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Daily Anglican Prayer - Saturday Morning 9th November 2024 Readings. Psalm 22.1-22. Nehemiah 13. 15-31; Luke 16. 1-8. Led by Felicity Scott, a Liturgical Assistant with the Anglican Church, QLD, Australia. The full prayer transcript is available by going to this episode on the Podcast website. https://dailyprayeranglicanprayerbookforaustralia.podbean.com Welcome to Saturday Morning prayer from the Anglican ‘A prayer book for Australia'. We proclaim the Good News of our Lord Jesus Christ: GOD in his infinite mercy, forgives all sins, and through our baptism in the name of our Saviour, Jesus Christ, we are given a rebirth into new life, free from the burden of all sin. ALLELUIA With faithfulness we respond to the good news: We acknowledge Christ as our saviour and accept with gratitude, that we are forgiven for all wrong doings, past and present. To honour the gift of forgiveness, we release our burden of guilt and rise up to live in the glory of God forever more. Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Blessed be God forever. Let us Pray.   1 God has shone in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.  2 Corinthians 4.6     Glory to God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit:  as in the beginning, so now, and for ever. Amen.    2 The Opening Canticle, A Song of Creation Bless the Lord all created things:  who is worthy to be praised and exalted for ever.  Bless the Lord all people of the earth:  who is worthy to be praised and exalted for ever.  O people of God bless the Lord:  bless the Lord you priests of the Lord,  Bless the Lord you servants of the Lord:  who is worthy to be praised and exalted for ever.  Bless the Lord all you of upright spirit:  bless the Lord you that are holy and humble in heart.  Bless the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit:  who is worthy to be praised and exalted for ever.  Song of the Three 35ff      3 The Opening Prayer The night has passed and the day lies open before us;  let us pray with one heart and mind.       Silence may be kept. As we rejoice in the gift of this new day,  so may the light of your presence, O God,  set our hearts on fire with love for you;  now and for ever.  Amen.   4 The Psalms as appointed. A pause is observed after each. Psalm   5 At the end of the (last) pause there may follow Creator God, whose praise and power are proclaimed by the whole creation: receive our morning prayers, we pray, and renew us in your service; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.    6 One or two Readings from the Bible as appointed.   1st Reading 15In those days I saw in Judah people treading wine presses on the sabbath, and bringing in heaps of grain and loading them on donkeys; and also wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the sabbath day; and I warned them at that time against selling food. 16Tyrians also, who lived in the city, brought in fish and all kinds of merchandise and sold them on the sabbath to the people of Judah, and in Jerusalem. 17Then I remonstrated with the nobles of Judah and said to them, “What is this evil thing that you are doing, profaning the sabbath day? 18Did not your ancestors act in this way, and did not our God bring all this disaster on us and on this city? Yet you bring more wrath on Israel by profaning the sabbath.” 19When it began to be dark at the gates of Jerusalem before the sabbath, I commanded that the doors should be shut and gave orders that they should not be opened until after the sabbath. And I set some of my servants over the gates, to prevent any burden from being brought in on the sabbath day. 20Then the merchants and sellers of all kinds of merchandise spent the night outside Jerusalem once or twice. 21But I warned them and said to them, “Why do you spend the night in front of the wall? If you do so again, I will lay hands on you.” From that time on they did not come on the sabbath. 22And I commanded the Levites that they should purify themselves and come and guard the gates, to keep the sabbath day holy. Remember this also in my favor, O my God, and spare me according to the greatness of your steadfast love. Mixed Marriages Condemned 23In those days also I saw Jews who had married women of Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab; 24and half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod, and they could not speak the language of Judah, but spoke the language of various peoples. 25And I contended with them and cursed them and beat some of them and pulled out their hair; and I made them take an oath in the name of God, saying, “You shall not give your daughters to their sons, or take their daughters for your sons or for yourselves. 26Did not King Solomon of Israel sin on account of such women? Among the many nations there was no king like him, and he was beloved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel; nevertheless, foreign women made even him to sin. 27Shall we then listen to you and do all this great evil and act treacherously against our God by marrying foreign women?” 28And one of the sons of Jehoiada, son of the high priest Eliashib, was the son-in-law of Sanballat the Horonite; I chased him away from me. 29Remember them, O my God, because they have defiled the priesthood, the covenant of the priests and the Levites. 30Thus I cleansed them from everything foreign, and I established the duties of the priests and Levites, each in his work; 31and I provided for the wood offering, at appointed times, and for the first fruits. Remember me, O my God, for good.     Hear the word of the LORD Thanks be to GOD   2nd Reading 1Then Jesus said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was squandering his property. 2So he summoned him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Give me an accounting of your management, because you cannot be my manager any longer.' 3Then the manager said to himself, ‘What will I do, now that my master is taking the position away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. 4I have decided what to do so that, when I am dismissed as manager, people may welcome me into their homes.' 5So, summoning his master's debtors one by one, he asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?' 6He answered, ‘A hundred jugs of olive oil.' He said to him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it fifty.' 7Then he asked another, ‘And how much do you owe?' He replied, ‘A hundred containers of wheat.' He said to him, ‘Take your bill and make it eighty.' 8And his master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the children of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light.   Hear the message of Christ Thanks be to GOD.   7 The Canticle, A Song of Redemption Christ is the image of the invisible God:  the first-born of all creation.  For in him all things were created:  in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible.  All things were created through him and for him:  he is before all things  and in him all things hold together.  He is the head of the body, the Church:  he is the beginning, the first-born from the dead.  For it pleased God that in him  all fullness should dwell:  and through him all things be reconciled to himself.  Colossians 1.15–20      8 The belief and principle is said I believe in God, creator of heaven and earth, whose love and merciful forgiveness endures everlasting. I believe in Christ the saviour, whose example of love and compassion, taught us a restored way to live, in collaborative unity with all people. I believe in the Holy Spirit, whose divine guidance brings us together to be one with the Holy Trinity.       9 The Prayers Lord have mercy.  Christ have mercy.  God have mercy.     10 The Lord's Prayer and the Collect of the Day   Our Father in heaven,  hallowed be your name,  your kingdom come,  your will be done,  on earth as in heaven.  Give us today our daily bread.  Forgive us our sins  as we forgive those who sin against us.  Save us from the time of trial  and deliver us from evil.  For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours  now and for ever. Amen.    Prayer of the Week Twenty-fourth Sunday after Pentecost God our Father, Whose will it is to bring all things To order and unity in our Lord Jesus Christ: May all the peoples of the world Now divided and torn apart by sin Be brought together under his sovereign rule of love, Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen     11 Intercessions and Thanksgivings may be made according to local custom   Let us pray:   Great shepherd of your people, Energise our hearts with passion for your word and care for your people, that we may joyfully minister your sacraments to the glory of your name and the benefit of your people and your world. In God we ask Grant our prayer   God of all nations and countries, thank you for your guidance of our evolution and advancement. We ask that you guide the leaders of nations into the ways of peace and justice, and in so doing, bringing about a world that we are proud to sojourn on. In God we ask Grant our prayer     Heavenly God our Father, how great you are that we are still here despite our trespasses and despite our lack of humility in your eyes. We pray that you continue to shine your light so we may follow you into a relationship of everlasting love with you and with one another. In God we ask Grant our prayer   Loving God, with one voice we lift up our hearts to thank you for our lives and vocation. Inspire us all to know and live our vocation. Bless us your family of Australia, help those you call to listen to the Holy Spirit voice, that they may fulfil your holy will and make all things new. Through Christ our Lord. In God we ask Grant our prayer   God of Great and modern evolution, Draw us near to hear your word and instruction, let us know the ways in which we can revolutionise our actions to those that bring changes that benefit you God, benefit the earth and benefit the people. We pray that technological advances are brought near that we are inspired to be in your presence. In God we ask Grant our prayer   Blessed God, we ask your blessing for those listed on the Anglican cycle of prayer: The Diocese of Kentucky – The Episcopal Church The Diocese of Canberra-Goulburn: The Parish of Centenary Suburbs: Baroona Farm, Milton St Aidan's Anglican Girls' School, Corinda All Parishes seeking clergy. All Anglican schools seeking chaplains. All Prison ministry chaplaincy teams All people joining in this prayer offering. In God we ask Grant our prayer   12 The Morning Collect Lord and heavenly Father,  you have brought us safely to this new day:  keep us by your mighty power, protect us from sin,  guard us from every kind of danger,  and in all we do this day  direct us in the fulfilling of your purpose,  through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.   13 The Lord be with you. And also with you.  Let us praise the Lord.  Thanks be to God.    May the peace of God which passes all understanding keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.  Amen. Philippians 4.7 Music by John Keys – Anglican Chant Canticle organ accompaniments. A reminder disclaimer to the listener. The readings in the podcast may include ancient and old-fashioned sayings and instructions that we do not in any way condone as in use or to be used in today's modern world. The readings have not been modernised to reflect todays thinking, instead the readings remain from the old version of the NRSV bible. The podcast owners explicitly declare that each listener is responsible for their own actions in response to the bible readings and the podcast owners bare no responsibility in this sense.      

Tenth Sunday after Pentecost The Collect: O God, the protector of all who trust in you, without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy: Increase and multiply upon us your mercy; that, with you as our ruler and guide, we may so pass through things temporal, that we lose not the things eternal; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. Old Testament: 2 Kings 4:42-44 42A man came from Baal-shalishah, bringing food from the first fruits to the man of God: twenty loaves of barley and fresh ears of grain in his sack. Elisha said, “Give it to the people and let them eat.” 43But his servant said, “How can I set this before a hundred people?” So he repeated, “Give it to the people and let them eat, for thus says the Lord, ‘They shall eat and have some left.'” 44He set it before them, they ate, and had some left, according to the word of the Lord. Psalm: 145:10-19 10 All your works praise you, O Lord, *        and your faithful servants bless you. 11 They make known the glory of your kingdom *        and speak of your power; 12 That the peoples may know of your power *        and the glorious splendor of your kingdom. 13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom; *        your dominion endures throughout all ages. 14 The Lord is faithful in all his words *        and merciful in all his deeds. 15 The Lord upholds all those who fall; *        he lifts up those who are bowed down. 16 The eyes of all wait upon you, O Lord, *        and you give them their food in due season. 17 You open wide your hand *        and satisfy the needs of every living creature. 18 The Lord is righteous in all his ways *        and loving in all his works. 19 The Lord is near to those who call upon him, *        to all who call upon him faithfully. Epistle: Ephesians 3:14-21 14For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. 16I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, 17and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. 18I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 20Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, 21to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Gospel: John 6:1-21 1After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias. 2A large crowd kept following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick. 3Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples. 4Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near. 5When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?” 6He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do. 7Philip answered him, “Six months' wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.” 8One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, 9“There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?” 10Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was a great deal of grass in the place; so they sat down, about five thousand in all.11Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. 12When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, “Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost.” 13So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets. 14When the people saw the sign that he had done, they began to say, “This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world.” 15When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.16When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, 17got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. 18The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. 19When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were terrified. 20But he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.”21Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the land toward which they were going.

