he would follow them over to the AMC. The policeman was so nice and gave them a warning. As they headed down the road for dinner, Rick realizes he never got his driver’s license back. They called the Clive County Police department and the policeman kindly agrees to drive to the Olive Garden 18 miles away and return the license. The Thury’s were surprised when a police car shows up and calls out Rick’s name. The men exchanged cell phone numbers because they feel there was a reason for this crazy encounter.After dinner, they leave and head north hoping to find the headlight but to no avail. But Rick did locate a muffler and carried it back to the car. They uneventfully make it back home in the dark hoping not to get pulled over again with only one headlight. Rick and Robin wanted to share this short adventure because when you are planning your life out, when you are living for Jesus, you just never know what is going to happen. You might meet somebody new, you might get something you have always dreamed of having, and sometimes you don’t find what you are looking for. You never know why things happen. It helps to look at life like an adventure. Give your day to the Lord, honor Him, and see what God has for you. This is how you can live and it is fun to see what God does. As we are all on our journey, we can take on different attitudes. There is the optimist, the pessimist, and the psalmist who says my cup isn’t half full or half empty, my cup runs over. We have abundance because of what Jesus has done for us. When you live in abundance, you can give to others. When you are in lack or in need it is tough to imagine giving to others. Say to yourself, it doesn’t matter what I have been called in the past, what I have done in the past, or whether I have been deemed an optimist or a pessimist, Choose to be a psalmist. When you are able to be a psalmist, that is what we call a “Radical Life.”

Sovereign means supreme ruler, possessing supreme or ultimate power, possessing royal power or status. Acting independently and without outside interference. Let’s consider God’s other attributes as we explore how He is sovereign. He is Creator and all knowing about everything. To say that anything is unknown to God, then He could not rule over everything completely and supremely. He has all the information He needs to rule, there can be no unforeseen circumstances. He is omnipresent, so He knows what is going on at all times and everywhere in the world, even in the secret places. He is omnipotent, all powerful, and unlimited so He never lacks the ability, resources, or strength to act and reign. He is all-sufficient to achieve what He chooses to do. God has infinite wisdom so He knows exactly what to do in any given situation and how to implement it perfectly. All the universe and everything in it belongs to God. He cannot reign over something that isn’t His. He doesn’t need permission to do anything. God is the highest authority. You can’t usurp His authority and there is no breakdown in authority. He can give authority to people but it comes from Him. A.W. Tozer states that, “His sovereignty requires that He be absolutely free, which means simply that He must be free to do whatever He wills to do anywhere at any time to carry out His eternal purpose in every single detail without interference...God is said to be absolutely free because no one and no thing can hinder Him or compel Him or stop Him. He is able to do as He pleases always, everywhere, forever.”Dan 4:32b, 35b The Most High is SOVEREIGN over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone He wishes…He does as He pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. Jer 32:17 "Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you. Is 40:10a The SOVEREIGN Lord comes with power and His arm rules for Him. II Sam 7:22 "How great you are, Sovereign LORD! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you.” Rom 13:1 “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” The life and death and resurrection of Jesus is a primary example of God’s sovereign will being manifested. Satan tried to do everything to stop Jesus and it seemed at first that death had defeated Him. But Jesus defeated death, rose again, and brought the greatest life to all mankind. Nothing can defeat God’s good purposes no matter what comes to pass and that proves He is Sovereign. Because of Jesus’ humble submission to perfectly obey God’s Sovereign will and lay down His life for the salvation of the world, God gave Him and only Him the highest authority and position. [Col 1:8] “He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything He might have the supremacy.” Jesus is King of all kings and Lord of all lords. In Revelation is says, "the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne which is at the right hand of the throne of God." There is none higher than Jesus in sovereign dominion. Everyone must make a decision about the Sovereignty of Jesus. In the end, we will all stand before the Sovereign throne of God and explain what we have decided about Jesus.Nothing and no one can hinder it God's sovereign plan. And if His sovereign plans can be completed for Jesus, He is certainly not limited to do that for you. God has a good plan for your life and you need to believe that about Him. God will continue to move undisturbed and unhindered toward the fulfillment of His eternal plans which He purposed in Christ Jesus before the world began. We do not know the details, but He discloses enough to give us hope and a confident assurance of our future.

Today’s interview is with Rena Troy in her hometown of Northome, Minnesota. She hosted Teen Rescue in her home many times over the years providing food and a place to sleep. Rena explained that she first met Rick at the Northome fair grounds. She heard that this rock band was playing Christian music and it was a group of young people who were speaking about Jesus. Rena was a new Christian and confused because she thought religion and Christianity was for the old people in the church. It was new to her that there were people with long hair playing rock music about Jesus. She was very curious and sat in the bleachers and listened to the message that Teen Rescue was bringing and she was blown away. She thought that being a Christian is not going to be boring after all. She started following where the band was playing around the area and wanted to be a part because she felt so alive. Up to that point she felt dead after giving her life to Christ. She believes God was showing her that there is life in Christ and you can actually be a little goofy too like that long-haired leader of the band.Rena saw Teen Rescue as troublemakers. There were people in the community that didn’t care for Rick Moe because he was causing trouble. Rena says Teen Rescue made the comfortable Christian uncomfortable. They had to face things they ignored before like what was hurting the children in our community, the fact that they weren’t sharing Christ with their family and friends, or were living in a way that was giving a bad message to others about being a Christian. So they didn’t want to have anything to do with Teen Rescue because they were too radical. But Rena would load up her kids and friends and go to Teen Rescue retreats and music festivals. Rena started going through training and retreats through Teen Rescue and started to grow. Then she started to become more involved with Teen Rescue. Even though she spoke a few times, she enjoyed working in the background. Rena became Cindy’s go to person and they did a lot of other things together.During small groups, it was Rena’s job to watch the kids. She remembers one girl asking to go to the bathroom and she took off down the hall. Rena sensed there was something wrong because Cindy had been talking about some really tough issues. Rena found her sitting on the floor crying. Rena shared the gospel and love with her. The girl shared openly with Rena the tough times she was going through. One of the rules in Teen Rescue was during lunch time, the team didn’t sit together but was to sit spread out amongst the kids. Rena remembers sitting with a group of girls and she was so nervous that she felt she was speaking incoherently. After lunch they shared names and later, she received a letter from one of the girls. She said thank you so much because I was really contemplating suicide that night. She was at the school telling her friends good-bye but Rena’s sitting with her and sharing her concern and love for them made her feel that there was much more to life. Rena stayed in touch with her and she went on to Oak Hills bible college and went on to the ministry. The important message from Rena about being involved with Teen Rescue is that you never know who you are going to impact for the Lord.Rena became the Teen Rescue Director around the time Rick moved to Walker, MN and was a much needed person to help organize so many aspects of the ministry. One of Rena’s favorite trips was A Week on Rescue and they organized was a Christian “Woodstock, with your clothes on” which included several other Christian bands, a mud pit, grape contest, and other fun things for the kids. Rena was very involved in making events happen. On behalf of Teen Rescue, thank you Rena for all your work and efforts over the years. She even saved many pictures and memorabilia to keep the memories of all that God did through Teen Rescue alive.

