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[teaching text] “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.“‘I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you. 4 Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. 5 The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. 6 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'Revelation 3:1-6SARDISThe particular intellectual problem I was wrestling with, for the first time since my conversion as a teenager, was the inspiration and authority of the Scriptures. Seeming contradictions and problems with interpretation defied intellectual solutions, or so I thought. Could the Bible be trusted completely?Billy Graham Photo*During the 1940s Templeton and Graham were Youth for Christ's dynamic duo. Though Graham routinely induced better results with his altar calls, Templeton was widely considered the more gifted preacher. Handsome, suave, intelligent, and charismatic.Collin HansenBilly Graham and Charles Templeton photo**Billy Graham and Henrietta Mears Photo**Still, many of Graham's questions remained unanswered. Did Noah actually build an ark to survive a great flood? Could a whale really have swallowed Jonah? Pondering these miracles, Graham roamed into the foothills of the nearby San Bernardino Mountains. With the moon shining, he wandered off the trail, opened his Bible on a tree stump, and took his concerns to God. Inexplicably, the burden lifted."Father, I am going to accept this as thy Word—by faith!” Graham proclaimed. “I'm going to allow faith to go beyond my intellectual questions and doubts, and I will believe this to be your inspired Word.” Tears streaming down his face, Graham returned to Forest Home. Though he didn't have an explanation for every biblical oddity, for the first time in months he felt powerful intimacy with God and renewed confidence in the Scripture he proclaimed.Collin HansenFarewell To God photo***“And how do you assess this Jesus?” It seemed like the next logical question—but I wasn't ready for the response it would evoke.Templeton's body language softened. It was as if he suddenly felt relaxed and comfortable in talking about an old and dear friend. His voice, which at times had displayed such a sharp and insistent edge, now took on a melancholy and reflective tone. His guard seemingly down, he spoke in an unhurried pace, almost nostalgically, carefully choosing his words as he talked about Jesus.“He was,” Templeton began, “the greatest human being who has ever lived. He was a moral genius. His ethical sense was unique. He was the intrinsically wisest person that I've ever encountered in my life or in my readings. His commitment was total and led to his own death, much to the detriment of the world. What could one say about him except that this was a form of greatness?”I was taken aback. “You sound like you really care about him,” I said.“Well, yes, he is the most important thing in my life,” came his reply. “I . . . I . . . I . . . ,” he stuttered, searching for the right word, ‘I know it may sound strange, but I have to say . . . I adore him!”” . . . Everything good I know, everything decent I know, everything pure I know, I learned from Jesus. Yes . . . yes. And tough! Just look at Jesus. He castigated people. He was angry. People don't think of him that way, but they don't read the Bible. He had a righteous anger. He cared for the oppressed and exploited. There's no question that he had the highest moral standard, the least duplicity, the greatest compassion, of any human being in history. There have been many other wonderful people, but Jesus is Jesus….'“Uh . . . but . . . no,' he said slowly, ‘he's the most . . .” He stopped, then started again. “In my view,” he declared, “he is the most important human being who has ever existed.”That's when Templeton uttered the words I never expected to hear from him. “And if I may put it this way,” he said as his voice began to crack, ‘I . . . miss . . . him!”With that tears flooded his eyes. He turned his head and looked downward, raising his left hand to shield his face from me. His shoulders bobbed as he wept. . . .Reputation: the beliefs or opinions that are generally held about someone or somethingWe tend to put a lot of weight on other people's opinions and feelings about us, but our reputation carries no weight in the eyes of Jesus.Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.Luke 12:2There is no such thing as hidden sin.“And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.“‘I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead.Revelation 3:1Sardis painting****Sardis boundary photo*****Sardis was located on the top of a mountain. It had one entrance on the southern side which was the only way you could get into the city in the old days. Therefore, all that Sardis had to do was to put a detail at that one place to watch the city.J. Vernon McGeeOn two occasions in their history they had been invaded by their enemies because they felt secure, believing that the hill was impregnable, and the guard went to sleep on the job. In 549 B.C. the Median soldiers of Cyrus scaled the parapet, and then again in 218 B.C. Antiochus the Great. This was embarrassing because of the two occasions in their history when they had been caught napping.J. Vernon McGee“‘I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God.Revelation 3:1b-2OUR DESIRE FOR OUTWARD PRAISE LEADS TO DEAD WORKSThe essence of worship is that while it begins in the church, it takes hold upon heaven. If the hymn is simply a musical expression of pleasant feeling, there is no worship in it. But if upon the wings of sacred song our spirits find their way into the Holy of Holies, then that song is fulfilled before God. If the prayer we utter is a compilation of sentences, spoken for the fulfillment of duty, it is not prayer. But if the prayer, expressing a sense of need, finds its way above the mists and the mysteries of ME, to the throne, it is fulfilled before God. If our gifts are bestowed that we may be kept square with duty, they are utterly refused in heaven. But if they express a sacrifice and a sympathy, though they be but small according to the arithmet...

Jesus said to his disciples, “A rich man had a steward who was reported to him for squandering his property. He summoned him and said, ‘What is this I hear about you? Prepare a full account of your stewardship, because you can no longer be my steward.'” Luke 16:1–2There is much to ponder in this parable and many lessons from which we can learn. To begin, the rich man should be understood as God and you as the steward. This is an important first lesson to learn because it reveals to us that, when it comes to material things in this world, God is the true owner of all—we are only stewards. Think about that carefully. When it comes to all that you own, all your money and possessions, do you hold on to it as if you were the complete master of these material items? Clearly most people do think this way. They may work hard to earn a living, save and buy this and that, build up their bank accounts, and then remain very attached to these material things, seeing them as “mine” rather than as God's. So the first very challenging lesson we should look at is that all we “own” is actually the possession of God. He only permits us to be stewards of the things of this world. Do you believe that?As stewards, we must be committed to use the riches within our stewardship only in the way that God wants it used. In this parable, the steward was reported to the rich man for “squandering his property.” We also are guilty of squandering the possessions of God when we use money in accord with our own will and desires rather than those of God's. This is an exceptionally common tendency, especially for those who have become the stewards of much money. Therefore, the more money that one has stewardship over, the more they will be tempted to squander it, meaning, use it for selfish purposes rather than for the glory of God in accord with His will. This is a hard teaching to accept and live. But these truths are indeed revealed to us by this parable, so it is essential that we listen.The words spoken by the rich man, “Prepare a full account of your stewardship,” are words that we must all anticipate hearing one day. If that day were today, what would that “full account of your stewardship” look like? Have you worked hard for selfish gain? Or have you worked hard to act with great responsibility over the things God has entrusted to your care?As the parable continues, we read that the steward acted “prudently” in that he devised a plan to make sure his material needs were met once he lost his position as steward. The “prudence,” however, that is spoken of here is a reference to the worldly, and therefore, evil ingenuity, cleverness, hard work and commitment many people have regarding the material wealth they seek to obtain in this world. Though it is good to be diligent and hardworking in life, too often this is done for the purpose of selfish gain. Just imagine if everyone who worked so hard at getting rich put even more effort into building up the Kingdom of God on earth! How different this world would be if we had so many hard workers for God's mission.Reflect, today, upon the simple truth that when it comes to the riches of this world, you are only the steward of what you possess, not its master. God wants you free from the attachment to material wealth so that you will be free to use all that you have for His glory and in accord with His purpose. That does not mean that you must donate all you have to charities. Instead, it means that you continually offer all that you have to God and seek to use it in accord with His will and His will alone. If that means you discern that God wants you to buy something new, then buy something new. If that means giving more away, then give more away. If that means living more simply as a holy sacrifice, then do just that. Money cannot buy happiness. Only embracing God's will to the fullest will result in the happiness and fulfillment you deeply desire.My Lord of all riches, You and You alone are the Master of all things created. All that I have and possess are Yours, dear Lord. Help me to believe this and to live my life purely as a steward of the possessions I have. Free me from squandering that which You have entrusted to my care. May I use all for Your glory and only in accord with Your holy will. Jesus, I trust in You.Source of content: catholic-daily-reflections.comCopyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.Featured image above: The Parable of the Unfaithful Ruler by Andrey Nikolaevich Mironov, via Wikimedia Commons