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https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/ultraviolet-light-reveals-scientists-hidden-bible-passage-1500-years-later (for Luke) Unique passages: https://www.julianspriggs.co.uk/pages/UniquePassages  Bibleref.com commentary on Mark 6:5: https://www.bibleref.com/Mark/6/Mark-6-5.html  Thanks Biblehub.com's parallel chapters tool.   Words of Jesus ("All the Red Letter Scriptures") https://www.jesusbelieverjd.com/all-the-red-letter-scriptures-of-jesus-in-the-bible-kjv/    Parallel Passages in the Gospels https://www.bible-researcher.com/parallels.html#sect1     The Eye of the Needle (crossword/sudoku feedback): https://www.theguardian.com/notesandqueries/query/0,5753,-25583,00.html#:~:text=The%20%22Eye%20of%20the%20Needle,in%20order%20to%20enter%20heaven   Camel needle w/Aquinas citation (of Anselm of Canterbury)-- Anselm of Canterbury as cited in Catena Aurea, Thomas Aquinas, CCEL Edition. https://classictheology.org/2021/10/12/through-the-eye-of-an-actual-needle-the-fake-gate-theory/    The Widow's Mite: https://numismatics.org/pocketchange/the-poor-widows-mite/    Miracles of Jesus reference list: https://sunnyhillschurch.com/3301/the-37-miracles-of-jesus-in-chronological-order/ LINK BIBLEREF.COM MENTIONED IN CHAPTER 8 SECTION (“Can't” do miracles in hometown- keyword absolute for lookup)   Welcome to the Popeular History Podcast: History through Pope Colored Glasses. My name is Gregg and this is episode 0.21f: Sayings of the Savior Part VI: Messages from Mark.   All of these aught episodes are made to let us build our Pope-colored glasses so we can use the same lenses when we look at history together. If you're lost, start at the beginning!   In previous worldbuilding episodes, we looked at quite a few of Jesus' words: the sermon on the mount and the sermon on the plain, plus all the Parables and miracles on our list, and his sayings closely tied to all those.   All that made for a good start, but if we're going to look at the sayings of the Savior, we should be comprehensive to avoid cherry-picking. So we spent the last of these worldbuilding episodes going chapter by chapter through the first gospel in order of appearance, the Gospel of Matthew, up until things caught up with where our rosary themed tour of the New Testament will carry on when we get to the next mystery. I am aware that what was once upon a time supposed to be a couple quick background episodes introducing my listeners to, well, all of Catholicism has ballooned wildly into wheels within wheels, but hey, I wouldn't have it any other way.   Anyways, next up in the traditional ordering is the Gospel of Mark, so that's our mission today. We'll go chapter by chapter, glossing over what we've already discussed and focusing on the Sayings of the Savior, since, you know, that's the deal here.   MARK 1 opens with a description of Jesus' cousin John the Baptist, and you'll never guess what John does to Jesus when He shows up. Actually you probably will because I was trying to set you up with a fake out where John refuses to baptize Jesus but it turns out that initial refusal is in Matthew but is absent from Mark's generally sparse account. Anyways, we get Jesus' first words in Mark only after he's baptized and had an express version of the temptation in the desert. Sometime after John was arrested, we're told Jesus preached a message that sounded a lot like what John had been saying,   MARK 1:15 “The time has come,” … “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”   GREGG Of course we just got a bit meta, since “Good news” is where the word Gospel comes from. A very “Begun, the Clone Wars have” moment. This urgent call to repentance has been a consistent refrain throughout Christian history, with the good news bring that repentance really can lead to reconciliation with God. Shoutout 0.1 if you need a refresher on why such a reconciliation is needed in the Catholic perspective.   Having begun to declare the Good News, Jesus the Christ soon picks out folks to help him, starting, like all good missions, with a pun. Talking to two fishermen, the brothers Simon and Andrew, Jesus says   MARK 1:   Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men   GREGG When I covered this section in Matthew- we're deep in parallels here- I stuck with my usual NIV translation. Not because I'm an NIV snob, but because the New International Version is the one that shows up first on biblegateway.com and it's good enough, especially when I'm doing a LOT of scripture quoting like I have been with this series.   But because the NIV went for inclusivity, they translated the line as “make you fish for people”, which simply isn't as smooth a pun. I did check with my toddler-level skills and it looks to me like the pun is present in the Greek, so it's worth calling out. Jesus' humor is often downplayed, which is a shame.   If you're wondering why I'm going on about this, well, honestly, Mark is short and we've already covered most of what's there in Matthew. So we might as well take our time. There's plenty there, to be clear, I don't want angry letters from scholars whose primary focus is Mark saying I'm dismissing it offhand.   Alright, enough dilly dallying, what's next? Jesus calls more fishermen–the sons of Zebedee, James and John–but His actual words and possible new pun are not recorded. The next time he speaks he's talking to a demon in one of the healing miracles we discussed in 0.20, followed by another miracle–the healing of Simon's mother in law–later in the same chapter. Then, after assorted other miracles, Jesus goes out to pray by Himself in what's described as a quote unquote “desolate place”. When His disciples track Him down and tell Him everyone is looking for Him, He says   MARK 1:38 Let us go somewhere else--to the nearby villages--so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.   GREGG Though Jesus' disciples did in fact say no to Him on a downright alarming number of occasions, they went along with His plan this time, and another montage of undescribed healings and exorcisms finishes off with the healing of a grateful leper who ignores Jesus' command to tell no one. Mark 1 concludes with Jesus getting mobbed with requests for miracles as a result.   Chapter 2 opens with the healing of the paralytic who had been let in via the roof–a great bit of drama, but something we already covered under our review of miracles. After that, He called His tax collector disciple, who we got to know as Matthew in the Gospel of, well, Matthew, but who's listed as Levi here and in Luke. Using different names in different contexts was absolutely a thing,  but both Matthew and Levi are Hebrew names so the usual Greek vs Hebrew divide doesn't seem to be the culprit here, and what's more neither Mark nor Luke explicitly identify Levi with the apostle Matthew, though the inference isn't a terrible reach over all.   In the end, our main hook in this particular series is the actual sayings of the Savior, and this calling is carried out with a simple “follow me”, so perhaps we shouldn't dive into it too much.   After taking out a section of parables we covered in 0.21c as part of a SYNOPTIC ROUNDUP, we arrive at Mark 2:23, notably without leaving the SYNOPTIC ROUNDUP room because you can also follow along in Matthew 12 and Luke 6. As a reminder if you're rusty on Jewish customs, the Sabbath rest begins Friday at sundown and continues through the day on Saturday. Picking grain as we're going to see here would be considered working on the day of rest and therefore a violation.   MARK (2:23-2:28, NIV)) 23 One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and as his disciples walked along, they began to pick some heads of grain.   24 The Pharisees said to him, "Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”   25 He answered, "Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need?   26 in the days of Abiathar the high priest, he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions."   27 Then he said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.   28 So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”   GREGG this section is one of the earlier signals of what would become a core piece of Christianity: its distancing from the Law of Moses. There are still aspects of continuity, for example most Christians including Catholics actually do still maintain *a* day of rest, just Sunday rather than Saturday and they'll generally skip the night before business though some of that has carried over in the form of vigil practices, as we'll see when we get there.   Anyways, I've always thought those last couple lines were pretty baller, and it turns out they're one of the few bits unique to Mark, so let's go ahead and hear them again:   QUOTE The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath. END QUOTE   This bold claim lies at the heart of what will in time lead to the followers of Christ being seen as a religion separate from Judaism, which is fair enough but also don't sleep on just how much that takes, given there's such a thing as secular Jews and Jewish atheists. There have been other messiah movements in Jewish history; though they fizzled out it's not much of a stretch to imagine a world where Christianity is still seen as part of a wide tent Judaism, indeed there is still a common heritage. But there are absolutely differences as well, principally, of course, centered around Jesus, the Son of Man, Lord of the Sabbath.   That other part   “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”   is the context for the start of the next chapter, serving as a good reminder that, while convenient for finding your place, chapter and verse divisions are not part of the original texts of the Bible, so it's important to not treat them as fences where you have to stop. You see, in Mark 3 we have the healing of the man with a withered hand in the synagogue on the Sabbath:   MARK 3 2 Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. 3 Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, "Stand up in front of everyone.” 4 Then Jesus asked them, "Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?" But they remained silent.   GREGG I mean, it's a bit of a false dichotomy perhaps, are those really the only two options? But obviously I'm siding with Jesus here, mark me down as pro-healing when one can heal. And yeah, we actually already covered that exchange when we talked about the miracle in our miracles roundup, but the words are important there and Mark is short so forgive me for fitting it in here too.   Mark 3 continues with Jesus dealing with crowds now that word is getting around due to His miracles, and simultaneously He's ordering demons not to share the apparent secret that He is quote “the holy one of God”. We don't have his exact words in commanding the demons here so there's more room for interpretation than usual but the general take on these sort of passages is that it's tied to His time not having yet come to be revealed as the Messiah. Of course, unless I missed something, the specific instances where Jesus talks about His time having not yet come are in the Gospel of John, so reading that into Mark is something most modern scholars wouldn't go for- especially since the general consensus is Mark came first by a fair stretch- but that sort of quibble wasn't much of a barrier for most of the history of Christians reflecting on Scripture, so the traditional interpretation is what it is and I don't think it's too much of a reach.   After telling assorted demons to hush up, Jesus appoints the Twelve Apostles starting in verse 13, no direct quotes there so no need to tarry though interested folks are always welcome to check out the naming differences between the Gospels.   Starting in verse 20 we have the house divided parable, covered in our parables series a few episodes back, then in verse 28 we hit “the unpardonable sin” section, and believe it or not it's not being a weeb, it turns out it's, well, let's let Jesus explain:   MARK 3 28 Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, 29 But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin."   GREGG When we covered the parallel text of this in Matthew 12–seriously, over 90% of Mark is parallelled in Matthew–I focused on the idea of the sin against the Spirit as being despair. But Mark's telling has a bit of context that has lead to another popular interpretation, especially among–Catholics cover your ears– *whispers* Protestants.   MARK 3 30He said this because they were saying, "He has an impure spirit.”   GREGG Using that verse, which at a glance is simply explaining why Jesus said what He said, the passage is taken to mean that rejecting Jesus as the Son of God slash Savior slash Messiah is the sin against the Spirit being referred to here. And though I called out Protestants specifically a minute ago, it's not like that interpretation is unheard of within Catholicism, typically it's a both/and sort of thing, accepting the despair angle and the “ya'll need Jesus” angle. Nor are the two interpretations unrelated, as someone wholly given to despair will have a hard time accepting Jesus' offer of salvation.   Of course, when I speak of accepting Jesus' offer of salvation, now I really AM getting into the fundamental faith vs works discussion. That's faith and works in the context of salvation from sin. We'll be getting into it in more detail in future episodes, but as an overview all major forms of Christianity agree that faith in the saving power of Jesus Christ is fundamentally necessary for salvation. The disagreement comes in whether anything else plays any role- “anything else” being summed up under the umbrella term of “works”, or it might help to rephrase the question as whether our actions have any meaning when it comes to our salvation.   For Catholics, the answer is yes, while for most Protestants, the answer is no. Generally speaking when there are fights about it, Protestants will take the position that your works having meaning, as Catholics argue is the case, means that you can save yourself through your works. Some people do think that, of course, but not Catholics, at least not Catholics who know their onions, as the Catholic Church condemned that position as a heresy over thousand years before Protestantism became a thing. However, the Church is far from perfect, and in the time of Martin Luther, whose teachings are typically seen as the spark that ignited the Protestant Reformation, it's clear that some within the Church were comfortable blurring the lines for financial gain.   I've got more on faith vs works and Catholicism vs Protestantism planned for future episodes, and I don't want to bury that conversation where no one will look for it, so let's leave that there for now and get back to Mark, with chapter 3 verse 31 to 35   MARK   31 Then Jesus' mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. 32 A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, "Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.” 33 "Who are my mother and my brothers?" he asked. 34 Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother.”   GREGG Thanks to the Marian doctrine of Our Lady's perpetual virginity we discussed back in episode 0.14, the surprising fact that Jesus doesn't immediately attend to his family members isn't the most discussed aspect of this passage when it comes to Catholicism. No, that would be the fact that Jesus' brothers, the Greek term is Adelphoi, show up. Generally these are understood as Jesus' half brothers, via his earthly father Saint Joseph from a previous marriage.   As for the question of whether Jesus just kind of blew off his family here, half brothers or cousins or full brothers or whoever was there with Mary, while I can see how you might get that impression, it's not like His every action is recorded. It's entirely possible that He checked in with them after making a quick positive observation- one that I don't want to lose in the rest of this analysis so I'll repeat it:   MARK 3 “35 Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother.”   GREGG   Anyways, as is the custom with Mark, we're on to the next scene in a hurry, launching into Mark 4 with the next verse as a classic transition:   MARK 4 1 Again Jesus began to teach by the lake.   GREGG I'm not going to go into detail about what He taught by the lake here, because Chapter 4 is made up entirely of miracles and parables we've already covered in 0.20 and earlier in 0.21, respectively. We've got the Parable of the Sower, then the Lamp on a Stand, then the Growing Seed and the Mustard Seed, capped off by Mark's account of Jesus calming the storm at sea.   Similarly, Mark 5 is a string of by-now familiar miracles- and if any don't seem familiar you know by now Miracles are in one of the 0.20 episodes, right? The Gerasene Demoniac, the Bleeding Woman, Jairus' Daughter, they're all there, and in Mark 5 too.   Mark 6 give us a bit more food for thought on Jesus' local life and family dynamic. A sign of how things hit differently at home, it's worth a long quote:   MARK 6:1-6 6 Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. 2 When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed.   “Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What's this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing? 3 Isn't this the carpenter? Isn't this Mary's son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren't his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.   4 Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.” 5 He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6 He was amazed at their lack of faith.   GREGG Many of Jesus' sayings have become proverbial, and while it's not in the level of turning the other cheek, “a prophet is not without honor except in his own town” has some popularity. It does seem to speak to a common truth of celebrities.   I do like the touch that He was unable to do any miracles there except for the miracles which He did do, which evidently still failed to impress. Of course, the idea of Jesus being *unable* to do miracles is theologically interesting, since He's, you know, God. Of course, God does seem to have had some trouble dealing with iron chariots back in Judges 1:19, so maybe there is some precedent.   But we've got our Pope-colored glasses on, so not only is Jesus God but God is omnipotent, so it's fair to ask: what gives? It could be that old favorite, the translation issue, but I admit my personal Greek skills are basically at the naming barnyard animals level, so I decided to bring in an expert to verify. An expert by the name of bibleref.com, linked in the show notes. Their commentary on the passage notes that in the parallel passage in Matthew, it simply says Jesus “did not” perform many miracles in his hometown, which isn't as controversial though of course it's always fair to ask why God doesn't just fix everything for everyone since he's all good and all knowing and all powerful. But that popular question isn't where we're at today because apparently it's not a translation issue, Mark 6:5 does specifically say Jesus *could not* perform the miracles in the Greek according to the commentary. But it goes on to note that there can be multiple senses of inability, like how you can't touch the ball when playing soccer, or football for my non-US listeners, and yeah, I'm not counting goalies. Anyways, obviously you can physically touch the ball, but you cannot in the sense that it's against the established rules of the game. If that's the sense, it makes some sense that Jesus quote unquote “can't” perform miracles in His hometown because His miracles are supposed to draw people to Him and they aren't having that effect at home. At least not much, keep in mind he did do some miracles there according to Mark, so in any event the whole “can't” thing definitely isn't absolute.   Of course, I personally find it awful to think that God would play games with our salvation- hence my quasi-universalism. I get respecting our free will, but I also know He's omnipotent and isn't going to give up on us, no matter how much we try to give up on ourselves if there's another chance we can get He's going to give that to us. But we have to accept at some point, so don't think I'm downplaying the urgency there.   Anyways, let's get back to Mark 6, now in Verse 8 where He's sending the disciples out in pairs with the following instructions:   MARK 6:8-11   8 Take nothing for the journey except a staff--no bread, no bag, no money in your belts.   9 Wear sandals but not an extra shirt.   10 Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town.   11 And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, leave that place and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.”   GREGG As you should by now have come to expect, these instructions do have a parallel in Matthew that we covered in the last worldbuilding episode. But it's not as close a parallel as you might think. Often, as we've talked about before, parallels in the synoptic gospels are so close that you'd get dinged for plagiarism, with maybe a word being changed here or there. But here, it basically reads like two different people were told to write down a speech shortly after they finished hearing it. Which, I mean, matches tradition, for what it's worth. The most obvious difference is that Mark's telling skips Matthew's bit about only going to Jewish households, forbidding visits to Gentiles or Samaritans. Though as we've seen Mark's Jesus was already laying the groundwork for some serious reframing of Mosaic Law by taking on the title of Lord of the Sabbath, I think on the whole it's more likely that in Mark's account that's simply taken as a given and perhaps left off for brevity rather than this being a separate incident or its absence being a sign that the disciples were to ignore those cultural barriers at this stage.   The rest of Mark 6 is taken up by his narrative of the death of John the Baptist, where, unusually for the Gospels, Jesus is offstage, and then there's two banner miracles, the Feeding of the 5000 and Jesus walking on water.   Which brings us to Mark 7, which has Jesus… let's see… excoriating the Jewish authorities… then calling a woman a dog… and let's not forget giving someone a wet willy.   Don't believe me? Let's go.   MARK 7   1The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus 2and saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. 3(The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders. 4When they come from the marketplace they do not eat unless they wash. And they observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, pitchers and kettles.) 5So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, "Why don't your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with defiled hands?” 6He replied, "Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: "'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. 7They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.' 8You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.” 9And he continued, "You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions! 10For Moses said, 'Honor your father and mother,' and, 'Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.' 11But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is Corban (that is, devoted to God)-- 12then you no longer let them do anything for their father or mother. 13Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.”   GREGG Note that while there's a close parallel between these passages and Matthew 15, Mark is apparently much more concerned with explaining Jewish custom to his audience, suggesting the intended audience is not Jews themselves.   The rest of the chapter we've covered before, from the Parable of the Heart of Man to the two miracles that give the tibits I teased earlier. Jesus calls the syrophoenician woman a dog in the runup to healing her servant, and he totally heals a deaf guy via wet willy at the end of the chapter. But I already covered both of those in 0.20c, so check them out there for more.   So that means we're on to Chapter 8, which opens with… another miracle! Turns out Jesus did a lot of those! Who knew?   That's the feeding of the four thousand, but you know the drill, we're skipping that and on ahead to verse 12, where Jesus is responding to a group of Pharisees asking for a sign.   MARK 8:12 He sighed deeply and said, "Why does this generation ask for a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to it."   GREGG Ok. Remembering that by a sign here they mean a miracle, we've got the guy known for working miracles getting annoyed at requests for miracles. Why? You'd think He'd be all about that. Is it another sort of hometown situation, where folk's lack of faith is an impediment?   Well, kind of sort of. But not quite.   In the parallel passage from Matthew 16, which I admit I kind of glossed over last time because I was excited to get to the Papally significant Matthew 16:18, Jesus calls those asking for a sign “a wicked and adulterous generation”, which can help explain why Jesus is refusing the request–after all even in Mark's shorter version their motives are implicitly questioned, with Jesus asking why they're asking for a sign.   The typical interpretation goes that Jesus is refusing the request for a sign because the Pharisees have the wrong *motives* in asking. Unlike those in His hometown, they seem to believe Jesus can work miracles, but they just want to see a show, they aren't interested in Jesus' message beyond that. And Jesus for His part, is interested in signs *for the sake of* His message, He isn't there to entertain.   These various passages that show Jesus specifically not working miracles could be taken to suggest some embarrassment by the authors about Jesus' miracles not being as renowned as they would like, forcing them to give explanations for why that's the case. I can definitely picture some neckbeard arguing if God wanted to make everyone believe he'd make miracles known to all and be undeniable. Which is a reasonable enough thought except unless God removes free will, there's never going to be such a thing as undeniable anyways.   In the next few verses, Jesus warns against the teachings of the Pharisees and Herod. Though technically the “teachings” part isn't spelled out in Mark, so it could be He's actually meaning to go in another direction with things than He does in Matthew's version, though I think their teaching or at least their general influence is His most likely target. Let's hear it and regroup after.   MARK 8 14-15 14The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat.   15"Be careful," Jesus warned them. "Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.”   GREGG Certainly He isn't talking about literal bread, as is evidenced from His reaction. Also, it's interesting that Mark warns against Herod's yeast specifically, while Matthew leaves Herod off in favor of tossing in the Sadducees to accompany the Pharisees. If Mark is the rougher, earlier version as most scholars currently argue–and as I'm inclined to believe looking at the two side by side these last few months–then it seems like one can argue Matthew's account has been modified to perhaps be a little more authority-friendly in this case, keeping in mind the Herodians were the client-kings in charge of the area in Jesus' day. Check out 0.13 on the Hasmoneans for more on that.   After a miracle interlude–healing the blind man in a two-step process where the miracle is evidently incomplete at first–a fairly intriguing Mark-only one that is arguably sanitized out of other accounts, but one we already covered so I'm not getting back into it today– anyways after that we hit Mark's account of Peter's testament, you know, with the binding and loosing and the keys and all that. Except actually *without* all that in Mark's version.   Here's the whole exchange as Mark tells it:   MARK 8:27-30 27Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, "Who do people say I am?” 28They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” 29"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" Peter answered, "You are the Messiah.” 30Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.   GREGG Like I said, not a key in sight. Peter does give the critical answer, but none of what would become the principal text for the Papacy is presented here. And again, if you consider Mark as the older account, as most scholars do, it's fair to raise an eyebrow at that. Yet in the end, one way or another, we have a Pope, and I do think there's something to be said for the unifying force of the role. After all, if no one is Pope, then everyone is Pope. But I digress.   Of course, poor Peter can only wish he were simply downplayed in Mark 8. The reality is he does pop up again later in the chapter, in a familiar but unflattering way:   MARK 8:31- 31He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. 32He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. "Get behind me, Satan!" he said. "You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”   GREGG So there you go. If you want to make a case for the Pope not always being right, there's an easy one. Not everyone gets called Satan by, well, God. Of course, there's a surprising amount of room where you can accept Papal Infallibility *and* the idea that the Pope isn't always right, but we'll get to that in time.   The chapter finishes with Jesus reflecting on what his stated fate means for his followers, and it's, uh, not the cheeriest image. It bleeds into chapter 9 so don't put your Bible down too quickly If you're following along.   MARK 8:34-9:1   34Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? 37Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 38If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels. CHAPTER 9 1And he said to them, "Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see that the kingdom of God has come with power.   GREGG Goodness, Jesus, it's hard for me to keep my running joke of treating the Crucifixion as a spoiler when you're literally telling your disciples to take up their crosses before it actually happens. Oh well.   Mark 9 continues with The Transfiguration, but like I mentioned in our Matthew discussion, that's it's own mystery of the rosary that we haven't gotten to yet, so pardon me and I'll skip that here too.   After that, we have a miracle- the boy with an unclean spirit that can only be driven out by prayer and fasting. So on to verse 30, where we have more talk of the upcoming Passion:   MARK 9:30-32 “30They left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, 31because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, "The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise.” 32But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it.   GREGG Jesus was speaking pretty plainly here, so it's not immediately clear why the disciples didn't understand what Jesus meant, but it's probably related to the way Jesus keeps telling folks either to talk or not to talk about things. There's definitely a focus on pacing the spread of the Good News throughout the Gospels, especially in Mark, and it seems like a supernatural barrier to the Apostles' understanding here would fit in with that.   The fear of asking is more easily explained: if someone you know is really good at making predictions and you're pretty sure they just predicted something awful, you may well be hesitant to confirm that with them.   Being hesitant to talk about stuff with Jesus carries us into the next few verses, where Jesus apparently puts His omniscience to good use in a wonderfully passive-aggressive way:   MARK 9: 33-35 33They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, "What were you arguing about on the road?" 34But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest. 35Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, "Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.”   GREGG The first will be last is one of Jesus' recurring themes, and the whole “I'm-pretty-sure-I-heard-you-but-since-you-won't-confirm-I'm-just-going-to-respond-indirectly approach reminds me of dealing with the drama of children, though I suppose a lot of things remind me of interacting with children these days given my current life situation, and that approach is not necessarily one that exclusively applies to children. Either way, Jesus does bring children into the conversation as His next move.   MARK 9:36-37 36He took a little child whom he placed among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, 37"Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”   GREGG That passage is one of the more often-remembered portions of the Gospels, in part because it's in all three synoptics [air horn], but also in part because it's a handy pastoral lesson to push back on folks who might complain about the presence of children in worship services. As they say, if no one in your church is cryin', it's dyin'.   Next up we have some verses you might wish had been left off if you've ever gotten tired of hearing “in Jesus' name” a lot:   MARK 9:38-41 38"Teacher," said John, "we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.” 39"Do not stop him," Jesus said. "For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, 40for whoever is not against us is for us. 41Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward.   GREGG Personally I'm thankful for that passage, because I'm a big supporter of ecumenism and cooperation, and “whoever is not against us is for us” is an immensely helpful sentiment in that context.   For the next section, where Jesus gets pretty intense, there are several verses that simply aren't present in my go-to NIV version, presumably for bible nerd manuscript reasons. Now, the point of the Sayings of the Savior series is to make sure we cover *everything* Jesus said in the canonical scriptures, and those verses are speaking lines for Jesus, so that won't do. Thankfully the King James version has us covered, so I'm going to switch to that for those verses.   So you can tell the difference easily, I'll be switching to a guest narrator as well. Lebron James hasn't responded to my calls, so the King James Version of the King James Version will have to wait, but my brother has come in clutch for podcast purposes. PJHERE MARK 9:42-48 42"If anyone causes one of these little ones--those who believe in me--to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea. 43If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. [NIV leaves off verse 44 “44Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.”-KJV] 45And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. [NIV leaves off verse 46 “46Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.”-KJV] 47And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, NIV leaves off verse 48 “48Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.”-KJV]   GREGG So yeah, by “verses” I kind of meant “one verse used as a refrain”, but it's officially verses 44, 46, and 48, so I am technically correct, which I'm told is the best kind of correct.   Thanks to the reference to “leading little ones astray”, the great millstone imagery has had some use in response to the sexual abuse crisis, though the most commonly cited of these evocative instructions is plucking out the eye, thanks in no small part to the frequency of admonitions against pornography in the online era. Cutting off the hand is also referenced, while I think most folks if they're being honest won't even necessarily recall cutting off the foot is among the scenarios mentioned.   Anyways, Jesus finishes this section with a few salty verses that initially bear a strong resemblance to Matthew 5:13- the salt of the earth bit from the Sermon on the Mount. I'm thinking I might have actually pointed these verses out when I was going over that due to the similarity, but just in case, here they are:   MARK 9:49-50 49Everyone will be salted with fire 50"Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt among yourselves, and be at peace with each other.”   GREGG “Have salt among yourselves” is an unusual turn of phrase, the typical interpretation of this Mark-only phrase is that Christians are supposed to bring out the best in one another, the way salt brings out the best in food.   We're now entering Mark 10, which- surprise surprise, has close parallels to Matthew 19 and 20. I'm not going to give the Matthew sections as a side by side, partly because we've already covered them independently, partly because this episode is already going to be one of my longest despite Mark being the shortest Gospel. But it's worth giving it a thorough treatment since scholars tend to think it's the oldest and also because if I'm going to go all-out it might as well be with the shortest of the bunch. You know, for efficiency.   Anyways…   MARK 10:1-12 1Jesus then left that place and went into the region of Judea and across the Jordan. Again crowds of people came to him, and as was his custom, he taught them. 2Some Pharisees came and tested him by asking, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” 3"What did Moses command you?" he replied. 4They said, "Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and send her away.” 5"It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law," Jesus replied. 6"But at the beginning of creation God 'made them male and female.' 7For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, 8and the two will become one flesh.' So they are no longer two, but one flesh. 9Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” 10When they were in the house again, the disciples asked Jesus about this. 11He answered, "Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her. 12And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery.”   GREGG This version of Jesus' teaching on marriage and divorce notably does not include the exception for adultery we saw in Matthew's account. Additionally where Matthew focused on Eunuchs for the kingdom–and other kinds of Eunuchs–Mark concluded with that extra condemnation of divorce, with remarriage as adultery.   In the next passage, the conversation changes direction:   MARK 10:13-16 13People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. 14When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” 16And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them.   GREGG We'll meet the Church Father who was allegedly one of the children in this scene as we go about our big timeline, once we get through this worldbuilding and go into that. But for now, it's time for one of the most inconvenient passages in the Gospels, at least if you're rich.    MARK 10:17-31 17As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. "Good teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 18"Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good--except God alone. 19You know the commandments: 'You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.'” 20"Teacher," he declared, "all these I have kept since I was a boy.” 21Jesus looked at him and loved him. "One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 22At this the man's face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth. 23Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!” 24The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” 26The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, "Who then can be saved?” 27Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.” 28Then Peter spoke up, "We have left everything to follow you!” 29"Truly I tell you," Jesus replied, "no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel 30will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields--along with persecutions--and in the age to come eternal life. 31But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”   GREGG There is a surprisingly thorough and ranging discussion of the whole “eye of the needle” bit in the digital edition of the British newspaper The Guardian, in the Nooks and Crannies section of their Notes and Queries page. Which I think makes it the most random thing I've cited here, but hey, it's got it all so let's get a sampling going:   First, the original query: The Guardian.com “I recently read that one of the gates into Jerusalem was named "The Eye of the Needle," and was quite tricky to negotiate, since it was quite small. Does this mean that when Jesus said "It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven," He meant that, far from being impossible, it was merely tricky?” Dara O'Reilly, London, UK   GREGG The first reply is a fairly representative take on the gate theory:   GUARDIAN The interpretation that seems to make sense is this. The "Eye of the Needle" was indeed a narrow gateway into Jerusalem. Since camels were heavily loaded with goods and riders, they would need to be un-loaded in order to pass through. Therefore, the analogy is that a rich man would have to similarly unload his material possessions in order to enter heaven. Rick, Brighton Uk   GREGG But then the plot thickens, as William Elsom of the UK is having none of it:   GUARDIAN No. The failure is in the translation. The original word that should have been translated was "camella" which means rope. (presumably Greek, but I am open to this being corrected.) "It is easier for a rope to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven" makes more sense as a comparison. William Elsom, UK   GREGG There's something of a scholarly telephone game going on in the background, as basically every “mistranslation” take offers a variation on the root word and apparent correct meaning. Which is fairly normal for translations especially when there are different alphabets involved, but still, I chuckled.   GUARDIAN I am currently studying the Aramaic language and indeed the word "gamla" (transliterated) does mean both "camel" and "thick rope." Assuming the original manuscript with that teaching of Jesus was recorded in Aramaic and later translated to Greek, the translator may have been familiar with only the "camel" definition of the word. I have not been able to find any reliable information on a city gate called "The Eye of the Needle." -Xakk, FL USA   GREGG As much as I hate agreeing with someone who spells Zach Xakk–though presumably that's a choice his parents made– anyways as much as I hate to admit it, this overall take seems the most likely to this non-Aramaic specialist. The general meaning is still the same, it's not something you're going to get done.   It's also worth noting that at least as of the return from the Exile, if the Book of Nehemiah is to be believed, there was no “Eye of the Needle” gate in Jerusalem. And I can state that with confidence because as longtime listeners will recall, I had a whole special episode devoted to the topic from July 2020 entitled “Literally A Detailed Description of the Gates of Jerusalem and Who Fixed Them in the Time of Nehemiah”, which, despite being exactly what it says it is, has been a pretty popular episode. In any event, it *could* be that an Eye of the Needle gate was established at a later point, though really the whole gate thing feels like wishful thinking on the part of the rich or the would-be rich to me.   Of course, as you might expect, there are also literalists who agree it's wishful thinking and would rather cut to the chase. Plus people like my man David:   GUARDIAN The translation is irrelevant. We all know in our hearts we cannot love money above God.   David Porter, Orangevale, US   GREGG Let's conclude with my favorite take:   GUARDIAN “Blessed are the cheesemakers?” Mike Conn, San Francisco,    GREGG After the second Gate-Gate scandal we've come across in this show (shoutout Samson if you've forgotten), we arrive at Jesus' third prediction of His own death in Mark   MARK 10:32-34 32They were on their way up to Jerusalem, with Jesus leading the way, and the disciples were astonished, while those who followed were afraid. Again he took the Twelve aside and told them what was going to happen to him. 33"We are going up to Jerusalem," he said, "and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles, 34who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise.”   GREGG Mark gives no record of the Apostles' reaction to this third prediction, unless the next verse is the actual reaction, which is a hilarious thought because it would be shockingly tone deaf. But yeah, it's the very next verse without any transition except the word “then”, so you can certainly read it that way:   MARK 10:35-45 35Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. "Teacher," they said, "we want you to do for us whatever we ask.” 36"What do you want me to do for you?" he asked. 37They replied, "Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.” 38"You don't know what you are asking," Jesus said. "Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?” 39"We can," they answered. Jesus said to them, "You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, 40but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.” 41When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. 42Jesus called them together and said, "You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 43Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 44and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. 45For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.   GREGG It turns out James and John, the Sons of Zebedee, have massive… cojones. But in the end their reward is understood to be martyrdom–perhaps not what they had in mind, they certainly seem to have had more of an earthly kingdom in mind.   In any event, here we have more of the “first will be last” motif popping up, and Scriptural background for why the Pope is considered, at least in theory, the “Servant of the Servants of God”.   Mark 10 finishes up with the healing of the blind Bartimaeus, so it's on to Mark 11, with Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem:   MARK 11:1-11 1As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, 2saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 3If anyone asks you, 'Why are you doing this?' say, 'The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.'” 4They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it, 5some people standing there asked, "What are you doing, untying that colt?” 6They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go. 7When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it. 8Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. 9Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted, "Hosanna!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” 10"Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!" "Hosanna in the highest heaven!” 11Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple courts. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.   GREGG We'll talk more about Palm Sunday in the future, for now just know that this scene is the basis for that. It's also a sign that Jesus is approaching the end of His earthly ministry, though we've still got another couple chapters for today after we finish this one.   We'll skip verses 12-14 as that's the cursing of the fig tree we covered under miracles--and that's right, it's a non-healing miracle. At least His target is a tree and not a human as happens in some of the apocrypha.   Which brings us to Mark's version of the scene with the moneychangers in the Temple:   MARK 11:15-18 15On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, 16and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. 17And as he taught them, he said, "Is it not written: 'My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations'? But you have made it 'a den of robbers.'” 18The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching. 19When evening came, Jesus and his disciples went out of the city.   GREGG Mark's somewhat abbreviated account leaves off Him making a whip, which is a loss, but hey, the core is there. As a reminder, and yes, I'll say this every time, just remember when someone asks “what would Jesus do” that flipping tables is absolutely a valid option.   Then, we're back to the fig tree, seeing the result of the curse on the way out, and this is extra special because this is actually an extended Mark only reflection. Including another King James specific verse that the NIV leaves off. Let's hear it!   MARK 11:20-26 20In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. 21Peter remembered and said to Jesus, "Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!” 22"Have faith in God," Jesus answered. 23"Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. 24Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins." [NIV omits but KJV has] 26But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.]   GREGG Of course, when I said “Mark exclusive”, that may have been a bit of an oversell, because while the now-proverbial “faith to move mountains” doesn't appear in Matthew's fig tree discourse, it does line up closely to another section, Matthew 17:20, several chapters before Matthew's fig tree. As for the rest, the sentiment is overall familiar, but worth repeating so I'll say it again:   MARK 11:25-26 if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins." [NIV omits but KJV has] 26But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.]   GREGG Next up we've got an attempted trap that Jesus turns around, Bugs Bunny style.   MARK 11:27-33 27They arrived again in Jerusalem, and while Jesus was walking in the temple courts, the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders came to him. 28"By what authority are you doing these things?" they asked. "And who gave you authority to do this?” 29Jesus replied, "I will ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. 30John's baptism--was it from heaven, or of human origin? Tell me!” 31They discussed it among themselves and said, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will ask, 'Then why didn't you believe him?' 32But if we say, 'Of human origin' . . . " (They feared the people, for everyone held that John really was a prophet.) 33So they answered Jesus, "We don't know." Jesus said, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things."   GREGG Mark 12 opens with the Parable of the Tenant Farmers, which I personally prefer to call the Parable of the Bad Tenants since I think just calling them farmers ignores the amount of murdering they do in the parable. But anyways, we're not covering it here, ‘cause parable. So on to Verse 13:   MARK 12:13-17 13Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his words. 14They came to him and said, "Teacher, we know that you are a man of integrity. You aren't swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not? 15Should we pay or shouldn't we?" But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. "Why are you trying to trap me?" he asked. "Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” 16They brought the coin, and he asked them, "Whose image is this? And whose inscription?" "Caesar's," they replied. 17Then Jesus said to them, "Give back to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's." And they were amazed at him.   GREGG This tax exchange, which we saw in Matthew and we'll see again in Luke (SYNOPTIC ROUNDUP AIRHORN?) is intended to be a sort of sting operation, with the expected result being Jesus objecting to the tax and therefore being guilty of rebellion against the Roman government. But I don't think Jesus even needed to tap into His omniscience here, they were acting pretty suspicious with the leading flattery and line of questioning. Plus, what does God ultimately need money for?   In the end, of course, everything we have ultimately comes from God, so while I mentioned it with Matthew it's worth mentioning again now- when we give Caesar what is Caesar's and God what is God's, God gets everything.   Next up we've got Jesus fielding yet another insincere question from religious authorities, this time from the Sadducees:   MARK 12:18-27 18Then the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question. 19"Teacher," they said, "Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. 20Now there were seven brothers. The first one married and died without leaving any children. 21The second one married the widow, but he also died, leaving no child. It was the same with the third. 22In fact, none of the seven left any children. Last of all, the woman died too. 23At the resurrection whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?” 24Jesus replied, "Are you not in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God? 25When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. 26Now about the dead rising--have you not read in the Book of Moses, in the account of the burning bush, how God said to him, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? 27He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are badly mistaken!”   GREGG That last bit– “You are badly mistaken!” is a Marcan flourish that helps emphasize Mark's generally less Pharisee-slash-Sadducee–friendly stance, underlining the intensity of Jesus' disagreement with them.   The next section is the part about The Greatest Commandment which we used to open the Sayings of the Savior, so check out 0.21a for that. Then we have a theological question apparently designed to further undermine the Credibility of the Teachers of the Law. This time around, it's Jesus who picks the fight,   MARK 12:35-40 35While Jesus was teaching in the temple courts, he asked, "Why do the teachers of the law say that the Messiah is the son of David? 36David himself, speaking by the Holy Spirit, declared: "'The Lord said to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet."' 37David himself calls him 'Lord.' How then can he be his son?" The large crowd listened to him with delight. 38As he taught, Jesus said, "Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, 39and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. 40They devour widows' houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely.”   GREGG “The large crowd listened to him with delight”, we're told, as Jesus excoriated the religious establishment of His day. Sounds like a political rally almost. No wonder He was condemned as a revolutionary.   The last scene in Mark 12 is one we haven't seen before- it's one of the few passages in Mark not paralleled in Matthew- and it's one of my favorites:   MARK12:41-44 41Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. 43Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything--all she had to live on.”   GREGG This scene is generally called the Widow's Mite, not because “mite” was the term for small copper coins in ancient Judea–though they would retroactively be called mites–and not because the mite was the term for small copper coins in 17th century England where the King James Bible was produced, though they would pick up that name, but rather because the King James translation used a Dutch term for some small denomination coins that had originally been picked up for Biblical use by William Tyndale.   For once, I'll spare you a deeper rabbit hole, and move on from the names of coins to the lesson of the coins.   I mentioned before this passage is one of my favorites. While I appreciate the challenge behind Jesus' admonition to be perfect that we saw in Matthew, here we see that if all you have isn't much, God still sees the effort and meaningful sacrifice. There's something comforting in that for extremely inadequate folks like myself.   On the other hand, there's the lesson that giving out of your abundance may be mathematically and physically helpful but it's not spiritually significant. It's the right thing to do, of course, but an even better thing than giving your excess is to give beyond just your excess.   “But I need the rest”, you might argue. And it's certainly true, you may well have just reasons for keeping some aside. It would be irresponsible of me to sell all my worldly possessions and go live in a cave, as even if my wife signed onto it we've got kids too young to voluntarily renounce the world, it's our responsibility to care for them.   So, where's the line? When do we go from taking care of our responsibilities at home to hoarding?   Well, if you have any money, you should be giving. It doesn't have to be all you have, especially if you've got responsibilities to those in your household, but it should absolutely be more than nothing, and everything is best.   Ultimately Christians are not to see money as theirs to use how they see fit, as something they've earned. That simply isn't a Christian mentality. Money is a means by which you can help others–those you have primary responsibility for first, like your children, and those in need should be prioritized urgently as well. The Church speaks of the “preferential option for the poor”.   I'm not saying you need to become a shell of a human, doing nothing for yourself and allowing your own mental and physical health to collapse- though certainly some saints lives point in that direction. But putting yourself first is something that needs to be balanced against your ability to be a blessing to those around you.   This isn't the last time I'll bring up this sort of thing by any means, and it looks like I avoided one tangent only to go into another, so let's get back to Mark, now in Chapter 13, which opens with a prophesy of the destruction of the Temple, then flows into a description of the End Times– keep in mind from the Christian perspective time has not only a beginning but an end–that parallels Matthew.   It's understandable to want to read this as being written after the actual historical destruction of the Temple in 70AD, but as I argued in my chat with Garry Stevens last June, it's not like it was hard to see such a calamity coming during Jesus' life, Rome was already in control of a rebellious Judea with the Temple as a potential center of nationalist resistance. And that's of course if you discount the possibility of actual prophecy, which, remember, we're making our Pope-colored glasses, so Jesus actually prophesying Is the most straightforward explanation. Either way, a post 70AD dating for Mark is really pushing the outward edge of scholarly dating for the work, keeping in mind scholars tend to argue it's the oldest of the Gospels.   Without further ado, here's a long quote, going from Mark 13:1 to 27.   MARK 13 1As Jesus was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, "Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!” 2"Do you see a