Since God created this world, He decides what is right and wrong. There is nothing wrong about God at all, ever. He is right about how things work, how things should be done, and how to live life rightly. None of His words are wrong, none of His ways are wrong, none of His commands are wrong, in any measure whatsoever. To question or to doubt Him is our wrong thinking not His wrong doing. You can say that something about God isn’t right but you would be wrong. Your thoughts are not higher than His thoughts and your ways are not higher than His ways. You are not all knowing or smarter. It is a hard pill to swallow for some but I respectfully say to you that you are not God. He is God and He is always right.The righteousness of God is not a part of God’s character it is incorporated into His whole being. All the attributes work together. So, if God is Almighty, whenever He demonstrates His power it is right. He defends rightly, He provides in a perfectly right way. He will be right eternally. He is righteous when He deals with sin and judgement and He is righteous when He shows mercy and compassion. His actions are done for the right reasons with holy and good intentions. God always does what should be done and He does it consistently and without partiality or prejudice. God is always right and fair in His judgements.God does not conform to an outside standard of righteousness nor is He measured by one. He is the standard of what is right. Any standard He sets is right. He cannot act in any other way than who He is or go against His divine nature.Is 45:21, “There is no God apart from me, a righteous God and a Savior, there is none but me. Ps 89:14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you. Ps 119:137-138 Righteous are you, O Lord, and your laws are right. The statutes you have laid down are righteous; they are fully trustworthy. Ps 145:17 The Lord is righteous in all His ways and loving toward all He has made.In God’s created world, there is inherent sense of right and wrong. We are born with it and societal laws are formed by it. When you go against what is right by God’s standard, there are negative consequences. Think of the things that enslave people such as drugs, alcohol, gambling, sexual addiction, greed, and various other obsessions. Anything that consumes your life will control you and can lead you to depression, overdose, sickness, bankruptcy, prison, and possibly suicide. There is hardly a time when things end well once you start down any of those paths. There really are right and healthy paths and wrong and destructive paths to follow. The bible’s words are true today, you will reap what you sow.Jesus is is called the Righteous One. Jesus came as stated in Matt 3:15, “to fulfill all righteousness.” All God’s righteous requirements were fully met in Jesus. Jesus is the standard for right living. He told the religious leaders they had a form of external righteousness but their hearts were far from God. Jesus had the right heart and right actions. Jesus was the only person to live without sin, the only truly righteous person. The good news of the gospel is that by the righteousness of Jesus Christ, men may be forgiven of their sins and made righteous: [Eph 4:22-24] "Put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” When you become born again, it is a new way of living. Living in righteousness means you have a clean heart and a clear conscience before God because you are doing the right things. The bible says that the path of righteousness is narrow and few find it; but it leads to life and is totally worth the effort. So wear your breastplate of righteousness, carry your shield of faith and sword of the Spirit, and face your days with Jesus Christ.

Our special guest this week is Dawn Damon Leiro. Dawn is currently living in California. Dawn is Rick’s cousin and she traveled with Teen Rescue during the summer of 1992 and, at that time, Teen Rescue was stationed in Austin, Minnesota, and traveling in a restored Ambulance. Dawn remembers that the ambulance had no seats. Everyone sat on the floor with no seat belts. At the age of 22, it was fun hanging out and meeting people her age who were followers of Jesus. Dawn helped out mainly with the t-shirt booth and sales. Dawn ministered at the juvenile detention center in downtown Minneapolis for one week and conducted a vacation bible school for any detainees. Dawn spoke in some of the small groups that covered topics like drugs or self-esteem. It was life changing for not just her, but for the team and those in the center who attended because many of the Teen Rescue made life long relationships with those kids. Dawn is still in touch with David Brom who had a notorious criminal reputation in Minnesota. But Dawn didn’t know who he was at the time when he asked to come out of his cell and have a one-on-one time with her. He was 16 and seemed like an All-American boy. They struck up a friendship and they continued to stay in touch for 30 years. Whenever she was in the area, she would visit him. He knows her kids and husband. He has been adopted by her family. Dawn says it has been such a blessing because through the visits, seeds were planted for him to know Jesus. Shortly after Dawn first met Brom, he was transferred to Texas and received Jesus and his life was transformed. He had a supernatural event in his jail cell. He now leads bible studies, mentors others, and is studying to be a chaplain in the prison. Dawn is so grateful to be a part of his life changing story. Rick recalls Teen Rescue was doing two different events that week. The juvenile center only allowed a certain number of team members and Dawn could have easily been serving on the other team but God had different plans. Also, Teen Rescue only served at the juvenile camp that year and not the year prior or after so Rick believes it was a divine appointment.Today Dawn is still doing a similar work at the Redwood City men’s jail at a special psychiatric unit for mentally ill patients. She works with nurses as a mental health assistant. She sees a lot of lonely broken people.Dawn was thinking that there was a thread that she hadn’t connected before of why she loves what she does, ministering to broken people in the jails. She looks back and sees that it started with Teen Rescue. It all started a desire that she didn’t even know was there but God knew it. She has learned that those in jail are at their most broken state. They have nowhere to go. Sometimes their family has left them or they have left their families. They have such guilt for the crimes they have committed and they are completely isolated.Just being with the inmates without having a conversation is a blessing because she can just be present, she can pray for them, and just be available. Just being friendly and kind is foreign to a lot of people in jail. Dawns says we all have to go to the places that God calls us whether it is in prisons, your local neighborhood, we all have a sphere of people that we can reach. Be that light wherever we have influence.Dawn gives some final memories. She believes it was a cool thing because it wasn’t really that structured which she loved. They never knew from day to day where they were going to be so it kept you on your toes. Dawn felt that kind of environment helps you to figure out on your own what your gifts are and what you will bring to the table to contribute to the team. There was a lot of freedom in doing it that way. Dawn remembers the team did not complain and it was unified and fun.

God works in the big and the small. He is loud and quiet. God is Almighty and can do huge miracles to draw people to Him; but the tiniest touch of God can have the greatest life-changing impact in a person’s life. That personal touch in still moments shows God’s intimacy, love, and the value of the person being touched. This is why God draws us to quiet times and He calls us to silent places so we can better know Him.God is invisible. We need quiet to focus on this unseen God. Instead of using your eyes, you have to use your mind, emotions, spirit, and imagination. To do that you need to be still. God knows this so He calls us to embrace quiet places with Him. If we are overstimulated with worldly things, it will block our awareness of the unseen world around us.[Ps 46:10a] “Be still, and know that I am God.” If we take this verse as it stands, it appears that one of the best ways to know God is to be still. Spending time with Him and believing He is a God of the Quiet is a beautiful way to know Him the way He should be known and the way He wants to reveal Himself to us. You won’t learn this attribute through knowledge alone, you need to experience it with God. Seeking God in quiet spaces is to learn to know God by Him directly. Spending time alone with God is the key to having a relationship with Him. That’s how relationships work and grow. The bible, is where you find the direct truth about God and Jesus. It is God’s words about Himself. So, when you are alone with God, having the bible with you as your companion helps you to have confidence and assurance that what you are learning about God is right and true. [Ps 91:1] He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. [Ps 62:5] Find rest, O my soul, in God alone. [Zeph 3:17] The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will QUIET you with His love. [Is 30:15] “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in QUIETNESS and trust is your strength.” Constant noise in our world can make us stressed and irritable. We have to work hard to find a quiet place at home to calm our hearts and minds. God placed Adam and Eve in a beautiful quiet garden to talk to and have a relationship with them. [Ps 23:2] “He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside QUIET waters. He restores my soul.” How you feel from external surroundings is a picture of how you can feel internally with the Lord beside you.When I think of God as quiet in creation, I think of the story of Elijah who had enough discernment to know God’s voice because it said he was listening for it but didn’t hear it in the wind and earthquake and fire but in a whisper. God doesn’t only speak in whispers but you might miss it if you never calm your soul and enter into His presence.Jesus modeled what we should do and he prayed publicly but he often withdrew to be alone with His Father. Jesus did this to show us to have a special place and time for prayer. He sought places of prayer wherever He went. He showed that time alone is vitally important to your faith and should be held in special regard.God constantly asks us to set our lives down for a while and rest in His presence. Being consistent is key. The times you least want to do it are probably the most important times. When you are lowest, it is the most necessary because you are vulnerable. This is a battle for our time and a battle of the flesh and a spiritual battle too. The enemy does not want you to be in God’s presence because it puts you in a position of strength and power.You need God for your spiritual well-being so rearrange your priorities. Invest in your quiet time, fight for your quiet time. Give all your battles of the flesh and your spiritual battles to the Lord and you will see victory. Seek to have a vital fresh faithful relationship with Him by being in quiet communion with Him every day.