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Saint Luke the Evangelist. Russian Eastern Orthodox icon from Russia. 18th century. Wood, tempera. Via Wikimedia Commons. 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  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/    TRANSCRIPT   Welcome to the Popeular History Podcast: History through Pope Colored Glasses. My name is Gregg and this is episode 0.21g: Sayings of the Savior Part VII: A Look at Luke.   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!   Today we continue our Sayings of the Savior series with a look at Luke, covering everything Jesus said in that Gospel that we haven't yet discussed–so leaving off things like the miracles we did in 0.20 and the parables and other sayings we did in earlier Sayings of the Savior installments- so we'll be leaving you in suspense right before the concluding few chapters discussing Jesus' death and His (spoiler alert) resurrection, which we'll cover as we finish the remaining mysteries of the rosary in future Catholic worldbuilding episodes.   We already covered the first three chapters of Luke gradually from Episode 0.14 to Episode 0.19, and we'll cover the last three chapters as we talk through the Passion and the Resurrection (oops, spoilers). Which leaves Luke chapters 4 through 21 as our focus for today.   Luke 4 starts with the Temptation in the Desert. As you know by now, it's not unusual to find parallel scenes in the Gospels, especially in the so-called synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and fitting with that pattern, we saw a version of this scene in Matthew, and it actually made an appearance in Mark as well, though the Mark version was so abbreviated it didn't actually assign any dialog to Jesus or Satan so I didn't zoom in on it–after all, this is Sayings of the Savior.   Anyways, let's see Luke's temptation scene and note what differences we see from Matthew's version.   In the first temptation, Matthew has Satan referring to multiple stones Jesus could turn into bread after his 40 day fast, while Luke has just one stone. I'm sure there's commentary that discusses this difference--it's the Bible, there's commentary for everything– but unlike the Mark episode, I'm not going to go into quite that level of detail with Luke. It's worth noting that when Christ responds with   LUKE "It is written: 'Man shall not live on bread alone.'”   GREGG he leaves off the second half of the quote from Deuteronomy 8:3   “but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.”   which Matthew had included.   Then, the second and third temptation we saw in Matthew are reversed. In Luke, Satan first tells Jesus he can give him all sorts of power if He worships him, which, I mean, I guess things would have been pretty different if Jesus had taken him up on that. Like, serious plot twist. But nah. He says   LUKE “It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only”   GREGG and then the third temptation in Luke's ordering is the testing of God's protection of Jesus. Rather than seeing if God will save Him, Jesus says:   LUKE: It is said: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'”   GREGG After seeing the devil off, Jesus begins his traveling and preaching ministry and soon enough winds up in his hometown. This is a scene that showed up in Matthew and Mark as well, the one where Jesus notes that no prophet is welcome in his hometown. In Luke it's more thorough and frankly dramatic. Long quote ahead, let's get into it:   LUKE 4 16He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read,   17and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:   18"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free,   19to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.”   20Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him.   21He began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”   22All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. "Isn't this Joseph's son?" they asked.   23Jesus said to them, "Surely you will quote this proverb to me: 'Physician, heal yourself!' And you will tell me, 'Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.'"   24"Truly I tell you," he continued, "no prophet is accepted in his hometown.   25I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah's time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land.   26Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon.   27And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed--only Naaman the Syrian.”   28All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this.   29They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him off the cliff.   30But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.   GREGG   So, just to recap, we have Jesus preaching a bit of a softball passage from Isaiah, promising good news to the poor. That was a long quote, so let's hear just that passage as a refresher:   “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor”   The good news part is clear enough In terms of freedom and healing, but what is the year of the Lord's favor mentioned?   By all accounts it's the Jubilee year described in Leviticus 25. You know how the seventh day is the Sabbath, a day of rest for the people? Well the seventh year was a “day”of rest for the fields, where they were to lie fallow, that is, go untilled and unworked, letting nature take its course for a year. Crops could not be harvested in an organized way, though what grows could be casually consumed by the owners, or by the needy,  or really by anyone, or by animals. Going further, personal debts among the people of Israel were cancelled in a levelling move. This custom is still in force in much of Israel, where it is called the Shmita. Of course, following the quasi-precept of “two Jews, three opinions”, application slash abrogation of this practice varies.   Anyways, the Jubilee year was not the seventh year, the Smhita I mentioned, but rather the fiftieth year, being the year after the seventh set of seven years, because symbolism. In the Jubilee year, things were even more intense, for instance going beyond personal debt forgiveness to returning sold land to the tribe of origin and to freeing Israelites who had sold themselves into slavery, basically a factory reset for society.   But note, this was only enslaved Israelites who were to be freed in the Jubilee year, the “year of the Lord's favor”. And this is where we turn back to Luke 4, because Jesus pivots the conversation away from the people of Israel to the fringes and even beyond the borders of Jewish society, to Sidon and Syria. But sending the good news to the gentiles is quite a bridge too far for his audience, who prepare to kill him in their rage. Like I said, quite the scene, and it's easy to understand why skeptics might place it as having been written after Christianity had already begun to spread among the gentiles and catch flack for doing so on the home front. My main narrative episodes haven't gotten far, but we've already started to see some of that tension, and it will only grow.   Of course, I've committed to getting my Catholic Worldbuilding stuff done before I dive back into the main narrative stuff, and to do that we need to get through the rest of Luke, and to do *that* we at least need to get through the rest of Luke 4.   After escaping the assembled mob, apparently by miraculous means of some kind because it simply says He walked right through the crowd, Jesus proceeds to do other miracles in towns around the region. The people who lived near Peter's mother-in-law must have really appreciated the assist, because in stark contrast to his hometown reception they tried to keep him from leaving. He responded:   LUKE 4 “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.”   GREGG Luke 5 opens with Jesus calling his disciples to follow Him. We covered the miraculous catch of fish that got Peter on board when we did our roundup of miracles, and other assorted miracles carry us through to Verse 27, when we have the Call of Matthew, known to Luke as Levi.   Matthew vs. Levi Is worth a minute. Matthew is the more common name for this disciple, and may have been his Christian name. But Levi is the name preferred here in Luke and also in Mark. One explanation I saw in multiple places is that Matthew is a Greek name while Levi is Hebrew, an explanation that suffers from being wrong, as Matthew is Hebrew for “gift of God”. A perhaps more successful explanation is that Matthew was a Levite, you know, someone from the Tribe of Levi, and things got a bit garbled. Or there was a name change that just didn't get recorded in Scripture or in any other tradition for that matter..   Matthew and Levi being separate individuals seems to be the least popular theory, so regardless of the particulars, your takeaway from this should be the same as it was when we talked about this last episode: they're the same person.   Either way, here's the call of Matthew *cough* Levi:   LUKE 5 27Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. "Follow me," Jesus said to him, 28and Levi got up, left everything and followed him.   GREGG OK, maybe I didn't need to go into all that detail for two words of Jesus, but hey, what's done is done, so “follow me” across a few more verses, where Jesus gets questioned about the company He's chosen to keep:   LUKE 5 Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” 31Jesus answered them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 32I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”   GREGG That's good news for us sinners, I can tell you that much.   Luke 5 finishes with some parables, which we covered in the Parables roundup earlier in this series, so on to Luke 6, which opens with the grain-picking scene we've seen a couple of times already. SYNOPTIC ROUNDUP, you know the drill [airhorn], except I'm skipping rehashing the other two accounts, just, you know, general reminder that synoptic parallels are a thing.   Anyways, let's get another dose of that “Lord of the Sabbath” action:   LUKE 6 1One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and his disciples began to pick some heads of grain, rub them in their hands and eat the kernels. 2Some of the Pharisees asked, "Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?” 3Jesus answered them, "Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 4He entered the house of God, and taking the consecrated bread, he ate what is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions.” 5Then Jesus said to them, "The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”   GREGG Oh yeah, good stuff. Check my Matthew and Mark episodes if you want more commentary on it, I want to buckle down and get to John. Of course by that I mean John the Baptist, whose inquiry  gives us of the next section we need to cover. Of course, as is so often the case with these synoptic Gospels, this isn't actually a whole new section. This next chunk closely matches a parallel passage in Matthew 11. If you want to follow along, in Matthew it's the start of that Chapter, while in Luke we're at chapter 7 verse 18:   LUKE 7 18John's disciples told him about all these things. Calling two of them, 19he sent them to the Lord to ask, "Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else? 20When the men came to Jesus, they said, "John the Baptist sent us to you to ask, 'Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?'” 21At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind.   GREGG Oh look there's a batch of miracles that didn't make it into my miracles roundup, at least not directly. It's pretty vague, and it's unique to Luke. This small difference is exactly the sort of thing that gets analyzed to try to understand the relationship between Matthew and Luke, and like every other bit of Scriptural analysis you can find someone taking pretty much any conceivable stance. In any case, the reference to those timely miracles helps set the stage for the next verse, which is back to closely paralleling Matthew:   LUKE 7 22So he replied to the messengers, "Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. 23Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.”   24After John's messengers left, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swayed by the wind? 25If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear expensive clothes and indulge in luxury are in palaces. 26But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 27This is the one about whom it is written: "'I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.' 28I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”   GREGG Now, I went back and checked my commentary on Matthew's version of this scene, and it was basically nothing. Which is fair, I was pretty deadline-crunched at the time and knew I'd be revisiting it here. But it's definitely worth noting that both passages have John the Baptist, who Jesus proclaims as a great, or even the greatest, prophet, both passages have this spiritual giant publicly uncertain about whether Jesus is the Messiah.   You could perhaps argue this was a ruse, but John seems to have been a straight shooter- that's why he's sending delegates from prison after all rather than asking himself. So it seems to be a genuine question. Which means if you're under the impression that having faith or even being the greatest prophet ever automatically means you have no remaining questions and can see all of God's plan perfectly, apparently not. After all, John had been the one ministering at Jesus' baptism, where Heaven had opened and the Spirit had come down as a dove and God's own voice had told Jesus: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”   And yet now John is asking, publicly: “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?"   There's a lesson in there on vulnerability and openness to God's plan. Or perhaps a lesson in how everyone can encounter uncertainty, no matter how certain their role seems. We'll see Jesus go even further in questioning during the Passion narrative when the time comes.   Skipping a few verses of parenthetical commentary that can only be found in Luke, let's pick back up at Luke 7 verse 31:   LUKE 7 31Jesus went on to say, "To what, then, can I compare the people of this generation? What are they like? 32They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to each other: "'We played the pipe for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not cry.' 33For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, 'He has a demon.' 34The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, 'Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.' 35But wisdom is proved right by all her children.”   GREGG If you aren't willing to listen, you'll find any excuse to dismiss the message. But the wise will be shown by making the right choice.   After wrapping that up, Jesus goes on a bit of a parable tour until he winds up with a bit more family awkwardness In Luke 8:19:   LUKE 8 19 Now Jesus' mother and brothers came to see him, but they were not able to get near him because of the crowd. 20 Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting CORRECT  to see you.”   21 He replied, “My mother and brothers are those who hear God's word and put it into practice.”   GREGG Ouch, but also yay, Jesus doesn't put His earthly family above others. Which is good news If you didn't start out as His family, though it might sting a little if you did.   The rest of Luke 8 is a bunch of previously-discussed miracles, so we're on to Luke 9:   LUKE 9 9 When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, 2 and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. 3 He told them: “Take nothing for the journey—no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra shirt. 4 Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town. 5 If people do not welcome you, leave their town and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.” 6 So they set out and went from village to village, proclaiming the good news and healing people everywhere.   GREGG This Isn't the first or even the second time we've seen these basic marching orders, but it actually is the last as John is, well, a very different Gospel, as we'll see in our next worldbuilding episode.   Anyways, after feeding the 5,000 we get to verse 18, where Luke's version of Peter's confession begins. As with Mark, don't get too excited:   LUKE 9 18 Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say I am?”   19 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life.”   20 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”   Peter answered, “God's Messiah.”   21 Jesus strictly warned them not to tell this to anyone.”   GREGG   So that's three for three on synoptic Gospels having Peter describe Jesus as the Messiah. Only Matthew did the keys thing, though. Also note the messianic secret trope popping up again- Jesus will apparently reverse his gag order after the Passion, because the Book of Acts- which was also written by Luke, or at least by whoever wrote Luke, will be all about telling everyone Jesus is the Messiah.   Immediately after that exchange, Jesus starts talking about his future, and it's not rosy:   LUKE 9 22 And he said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”   23 Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. 25 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self? 26 Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.   27 “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God.”   GREGG This is all closely paralleling Matthew, and Mark as well, though as usual Mark was a bit shorter, skipping the last verse about some standing there not tasting death before they see the Kingdom. Again, you can see why early Christians were basically a doomsday cult expecting the end sooner rather than later. Certainly *your* end will come, so, you know, keep that in mind.   We're going to skip the transfiguration since that's its own mystery of the rosary with its own episode, and there's another miracle account after that. So skipping along, come with me to Luke 9:43:   LUKE 9 While everyone was marveling at all that Jesus did, he said to his disciples, 44 “Listen carefully to what I am about to tell you: The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men.” 45 But they did not understand what this meant. It was hidden from them, so that they did not grasp it, and they were afraid to ask him about it.   GREGG If my episode on Mark is still fresh in your mind, you may already predict where this is going, as this particular section is a close Mark and Luke parallel. Matthew split things up in different ways but for both Mark and Luke the conversation with a child and being the greatest in the kingdom follows immediately after Jesus states what will become of him, leaving the disciples too afraid to ask.   Let's carry on with the next verse:   LUKE 9 46 An argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest. 47 Jesus, knowing their thoughts, took a little child and had him stand beside him. 48 Then he said to them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For it is the one who is least among you all who is the greatest.”   GREGG The next verse is a bit of a random aside, but an important one as I mentioned before when it came up in Mark:   LUKE 9 49 “Master,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we tried to stop him, because he is not one of us.”   50 “Do not stop him,” Jesus said, “for whoever is not against you is for you.”   GREGG Skipping ahead to verse 57, we have some stray sayings that underline the urgency of following Christ:   LUKE 9 57 As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”   58 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”   59 He said to another man, “Follow me.”   But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”   60 Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”   61 Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.”   62 Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”   GREGG A bit harsh, but Jesus is like that sometimes.   Luke 10 opens with an long section on Jesus' next project, sending out seventy-two disciples, or seventy according to some manuscripts. Some may recall a previous seventy vs seventy-two discussion when we talked about the Septuagint, and I expect there's a reason for that parallel, but either way that's not the particular rabbit hole I want to go down here today. Instead, I want to note that we can have some fun with this Luke-only passage, and that we wouldn't be the first to do so.   You see, seventy is a long but not completely impractical number of folks to list off, and while Luke doesn't give names, there are plenty of extrabiblical sources assigning names and biographical details to some or all of the seventy. This passage discussing Jesus sending out seventy disciples was especially useful for ancient or wannabe ancient dioceses that couldn't trace back to a specific Apostle. Instead, lo and behold, turns out their founder was one of the unnamed seventy. Boom presto, a biblical founder!   Of course that's the skeptical read, it could well be that some such stories are true. But there are enough names assigned to the 70 that they certainly aren't *all* true, kind of like how there are at least four heads of John the Baptist floating around. In the end, as a reminder, Catholics are generally free to believe or disbelieve in the authenticity and or efficacy of any particular relic or tradition as long as they accept the fundamental teachings and authority of the Catholic Church.   In terms of the promised fun we can have, I'd like to announce a little side project, a game where I share a story of someone spreading Christianity and the next episode we'll discuss whether it's real or made up and what the sources are.   We'll start that at the end of this episode. For now, let's hear about the seventy slash seventy-two:   LUKE 10 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. 2 He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. 3 Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. 4 Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.   5 “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.' 6 If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you. 7 Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.   GREGG Someone tell the Jehovah's Witnesses…   LUKE 10 8 “When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. 9 Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.' 10 But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, 11 ‘Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.' 12 I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.   13 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14 But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. 15 And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades.   16 “Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me.”   17 The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”   18 He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.    GREGG That verse is the root of some of the quirky snake-handling churches in Appalachia by the way…   LUKE 10 20 However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”   21 At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.   22 “All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”   23 Then he turned to his disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. 24 For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”   GREGG   Those last two verses touch on an interesting discussion throughout Church history, namely the fate of those who lived before the time of Christ.   Could they be saved? Observant Jews of the time, yes, certainly. But those who never encountered Christianity or Judaism because of when or where they lived historically has proven a bit of an awkward question for the Church. The “well you better go tell them” impulse has long served to recruit missionaries, but on the other end many did and do argue that it hardly seems fair to expect folks to follow what through no fault of their own they've never been exposed to. Granted it's less of an issue nowadays when very few folks worldwide haven't at least heard of Christ, but the question remains. Certainly the Catholic Church insists that all humans who are saved are saved through Christ, there's no other way. And yet the Church also affirms that God is not bound by time, as evidenced by the defined belief required of all Catholics in the Immaculate Conception, where the Blessed Virgin Mary was preserved from all stain of sin from the moment of her conception. Obviously that took place before the Incarnation, so it's not like the years going from BC to AD is a firm barrier for the saving action of Christ in the eyes of the Catholic Church. Indeed, by implication, the previously mentioned Jews who awaited the grand opening of heaven were able to do so by the work of Christ according to the Church, though given how many horrible things have been done to Jews in the name of Christ through the years that isn't something that tends to be emphasized.   In the end, I think you probably know me well enough by now to correctly guess that I land on the hopeful end of this discussion. By one means or another, all through Christ, I hope for all. But to be very clear, that's my hope, and for what it's worth. Pope Francis' hope as well according to a recent interview, but it's not established Church teaching.   Skipping past the parable of the Good Samaritan, let's go to verse 38 for Martha and Mary, an exchange that's my go-to analogy for the two basic types of service to the Church, with Martha being the “active” type and Mary the “contemplative”.   LUKE 38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”   41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”   GREGG   The first part of Luke 11 covers Luke's take on the Our Father-covered in 0.21b- and the Friend at Midnight covered in our parables roundup. So skip along to Verse 9, which parallels Matthew's Sermon on the Mount, so it will sound familiar:   LUKE 11 9 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.   11 “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”   GREGG Skip ahead again, this time to verse 24, because verses 14-23 were covered under miracles:   LUKE 24 “When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.' 25 When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. 26 Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first.”   27 As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, “Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you.”   28 He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”   GREGG There's a reminder that relapsing can be worse than the initial lapse, and a nice compliment session preserved only in Luke. But then the tone shifts, and the rest of the chapter has parallels in Matthew:   LUKE 11 29 As the crowds increased, Jesus said, “This is a wicked generation. It asks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah. 30 For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation. 31 The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the people of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon's wisdom; and now something greater than Solomon is here. 32 The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and now something greater than Jonah is here   GREGG Then there's a comparatively light lamp analogy, which I kind of covered during the Sermon on the Mount commentary, but not in its entirety, so I'm giving it all to you here:   LUKE 11 33 “No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. 34 Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy, your body also is full of darkness. 35 See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. 36 Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be just as full of light as when a lamp shines its light on you.”   GREGG And now as we get back to a more challenging tone, and as Jesus targets the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law specifically, I want to give the same general note that I gave for the parallel verses in Matthew: do not take these verses out of context to justify antisemitism, which has no place in the Catholic Church, or really in the world. For one thing, keep in mind Jesus is a Jew speaking to fellow Jews here.   Anyways, let's continue: LUKE   37 When Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee invited him to eat with him; so he went in and reclined at the table. 38 But the Pharisee was surprised when he noticed that Jesus did not first wash before the meal.   39 Then the Lord said to him, “Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. 40 You foolish people! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? 41 But now as for what is inside you—be generous to the poor, and everything will be clean for you.   42 “Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.   43 “Woe to you Pharisees, because you love the most important seats in the synagogues and respectful greetings in the marketplaces.   44 “Woe to you, because you are like unmarked graves, which people walk over without knowing it.”   45 One of the experts in the law answered him, “Teacher, when you say these things, you insult us also.”   46 Jesus replied, “And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them.   47 “Woe to you, because you build tombs for the prophets, and it was your ancestors who killed them. 48 So you testify that you approve of what your ancestors did; they killed the prophets, and you build their tombs. 49 Because of this, God in his wisdom said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and others they will persecute.' 50 Therefore this generation will be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the beginning of the world, 51 from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be held responsible for it all.”   GREGG Let's take a moment to reflect on that last line: “this generation will be held responsible for it all”. It's surprisingly harsh, even for a surprisingly harsh Jesus, for Him to hold the generation he was talking to responsible for all the blood of all the prophets that has been shed from the beginning of the world. But there it is. I can see a case being made for these verses as part of a theological justification for original sin, though really the key verse for that is Romans 5:12, which we'll talk about later. Either way, given the emphasis on “this generation”, I don't think that's what's going on here, as original sin doesn't like, target specific generations.   So, what's up? Why is Jesus focusing in on the present generation, at least the present generation as of His lifetime?   Well, there's the key. It's His generation. Jesus is there, and all of the sin of history, past, present, and future, will be brought to account through Him.   Jesus, as always, is the answer. It's not that the world was especially sinful in the first century AD. But the answer to all sin was walking the earth then. *That* is why it's a generation that deserves a particular singling out.   Of course, that reflection- my own theological musing I should say, which is a dangerous thing to do and I defer to any correction that may come my way– anyways that reflection should not detract from the straightforward fact that Jesus is really taking the Pharisees and Teachers of the law to task here   LUKE 11 52 “Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering.”   53 When Jesus went outside, the Pharisees and the teachers of the law began to oppose him fiercely and to besiege him with questions, 54 waiting to catch him in something he might say.   1Meanwhile, when a crowd of many thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling on one another, Jesus began to speak first to his disciples, saying: "Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy   2There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known.   3What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs   GREGG Fortunately no one in our day falls into religious hypocrisy anymore, right? …right?   Anyways, the next few verses, once again paralleled with Matthew, put things into context, while weaving in hints of future persecution:   LUKE 12 4 “I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. 5 But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. 6 Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. 7 Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. 8 “I tell you, whoever publicly acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man will also acknowledge before the angels of God. 9 But whoever disowns me before others will be disowned before the angels of God. 10 And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. 11 “When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, 12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.” GREGG After a break for a parable, the overall theme resumes in verse 22:   LUKE 12 22 Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? 26 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?   27 “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! 29 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30 For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.   32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.   GREGG Did you catch one of the most challenging things Jesus says?   “Sell your possessions and give to the poor”   This isn't the only place Jesus says that, but it hits a little harder when he's giving it as general counsel rather than as specific advice to a rich young man looking for specific advice on how to live well. If you have more than you need, your excess needs to go to those who lack. You will ultimately have to account not only for what you did, but what you didn't do. If you've seen Schindler's List, think of his regret after all he's done, that he didn't sell the car to do more. When your life is done, what regrets will You have?   I know I need to do more, part of this project is to remind myself of that and to embarrass myself publicly for my shortcomings. Listen to Jesus' message, don't get hung up on the messenger.   A few parables take us forward to verse 49, a source of top notch dad jokes about our matchless king. But Jesus goes beyond that, preaching division. His message is hard, it will not be universally popular.   LUKE 12 49 “I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! 50 But I have a baptism to undergo, and what constraint I am under until it is completed! 51 Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. 52 From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. 53 They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”   54 He said to the crowd: “When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘It's going to rain,' and it does. 55 And when the south wind blows, you say, ‘It's going to be hot,' and it is. 56 Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don't know how to interpret this present time?   57 “Why don't you judge for yourselves what is right? 58 As you are going with your adversary to the magistrate, try hard to be reconciled on the way, or your adversary may drag you off to the judge, and the judge turn you over to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison. 59 I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.”   LUKE 13 13 Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2 Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? 3 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. 4 Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”   GREGG That excerpt took us into Luke 13, which continues with parables and a miracle until verse 23, which is, frankly, basically the start of another parable, but not one I covered in the parables roundup so we'll do it here.   LUKE 13 23 Someone asked him, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?”   He said to them, 24 “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. 25 Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.'   “But he will answer, ‘I don't know you or where you come from.'   26 “Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.'   27 “But he will reply, ‘I don't know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!'   28 “There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out. 29 People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. 30 Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last.”   GREGG I recently saw one of the first verses in that passage cited as pointing towards the idea of Hell being full. After all,   “many I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to.”   Is fairly clear, and even accounting for Jesus' action as the owner of the house, in this and elsewhere ultimately those who are out on the cold are truly out in the cold. As much as I freely admit I don't get the logic of hell being populated, I also freely admit that the idea of it being empty is an exegetical stretch given passages like this. In the end, God reigns and I do not. I know what God asks of me, and I do it. As much as I like to know and to talk, I accept that I don't have and cannot have all knowledge.   Anyways, Jesus continues with a lament over Jerusalem we saw in Matthew, which Luke supplies with a little more context:   LUKE 13 31 At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to him, “Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill you.”   32 He replied, “Go tell that fox, ‘I will keep on driving out demons and healing people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.' 33 In any case, I must press on today and tomorrow and the next day—for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem!   34 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. 35 Look, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'”   GREGG And now with that note looking to Jesus' future- something he definitely keeps doing throughout the Gospels- we have something of an intermission, because Luke 14, 15, and 16 are all so full of parables that we've already covered along with all of Jesus' words from those chapters. Luke 17 opens with yet another parable, and then a miracle, so we're actually regrouping at Luke 17:20, where Jesus talks about the upcoming kingdom and talks about the end times, always fuel for a discussion, though I am skeptical about how productive such discussions are, given how Jesus opens the discussion by noting that the coming of the kingdom cannot be observed. And really, if there's something you'd be doing differently if you knew the world was ending--honestly that's probably something you should be doing *now*, because your life will end very soon in the grand scheme of things, and you can't rule out today.   Anyways, let's resume:   LUKE 17 20 Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, 21 nor will people say, ‘Here it is,' or ‘There it is,' because the kingdom of God is in your midst.”   22 Then he said to his disciples, “The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. 23 People will tell you, ‘There he is!' or ‘Here he is!' Do not go running off after them. 24 For the Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other. 25 But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.   26 “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 27 People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.   28 “It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. 29 But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.   30 “It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. 31 On that day no one who is on the housetop, with possessions inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. 32 Remember Lot's wife! 33 Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it. 34 I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. 35 Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left.” [36]   [KJV] 36Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.   37 “Where, Lord?” they asked.   He replied, “Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather.”   GREGG Oh, hope you don't mind me throwing in a little bit more KJV there. I would have announced it in advance but I was kind of on a roll with that transition and didn't want to kill the vibe. I'm no scripture scholar but my guess is the reason the KJV keep having verses the NIV is skipping is because back in the day folks were more reluctant to identify a passage as an addition due to manuscript evidence, you know, just in case. Better safe than sorry. But again, I'm no expert. Now, if I ever do get a budget for this beyond basic hosting fees I do have an expert in mind, so periodic reminder I do have a Popeular Patreon kicking around somewhere.   In any event, that's it for Luke 17, and we can basically skip the first half of Luke 18, since that's a couple parables and related stuff we've already addressed.   In Luke 18 verse 18, we've got a familiar question, not only familiar because it already came up in both Matthew and Mark, but it's actually already come up in Luke as well, as part of the runup to the parable of the Good Samaritan. That parable was split off from the other synoptics, being present only in Luke despite being extremely famous. But this time around, the passage is a close parallel to both Matthew and Mark. Let's go!   LUKE 18 18 A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 19 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. 20 You know the commandments: ‘You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.'” 21 “All these I have kept since I was a boy,” he said. 22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 23 When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was very wealthy. 24 Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! 25 Indeed, it 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.” 26 Those who heard this asked, “Who then can be saved?” 27 Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.” 28 Peter said to him, “We have left all we had to follow you!” 29 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus said to them, “no one who has left home or wife or brothers or sisters or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God 30 will fail to receive many times as much in this age, and in the age to come eternal life.” GREGG We treated the “eye of the needle” thing almost embarrassingly thoroughly last episode, so refer back to my Mark commentary for detail on that. The ending simply promising a much greater reward for giving things up to follow Jesus is a mild tweak of the “first shall be last” thing we saw concluding this passage in Matthew and Mark, for what it's worth.   Next up, Jesus gives the third prediction of his death he's given in Luke:   LUKE 18   31 Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, “We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. 32 He will be delivered over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him and spit on him; 33 they will flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again.”   34 The disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what he was talking about.   GREGG Jesus predicts his death three times in each of the synoptic Gospels, so that being the third and final prediction is a sign we're getting close.   Chapter 18 finishes with a miracle, so we're on to Chapter 19, which opens with the second account of Jesus calling a tax collector to follow him present in Luke. And unlike the call of Matthew slash Levi, this call of Zaccheus is *only* present in Luke.   LUKE 19 19 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.   5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.   7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”   8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”   9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”   GREGG I mentioned a bit ago we were getting close to the end of things for today, and another sign that we're getting close is that the next thing we get to cover, after skipping another parable, is Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, which is liturgically covered in the Palm Sunday observances that kick off Holy Week, aka the week leading up to Easter Sunday. Let's hear what Luke has to say, starting at verse 28:   LUKE 19 28 After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29 As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, 30 “Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?' say, ‘The Lord needs it.'”   32 Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. 33 As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?”   34 They replied, “The Lord needs it.”   35 They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. 36 As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road.   37 When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:   38 “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”   “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”   39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”   40 “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”   41 As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it 42 and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. 43 The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. 44 They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God's coming to you.”   45 When Jesus entered the temple courts, he began to drive out those who were selling. 46 “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be a house of prayer'; but you have made it ‘a den of robbers.'”   47 Every day he was teaching at the temple. But the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the leaders among the people were trying to kill him. 48 Yet they could not find any way to do it, because all the people hung on his words.   GREGG From the classic handwaive of “the master has need of it” to the admittedly brief account of Jesus driving the moneychangers out of the Temple, there's a lot of good stuff in there, but nothing especially new, all things we basically saw in Matthew and Mark.   Similarly, the opening verses of Luke 20 are also close parallels of the other synoptic gospels. But hey, you know the drill, let's hear Luke tell it:   LUKE 20 One day as Jesus was teaching the people in the temple courts and proclaiming the good news, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, together with the elders, came up to him. 2 “Tell us by what authority you are doing these things,” they said. “Who gave you this authority?”   3 He replied, “I will also ask you a question. Tell me: 4 John's baptism—was it from heaven, or of human origin?”   5 They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,' he will ask, ‘Why didn't you believe him?' 6 But if we say, ‘Of human origin,' all the people will stone us, because they are persuaded that John was a prophet.”   7 So they answered, “We don't know where it was from.”   8 Jesus said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”   GREGG The next few verses are taken up by the Parable of the Talents, so we'll skip that and go on to more close synoptic parallel passages starting in Verse 20. If you're wondering, we're parallelling Matthew 22 and Mark 12 here:   LUKE 20 20 Keeping a close watch on him, they sent spies, who pretended to be sincere. They hoped to catch Jesus in something he said, so that they might hand him over to the power and authority of the governor. 21 So the spies questioned him: “Teacher, we know that you speak and teach what is right, and that you do not show partiality but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. 22 Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”   23 He saw through their duplicity and said to them, 24 “Show me a denarius. Whose image and inscription are on it?”   “Caesar's,” they replied.   25 He said to them, “Then give back to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's.”   26 They were unable to trap him in what he had said there in public. And astonished by his answer, they became silent.   GREGG Yes, as you'll recall, giving God what is God's means giving God everything, but at the same time, like, pay your taxes.   The parallels continue with the next section   LUKE 20 Some of the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus with a question. 28 “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. 29 Now there were seven brothers. The first one married a woman and died childless. 30 The second 31 and then the third married her, and in the same way the seven died, leaving no children. 32 Finally, the woman died too. 33 Now then, at the resurrection whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?”   34 Jesus replied, “The people of this age marry and are given in marriage. 35 But those who are considered worthy of taking part in the age to come and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage, 36 and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God's children, since they are children of the resurrection. 37 But in the account of the burning bush, even Moses showed that the dead rise, for he calls the Lord ‘the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.' 38 He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.”   39 Some of the teachers of the law responded, “Well said, teacher!” 40 And no one dared to ask him any more questions. 41 Then Jesus said to them, “Why is it said that the Messiah is the son of David? 42 David himself declares in the Book of Psalms: “‘The Lord said to my Lord:     “Sit at my right hand 43 until I make your enemies     a footstool for your feet.”' 44 David calls him ‘Lord.' How then can he be his son?” GREGG   Yes, all closely paralleling Matthew 22 and Mark 12 still, both of which we've discussed. For what it's worth, John is going to be something quite different.   In any event, the last bit of Luke 20 is absent from Matthew, only parallelled in Mark 12:   LUKE 20 45 While all the people were listening, Jesus said to his disciples, 46 “Beware of the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. 47 They devour widows' houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely.”   GREGG Luke 21 opens with another section we that we didn't see in Matthew but covered in Mark, namely the Widow's Offering:   LUKE 21 As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. 2 He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. 3 “Truly I tell you,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. 4 All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”   GREGG I do love the message there, namely that God sees and accounts for effort when it comes to our actions, including our giving. Like I said, the Widow's Offering was in Mark too so I went into some more detail last episode.   As the chapter continues, the parallels with Matthew resume, now in Matthew Chapter 24, and Mark 14. Overall the theme is the end times, fairly appropriate given the transition to the Passion that will come in the next chapter    LUKE 21 Some of his disciples were remarking about how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to God. But Jesus said, 6 “As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down.”   7 “Teacher,” they asked, “when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?”   8 He replied: “Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,' and, ‘The time is near.' Do not follow them. 9 When you hear of wars and uprisings, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away.”