Principle 3 – Measuring Corporate Maturity   Ephesians 1:15-19When we evaluate the maturity of any local church, we should look for the ways believers are manifesting faith, hope, and love in their relationships with God and one another.Support the Show.

In this episode of Longevity By Design, co-hosts Ashley Reaver, MS, RD, CSSD, and Dr. Gil Blander welcome renowned professor Dr. Keith Baar. As the head of the Functional Molecular Biology Lab at UC Davis, Dr. Baar has made groundbreaking discoveries about how exercise and nutrition influence the adaptation of muscles, tendons, and ligaments. During this episode, he shares his expertise on the critical role of exercise and nutrition for musculoskeletal health, longevity, and improving quality of life.Dr. Baar discusses the profound impact that both strength and endurance exercise have on healthspan and longevity, emphasizing the unique benefits of strength training. He delves into the molecular biology of muscles, explaining his discovery that resistance exercise activates the mTOR pathway, which is crucial for muscle protein synthesis and muscle growth. He also shares his knowledge on the effects of the drug rapamycin, an inhibitor of mTOR, on muscle versus longevity, highlighting the nuances and complex balance needed for optimal health. Dr. Baar also shares his expertise and addresses common misconceptions regarding tendons and ligaments. The conversation also covers the significance of nutritional timing, the benefits of integrating protein intake with exercise for muscle, and collagen and vitamin C for tendons and ligaments.Listeners to this episode will be equipped with an understanding of the responses to different types of exercise and practical exercise and nutrition advice for optimizing muscle, tendon, and ligament health througout life. Episode timestampsIntroduction: 00:00-02:52What led Dr. Keith Baar to become a scientist interested in exercise physiology?: 02:52-05:19What is the musculoskeletal system, and can you explain why it is so vital for health, physical function and performance, and quality of life?: 05:20-12:13What is the role of mTOR in health and longevity? 12:14-16:44What is the role of rapamycin and metformin in health and longevity? 16:45-20:58Activation of mTOR by resistance exercise and protein: 20:59-23:03Is there a window of opportunity for consuming protein following exercise to increase muscle protein synthesis? Is the timing of protein consumption post-exercise important for muscle protein synthesis? 23:04-27:35Is the type of protein important for muscle protein synthesis? 27:36-28:32Is there a difference between young and older adults in how they respond to resistance exercise?28:33-33:49What are the differences in molecular responses and longevity between resistance and endurance exercise?: 33:50-38:31What are ligaments and tendons? Are there differences in ligaments and tendons between men and women? 38:32-43:26What is the best way to exercise for tendons and ligaments? 43:27-49:10Is there a difference between pre-menopausal and post-menopausal women in tendons and ligaments?: 49:11-51:17Why is collagen important for tendons and ligaments?: 51:18-53:22Why is vitamin C important for collagen synthesis and tendons and ligaments?: 53:23-55:19When should a collagen supplement be consumed?: 55:21-57:07What are some misconceptions about tendons and ligaments?: 57:08-58:42What happens to tendons and ligaments during a joint replacement?: 58:43-01:00:50What excites or interests Dr. Keith Baar the most that has the potential to extend healthspan in the next 5-10 years?: 01:00:51-01:03:36Dr. Keith Baar's top tip for health: 01:03:37-01:05:59

Second Sunday of Easter The Collect: Almighty and everlasting God, who in the Paschal mystery established the new covenant of reconciliation: Grant that all who have been reborn into the fellowship of Christ's Body may show forth in their lives what they profess by their faith; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. First Lesson: Acts 4:32-35 32Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common. 33With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. 34There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold. 35They laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. Psalm: Psalm 133 1 Oh, how good and pleasant it is, *        when brethren live together in unity! 2 It is like fine oil upon the head *        that runs down upon the beard, 3 Upon the beard of Aaron, *        and runs down upon the collar of his robe. 4 It is like the dew of Hermon *        that falls upon the hills of Zion. 5 For there the Lord has ordained the blessing: *        life for evermore. Epistle: 1 John 1:1-2:2 1We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— 2this life was revealed, and we have seen it and testify to it, and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us— 3we declare to you what we have seen and heard so that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete. 5This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. 6If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; 7but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. 1My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; 2and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. Gospel: John 20:19-31 19When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 20After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”22When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” 24But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came.25So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.” 26A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” 28Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”30Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. 31But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.   Artwork: Vulnerability by Lorraine Almeida (used with permission).