Our interview with Dave Shearin of Street Life Ministries in Redwood City, California continues. Dave has been Executive Director for 13 years. Street Life is a church that meets on the street four nights per week serving dinner, providing worship music and a message on God's word. They have three locations on the Bay Area Peninsula. The homeless are not clients, they are family. Robin and Rick visited this past Christmas and they performed music and gave their testimonies. It was such a positive experience. Rick and Robin highly endorse and support this ministry.How does the ministry pay for 50,000 meals per year? As Executive Director, Dave wears two hats, one as pastor and the other as fund raiser. They are always looking for grant money and other ways to fund the ministry. Basic needs include paying for supplies such as paper plates, forks, napkins, and water for the meals. They are also growing and need to hire additional staff. A new expansion in the ministry is to provide a mobile clothing closet that can be relocated for easy access for the homeless. They want to purchase a van from a dry cleaning company who is willing to sell one of their vans at a discounted rate. People can help donate by going to www.streetlifeministries.org. They are a 501(c)(3) company.What is the process to bring an individual off the streets?” They are partners with City Team, Teen Challenge, and Salvation Army. They try to use only Christian recovery programs. Street Life is not a recovery center. They view themselves as being on the front line. People come to them wounded and they develop the relationship. When a person is willing to admit that they are powerless over their addition and are willing to do whatever it takes to get help, then they activate one of the partners. Street Life continues to visit them in recovery so they know they haven’t forgotten about them. They send 20-30 people a year to recovery. Over half will fail out within 48 hours. One of Street Life’s caveats is that they never judge. The outreach team simply encourages them to try again and there has been more success with that approach on the re-entry and the individual going on to finish. When the Chinese virus came, they lost all of their normal food donations. Dave checked the freezers and they had enough food to last for two weeks. He sent out an email to the 32 churches and they got an overflow of food. After 30 days of shut down, they started to hear about restaurants hurting. There is a Go-Fund-Me account now where people and click on 'restaurant' and all donations will go toward buying food from restaurants to help the homeless and keep businesses open.Dave has some good advice when it comes to helping the homeless. First of all, never give cash. A homeless person knows where to pan handle and can make between $150-200 a day trying to feed a habit. Give money instead to a trustworthy organization like Salvation Army, Victory Challenge, or Teen Challenge. If a person gives $50 to Street Life Ministries, they can feed almost 100 people with $50. If you give money to someone in their drug addiction, that $50 will get them high one time and it could cause an overdose and they could die. Instead buy food gift cards to places like a Chipotle or Subway. Dave recommends people go to their website and watch a video on how to make a toiletry kit. Put several in the back seat of your car and if you see a homeless person at a light signal, give the toiletry kit to them instead of cash. They will use it. Here is a reality check: feet are very important because the homeless walk around a lot and socks are vital. We all have plenty of money to give but giving a care package shows you spent time and care. The homeless feel loved by them.

Before we talk about God as our Provider, let’s clarify a point through another attribute that God is Self-Sufficient. Whatever God is, and all that God is, He is in Himself. [John 5:26] Jesus said, “The Father hath life in himself.” God does not receive life, support, power, or strength from anything or any other being. If that were so then that other entity would be God. There is nothing outside of Himself. He is all Self-Sufficient and the buck stops with Him. Tozer says, “An elementary but correct way to think of God is as the One who contains all, who gives all that is given, but who Himself can receive nothing that He has not first given… The word necessary is wholly foreign to God.” There is no need in God. Need is not a word that relates to God. We are filled with needs and incomplete without Him but He is not incomplete without us. He didn’t create us to fulfill some need within Him. If God had a need, that would be saying that His divine being would be incomplete. We know He is not incomplete. He is fully complete in Himself always and He has no needs. He wants our love and wants to be in a loving relationship with us; but not because of a need in Him. He is all complete love, He doesn’t need our love to complete Him. Whether we choose to love Him or not, He is not greater or lesser for it.God knows all of our needs and that includes our need for strength, emotional well-being, guidance, wisdom, everything you need: [Phil 4:19] And my God will meet ALL your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus. [I Tim 6:17] Put their hope in God, who richly PROVIDES us with everything for our enjoyment. [II Pt 1:3] God has given us everything we need to live a godly life. God gives us always just what we need, not always what we want. What we want might not be what is best but don’t be afraid to ask for anything in His name. But always be like Jesus and say, not my will but thine be done.God gives life to all things. Nothing has life without God. We need this gift of life to live. We were not formed on our own, we do not grow on our own, we don’t breathe nor does our heart beat on our own. God is involved in all His creation. There is not life within us apart from God. We need God, the giver of life. God knows just what the world needs to keep it going. God knows how to maintain His created world better than we do. He gives and provides just what is needed. [Psalm 65:9] You care for the land and water it; you enrich it abundantly. The streams of God are filled with water to provide the people with grain, for so you have ordained it.We cry out that God provide for our physical needs but God knows your spiritual needs as well and provided all we need through Jesus. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son.” It was a generous gift. All redemption from sins, salvation, the church, the Holy Spirit, and heavenly rewards are all provided by God through Jesus Christ. Jesus gave His life for the whole world to purify it from sin, “that all who believe on Him will have eternal life.” [Psalm 111:9] He provided one of the greatest things we need in this life, and that is hope. Jesus provided hope.Believing that God is Provider is critical to your Christian walk. We can wring our hands worrying about getting our needs met. [Matt 6:25,33] “Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink…Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Worrying means you do not trust God to provide for your needs. He is not big or powerful enough, has limited resources, not in control, and doesn’t care. How you feel about the attribute of God as ultimate Provider definitely affects how you live your life. It affects the quality of your life. You can live in fear and worry or you can live at peace and rest knowing God will provide all your needs according to His riches in glory.