Out of Egypt Craig Dehut part 2There is so much noise today in the media. Useless, controversial and often inflammatory rhetoric which leads to more and more animosity and division. Documentaries today tend to “fuel the fire” (so to speak) as well. In order to teach the Gospel, we first must understand the Gospel message. The only way to truly understand the Gospel message is to experience it as best we can. Many people are unable to make a pilgrimage to the land of the Bible. Many people do not have the resources, or perhaps their health issues preclude them from doing so. It's been said that a picture is worth a thousand words… I'd also add that a video is probably worth 10,000 pictures. Because, in actuality, that is what a video is… thousands of individual pictures strung together in sequence to tell as story. Amen! This brings up the need for safe, professional and Biblically accurate videos that reflect the Bible Stories in a unique way that will motivate, educate and inspire Christians everywhere. That is where our guest comes in. Amen. Craig Dehut is one the co-founders of Apian Media. He and Stuart Peck were alarmed with the soaring rate of disengaged young people with the Bible. They recognized one of the causes was lack of engaging, accurate and professionally produced videos that would capture the attention of, not only the younger generation, but Christians everywhere. And that, in the process, these videos would be viewed from around the world through the power of the internet. Even in places open witnessing cannot be accomplished. Amen! They recently released their latest work, “Out of Egypt,” which is a video detailing their attempt to make the “Exodus Journey” which God used to free Israel from Egyptian bondage. To discuss this magnificent project, help me welcome to the program, Craig Dehut! Craig, thank you for taking the time to join us today! I do appreciate your time. This is part two to a great conversation with Craig Dehut!First question I always start with is this… other than that brief information I just shared, can you tell us in your own words, “Who is Craig Dehut?” The idea for Apian Media started way back in 2015. Can you share original motivation that started the planning for this between you and Stuart Peck? Share with our listeners your name, “Appian Media.” What does that reference? Which was your first video that Apian Media produced? How many views have you received on your videos from around the world? What kind testimonials have you received from those that viewed your videos? When you filmed the “Following Jesus” video – What was the most memorable or remarkable experience you can share with us? There is no doubt of the need for videos like you are producing. How important do you view the need to counter the culture of Hollywood and the trash corrupting the minds of people today? Let's talk about your recent video, “Out of Egypt.” How long was the planning process for this video (from “Hey, this is an idea” to actually landing in Egypt)? The primary, I guess I'd say “narrator” in the film, is Jeremy Dehut. I take it Jeremy is your brother? Is that correct? I was watching the video and seen you interview the owner of a brick making factory…You were declared the “master brick maker.” What was your impression when you saw them making bricks almost in the same manner as depicted in the Bible? If I did my calculations correctly, the average brick maker could make 500 bricks per day – per person. Did you ever find out if that was the “tale of the bricks” that would have been used in Biblical times? I learned from the video that the “Ark of the Covenant”...

Have you noticed God can be easy to find as well as hard to find? Following Jesus is an amalgamation of clarity and mystery. It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.Proverbs 25:2There are things we see and experience and there are things we don't see and don't experience, yet in order for us to realize what God intends for us, it is essential to embrace both of these dimensions of God. In other words - God is with you and there is more of him somewhere else.Pastor Eric in his talk encouraged us to not push the cruise control but rather for us to be intentional about growing as people who are following Jesus. To be a people who pursue and be hungry for more of Him.For more info you can go to our website and also check us out on instagram and Facebook. We are also on YouTube. If you want to support STUDIO financially you can do so here. Have a great week!

Just Scratching the Surface: Grace and PeaceGrace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.Ephesians 1:2There is so much here in these fourteen words of verse two that it is hard to know where to begin. Paul, as was his custom, often presents these two fundamental truths of the Christian faith, “grace and peace,” at the end of his greeting to those recipients of his letters (Rom. 1:7; 1 Cor. 1:3; 2 Cor. 1:2; Gal. 1:3; Phil. 1:2; 2 Thes. 1:2, Phlm. 1:3). It is almost like he wants to remind them of the gift of salvation and eternal life they have received by faith, based on God's grace towards them, which brings a peace the world cannot understand nor experience (Phil. 4:7).And sometimes Paul would add “mercy” to “grace and peace,” creating a holy trinity of blessings we have received from Christ (1 Tim. 1:2; 2 Tim. 1:2, Titus 1:4), yet he seems to reserve “mercy” for his letters to individuals rather than churches. We'll dig into the reasons for that at a later date.What is Grace?Grace is a word that Paul uses to both begin (1:2) and end the book of Ephesians (6:24), and it occurs another ten times within these six chapters. Ephesians speaks of the grace of God's unmerited favor in providing salvation through the sacrifice of His Son (1:7; 2:8) and His power granted to each of us to lead a life of sanctification, a holy life (4:7, 29). It also speaks of the fact that by grace, and grace alone, we are saved (2:5, 8) and that it is a gift of God to be shared with others (3:7).But what exactly does the word mean? And how are we to understand this blessing of grace given to us by the mercy of God. Grace (cháris) means to “rejoice, and is God's great kindness freely given towards those who are undeserving of His favor.” But more specifically:This word may, at times, indicate kindness, as a quality or attribute of God or of the Lord Jesus Christ. It may also describe the state of salvation, and thirdly, the believer's gratitude for the salvation received or for any gift of God. But in the present instance it refers undoubtedly to God's spontaneous, unmerited favor in action, His freely bestowed lovingkindness in operation, bestowing salvation upon guilt-laden sinners. Grace is the fountain from which everything in Christ flows.¹Just think, God the Father is called the “God of all grace” (1 Pet. 5:10), and Jesus is the Author, Giver, and Dispenser of grace (Acts 15:11; 2 Cor. 8:9; Rom. 16:20; 1 Thes. 5:28). Not to be left out, the Holy Spirit is called the “Spirit of grace” (Heb. 10:29), and the very throne of God is referred to as His “throne of grace” (Heb. 4:16). As you can see, grace seems to permeate everything in the realm of God— and rightly so.But What About Peace?The peace this passage talks about is not just the absence of conflict, like peace between two warring factions, but it is a peace that is the result of God granting us His grace. When we speak of “grace and peace,” we are looking at two bookends of the entire Christian experience. What begins with God's grace freely bestowed upon us undeservingly, ends with our peace— peace with God (Eph. 2:14, 17), peace with others (2:15; 4:3), and peace with ourselves. It really doesn't get much better than that.And this peace knows no bounds. We cannot imagine what it is like until we experience it ourselves because it is unlike any peace the world can offer (Phil. 4:7). Jesus said so Himself:“Peace I leave with you, (described as) My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be...

LAW - DEMAND VS GRACE – SUPPLY Exodus 3:1-5 LAW (Demand) “Thou Shall Not” Exodus 20:3-17 1Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. 3So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.” 4When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.” 5“Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” Luke 15:20-22 GRACE (Supply) “GOD gave HIS only Begotten SON” –John 3:16 20 And he arose and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. 21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. 22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet Hebrews 12:18-24 The Mountain of Fear (Law) and the Mountain of Joy (Grace) 18You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; 19to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them, 20because they could not bear what was commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death.” 21The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, “I am trembling with fear.” 22But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, 23You have to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24You have to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. The Purpose of the Law The law reveals God's absolute, immutable permanent expectations. God's principle behind the law will never change. The Law provides us with social and personal directive –Fallen World The Law reveals our sinfulness, which shows us our needs for Christ. Exo 19:8 -And all the people answered together and said, “All that the LORD hath spoken we will do.” And Moses returned the words of the people unto the LORD. ONLY Christ fulfilled the Law. Christ fulfilled the Law in every respect, so that when he died on the cross-He remained spotless, sinless Lamb of God, qualified to take away my sins and your sins. LAW/DEMAND VS GRACE/SUPPLY “For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” John 1:17 (NKJV) LAW/DEMAND VS GRACE/SUPPLY Both Law and Grace were instituted by God Truth is on the side of “Grace” Is the “Law” true? Yes, it is….But not “the truth” The Law demands righteousness from sinfully bankrupt man Grace provides/Supplies righteousness as a “Gift” The Law says, take off your shoes, the place you are standing is a Holy Ground Grace says, put on shoes, in his feet, my son has return, he has right to stand in my presence. The law was given by Moses, but grace came by Jesus Christ. Every system of morality/religion is about man trying to reach God with his discipline and good works, but in Christianity, God came down to where we were to lift us up to where He is! GRACE/SUPPLY “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30)

How Do You Act Around Those Who Are Watching? Luke 14:1 - 2 1One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being carefully watched. 2There in front of him was a man suffering from abnormal swelling of his body.

