Podcasts about Abingdon Press

Join Robert Ellsberg in this One on One interview with author, Juan M. Floyd-Thomas, as they discuss "Critical Race Theology: White Supremacy, American Christianity, and the Culture Wars".  Get your copy today at https://maryknoll.link/xcaIn this episode, they discuss the timely and challenging framework of "critical race theology" which draws on insights from critical race theory, Black liberation theology, and prophetic Christianity, Juan M. Floyd-Thomas proposes “critical race theology” to confront racism, exclusion, and oppression within American Christianity and society. Get 25% off  Critical Race Theology by Juan Floyd-Thomas through 20 February 2025https://maryknoll.link/xcaJuan M. Floyd-Thomas is associate professor, African American religious history, Vanderbilt University Divinity School and Graduate Department of Religion. He is co-founder and executive board member of nationally renowned Black Religious Scholars Group (BRSG), and president, Society of Race, Ethnicity, and Religion (SRER). His other books include Liberating Black Church History and, with Stacy Floyd-Thomas Black Church History: An Introduction (both from Abingdon Press).

This episode checks in with Choristers Guild. I began my ministry in church music in the late-1970s and early 1980s, and Choristers Guild was a primary source I turned to for wonderful and high-quality children's Christian music. Back then, church music was organized around graded choirs and music ensembles. But during the mid-1970s and early 1980s, the "seeker" churches grew rapidly and with them the use of "contemporary" Christian music. During the 1990s "contemporary" Christian music became dominant. The result, often, was the loss of graded choir programs. In its origins, Choristers Guild had a strong focus on children's music. This episode seeks to learn of the state of things in church music and how Choristers Guild is navigating the challenges of the current situation with Christianity in the United States and music ministry. My guests are Katie Houts and Mark Burrows. Katie has worked with Mark in editing some of his music pieces. Katie Houts is the Sacred Choral and Curriculum Editor for Choristers Guild. Serving CG since 2013, Katie curates and edits sacred choral anthems, collections, musicals, curriculum, and teaching resources; she also serves on the faculty of the Choristers Guild Institute. She studied music at Wartburg College (Waverly, IA), where she majored in Church Music (Organ) and Religion. She has served in ELCA, UCC, and UMC congregations as Director of Music, Worship Curator, Organist, and Children's Choir Director. Katie is a published composer, professional accompanist, and a frequent clinician at sacred conferences throughout the country. She currently serves on ACDA's National Committee for Composition Initiatives, working to support and champion the work of living choral composers. Katie is based in Salt Lake City, where she leads choral ensembles throughout the community, including Rise Up Children's Choir - Utah's premiere contemporary vocal performance group for ages 6-18. She conducts RUCC's intermediate ensemble, Rise Up Ignite, and is the assistant director and accompanist for the advanced mixed children's choir. She also teaches second grade music and directs the 5th and 6th grade choirs at Wasatch Charter School (Holladay, UT). What Choristers Guild and other publishers say about Mark Burrows is this: Mark Burrows (b. 1971) is a composer and clinician whose works are published by many major houses, including The Lorenz Corporation, Shawnee Press, Abingdon Press, Choristers Guild and Warner Brothers. Several works, such as the Gettin' Down with Mama Goose Series, The Body Electric, and Outside the Lines top many best-seller lists. Known to little listeners as “Mister Mark” he tours the country performing concerts for children and families. His three children's albums – You've got a Song, Go Ape!, and Go, Galileo! – have won a total of nine national awards. His songs can be heard on XM Radio, and one song, Amazon Rock, was recently recorded by Nick Records for a Dora the Explorer album. Mark is currently the Director of Children's Ministries at First United Methodist Church – Fort Worth, Texas, where he leads the weekly Children's Message, a monthly worship service for families called Children First, and directs the 65-voice Youth Choir. Mark received his undergraduate degree in music education from Southern Methodist University, and his graduate degree in conducting from Texas Christian University. He lives in Fort Worth with his wife, Nina, and their two daughters, Emma and Grace. What Mark prefers to say about himself is this: Mark loves traveling the country reminding people how amazing they are and how, together, they can do amazing things! While Mark does not have perfect pitch, he does have “perfect dynamics.” He can tell, just by listening, if a piece of music is loud or soft. Mark loves cinnamon rolls and tacos but can't stand peas. He's a Ravenclaw, and he adores classical music (especially Haydn for his sense of humor).