For 13 years, Dave Shearin has been the Executive Director of Street Life Ministries, a non-profit ministry that serves the homeless in Redwood City and Menlo Park, California. Street Life is a church that meets on the street with three locations. They meet four nights a week serving dinner, providing worship music and bringing God's word. They serve over 50,000 meals per year. Rick and Robin highly recommend and support this ministry and encourage our listeners to give generously. To donate, go to their website www.streetlifeministries.org.Dave received the Lord because his back was against the wall and there was a place to go to receive Jesus and that is how they want the ministry to be. Here is his testimony.Dave's parents told him from the start that he was adopted but instead of making him feel more special, it made him feel more different like he didn't fit in. He felt like he had lost his identity, he didn’t know who he was or where he was from.His dad was a partier, drank a lot and smoked marijuana. His dad’s violent and abusive nature made him feel afraid and isolated. In 5th grade, Dave discovered his dad’s liquor cabinet and he started to smoke joints left in ashtrays. Later his father also used cocaine, so Dave got all of his drugs for free and shared them with his friends. When his dad did some time in jail, his mother said get sober or she would leave. So, his father got help and got clean, but Dave resented it because he no longer had access to free drugs. He began connecting with drug dealers and he started stealing. Dave went from LSD to methamphetamines and found himself homeless in his addiction. Dave didn’t like who he was, he had no identity, and he didn’t know Jesus. Alcohol and drugs weren’t the problem, they only numbed the pain and masked the problem. Before a judge he was given two choices: go to jail for 5 years or take a suspended sentence and go to Salvation Army. He took the latter. Up to this point, what he knew about Jesus was the opposite of who He really is and if God was anything like his own father then he didn’t want that again. At Salvation Army, he learned God was loving, caring, and forgiving and Jesus gave His life and bore the punishment for his sins on the cross, something he never knew before. The Chaplin asked if he could pray over him. It was a dramatic conversion, his body shook, he confessed his sins, and he screamed, 'yes' to receive Jesus as Savior. Dave felt free and completely forgiven. Dave is 15 years sober and knows that without having Jesus, he would have never been able to face reality head on like he does today. Now life is different and a different way of living. Before he dealt with anything by picking up a needle or a bottle, but later when you become sober the problem is still there. Now he has Jesus and gets to experience things that he never would have been able to handle before. Salvation Army got him into a sober living environment. He read the bible vigorously and started going to church. When he lost his job and he thought God forgot about him. His AA sponsor directed him to Street Life. On the first night, he ran into three guys he used to rob and get loaded with and they were still getting high. In the next months, Dave got them into Salvation Army and all three got sober. Two are doing great, but the third man relapsed, overdosed, and died. One out of ten makes it more than five years. Recovery is hard. You have to put in the work. You have to have a relationship with Jesus. So, from the moment he served, he fell in love with the ministry and knew this is where he was supposed to be. Listen next week to Part 2 of our interview with Dave Shearin and learn about all the great things Street Life Ministries does to help the homeless, bring people out of their addictions, and tell them about the love and power of Jesus Christ.

Omnipresent means all present, always present, present everywhere at the same time. The word present means a period of time now occurring. It means currently here, close to, next to. The prefix omni is Latin and makes it universal, meaning in all ways or places, not just a period of time. God is everywhere here, close to everything, next to everyone, all the time. If God is infinite and He knows no limits, then His presence is not limited. If He is good and loving then His presence is good and loving. His presence is also eternal so He will be with us forever.God created the earth and the heavens and He is a consuming presence on the earth. Num. 14:21 says, “the glory of the Lord fills the whole earth.” I think of it like air itself that fills every space. God is present everywhere in all the universe, at all times, in the totality of His character. He isn’t partially in one place and another part of Him is somewhere else. His complete presence is with every individual in continual full capacity. [Prov 15:3] The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good. [Jer 23:23-24] ‘Am I only a God nearby and not a God far away? Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him? Do not I fill heaven and earth?” [II Chron 16:9] For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.[Ps 139:7-9] “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your PRESENCE? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there." If you feel alone, God’s word assures us that God is near to those who have a broken heart. His presence can either be a terrible thing for you or a wonderful thing for you.The bible says that God didn’t create the world alone. He made it with the Word who is the second person of the Godhead, Jesus Christ. John 1:3 says, “through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made.” Jesus was present in the world too even before He became human. When Jesus was on this earth, He was called Emmanuel, God with us. Eph 1:23 also says of Jesus, "the fullness of Him who fills everything in every way.” The bible says God is Spirit, Phil 1:19 mentions the Spirit of Jesus Christ, and we have the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit. Spirit is able to come and fill to completion and that is how our Godhead can be everywhere at all times.But the most significant thing about Jesus is that He is, [Jude 24] able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy. Without Jesus washing away all our sins and cleansing us completely by His blood, we would not be able to reside and be present in holy heaven with God forever.Believing that God is Omnipresent is truly one of the most important things about you. Everyone goes through hard times, you cannot avoid it. If you have this truth in place, knowing God is present and with you through all circumstances; then it will bring you great comfort and steadfast assurance in all the varied experiences of this life. You can feel crushed as Paul said he did on many occasions but he never felt abandoned.One of the keys things is to practice the presence of God, basically talking to God all day long including God in all of our daily worldly activities. No topic is too small to talk to God about. You can express as much emotion as you like. God’s love for you is patient and kind. He is a great listener. He is already present anyway so why not talk to Him. He is always waiting and longing to be in conversation with you. Practicing His presence will help you to realize His presence more and recognize His presence. Bring all things into the light of His presence to discern truth from falsehoods, right from wrong. Bring all doubts, fears, questions, and behaviors. Then we will be even more ready to live a radical life for Jesus..

Who can have vision? You can have vision. Vision occurs between your ears and about 18 inches below in your heart, a heart vision that happens inside of you. In Prov. 29:18 is says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” So, the opposite would be that where this is vision, the people live and flourish, they come alive. Who can have a vision or can have vision? If you ask, “Can I have vision?” The answer is yes. Everyone can have insight, revelation, and vision of something that needs to be fulfilled so that people can flourish. You might be the only one who see the vision and if you see it then it is your thing, your responsibility, your place to see that the vision comes alive. If the vision is unexpected then research it because what if it came from God? We often times think that vision is given to a select few and we aren’t one of the few. But you are not doing the selecting, God selects. And doesn’t always chose those who are most qualified or strongest. Consider Gideon who was from the lowest family in the lowest tribe of Israel and God called him a mighty warrior. When you think of visionaries you think of people who are out front, leading, telling the story but everyone has a story to tell. Too many times we rationalize away that story or put ourselves down so we don’t share our story often. The bible says that we should be built up therefore in the most holy faith so that we can fulfill the call that God has put on our lives. Don’t put yourself in any spot where Satan can kill, steal, or destroy your vision. God has given you a vision for something and that something is most likely for right where you are at. Don’t let fear keep you from taking action on your vision. Would God give a vision to someone He knows probably won’t act on the vision? God is a believer and the only thing that pleases Him is faith. He is never lacking in it. He is so ready to give out and bless people with so much and vision is one of the greatest blessings because it gives inspiration and encouragement. He wants to give vision and purpose so we can live our lives to their fullest measure. If you get a vision then you can think, God believes in me enough to give me this information and insight. Everyone needs to say, “I can have vision!”The next thing you need to do after you receive the vision is to write it down. Hab. 2:2 says to write down the vision. Don’t take it lightly. Think about it, write is down, pray about it, say it out loud, and share it with people. Get it clear, make it plain and defined so it becomes a part of your life. Refine it and add to it if necessary. Thoughts disentangle themselves when they flow through the lips and on to the finger tips. You need to make it plain so that a runner can run with it. Think of businesses that have started in a person’s garage. Giving it to a runner who gets the vision might either mean you are the runner or the vision is so large that you need others to run with you or for you. They do the work and make it happen. They lay out steps in sequence that are needed to complete the vision. Man plans but God directs. Robin shares a vision God showed her about how God placed her in a specific department at work to witness to those people around her. Once she saw the vision it inspired her to go to work and it gave her purpose and direction to what she thought was an ordinary job in her ordinary life. God had entrusted her to witness to those people and it gave her a responsibility to live her life well in front of them. A vision can be for right where you are, it is not always a grandiose assignment. This simple vision brought life and brought Robin to a flourishing place. God wants to give vision to every one of His children so they can come alive and so others can join in to. And that includes you.