Jesus said to his disciples, “A rich man had a steward who was reported to him for squandering his property. He summoned him and said, ‘What is this I hear about you? Prepare a full account of your stewardship, because you can no longer be my steward.'” Luke 16:1–2There is much to ponder in this parable and many lessons from which we can learn. To begin, the rich man should be understood as God and you as the steward. This is an important first lesson to learn because it reveals to us that, when it comes to material things in this world, God is the true owner of all—we are only stewards. Think about that carefully. When it comes to all that you own, all your money and possessions, do you hold on to it as if you were the complete master of these material items? Clearly most people do think this way. They may work hard to earn a living, save and buy this and that, build up their bank accounts, and then remain very attached to these material things, seeing them as “mine” rather than as God's. So the first very challenging lesson we should look at is that all we “own” is actually the possession of God. He only permits us to be stewards of the things of this world. Do you believe that?As stewards, we must be committed to use the riches within our stewardship only in the way that God wants it used. In this parable, the steward was reported to the rich man for “squandering his property.” We also are guilty of squandering the possessions of God when we use money in accord with our own will and desires rather than those of God's. This is an exceptionally common tendency, especially for those who have become the stewards of much money. Therefore, the more money that one has stewardship over, the more they will be tempted to squander it, meaning, use it for selfish purposes rather than for the glory of God in accord with His will. This is a hard teaching to accept and live. But these truths are indeed revealed to us by this parable, so it is essential that we listen.The words spoken by the rich man, “Prepare a full account of your stewardship,” are words that we must all anticipate hearing one day. If that day were today, what would that “full account of your stewardship” look like? Have you worked hard for selfish gain? Or have you worked hard to act with great responsibility over the things God has entrusted to your care?As the parable continues, we read that the steward acted “prudently” in that he devised a plan to make sure his material needs were met once he lost his position as steward. The “prudence,” however, that is spoken of here is a reference to the worldly, and therefore, evil ingenuity, cleverness, hard work and commitment many people have regarding the material wealth they seek to obtain in this world. Though it is good to be diligent and hardworking in life, too often this is done for the purpose of selfish gain. Just imagine if everyone who worked so hard at getting rich put even more effort into building up the Kingdom of God on earth! How different this world would be if we had so many hard workers for God's mission. Reflect, today, upon the simple truth that when it comes to the riches of this world, you are only the steward of what you possess, not its master. God wants you free from the attachment to material wealth so that you will be free to use all that you have for His glory and in accord with His purpose. That does not mean that you must donate all you have to charities. Instead, it means that you continually offer all that you have to God and seek to use it in accord with His will and His will alone. If that means you discern that God wants you to buy something new, then buy something new. If that means giving more away, then give more away. If that means living more simply as a holy sacrifice, then do just that. Money cannot buy happiness. Only embracing God's will to the fullest will result in the happiness and fulfillment you deeply desire. My Lord of all riches, You and You alone are the Master of all things created. All that I have and possess are Yours, dear Lord. Help me to believe this and to live my life purely as a steward of the possessions I have. Free me from squandering that which You have entrusted to my care. May I use all for Your glory and only in accord with Your holy will. Jesus, I trust in You.Source of content: catholic-daily-reflections.comCopyright © 2023 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

The Kingdom of God Obadiah talks about a coming kingdom.Obadiah‬ ‭1:15-21‬ Many of the minor prophet's foretell of Jesus coming. It was into the persecution of Israel by the Romans that Jesus is born.What's the kingdom Jesus ushered in like? Totally different. CounterculturalMatthew 5-7, sermon on the mount.Turns everything on it's headHow we deal with anger, lust, divorce, oaths, getting your own back, loving your enemies, looking after the poor, how we get into heaven.Jesus talks about a coming kingdom too He's coming back!What Jesus said wasn't a new thing. It was there in the scriptures already.‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭11:1‭-‬11No weeping or pain. Wolf and the lamb together. Clearly not the kingdom that came with Christ.Now and not yet of the kogIt says he will come a second time.Return of ChristMatt 24Now and not yetRebuild of a demolished temple in 3 days.This was imminent. The return was not straight away.Death and resurrection Ripping the curtain in 2There will be wars, and famine and unrest like never before.Persecution of the churchFalse prophetsJesus talks about what Daniel had written about the coming age.Be ready because of the signs you will see around you.The key. But no one except the father knows the exact day and time. So be ready.All of the world needs to hear first. Have they?Zechariah 14, difficult reading in light of what we see in Israel.Isa 10:20 a remnant of Israel will return to godRom 11 all Israel will be saved, but only after all gentiles have heardRestoration of Israel needs to happen before the return of Christ.Can be translated the salvation of Israel.‭‭1 John‬ ‭2:18‬He was seeing the signs he'd heard Jesus talk about, still only a generation after Christ. Here we are 2000 years on….People said in 1st century all the prerequisites for Christ's return had been fulfilled.Then first and second world warsRe-creation of Israel after 2nd world warThe Israel wars 1967 war, 1973 war.The antichrist had been named as emporers and roman leaders, Hitler, Saddam Hussein, even putin. USA. And europeI don't know. But I know I need to be alert ‭‭Luke‬ ‭17:20‬ ‭NLT‬‬We are changed when the Kingdom comes, as is society around usLove, Joy, Peace, The effects of the Holy Spirit working amongst usSome signs will be visible2 men, 1 taken and 1 left. RaptureMillennium. No point building your theology around such things. It's a mystery‭‭1 John‬ ‭2:24‬So in times of trouble and persecution….The only 4 chapters of the bible where there is not sin in the world are genesis 1+2, and revelation 21+22.In the 1285 in-between God explains people's sin to them, and when they cannot find their way out He sends His son as a way out, a release, an escape.Garden to a city…..‭‭Revelation‬ ‭22:20‭-‬21‬ Jesus talked about the kingdom he was ushering in. We are saved for a different life now, but also saved for a life in heaven.What will heaven be like?No more crying. No more pain.City on a hill.New heaven and a new earth.Dare to be excited.Waiting rooms can be hard classrooms3 responses to the return of Christ.It's not imminent. So live life.It's any day. So no need to buy insurance, but food, etcIt's soon, so tell everyone, so all can be saved. Give all for Christ. This is how we should be living.Parable 10 virgins Matt 25, only half were ready. The others were not. Are you ready?Questions for groupsWhat does it mean to be ready for the return of Christ?What do you make of current world events?Are you ready?

If I really believed in Heaven and Hell | Revelation 17:1-19:10 (8-14 October 2023)During this season ‘If I really believed …' in our groups and at Village on Sundays we will be looking at six key truths that shape our life together.The reality of heaven and hellGod so loved the world he gave his only sonThe glory of the churchThe brevity of life Jesus mission to seek and save the lostThe Glory of God72% of Americans believe in a literal heaven. 58% believe in a literal hell. What do you think beliefs about these topics would be in Australia? Read John 3:31-36 especially verse 36. What is being said here about eternal life and the alternative under God's wrath?Heaven As you read the following verses, identify the different evocative images used for heaven:Matthew 8:11, 22:2, 25:10Matthew 25:34Hebrews 11:10, 12:22-24Philippians 3:20John 14:2-3Luke 23:43HellThe most widely held view throughout Christian history has been that those who reject Jesus will suffer eternal conscious punishment. How do each of the following verses support that position: Matthew 25:41, Jude 7Matthew 25:462 Thessalonians 1:9Hebrews 6:2There's a minority position in Christian scholarship which suggests that in hell, people are punished then annihilated. (ie there is a conscious punishment but it is not eternal). The main arguments are 1. that the NT speaks of death, perishing and destruction, which imply the end of existence.And 2. That God's justice would not demand infinite punishment for finite sin.What do you think? Supporters of both perspectives see hell as real and horrific. On both views the unrighteous realise the enormity of their sin and are aware of their everlasting separation from God. How should we respond? Read Luke 12:1-5 and discuss.Recognise that in our contemporary world we are tempted to soften and downplay the reality of God's justice and judgement. (It will do us good to google Johnathan Edwards 1741 sermon ‘Sinners in the hands of an angry God.')How do you think it would change our church and us if we were more conscious of the realities of heaven and hell? Pray

Samuel Given to theLord 21The man Elkanah and all his housewent up to offer to theLordthe yearly sacrifice and to pay his vow.22But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, As soon as the child is weaned, I will bring him, so that he may appear in the presence of theLordand dwell there forever.23Elkanah her husband said to her, Do what seems best to you; wait until you have weaned him;only, may theLordestablish his word. So the woman remained and nursed her son until she weaned him.24And when she had weaned him,she took him up with her, along with a three-year-old bull,[a]an ephah[b]of flour, and a skin of wine, and she brought him tothe house of theLordat Shiloh. And the child was young.25Then they slaughtered the bull, and they brought the child to Eli.26And she said, Oh, my lord!As you live, my lord, I am the woman who was standing here in your presence, praying to theLord.27For this child I prayed,and theLordhas granted me my petition that I made to him.28Therefore I have lent him to theLord. As long as he lives, he is lent to theLord. And he worshiped theLordthere. Hannah's Prayer 2And Hannah prayed and said, My heart exults in theLord;my horn is exalted in theLord.My mouth derides my enemies,becauseI rejoice in your salvation. 2There is none holy like theLord:for there is none besides you;there isno rock like our God.3Talk no more so very proudly,let not arrogance come from your mouth;for theLordis a God of knowledge,and by him actions are weighed.4The bows of the mighty are broken,but the feeble bind on strength.5Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread,but those who were hungry have ceased to hunger.The barren has borne seven,but she who has many children is forlorn.6TheLordkills and brings to life;he brings down to Sheol and raises up.7TheLordmakes poor and makes rich;he brings low and he exalts.8He raises up the poor from the dust;he lifts the needy from the ash heapto make them sit with princesand inherit a seat of honor.For the pillars of the earth are theLord's,and on them he has set the world. 9He will guard the feet of his faithful ones,but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness,for not by might shall a man prevail.10The adversaries of theLordshall be broken to pieces;against them he will thunder in heaven.TheLordwill judge the ends of the earth;he will give strength to his kingand exalt the horn of his anointed. 11Then Elkanah went hometo Ramah.And the boy[c]was ministering to theLordin the presence of Eli the priest.

This morning rant is about what happens to you once you recognize that Jesus is the only person who was able to provide the solution for the corruptness of the human race of which you are a part of by birth. Romans 8:1-2There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.John 3:18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/622a9079e8fb640012cb94f3. I pray that God would "give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. 18I, pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance" https://plus.acast.com/s/blueprint-of-faith. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A Comeback Story 10-9-22 Acts 7:23-29 23“One day when Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his relatives, the people of Israel. 24He saw an Egyptian mistreating an Israelite. So Moses came to the man's defense and avenged him, killing the Egyptian. 25Moses assumed his fellow Israelites would realize that God had sent him to rescue them, but they didn't. 26“The next day he visited them again and saw two men of Israel fighting. He tried to be a peacemaker. ‘Men,' he said, ‘you are brothers. Why are you fighting each other?' 27“But the man in the wrong pushed Moses aside. ‘Who made you a ruler and judge over us?' he asked. 28‘Are you going to kill me as you killed that Egyptian yesterday?' 29When Moses heard that, he fled the country and lived as a foreigner in the land of Midian. There his two sons were born. Acts 7:30 30“Forty years later, in the desert near Mount Sinai, an angel appeared to Moses in the flame of a burning bush. Exodus 3:1-2 1One day Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian. He led the flock far into the wilderness and came to Sinai, the mountain of God. 2There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the middle of a bush. Moses stared in amazement. Though the bush was engulfed in flames, it didn't burn up. In the midst of the routine, when you least expect it, you are surprised by God's invitation. Exodus 3:4-5 4When the Lord saw Moses coming to take a closer look, God called to him from the middle of the bush, “Moses! Moses!” “Here I am!” Moses replied. 5“Do not come any closer,” the Lord warned. “Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground. The first thing that Moses hears from this bush is his own name. Moses Questions: Who Am I? Exodus 3:11-12 11But Moses protested to God, “Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?” 12God answered, “I will be with you. And this is your sign that I am the one who has sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God at this very mountain.” God's Answer: I will be with you 2 Corinthians 3:5 5It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God. Moses Questions: Who Am I? Who are you? Exodus 3:13-14 13But Moses protested, “If I go to the people of Israel and tell them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,' they will ask me, ‘What is his name?' Then what should I tell them?” 14God replied to Moses, “I Am Who I Am. Say this to the people of Israel: I Am has sent me to you.” God's Answer: I AM I AM your provision (Jehovah - Jireh) I AM your victory (Jehovah - Nissi) I AM your peace (Jehovah – Shalom) I AM there (Jehovah – Shammah) Moses Questions: Who Am I? Who are you? What about them? Exodus 4:1-2 1But Moses protested again, “What if they won't believe me or listen to me? What if they say, ‘The Lord never appeared to you'?” 2Then the Lord asked him, “What is that in your hand?” “A shepherd's staff,” Moses replied. God's Answer: What's in Your Hand? Exodus 4:3-4 3“Throw it down on the ground,” the Lord told him. So Moses threw down the staff, and it turned into a snake! Moses jumped back. 4Then the Lord told him, “Reach out and grab its tail.” So Moses reached out and grabbed it, and it turned back into a shepherd's staff in his hand.

I've Accepted Jesus • https://hopecitypdx.com/follow-christ • Let us know you made this decision, and we'll help you discover what's next! Get Baptized • https://hopecitypdx.com/baptisms • If you have accepted Jesus but have never had the opportunity to celebrate your new life in Him through water baptism, this is your next step! Share Your Story • https://hopecitypdx.com/grow#story • How is God working in and through your life? If you want to share your story, fill out a short form to let us know! Let Us Pray With You • https://hopecitypdx.com/prayer • Fill out a quick form to let us know how we can be praying for you. Week 1: After God's Own Heart"God Loves Penitence" by Grant Hickman 2 Samuel 11:1-5In the spring of the year, at the time when kings normally conduct wars, David sent out Joab with his officers and the entire Israelite army. They defeated the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed behind in Jerusalem. One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of his palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. Now this woman was very attractive. So David sent someone to inquire about the woman. The messenger said, “Isn't this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” David sent some messengers to get her. She came to him and he had sexual relations with her. (Now at that time she was in the process of purifying herself from her menstrual uncleanness.) Then she returned to her home. The woman conceived and then sent word to David saying, “I'm pregnant.” 2 Samuel 11:1-5In the spring of the year, at the time when kings normally conduct wars, David sent out Joab with his officers and the entire Israelite army. They defeated the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. [But David stayed behind in Jerusalem.] One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of his palace. [From the roof he saw a woman bathing. Now this woman was very attractive.] So David sent someone to inquire about the woman. The messenger said, [“Isn't this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?”] David sent some messengers to get her. She came to him and he had sexual relations with her. [(Now at that time she was in the process of purifying herself from her menstrual uncleanness.)] Then she returned to her home. The woman conceived and then sent word to David saying, “I'm pregnant.” 2 Samuel 11:6-8So David sent a message to Joab that said, “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” So Joab sent Uriah to David. When Uriah came to him, David asked about how Joab and the army were doing and how the campaign was going. Then David said to Uriah, “Go down to your home and relax.” When Uriah left the palace, the king sent a gift to him. 2 Samuel 11:9-11But Uriah stayed at the door of the palace with all the servants of his lord. He did not go down to his house. So they informed David, “Uriah has not gone down to his house.” So David said to Uriah, “Haven't you just arrived from a journey? Why haven't you gone down to your house?” Uriah replied to David, “The ark and Israel and Judah reside in temporary shelters, and my lord Joab and my lord's soldiers are camping in the open field. Should I go to my house to eat and drink and have marital relations with my wife? As surely as you are alive, I will not do this thing!” 2 Sam 11:12-13So David said to Uriah, “Stay here another day. Tomorrow I will send you back.” So Uriah stayed in Jerusalem both that day and the following one. Then David summoned him. He ate and drank with him, and got him drunk. But in the evening he went out to sleep on his bed with the servants of his lord; he did not go down to his own house. 2 Samuel 11:27…The thing which David had done was evil in the eyes of the LORD. David is Persistently Prideful God Desires Humble Penitence 2 Sam 12:7-12Nathan said to David, “You are that man! This is what the LORD God of Israel says: ‘I chose you to be king over Israel and I rescued you from the hand of Saul. I gave you your master's house, and put your master's wives into your arms. I also gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if all that somehow seems insignificant, I would have given you so much more as well! Why have you shown contempt for the word of the LORD by doing evil in my sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and you have taken his wife as your own! You have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. So now the sword will never depart from your house. For you have despised me by taking the wife of Uriah the Hittite as your own!' This is what the LORD says: ‘I am about to bring disaster on you from inside your own household! Right before your eyes I will take your wives and hand them over to your companion. He will have sexual relations with your wives in broad daylight! Although you have acted in secret, I will do this thing before all Israel, and in broad daylight.'” 2 Sam 12:13Then David exclaimed to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD!” Nathan replied to David, “Yes, and the LORD has forgiven your sin. You are not going to die. Psalm 51:1-12Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin. For I recognize my rebellion; it haunts me day and night. Against you, and you alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight. You will be proved right in what you say, and your judgment against me is just. For I was born a sinner— yes, from the moment my mother conceived me. But you desire honesty from the womb, teaching me wisdom even there. Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Oh, give me back my joy again; you have broken me— now let me rejoice. Don't keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt. Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. Do not banish me from your presence, and don't take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you. You will be proved right in what you say, and your judgment against me is just. For I was born a sinner—yes, from the moment my mother conceived me. But you desire honesty from the womb, teaching me wisdom even there. Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. You have broken me— now let me rejoice. Don't keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt. Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. Do not banish me from your presence, and don't take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you. Oh, give me back my joy again; you have broken me; now let me rejoice. Don't look at my sins. Remove the stain of my shame. Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. Do not banish me from your presence, and don't take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you. Psalm 51:16-17You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one. You do not want a burnt offering. The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God. Where am I being persistently prideful rather than humbly penitent?Culture Where am I being persistently prideful rather than humbly penitent?Conscience Where am I being persistently prideful rather than humbly penitent?Confession Psalm 51:9-11Don't keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt. Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. Do not banish me from your presence, and don't take your Holy Spirit from me. 1 Corinthians 5:19For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people's sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. Romans 6:23For the payoff of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:1-2There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the life-giving Spirit in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death. Romans 10:9-10Because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and thus has righteousness and with the mouth one confesses and thus has salvation.