One of the most common questions people ask me about ghostwriting is, “Where do I get clients?” It's a natural question, of course, because all writers who are doing client work would probably like to increase their income and have more consistent work. My answer to these friends is sometimes a little disappointing because almost all of my clients have come to me via referrals from colleagues, friends, and previous clients. A great network takes time to build, but it's worth it because those relationships are the foundation for a client-based business over the long haul. However, there are other sources for client work as well. One of the most popular ones is Reedsy, a marketplace for writers, editors, marketers, and designers. I've asked my friend, Alice Sullivan, to join me for a conversation about Reedsy since she's had a lot of success connecting with ghostwriting clients there over the last few years. Alice Sullivan is a #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling ghostwriter, New York Times bestselling editor (11 times over), collaborator, and speaker. A natural-born storyteller, she has written 64 books and edited over 1,300 titles since 2001. In addition to her NYT and WSJ bestsellers, other books have achieved Amazon bestseller status and won several awards, such as Readers' Favorite, Living Now Book Award, and Nashville's Best Local Children's Book Award. She has written for Forbes, Hay House, Thomas Nelson Publishers (Harper Collins), Abingdon Press, Made for Grace Publishing, World Net Daily, Changing Lives Press, Carpenters Son Publishing, Clovercroft, and KN Literary Arts. Alice specializes in memoir, self-help, personal growth, and leadership because she loves personal stories and practical advice. Her favorite projects challenge her point of view, expand her knowledge, and add meaning to her life. Alice is not just a consummate storyteller and writer. She's also one of the most kind and down-to-earth people I know. In this conversation, I get to ask Alice all my burning questions about getting started on Reedsy. We talk about: Alice's experience on Reedsy. How to connect with clients and be successful there. Alice's income from Reedsy projects. How to get started on Reedsy. How the platform is different than going to clients directly. If you want to expand your client base as a ghostwriter, editor, or designer, you'll love Alice's advice! Make sure to connect with Alice at https://alicesullivan.com.

Vanessa Miller is a best-selling, award-winning author and playwright. Vanessa's novels have received rave reviews, with several appearing on Essence Magazine Bestseller's List. Miller's work has received numerous awards, including the 2022 Best Christian Fiction award for her novel Something Good at the African American Literary Awards Show. She has worked with numerous publishers: Urban Christian, Kimani Romance, Abingdon Press and Whitaker House. She is currently working on promoting The American Queen with Thomas Nelson (HarperCollins).   The American Queen by Vanessa Miller In 1869 a kingdom rose in the South. And Louella was its queen. Over the twenty-four years she was enslaved on the Montgomery Plantation, Louella learned to feel one thing: hate. Hate for the man who sold her mother. Hate for the overseer who left her daddy to hang from a noose. Hate so powerful there's no room in her heart for love, not even for the honorable Reverend William, whom she likes and respects enough to marry. But when William finally listens to Louella's pleas and leads the formerly enslaved people off the plantation, Louella begins to replace her hate with hope. Hope that they will find a place where they can live free from fear. Hope that despite her many unanswered prayers, she can learn to trust for new miracles. Soon, William and Louella become the appointed king and queen of their self-proclaimed Kingdom of the Happy Land. Though they are still surrounded by opposition, they continue to share a message of joy and goodness and fight for the freedom and dignity of all. Grab your coy of The American Queen by Vanessa Miller https://a.co/d/2T64MUI      