Support Common Prayer Daily @ PatreonVisit our Website for more www.commonprayerdaily.com_______________LentJesus said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”Mark 8:34 ConfessionOfficiant: Let us humbly confess our sins unto Almighty God.People: Almighty and most merciful Father, we have erred and strayed from your ways like lost sheep. We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts. We have offended against your holy laws.We have left undone those things which we ought to have done, and we have done those things which we ought not to have done; and apart from your grace, there is no health in us. O Lord, have mercy upon us. Spare all those who confess their faults. Restore all those who are penitent, according to your promises declared to all people in Christ Jesus our Lord. And grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake, that we may now live a godly, righteous, and sober life, to the glory of your holy Name. Amen.Officiant: Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us all our sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen us in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep us in eternal life. Amen. The Lord's PrayerOur Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen. Invitatory & PsalmsOfficiant: O God, make speed to save us. People: O Lord, make haste to help us. Officiant & People: Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. LentThe Lord is full of compassion and mery: Come let us adore him.Venite Psalm 95:1-7Come, let us sing to the Lord; *let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving * and raise a loud shout to him with psalms.For the Lord is a great God, *and a great King above all gods.In his hand are the caverns of the earth, * and the heights of the hills are his also.The sea is his, for he made it, *and his hands have molded the dry land.Come, let us bow down, and bend the knee, * and kneel before the Lord our Maker.For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand. * Oh, that today you would hearken to his voice!The Lord is full of compassion and mery: Come let us adore him. Psalm 94Deus ultionum1O Lord God of vengeance, *O God of vengeance, show yourself2Rise up, O Judge of the world; *give the arrogant their just deserts.3How long shall the wicked, O Lord, *how long shall the wicked triumph?4They bluster in their insolence; *all evildoers are full of boasting.5They crush your people, O Lord, *and afflict your chosen nation.6They murder the widow and the stranger *and put the orphans to death.7Yet they say, “The Lord does not see, *the God of Jacob takes no notice.”8Consider well, you dullards among the people; *when will you fools understand?9He that planted the ear, does he not hear? *he that formed the eye, does he not see?10He who admonishes the nations, will he not punish? *he who teaches all the world, has he no knowledge?11The Lord knows our human thoughts; *how like a puff of wind they are.12Happy are they whom you instruct, O Lord! *whom you teach out of your law;13To give them rest in evil days, *until a pit is dug for the wicked.14For the Lord will not abandon his people, *nor will he forsake his own.15For judgment will again be just, *and all the true of heart will follow it.16Who rose up for me against the wicked? *who took my part against the evildoers?17If the Lord had not come to my help, *I should soon have dwelt in the land of silence.18As often as I said, “My foot has slipped,” *your love, O Lord, upheld me.19When many cares fill my mind, *your consolations cheer my soul.20Can a corrupt tribunal have any part with you, *one which frames evil into law?21They conspire against the life of the just *and condemn the innocent to death.22But the Lord has become my stronghold, *and my God the rock of my trust.23He will turn their wickedness back upon themand destroy them in their own malice; *the Lord our God will destroy them. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. The LessonsGenesis 47:29-31English Standard Version29 And when the time drew near that Israel must die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, “If now I have found favor in your sight, put your hand under my thigh and promise to deal kindly and truly with me. Do not bury me in Egypt, 30 but let me lie with my fathers. Carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burying place.” He answered, “I will do as you have said.” 31 And he said, “Swear to me”; and he swore to him. Then Israel bowed himself upon the head of his bed.Genesis 48:8-20English Standard Version8 When Israel saw Joseph's sons, he said, “Who are these?” 9 Joseph said to his father, “They are my sons, whom God has given me here.” And he said, “Bring them to me, please, that I may bless them.” 10 Now the eyes of Israel were dim with age, so that he could not see. So Joseph brought them near him, and he kissed them and embraced them. 11 And Israel said to Joseph, “I never expected to see your face; and behold, God has let me see your offspring also.” 12 Then Joseph removed them from his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth. 13 And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel's left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel's right hand, and brought them near him. 14 And Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on the head of Ephraim, who was the younger, and his left hand on the head of Manasseh, crossing his hands (for Manasseh was the firstborn). 15 And he blessed Joseph and said,“The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked,    the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day,16 the angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the boys;    and in them let my name be carried on, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac;    and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.”17 When Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him, and he took his father's hand to move it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's head. 18 And Joseph said to his father, “Not this way, my father; since this one is the firstborn, put your right hand on his head.” 19 But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great. Nevertheless, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his offspring shall become a multitude of nations.” 20 So he blessed them that day, saying,“By you Israel will pronounce blessings, saying,‘God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh.'”Thus he put Ephraim before Manasseh. Officiant: The Word of the LordPeople: Thanks be to God. A Song of Penitence(Kyrie Pantokrator)O Lord and Ruler of the hosts of heaven, * God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,and of all their righteous offspring:You made the heavens and the earth, * with all their vast array.All things quake with fear at your presence; * they tremble because of your power.But your merciful promise is beyond all measure; * it surpasses all that our minds can fathom.O Lord, you are full of compassion, * long-suffering, and abounding in mercy.You hold back your hand; *you do not punish as we deserve.In your great goodness, Lord,you have promised forgiveness to sinners, * that they may repent of their sin and be saved.And now, O Lord, I bend the knee of my heart, * and make my appeal, sure of your gracious goodness.I have sinned, O Lord, I have sinned, * and I know my wickedness only too well.Therefore I make this prayer to you: * Forgive me, Lord, forgive me.Do not let me perish in my sin, * nor condemn me to the depths of the earth.For you, O Lord, are the God of those who repent, * and in me you will show forth your goodness.Unworthy as I am, you will save me, in accordance with your great mercy, * and I will praise you without ceasing all the days of my life.For all the powers of heaven sing your praises, * and yours is the glory to ages of ages. Amen. 1 Corinthians 14:1-12English Standard Version14 Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy. 2 For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit. 3 On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation. 4 The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church. 5 Now I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be built up.6 Now, brothers, if I come to you speaking in tongues, how will I benefit you unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching? 7 If even lifeless instruments, such as the flute or the harp, do not give distinct notes, how will anyone know what is played? 8 And if the bugle gives an indistinct sound, who will get ready for battle? 9 So with yourselves, if with your tongue you utter speech that is not intelligible, how will anyone know what is said? For you will be speaking into the air. 10 There are doubtless many different languages in the world, and none is without meaning, 11 but if I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be a foreigner to the speaker and the speaker a foreigner to me. 12 So with yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church.Officiant: The Word of the LordPeople: Thanks be to God. A Song of Praise(Benedictus es, Domine Song of the Three Young Men, 29-34)Glory to you, Lord God of our fathers; * you are worthy of praise; glory to you.Glory to you for the radiance of your holy Name; * we will praise you and highly exalt you for ever.Glory to you in the splendor of your temple; * on the throne of your majesty, glory to you.Glory to you, seated between the Cherubim; * we will praise you and highly exalt you for ever.Glory to you, beholding the depths; * in the high vault of heaven, glory to you.Glory to you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; * we will praise you and highly exalt you for ever. The CreedI believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. The PrayersOfficiant: The Lord be with you.People: And also with you.Officiant: Let us pray The SuffragesShow us your mercy, O Lord;And grant us your salvation.Clothe your ministers with righteousness;Let your people sing with joy.Give peace, O Lord, in all the world;For only in you can we live in safety. Lord, keep this nation under your care;And guide us in the way of justice and truth. Let your way be known upon earth; Your saving health among all nations. Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten; Nor the hope of the poor be taken away. Create in us clean hearts, O God; And sustain us with your Holy Spirit.Take a moment at this time to reflect and pray for the needs of others. Fourth Sunday in LentGracious Father, whose blessed Son Jesus Christ came down from heaven to be the true bread which gives life to the world: Evermore give us this bread, that he may live in us, and we in him; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.A Collect for PeaceO God, the author of peace and lover of concord, to know you is eternal life and to serve you is perfect freedom: Defend us, your humble servants, in all assaults of our enemies; that we, surely trusting in your defense, may not fear the power of any adversaries; through the might of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.A Collect for GraceLord God, almighty and everlasting Father, you have brought us in safety to this new day: Preserve us with your mighty power, that we may not fall into sin, nor be overcome by adversity; and in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.For MissionAlmighty and everlasting God, by whose Spirit the whole body of your faithful people is governed and sanctified: Receive our supplications and prayers which we offer before you for all members of your holy Church, that in their vocation and ministry they may truly and devoutly serve you; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. ThanksgivingsThe General ThanksgivingAlmighty God, Father of all mercies, we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks for all your goodness and loving-kindness to us and to all whom you have made. We bless you for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for your immeasurable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory. And, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies, that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up our selves to your service, and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen.A Prayer of St. ChrysostomAlmighty God, you have given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common supplication to you; and you have promised through your well-beloved Son that when two or three are gathered together in his Name you will be in the midst of them: Fulfill now, O Lord, our desires and petitions as may be best for us; granting us in this world knowledge of your truth, and in the age to come life everlasting. Amen. ConclusionThe grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore. Amen. 2 Corinthians 13:14

Gina Livy's Facebook Lives from The Livy Method Fall 2023 Support Group hosted on Facebook. This is a recording of the Day 75, 9 AM live. You can find the full video hosted at:https://www.facebook.com/groups/livymethodfall2023Topics covered:Implementing Back on Track @ IntroMembers returning that stopped following earlier in The Program- we are so happy you're back @ 0:40We will have a carryover group to get through the holidays @ 1:32Looking ahead to Week 11- Personalizing the Plan @ 2:07Black Friday sale on our Maintenance group- 24 hours only @ 3:42When personalizing the plan, you are still following all the guidelines and tailoring them to your individual needs @ 4:12How to decide whether to sign up for another program @ 5:15When you sign up for maintenance, you will receive an email with a code to join the Facebook group @ 6:40The Livy Method app will still be available after the group finishes @ 8:22If your weight loss is slowing down, it's a great time to pull out the maximizing checklist @ 8:45Some members are breaking through plateaus- capitalize on the last couple weeks of The Program @ 10:19If you didn't receive the email with the code to join the M&M group, be sure to check your junk folder @ 11:19When you see an initial drop on the scale, be sure to support your body in detox to continue losing @ 11:53Every time you re-watch a video or re-read a post, it hits different based on where you're at in your journey @ 14:18There are a lot of important conversations in the M&M group and lots to work through once you reach maintenance @ 15:09Manifesting is having a resurgence @ 17:40When you're done losing weight, your body will continue changing and adjust to the weight you have lost @ 20:20Discussing options for when the group ends @ 22:35Sign up for Winter group sooner than later- we always sell out @ 25:00Many members repeat The Program in order to level up and reach their weight loss goals @ 27:48If you aren't losing weight but you're not gaining, this is a massive win @ 29:25You're not broken- fat burning diets just don't work and leave you disconnected from your body @ 30:15The goal for the end of the program is for you to have all the tools you need to feel confident about next steps @ 31:05Doing the best you can while away on vacation or over the holidays- don't be surprised if you lose weight @ 32:30Guest experts in M&M group- some familiar faces from the weight loss group, and some new faces as well @ 33:05The benefit of being in both groups- maintenance gives you a roadmap to your finally and forever @ 34:50Hot flashes can be detoxing @ 36:58At this point in The Program, how much water you need should be based on being in tune with your body and recognizing when you need more or less @ 38:38The Secret book/movie and the power of manifesting @ 40:08The impact of visualizing yourself reaching your goal and how you'll feel when you get there @ 41:41Investing in maintenance is a form of manifesting @ 42:50How manifesting and The Secret helped Gina to make change in her life @ 43:28Waiting for your life to start when you lose your weight @ 47:15Atomic Habits by James Clear- helps you highlight things in your life that you can change to get the results you want @ 48:25To learn more about the Livy Method, visit www.ginalivy.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vintage City Church // Teaching Series: RESET // David Mitchell // Psalm 51:1-19When have you sabotaged the goodness of God in your life? The story of David committing adultery in 2 Samuel 11 and David's prayer for repentance in Psalm 51 shows us a pathway to redemption. The prayer he prayed in Psalm 51 offers us a glimpse of David's shattered heart. After he committed adultery and tried to cover up his sins with more sins, David reached a place of correction, a place of re-directing himself to the will of God. David demonstrates that repenting out of conviction is possible after sinning. It's possible to return to the person God called you to be. For David, he returned to the person he once was - a Shepherd, a King, a Worshipper.Repent today and return to our Sovereign God.

Podcast: Elementality for Financial Advisors | Elements of Financial Planning System™ (LS 34 · TOP 3% what is this?)Episode: Why the Status Quo Is a Threat to Your RIA with Matt ReinerPub date: 2023-09-19When making decisions, we lean towards the familiar. It's in our nature as change often seems too uncomfortable. From ordering food to choosing apps, we want what's familiar. But to thrive, you need to innovate. On this Elementality, Reese welcomes Matt Reiner, CEO at Wela Strategies, who explains why maintaining the status quo results in stagnation.The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Reese Harper, CFP®, which is the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Listen Notes, Inc.

Podcast: Elementality for Financial Advisors | Elements Financial Vitals System™ (LS 35 · TOP 3% what is this?)Episode: Why the Status Quo Is a Threat to Your RIA with Matt ReinerPub date: 2023-09-19When making decisions, we lean towards the familiar. It's in our nature as change often seems too uncomfortable. From ordering food to choosing apps, we want what's familiar. But to thrive, you need to innovate. On this Elementality, Reese welcomes Matt Reiner, CEO at Wela Strategies, who explains why maintaining the status quo results in stagnation.The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Reese Harper, CFP®, which is the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Listen Notes, Inc.

Seventh Sunday after Pentecost The Collect: O Lord, mercifully receive the prayers of your people who call upon you, and grant that they may know and understand what things they ought to do, and also may have grace and power faithfully to accomplish them; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. Old Testament: Genesis 25:19-34 19These are the descendants of Isaac, Abraham's son: Abraham was the father of Isaac, 20and Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah, daughter of Bethuel the Aramean of Paddan-aram, sister of Laban the Aramean. 21Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife, because she was barren; and the Lord granted his prayer, and his wife Rebekah conceived. 22The children struggled together within her; and she said, “If it is to be this way, why do I live?” So she went to inquire of the Lord.23And the Lord said to her, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples born of you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the elder shall serve the younger.” 24When her time to give birth was at hand, there were twins in her womb. 25The first came out red, all his body like a hairy mantle; so they named him Esau. 26Afterward his brother came out, with his hand gripping Esau's heel; so he was named Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them. 27When the boys grew up, Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a quiet man, living in tents. 28Isaac loved Esau, because he was fond of game; but Rebekah loved Jacob. 29Once when Jacob was cooking a stew, Esau came in from the field, and he was famished. 30Esau said to Jacob, “Let me eat some of that red stuff, for I am famished!” (Therefore he was called Edom.) 31Jacob said, “First sell me your birthright.” 32Esau said, “I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?” 33Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. 34Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank, and rose and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright. Psalm: Psalm 119:105-112 105 Your word is a lantern to my feet *        and a light upon my path. 106 I have sworn and am determined *        to keep your righteous judgments. 107 I am deeply troubled; *        preserve my life, O Lord, according to your word. 108 Accept, O Lord, the willing tribute of my lips, *        and teach me your judgments. 109 My life is always in my hand, *        yet I do not forget your law. 110 O The wicked have set a trap for me, *        but I have not strayed from your commandments. 111 Your decrees are my inheritance for ever; *        truly, they are the joy of my heart. 112 I have applied my heart to fulfill your statutes *        for ever and to the end. Old Testament: Isaiah 55:10-13 10For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there until they have watered the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, 11so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the thing for which I sent it. 12For you shall go out in joy, and be led back in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall burst into song, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. 13Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle; and it shall be to the Lord for a memorial, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off. Psalm: Psalm 65: (1-8), 9-14 [1 You are to be praised, O God, in Zion; *        to you shall vows be performed in Jerusalem. 2 To you that hear prayer shall all flesh come, *        because of their transgressions. 3 Our sins are stronger than we are, *        but you will blot them out. 4 Happy are they whom you choose   and draw to your courts to dwell there! *        they will be satisfied by the beauty of your house,        by the holiness of your temple. 5 Awesome things will you show us in your righteousness,   O God of our salvation, *        O Hope of all the ends of the earth        and of the seas that are far away. 6 You make fast the mountains by your power; *        they are girded about with might. 7 You still the roaring of the seas, *        the roaring of their waves,        and the clamor of the peoples. 8 Those who dwell at the ends of the earth will tremble at your marvelous signs; *        you make the dawn and the dusk to sing for joy.] 9 You visit the earth and water it abundantly;   you make it very plenteous; *        the river of God is full of water. 10 You prepare the grain, *        for so you provide for the earth. 11 You drench the furrows and smooth out the ridges; *        with heavy rain you soften the ground and bless its increase. 12 You crown the year with your goodness, *        and your paths overflow with plenty. 13 May the fields of the wilderness be rich for grazing, *        and the hills be clothed with joy. 14 May the meadows cover themselves with flocks,    and the valleys cloak themselves with grain; *        let them shout for joy and sing. Epistle: Romans 8:1-11 1There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. 3For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and to deal with sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4so that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law—indeed it cannot,8and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 9But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you. Gospel: Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 1That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea.2Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow.4And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. 5Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil.6But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. 7Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9Let anyone with ears listen!” 18“Hear then the parable of the sower. 19When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. 20As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. 22As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. 23But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”

This episode is a sermon that I preached at Bethel Lutheran Church in Cupertino, California. It is about Romans 8 and the struggle between the flesh and the spirit. It is also about zombies. First Reading Genesis 25:19-3419These are the descendants of Isaac, Abraham's son: Abraham was the father of Isaac, 20and Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah, daughter of Bethuel the Aramean of Paddan-aram, sister of Laban the Aramean. 21Isaac prayed to the LORD for his wife, because she was barren; and the LORD granted his prayer, and his wife Rebekah conceived. 22The children struggled together within her; and she said, “If it is to be this way, why do I live?” So she went to inquire of the LORD. 23And the LORD said to her,
     “Two nations are in your womb,
          and two peoples born of you shall be divided;
     the one shall be stronger than the other,
          the elder shall serve the younger.”
24When her time to give birth was at hand, there were twins in her womb. 25The first came out red, all his body like a hairy mantle; so they named him Esau. 26Afterward his brother came out, with his hand gripping Esau's heel; so he was named Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.27When the boys grew up, Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a quiet man, living in tents. 28Isaac loved Esau, because he was fond of game; but Rebekah loved Jacob.29Once when Jacob was cooking a stew, Esau came in from the field, and he was famished. 30Esau said to Jacob, “Let me eat some of that red stuff, for I am famished!” (Therefore he was called Edom.) 31Jacob said, “First sell me your birthright.” 32Esau said, “I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?” 33Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. 34Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank, and rose and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright. Second Reading Romans 8:1-111There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. 3For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and to deal with sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4so that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law — indeed it cannot, 8and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.9But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you. Gospel Matthew 13:1-9, 18-231That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 2Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. 4And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. 5Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. 6But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. 7Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9Let anyone with ears listen!”18“Hear then the parable of the sower. 19When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. 20As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. 22As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. 23But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

HOLY GOSPEL Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 1 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 2 Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3 And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. 4And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. 5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. 6But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9Let anyone with ears listen!” 18“Hear then the parable of the sower. 19When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. 20As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. 22As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. 23But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”

Third Sunday after Pentecost The Collect: Keep, O Lord, your household the Church in your steadfast faith and love, that through your grace we may proclaim your truth with boldness, and minister your justice with compassion; for the sake of our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. Old Testament: Genesis 18:1-15, (21:1-7) 1The Lord appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day. 2He looked up and saw three men standing near him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent entrance to meet them, and bowed down to the ground. 3He said, “My lord, if I find favor with you, do not pass by your servant. 4Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. 5Let me bring a little bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on—since you have come to your servant.” So they said, “Do as you have said.” 6And Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah, and said, “Make ready quickly three measures of choice flour, knead it, and make cakes.” 7Abraham ran to the herd, and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to the servant, who hastened to prepare it.8Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree while they ate. 9They said to him, “Where is your wife Sarah?” And he said, “There, in the tent.” 10Then one said, “I will surely return to you in due season, and your wife Sarah shall have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent entrance behind him. 11Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; it had ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. 12So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I have grown old, and my husband is old, shall I have pleasure?” 13The Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?'14Is anything too wonderful for the Lord? At the set time I will return to you, in due season, and Sarah shall have a son.” 15But Sarah denied, saying, “I did not laugh”; for she was afraid. He said, “Oh yes, you did laugh.” [1 The Lord dealt with Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as he had promised. 2Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the time of which God had spoken to him. 3Abraham gave the name Isaac to his son whom Sarah bore him. 4And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. 5Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. 6Now Sarah said, “God has brought laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh with me.” 7And she said, “Who would ever have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”] Psalm: Psalm 116:1,10-17 1 I love the Lord, because he has heard the voice of my supplication, *        because he has inclined his ear to me whenever I called upon him. 10 How shall I repay the Lord *        for all the good things he has done for me? 11 I will lift up the cup of salvation *        and call upon the Name of the Lord. 12 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord *        in the presence of all his people. 13 Precious in the sight of the Lord *        is the death of his servants. 14 O Lord, I am your servant; *        I am your servant and the child of your handmaid;        you have freed me from my bonds. 15 I will offer you the sacrifice of thanksgiving *        and call upon the Name of the Lord. 16 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord *        in the presence of all his people, 17 In the courts of the Lord'S house, *        in the midst of you, O Jerusalem.        Hallelujah! Old Testament: Exodus 19:2-8a 2They had journeyed from Rephidim, entered the wilderness of Sinai, and camped in the wilderness; Israel camped there in front of the mountain.3Then Moses went up to God; the Lord called to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the Israelites:4You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. 5Now therefore, if you obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession out of all the peoples. Indeed, the whole earth is mine, 6but you shall be for me a priestly kingdom and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the Israelites.” 7So Moses came, summoned the elders of the people, and set before them all these words that the Lord had commanded him. 8The people all answered as one: “Everything that the Lord has spoken we will do.” Psalm: Psalm 100 1 Be joyful in the Lord, all you lands; *        serve the Lord with gladness        and come before his presence with a song. 2 Know this: The Lord himself is God; *        he himself has made us, and we are his;        we are his people and the sheep of his pasture. 3 Enter his gates with thanksgiving;   go into his courts with praise; *        give thanks to him and call upon his Name. 4 For the Lord is good;   his mercy is everlasting; *        and his faithfulness endures from age to age. Epistle: Romans 5:1-8 1Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. 3And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. 6For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die. 8But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us. Gospel: Matthew 9:35-10:8,(9-23) 35Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness. 36When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” 1Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness. 2These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; 3Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;4Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him. 5These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, 6but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7As you go, proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.' 8Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment. [9Take no gold, or silver, or copper in your belts, 10no bag for your journey, or two tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for laborers deserve their food. 11Whatever town or village you enter, find out who in it is worthy, and stay there until you leave. 12As you enter the house, greet it. 13If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. 14If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town. 15Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town. 16“See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. 17Beware of them, for they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues; 18and you will be dragged before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them and the Gentiles. 19When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you at that time; 20for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. 21Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; 22and you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.23When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next; for truly I tell you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.]

Matthew 9:35—10:8 [9-23] The Holy Gospel according to Matthew.Glory to you, O Lord.35Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness.36When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.37Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few;38therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”10:1Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness.2These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John;3Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;4Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him.5These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans,6but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.7As you go, proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.'8Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment. [9Take no gold, or silver, or copper in your belts,10no bag for your journey, or two tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for laborers deserve their food.11Whatever town or village you enter, find out who in it is worthy, and stay there until you leave.12As you enter the house, greet it.13If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.14If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town.15Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.16“See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.17Beware of them, for they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues;18and you will be dragged before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them and the Gentiles.19When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you at that time;20for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.21Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death;22and you will be hated by all because ofmy name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.23When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next; for truly I tell you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.”]