John 12:1-81Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 2There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. 3Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus' feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, 5“Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?” 6(He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.) 7Jesus said, “Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. 8You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.”

You were placed on earth from heaven but not all was raised by family and some was not raised as they should have been raised.Your real family is in heaven.With your spirit eyes and ears do you know that some family-members are not from GOD and they poison your life and where GOD want you to go.The devil constantly place in his children in home where GOD's people are to poison them with hate and death.Only because you are born in to a family, is it not sure they will be good for you, you need to clean up in your life. You need to clean up so you can hear and see from GOD.This was cut out from the episode: heavenly hots 2There is more talking from heaven in that episode.

Welcome to Hope City Church! NEW If you are new to Hope City text “Welcome” to 502-754-3212 WORSHIP GUIDE Luke 19:1-10 1Jesus entered Jericho and made his way through the town. 2There was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was the chief tax collector in the region, and he had become very rich. 3He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowd. 4So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree beside the road, for Jesus was going to pass that way. 5When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. “Zacchaeus!” he said. “Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.” 6Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy. 7But the people were displeased. “He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner,” they grumbled. 8Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said, “I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!” 9Jesus responded, “Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham. 10For the Son of Man19:10 “Son of Man” is a title Jesus used for himself. came to seek and save those who are lost.” CONNECT Connect with us! Visit the Hope City Church website at https://realhopenow.com/ , connect through the Hope City Church Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/realhopenow or download the Hope City Church Louisville app from the android or apple app store. CARE If you or a loved one is in need of prayer or care, we would love to help! Simply open the Hope City Church Louisville app, click on "Pastoral Care" or "Prayer Request" and fill out the form so that we can know how we can help. Or go to https://app.textinchurch.com/groups/webform/MjYxMDg4 and send us your prayer request. GIVE Our heart is to share as much hope with as many people as possible, and you make that happen because of your generosity. Click the link below to give. http://www.realhopenow.com/give/ Thank you for tuning in to today's service. We'll see you soon!

In this episode I discuss a famous 2008 case out of Florida with Kevin from the Jury Room that is unique, in that the general consensus is that Casey Anthony got away with Murder or at the very least Manslaughter or neglect in the death of her 2 year old daughter Caylee. Over the years I have watched and listened to everything available on this case. I will link sources and other suggested relevant materials below. Support the Show: Patreon.com/julesandashleyThe Jury Room Caylee/Casey Anthony Part One: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/casey-anthony-part-1/id1536341829?i=1000518484474The Jury Room Caylee/Casey Anthony Part Two: https://podtail.com/en/podcast/the-jury-room/casey-anthony-part-2/https://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/ny-casey-anthony-private-investigator-20201231-5dv7x2yvlzfe3l42enzjgsrqpi-story.htmlhttps://people.com/crime/casey-anthony-private-investigator-firm-claims-wants-help-wrongfully-accused-women/https://www.biography.com/news/casey-anthony-muder-trial-timeline-factshttps://people.com/crime/casey-anthony-juror-speaks-out-10-years-later-my-decision-haunts-me/https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/casey-anthony/https://abcnews.go.com/US/casey_anthony_trial/slideshow/casey-anthony-trial-evidence-photos-13724467/image-13974705https://kutv.com/news/nation-world/casey-anthony-keeps-getting-drinks-thrown-in-her-face-at-florida-bar-police-sayRed Handed's coverage part one: https://redhandedpodcast.com/episodes/3rdz8s3ajjyr3ns-xbn5s-xjz37Red Handed part two: https://audioboom.com/posts/7997515-episode-226-casey-anthony-web-of-lies-part-2There's Something About Casey: The Psychology of Casey Anthonyhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJt_afGN3IQ&t=15sID 3 part Documentary: Casey Anthony an American Murder MysteryPart one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePs5TjFmk4c&t=2sPart Two: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwLzpksqNQsPart Three: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZoaomc5xPU

When Jesus returned to Capernaum after some days, it became known that he was at home.  Many gathered together so that there was no longer room for them, not even around the door, and he preached the word to them.  Mark 2:1-2There were so many people coming to Jesus that there was no room for everyone, not even around the door to the house He was in.  This is an interesting situation.  On a practical note, why wouldn't Jesus have noticed this dilemma and done something about it?  Why not move out into a larger area where everyone could see and hear Him?It's hard to answer that question but there is one thing of which we can be certain.  We can be certain that those who came to listen to Him, even if they could not get in, were greatly rewarded for their faith.  This passage reveals a very important spiritual principle.  It reveals that the spiritual longing to be near Jesus was, in and of itself, transforming.Often times we will have a similar experience.  We may find that we long to hear Jesus speak to us, but we cannot seem to hear Him.  It may be that He appears silent to us or that we do not know where to find Him.  But do not be disheartened if this is your experience.  The fact of the matter is that your desire to be with Him is itself a great gift and has potential to transform your life.  Reflect, today, upon what may be termed “the silence of God.”  There may be times in your life when God seems to be distant and is nowhere to be found.  When this happens, you should realize that this is a way for God to call you even closer to Himself.  It's a way for God to whisper so as to gain your full attention.  If this is a “struggle” that you experience at times, turn your attention to our Lord all the more intensely and allow the desire for Him to grow.  It is this desire to be near Jesus that may actually produce much greater fruit in your life than if you were to hear Him loud and clear.My silent Lord, please increase within me a desire to be near You.  Help me to long for You with all my heart.  In that longing, help me to shed all that is not of You and to give You my full attention.  Jesus, I trust in You.Source of content: catholic-daily-reflections.comCopyright © 2022 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Jesus said to his disciples, “A rich man had a steward who was reported to him for squandering his property. He summoned him and said, ‘What is this I hear about you? Prepare a full account of your stewardship, because you can no longer be my steward.'” Luke 16:1–2There is much to ponder in this parable and many lessons from which we can learn. To begin, the rich man should be understood as God and you as the steward. This is an important first lesson to learn because it reveals to us that, when it comes to material things in this world, God is the true owner of all—we are only stewards. Think about that carefully. When it comes to all that you own, all your money and possessions, do you hold on to it as if you were the complete master of these material items? Clearly most people do think this way. They may work hard to earn a living, save and buy this and that, build up their bank accounts, and then remain very attached to these material things, seeing them as “mine” rather than as God's. So the first very challenging lesson we should look at is that all we “own” is actually the possession of God. He only permits us to be stewards of the things of this world. Do you believe that?As stewards, we must be committed to use the riches within our stewardship only in the way that God wants it used. In this parable, the steward was reported to the rich man for “squandering his property.” We also are guilty of squandering the possessions of God when we use money in accord with our own will and desires rather than those of God's. This is an exceptionally common tendency, especially for those who have become the stewards of much money. Therefore, the more money that one has stewardship over, the more they will be tempted to squander it, meaning, use it for selfish purposes rather than for the glory of God in accord with His will. This is a hard teaching to accept and live. But these truths are indeed revealed to us by this parable, so it is essential that we listen.The words spoken by the rich man, “Prepare a full account of your stewardship,” are words that we must all anticipate hearing one day. If that day were today, what would that “full account of your stewardship” look like? Have you worked hard for selfish gain? Or have you worked hard to act with great responsibility over the things God has entrusted to your care?As the parable continues, we read that the steward acted “prudently” in that he devised a plan to make sure his material needs were met once he lost his position as steward. The “prudence,” however, that is spoken of here is a reference to the worldly, and therefore, evil ingenuity, cleverness, hard work and commitment many people have regarding the material wealth they seek to obtain in this world. Though it is good to be diligent and hardworking in life, too often this is done for the purpose of selfish gain. Just imagine if everyone who worked so hard at getting rich put even more effort into building up the Kingdom of God on earth! How different this world would be if we had so many hard workers for God's mission.Reflect, today, upon the simple truth that when it comes to the riches of this world, you are only the steward of what you possess, not its master. God wants you free from the attachment to material wealth so that you will be free to use all that you have for His glory and in accord with His purpose. That does not mean that you must donate all you have to charities. Instead, it means that you continually offer all that you have to God and seek to use it in accord with His will and His will alone. If that means you discern that God wants you to buy something new, then buy something new. If that means giving more away, then give more away. If that means living more simply as a holy sacrifice, then do just that. Money cannot buy happiness. Only embracing God's will to the fullest will result in the happiness and fulfillment you deeply desire.My Lord of all riches, You and You alone are the Master of all things created. All that I have and possess are Yours, dear Lord. Help me to believe this and to live my life purely as a steward of the possessions I have. Free me from squandering that which You have entrusted to my care. May I use all for Your glory and only in accord with Your holy will. Jesus, I trust in You. Source of content: catholic-daily-reflections.comCopyright © 2021 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

I get it...this life we're living in right now... On some days we just don't plumb recognize it anymore. On other days we find it hard to feel hopeful of a breakthrough. We lean into feelings of overwhelm and lack of creative energy. In this podcast episode I am giving you real tools that you can grab hold of and implement today to get yourself back into action. You'll learn how to create your own beautiful space. That place where you go to find yourself, to keep yourself together and that place where you'll gain creative insight how to carry out the action that God wants you to.“Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”Isaiah 43:19“Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes.”Isaiah 54:2There's still time to get in free for 5 days with me on the first ever She is Alive Quiet time and Journal Challenge. In this Challenge you will learn how to hear Jesus speak direct to you and specific to you. You will learn how to journal what He's saying and record the promises He gives you. You'll also learn how to anticipate His answers. Join the Quiet time Challenge. https://fierce-crafter-2910.ck.page/0d841a0de7 Follow me:InstagramFacebook

Tesla club la - Santa Clarita supercharger meetup and Plaid S Marge - a member of the LA Tesla club and all around good person was one of the first 25 delivered at the event in FremontWas kind enough to bring it to see in personIt's white - has full self driving - 21” wheels - carbon fiber trim -Sitting in it is great - the display just works. So much better in landscape position. And I like how it's built into the dash instead of floating like in the 3 The yoke was really low so you could really see the binnacle very well. Fit and finish seems very good. Almost hand built I imagine since it was first 25. The roof is super dark - seemed much darker than my model three was in 2017 - and even darker than the tint I have on mine now.The door handle design was great and seemed much more traditional than the original s design - which I also liked a lotThe inside of the front hood is redesigned Running software v10.2There seemed to be a ton of controls and settings for the suspension,but since I have not been in an model s for a good long while I am not sure if that is been like that for a while.I'll add the photos an maybe they will go on Instagram Seat were comfortable and the mover the lumbar adjuster to in front of the seat back and forward and back adjustment knobs Franz autographed it under the hoodPockets in the door will hold a water bottle sort ofThe little rear screen was cool , it be great if it was bigger but that's pretty nitpickyCenter console seems a few inches higher. Than in the previous S. Especially right under the dash and wear the phone goes. A really good high ergonomicallyHad alcantara headliner-is this standard in S?The graphics are very nice and the screen does seems noticeably higher def/resDashboard seems narrower than on the 3 which is maybe where the additional room in the rear comes fromFeels very roomy in both the front and backIt's new but it's a Tesla unmistakable design aesthetic If you've been waiting. For a redesign.. wait no more.Trickle down: What Plaid features do you expect to see in other Teslas or EVs ? Pick 3Smaht ShiftModel S will auto-magically determine if you want to go into forward or reverse. Yoke Steering wheelTesla's yoke steering wheel has 7 dedicated capacitive touch buttons and 2 multi function wheel buttons.https://www.motortrend.com/news/tesla-model-s-steering-wheel-yoke-only/ Lithium ion 12v battery Tesla has eliminated the lead acid battery in favor of a very small 12 v lithium ion battery that is designed to last the life of the car. https://electrek.co/2021/02/02/tesla-model-s-x-get-rid-lead-acid-12v-battery-moves-li-ion/ vEntertainment:The Model S's entertainment system uses graphics processing system that is on par with processors found in the newest console game controllers. The 17” center screen can pan towards the driver for better visibility. HVACin the rear can be controlled by a small rear touch screen along with being able to watch movies and play video games. Video game level processingRear ScreenSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/talkingtesla)

So Much DestructionTom Donnan pt 2There are so many signs of the times in which we are living right now that point to soon return of Jesus. There are so many things happening and the same response is given by almost everyone, which is, “We don’t know why all these things are happening.” Well, I can honestly say, if you are a born again believer, there is only one good answer. The soon return of Jesus is near. That’s all that needs to be said. Amen! We have so many earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, near miss asteroids, pandemics, plagues, not to mention wars and rumors of wars… Well, to touch on these topics, I’ve invited our good friend Tom Donnan to come back on the program today. I find myself wanting to talk to Tom more and more as I see, basically, more and more things going the wrong way in this world. This is part two of our two part discussion (this time) of current events happening all around the globe that point directly to the soon return of Jesus! Tom discusses the recent volcano on Iceland that appears to nearing an eruption. 20,000+ earthquakes in one week, 5.1 and below. New Zealand 8.1 earthquake tsunami warning. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gE7G2y5UsI&t=15s (Third monster 8.1 magnitude earthquake hits off NZ coast as people told to flee in tsunami warning - YouTube) There were two quakes above 7 before the 8.1 hit. I seen where they are now starting to experiment on creating a kind of hybrid-humanoid and animal breed. I guess they are looking at taking the best from each or something and creating a new species.  Did you see anything in your research about this stuff? TRANSHUMANISM AND END TIMES. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBXtQrcG7lM (Rising Darkness Pt. 1 | Thomas Horn & Jimmy Evans | Joni Table Talk | Joni Lamb - YouTube) Human testing on blending human and animals. DNA can be changed with a simple command to stop reproduction. Can life be extended by blending animal and human DNA mixing? Did you see the information that’s out there concerning trying to interface your brain with the internet? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhBaXoB4iA8 (How transhumanist technologies will change everything? | Zoltan Istvan - YouTube) And we could never end our discussions without venturing out into the Heavenlies. I want to talk about helicopters. Actually, a new helicopter. One that is on the planet Mars right now! Did you see this? First helicopter is now on Mars https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qN8AgSvSFcI (NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter: The First Aircraft on Mars - YouTube) Last year we talked about it going to mars - now it is on Mar! Talk about the huge advances of mankind and advancing technology! There can be no doubt we are in the last of the last days. There is even preparations begun to build the next Temple in Jerusalem. The Third Temple. This is amazing. How will they know where exactly to build the Holy of Holies? Has the location of the Temple Mount been discovered? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWN0RVII1MA (The Temple Revealed - Jewish Temple Location Found! by Christian Widener - YouTube) Christian Widener Ph. D book claims to know where the old temple resided. His research is shown that the golden gate and threshing floor align and convey the temples location. Plans to build third temple have begun. https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=rebuilding+the+temple+in+jerusalem+has+begun&docid=608028676085930615&mid=D28CB521607C04DB6B9AD28CB521607C04DB6B9A&view=detail&FORM=VIRE (THIRD TEMPLE JERUSALEM; Preparations for the third temple; Rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem (2020) - Bing video) Seeking a pure red heifer to bring purity to the temple. The ashes of the red heifer is used in purification ceremonies to cleanse sins. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ksWQ75DW9k (Red Heifer Update March 1 2021 - YouTube) 99.93% pure red heifer, only a few hairs on its body are white. We definitely need to pray for... Support this podcast

War in the HeavenliesPreeminence of the New Creation Pt. 4.2There hasn’t been a message so critical to the time we live and yet so under taught. There very notion of UFO and Aliens are considered taboo by not only Preachers but many Christians can’t fathom the reality of issues facing planet earth as plausible or even needed, so the church is left dangerously in the dark, ignorant of spiritual things. As I introduce this topic to the body of Christ I start off discussing the Preeminent beings of creation, as we progress I unveil a false Christ that Jesus himself prophecies would approach in the last days, in addition to many false Christs. We round it off to show how this correlates with the rapture of the Church and the battle to preserve the seed that will crush satans head. Support the show (https://www.theriverchurchtulsa.com/donate)

War in the HeavenliesPreeminence of the New Creation Pt. 4.2There hasn’t been a message so critical to the time we live and yet so under taught. There very notion of UFO and Aliens are considered taboo by not only Preachers but many Christians can’t fathom the reality of issues facing planet earth as plausible or even needed, so the church is left dangerously in the dark, ignorant of spiritual things. As I introduce this topic to the body of Christ I start off discussing the Preeminent beings of creation, as we progress I unveil a false Christ that Jesus himself prophecies would approach in the last days, in addition to many false Christs. We round it off to show how this correlates with the rapture of the Church and the battle to preserve the seed that will crush satans head. Support the show (https://www.theriverchurchtulsa.com/donate)

THE WEEK OF LAETARE - WEDNESDAYLESSON: PSALM 121My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. Psalm 121:2There are situations in life when God really strips us bare and we suffer want, even in regard to such matters as clothing, housing, and the like. But before very long, clothing has to be found, otherwise the very leaves would have to be plucked from the trees and become coats and cloaks for us to wear, just as it happened to the children of Israel in the wilderness, whose clothing and shoes remained intact (Deuteronomy 8:2,4). So also the wild deserts became their houses and provided ways for them where there were no ways and water where there was no water; indeed, stones became water for them.God's Word stands fast, which says, “He cares about you” (1 Peter 5:7). What Paul says to Timothy is only too true: “God [...] richly furnishes us with everything to enjoy” (1 Timothy 6:17).Christ's own words in His Sermon on the Mount also apply here: “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well. Therefore, do not be anxious” (Matthew 6:33,34). Such words must remain true and stand fast into all eternity.It is quite a common sight that poor people and their children are better conditioned and that their provisions seem to go further and to be more beneficial than is the case with the wealthy and their rich supplies. In many ways, we are reminded that earthly provisions are not the only matter of importance. God's Word nourishes all men.SL.XI.538,13AE 76,369PRAYER: Lord Jesus, our Savior and Redeemer, you have assured us that you will be with us always, even to the end of time. For this reason, we now turn to you in the faith and conviction that you will always hear us, for your truth's sake. Amen.