What is the blessing of fear? Join us as we gather to reset our new daily rhythm and build resilience during this time of change. I'm excited to have Adam Hamilton. Adam is senior pastor of The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, one of the fastest growing, most highly visible churches in the country. The Church Report named Hamilton's congregation the most influential mainline church in America, and he preached at the National Prayer Service as part of the presidential inauguration festivities in 2013. Hamilton is the best-selling and award-winning author of The Call, Making Sense of the Bible, Love to Stay, The Journey, The Way, 24 Hours That Changed the World, Revival, Not a Silent Night, Enough, When Christians Get It Wrong, and Seeing Gray in a World of Black and White,all published by Abingdon Press. Adam has been married 30 years to LaVon. They have two grown daughters. I'm happy to have Adam share how they're finding Rhythm and Resilience right now, and how we can do the same. I invite you to tune in as we unite as a community. Looking forward to spending time together for some R & R. Join Dr. Michelle and Adam as they talk about:  The importance of rhythm during quarantine. Pastor Adam's call to church. Faith being an experience of trust. Rising levels of anxiety and suicide, and how to create hope. Tuning out the noise and paying attention to the nudges, whispers, and God moments. Pastor Adam's “God-incidence” in Atlanta with a man who passed. Tragic passings of Mindy Corporan and Erin Langhofer. How to reconcile tragedy with an all loving God, Dr. Martin Luther King's interpretation. Fear being a gift of God. Being mindful of media consumption. A quick breath prayer Pastor Adam's prayer practice What guidance and gifts have come from quarantine Pastor Adam's medicine Not coincidences, God-incidences. - Adam Hamilton Mentioned In This Episode United Methodist Church of the Resurection Adam Hamilton's Website Unafraid by Adam Hamilton Why by Adam Hamilton Psalm 31:5 The Story of Elijah When God Winks by Squire Rushnell Mindy Corporan Erin Langhofer

Jump into 2024 with a special Bonus Episode of Igniting Imagination! We have invited two of our most frequent (and beloved) guests, Rev. Rachel Billups and Rev. Matt Rawle, to engage with Carey Nieuwhof's list of 7 Church Trends That Will Disrupt 2024. Matt and Rachel reflect that this year's list seems particularly spot on. From the endangered stable church to the normative adoption of AI, these trends are real and happening now. Throughout the conversation, they offer practical nuggets – things they are trying in the midst of so much change and challenge and possibility. Thanks for listening and sharing our podcast with colleagues and friends! We hope this conversation inspires and even provokes you to new conversations and imagination in this New Year! In this conversation, you'll hear: How Rachel and Matt have experienced the trend that the “stable church” is an “endangered species” (5:30)What it means for congregations where Millennials are becoming the core (10:45)The different generational needs and expectations of pastoral leadership (14:00)How Gen Z is reshaping the church and how leaders can cultivate Gen Z community (25:00)Growing opportunities for digital discipleship (30:00)Leaning into AI in 2024 and beyond (38:10)GuestsRev. Rachel Billups is a visionary, leader, speaker, and author. Currently, she serves as pastor at New Albany United Methodist Church. She previously served as senior pastor at Ginghamsburg Churchmulti-campus ministry in Tipp City, Ohio. Rachel draws on her love of people and passion to explore new venues for ministry and mission.Rachel is an ordained Elder within the United Methodist Church and holds bachelor's degrees in Bible/religion and history from Anderson University and a master of divinity from Duke Divinity School. Rachel is the author of Be Bold: Finding Your Fierce and other books published by Abingdon Press.Rev. Matt Rawle is the lead pastor at Asbury United Methodist Church in Bossier City, Louisiana and a graduate from the LSU School of Music and Duke Divinity School. He's an international speaker who loves to tell an old story in a new way, especially at the intersection of pop culture and the church. He's authored The Heart that Grew Three Sizes, The Grace of Les Misérables, What Makes a Hero?, The Faith of a Mockingbird, Hollywood Jesus, The Salvation of Doctor Who, and