Day of Pentecost The Collect: Almighty God, on this day you opened the way of eternal life to every race and nation by the promised gift of your Holy Spirit: Shed abroad this gift throughout the world by the preaching of the Gospel, that it may reach to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. or this O God, who on this day taught the hearts of your faithful people by sending to them the light of your Holy Spirit: Grant us by the same Spirit to have a right judgment in all things, and evermore to rejoice in his holy comfort; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. First Lesson: Acts 2:1-21 or Numbers 11:24-30 1When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.3Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. 4All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. 5Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. 6And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each.7Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? 9Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God's deeds of power.” 12All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.” 14But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, “Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. 15Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o'clock in the morning. 16No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: 17‘In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. 18Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy.19And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist. 20The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord's great and glorious day. 21Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.' or 24So Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord; and he gathered seventy elders of the people, and placed them all around the tent. 25Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him, and took some of the spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders; and when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. But they did not do so again. 26Two men remained in the camp, one named Eldad, and the other named Medad, and the spirit rested on them; they were among those registered, but they had not gone out to the tent, and so they prophesied in the camp. 27And a young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” 28And Joshua son of Nun, the assistant of Moses, one of his chosen men, said, “My lord Moses, stop them!” 29But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord's people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit on them!” 30And Moses and the elders of Israel returned to the camp. Psalm: Psalm 104:25-35,37 25 O Lord, how manifold are your works! *        in wisdom you have made them all;        the earth is full of your creatures. 26 Yonder is the great and wide sea    with its living things too many to number, *        creatures both small and great. 27 There move the ships,    and there is that Leviathan, *        which you have made for the sport of it. 28 All of them look to you *        to give them their food in due season. 29 You give it to them; they gather it; *        you open your hand, and they are filled with good things. 30 You hide your face, and they are terrified; *        you take away their breath,        and they die and return to their dust. 31 You send forth your Spirit, and they are created; *        and so you renew the face of the earth. 32 May the glory of the Lord endure for ever; *        may the Lord rejoice in all his works. 33 He looks at the earth and it trembles; *        he touches the mountains and they smoke. 34 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; *        I will praise my God while I have my being. 35 May these words of mine please him; *        I will rejoice in the Lord. 37 Bless the Lord, O my soul. *        Hallelujah! Second Lesson: 1 Corinthians 12:3b-13 or Acts 2:1-21 3No one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says “Let Jesus be cursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except by the Holy Spirit. 4Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; 6and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. 7To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses. 12For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.13For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. or 1When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.3Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. 4All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. 5Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. 6And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each.7Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? 9Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God's deeds of power.” 12All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.” 14But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, “Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. 15Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o'clock in the morning. 16No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: 17‘In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. 18Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy.19And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist. 20The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord's great and glorious day. 21Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.' Gospel: John 20:19-23 or John 7:37-39 19When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 20After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”22When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” or 37On the last day of the festival, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, he cried out, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, 38and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, ‘Out of the believer's heart shall flow rivers of living water.'” 39Now he said this about the Spirit, which believers in him were to receive; for as yet there was no Spirit, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

HOLY GOSPEL: John 20:19-23   19When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 20After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” 22When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”    

Principle 3 – Measuring Corporate Maturity   Ephesians 1:15-19When we evaluate the maturity of any local church, we should look for the ways believers are manifesting faith, hope, and love in their relationships with God and one another.Support the show

Second Sunday of Easter The Collect: Almighty and everlasting God, who in the Paschal mystery established the new covenant of reconciliation: Grant that all who have been reborn into the fellowship of Christ's Body may show forth in their lives what they profess by their faith; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. First Lesson: Acts 2:14a, 22-32 14But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, 22“You that are Israelites, listen to what I have to say: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with deeds of power, wonders, and signs that God did through him among you, as you yourselves know— 23this man, handed over to you according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of those outside the law. 24But God raised him up, having freed him from death, because it was impossible for him to be held in its power.25For David says concerning him, ‘I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand so that I will not be shaken; 26therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; moreover my flesh will live in hope.27For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One experience corruption. 28You have made known to me the ways of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence.' 29“Fellow Israelites, I may say to you confidently of our ancestor David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30Since he was a prophet, he knew that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would put one of his descendants on his throne. 31Foreseeing this, David spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, saying, ‘He was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh experience corruption.' 32This Jesus God raised up, and of that all of us are witnesses. Psalm: Psalm 16 1 Protect me, O God, for I take refuge in you; *        I have said to the Lord, “You are my Lord,        my good above all other.” 2 All my delight is upon the godly that are in the land, *        upon those who are noble among the people. 3 But those who run after other gods *        shall have their troubles multiplied. 4 Their libations of blood I will not offer, *        nor take the names of their gods upon my lips. 5 O Lord, you are my portion and my cup; *        it is you who uphold my lot. 6 My boundaries enclose a pleasant land; *        indeed, I have a goodly heritage. 7 I will bless the Lord who gives me counsel; *        my heart teaches me, night after night. 8 I have set the Lord always before me; *        because he is at my right hand I shall not fall. 9 My heart, therefore, is glad, and my spirit rejoices; *        my body also shall rest in hope. 10 For you will not abandon me to the grave, *        nor let your holy one see the Pit. 11 You will show me the path of life; *        in your presence there is fullness of joy,        and in your right hand are pleasures for evermore. Second Lesson: 1 Peter 1:3-9 3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6In this you rejoice, even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials, 7so that the genuineness of your faith—being more precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8Although you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, 9for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. Gospel: John 20:19-31 19When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 20After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”22When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” 24But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came.25So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.” 26A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” 28Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”30Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. 31But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

HOLY GOSPEL: John 20:19-31 19When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”20After he said this, he showedthem his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.21Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”22When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.23If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”24But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came.25So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”26A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”27Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.”28Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”29Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”30Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book.31But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

Disciple Up # 296 Is It Right to Accuse an Elder (Pastor)? By Louie Marsh, 2-27-2023   Link to podcast on YouTube.   Youtube.com/@discipleuppodcast9019   Response to last week – name redacted.   ·       "Oh Lucifer, the great accuser and slanderer. Praise Jesus Christ the living Son of the living God. I'll stay focused on the cross and Christ's redeeming blood, I suggest anyone… ·       "Oh lofty one, you're not an elder in this church, merely a Karen seeking for yourself your own vanity." ·       "Your post is in direct rebellion against the will of God, Mr. Pastor" ·       "Forgive me, I'm arrogant. But nonetheless, this doesn't belong on public platforms for all to see."   What the Bible Says:   “19Do not admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses.” (1 Timothy 5:19, ESV)   Against an elder (κατα πρεσβυτερου [kata presbuterou]). In the official sense of verses 17f. Receive not (μη παραδεχου [mē paradechou]). Present middle imperative with μη [mē] (prohibition) of παραδεχομαι [paradechomai], to receive, to entertain. Old verb. See Acts 22:18. Accusation (κατηγοριαν [katēgorian]). Old word (from κατηγορος [katēgoros]). In N. T. only here, Titus 1:6; John 18:29 in critical text. Except (ἐκτος εἰ μη [ektos ei mē]). For this double construction see 1 Cor. 14:5; 15:2. At the mouth of (ἐπι [epi]). Idiomatic use of ἐπι [epi] (upon the basis of) as in 2 Cor. 13:1. - A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1933), 1 Ti 5:19.   A Red Herring:   “15saying, “Touch not my anointed ones, do my prophets no harm!”” (Psalm 105:15, ESV)   In the verses leading up to God's command “Do not touch my anointed ones,” we read this:   “19When you were few in number, of little account, and sojourners in it, 20wandering from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another people, 21he allowed no one to oppress them; he rebuked kings on their account, 22saying, “Touch not my anointed ones, do my prophets no harm!”” (1 Chronicles 16:19–22, ESV)   This passage refers to the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. When “they” (the patriarchs) were few in number, they lived as wandering strangers in a strange land (see Hebrews 11:9). Through all their travels and travails, God protected them, increased their number, and prevented the powerful rulers of the lands where they stayed from harming them.   David applied it to himself:   1 Samuel 26:9–11 (ESV): 9 But David said to Abishai, “Do not destroy him, for who can put out his hand against the LORD's anointed and be guiltless?” 10 And David said, “As the LORD lives, the LORD will strike him, or his day will come to die, or he will go down into battle and perish. 11 The LORD forbid that I should put out my hand against the LORD's anointed. But take now the spear that is at his head and the jar of water, and let us go.”   Remember: There's a big difference between questioning what someone says, and questioning their character.   “16Rejoice always, 17pray without ceasing, 18give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19Do not quench the Spirit. 20Do not despise prophecies, 21but test everything; hold fast what is good. 22Abstain from every form of evil.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16–22, ESV)   What should our attitude be towards our leaders?   1) Respect them – or if you can't respect them you respect the position they hold   2) Approach them in love and with witnesses.   3) Have the goal of finding the truth and restoration foremost in your mind      

Show Summary: "Tristan's death taught me my power. But my illness taught me to be gentle and submissive to what it actually takes to honor yourself and your boundaries. I thought I knew what ease and grace were, but the dysfunction literally disabled me so I could learn my lesson."Losing a loved one is one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. The emotional weight of watching someone you care about fade away is excruciating and can cause a heavy toll on the body and mind. In today's episode, we have the privilege of hearing Gutsy Health Founder, Juanique Roney, share her powerful story of overcoming adversity and reclaiming her health. A year after her husband's death, she felt as though an atomic bomb had gone off in her body, leaving her struggling with a multitude of symptoms, including those similar to Lyme disease, MCAS, Epstein-Barr syndrome, multiple sclerosis, depression, and anxiety.Despite the harrowing nature of her situation, she refused to give up. Follow along as she pulls the curtain to her recent past and reveals her profound insights after a year of self-discovery and healing.Draw comfort and inspiration from Juanique's journey. Tune in to Episode 55 of the Gutsy Health Podcast! Exceptional Highlights:All disease begins in the gut. The microbiome plays a critical role in maintaining gut health and the rest of the body, and an imbalance can wreak havoc on the immune system.The most self-loving thing you can do is to slow down and ground yourself.Always seek the company of those who uplift you and remind you of your potential.Show Highlights: Stress influences gut health, and it is impossible to heal from a stressed state.Juanique Roney 11:32Despite her tireless efforts to recover, the intense mental and emotional stress manifested in physical symptoms throughout her body.Taking a proactive approach and a different perspective on healing significantly improved her health.  Juanique Roney 20:16Hyperbaric treatment, cryotherapy, and HOCATT (Hyperthermic Ozone and Carbonic Acid Transdermal Therapy) proved to be excellent solutions for halting the fast decline of her health.Kambo medicine provided a powerful reminder to give her body the needed rest and care.Juanique Roney 32:19When the body is in service to the mind, we get disease and dysfunction. But when the body is in service to the heart and soul, we can experience health, pleasure, joy, love, excitement, and inspiration. As women, we live with the societal pressure to conform to the masculine energy of constant achievement and forward momentum, which can be detrimental to our well-being. Gina Worful 40:30True feminine power comes from embracing and honoring the natural flow of life, and this can be achieved by being mindful of one's energy and seasons in work and business.By paying attention to your body's physical sensations and emotions, you can understand what aligns with your true self. Juanique Roney 51:19Take a moment to breathe deeply and release any tension in your mind. Then, practice identifying what brings you contraction and expansion in your life, and make adjustments accordingly.Important Links: Gutsy Health AcademyGutsy Health Podcast InstagramProvo Health Website

OUTLINE of today's show with TIMECODES Groundhog Day — in so many ways 2:30NASCAR changed the rules so this AWESOME move will never happen again 4:09NASA's new Fake Moon set created 10:43Biden stokes the REAL problem at the border — which shows why E-Verify system won't work and is reprehensible because it targets Americans. 13:47The Australian state of New South Wales is going to get digital id within weeks. 24:45WATCH Groundhog Day Super Bowl commercial 30:25Listeners question how they can restrict transportation in the US 32:10Judge appointed by Biden — slams and blocks "law" that would punish gun manufacturers for any gun crime 40:22Memphis Police Chief came with her own sordid past. They didn't vet her, just a diversity hire 43:14The lawsuit from Connecticut showing that it is policy to NOT hire police with IQ above average. Same thing happening in London 49:55Men who've been convicted of multiple rapes declare they're "trans" and are sent to women's prison. Then it gets worse. Man declares he's a FEMALE INFANT and the prison caters to his demands. We've gone full PSYCHO (as in Hitchcock) 59:19When will we shut these seminaries of Satan down? Missouri schools, Wisconsin schools, NC schools — from taking kids to drag show, pushing LGBT dogma for an entire week, and school cop & his teacher wife arrested for grooming & pedophilia. 1:07:12Project Veritas expose of Pfizer ignored by establishment media and even when they park a video van in front of Pfizer NYC headquarters, FOX avoids the issue while "reporting" on the incident 1:27:06Tony Arterburn, DavidKnight.gold, joins — The Federal Reserve changing interest rates is all politics. 1:32:14The end of the petrodollar. 1:37:08What's going to happen to crypto currency? 1:46:37If they're going to complain about cryptocurrencies using too much energy and not being green, can we take a look at the energy consumption of NSA facilities and the spy software they install on ALL our phones and computers? 1:52:38Yes, stopping gain of function, exposed yet again at Pfizer, is important. But what's more urgent right now? Stop the vaccines. 1:58:08Another kind of cash cow has been developed in China — the SUPER COW 2:05:12The difference between selective breeding and genetic modification and cloning. 2:08:03Leading newspapers and schools of journalism now openly demand we throw out objectivity. So what happens to "Fact Checking"? 2:13:56Why do we call it postmodernism? Where did the term come from? 2:17:32A message from angry tiger and Jason Barker. 2:35:33Trump sues Bob Woodward for $49 million, then 2 days later praises him 2:37:50Trump criticizes Ron DeSantis for supporting TRUMP's shots. So what DID DeSantis do about lockdowns and jabs in FL and when did he do it? 2:49:04Find out more about the show and where you can watch it at TheDavidKnightShow.com If you would like to support the show and our family please consider subscribing monthly here:SubscribeStar https://www.subscribestar.com/the-david-knight-showOr you can send a donation through Mail: David Knight POB 994 Kodak, TN 37764Zelle: @DavidKnightShow@protonmail.comCash App at: $davidknightshowBTC to: bc1qkuec29hkuye4xse9unh7nptvu3y9qmv24vanh7Money is only what YOU hold: Go to DavidKnight.gold for great deals on physical gold/silver

OUTLINE of today's show with TIMECODESGroundhog Day — in so many ways 2:30NASCAR changed the rules so this AWESOME move will never happen again 4:09NASA's new Fake Moon set created 10:43Biden stokes the REAL problem at the border — which shows why E-Verify system won't work and is reprehensible because it targets Americans. 13:47The Australian state of New South Wales is going to get digital id within weeks. 24:45WATCH Groundhog Day Super Bowl commercial 30:25Listeners question how they can restrict transportation in the US 32:10Judge appointed by Biden — slams and blocks "law" that would punish gun manufacturers for any gun crime 40:22Memphis Police Chief came with her own sordid past. They didn't vet her, just a diversity hire 43:14The lawsuit from Connecticut showing that it is policy to NOT hire police with IQ above average. Same thing happening in London 49:55Men who've been convicted of multiple rapes declare they're "trans" and are sent to women's prison. Then it gets worse. Man declares he's a FEMALE INFANT and the prison caters to his demands. We've gone full PSYCHO (as in Hitchcock) 59:19When will we shut these seminaries of Satan down? Missouri schools, Wisconsin schools, NC schools — from taking kids to drag show, pushing LGBT dogma for an entire week, and school cop & his teacher wife arrested for grooming & pedophilia. 1:07:12Project Veritas expose of Pfizer ignored by establishment media and even when they park a video van in front of Pfizer NYC headquarters, FOX avoids the issue while "reporting" on the incident 1:27:06Tony Arterburn, DavidKnight.gold, joins — The Federal Reserve changing interest rates is all politics. 1:32:14The end of the petrodollar. 1:37:08What's going to happen to crypto currency? 1:46:37If they're going to complain about cryptocurrencies using too much energy and not being green, can we take a look at the energy consumption of NSA facilities and the spy software they install on ALL our phones and computers? 1:52:38Yes, stopping gain of function, exposed yet again at Pfizer, is important. But what's more urgent right now? Stop the vaccines. 1:58:08Another kind of cash cow has been developed in China — the SUPER COW 2:05:12The difference between selective breeding and genetic modification and cloning. 2:08:03Leading newspapers and schools of journalism now openly demand we throw out objectivity. So what happens to "Fact Checking"? 2:13:56Why do we call it postmodernism? Where did the term come from? 2:17:32A message from angry tiger and Jason Barker. 2:35:33Trump sues Bob Woodward for $49 million, then 2 days later praises him 2:37:50Trump criticizes Ron DeSantis for supporting TRUMP's shots. So what DID DeSantis do about lockdowns and jabs in FL and when did he do it? 2:49:04Find out more about the show and where you can watch it at TheDavidKnightShow.com If you would like to support the show and our family please consider subscribing monthly here:SubscribeStar https://www.subscribestar.com/the-david-knight-showOr you can send a donation through Mail: David Knight POB 994 Kodak, TN 37764Zelle: @DavidKnightShow@protonmail.comCash App at: $davidknightshowBTC to: bc1qkuec29hkuye4xse9unh7nptvu3y9qmv24vanh7Money is only what YOU hold: Go to DavidKnight.gold for great deals on physical gold/silver

God has more for you.   Charles SpurgeonWithout the Spirit of God, we can do nothing. We are as ships without wind. We are useless.Warren W. WiersbeIt is futile for us to try to serve God without the power of the Holy Spirit. Talent, training, and experience cannot take the place of the power of the Spirit.Acts 1:4And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait   for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” The early believers looked to, depended on, interacted with and spoke about the Holy Spirit all the time. A. W. TozerIf the Holy Spirit had been withdrawn from the New Testament church, 95 percent of what they did would stop, and everybody would know the difference. If the Holy Spirit was withdrawn from the church today, 95 percent of what we do would go on and no one would know the difference.God has more for you.   John 14:16-18And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper,that He may abide with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. #1 The Holy Spirit Is A Person Dirkie Van Der SpuyIt is impossible to understand the working of the Holy Spirit without first knowing Him as a Person. Like Christ, the Person of the Holy Spirit is living and eternal.AMEN ERIK PICTURE#2 The Holy Spirit Is GodActs 5:3-4But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Spirit, and to keep back part of the price of the land? 4 Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.John 14:16And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, Allos One of the very same kind; same character; same everything; nearly a duplicate. A.W. TozerThe Holy Spirit is epitome of love, kindliness, geniality, warm attractiveness and sweetness. He is the sweetest, most understanding and wonderful Teacher in the world, and He never panics anybody. It is sin that does that.”#3. The Holy Spirit Is Our Helper John 14:26But the Helper, The Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.John 15:26“But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me. 27 And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning. John 16:7Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. John 16:12-1312 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.  13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. Paráklētos Para -  along side  and Kletos -  to walk It is to your advantage that I go away;  That words parakeets means ComforterCounselorAdvocateIntercessorStrengthenerAnd StandbyThe Holy Spirit want to help you by being your Comforter Psalms 16:8-9 TPTBecause you are close to me and always available my confidence will never be shaken for I experience your wrap-around presence every moment. My heart and soul explode with joyfull of glory! Even my body will rest confident and secure. The Holy Spirit want to help you by being your  CounselorCounselor A person trained to give guidance on personal, social, or psychological problems   John 16:13When He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.  John 17:17Thy word is truth.LOGOSOf the moral precepts given by God, the sayings of God”He will tell you things to come. The Holy Spirit want to help you by being your AdvocateRevelation 12:10“the accuser of the brethren”The Holy Spirit want to help you by being your Intercessor Romans 8:26Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses.For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.The Holy Spirit want to help you by being your Strengthener Ephesians 3:16“…to be strengthened and reinforced with mighty power in the inner man by the [Holy] Spirit [Himself indwelling your innermost being and personality]."Romans 8:11"But if the Spirit of Him (God) who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you""give life" = to revitalise, to make alive and cause to live.Acts 1:8But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you;The Holy Spirit want to help you by being your Standby  Isaiah 59:19When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him.