War in the HeavenliesPreeminence of the New Creation Pt. 3.2There hasn’t been a message so critical to the time we live and yet so under taught. There very notion of UFO and Aliens are considered taboo by not only Preachers but many Christians can’t fathom the reality of issues facing planet earth as plausible or even needed, so the church is left dangerously in the dark, ignorant of spiritual things. As I introduce this topic to the body of Christ I start off discussing the Preeminent beings of creation, as we progress I unveil a false Christ that Jesus himself prophecies would approach in the last days, in addition to many false Christs. We round it off to show how this correlates with the rapture of the Church and the battle to preserve the seed that will crush satans head. Support the show (https://www.theriverchurchtulsa.com/donate)

War in the HeavenliesPreeminence of the New Creation Pt. 3.2There hasn’t been a message so critical to the time we live and yet so under taught. There very notion of UFO and Aliens are considered taboo by not only Preachers but many Christians can’t fathom the reality of issues facing planet earth as plausible or even needed, so the church is left dangerously in the dark, ignorant of spiritual things. As I introduce this topic to the body of Christ I start off discussing the Preeminent beings of creation, as we progress I unveil a false Christ that Jesus himself prophecies would approach in the last days, in addition to many false Christs. We round it off to show how this correlates with the rapture of the Church and the battle to preserve the seed that will crush satans head. Support the show (https://www.theriverchurchtulsa.com/donate)

War in the HeavenliesPreeminence of the New Creation Pt. 1.2There hasn’t been a message so critical to the time we live and yet so under taught. There very notion of UFO and Aliens are considered taboo by not only Preachers but many Christians can’t fathom the reality of issues facing planet earth as plausible or even needed, so the church is left dangerously in the dark, ignorant of spiritual things. As I introduce this topic to the body of Christ I start off discussing the Preeminent beings of creation, as we progress I unveil a false Christ that Jesus himself prophecies would approach in the last days, in addition to many false Christs. We round it off to show how this correlates with the rapture of the Church and the battle to preserve the seed that will crush satans head. Support the show (https://www.theriverchurchtulsa.com/donate)

War in the HeavenliesPreeminence of the New Creation Pt. 1.2There hasn’t been a message so critical to the time we live and yet so under taught. There very notion of UFO and Aliens are considered taboo by not only Preachers but many Christians can’t fathom the reality of issues facing planet earth as plausible or even needed, so the church is left dangerously in the dark, ignorant of spiritual things. As I introduce this topic to the body of Christ I start off discussing the Preeminent beings of creation, as we progress I unveil a false Christ that Jesus himself prophecies would approach in the last days, in addition to many false Christs. We round it off to show how this correlates with the rapture of the Church and the battle to preserve the seed that will crush satans head. Support the show (https://www.theriverchurchtulsa.com/donate)

II. The Cause of the SeparationThis section deals with a more fundamental misuse of knowledge, referred to in the Bible as the cause of the fall (or separation).27 2There are several introductory remarks which are intended to make these explanations less fear provoking. 3First, I draw your attention to a couplet from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream:4Be as thou wast wont to be;See as thou wast wont to see.285These words were said by Oberon in releasing Titania from her own errors, both of being and perceiving. 6These were the words which reestablished her true identity as well as her true abilities and judgment.29 7The similarity to your release is obvious.2 There are also some dictionary definitions which will be helpful. 2Their somewhat unusual nature is due to the fact that they are not usually the first definitions listed. 3Nevertheless, the fact that each of them does appear in the dictionary should be reassuring.4project (verb): to extend forward or out305project (noun): a plan in the mind316world: a natural grand division323 We will refer later to projection as related to both mental illness and mental health.33 2It has also been commented on that Lucifer literally projected himself from Heaven.34 3We also have observed that you can make an empty shell, but cannot make nothing at all.35 4This emptiness provides the screen for the misuse of projection.4 The Garden of Eden, which is described as a literal garden in the Bible, was not originally an actual garden at all. 2It was merely a mental state of complete need-lack. 3Even in the literal account, it is noteworthy that the pre-separation state was essentially one in which man needed nothing. 4The tree of knowledge, again an overly literal concept (as is clearly shown by the subsequent reference to “eating of the fruit of the tree”), is a symbolic reference to some of the misuses of knowledge referred to in the section immediately preceding this one.36 5There is, however, considerable clarification of this concept which must be understood before the real meaning of the “detour into fear” can be fully comprehended.5 Projection, as defined above (this refers to the verb), is a fundamental attribute of God, which He also gave to His Son. 2In the creation, God projected his creative ability out of Himself toward the Sons whom He created, and also imbued them with the same loving will to create. 3We have commented before on the fundamental error involved in confusing what has been created with what is being made.37 4We have also emphasized that you have not only been fully created, but also been created perfect.38 5There is no emptiness in you. 6The next point, too, has already been made, but bears repetition here: The Son, because of his own likeness to his Creator, is creative.39 7No child of God is capable of losing this ability, because it is inherent in what he is.6 Whenever projection in its inappropriate sense is utilized, it always implies that some emptiness (or lack of everything) must exist, and that it is within your ability to put your own ideas there instead of the truth. 2If you will consider carefully what this entails, the following will become quite apparent:7 First, the assumption is implicit that what God has created can be changed by your own mind.8 Second, the concept has intruded that what is perfect can be rendered imperfect or wanting.9 Third, the belief has arisen, and is tolerated, that you can distort the creations of God, including yourself.10 Fourth, the idea has entered that since you can create yourself, the direction of your own creation is up to you.11 These related distortions represent a picture of what actually occurred in the separation. 2None of this existed before, nor does it actually exist now. 3The Sonship was created as a natural grand division, or projecting outward of God. 4That is why everything which He created is like Him. 5Projection as undertaken by God was very similar to the kind of inner radiance which the children of the Father inherit from Him. 6It is important to note that the term “project outward” necessarily implies that the real source of projection is internal. 7This is as true of the Son as of the Father.12 The Kingdom of God, in its original connotation, included both the proper creation of the Son by God and the proper creation by the Son in his right mind. 2The latter required the endowment of the Son by God with free will, because all loving creation is freely given. 3Nothing in either of these statements implies any sort of levels, or, in fact, anything except one continuous line of creation, in which all aspects are of the same order.13 When the “lies of the serpent” were introduced, they were called lies because they are not true.40 2When man listened, all he heard was untruth. 3You do not have to continue to believe what is not true, unless you choose to do so. 4All of your miscreations can disappear in the well-known “twinkling of an eye,” because they are a visual misperception.41 5Your spiritual eye can sleep, but remember, a sleeping eye can still see.4214 One translation of the fall, a view emphasized by Mary Baker Eddy and worthy of note, is that “a deep sleep fell upon Adam.”43 2While the Bible seems to regard this sleep as a kind of anesthetic utilized for the protection of Adam during the creation of Eve, Mrs. Eddy was correct in emphasizing that nowhere is there any reference made to his waking up. 3While Christian Science is clearly incomplete, this point is much in its favor.15 The history of humanity in the world as you see it has not been characterized by any genuine or comprehensive reawakening or rebirth. 2This is impossible as long as humanity projects in the spirit of miscreation. 3It still remains within you to project as God projected His Own Spirit to you. 4In reality, this is your only choice, because your free will was made for your own joy in creating the perfect.16 All fear is ultimately reducible to the basic misperception that you have the ability to usurp the power of God. 2It is again emphasized that you neither can nor have been able to do this.44 3In this statement lies the real justification for your escape from fear. 4This is brought about by your acceptance of the Atonement, which places you in a position to realize that your own errors never really occurred.17 When the deep sleep fell upon Adam, he was then in a condition to experience nightmares, precisely because he was sleeping. 2If a light is suddenly turned on while someone is dreaming and the content of his dream is fearful, he is initially likely to interpret the light itself as part of the content of his own dream. 3However, as soon as he awakens, the light is correctly perceived as the release from the dream, which is no longer accorded reality. 4I would like to conclude this with the biblical injunction “Go, and do thou likewise.”4518 It is quite apparent that this depends on the kind of knowledge which was not referred to by the “tree of knowledge,” which bore lies as fruit.46 2The knowledge that illuminates rather than obscures is the knowledge which not only makes you free, but also shows you clearly that you are free.47

Psalm 84:2There are just so many things we long for so deeply that we get ultimately sidetracked from our ultimate need. Coach Lori helps us understand how Christ is enough — He is our greatest need. #DailyDevo

Signs in the Heavens – Tom Donnan pt 2There is something going on right – and actually has been accelerating for the past 60 years or so, that the Bible says will usher in what is referred to as “The End Times.” That is the fascination with space. With the study of the stars, planets, moons, asteroids, comets, etc. Even back in ancient days, people were tracking the movement of the planets and star constellations. That is how the wise men discerned that a new king had been born among the Jews. They were watching the heavens and seen His sign. The bible is full of scripture references about signs in the Heavens. From Genesis to Revelation. But, for the sake of time, I’m only going to quote one here today. "And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. (Luke 21:25-26) This is all devasting the economies of many nations, even here in the United States. The dollar is losing value almost on a daily basis. DXY Chart, what is the value of the Dollar https://www.tradingview.com/symbols/TVC-DXY/ (https://www.tradingview.com/symbols/TVC-DXY/) It is not at its lowest rate, does show a decline. Is the money printing affecting this? You shared something with me recently about the “Velocity of Money Chart.” What is that? Share that information with our listeners… Velocity of Money Chart https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/M2V (https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/M2V) Lowest on record since 1960’s. Meaning, money is not flowing through our economy. Loss of work/jobs for afraid to spend. This is all resulting in severe shortages and troubles in families all across America. I mean, shutting down businesses, means no income. No income means a family can’t pay rent or house payments – which leads to evictions and foreclosures. Or, if the family pays the rent and house payments, then no money is there for food or necessities. This is a terrible time for some folks. Food Lines in Maui https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOtT1J11Zjc (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOtT1J11Zjc) Food line Omaha https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lviOqwL9l7s (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lviOqwL9l7s) Evictions application by landlords soar https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnR-agGYCJg (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnR-agGYCJg) But you say to “hold on – it’s going to get worse.” You shared with me a series of dreams where the Lord showed you some things that were about to happen. Where this was going to be a time for ministries to actually expand our outreaches and to reach out to people that need to know about God. Would you mind sharing them with our listeners? (Tom shares his dream about “Time is up”). If someone wanted to get in touch with you, how can they do that? And we did not even get to discuss your books, again! But, I’m going to put a link to all of your books down in the show notes. Folks, Tom Donnan, once again, has just blown me away with his perspective on current events happening all around us and how it all relates to Bible Prophecy. There is absolutely no way any reasonable person can deny we are living in the last of the last days. If you have never received Jesus as your Lord and Savior, this could be your final chance. I’m not saying Jesus is coming back in 10 minutes – but He could. I’m not saying you will never see tomorrow – but it could happen. We are not guaranteed our next breath. Someone could stop this recording and walk down the hall to get a cup of coffee and have a heart attack while doing so. Someone could be listening to Tom Donnan right now in the car while parking at the grocery store, never to get back in their car again. So, if you have never received Jesus as your Lord or Savior, I urge you to do so right now. Tom, would lead someone to the... Support this podcast

                               Strangers in a Strange Land:                                               “Living Hope"                                               1Peter 1:3-12Living hope is more than wishful thinking: Heb 11:1Notice the Father and the Son are linked: Col 1:15Mercy is about our spiritual condition; we were spiritually dead: Eph 2:4-5The Resurrection is a historical Event: 1Cor. 15:17The unbeliever lives for materialism, but things just don't last.  Our inheritance is eternal:  2Cor 4:16-18       Four Facts about Living Hope:1.         Living Hope is Protected by God's Power Our inheritance is kept in heaven: Mt 6:19-20 Not only is our inheritance being protected by God, but we are also being protected in this world: Ps. 34:7God's power energizes: Phil 2:12-13We are a work in progress: Phil 1:6They had their eye on the prize: Heb 12:2There is purpose in our trials: James 1:2 2.         Living Hope is Proven through Trials Are we the real deal or are we just going through the motions: Isaiah 48:10 It is all about the glory: 2Cor 4:17They have not seen Jesus: John 20:29We have it all now: Eph 1:3  3.         Living Hope was Predicted by the Prophets We see the fulfillment of prophecy: Mt. 13:17Spirit of Christ: the Holy Spirit: 2 Pet 1:21  4.         Living Hope is Preached though the Apostles The Holy Spirit speaks through the Apostles: John 14:26 Support the show (https://paypal.me/pwp398?locale.x=en_US)

THE BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST – pt. 1 – 1 Peter 1:2There’s no substitute for blood… nor can it be synthesized! Directly from the word of God, I am talking about the blood of Jesus Christ. Beginning with Old Testament law, and all the way through from the shed blood of Abel and the prophets to the shed blood of the slain Lamb of God, we find out the importance of blood and the role it plays as it pertains to God’s everlasting covenant. The blood of Jesus Christ saves, cleanses, purges, redeems, and much more! Get your Bible and let’s find out just how precious the blood of Jesus Christ really is!

Season 1: Episodes 1 & 2There go those podcast boys, makin’ another darned podcast! Sullivan & Ben (RavnicAvengers), and anime newcomer Brian Taborne (Paragoya Illusions/Bingononk) begin their journey to watch through, and discuss, one of the best anime of all time.

The time has come. John 12:23–27. 1. Somethings have to die in our lives ,before they can be Resurrection Power. 2There is a purpose and a reason for every sacrfice, every pain ,every struggel. 3. Surrendering is a Free choice. We are called to give our lives freely to God. 4 His will be done , not ours. 5. Its for his Name to be Glorified.