Welcome to the family! You have a place here! Please let us know if you are watching our stream for the first time, if you have made a decision, or are in need of prayer – text CONNECT to (941) 260-1395 or CLICK HEREClick here if you would like to give online: https://engage.suran.com/familychurchpc/  Music used with permission, CCLI License # 594759, Streaming Plus License # 21044022How Great Thou Art CCLI Song # 14181 Stuart Wesley Keene Hine Copyright 1949 and 1953 Stuart Hine Trust CIO Stuart K. Hine TrustHoly, Holy, Holy (Jesus Reigns) CCLI Song # 7067552 Chris Griffin | Kyle Cantrell | Nicole McLean | Reginald Heber © 2015 Highlands Creative PublishingThe Lord Almighty Reigns CCLI Song # 7207247 Keith Getty | Kristyn Getty | Matt Boswell | Matt Papa © 2022 Getty Music Hymns and Songs; Getty Music Publishing; Love Your Enemies Publishing; Messenger HymnsA New Hallelujah CCLI Song # 2028219 Ruth Ann Parish © 1993 Abingdon PressThank You Jesus for the Blood CCLI Song # 7172456 Bryan McCleery | Charity Gayle | David Gentiles | Elisha Albright Hoffman | John Hart Stockton | Ryan Kennedy | Steven Musso © 2021 Centricity Music Publishing; ComissionMusic; Gather House Music; McCleery MSC; Steven Musso Music; Watershed Worship Publishing; Remaining portion is unaffiliated

We've received so much feedback on our episode with Dr. Margaret Wheatley, we decided to record an entire episode analyzing the conversation with Meg! Listeners: please keep sending us your thoughts and reactions to our episodes, we love hearing from you! Joining host Lisa Greenwood in this episode is Blair Thompson, Gil Rendle, and Danielle Shroyer. They talk about Wheatley's unsettling insistence that we are “addicted to hope,” consider what her doubling-down on “islands of sanity” means for congregations and analyze her insight on the Two-Loop theory today: but isn't emergence still possible?! This episode is packed with thought-provoking ideas that we hope add even more depth and fodder for conversation in your context. May this conversation spark the spirit within you…and as always, thanks for listening! Show Notes: Read Rev. Dr. Paul Escamilla's response to the Wheatley episode on our website here. In this episode, you'll hear us:Discuss of Wheatley's unsettling insistence that we are ‘addicted to hope' (9:19)Consider what the notion of “islands of sanity” means for local congregations (13:55)Analyze becoming vs. gaining (22:34)Interpret Wheatley's Two Loop theory for the work of the church today (37:24)Experience Danielle Shroyer reading an excerpt from the new intro to the 10th Anniversary of her book, “Boundary Breaking God” (53:00) Danielle Shroyer's BioDanielle spent over a decade in pastoral leadership and was a founding member of the emerging church movement. She speaks often across the country on issues of theology, faith, culture, and story, and she blogs at beasoulninja.com. Danielle currently serves as the Spiritual Director in Residence at Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church in Dallas.Danielle is the author of Original Blessing: Putting Sin in its Rightful Place; Where Jesus Prayed: Illuminations on the Lord's Prayer in the Holy Land; and The Boundary Breaking God: An Unfolding Story of Hope and Promise. Gil Rendle's BioGil is a retired Senior Vice President and part-time consultant with The Texas Methodist Foundation in Austin, Texas, and an independent consultant working with issues of change and leadership in denominations.Rendle has an extensive background in organizational development, group and systems theory, and leadership development. He has consulted with congregations on planning, staff and leadership development, and issues of change. He is well known for his work with middle judicatory and national denominational offices and staff as they wrestle with denominational and congregational change.He is the author of ten books, a contributor to four books, and the author of numerous articles and monographs. His most recent books include Journey in the Wilderness: New Life for Mainline Churches (2010) and Back to Zero: The Search to Rediscover the Methodist Movement (2011) both published by Abingdon Press and Doing the Math of Mission: Fruits, Faithfulness and Metrics (2014) and Quietly Courageous: Leading the Church in a Changing World (2018) both published by Rowman & Littlefield.To view videos of podcast episodes, please go to the Igniting Imagination YouTube.Subscribe to our Learning and Innovation emails here. We send emails about each...