 Listen in while my Boo and I talk all things drag, love, and finding your authentic self.Summary/Time Stamps: Trey's origin story. 0:13What it's like to know that your parents were doing the best they could. 9:00Did things get better with his parents? 13:58What's the worst way to connect to someone? 17:30What happened after her breakup with her ex. 21:46Trey's first mentor is. 27:54On her wedding anniversary, he made jokes at her expense. 33:55Moving to the San Francisco Bay. 38:56Working at the Federal Law office. 41:37What's your auric bubble like? 47:04When you get to that point in your life where you're like, “How did I get here?”. 53:16Boundaries are very important. 55:35It's all about building trust slowly. 59:55Family is the only thing that matters. 1:05:10“All you're trying to do is make yourself feel better.”. 1:10:28Don't be rude to other people's friends. 1:16:13How do I know how to trust myself on who to let in? 1:23:19When someone sees me that makes me uncomfortable, it makes me feel like I haven't seen in the past. 1:26:00It would have killed me if I hadn't left. 1:32:44When you're in school, did you ever have a test where you had to learn a different key? 1:37:22Don't get involved unless you are asked to. 1:43:14Drag shows are not always about sex. 1:52:59Don't get me wrong, I don't like violence, but it's not our job to fix it. 1:58:55When are we going to have gun control? 2:06:33Donald Trump's wife is a flight attendant. 2:10:35“You are the master of your own destiny”. 2:16:47

Luke 21:5-19When some of them were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, Jesus said to them, “As for these things that you see, the time will come when not one stone will be left upon another. All will be thrown down.” They said to him, “Teacher, when will this be? What will be the sign that this is about to take place?” Jesus answered them, “Beware that you are not led astray. Many will come, in my name, and say, ‘I am he,' and ‘The time is near,' do not go after them.”“When you hear about wars and insurrections, do not be terrified. These things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately. There will be great earthquakes and, in various places, famines and plagues. There will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven.”“But before all this occurs, they will arrest you and persecute you. You will be handed over to synagogues and prisons. You will be brought before kings and governors, because of my name. This will give you an opportunity to testify, so make up your minds not to prepare your defense in advance, for I will give you words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict. You will be betrayed by parents and brothers, friends and relatives, and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name. But not a hair on your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your souls.” This reading usually shows up in the most untimely way for us around here. I mean, it always shows up in November, on or around the Sunday when we are supposed to be praying about and planning for our financial commitments to the Building Fund – which we will do next week, if you haven't read or heard about that, yet.So what I mean is, around this time of year, during this season of our life together, we very often get this bit from Luke's Gospel where Jesus warns the disciples about making too much of their temple. As I'm typically hard at work stewing about prayer vigils, capital campaign packets, mortgage payments, and financial commitments, Jesus says, “As for these things that you see, this stuff that you've built – these beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God – the day is coming when not one stone will be left upon another. All will be thrown down.”And that's usually a hard pill to swallow. Like, Jesus is laughing at, if not straight up, flat out, judging our efforts to build what we've built here over the years. I mean, there's nothing like trying to build a thing, investing in everything it takes to build a thing, and have someone remind you that it won't last for long; maybe that you're wasting your time; that it's all going to amount to nothing but rubble in the grand scheme of things anyway. Jesus is like a guy who shows up to the beach to find that a little kid has just built his most prized, perfect, glorious sand castle and, instead of marveling at the hard work and majesty of it all, points out that high tide will be rolling in any minute. But this year, for the first time, things are different. I can't disagree with Jesus, of course. Maybe, in some very worldly ways … or from a cosmic kind of perspective … all of this BUILDING is for naught. It won't last FOREVER, in a physical sense. It will, indeed, crumble to dust, in the end. I get that.But this year – as we think about praying and planning for our “Building and Outreach Fund” commitments – we get to do that with even more than just our own bricks and mortar on the brain. We get to do that with even more than just mortgage payments and interest rates and financial debt reduction in mind, than we're used to. We get to think differently about all of this because, for the first time ever, we don't have a mortgage to pay and because we plan to give 50% of these funds away to mission and ministry outside of our walls; 50% beyond our own bricks and mortar; 50% over and above these stones that will, indeed, someday, all be thrown down, as Jesus promises.But what's so exciting and full of hope about things this time around – again, for the first time ever – is that we can't possibly measure who or how our generosity will change the hearts and lives of others, by the grace we'll share in the days ahead.And at the 24 Hour Prayer Vigil next weekend, we're going to have a chance to share, very plainly and prayerfully what we hope we'll be able to do in this regard. (Please, please, please sign up to be part of that, if you haven't already.) We're going to be able to make prayerful suggestions about the tangible, real-world ways, we hope we'll use our financial resources to do God's work in some really new, very meaningful, truly faithful ways.First, we'll get to be practical with our prayers. We'll share the scoop about what we would, could should be saving money for in our rainy day, repair and emergency bucket – stuff like HVAC repairs, parking lot resurfacing, roof replacements, exterior painting, and boring, but necessary, responsible stuff like that.Second, we'll be selfish and have some fun as we pray, too, by dreaming about what we might add to or renovate around here – like sanctuary expansion, an outdoor pavilion, better video projection and online technology. Someone I know wants a cement pad for a basketball/pickle ball court of some kind, for instance. Of course, when I say “selfish” I don't really mean “selfish,” if what we build for ourselves allows us to share grace and good news with more people, in different ways. There's nothing selfish about that.And third, we'll get to offer up ideas, too, about the 50% of it all we plan to give away. Over the years we've suggested everything from supporting mission churches and missionaries, to helping people reduce medical debt, to giving more regularly to some of our Mission Sunday organizations, like the Talitha Koum Women's Recovery House. Someone even has the notion to help fund a Baby Box, somewhere in our community where infants – who would otherwise be abandoned – could be left, safely, to be rescued instead. The possibilities – large and small – really are endless and inspiring.And all of this is nothing more or less than the testimony Jesus asks of us in today's Gospel. With our ministry, whether it's what we preach, teach, or support with our money we tell the world who we are. We tell the world who God is. And we show the world what we're up to together. With our ministry, whether it's what we preach, teach or support with our money we welcome the sinner, we tend to the sick, we love those who others refuse to see. It means we tend to sex workers on the east side. It means we fight racism in our midst. It means we support our LGBTQIA brothers, sisters and siblings. It means we build houses in Haiti and churches in Noblesville. It means we are generous and faithful and gracious to a fault – as if that were possible in the Kingdom of God.We may not be called before kings and governors, in our little corner of the Kingdom. It may not get us killed, these days, in our neck of the woods. But it may mean – as Jesus promises and warns – that some won't like, or may even hate, what we're up to. There are people out there who think we're too generous, too bold, too outspoken about the gospel and grace and good news we share, after all. And I kind of like that. I believe it's how we endure – and help others endure, too – the hardships of life in this world. And it's how we find our souls, in the midst of it all, too.Because, whatever we do and wherever we give and however God leads us, we're just trying to do what God's been calling believers to do ever since that day Jesus was milling around in the temple with those very first disciples – reminding them about what really matters on this side of heaven:Which is to use all of this as our opportunity to testify to what we know of God's call and God's kingdom among us: to work for justice; to stand for peace; to repent, ourselves, and to forgive others, too; and to use every blessing at our disposal to bless the world around us with the same grace that we have first received. That's the Kingdom of God alive and well in this place, for the sake of the world. And it's what will matter – to us and for others – and it's what will last, long after all of this and all of us are turned to dust.Amen

GOSPEL POWER l JULY 8, 2022 - FRIDAY 14th Week in Ordinary Time Gospel: Mt 10:16-23 Jesus said to the Twelve, 16“See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. 17Beware of them, for they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues; 18and you will be dragged before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them and the Gentiles. 19When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you at that time; 20for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. 21Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; 22and you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 23When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next; for truly I tell you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.” T he message of the heavenly Kingdom is a world-changing message. But the ones who are reaping the benefits from the present world-order will resist anything that poses a threat to the status quo. To silence the disturbing Kingdom-message, they will try to get rid of the messengers. This is the risk that Jesus openly speaks about in today's Gospel. His destiny as a sign of contradiction (cf. Lk 2:34) will also be the destiny of the believers who bear his name and are associated with his mission. But the risk is at the same time an opportunity to experience providence and power. For the Spirit that empowers Jesus, the same Holy Spirit that conceived and brought him forth into the world, will endow his missionaries with boldness and eloquence. Belonging to Christ is risky but infinitely rewarding. Lord Jesus, you risked everything to be one with us. Strengthen us to face the risks of belonging to you. Amen.

GospelMATTHEW 10:16-2316"Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. 17Beware of men; for they will deliver you up to councils, and flog you in their synagogues, 18and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear testimony before them and the Gentiles. 19When they deliver you up, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour; 20for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. 21Brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; 22and you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved. 23When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next; for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel, before the Son of man comes.

GOSPEL POWER l JUNE 5, 2022 - SUNDAY of Solemnity of Pentecost Gospel: Jn 20:19-23 (or Jn 14:15-16, 23b-26) 19When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 20After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” 22When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” Luke is the only evangelist to write a sequel to the Gospel. This is known as the Acts of the Apostles, and here, Luke recounts the Pentecost as a separate event that occurs after Jesus' ascension into heaven. In the Gospel of John, proclaimed also in today's Mass, Jesus imparts the Holy Spirit to the disciples on the evening of the same day that he rose from the dead. There is no need to harmonize these two biblical accounts, because what matters most is the essential truth that the two evangelists convey unanimously. They tell us that the Holy Spirit is the gift that marks the victory of Christ's resurrection. This invisible and transforming power that transcends space and time is the Spirit of Christ and his new way of being among us, no longer in flesh, until the end of the age. As the indwelling divine presence, it is through the Spirit that Christ and the Father will make their home is us, as Jesus has promised his disciples (Jn 14:23). Lord Jesus, through your Holy Spirit, transform the face of the earth and make us new creatures. Amen.

Second Sunday of Easter The Collect: Almighty and everlasting God, who in the Paschal mystery established the new covenant of reconciliation: Grant that all who have been reborn into the fellowship of Christ's Body may show forth in their lives what they profess by their faith; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. First Lesson: Acts 5:27-32 27When they had brought them, they had them stand before the council. The high priest questioned them, 28saying, “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and you are determined to bring this man's blood on us.” 29But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than any human authority. 30The God of our ancestors raised up Jesus, whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. 31God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior that he might give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. 32And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.” Psalm: Psalm 118:14-29 or Psalm 150 14 The Lord is my strength and my song, *        and he has become my salvation. 15 There is a sound of exultation and victory *        in the tents of the righteous: 16 “The right hand of the Lord has triumphed! *        the right hand of the Lord is exalted!        the right hand of the Lord has triumphed!” 17 I shall not die, but live, *        and declare the works of the Lord. 18 The Lord has punished me sorely, *        but he did not hand me over to death. 19 Open for me the gates of righteousness; *        I will enter them;        I will offer thanks to the Lord. 20 “This is the gate of the Lord; *        he who is righteous may enter.” 21 I will give thanks to you, for you answered me *        and have become my salvation. 22 The same stone which the builders rejected *        has become the chief cornerstone. 23 This is the Lord's doing, *        and it is marvelous in our eyes. 24 On this day the Lord has acted; *        we will rejoice and be glad in it. 25 Hosannah, Lord, hosannah! *        Lord, send us now success. 26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; *        we bless you from the house of the Lord. 27 God is the Lord; he has shined upon us; *        form a procession with branches up to the horns of the altar. 28 “You are my God, and I will thank you; *        you are my God, and I will exalt you.” 29 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; *        his mercy endures for ever. or 1 Hallelujah! Praise God in his holy temple; *       praise him in the firmament of his power. 2 Praise him for his mighty acts; *       praise him for his excellent greatness. 3 Praise him with the blast of the ram's-horn; *       praise him with lyre and harp. 4 Praise him with timbrel and dance; *       praise him with strings and pipe. 5 Praise him with resounding cymbals; *       praise him with loud-clanging cymbals. 6 Let everything that has breath *       praise the Lord.       Hallelujah! Epistle: Revelation 1:4-8 4John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, 5and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, 6and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. 7Look! He is coming with the clouds; every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail. So it is to be. Amen. 8“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty. Gospel: John 20:19-31 19When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 20After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”22When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” 24But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came.25So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.” 26A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” 28Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”30Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. 31But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

God Doesn't Call The Qualified; He Qualifies Those He Calls! Mark 1:16 - 20 16As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 17“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 18At once they left their nets and followed him. 19When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. 20Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.

11 When you are brought before synagogues, rulers, and authorities, do not worry about how to defend yourselves or what to say. 12For at that time the Holy Spirit will teach you what you should say.”  Luke 12:11-12Welcome to the Legion of Michael and thank you for all that you do to support the show. Remember to go to www.legionofmichael.com  https://redcircle.com/shows/legionofmichaelI recently had a thoughtful conversation with a man and he asked me how I knew that God was real. For a moment, I had a bit of worry that I would not say the right thing or say enough. However, that moment was fleeting. I recalled the words of Christ from the Gospel of Luke. Remember, it is not your job to change men's hearts. You cannot force a change and you do not need to worry about changing men's hearts, that is not your job. Your job is to spread the word, to deliver the message, sow the seeds.18“Listen then to the parable of the sower. 19When anyone hears the [i]word of the kingdom and does not understand it,the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one sown with seed beside the road.20The one sown with seed on the rocky places, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy;21 yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution occurs because of the [j]word, immediately he [k]falls away. 22And the one sown with seed among the thorns, this is the one who hears the word, and the anxiety of the [l]world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it [m]becomes unfruitful. 23But the one sown with seed on the good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces, some a hundred, some sixty, and some thirty times as much.”  Matt. 13:18-23“For nothing will be impossible with God.” Luke 1:37Warrior's PrayerLord, I come before you seeking the strength and skill to overcome my enemies. Grant me I pray, the wisdom to recognize evil, the courage to confront it, and the strength to destroy it. In Jesus' name, I pray, amen. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/legionofmichael/exclusive-contentAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

#19When you have a vision…Something that you want to create…Something that is so big you cannot just drop it, because it's your Soul's calling…Moving towards it with your whole being becomes the most  important thing.When you hold big dreams, there will always be places to align and realign.When you are manifesting the life of your dreams, you are modeling that this is possible for everyone else. With this, you are constantly encouraged to be at your best.There is something really sacred in letting yourself be held in that and  walk with people who dare to dream so big as you do or even bigger.Tune into this episode and find out everything you want to know about Masterminds and this next-level opportunity for your expansion!Potentiality Mastermindhttps://sofiasundari.com/potentiality-mastermind/

Principle 3 – Measuring Corporate Maturity   Ephesians 1:15-19When we evaluate the maturity of any local church, we should look for the ways believers are manifesting faith, hope, and love in their relationships with God and one another.Support the show (http://www.bibleprinciples.org/donate)

GOSPEL POWER l APRIL 24, 2022 2nd Sunday of Easter (Divine Mercy Sunday) Gospel: Jn 20:19-31 19When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 20After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” 22When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” 24But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.” 26A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” 28Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” 30Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. 31But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name. Doubt is not unbelief, but a yearning for a stronger foundation of faith. God never ignores any movement of the heart toward him but meets it halfway. In this sense, doubt can become a prelude to a more mature faith, as today's Gospel about the doubting Thomas attests. The risen Christ, far from scolding Thomas for rejecting the testimony of his fellow-disciples, even submits to all the conditions Thomas has specified for accepting the truth of the resurrection. He meets Thomas where he is, still caught up in the trauma of the crucifixion, and responds to his doubt with immense compassion. Indeed, this is a Gospel-episode that celebrates Divine Mercy! Lord Jesus, thank you for mercifully leading us through the darkness of our doubts into a more radiant faith. Amen.

Disciple Up # 255 Persecution: A New Testament Perspective By Louie Marsh   News Story Quoted:   https://www.christianpost.com/news/street-preacher-cleared-of-hate-speech-for-preaching-from-bible.html   What Does the New Testament Say About This?   “18“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. 21But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. 22If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23Whoever hates me hates my Father also. 24If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. 25But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: ‘They hated me without a cause.' 26“But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. 27And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning. 1“I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away. 2They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. 3And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me. 4But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you. “I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you.” (John 15:18–16:4, ESV)   “16“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. 17Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, 18and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. 19When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. 20For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. 21Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, 22and you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” (Matthew 10:16–22, ESV)   “29Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, 30who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.” (Mark 10:29–30, ESV)   “10You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, 11my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra—which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me. 12Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.” (2 Timothy 3:10–13, ESV)   “9But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:9–10, ESV)   “3that no one be moved by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that we are destined for this. 4For when we were with you, we kept telling you beforehand that we were to suffer affliction, just as it has come to pass, and just as you know.” (1 Thessalonians 3:3–4, ESV)   “12Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. 14If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. 15But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. 16Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. 17For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?” (1 Peter 4:12–17, ESV)   “16“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. (Matthew 10:16, ESV)    

Hello, Protruserati! Welcome to the first ever 'Occlusal Adjustment' episode! This is an opportunity for me to go a little bit deeper, have a little rant sometimes, or go off on different tangents based on a recent episode. This episode is Audio only - sorry YouTube family! In this very first Occlusal Adjustment I will be talking about how to plan your CPD, inspired by the recent episode with Dr Emma Courtney. Need to Read it? Check out the Full Episode Transcript below! “Knowledge is good. Knowledge is power...but implementation is king.” Dr Jaz Gulati In This episode I talked all about:   'Just in time learning' 1:19When is the right time to go on a course? 4:45Importance of Shadowing 11:00How to choose your next Course 11:55Loss Of Earnings (LOE) 12:51Importance of considering courses abroad 15:46 If you want to learn more about wisdom tooth extraction, be sure to check Dr Nekky Jamal's THE ULTIMATE THIRD MOLAR EXTRACTION COURSE and get a 15% OFF with the code ‘protrusive' If you've been dying to learn more about Bruxism and TMD and want to help your patients that parafunction then be sure to check SPLINTCOURSE - Registration for 2021 ends on 24th November. Click below for full episode transcript: Opening Snippet: In this very first Occlusal Adjustment, I'll be talking about how to plan your CPD. My opinions on which is the next course that you should do... Main Episode: In this very first Occlusal Adjustment, I'll be talking about how to plan your CPD. My opinions on which is the next course that you should do. Hello, Protruserati, I'm Jaz Gulati and welcome back to another episode this one is an Occlusal Adjustment. So basically the whole point of an Occlusal Adjustment is sometimes I have these amazing guests on and I am just captivated by their story. And when they're speaking and I'm listening, you've probably seen it for those of you that catch me on the video episodes is that I've got these facial expressions like I'm in deep thought. And my brain is like absolutely bouncing with so many activities and thoughts. And sometimes I want to ask certain questions or take in a different direction, but then we end up going on a tangent. So what an Occlusal Adjustment is about is an episode where I get to go a little bit deeper and give you my perspectives and my opinions. And that's all it is really. It is very much my opinion. So everything I say on anything that I say on my podcast ever, always take it with a pinch of salt, okay? There's just me and my opinions and my paradigms, which I'm very happy to share with you. But always remember the philosophy of listen to everyone and do what feels right to you. So this is an Occlusal Adjustment for the planning your CPD and burnout episode I did with Emma Courtney, it was just so great to hear her story and how she fought burnout and now she's come back with a vengeance. She's so passionate and purposeful, everything she does, and she's doing a great podcast, herself. Fang farrier should definitely check that one out. Now, what I want to tell you about is my favorite type of learning as a dentist, my favorite way of getting my CPD hours in and something I like to call just in time learning. Okay? So very much the opposite of just in time learning is that, for example, many years ago, I didn't know anything about Crown Lengthening surgery. And so one day I say to myself, Okay, I don't know anything about Crown Lengthening surgery, so therefore, I'm going to open up a textbook, or I'm going to go on a course on Crown Lengthening surgery, okay? That's a very erratic way of learning. And that's a very random way of learning because you can look at your entire knowledge base and skill base and history base. And you can pick out easily lots of areas within dentistry, which you think you have limited knowledge in. The problem is if you willy nilly just go about learning in any direction, without having a goal at the end,

A tricky Third molar surgery can humble even the most experienced of Oral Surgeons. Surgical removal of Wisdom teeth has become somewhat of a post-graduate discipline, with many Dentists lacking the confidence or even the appetite for their removal. We have today the very enthusiastic Dr Nekky Jamal who is a GDP that lives and breathes third molar surgery. He shares with us his top tips for the planning and execution of M3Ms surgery! Protrusive Dental Pearl: When you are sectioning a mesio-angular impacted tooth, start your section 1-2 millimeters more mesial to where you think the furcation is - you will have a tendency to drift distally and therefore more likely to HIT that furcation which is when the magic begins. https://youtu.be/Cc_dp2ktt2w Check out this full episode on YouTube Need to Read it? Check out the Full Episode Transcript below! (Regarding disto-angular third molars) “If you lose your crown, you almost lose your ability and your orientation of where that tooth is.” Dr Nekky Jamal Click Here to visit Nekky's Third Molar Experience Course - coupon code is PROTRUSIVE. All of the Protruserati clan get 15% OFF the third molar experience with the code 'protrusive'! A brilliant course by Dr Nekky Jamal In this episode, I asked Dr Nekky about: What clinical and radiographic features suggest an easier third molar? 9:51Main features that identify a tricky third molar worthy of referal 15:15The two characteristics to determine the difficulty of third molar removal 16:37Things to look out to determine a high risk of inferior alveolar nerve damage 20:15Does CBCT help in planning tooth removal for Wisdom Teeth 24:19When to consider a coronectomy? 26:37Tips and Tricks on how to get cleaner flaps 30:54The Hydraulic flap Technique 32:34Armamentarium for wisdom tooth removal 35:30Three magic Nekky tips 38:33 Join us in our Telegram Community, where we can always help each other out! If you enjoyed this episode, check out Make Extractions Less Difficult: Regain Confidence by Sectioning and Elevating Teeth with Dr Chris Waith Click below for full episode transcript: Opening Snippet: The situations where I failed in, I noticed when the third molar roots are directly touching the second molar roots. Okay? That's what makes it difficult and if you look at at the classification of that, that's a distal angular impaction. But what makes it so difficult is you can't get your instruments between the second and the third molar. And if you break off the crown of that third molar, you can't even see the mesial root because you can't see past that second molar crown. Jaz's Introduction: In this episode, Dr. Nekky Jamal will cover all the points you need to know as a GDP if you're extracting wisdom teeth, and that's surgically what makes it an easy case, what makes it complex case. What about those cases where you're worried about nerve damage? When do you need take a CB CT? What about coronectomy? How to get cleaner flaps so you could take out wisdom teeth in a much more cleaner field, what equipment to use, and how to get cleaner flaps as well as Nekky's main tips to improve your success rates with surgical third molars. Hello, Protruserati. I'm Jaz Gulati, my journey with wisdom teeth began when I was a DCT, a Dental Core Trainee at Guys hospital, I was doing my oral surgery post. And that's when I started to see my consultants the way they were moving it. But when I got to do some easier cases, it felt good. And then a few times I got stuck and I needed rescuing. Now when I went to Singapore, the fascinating thing about practicing in Singapore and how that's so different to UK when it comes to wisdom teeth is like in the UK, we have the nice guidelines and we touched on that in this episode. But in Singapore, I felt as though like the only people that wouldn't have third molars removed is that if you actually had hypodontia, if you didn't have a wisdom tooth,

Acts 9:1-19When we follow Jesus we will be continually transformed so that we become more and more like Him over time.  This ongoing transformation brings us closer and closer to the person God created and intended each of us to be.  For More from Kelly Wenner and SoulStrength fit, visit www.soulstrengthfit.com.