When we think of old, we think of diminishing qualities of health, strength, and mental capacity. God is none of those things, nothing in Him diminishes. He has all of His attributes in full measure all the time and in everlasting newness. God is not old. God is eternal. He does not age. He is not like an aged man with a white beard sitting on a throne in heaven. The bible says He is Spirit. So, when I say God is New, Ever New I am saying He is perpetually and continually new, fresh, vital, and alive for forever.Job 29:20 – “My glory will not fade; the bow will be ever new in My hand.” His glory doesn’t regenerate, it is ever new. Lam 3:23 – “His compassions never fail, they are new every morning.” You can count on His newness each day.Is 43:18-19 – “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! ” God is a God of bringing you out of the former and bringing you into the new. Don’t stay in the past. Let it go. God wants to do a new thing in your life.God inspires the new. Ps 40:3 – “He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God." God moves His people to write new praise songs. They are being inspired by God now just as God has inspired the songs of old. This will continue through the generations to come until the end of the world. Rev. 5:9 - And they sang a new song, saying: "You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God.Jer 31:22 – "The Lord will create a new thing on earth." In the beginning the world was created by God and it was all brand new. There is newness all throughout the created world. New crops, new sprouts, and new buds and flowers. A newborn baby of any kind of animal, is so adorable. When God displays the new to us, it really is one of the great joys and pleasures in this world to observe.But because of sin and the fall of man, there is decay. Decay in creation is not what God initially intended. Rom 8:20-21 says, “creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. There is a life-cycle for created things. We grow from infants up to a certain point and then we age for the rest of our days. If you have ever experienced the death of a person’s body before, we know it is not what it is supposed to be. Here is the good news. I Cor 15:44 says, “the body is sown a natural body, but it is raised a spiritual body.” God will take our temporary, perishable, dishonorable, natural body, and make it a permanent, imperishable, perfect spiritual body. It will be similar to Christ’s resurrected, glorified physical body.Is 65:17-19 - "See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy...the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more.Only God as creator can make all things new or create anything new. It is believing that God is able to and will make all things new again and He will keep His promise to do so. He is the God of the new. That gives us hope for tomorrow and helps us to live today knowing we have such a great future ahead.As the blood of sacrificial animals cleansed people from sin in the OT, so the blood of Jesus Christ would cleanse people from their sin in the NT. Jesus ushered in the new covenant through his shed blood. Jesus is the center of the transition between old and new. II Cor 5:17 - Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! What God loves to do is transform lives. No life is beyond God’s ability to make something new from it.

Visions ignite a fire that leads to action. You begin to implement your vision and share it with others. Vision in the natural is something that you see but the vision we want to talk about is something not seen in the natural. Vision can often times be interchangeable with dreams. Dreams are desirable and maybe no one else is envisioning. You may be the only one onboard to carry out your vision but you have to make your plan, set your course, and go for it! At the age of 25, Rick received a word from David Wilkerson after a conference. All Mr. Wilkerson, said, “Go for it, son.” It was simple and all Rick needed to move forward with a vision God had given him. He had asked the Lord, where should I go and where should I be to reach out more to young people. Something in him had been brewing in this area for a while. He had already been reaching out as a youth pastor but hadn’t yet spoken in any high schools. When you think of evangelism and impacting a group of people, a lot of times we are given the analogy of fishing, being fishers of men. So, when Rick asked the Lord where should I go? The Lord simply told him, “you should go to the schools.” Like schools of fish. Where are the fish? They are in the schools. You can look for individuals sure but if you want to evangelize, look for the groups of people. Rick started visiting schools and interacting with students in parking lots and school cafeterias.One time Rick was invited in to come into a school by the Vice Principal to hang out with kids in the hallways to talk and help them and encourage them any time he wanted. At this point, he thought God was really working to be given this opportunity. The next time he goes to the school, he had a meeting with the Principal who asked, “What are you doing in my school?” Rick explained he had a heart for kids and wanted to help those who might be going through some tough times like peer pressure, drugs, or alcohol. He replied by saying he had none of those issues at his school and even though the Vice Principal had given him permission, the Principal never wanted to see him on their campus again.Rick could have been discouraged that he had this vision and he was moving forward and then got kicked out of a school. But Rick didn’t let it stop him. Interestingly enough the Principal said to him in that meeting something that gave Rick direction. He said, “You can do anything you want across the street but I just don’t want you here in my school.” So, Rick took that as a word and went across the street to Augsburg Park across from Richfield High School. He brought groups of people to the park where they would share Jesus with the young people and many of those started coming to his home bible study.This was in the spring of 1980, 40 years ago. And during that time parents became touched and inspired and wanted to be a part of the ministry Rick was doing because they were seeing undeniable changes in their children’s lives. Look for God to bring in the encouragers. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Many people don’t have a vision but are willing to help others who have one.At the age of 16, Rick had a vision to start a ministry group with a band, skits, traveling, and testimonies. So, he shared the vision with a group of 12 friends. Afterwards, only 6 were left. One especially said it would never work. There are many stories of mentors discouraging a vision but the person keeps going and lives out the dream and the mentor has to come back and apologize. They could have initially been the greatest help; but their absence causes a person to rely on God instead of the mentor. Be advised and don’t be shaken when discouragers come. Keep stirring the embers to flame the fire of your vision. Under a pile of ashes are hot embers. It is the fire that stirs up people. Don’t be afraid of being on fire. People need it so much right now. Don’t give up. Keep going.

Mercy means not getting from God what we do deserve. Grace means getting from God what we do not deserve or receiving unmerited favor. In both we deserve hell due to our hard hearts, yet God does offers us life if we reach out in faith and accept it. We have to start with a correct acceptance of our position before God as unholy sinners. From there we can understand that how God treats us is not what we deserve but just the opposite.In both cases, we see the goodness and love of God. Tozer says that mercy and grace are actually one attribute but expressed toward us in two different ways. Identical yet seen as separate. He gives His goodness and love even though we are guilty of sin and have done absolutely nothing to earn or merit it. He looks on our miserable condition and decides to show love, favor, compassion, and pardon despite our ability to deserve it. Remember the song, Amazing Grace how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now I’m found, was blind but now I see. Let’s remember that mercy and grace flow through all of God’s divine nature and attributes. They are all interconnected, so God’s mercy and grace are infinite, boundless, and eternal. There is no beginning and it will never cease to be, forever His mercy stands. They are continuously active and inexhaustibly flowing with love and compassion. There will never be more mercy or less grace coming from God. God doesn’t use up an attribute and have to recharge, there is always a sufficient supply or every person. Just as nothing can separate us from His love, nothing can change or extinguish the tender mercy and grace of God. When we rightly understand this attribute of God, we see our unworthiness and God’s overflowing mercy and grace and that should bring us to a place of thankfulness for all He is and all He give to us.God's word proclaims this attribute. [Dan 9:9] The Lord our God is MERCIFUL and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against Him. [Is 63:9b] In His love and MERCY He redeemed them; He lifted them up and carried them all the days of old. [Ps 78:38] Yet he was merciful; he forgave their iniquities and did not destroy them. Time after time he restrained his anger and did not stir up his full wrath.God’s mercy and grace in the world often goes unseen and is taken for granted. You might not know about His mercy and grace if He didn’t put you in a position or a particular circumstance where He can extend it to you. [Luke 1:50] His MERCY extends to those who fear Him. We almost always see His mercy best when we are at our worst or are in misery and pain. He picks us up again and again when we fail and He leads us into right living. God’s mercy remains constant, it is not a temporary disposition. God’s mercy is boundless, free and, through Jesus Christ our Lord, available to us now in our present situation. In Paul’s teachings when he talked about grace, he always associated God’s grace with God’s crucified Son. The two are found together like one thought embracing both, inseparable. God’s grace flows out to man through Jesus Christ who was crucified, died, and then rose from the dead. When man encounters grace, it is always by Jesus. God’s mercy comes after the payment of sin and Jesus Christ completed and paid for the sins of the whole world on the cross. The bible says, “where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.” This is the ultimate act of mercy and grace by a good God through His Son. It was such a high penalty that God says, no one can be saved other than by all that My Son. How are we to respond? [Rom 12:1] In view of God’s mercy, offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. [Luke 6:36] Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