Saturday Oct 7th Noon CST on LIVE:FROM NASHVILLE… Our very Special Guests are Anita Stapleton and Devon O'Day! At age 11 Anita and her brother, Brent formed their own band and began playing music at  churches, outdoor festivals and various venues throughout their home state of Pennsylvania and opened shows for several country artists, including: Jean Shepard, Marty Stuart, Connie Smith, Ricky Skaggs and others.  At eighteen, Anita began performing on a regular basis at the Wheeling Jamboree in Wheeling, West Virginia.  In 1995, she wanted to further pursue her music career and moved to Nashville. A couple of years later, she began touring as a background singer for country artist, Patty Loveless. Devon is a career broadcaster with a resume' that includes The House Foundation with Gerry House, Mix92.9 Nashville, WSM's Devon O'Days Nashville and nationally syndicated shows like Country Hitmakers, The Saturday Night House Party, and America's #1s.  Devon is also the author of 4 books for Thomas Nelson/Zondervan and two for Abingdon Press among them My Southern Food and My Angels Wear Fur.  As a songwriter she has had songs recorded by Lee Ann Womack, Hank Williams, Jr, Pam Tillis, Neal McCoy, Trace Adkins, and a #1 for George Strait called “The Big One”, co-written with Gerry House.   Devon is the narrator for over 20 audio books and has been the host of national radio specials for Garth Brooks, the Dixie Chicks, Kenny Chesney, Bill Gaither, and hosted Tammy Wynette's biography on the Lifetime network. Join Award Winning Host Gary and Mary Kaye Holt, Heard Around the World on Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio, Spotify and most other streaming platforms…Just search for Equestrian Legacy Radio  

Are there questions that you would like to ask God but you're too angry or confused to talk to Him? In my conversation with my friend and author Amberly Neese, we step right into uncomfortable questions that Christians ask like: “Can I trust God? What must I do to be healed? Why should I pray?” In her new Bible study, Untangling Faith, Amberly looks at six big questions that Christians ask and invites us to lean in and learn from Jesus. The Bible records over 300 questions that Jesus asks. In my conversation, Amberly guides us toward understanding God's heart and helping us learn how to ask God the hard questions that can actually help us trust Him more.    RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE amberlyneese.com Untangling Faith: Reclaiming Hope in the Questions Jesus Asked  Untangling Faith DVDs Connect with Amberly on IG! Connect with Amberly on Facebook!   ABOUT OUR SPECIAL GUEST Amberly Neese is a popular speaker/teacher, comedian, author, and all-around encourager dedicated to helping you become the joyful person you were created to be. She helps people like you experience the freedom found in meaningful relationships with God and others. Her bible study, “The Belonging Project: Finding Your Tribe and Learning to Thrive” was released in May 2020 by Abingdon Press. Amberly is a featured speaker for the Aspire Women's Events and the main host and female comedian for Marriage Date Night, two popular Christian events that tour nationally. She and her husband have two teenagers and live in Prescott, Arizona, where they enjoy the great outdoors, the Food Network, and all things Star Wars.