A Reading of the holy gospel according to Mt 10:16-23Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. 17Beware of men; for they will deliver you up to councils, and flog you in their synagogues, 18and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear testimony before them and the Gentiles. 19When they deliver you up, do not be anxious about how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour; 20for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. 21Brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; 22and you will be hated by all for my names sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved. 23When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next; for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel, before the Son of man comes.Reading: Mt 10:19-2019When they deliver you up, do not be anxious about how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour; 20for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.Commentary:Christ promised the assistance of the Holy Spirit, who would empower the disciples to be his witnesses during times of trial. (CCC 166, 728, 764)Reading: Mt 10:2222and you will be hated by all for my names sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.CommentaryGod desires the salvation of all people. For this reason, each person should have great hope that with the grace of God we will obtain the reward and eternal joy of Heaven. (CCC 161, 1821)Works CitedIgnatius Press. The Didache Bible : With Commentaries Based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church. 2014. Edited by Rev. James Socias, 2nd ed., Downers Grove, Il, Midwest Theological Forum, Inc. ; San Francisco, Ca, 5 Jan. 2015, pp. 4, 780.---. The Didache Bible : With Commentaries Based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church. 2014. Edited by Rev. James Socias, 2nd ed., Downers Grove, Il, Midwest Theological Forum, Inc. ; San Francisco, Ca, 5 Jan. 2015, pp. 4, 781.Official Website: https://www.facebook.com/WeAreTrulyRich

Our guest this week is Dr. Beth Westie, host of The Female Solution Podcast, and we discuss the concerns with female health solutions in today's world and tips to optimize our hormones. Modern styles, trends, and expectations of women and young girls often don't fit how women actually are and we discuss how we can overcome these social modern beliefs.The number 1 reason women struggle with health and weight loss 4:21Why clothes often don't fit us 10:08Advice for healing the negative self talk 15:25When we need to start making some changes 21:50Going to the doctor 30:05Top tips for eating during our cycle 38:56Why women are designed to store fat 43:51Doing Harm 48:10Beth's opinion on fasting 51:56Cultivating patience to change 58:19When asked why women struggle with health, “It's because we've been trained like men. It's because all of our basic education on nutrition, on health and exercise and everything, and training. All of it was based off of a male body and we expect our own systems, which change every single week, to perform and execute everything, and have results like a male body, and we're never educated fully on all the things that happen.”Dr. Beth Westie's WebsiteFacebook: Dr. Beth WestieInstagram: @DrBethWestieSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/biohacker-babes-podcast/donations

THE WEEK OF TRINITY I - MONDAYLESSON: 2 CORINTHIANS 8:8-15“There was a rich man … who feasted sumptuously every day.” Luke 16:19When we measure this rich man by the fruits of faith, we shall find a heart and a tree of unbelief. The Gospel reproaches him for feasting sumptuously daily and for decking himself out in costly apparel. Reason does not regard such matters as especially great sins. It could even be that a man imbued with the idea of work-righteousness would regard all this as perfectly in order, imagining that he had deserved all this by his holy life, without any real conception of committing sin by such conduct because of his unbelief.This rich man is not really reproached for his costly food and his splendid attire. Many holy men and women, king and queens in times past, have worn costly attired like Solomon, Esther, David, Daniel, and many others.The rich man in this Gospel is reproached for setting his heart on these things—seeking, choosing, and clinging to them; finding all his joy, pleasure, and relish in them; and making idols of these things.This is what Christ indicates with the expression “every day.” He lived in this glorious manner “every day.” He sought and chose this way of life deliberately. He was not forced to accept it by circumstance or because of his office. This way of life could not redound in any way to the welfare of his neighbor. He was simply concerned about fulfilling his own pleasure. He lived for himself and served no one but himself.Herein we see the secret sin of his heart, his unbelief and lack of true faith manifesting itself in selfish, sinful, and wicked fruits.SL 11:1196 (4)AE 78:56PRAYER: Open our eyes and hearts to the needs of our neighbor, heavenly Father, that our lives do not simply become a continuous exercise in self-interest and routines which promote nothing but ourselves, but keep our hearts open to receive Your love for service to our neighbor, for Jesus' sake. Amen.

John 6:1521 (ESV) 15Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself. Jesus Walks on Water 16When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, 17got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. 18The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. 19When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were frightened. 20But he said to them, It is I; do not be afraid. 21Then they were glad to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.

I started to suffer from severe generalized anxiety when I was 12 or 13 and I wasn't even formally diagnosed until I was 30. So with that being said, it was a really long and hard road for me during those years. When I say I struggled with anxiety, I don't mean that I worried about things. I mean it was so bad it drove me right into alcoholism. I obsessed about everything, I exercised myself to death, and caused me to develop some unhealthy patterns in my life. After a year like we've had, reports now that say 1 in 6 adults report to be struggling right now with their mental health. However, if you're between the ages of 18 and 24, that number grows to 1 in 4.So I actually wanted to take some time today to talk about what God has to say about anxiety because it may not be what you think. Of course, a lot of people in my circle will say things like, "well if you're worrying about things then you're sinning" but that's just simply not true."When I said, “My foot is slipping,” your unfailing love, Lord, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy." - Psalm 94:18-19When you read this verse, you can't help but realize that it's talking about fear! When it mentions that their foot is slipping, it says that the Lord supported them. God doesn't condemn those who are struggling mentally, he consoles them. When we hear verses like "don't worry about anything, instead, pray about everything", (Phil 4:6) why do we read an angry tone into that? Paul was not speaking the book of Philippians with an angry tone. When Jesus looked out at the crowds and saw that the people were helpless and lost like a sheep without a shepherd (Matthew 9:36), he didn't get mad at them. He felt great compassion toward them! I want you to understand that when you struggle, God is not coming at you like an angry judge. He's a loving Father that we can celebrate. He is our solution and with him, we can trade our worry about his peace and joy. 

Habakkuk 3:16-19When all around us is failing, how can we still rejoice in the goodness of God?

Continuing through the series in Luke, Marty teaches through Luke 5:17-26 Sermon Notes - March 14, 2021 Luke: The Lame Walk - Marty Miranda Luke 5:17One day Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. They had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick. Luke 5:18Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. Luke 5:19When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus. Luke 5:20 When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.” Luke 5:21The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” Luke 5:22Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? Luke 5:23Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, ‘Get up and walk'? Luke 5:24But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” Luke 5:25Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God. Luke 5:26Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.” John 15:13, Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends.” Sacrifice is the proof of love. Love isn't measured by how much we know, but by how much we will are willing to sacrifice. Application Points: Let Jesus forgiveness and healing overcome your inability Remove the Roof Get up and walk

Disciple Up # 201 Christian Skepticism By Louie Marsh, 3-3-2021   Intro. Where this came from – the forbidden episode??   This episode came from two Mike Rowe posts on his FaceBook page and a lot of things that have been rattling around in my head from nearly day one.   Because let's face it – Hello my name is Louie and I'm a skeptic, and I don't think I'll ever recover or want too!   Define the Term:   skepticism noun skep·​ti·​cism | ˈskep-tə-ˌsi-zəm  Definition of skepticism 1: an attitude of doubt or a disposition to incredulity either in general or toward a particular object 2a: the doctrine that true knowledge or knowledge in a particular area is uncertain b: the method of suspended judgment, systematic doubt, or criticism characteristic of skeptics 3: doubt concerning basic religious principles (such as immortality, providence, and revelation)   Basic Premise: We All Need to Be Christian Skeptics!   “…certainty and truth have nothing to do with each other, and credibility is a very fragile thing.” – Mike Rowe   “16“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. 17Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, 18and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. 19When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour.” (Matthew 10:16–19, ESV)   “24But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people” (John 2:24, ESV)   “20Do not despise prophecies, 21but test everything; hold fast what is good. 22Abstain from every form of evil.” (1 Thessalonians 5:20–22, ESV)   “1Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.” (1 John 4:1–3, ESV)   “10The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. 11Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” (Acts 17:10–11, ESV)   Links In This Episode:   https://www.facebook.com/TheRealMikeRowe   His February 26th and March 2nd posts.  

Rev.12:1 And a great sign was seen in heaven: a woman arrayed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars; Eph.2:6 and raised us up with him, and made us to sit with him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus: Rom.13:14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof. Rev.12:2 and she was with child; and she crieth out, travailing in birth, and in pain to be delivered. 3And there was seen another sign in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his heads seven diadems. 4And his tail draweth the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon standeth before the woman that is about to be delivered, that when she is delivered he may devour her child. 5And she was delivered of a son, a man child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and unto his throne. Rev 2:26 And he that overcometh, and he that keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give authority over the nations: 27and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of the potter are broken to shivers; as I also have received of my Father: Rev 3:21 He that overcometh, I will give to him to sit down with me in my throne, as I also overcame, and sat down with my Father in his throne. Luke 8:21 But he answered and said unto them, My mother and my brethren are these that hear the word of God, and do it. 2Cor.4:16 Wherefore we faint not; but though our outward man is decaying, yet our inward man is renewed day by day. Heb.4:2 For indeed we have had good tidings preached unto us, even as also they: but the word of hearing did not profit them, because it was not united by faith with them that heard. Lk.1:45 And blessed is she that believed; for there shall be a fulfilment of the things which have been spoken to her from the Lord. Lk.1:31 And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. Matthew 13:18-23 18Hear then ye the parable of the sower. 19When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the evil one, and snatcheth away that which hath been sown in his heart. This is he that was sown by the way side. 20And he that was sown upon the rocky places, this is he that heareth the word, and straightway with joy receiveth it; 21yet hath he not root in himself, but endureth for a while; and when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, straightway he stumbleth. 22And he that was sown among the thorns, this is he that heareth the word; and the care of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful. 23And he that was sown upon the good ground, this is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; who verily beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Mat.13:37-38 37And he answered and said, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; 38and the field is the world; and the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one; Genesis 1:11-12 11And God said, Let the earth put forth grass, herbs yielding seed, and fruit-trees bearing fruit after their kind, wherein is the seed thereof, upon the earth: and it was so. 12And the earth brought forth grass, herbs yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, wherein is the seed thereof, after their kind: and God saw that it was good. Joh.16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth: It is expedient for you that I go away; for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I go, I will send him unto you. Lk.1:35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee: wherefore also the holy thing which is begotten shall be called the Son of God. Joh.16:19 Jesus perceived that they were desirous to ask him, and he said unto them, Do ye inquire among yourselves concerning this, that I said, A little while, and ye behold me not, and again a little while, and ye shall see me? Php.3:10-15 10that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, becoming conformed unto his death; 11if by any means I may attain unto the resurrection from the dead. 12Not that I have already obtained, or am already made perfect: but I press on, if so be that I may lay hold on that for which also I was laid hold on by Christ Jesus. 13Brethren, I count not myself yet to have laid hold: but one thing I do, forgetting the things which are behind, and stretching forward to the things which are before, 14I press on toward the goal unto the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. 15Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, be thus minded: and if in anything ye are otherwise minded, this also shall God reveal unto you: Joh.16:20-22 20Verily, verily, I say unto you, that ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. 21A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but when she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for the joy that a man is born into the world. 22And ye therefore now have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no one taketh away from you. 2Cor.3:18 But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit. Col.1:22-23 22yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and without blemish and unreproveable before him: 23if so be that ye continue in the faith, grounded and stedfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel which ye heard, which was preached in all creation under heaven; whereof I Paul was made a minister. Gal.2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I that live, but Christ liveth in me: and that life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith which is in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me. 2 Corinthians 11:4 For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we did not preach, or if ye receive a different spirit, which ye did not receive, or a different gospel, which ye did not accept, ye do well to bear with him. Jas.1:23 For if any one is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a mirror: Eph.4:13 till we all attain unto the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a fullgrown man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: 2Cor.4:10-11 10always bearing about in the body the dying of Jesus, that the life also of Jesus may be manifested in our body. 11For we who live are always delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh. Gal.4:19 My little children, of whom I am again in travail until Christ be formed in you 1Cor.12:27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and severally members thereof. Heb.13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and to-day, yea and for ever. Amos 3:3 Shall two walk together, except they have agreed? 2Jn.1:7 For many deceivers are gone forth into the world, even they that confess not that Jesus Christ cometh in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the anti-christ. Col.1:27-28 27to whom God was pleased to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: 28whom we proclaim, admonishing every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ; Col.3:4 When Christ, who is our life, shall be manifested, then shall ye also with him be manifested in glory. Phm.1:6 that the fellowship of thy faith may become effectual, in the knowledge of every good thing which is in you, unto Christ. Rom.8:16-17 The Spirit himself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are children of God: 17and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified with him. Jas.1:21Wherefore putting away all filthiness and overflowing of wickedness, receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. 22But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deluding your own selves. 1Cor.15:1-2 Now I make known unto you brethren, the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye received, wherein also ye stand, 2by which also ye are saved, if ye hold fast the word which I preached unto you, except ye believed in vain. 1Pet.1:22-23,9 22Seeing ye have purified your souls in your obedience to the truth unto unfeigned love of the brethren, love one another from the heart fervently: 23having been begotten again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, through the word of God, which liveth and abideth. 9 receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. Rom.8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. Isa.3:4-5,12 4And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them. 5And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbor: the child shall behave himself proudly against the old man, and the base against the honorable. 12 As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they that lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths. Mat.10:6 but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Rom.8:22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. Rom.1:3 concerning his Son, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, Heb.5:8-9 8But God commendeth his own love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9Much more then, being now justified by his blood, shall we be saved from the wrath of God through him. Rom.8:23 And not only so, but ourselves also, who have the first-fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for our adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. Rom.4:17 (as it is written, A father of many nations have I made thee) before him whom he believed, even God, who giveth life to the dead, and calleth the things that are not, as though they were. Gal.3:26 For ye are all sons of God, through faith, in Christ Jesus. Galatians 4:1-5 1But I say that so long as the heir is a child, he differeth nothing from a bondservant though he is lord of all; 2but is under guardians and stewards until the day appointed of the father. 3So we also, when we were children, were held in bondage under the rudiments of the world: 4but when the fulness of the time came, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5that he might redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. Gal.5:4 Ye are severed from Christ, ye who would be justified by the law; ye are fallen away from grace. Gal 4:19 My little children, of whom I am again in travail until Christ be formed in you Gal 2:16 yet knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, even we believed on Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ, and not by the works of the law: because by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. Gal 3:6-7 6Even as Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned unto him for righteousness. 7Know therefore that they that are of faith, the same are sons of Abraham Gal 4:6-7 6And because ye are sons, God sent forth the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father. 7So that thou art no longer a bondservant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God. Pr.29:21 He that delicately bringeth up his servant from a child Shall have him become a son at the last. 1Jn.2:28 And now, my little children, abide in him; that, if he shall be manifested, we may have boldness, and not be ashamed before him at his coming. 2Cor.4:11 For we who live are always delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh. (6) Seeing it is God, that said, Light shall shine out of darkness, who shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ 1Jn.3:2 Beloved, now are we children of God, and it is not yet made manifest what we shall be. We know that, if he shall be manifested, we shall be like him; for we shall see him even as he is. 1Jn.4:17 Herein is love made perfect with us, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as he is, even so are we in this world. 1Jn.3:3 And every one that hath this hope set on him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. Titus 2:11-15 11For the grace of God hath appeared, bringing salvation to all men, 12instructing us, to the intent that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly and righteously and godly in this present world; 13looking for the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; 14who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a people for his own possession, zealous of good works. 15These things speak and exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no man despise thee. 2Tim.4:7-8 have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith: 8henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give to me at that day; and not to me only, but also to all them that have loved his appearing.