There is a joke going around that the craziest purchase made in 2019 was to buy a 2020 planner because no one was able to plan anything in 2020. The bible says that man can plan his schedule but God directs his steps. Rick tells Robin that he can tell that she is attempting to present the attributes of God in her podcasts in an accurate, correct, and truthful way. The bible talks about rightly handling God’s word (2 Timothy 2:15). Paul warned Timothy about this because it can be very easily to mishandle God’s word, not to appropriately manage it. It is easy to come up with mistruths. Satan does not want the word of God handled correctly. He wants it warped and twisted. So, he will try to influence and manipulate us. He will slightly twist God’s word as he did with Jesus in the desert and Eve in the garden to get us to take truth and mishandle it. He will put doubts in our mind about God’s word.Rick finds in his daily travels as he is meeting with folks, that many people turn the conversation to something of a spiritual nature. We live in a very spiritual world. Man is used to natural. God is seen as supernatural. And somewhere the two meet. He often hears people make a bold statement about something and he knows they do not know God’s truth. Take the adage: Cleanliness is next to godliness. Although a nice saying, it is not in the bible and people believe it as a part of their lives. It seems harmless on the surface but you might judge someone who does not have a clean house and think they are ungodly or you might believe that if you don’t have a clean house, then you are not a good person. It can become a harmful thing to live by because it is not God’s truth. It can be so ingrained that if you try to correct them, they will take great offense and the bible says it is easier to become friends with an enemy then to win back a brother who has been offended.Robin states that the main statement of Radical Life Support's podcasts on the ABC’s of the attributes of God comes from A.W. Tozer which says: How you view God is the most important thing about you. How you view God will affect how you live. If you think God is harsh then it will affect how you communicate with God. You must apply that same principal to biblical truth. You need to study God’s word so you know what is really true and then live your life accordingly. If you get it wrong, then you could live in condemnation and when you could live in peace. In reverse, a saying like you reap what you sow is a common saying but most people don’t even know that they are speaking words straight out of the bible. Think about what you believe and do some research to see if it is Myth or Fact. Clever sayings can be useful in communicating ideas but check to see if they hold real biblical truth. In today’s media you have to be doubly careful what you read because everything seems to have a slant. You will read about someone dying and then you find out they aren’t really dead. So, be careful and be on your guard. You have got to know the bible or you can really be taken in by sales people, scammers, and people speaking half-truths. You need to live what you believe. True belief should produce action. What comes out of your mouth will come from what you believe. Be sure you are speaking truth. If you want people to believe what you say, live it. Our actions need to match our words.Live positively. If you live negatively, with you head hanging low, you are not living in truth. You can live 30 days without food, you can live 3 days without water, you can live 3 minutes without air, but you can’t live 30 seconds without hope. This is why you need to know the bible, because it is filled with Jesus’ hope, love, and peace for you. If you are a dealer of dope, ask Jesus into your heart and become a dealer of hope!

Longsuffering means patient endurance and steadfastness under provocation, offense, hardship, suffering, abuse, insult, mistreatment, and in the face of adversity. The word is made up of two Greek words meaning long and temper so long-tempered. God has a long fuse when He is stirred to anger. God is patient with sinners and He uses tremendous self-restraint. He does not fly off the handle and immediately retaliates based solely on emotions and without forethought. We should never think of God as succumbing to or being reckless in His anger. God’s attributes of mercy and love are an intertwining part of God’s longsuffering nature. [Ex 34:6] The Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. NIV says many verses like this with similar wording are the great self-characterization of God which runs like a golden thread through the OT. [II Peter 3:8-9] “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” Because God lives in eternity, He waits patiently. His delay is not because He doesn’t care or is indifferent. Quite the contrary, verse 15 says, “bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation.” James 5:7-8 Be patient, therefore brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and late rains. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Here James is using creation, farming in particular to show how we should patiently wait for the Lord’s return.Jesus definitely demonstrated longsuffering. He was persecuted, mocked, insulted, scorned, blasphemed, rejected, betrayed, attacked, arrested, falsely accused, beaten, and murdered. Why did it have to be that way? Why did He have to suffer so to bring us salvation. When Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane, He asked the Father if there was another way, he know nothing was impossible with God. But He said not my will but yours. That is a longsuffering statement. Heb 2:9, He suffered death, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone. He endured it all gracefully, without retaliation, for you and for me. And on that cross after all the mistreatment, He said Father forgive them for they know not what they do. I Pt says, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His steps.Rom 5:3-4 – More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope. It is a process and an order. It appears that character is produced after suffering and endurance takes place. We want to just skip to good character and not go through the prior.Longsuffering and patience are fruits of the Holy Spirit. He wants it so much produced in you. They are His qualities. There is a famous funny saying that goes: God, I want patience and I want it right now! But fruit is not grown over night. To have the fruit of patience you must learn it through experiences and exercise it through situations and circumstances. It is like a muscle you use to become stronger; it takes time.

Our second interview with Spencer Thury (former band member from the mid-1980s), recorded in Austin, Minnesota at our property in an abandoned house. Wait until you hear the birds singing and the cars driving by. The discussion starts with Rick and Spencer talking about the kids the RLS band was reaching. Spencer was with the band three straight years and traveled all over the Midwest and even went to Toronto, Canada. At one church in Oregon, people vandalized and wrote vulgar graffiti on the side of the house where the band was staying. It was a protest against the band coming to the town to preach about Jesus. The public schools that had the most impacting memories were when the band performed in the high schools on the Indian reservations. Not many groups were asked to come to these schools and it was an honor. One specific memory for Spencer was the school in Eagle Bute, South Dakota. He saw a little girl who looked him in the eyes and he wondered what she was thinking about. He wrote a song about her and sings it for us during the interview. A beautiful song of longing to be loved by God and others. Spencer would play this song with the band from the moment he wrote it until the last time he performed with RLS. At Eagle Bute, the first assembly started out rough and Rick remembers making a stupid reference to “cowboys and Indians.” He thought their time to perform was over but instead, they ended up inviting them back 8 times. One of the kids joined the Teen Rescue team and traveled with them for a time. Also, the Chief gave the band a special license to fish on the Reservation.The band never turned down an invitation and it led them to perform in many unique settings. One memory was going to Rapid City, South Dakota to a group called Job Corp. Rick and Spencer remember that the crowd was rough and it was like performing in a juvenile detention center.The band always handed out comment cards after the workshops to see what the kids were thinking about, what they heard from the assembly, and if they had any questions. The band would come together later and read the cards. Personal follow up with the kids was hard so hundreds of letters were sent to the kids over the years.Spencer shares that when he did a workshop, he would talk about goals and how important it is to follow the innate dreams that God places in your heart. One girl was inspired by his message and was able to be bold enough to not only tell her friends that she wanted to design clothes but she also wore one of her outfits to the evening concert and she was glad to see that her classmates were impressed. Teen Rescue had created an encouraging environment for the kids in the workshops.After Teen Rescue, Spencer was hired as a youth pastor and created a CD of his music. He knew the band was going more heavy metal and he was more of a blues bass guy. Spencer married his lovely wife and is still married after 28 years. And then went to bible college for four years. After college he returned to Iowa and served as a lead pastor in a Pentecostal church and a Quaker church. Following that he received an opportunity to be the chaplain at William Penn University for 10 years until it changed ownership. Spencer said he would take a group of students to Bourbon street each year. He would hear people say that they usually hate Christians but their message either saved their life or made them rethink everything they thought about Christianity. Rick reconnected with Spencer and he had Rick speak at William Penn about 20 years later and they have been doing stuff together ever since.The interview ends with Spencer sharing one more song he wrote about “Seeds Sown in Stories.” Thank you Spencer for coming to speak at on our podcast!