This episode features two “besties” talking honestly and openly about their friendship of many years and how it has deeply nourished them, even though they've never even lived in the same state. They discuss being fully present in real friendship, giving each other accountability, compassion, love, and care. They engage with the challenges that all leaders face, especially clergy and lay leaders in the church, and how none of us are immune to the loneliness epidemic in our culture. Heartfelt and real, this episode is a call to all of us to take care of our friendships because they are core to who we are and our well-being. We hope you'll listen and then share it with all your friends!Quotations "The people around us are better because of the way that we've challenged each other."-Matt Rawle"I don't know how often I find myself in a group of people who, at one moment or another, there's a confession time that says, 'I ain't got anybody... I don't have friends.'"-Rachel Billups We discuss: The need for affirmation and cheerleading in friendships, as well as the importance of being able to challenge and give honest feedback. (14:42) The challenges clergy face in forming friendships, particularly due to the isolation and boundaries that come with their work. (20:06) How the church can be a space where people can find and nurture holy friendships, emphasizing the transformative power of community. (32:05) Understanding the need for pastors to strike a balance between vulnerability while maintaining appropriate boundaries with their congregations. (34:09) The different spaces where people can connect, such as online platforms and retreat centers, help remove barriers for gathering and help foster relationships. (40:06) About:Rachel Billups is a visionary, leader, speaker, and author. Currently, she serves as pastor at New Albany United Methodist Church. She previously served as senior pastor at Ginghamsburg Church multi-campus ministry in Tipp City, Ohio. Rachel draws on her love of people and passion to explore new venues for ministry and mission.Rachel is an ordained Elder within the United Methodist Church and holds bachelor degrees in Bible/religion and history from Anderson University and a master of divinity from Duke Divinity School. Rachel is the author of Be Bold: Finding Your Fierce and other books published by Abingdon Press.Matt Rawle is the lead pastor at Asbury United Methodist Church in Bossier City, Louisiana and a graduate from the LSU School of Music and Duke Divinity School. He's an international speaker who loves to tell an old story in a new way, especially at the intersection of pop culture and the church. He's authored The Heart that Grew Three Sizes, The Grace of Les Misérables, What Makes a Hero?,

The power of the Holy Spirit was poured out in the time of Acts 2. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we have been given the gift of prophecy. Prophecy edifies the body of Christ. Where is it that you need edification? Learn how the Holy Spirit gives us edification through prophecy. ***** Welcome to Celebrating God's Grace, A Women World Leader's Podcast, I'm your host Robin Kirby-Gatto. Thank you for joining us today as we celebrate God's grace, in our lives, in our ministry, and around the world. Today's message is titled: The Gift of Prophecy The apostle Paul, writer of most of the New Testament, urged the church to edify one another in the grace of God revealed in the gift of prophecy. 1 Eagerly pursue and seek to acquire [this] love [make it your aim, your great quest]; and earnestly desire and cultivate the spiritual endowments (gifts), especially that you may prophesy (interpret the divine will and purpose in inspired preaching and teaching). 2 For one who speaks in an [unknown] tongue speaks not to men but to God, for no one understands or catches his meaning, because in the [Holy] Spirit he utters secret truths and hidden things [not obvious to the understanding]. 3 But [on the other hand], the one who prophesies [who interprets the divine will and purpose in inspired preaching and teaching] speaks to men for their upbuilding and constructive spiritual progress and encouragement and consolation. 4 He who speaks in a [strange] tongue edifies and improves himself, but he who prophesies [interpreting the divine will and purpose and teaching with inspiration] edifies and improves the church and promotes growth [in Christian wisdom, piety, holiness, and happiness]. 5 Now I wish that you might all speak in [unknown] tongues, but more especially [I want you] to prophesy (to be inspired to preach and interpret the divine will and purpose). He who prophesies [who is inspired to preach and teach] is greater (more useful and more important) than he who speaks in [unknown] tongues, unless he should interpret [what he says], so that the church may be edified and receive good [from it]. 