Galatians 3 3You witless Galatians! Who has bewitched you? King Jesus was portrayed on the cross before your very eyes! 2There's just one thing I want to know from you. Did you receive the spirit by doing the works of Torah, or by hearing and believing? 3You are so witless: you began with the spirit, and now you're ending with the flesh? 4Did you really suffer so much for nothing – if indeed it is going to be for nothing? 5The one who gives you the spirit and performs powerful deeds among you – does he do this through your performance of Torah, or through hearing and believing? 10Because, you see, those who belong to the ‘works-of-the-law' camp are under a curse! Yes, that's what the Bible says: ‘Cursed is everyone who doesn't stick fast by everything written in the book of the law, to perform it.' 11But, because nobody is justified before God in the law, it's clear that ‘the righteous shall live by faith'. 12The law, however, is not by faith: rather, ‘the one who does them shall live in them'. 13The Messiah redeemed us from the curse of the law, by becoming a curse on our behalf, as the Bible says: ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.' 14This was so that the blessing of Abraham could flow through to the nations in King Jesus – and so that we might receive the promise of the spirit, through faith. The Bible for Everyone: A New Translation . SPCK. Kindle Edition. Grant, Lord, that we may hold to you without parting, worship you without wearying, serve you without failing; faithfully seek you, happily find you, and forever possess you, the only God, blessed now and for ever. St Anselm

Be not wise in your own eyes;fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.~Proverbs 3:7 (ESV)There are six things that the Lord hates,seven that are an abomination to him:17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue,and hands that shed innocent blood,18 a heart that devises wicked plans,feet that make haste to run to evil,19 a false witness who breathes out lies,and one who sows discord among brothers.20 My son, keep your father's commandment,and forsake not your mother's teaching.~Proverbs 6:16-20Whoever belittles his neighbor lacks sense,but a man of understanding remains silent.~Proverbs 11:12By insolence comes nothing but strife,but with those who take advice is wisdom. ~Proverbs 13:10Before destruction a man's heart is haughty,but humility comes before honor.~Proverbs 18:12“Scoffer” is the name of the arrogant, haughty manwho acts with arrogant pride.~Proverbs 21:24Let another praise you, and not your own mouth;a stranger, and not your own lips.~Proverbs 27:2There are those who curse their fathersand do not bless their mothers.12 There are those who are clean in their own eyesbut are not washed of their filth.13 There are those—how lofty are their eyes,how high their eyelids lift!14 There are those whose teeth are swords,whose fangs are knives,to devour the poor from off the earth,the needy from among mankind.~Proverbs 30:11-14By insolence comes nothing but strife,but with those who take advice is wisdom.~Proverbs 13:10A fool’s mouth lashes out with pride,but the lips of the wise protect them.~Proverbs 14:3 (NIV)Pride goes before destruction,and a haughty spirit before a fall.19 It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poorthan to divide the spoil with the proud.~Proverbs 16:18-19Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord;be assured, he will not go unpunished.~Proverbs 16:5But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to thehumble.”~James 4:6The haughty looks of man shall be brought low,and the lofty pride of men shall be humbled,and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.12 For the Lord of hosts has a dayagainst all that is proud and lofty,against all that is lifted up—and it shall be brought low;~Isaiah 2:11-12The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom,and humility comes before honor.~Proverbs 15:33One's pride will bring him low,but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor.~Proverbs 29:23The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like othermen, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week;I give tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift uphis eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14 I tellyou, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone whoexalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”~Luke 18:11-14“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.~Matthew 5:3

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” -Romans 12:2There are many days when I feel like I need a complete overhaul on my way of thinking. I get going down the wrong path and everything starts to spiral. We are called to renew our mind and then we will be transformed, but how do we do this, especially during crazy times? In today’s podcast we will be discussing the most important things when it comes too renewing your mind. Thank you for joining us! Please leave a comment and rating on iTunes! We would love to hear from you!*On a side note, my computer has crashed and Apple stores are closed so we have no intro or closing and editing was limited, but we missed you all so the show must go on!

2There's that great saying 'The road to hell is paved with good intentions'.We set a raft of ambitious goals that we really want to achieve, but then before you know it, we're getting in our own way. Or worse, we're allowing other people to get in our way.Why do we sabotage ourselves? What are the inner voices we listen to and how can we keep calm and carry on regardless?In this episode, we talk about how to spot when you're self-sabotaging and how to deal with friends nd family that ae not as supportive as we might need.

Radical Faith Series Part 3 - “Great Faith”Luke 7: 1 – 10 NIV  Pastor Bruce C. Davis  Luke 7: 1 – 10 NIV   1When Jesus had finished saying all this to the people who were listening, he entered Capernaum. 2There a centurion’s servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. 3The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. 4When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, “This man deserves to have you do this, 5because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue.”              6So Jesus went with them. He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. 7That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. 8For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 9When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.” 10Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well.There are Two Kingdom systems in which you can enter. This is where Greater Faith is accessible.  Understanding the Kingdom Authority - (Knowledge is not the equivalent to Understanding)  Having information without proper placement of the knowledge can do more harm than Good!   The need for spiritual teaching is desperately misunderstood. The thoughts of God (Theology) were always given to men and women that God would place His hands on to bring revelation!  We all need to be taught; to be a learner requires humility and submission. The Centurion had a revelation from the Holy Spirit concerning the operations of the King and His Kingdom. He loved God and he expressed his love for God by paying for the synagogue to be constructed!   Accessing Great Faith is not a miracle, it is a system.Characteristics of Great Faith Proximity is not an issue - No distance can stop Great Faith from receiving what it believes. The Centurion was not near Jesus but fully expected Jesus to make his servant well.   Humility - (I am not worthy to come to you.) We care too much about building a reputation for ourselves. Dead men do not have feelings. Take up your cross; you must lose your life so that you can save it. Dying to self will enable you to walk in humility.   Understand how to be under authority in a Kingdom - You will not be able to step into Great faith unless you see Jesus as a King with a Kingdom! When you cannot handle someone telling you what to do, it will be difficult for you to access great faith. You don’t need a touch, “Say the Word ONLY” - You just need Jesus to speak the Word. In the Kingdom, everything is owned by the King; positions, wealth, relationships, etc. Self-hoarding is not allowed in this Kingdom, the other kingdoms may allow it though  Jesus’ words are under the authority of the kingdom of God. Jesus said as the Father has sent me, so I send you. We are under delegated authority!   The kingdom of Darkness doesn’t move without a higher authority!   Matthew 15: 21 – 28 NIV  21 Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.”23 Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.”24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”25 The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said.26 He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”27 “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”28 Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment. Great Faith can Accelerate your Progress! Great Faith Makes All Things Available and Possible (She was not who Jesus was authorized to reach)  She Recognized Jesus’ kingly position, “Son of David” (You cannot enter this Kingdom without Revelation of its King)Jesus was under the authority of His Father (“I only Do what my father does and say what He tells me to say” - John 12: 49 NIV)     The Kingdom of God is here/ The Authority of Heaven is here, but you must get under it, or this authority will not work with you!  This Kingdom doesn’t work for us, but with us!Flesh and Blood were not leading this woman’s mouth, it was the Holy Spirit. What was her revelation?  It is not necessary for me to sit at the table. The loaf or a slice of bread is not necessary because the crumbs have every ingredient that the slice and the loaf have. All I need is a piece of this bread that you have for the Jewish people and that would be more than enough to meet my needs!     Conclusion: “The Greater the faith, the Smaller the Evidence that is needed”You don’t need someone to tell you every day that you will make it; you don’t need the odds to be in your favor. You work better as an underdog!   Matthew 17:20 (NIV)20 He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” Action Plan:Grow your faith no matter what level you are on!  Start Practicing the Will/Word of God Today! 

What does it mean to follow Jesus? Don’t forget to subscribe to this podcast so you don’t miss a single episode. Sometimes we trust people better than we do Jesus. Jesus says “Follow Me.” This command isn’t just for people in the Bible. It’s for us too. 1 Peter 2:21 NLT For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps. How can I follow Jesus if I can’t see Him? Matt 16:24 NLT Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. There are numerous things we see in Jesus example… Suffering is the one He listed here . But His example also includes His Love Knowledge of Scripture Prayer Life Miracles John 14:12 NLT “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. I want to give you a reminder to put in a 5X7 frame in your house. See the link below. And why was going to the Father so significant?   Following God had been the real question Israel faced 40 years prior to the event in Joshua 3. Joshua 3:2 NIV After three days the officers went throughout the camp, 3giving orders to the people: “When you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the Levitical priests carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it. 4Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before. But keep a distance of about two thousand cubits (about ½ mile) between you and the ark; do not go near it.” God was saying “Follow the ark.” Why was that so important? They had never been that way before. Follow the ark is a picture of following Jesus. Obey Him at a new level. Go deeper. Grow your faith. Who do you need to witness to? Who do you need to have over for dinner to encourage them? What is your step of obedience! What was so special about the Ark? I am so glad you asked that question…you did ask, didn’t you? It’s a picture of Jesus. It helps us know Jesus better! Hebrews 9:1NLT That first covenant between God and Israel had regulations for worship and a place of worship here on earth. 2There were two rooms in that Tabernacle. In the first room were a lampstand, a table, and sacred loaves of bread on the table. This room was called the Holy Place. 3Then there was a curtain, and behind the curtain was the second room called the Most Holy Place. 4In that room were a gold incense altar and a wooden chest called the Ark of the Covenant, which was covered with gold on all sides. Inside the Ark were a gold jar containing manna, Aaron’s staff that sprouted leaves, and the stone tablets of the covenant. 5Above the Ark were the cherubim of divine glory, whose wings stretched out over the Ark’s cover, the place of atonement. But we cannot explain these things in detail now.   How is the Ark of the Covenant a picture of Jesus? The Ark was made of wood Overlaid with gold- Jesus- fully God and fully man Lid of the Ark of the Covenant Pure gold. The gold represented God. Only God can redeem us. We call it the Mercy Seat. That name comes from the word comes "khapporet" which simply means to make atonement, restitution or amends. Blood on the lid once a year. The atonement- Day of Atonement (Lev. 16:14-15) Covering- the blood of animals could not cleanse sin, it could only cover it. Jesus, the lamb of God gave His life to cleanse us from sin completely. Meeting place Moses met with God and God talked to him from the Ark. (Exodus 25:22) God wants to meet with you. Talk to you.   Inside the Ark Laws of God- His covenant with believers that was fulfilled in Christ Pot of Manna- Provision Aaron’s rod that budded- Spiritual Authority Follow the ark When the Israelites were instructed to follow the ark they were following more than ideology, they were following God. They were following the picture of a promise that would be fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Follow Jesus. He is both the atonement and the High Priest of the atonement. He is the final authority. He satisfied the covenant so you can enjoy the benefits of that covenant. Obedience is not like a buffet where you can pick and choose. Even when His ways seem hard, follow Jesus. You not following Jesus if you are doing things YOUR way. You can’t follow Jesus running ahead of Him. I want to give you a free reminder. I like to have reminders in my home and on my phone that help me remember truths that are important to me. I made two simple reminders for you that simply say “Follow Jesus” that will fit in a 5X7 frame that you can put beside your bed or wherever you will see it to remind you during your day. When you see the reminder, ask yourself, "Did I follow Jesus today?"  In my choices? attitudes?  with my time? with my talents?    I encourage you to change your reminder when you need a different one. Free Reminder- Follow Jesus Tree Background- http://traffic.libsyn.com/preview/patriciaholland/follow-Jesus-trees-5-7.jpg White Background- http://traffic.libsyn.com/preview/patriciaholland/remember-follow-jesus.jpg      

When Jesus returned to Capernaum after some days, it became known that he was at home.  Many gathered together so that there was no longer room for them, not even around the door, and he preached the word to them.  Mark 2:1-2There were so many people coming to Jesus that there was no room for everyone, not even around the door to the house He was in.  This is an interesting situation.  On a practical note, why wouldn’t Jesus have noticed this dilemma and done something about it?  Why not move out into a larger area where everyone could see and hear Him?It’s hard to answer that question but there is one thing of which we can be certain.  We can be certain that those who came to listen to Him, even if they could not get in, were greatly rewarded for their faith.  This passage reveals a very important spiritual principle.  It reveals that the spiritual longing to be near Jesus was, in and of itself, transforming.Often times we will have a similar experience.  We may find that we long to hear Jesus speak to us, but we cannot seem to hear Him.  It may be that He appears silent to us or that we do not know where to find Him.  But do not be disheartened if this is your experience.  The fact of the matter is that your desire to be with Him is itself a great gift and has potential to transform your life.  Reflect, today, upon what may be termed “the silence of God.”  There may be times in your life when God seems to be distant and is nowhere to be found.  When this happens, you should realize that this is a way for God to call you even closer to Himself.  It’s a way for God to whisper so as to gain your full attention.  If this is a “struggle” that you experience at times, turn your attention to our Lord all the more intensely and allow the desire for Him to grow.  It is this desire to be near Jesus that may actually produce much greater fruit in your life than if you were to hear Him loud and clear.Lord, please increase within me a desire to be near You.  Help me to long for You with all my heart.  In that longing, help me to shed all that is not of You and to give You my full attention.  Jesus, I trust in You.

COME | Home Album Series | July 26, 2019Matthew 6:6 Message Translation “Here’s what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.Psalm 73:28 “But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, That I may tell of all Your works.”Psalm 16:8 “I have set the LORD continually before me; Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.”Psalm 119:151 “You are near, O LORD, And all Your commandments are truth.”Jeremiah 23:23 “‘Am I a God who is near,’ declares the LORD, ‘And not a God far off?’”Acts 17:27 “...that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us;”Hebrews 10:22 “let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”James 4:8 “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”John 1:14 "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth."WHEN JESUS COMES HOME WITH YOU: Jesus And Zacchaeus - Luke 19:1-10 NLT1Jesus entered Jericho and made his way through the town. 2There was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was the chief tax collector in the region, and he had become very rich. 3He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowd. 4So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree beside the road, for Jesus was going to pass that way. 5When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. “Zacchaeus!” he said. “Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.” 6Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy. 7But the people were displeased. “He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner,” they grumbled. 8Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said, “I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!” 9Jesus responded, “Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham. 10For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”1. Nothing Matters Except Jesus's Opinion Of You. You Stop Caring What Other People Think. You're Free!2. You Can Invite A Sinner To Dinner.If Jesus Wants To Come Home With ME... Then He'll Go Home With Anybody.Every Sinner is Welcome In My Home And At My Table.3. You're No Longer Satisfied With What You Can Get From People. You Want To Give More Than You Get... And You Don't Keep Score.4. You Admit That You Really Do Need To Be In God's Family.5. Coming Down From Your Tree, Lifts You To Up Where You Want To Be.

Instead of asking "Do you want to hear God better?" some people are unsure whether He speaks in this age or not.   But aren't you glad that He does. His most common way to speak to speak to us is through Scripture. Although we can understand the words with our mind, we need the revelation of Precious Holy Spirit to help us grasp the meaning of Scripture.   He also speaks to our spirit.   I remember the first time God spoke to my heart.   I was so concerned about my dad's salvation, so I was praying as I walked to my grandma's house. I saw a big hardened rock of clay in the ditch. I continued my prayer "God, My dad's heart is as hard as that rock."   God whispered, "I can melt the heart of stone." That one whisper was a promise I held onto for years and years until he was saved. I can't begin to tell you what it did for me.   Let me try to frame it this way, instead of fear I had hope that fueled my faith.     Did I really hear God?   I also remember an incident that made me doubt that I could really hear God's voice.   I felt impressed, which means a strong feeling in my heart, like I should stop by the church on my way home from work. But when I got to the church, the office was closed. I pulled my car under the portico and waited for awhile. I left feeling so stupid. I figured that I had totally missed God and  didn't hear God’s voice.    Win-Learn And I can miss Him! I have missed it. Humans make mistakes.   And when I make a mistake I repent and keep on learning.   I embrace the win-learn philosophy; not the win lose one that stops people from even trying!   But when I actually prayed about the situation, I felt God tell me, "Are you willing to obey me even when you don’t understand...even when you don't see any results?"   It was a truth I needed learn at that stage in my life. There have been so many times God has asked me to do things that I didn't understand!   His Word is proof.   Yet, there is a more important reason that makes me believe that God speaks today- His Word. We can't afford to base our beliefs on our experiences. The foundation for our faith and life must be based on Scripture.   So much I want to tell you   Look at John 16:12-15 NLT 12“There is so much more I want to tell you, but you can’t bear it now. 13When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. 14He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me.15All that belongs to the Father is mine; this is why I said, ‘The Spirit will tell you whatever he receives from me.’   My Sheep know my voice   John 10:1-5 1“I tell you the truth, anyone who sneaks over the wall of a sheepfold, rather than going through the gate, must surely be a thief and a robber!   2But the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.   3The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.   4After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice. 5They won’t follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don’t know his voice.”     Are you thinking, “Not me! I don't know His voice.”   We’ve all been there.   But maybe the problem is not that God is not talking, but only that we are not listening.   Psa 78:1 NLT O my people, listen to my instructions. Open your earsto what I am saying,    There are radio waves all around you right this minute! But in order to hear any of them you must tune in, then and only then will you hear them. As believers we have to learn, that's right learn to hear God.   Pay attention how you hear   Luke 8:18 NLT 18“So pay attention to how you hear. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what they think they understand will be taken away from them.”   Matthew 13:11-12 11He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others are not. 12To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them.      I talk about these two verses in Episode 6 Right Thinking Begins With Right Listening. It is an episode in my launch series "Think God's Way for a Change." If you haven't listened to that series you are missing an opportunity to seriously change the way you think.  You can always listen to them on my website as well. https://www.patriciaholland.org/blog/ Hearing God’s voice is so important.   The albatross are magnificent seabirds. Both the mom and dad albatross take turns sitting on the eggs. That's not particularly unusual, but what is unusual is that they talk to their eggs. They crane their neck close to speak in their sweetest albatross language; eek, eek, eek! Yet, these birds aren't doing it to be sweet, it is critical that their baby learn to recognize their voice. The albatross nest in colonies, so when this baby hatches from it's egg, it must recognize it's parents voice. Only it's parent will feed it and if it can't recognize its parent's voice it won't make it back to the nest or to it's parent to be fed.     It is just as critical that you learn to recognize God's voice. There are many voices in this world...they can be very convincing! If you don't train your ears, you can get confused, sidetracked and lost!      Look at Moses in Exodus 3.   It's a familiar story, but let's look at it from the lens of how he listened to God.   1O One day Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian. He led the flock far into the wilderness and came to Sinai, the mountain of God. 2There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a blazing fire from the middle of a bush. Moses stared in amazement. Though the bush was engulfed in flames, it didn’t burn up. 3“This is amazing,” Moses said to himself. “Why isn’t that bush burning up? I must go see it.” 4When the LORD saw Moses coming to take a closer look, God called to him from the middle of the bush, “Moses! Moses!” “Here I am!” Moses replied. 5“Do not come any closer,” the LORD warned. “Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground. 6I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” When Moses heard this, he covered his face because he was afraid to look at God.   He was curious.   He wanted to know more.   So he moved closer to the fire.    He recognized it was Holy ground. Most of the time God speaks to us through the voice of Scripture. It is also the filter than you must use for whether it is God speaking to you or not. If it contradicts Scripture, then it’s not God.     He gave the Holy due reverence.   Humble yourself. Respect it for what it is.(Richard Crisco carried his Bible would never put anything on top of it.)  Make it a priority. Submit your opinion to embrace God’s. We don’t want the Bible to change our opinion; we want it to reinforce what we already believe. It’s supposed to change you. It’s supposed to challenge you.    Heb 4:12 ESV For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.    God can talk to you all sorts of ways              and in all sorts of places.   Mary Boyd will often ask children "Where was the most unique place you prayed this week?" I want to change that question a little, "Where was the most unique place God talked with you?" On a treadmill or a bicycle? On a roof? In a tree? Watching TV? In church?   The point is you don't have to be sitting in a prayer posture somewhere for God to speak to you.    Isaiah 30:21 NLT And whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear this command behind you: “This is the way. Walk in it.” God has all sorts of ways of getting our attention.   God is not a silent partner.   A.W. Tozer says "It's the nature of God to speak." He wants to guide you and instruct you. Yet, you must lean in to listen.   Without caller ID you recognize your husband's or best friend's voice because you know them. You've spent time with them. You know how they say things and the tone and quality of their voice. As you spend time with God you'll learn to recognize His voice better and better.   He knows what is best and directs us toward it.   Issaac Hoopii is a good example of how the Holy Spirit guides us. He was a Pentagon police officer when the Pentagon was hit on 9-11. Amidst the confusion and burning debris he called into the flames, "Come to my voice," Then he carefully guided the victims to safety.   That is one of the roles of Precious Holy Spirit.   He is an awesome guide. He'll never get you lost...but if you make a wrong turn you'll probably hear Him say something like recalculating as He guides you back on the correct route for your life.     I'd like to give you a free download...   this .pdf includes: 4 keys to help you hear God's voice, 3 filters to help you answer- "How do I know that I really heard God?" 10 reasons we don't hear God speak to us.    Here's the link:   https://www.patriciaholland.org/hearing-god/            