God is Keeper. In Hebrew shamar means to keep, to guard, to watch. When keeper is used as a noun in the bible it is mainly to describe an occupation, for example, you can say shepherd or a keeper of sheep.A king in the OT was one appointed by God to be keeper of God’s people, Israel. It wasn’t to be just a position to reign over but God set it up so that they should keep, guard, and watch over His people. Much more personal. God wanted to occupy that position over His people but they demanded a king. Unfortunately, no human king would truly keep His people as God wanted to keep His people. They rejected His care over them.Prov 24:12 – The Keeper of my soul is He who knoweth. Is 27:3 – I, Jehovah, am [my people’s] Keeper, every moment I water it, lest any lay a charge against it, night and day I keep it. Ps 121:7-8 “The Lord will KEEP you from all harm—He will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over (and guard) your coming and going both now and forevermore. The Lord will protect you from all evil; He will keep your soul.”When God says that He will keep your soul, that is a promise. God is a Promise Keeper. [II Chron 6:14] “O Lord, God of Israel...you who KEEP your covenant of love with your servants who continue wholeheartedly in Your way.” There are literally thousands of promises like this in the bible and God keeps every single one of them without fail.When you feel weak, the bible says [II Chron 16:9] His eyes look to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him. When you feel alone, you can count on God for He says He will never leave you. When you are afraid, God says He will fight for you. When you cannot manage, God says I will supply all your needs. When you feel you are not smart enough, His word says I generously give wisdom, just ask. When you confess your sins, God promises to forgive every time. When you cannot figure life out, God promises to direct your steps. When you feel temptation at your door, He will provide a way of escape. When you are weary, He promises to give you rest. When you think you cannot go on, God says you can do all things through Him. When you feel no one loves you, God says I love you more than you know. He never fails in keeping His promises. God is described as the Shepherd or Keeper of Sheep. Is 40:11, “He tends His flock like a shepherd; He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart.” Jesus is the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for His sheep. God's followers are described as the sheep and His flock.The shepherd would build a corral. The shepherd would then guard over the flock and the corral would be a hedge of protection around them. They hear it and follow Him. They won’t listen to or follow a stranger’s voice. The Shepherd knows them and they know Him.Matt 25:32 – But when He [Jesus] saw all the people, He was moved with pity for them, because they were troubled and wandering like sheep without a keeper/shepherd. Jesus came to seek and save what was lost. Jesus told a parable where a shepherd left 99 sheep in open country to go and find one lost sheep. Jesus says, “in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous persons who do not need to repent.” Allow God to be your Keeper because that is what Jesus did. In John 15:1 – Jesus says, I am the true vine, and My Father is the Vineyard Keeper. He yielded to the Vineyard Keeper to do the pruning and maintaining so the branches would be more fruitful. God wants to keep us all our days if we let Him, but always through Jesus. I Cor 1:8 - God will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ’s return. Here is a blessing from Num 6:24-26, “The Lord bless you and KEEP you; the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.”

The first Radical Life Support interview with former band member Spencer Thury who was with Teen Rescue for three years during the early years. He first saw Rick at a Sunshine Festival. While worshipping with 13,000 people, he heard God say, “be a pastor.” He told God he wasn’t a shirt and tie type of guy standing behind a pulpit; but God responded saying He had enough of those and needed something completely different. The next day he saw Rick on stage again, dressed with unmatching clothes, playing air guitar, and acting crazy. And God told him, that is a pastor and Spencer said that he could do that. His first meeting with Rick was at a Burger King and they discussed doing drama pieces from skits Spencer had wrote. God put two misfits together who didn’t belong in a traditional church setting. The day Rick found out Spencer was musical was on a drive to a youth retreat. Spencer got out his harmonica and was driving the car with his knee. Rick then asked him to play the harmonica at the youth retreat while Rick played some rock tunes.Spencer played saxophone, harmonica, ukulele, guitar, piano, and keyboard with Teen Rescue. Rick gives credit alone to Spencer for being the only band member to do jumps, cartwheels, backflips, and splits on stage. He was basically a back up singer and hype man and the kids loved him.Spencer wrote many songs and would play them solo on the ukulele at the beginning as the first warm up act and then he would introduce the band. Eventually the band started the tourists playing the song, “We Don’t Belong Here.”One thing Spencer appreciated about the Teen Rescue band was he remembers that the band wasn’t always super close friends with each other because they had diverse interests and they traveled in a van without a radio. So, when they arrived at a school, they would spread out and search of kids similar to each of their own interests. When the concert was ready, kids for all walks of life and different interests would come together and there was a crowd to hear the group play.Spencer remembers one time when he was so thirsty and they stopped and a guy in a truck filled with water bottles walked over and asked if he wanted a drink. He also remembers God telling him to build a case for his guitar because he was going to need it, so he did and then Rick called him up to go with him to Toronto for a youth retreat and the case was ready ahead of time to bring on the plane.Since Spencer is a lefty, he remembers trading in three guitars he had plus $40 to get a lefty guitar. He didn’t think the guitar was worth much but found out later that it was his dream guitar that he always wanted and he still has it today 30 years later. God cares for His children and He provides good gifts.Spencer recalls one story about an angry kid who didn’t want to speak to Spencer but only to Rick so he got in line for his autograph. Spencer knew in his hear that something crazy spiritual was about to happen so he started praying. As it became the kids turn, Rick asked him why he hated his dad so much. Before you knew it, Rick had his arm around the kid leading him to ask Jesus into his heart. Spencer remembers at his first gig with Teen Rescue at Aberdeen, South Dakota, a kid was following him around and he ended up leading him through the If You Could Ask God Three Questions track. He took a step for faith and asked the kid if he wanted to give his life to the Lord and he did.After Spencer’s time with Teen Rescue, he went on to be a pastor just as God told him he would be at the Sunshine Festival. Crazy means to be extremely enthusiastic. En theo is a part of the word enthusiastic and it means In God. Walk in the spirit, be passionate, and crazily trust in the Lord and it will all work out. Let others see God in you. Do something for the Lord, don’t do nothing. Be crazy and do something.