Hello, everyone, Joy, and Jason is back. It has been a minute. But we are here to talk about the bullet train. Yes, I know it's a bit strange, but a bullet train as in, you know, where are you currently in your life? And are you going to stop at garbage'ville or is it going to be like a smooth sell to you? Hi there. My name is Nicholson. I'm an entrepreneur, digital marketer, coach, and mentor. I've been diving in deep for the last year to discover what it takes to become a successful entrepreneur, not just the fluff that you see on the outside when you see people that are already successful, but what it takes behind the scenes to become successful. What I have discovered was mind-blowing, millionaires think differently. They have unique habits, focus, discipline, and so much more. Follow along in this podcast, I'll be sharing my journey, the journey of other entrepreneurs, what makes them successful, but most importantly, how it can help you to become successful.01:07Let's do this. Oh boy coming to you live from garbage'ville. Never let's do this smooth sailing ball alright.01:18Let's dive into this. So I and Jason was debating about what are we actually talking about today because we have a lot of topics but sometimes we really want to make sure that it's where people are currently in their lives we try to make sure that it's at least in line with what people are experiencing as much as possible. And there's a lot of stress and uncertainty going on today. And you know, in the world that we are in today, and it doesn't help you know, and like Jason was saying like you it's uncovering your weak and your strong points right. And yeah,you want to explain a little bit, please.01:53Well, first off, it has been a minute so I Joy how are you doing? Hi everybody out there, hoping everybody's doing well. It has been crazy around here lately. For those of you that haven't caught any previous episodes, I'm coming to you from the States. And it is madness over here. We seem to be the best in the world at being the shittiest right now. And so that's the train that I'm kind of riding. Nice. The garbage will train.02:24The garbage will train. I'm telling you, we're full speed ahead over here. Yeah, so, you know, like Joy said, we come up with these topics to talk about. And sometimes you just have to talk about, you know, what you feel is right, and what's going on right now, and just start there. And so, as Joy mentioned, you know, it's a stressful time out there, you know, particularly with the Coronavirus, so whether you're in a country that is in the thick of it, or it's coming back, or you're in a country like Joy that they've been doing really well and it's kind of subsiding. It doesn't take long for you to turn on the TV or pick up a newspaper and see what's going on around the world and it's a scary time right now. And the thing is, all of us, we are interconnected with one another and with the universe, and that's pretty deep, but it is super important. Okay, why? Yeah, stress and uncertainty really have a magnificent way of uncovering our weak points and strong points of where we are currently in our lives. So like right now is an extremely stressful time. Take a look at what's going on that's really going on really well in your life right now, and what's not going so well, and you can guarantee that this is where you would have been in a normal situation, five to 10 years from now. It's just this scary time and uncertainty is really put you on a bullet train and fast-forwarded your life and giving you a glimpse of where you would have been five to 10 years from now, which gives you an opportunity to make things happen now, kinda like, hey, welcome to the future, here's what your life would have looked like, what are we going to do now to put you on the better train?04:16So do you think because people have been in lockdown, and I've been forced to deal because that's really what it is forced to deal with the situations at the end forced to like, think about things that I would not have thought about in 10 years, or five years, whatever? Do you think that is the thing that is putting people on this train? Because I mean, I've heard of so many people that are getting divorced, and so many people that you know, it's just like, it's family things that have just gone down the tubes and things where they thought it's like, oh, I'm actually in a good marriage, but meanwhile, they're getting divorced. Or my kids are actually doing pretty well. My kids are happy but then the kids actually turn out to not be happy, you know, little things like that. Do you think it's because we are just brushing it to a side and not dealing with it?04:59Yeah, of course, I mean, wisdom how do you know a leader as a great leader? Not when they're leading in times of amazingness? No, you're not looking to someone for help. Do you know what I mean? Yeah. Great leaders make certainty out of uncertain times, right? These are uncertain times, place yourself in this uncertain time. What are you doing well, who is looking up to you? What are they looking up to you for? Who's looking at you going dude, you're on a bullet train to garbage will. Do you know what I mean? Take a look right now, at your strengths and weaknesses. They're more prevalent today, right now than they have ever been. Yeah. And which gives us an opportunity to say hey, what do I have to work on and be ready for the next wave of whatever comes along in our life? Do you know what I mean? Now's the time.05:59Is there like a framework to look into their strengths and weaknesses as a person? Like is there like something that you can just you know, like work or like a framework or a point system or something? You don't need no. Just asking. No, no, I get it. No, no, no, you know, where you suck. But sometimes people know where they suck, but they are too proud to admit where they suck.06:29If you know that, Jesus then goes to a car on the shit train, where there's nobody and start drawing it out. Work it out for yourself, pick up your? Goggles. We haven't had them in a while.06:52Yes, and I've got one too. Jason is very proud of me. We actually did an episode on journaling, like three-four episodes ago, and I also have a general so see I've also been doing it so07:03It works. I can say that much it does work, it works. It's an opportunity for you to not have to go to anybody else on the train. Like I don't have to come to sit in Joy's seat and poke around the shoulder and go, hey, am I sucking, do I suck? And Joy's not going to tell me because she's thinking, well, I know he sucks but I suck too. It's an opportunity for you to go sit by yourself open up your journal and write down here's where I know I suck. And it needs some questions to ask yourself in your journal to find out what train you're on because you're not quite sure we can give you those for sure. But this is a great place to start. This is also a great time that you might have some time on your hands more than you normally would. To start putting some plans in place. Start taking some action. We have done episodes on this before. This is nothing new. The world might be a little bit scarier than it was a few weeks ago. Which is all the more reason to watch these videos that we do listen to what we're saying, get off the shit train?08:20Yeah, you can get on touch make sure that you don't miss any of these episodes because they're good. It's a good value. And we've had quite a few comments of people just saying like this episode really changed my life. Thank you. So just guys, it's like it is value Jason no one is talking about.08:36Okay. Sorry, if you're not sure what if you're really really truly not sure what train you're on? You give me a call I will get your ticket. I'll tell you exactly where your next stop is. And be crystal clear and honest so will Joy. We met each other on the shit train. We were passengers together. That is actually very true. We have the same ticket, this train headed to you here about where we're going it sucks let's get off here. Should I do a better train?09:19What exactly we did and it's a decision that you have to make and this is the thing it's not going to be one of those things it's like yeah, okay I'm on this journey actually sticks it's not really working for me and you know, I've got some issues and so many this and so many that I just don't know if I can deal with this. That is all a form of procrastination. And you just honestly scared to change you are fearing the step the stepping stone and I mean, I've been there, you know, I'm not judging in any way shape or form because I was that person. And I can say firsthand, and I'm sure Jason can do the same like that stepping stone is scary, but it is worth it. And once you get off, you know once that train is getting into garbage will you decide no, no, no, no, no, let's get off before it hits, you know, garbage will, it really makes a massive difference in your life change so much. I mean, like, and Jason, I had so many issues with journaling. I didn't want to journal. Because I know myself and I even said to him before we started recording this. It hasn't been that fun journaling, because it hasn't, you know, I had to deal with unresolved issues of things that 10 years ago, 15 years ago, which I've been dealing with in my journal, so I'm not telling the world about my issues. I'm not dealing, I'm not sharing it with any other person. I'm just sharing it with my journal. And I have uncovered things about myself that I didn't even realize was a problem. And therefore you grow because you actually become better. You know, so.10:45And again, all valid points but understand no matter what train you decide to get on, yeah, the train will have curves and turns and it will go up and it will go down. But the destination, that's up to you. Yeah, that's up to you anticipate turns and curves and ups and downs and changes in elevation. Yeah. But where you're going to stop that? What ticket do you buy? That's up to you. And now more than ever, you know what train you're on. And again, as I said, if you don't call us, we'll read your ticket for you. We'll let you know where you're headed.11:29Because, yeah, yeah, direct inbox that's for sure. Okay, so so journaling is one thing that can help us to just uncover our weak points and our strong points, right, because, I mean, firstly, that really helped me a lot and okay, so we're stressing with stress and uncertainty we've mentioned this at the beginning of this episode. So Jase what is that thing that can help you except for the journaling part what can help you with the uncertainty, the uncertainty because obviously it journaling is a big part of the stress thing that can help you to sort that out. But that's not enough. What else can we help you know, that give people to help them with that stress and uncertainty in the current times?12:06I mean, you there are besides like, okay, well I can go out and do my breathing exercises or, or what have you and these little things to keep the moment or clear your head at the moment. It's about being centered with yourself. So you can be honest with yourself at all times. Yeah. And we've gone over a lot of these things before. And it's not only journaling is paying attention to how we talk to ourselves. It's getting ourselves into a state of mind on a daily basis. We're always doing a self-audit, and always looking at our ticket and seeing where we're heading. And all kinds of things we can do. There in every episode that joy and I talked about and these episodes, we come up with an idea of what we want to talk about but largely it comes from who we are inside and our personal experiences. We don't read a story about someone and go hey, look at this guy. Look at this guy. Let's talk about him. You know this stuff comes from us. Yeah. And so it's getting yourself centered with you your relationship with you. If it's not centered by default your relationship with anybody else or anything else on this planet cannot be centered. That needs to be taken care of first.13:31Okay, so let's this I don't want to talk about like divorce as being the thing but it's just like so common because seriously, there's been so many people that have rocky relationships. Now with you guys still being on lockdown luckily, we're in New Zealand we are out of it now. But it really takes a toll on relationships. And I'm not just saying divorce. I'm talking like parents with their children. I mean, even for me, I had some issues with my kids. And it's not because there were really issues it's just behavioral issues because things come out. You know, you're getting frustrating being in each other's space the whole time and being in lockdown and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. But like having a relationship and having issues with either your spouse or your children, or one of those, do you have any advice for people? How did I deal with that uncertainty because that is quiet that is hard for a lot of people, right? Because it's not something that you're used to doing.14:19When it comes to your personal relationships with your children or your spouse, your significant other, whatever it is, what a great time to start really understanding what's going on. It's much more than just been around this person for so long, it's just getting annoying. It's not that there are there's something going on that is making you feel that way and you are now succumbing to those feelings of he sucks I see it now. It's not that and this goes back to where I said this time of uncertainty, especially if you're getting stuck with one person or another, you're getting a glimpse of to where you were headed. Five to 10 years from now in your relationship more, more often than not. Either you're, you know, your basic human needs that we all have there's five or six of them, maybe you're starting to realize that, where you place your top two are not the same as your partners. I mean they're not there, this was going to fall apart anyway. But now we have an opportunity to see where we were headed relationship garbage'ville and we have an opportunity to check now say, how can we figure this out rather than just say, I knew you were always shit.15:52I knew it. And God sent us this disease to show me that you're garbage. Now's the time we can fix things with our children, with our spouses with our loved ones, people that we are now being forced to spend more time with than we normally would have it's a great opportunity to try to say, let's see if we can get out on a different train together.16:18So what if you're in a family situation? And  I'm just thinking, like the majority of people out there that could have potentially this problem? How do you deal with that? Like, do you have family gatherings? Do you just hit on, you know, like, because you can't just say like, okay, honey, we're having issues let go out for dinner and talk about it with the kids being around because you can't go out for dinner right. I am laughing about it, but I'm just thinking of the situation. So how do you actually how do you do that then?16:48Joanna and I fought for some time when we met each other we've now decided, no, I can't. That's not how we can go. Do you know what I mean? I would first start, you know if it's a whole family dynamic that seems to be crumbling. Again, I would really go back to the basic human needs that we all need as people and we find a way to make it happen and I would go through each one of those, each of those. Can you name them? Basic human needs go through those, talk about it with somebody who knows what they're talking about. And look at how you are satisfying those basic human needs. And that gives you amazing insight into why you might be clashing. And then once you understand how to do that you do it for the kids. Yeah. And now once we all understand our basic human needs and how we're satisfying those needs, now we can look at our interrelationships with each other. I'm not getting along with my son in this area. I understand why because he really values he values being, you know when kids are growing up, they want to be what is it different from everybody I want to stand out, and I want to grow up and I want to be an adult, you know what I mean? This is how he is prioritizing some of his needs, where mine is, I'd like to just be quiet. And you know what I mean and just let things be and not rock the boat. And I like certainty. That's very different from a child that is growing up and when you can understand that dynamic and that push, now you can understand how to work with your work with each other a little bit and better understand each other. And now it can happen with everybody in the family.18:47I'm trying to say this in Afrikaans, the five basic human needs. I know we  mentioned them before but can we just mention them in this episode? Yeah. Let's, I'm gonna have to write them down because I don't always keep the names right in my head. Number one would be a certainty. Yeah. And uncertainty. Yes.19:17We have the need to feel loved opposite of that will love being different, opposite of that we have the need to feel well, love would not be different. Loved, the opposite of love would be the need to be different.  This is what separates me from everybody else.  Your fifth human need would be giving back to others.19:57And finally, would be growth, how am I growing? We all feel the need to grow every single day in some sort of way. Right? If we're not doing that we're dying. Oh, yeah, we are actually designed to grow.20:15So you know, again, certainty, the need to have a regimented something, I need to know that these things are going to happen every single day. And I mean, opposite of that uncertainty. I need some sort of action, some sort of adventure in my life, something that's different from the norm. Right. Yeah. To be loved, I need to know that I'm accepted as a whole, by the group, by the family or by the people at work or whatever it is. Yeah. The difference I need to know that I'm different from everybody else. Yeah. I need to know that people love me for a different reason then they love everybody else. And I just needed to be a part of it. Yeah, exactly.21:04The opposite of each other. Yeah. Right. I need you to need to be able to give back. A person cannot be healthy and grow,if they're not feeling that as they go along in life, they can help people inherently love to help. They want to help. It's part of our DNA. It's how we survived as a species. We're not doing that in some sort of away, you may not know it, you're dying inside, and then growing as a person. These are basic human needs. And if your top two are not the same as somebody else's top two, it's not a bad thing. But there is going to be some of this going on. Yeah. A lot of times when there's this going on. Now we've given up on each other because we don't understand our basic human needs and we go to a therapist and if they don't understand and they're just reading it to you out of the book. And they're giving you the textbook answer, you're gonna walk out of there and you'll be even more confused. And that's why they say therapy is sometimes a place where relationships go to die. I love you all therapists. I do, but it doesn't work for each and every person. It's the truth. No, it doesn't. It doesn't. That's basically the gist of it. But yeah, so that's important. It is it's very important. That's good stuff.22:33I think that this is an episode because we do try to keep them under half an hour, which I'm not sure how long this man has been going. But it is good to you know, to understand and know that if you're not on the right train, to get on the right train, or if you're on this train, don't get off on garbage'ville, but get off at what we call it Pleasantville or what was it? I forgot. Kickass Ville. I don't even think we named it.22:57Whatever you want to call it, but get off at the right stop. That actually is going to help you as a person. And if you feel like you're on the path with somebody in your life, your significant other, then they're not on the same level as you I'm all about not giving up and, you know, fight for, because there's something that made you guys become a couple right and I'm gonna do you know, a couples therapist or any of those things, but I'm just, it's just so sad to see couples that are over things that like Jason said, would have happened in 10 years time, you know, obviously, this time of dispute speed things up. But I guess the biggest thing there and this is me, again, I'm not a therapist but by just looking from the outside in. Just talk to people, you know, talk to the people around you, and not just now you're forced to talk to people. If it was worth falling in love it's worth taking a look at each other's ticket. That's the thing. Yeah. Yeah, you said it perfectly. So yeah. All right. That's it. Anything else you want to add to this episode Jase?24:00No, you know what, it's great to see everybody again. Well, I can't see you. I hope we get to that point soon where we can kind of do live, but great to catch up with you guys again and look forward to the next one. Thank you, Joy. Thank you, Jase. And yeah, we will be back again next week with another awesome episode. Be safe everybody. Bye

Numbers 1: 17-19When was the last time you had a major transition in your life? Transitions and turning points are crucial junctures in our lives and we need to make sure we handle them for the glory of our Lord. I want to discuss a story this morning about a group that hit a turning point and took stock of their resources. 

Luke 21:5-19When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, he said, “As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down.” They asked him, “Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?” And he said, “Beware that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he!’ and, ‘The time is near!’ Do not go after them. “When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately.” Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues; and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven. But before all this occurs, they will arrest you and persecute you; they will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name. This will give you an opportunity to testify. So make up your minds not to prepare your defense in advance; for I will give you words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict. You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, by relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name. But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your souls. Support the show (https://onrealm.org/suncreekumc/SignIn?ReturnUrl=%2Fsuncreekumc%2FGive%2FKERLVPEKEP)

Luke 5:17-26 “One day Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. They had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick. 18Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. 19When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus. 20When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.” 21The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 22Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? 23Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 24But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So He said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” 25Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God. 26Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.”Four things that Jesus did that we should do our best to put into practice:1. Do good.Don’t let the sins of others keep you from doing good. (vs. 20)2. Be aware.Be aware of what’s going on around you and what you can do to change it. (vs. 22)3. Show compassion.Don’t let what other people think about you stop you from showing compassion. (vs. 24)4. Be prepared.Be prepared to share with others what God is doing and why you’re involved. (vs. 24 & 25) Conclusion:It is not easy to respond the way that Jesus did, but it is the best path and we have promised to follow Him.

Every human being was created to live within a community of love. A community in which the song that is sung over them is "I like you as you are!" A community that invites people out of isolation into family A community in which normal sinners, fools and evil people are loved the way they need to be love. A community that will not throw hippies out the door. A community that lovingly insists that everyone surrender their lives to Jesus…the only means to become a child of God. 3 Enemies of a Loving Community: The devil The world The flesh 19When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, 21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. Galatians 5:19-21 From our sinful inclination comes dissension and division which breeds tribalism. From our sinful inclination comes hostility, quarreling, anger which breeds hate.  From our sinful inclination comes jealousy and selfishness  You and I have sinful inclinations. We are predisposed to create isolation not breed community. It is our Goliath! 22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. 25 Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. Galatians 5:22-25 And the one thing that's necessary for you to be a warm, loving, welcoming hospitable, engaging, accepting person is to Live by the Spirit. The one thing that's necessary for your family to be a warm, loving, welcoming hospitable, engaging, accepting family is to live by the Spirit. The one thing that's necessary for your Rooted Group or LifeGroup to be a warm, loving, welcoming hospitable, engaging, accepting group is to live by the Spirit. Live by the Spirit and YOU will create a family of love! Live by the Spirit and WE will create a community of love!

Find us online at: AdventNYC.orgEmail us at: Podcast@AdventNYC.orgTalk with us at: Advent Sermons & Conversations on FacebookCome to a service Sunday morning 9am and 11am in English and 12:30pm in Spanish at 93rd and Broadway.Reading for this Week:First Reading2 Kings 4:42-4442A man came from Baal-shalishah, bringing food from the first fruits to [Elisha,] the man of God: twenty loaves of barley and fresh ears of grain in his sack. Elisha said, “Give it to the people and let them eat.” 43But his servant said, “How can I set this before a hundred people?” So he repeated, “Give it to the people and let them eat, for thus says the Lord, ‘They shall eat and have some left.’ ” 44He set it before them, they ate, and had some left, according to the word of the Lord.PsalmPsalm 145:10-1810All your works shall praise | you, O Lord,  and your faithful | ones shall bless you. 11They shall tell of the glory | of your kingdom  and speak | of your power, 12that all people may know | of your power  and the glorious splendor | of your kingdom. 13Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom; your dominion endures through- | out all ages.  You, Lord, are faithful in all your words, and loving in | all your works. R 14The Lord upholds all | those who fall  and lifts up those who | are bowed down. 15The eyes of all wait upon | you, O Lord,  and you give them their food | in due season. 16You open | wide your hand  and satisfy the desire of every | living thing. 17You are righteous in | all your ways  and loving in | all your works. 18You are near to all who | call upon you,  to all who call up- | on you faithfully. RSecond ReadingEphesians 3:14-2114For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. 16I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, 17and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. 18I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.  20Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, 21to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.GospelJohn 6:1-211Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias. 2A large crowd kept following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick. 3Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples. 4Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near. 5When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?” 6He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do. 7Philip answered him, “Six months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.” 8One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, 9“There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?” 10Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was a great deal of grass in the place; so they sat down, about five thousand in all. 11Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. 12When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, “Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost.” 13So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets. 14When the people saw the sign that he had done, they began to say, “This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world.”  15When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.  16When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, 17got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. 18The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. 19When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were terrified. 20But he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” 21Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the land toward which they were going.

Portland Pride Stands Up For OrlandoAfter the shooting at the Pulse night club in Orlando, leaders of Portland Pride and community members have organized several candlelight vigils, and many artists, arts groups and pride parties are re-configuring their plans to lend their support to the victims of the tragedy. We talk with Don Horn, the founder of Triangle Productions, a theater well-known for producing LGBT plays. Currently, they're sending a percentage of ticket sales for "American Idiot" (June 9–July 2) to the Orlando's LGBT community Center. Portland Music Distributor Closes Doors, Leaving Hundreds of Bands And Labels In The Lurch - 1:50Several hundred small music labels and recording artists around the world — including Portland's Pink Martini, Cappella Roman, Three Leg Torso, and more — are faced with buying their own music back from Portland distributor, Allegro Media Group. Several labels and artists affected by the liquidation told OPB they were not notified by the company about what was happening, and have been desperate to get information. Writer Lindy West Takes On The Trolls With Humor - 8:15Lindy West started her writing career focused on comedy and popular culture at “The Stranger,” a Seattle weekly. But a funny thing happened on the way to a career of movie reviews and standup listings. West started writing about things she couldn’t avoid any more: About being fat. About finding rape jokes offensive and culturally corrosive. And about the vicious responses she got to her outspoken feminism. She captures her hilarious, and at times troubling, experience in "Shrill: Notes From a Loud Woman." Darcelle XV Shines As America's Oldest Drag Queen - 18:44Oregon-native Walter Cole had no idea when he opened a small, lesbian-geared bar in 1967 that it would become a drag club, least of all what's widely believed to be the longest-running drag show west of the Mississippi. Since he first put on a gown, he's gone on to perform two shows a night, five nights a week for decades, transforming his bar into an institution that has influenced generations of Oregonians.Writer Mary Roach On Maggots And Penis Transplants - 24:38Mary Roach has made a name for herself for bringing humor to the darker corners of science with books like "Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers" and "Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex." Now she takes on the science of modern warfare with "Grunt: The Curious Science of Humans at War,” plumbing into why diarrhea is a threat to national security and how maggots became and FDA-approved medical device. opbmusic Big SXSW Discovery: Big Thief - 34:19When opbmusic producers stumbled on to Big Thief at South by Southwest this year, they couldn’t wait to get the word out. Just a week later, the folk-tinged indie rock band from Brooklyn trekked to Portland for its first ever radio session. The band’s first album, “Masterpiece,” was released by Saddle Creek Records in May.Peter Sagal Takes Us Behind The Scenes On "Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!" - 44:45There’s likely no one in less need of an introduction to public radio listeners than NPR host Peter Sagal, who is bringing "Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!" back to the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall on June 23–24. We got Sagal on the phone to talk about what it was like to transition from writing plays to comedy, why he has to write 20 jokes just to get one good one, and why it's so hard to poke fun at Donald Trump.

SummaryA discussion of the claims of Vatican 1's interpretation of John 21, versus an alternate interpretation that this is speaking of Peter being restored by Jesus after denying Christ 3 times. Which one is more consistent with the Gospel according to John and the rest of the Bible?ResourcesVatican 1: Pastor AeternusThe Roman Catholic Controversy by Dr. James WhiteJohn 21:15-19When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.”My Friend's Podcasts“Andrew's Daily Five” - Music countdowns. A great way to discover music, both new and old!MusicMusic by MichaelKobrin from Pixabay (Intro/Outro)Music by JuliusH from Pixabay (Sponsor/Commercial)EmailBearChristianity@gmail.com