Host: Nancy May, President and CEO, BoardBench CompaniesGuest: Perry GranofShow: Part 2 of 2There’s so much more than what you might expect is need to ensure that you, a director of a Public, Private, PE/VC, family-owned, or not-for-profit firm, are properly protected, right up until the end game. In this show you’ll learn how to access indispensable resources, some simply right at your fingertips! In addition:Have you heard of the risks associated with GDPR exposures? No? Are you among those who haven’t taken any action on this front? You may be in good company as more than 50% of companies haven’t done so either. But the risks may be more than you might imagine: international penalties could be as much as 4% of your company’s annual revenues! As for Non-Profits, even having the best intentions could impact your wallet. NFP issues are often more sensitive, emotional, and personal, and the desire for some to “teach directors a lesson” could come to hit you, in more way than one, unless dealt with early on. Always be careful when the heart is not in sync with the head.On the Cyber frontier… Ignorance is no longer a defense like it might have been before! Directors are expected to be smarter, so do the work upfront that makes you so. Last in our lineup – but not least on the topic – are intellectual property, R&D assets, and trade secrets. These can protect your future profits and success, yet the door is still wide open for international intrusion, theft, and “accidental” vulnerabilities in markets where you might be less familiar. Hiccups on this front can easily catch you, leaving you with only lint in your pocket. What do you do? Where do you turn to cover both you and the companies you serve? Caught off guard and you could face criminal violation charges, prison, or maybe even a death sentence! So how do you put your mind at rest? Listen and learn as Perry and I show you what’s beneath the surface.Want more? We’ll be hosting a D&O CYA or Bust program for current, new, and prospective directors. We’ll go into some details that will let you better serve at a higher level, with more understanding, while protecting yourself too! Send us your name and contact points for more information. Here's the link! D&O CYA or BustPerry S. Granof JD is the Managing Director at Granof International Group LLC, where he provides insurance consulting, expert witness, and claims resolution services specializing in international and domestic Professional Liability Insurance, having previously served as Vice President and Claims Counsel with The Chubb Corporation. He is the principal editor of and contributor to The Global Directors and Officers Deskbook published by the ABA in September 2014, authored the chapter on “International ADR” for the book entitled Resolving Insurance Claim Disputes Before Trial, published by the ABA in June 2018, and has spoken on Professional Liability Insurance throughout the world.Mr. Granof is a member of the State Bar of Wisconsin, the Washington State Bar, the Professional Liability Underwriting Society, and the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, where he attained his Fellowship designation in International Arbitration (FCIArb). He is also an Illinois Licensed Property and Casualty Producer. Mr. Granof graduated with a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Wisconsin, was elected to the Phi Beta Kappa honors society, and completed his training in Mediation Skills through Northwestern University.He currently serves on State Bar of Wisconsin Dispute Resolution Section Board and the CIArb-North American Executive Board, having previously served as Chair of the Torts Trial and Insurance Section (TIPS) Dispute Resolution; Professionals’ Officers’ and Directors’ Liability; and International Committees of the American Bar Association (ABA). He is a designated Elite Expert with IMS Expert Services. He also sits as a Public Arbitrator for the Financial Institution Regulatory Authority (FINRA), a certified ARIAS Arbitrator, and a member of the American Arbitration Association (AAA) Commercial and Consumer Panels.To ask for more information on this show and others, please go to BoardBench.com and our contact page.Disclaimer: This program is not intended to be a substitute for professional legal advice. Always seek the guidance and advice from a licensed attorney on the matters discussed in this show. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Sermon delivered Sunday, 04/09/2019, Lent 5CText: John 12:1-11 Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 2There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. 3Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, 5“Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?” 6(He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.) 7Jesus said, “Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. 8You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.” 9When the great crowd of the Jews learned that he was there, they came not only because of Jesus but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 10So the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death as well, 11since it was on account of him that many of the Jews were deserting and were believing in Jesus.

All Praises to The MOST HIGH YAH in the name of HIS MELKIZEDEKHIGH PRIEST KING YAHUSHA HA'MASCHIACH in the POWER of HIS RUACH HA'QODESH for HIS MENORAHwhich is the SYMBOL of our FAITH. There's so much deep Knowledge regarding the MENORAH and ABBASMysteries.Unlike what we thought the symbol being the Cross.Which the Truth now being told exposes the lies of Christianity.False Messiah and False Symbol.So grateful for ABBA YAH calling us out of Darknessinto HIS MARVELOUS LIGHT. HalleluYAH!Revelation 4:2-5 SEVEN MENOROTH = SEVEN MENOROTH of YAHUAHActs 13:47-49 YAHUSHA is The LIGHT of the WORLDYAHUSHA as the LIGHT of the World:John 1:4 In HIM (YAHUSHA) was Life and the Life was the LIGHT of men.John 1:9 That was the True Light that Lighteth every man that come In the world.1 John 1:5 This then is the message you have heard of HIM and declare unto you, that ELOHIYM is Light and in HIM there is no darkness at all.Revelation 11:3-4 2And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.4 These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks (MENOROTH) standing before the ELOHIYM of the earth.YeshaYAHU/Isaiah 11:1-2There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse,And a Branch shall grow out of his roots.The RUACH of YAHUAH shall rest upon HIM,The RUACH of WISDOM and UNDERSTANDING,The RUACH of COUNSEL and MIGHT,The RUACH of KNOWLEDGE and the YIR'AH of YAHUAH.MENORAH: Hebrews 9:2 For there was a Tabernacle made; first, wherein was the MENORAH, and the Table,And the Shewbread; which is called the Sanctuary.MENORAH: CandlestickMen-o-raw'Menorah; a Seven Branched Candlestick.The Tree of Life is represented by The Temple MENORAH(Revelation 22:1-2And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the Throne of ELOHIYM and of the LAMB.In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the Tree of Life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded HER fruit every month: and the leaves of the Tree were for the healing of the nations.)Learn about Our MELKIZEDEK HIGH PRIESTvisit www.TORAHTOTHETRIBES.comGenesis 1:9 The Tree of Life Planted on the 3rd DayJeremiah 1:11-12Moreover the word of YAHUAH came unto me, saying, Jeremiah, what seest thou? And I said, I see a rod of an almond tree.12 Then said YAHUAH unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it.RUACH CHOKMAH is one and the same RUACH HAQODESHRUACH YAHUAH RUACH ETSAH, RUACH DA'ATH, RUACH YIR'AH,RUACH GEVURAH, RUACH BIYNAH.CHOKMAH SHALOMAH 7:22-29'For WISDOM, which is the worker of all things, taught me: for in HER is an understanding ruach holy/set-apart, one only, manifold, subtil, lively, clear, undefiled, plain, not subject to hurt, loving the thing that is good quick, which cannot be letted/hindered, ready to do good, Kind to man, steadfast, sure, free from care, having all power, overseeing all things, and going through all understanding, pure, and most subtil, ruachoth. (PluralFor RUACH) For WISDOM is more moving than any motion: SHE passes and goes through all things by reason of HER pureness. For SHE is the breath of the power of ELOHIYM, and a pure influence flowing from the glory of EL SHADDAI: therefore can no defiled thing fall into HER. For SHE is the brightness of the everlasting light, the unspotted mirror of the power of ELOHIYM, and the image of HIS goodness. And being but one, SHE can do all things: and remaining in Herself, SHE makes all things new: (rebirth/regenerate/reborn John 3:1-21 ) and in all ages entering into holy souls, SHE makes them friends of ELOHIYM, and prophets.  For ELOHIYM loves none but him that dwells with WISDOM. For SHE is more beautiful than the sun, and above all the order of stars: being compared with the light, SHE is found before it.  RUACH YAHUAH = GLORYRUACH CHOKMAH = WISDOMRUACH BIYNAH = UNDERSTANDINGRUACH ETSAH = COUNSELRUACH DA'ATH = KNOWLEDGERUACH YIR'AH = REVERENCERUACH GEVURAH = MIGHTABBA loves none but who has HIS RUACHOTH.RUACH HA'QODESH is Power and Light whom we receiveWhen we receive and believe in Our MASCHIACH YAHUSHA And are immersed in HIS name. We received HER, the promised Comforter who MASCHIACH said would come from the FATHER. When HE ascended. HE said HE would not leave us comfortless.HALLELUYAH! Praise ye YAH! HALLELUYAH!YAHUSHA is The Living WORDYAHUSHA is The True LightJohn 1:1-18; John 1:12-13YAHUSHA gives all who receive and believe on HIS name the POWER tobecome SONS of ELOHIYM.Born not of a husbands will, human decisionor flesh and blood but born of YAH.HalleluYAH!RUACH YAHUAH gives us POWER, LOVE and a SOUND MIND.THE RUACH is the POWER and THE LIGHT whom we receive when we are immersed in the name of YAHUAH-YAHUSHA for the remisison of our sins.Acts 2We must be Born Again to enter the Kingdom of YAHUAH.John 3:1-21 (YAHUSHAS conversation with Niqodiymon)Born by the RUACH HA'QODESH.ETERNAL LIFE = YAHUSHA HA'MASCHIACHHalleluYAH!Acts 2:1-4 Disciples all filled with the RUACH HA'QODESH on the Day of Pentecost/ShavuothHow does one get saved?Acts 2:22-4737 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of YAHUAH-YAHUSHA for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the RUACH HA'QODESH.39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as YAHUAH our ELOHIYM shall call.Beloved's if we hold on to the cross/along with a false Messiah...where does that leave.See Romans 8 (Life in the RUACH/SPIRIT & YAHUSHA HA'MASHIACH "YAHUSHA HA'MASCHIACH is Risen! HE s sitting at the RIGHT HAND of POWER and HE'S coming again in Power and Great Glory.HalleluYAH!Praise ye YAH!We are saved through Grace by YAHUAH YAHUSHA not byworks less any man should boast.Ephesians 2Hebrews 9:11-15 HaMASCHIACH our High Priest offered up HIMSELF through the Eternal RUACH spotless unto ELOHIYM.Hebrews 24-28 YAHUHSA coming again not with sin, but unto Salvation.HalleluYAH!Read the WORD of YAH...DAY and NIGHT as written in Psalm 1:1-3 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.2 But his delight is in the law of YAH and in his law doth he meditate day and night.3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.(Read Revelations 19, 20, 21, 22)John 15John 15:14-1814 Ye are MY friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his MASTER doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of MY FATHER I have made known unto you.16 Ye have not chosen ME, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the FATHER in MY name, HE may give it you.17 These things I command you, that ye love one another.18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated ME before it hated you.Remember the Symbol of our Faith is the MENORAH. And the MENORAH is the Symbolof the Tree of Life. Without Faith it's impossible to please YAH...Hebrews 11 (Faith Chapter)

The way forward - NOT knowing - a 5 minute quickie podcast   What's impossible? Do you know? Here's the thing you and me simply don't know enough to decide if something is impossible. Now this is the best backhanded compliment because it allows us to attempt and succeed in things that others (the Nay Sayers) said wasn't possible. Add to this I can't and haven't failed because I haven't given up and we're on a winner. I share a story of one of the originators of NLP and one of my own with mt dear MUM in both things that were said to impossible actually happened. What have you thought impossible in your goals and dreams and if you took on the beliefs"I don't know enough to know this impossible" and 2I can't fail because I won't give up" or 2There's always a way!" may just make them possible. Got to be worth going for? You may even succeed better than you can imagine. Know the WHY and you will find the HOW Shine brightly Paul Please remember you can leave a comment or email me with questions, requests and feedback. If you have enjoyed this or any other episode please share and subscribe. Just click on the iTunes logo or any of the other buttons at paulclough.co.uk and even get updates via email. Go to paulclough.co.uk/subscribe to learn more If you want to access my FREE HYPNOSIS tracks go to paulcloughonline.com/podcast Follow and inter-react on twitter @pcloughie Why not look for me and the podcast on SPOTIFY AND the app Castbox I'm also in iHeart radio

We are live M-Thursday at 9PM EST. Join the conversation 857-600-0518Consider writing a review for the Benjamin Dixon Show: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-benjamin-dixon-show/id954648487?mt=2There was a sit-in in Congress today. Let's talk about the nuances of that story. Also, the Senate almost passed an even more intrusive surveillance bill. Keith Ellison's mom is so much like my mom -- and I would have done the same thing he did.Hillary IT expert pleads the fifth. Bernie Sanders admits he won't get the nomination.Other news and politics.If you've read this far, consider becoming a Patron.

What really happened on that fateful day? Many say it was a hoax, a cruel joke, a coup d'état a pretext for the New World Order and the implementation of worldwide terror. Was it? Let's take another look at 1984 the book by George Orwell and our lives after 9/11 The Party controls everything: There are no Democratic or Republican Party they all work for the same goal instituted the Patriot Act 1 and 2There are telescreens used to spy on the people. The NSA and total surveillance.Big Brother is watching: Can you say Smartphone anyone?Goldstein blamed for everything: Osama Bin Laden, Al Qaeda and not ISISEdit of historical documents to serve the party line. We supported Saddam Hussein and Mubarak just like we supported the Shan of Iran but then they became our enemies.Use of Doublethink or holding two contradictory ideas as truth. Just turn of FOX, CNN or MSNBCA never-ending war against a constantly changing opponent. Iraq, Iran, Eurasia…ya know! A comment from a engineer with over 30 years of structural engineering experience. "From videos of the collapse of building 7, the penthouse drops first prior to the collapse and it can be noted that windows, in a vertical line, near the location of first interior column line are blown out, and reveal smoke from those explosions. This occurs in a vertical line in symmetrical fashion an equal distance in toward the center of the building from each end. When compared to controlled demolitions, one can see the similarities." Call-in show LIVE:  661-467-2407 and press 1 Guests: Marsha Stewart and Dr. Keita Kenyatta        

1 Corinthians 9:2There is nothing average about what God wants to do with your life.How are you going to live your life?Who are the people directing your life? 2 Corinthians 6:14-162 Thessalonian 3:6 2 Thessalonian 3:22Psalms 101:3