As A.W. Tozer says, God reigns in equity. In God’s society His standards for morality are perfectly right and fair and very clearly laid out in the bible. There is no moral standard or set of rules that God must comply to. That would imply that those standards are higher than Him and that He must act in a certain way in accordance to them. He is the highest moral standard and nothing is superior to or outside of Him that He should be obedient to it. Nothing can cause Him to add anything to Himself or remove anything. Nothing can change Him to act in any other way than who He is. We would not think an earthly judge is a good judge if He let everyone who committed a crime go free. The defendant might think he's a good judge because he's getting away with bad behavior. But the prosecution and the offended would not think justice was served. A good God administers justice. Deut 32:4 – All His ways are just and true. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is He. Ps 94:2 Appeal to “rise up O Judge of the earth” to address the wrongs perpetrated against the weak by arrogant and wicked men who occupy seats of power.” We should be glad, especially for many who have been wronged on earth that the perfect judge of the world will have His final say. God says do not deny or withhold justice to the weak, poor, fatherless, and the alien. We want instant justice, but that is not always how God administers justice. There will eventually be true justice but He decides when. He will often times, in His mercy, delay justice so give a person time to choose to come to Him and give their heart to Him. All nations set up some type of legal system to decide what to do when injustices are done. An absence of law would only create chaos. If there are no consequences for wrong action, people will just do what their wicked heart’s desire. In Noah’s days, “every inclination of the thoughts of man’s heart was only evil all the time.” Justice is good, necessary, and beneficial for everyone in any culture. The bible says, by justice a king gives a country stability. When justice is done, it brings joy to the people.In God’s courtroom there are no hidden truths or any additional facts to be found out. Lies are exposed and motives are revealed before a holy God. God’s administers perfect wisdom. The Jewish leaders broke many laws and brought false accusations against Jesus in order to murder Him. Jesus knows all about injustice. Jesus knew how unjust his accusers were and didn’t defend Himself. He faced injustice to save the world. Rom 3:26. “God...justifies those who have faith in Jesus.” Justified can be explained as, "just as if I had never sinned." As in an earthly courtroom, there are penalties for wrong behavior in God’s courtroom. Our sin places us under the sentence of death. The bible says no one is righteous and all have sinned, no one can declare themselves to be righteous and no one can make themselves righteous. When our iniquity comes in contact with a just holy God who has pure infinite equity, He must be just. He cannot be persuaded to be less just. Our only plea can be placed upon having put our faith in Jesus and “if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Justification means although we deserve to be declared guilty, because we put our trust in Jesus, God cancels the guilt of our sin and credits righteousness to us. God doesn’t disregard justice when He spares a person from the required legal penalties. God’s shows his mercy only after justice has been satisfied. The penalty was paid when Jesus died on the cross. He was the Substitute, He died in our place. He died so we wouldn’t have to die. Understanding this deep in our hearts over what Jesus did for us has transformed many lives in an offering of thankfulness to receive such a wonderful free gift from God.

This is the story of the bus owned by Radical Life Support and Teen Rescue. Although it may have seemed that Teen Rescue traveled on the bus for years, the journey of the bus lasted a short 18 months. Over the years, Teen Rescue traveled in so many different vehicles. Rented, borrowed, and owned. One year they traveled in seven different vehicles. But the bus really had a lasting impact. Still today people ask about the bus.It was a 1956 GMC Scenic Cruiser. Once owned by Greyhound and seen in many movies during that time period. It has a very unique shape with a tiered look. The bus was found by the Teen Rescue sound man, Jeremy Sell, back in 1991 in Fargo, North Dakota. Compared to how the band was traveling, this was very comfortable, with reclining seats, bedrooms and a bathroom. Another band had owned it prior to Teen Rescue acquiring it. The Teen Rescue team worked together to clean, paint, and put on the logo and “Rocking a Generation” wording on the side of the bus. It was a moving billboard as they traveled on the road. And it was a “wow” factor for the students when this big tour bus pulled up in front of a school. The kids would gather around and want to go inside and go for a ride. It really gave a grand impression and impressed the students.Because of its age though, there were a fair share of breakdowns and there is never a cheap fix on a bus. You have to find someone who is willing to work on it. The parts aren’t always readily available. Miles per gallon is not optimal on a bus like that. When it broke down, it was always out in the middle of nowhere while traveling in rural areas from school to school.An interesting characteristic of the bus is that it would list greatly to the right as the air bags deflated after the engine was turned off. It leaned so much that people would often ask in fear if the bus was going to tip over. Toward the end of owning the bus, Rick had a dream that the bus tipped over and all three of his kids were under the bus. It was a nightmare.When the bus finally broke down for the last time while they were traveling to Spearfish, South Dakota, it was a sign of relief. As nice as it was to travel down the road, it was a lot of work. The bus had to be towed and everyone reloaded into an RV to finish the 10-day tour. A decision was made not to fix it and it was sold for the price of the tires. Rick wondered for years what became of the bus. One day, a young man was at his home looking at the Teen Rescue DVD and he mentioned that he had seen the bus and knew where it was located. It turned out it was 25 miles away. Rick and Robin traveled to visit the bus and took some pictures on June of 2014. The owner has a collection of vehicles on his property and the Teen Rescue bus is parked there in memorial to days gone by.Rick remembers during the season of owning the bus that it was the busiest time for Teen Rescue ever. Not because of the bus but it was an incredible time of requests from schools for the message Teen Rescue was providing. They had 264 dates on their calendar that year, the average was usually 150 dates. On a personal note, being that busy and consumed, Rick remembers how it brought out a lot of emotion in a person. He had a continual intense desire to be with his family and would call whenever he could to stay in touch. It was heartbreaking to be away and miss so much of his children’s upbringing and home life. All the band members too felt the intensity of emotion and were constantly writing letters to friends and family while they traveled. There was a definite tradeoff to do the ministry work. It was great and horrible at the same time, but you wouldn’t trade it for anything, The bus was an interesting chapter in the story of Teen Rescue.

It is very difficult to grasp that God is infinite, let alone try to explain it. The bible says that this is a real attribute of God and a part of His nature. He has infinite knowledge, infinite wisdom, infinite resources, and infinite power. Definition of infinite means limitless or endless in space, extent, or size; impossible to measure or calculate. God knows no restrictions of space, ability, or power. There are no edges or limits to His presence, nor are there pockets where he is absent. Neither is there any place where God is not supreme. God is an inexhaustible source of wisdom, counsel, and knowledge. He has no bounds, no boundaries, to Himself in any area of His being.We try with our human words to state who He is and what He is like. But there is no one and nothing on earth like Him. Whatever God is and all that God is, He is without limit. Infinitude can belong to but One. There can be no second.I Kings 8:27 – “But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you.” Ps 147:5 – “Great is our Lord and mighty in power, His understanding has no limit.” Ps 119:96 – “To all perfection I see a limit but your commands are boundless.” Job 11:7-9 – Can you fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe the limits of the Almighty? A.W. Tozer says, “the word infinite can only be applied to God. No created thing is infinite in any way and that is why it is so difficult for us to understand with our limited minds. Here are a few attempts to find Him infinite in creation: math, biology, and space. Math. We know it exists because we even have a symbol in math that looks like the number 8 laying on its side which means infinite. Think of the largest number possible and then there is always one more. But God is innumerable.Biology. We once thought the smallest thing on earth was the cell until we found the atom, then we found protons in the atom, and now quarks within the proton. Can it even go smaller? I’ll bet with an infinite God it can.Space. They just keep finding more and more, trillions more galaxies in our universe. But God is above it all, outside of it all and beyond it all.God is measureless and incalculable. There are no degrees in God. All that He is He is without growth or addition or development. Nothing in God is less or more, or large or small. You cannot put God in a measured box. He cannot be measured and He has no boundaries. The created limited world screams that only an unlimited God could have created it.Jesus' riches are unsearchable. His infinite mercy “extends to those who fear Him (Luke 1:50). “Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound through Jesus.” Tozer says, “The gift of eternal life in Christ Jesus is as limitless as God.” Ps 86:5 – You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you.” Nothing can separate us from His love. He has enough love to cover the whole earth and beyond. It is boundless.Tozer says, “If you create God in your own image, it will be an image you can understand and you will never think of Him as infinite. When we create God in our own image then he can never surprise us, never overwhelm us, not astonish us, or transcend us.” John 3:34 – “God gives the Holy Spirit without limit.” Through he Holy Spirit unlimited truth is available to all believers. But when you have an unlimited God on your side, this opens up the impossible. Impossible become possible with and infinite God. It is impossible for a limited mind to grasp the Unlimited God, but we have to try. It is worthwhile to study about this infinite God. Even if we cannot know Him fully, based on what we do know, we can truly appreciate and praise Him for His infiniteness.