1 Corinthians 14:1-5 AMPC I will never forget the first time I experienced the beautiful gift of prophecy at a women's prayer meeting. I had known the Lord and attended church since I was a little girl, but it wasn't until 2003, in my mid-thirties that I witnessed an elderly woman prophesying over another sister-in-Christ. To me, it started out as a day of excitement and anticipation. I was hungry and thirsty for more of God and didn't know what to expect at a prayer meeting, other than there would be a short teaching, which would then lead into a prayer. Up to this point for a year-and-a-half, I had been reading the word of God hours a day and praying earnestly after each reading. God had to redeem the time in my life, as the power of Holy Spirit came on me Resurrection Sunday 2002, setting me free of alcoholism. My joy was full and made complete, as I experienced the washing of God's Word, and the bounty of Living Waters in my belly. It was then that I wanted to pour the abundant Life I possessed upon others but didn't know how. I couldn't put words to it, or never knew what “it” was that I was looking for. The teaching at the meeting had ended, and the women began to pray. About ten minutes into prayer, I witnessed the gift of prophecy. My heart leapt with joy, as prayer and prophecy continued throughout. At the end of the meeting, I spontaneously erupted “WHAT WAS THAT?” The women explained that it was the gift of prophecy. Caught in the afterglow of such powerful prayer and prophecy, I then blurted, “I'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR THAT ALL OF MY LIFE!” I didn't know that this was the “it” I was looking for as a Christian. I'd known the Word of Truth for years, but somehow my eyes were covered from seeing 1 Corinthians 12 and 14 with the gifts of Holy Spirit. I desired prophecy all my life as a Christian, how could I not.  All through high school I was a football cheerleader. It made my heart content, running up and down the field cheering the football players on, to win the game. I love edifying others, and to me, prophecy is cheerleading the saints. The Greek word for gift is pneumatikós pronounced pnyoo-mat-ik-os meaning, “ethereal, supernatural, and spiritual.” [i] Ethereal means that which is beyond the clouds and is heavenly. The gifts of God came to mankind on Pentecost at the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2, prophesied in Joel 2. 28 “And afterward I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. 29 Even upon the menservants and upon the maidservants in those days will I pour out My Spirit.” Joel 2:28-29 AMPC The Holy Spirit, Who is at the Throne of God as seven torches of Fire, does not speak His own message, but only what the Father says. (See Revelation 4:5; John 16:13) Thus, this gift of prophecy is God's grace by the Holy Spirit at operation inside of us, to speak edification according to the need. Jesus teaches the disciples how to pray in Luke 11, saying “give us this day our daily bread.” (See Luke 11:3) Immediately after the Lord's prayer, Jesus depicts what the bread represents. He describes a man who had need of bread, since he had visitors over at his house. He then goes to a friend's house to ask for bread at midnight and knocks on his door. The friend tells him to leave because it was late, and his children were sleeping. That didn't stop the guy from knocking on the door, and finally the friend got up and gave him as much as he “needed.” Jesus then goes on to explain that we are to keep asking, seeking, and knocking, and the Father will open the door to give us the gift of the Holy Spirit. (See Luke 11:5-13) There are times in your life when you need a personal cheerleader, you need to be edified. Moreover, there are times that you will come across others who need to be edified. In such times, the Lord God supplies us with grace to ask, seek, and knock on the door and the gift of the Holy Spirit will be poured out to bring forth the edification needed in prophecy. Prophecy in Greek is prophēteía pronounced prof-ay-ti'-ah meaning, “prophecy, prediction, and prophesying.” [ii] Prediction comes from the Latin word praedicere meaning “make known beforehand.” The Latin word for prediction is spelled P.R.A.E.D.I.C.E.R.E. As I saw the Latin word for prediction, I couldn't help but see PRAED as PRAYED, and icere as I C (see). In John 16:13 Jesus states that the Holy Spirit will show us things to come. He will show us what to pray. Through prayer, we will feel a lifting in our heart, being filled with joy and excitement that God is up to something. By faith as we open our mouth and pray forth, we shall prophesy! This is the power of God's grace in His beautiful gift of prophecy. The gift of prophecy edifies. The word edify in Greek is oikodomḗ pronounced oy-kod-om-ay' meaning, “architecture, confirmation, building, edify, and edification.” [iii] Thus, edification builds people up, confirming what God has placed within them, defeating the powers of darkness that would assail them with lies. A great analogy of this beautiful gift and what takes place in the invisible realm is in Song of Solomon 6. 12 “Before I was aware [of what was happening], my desire [to roam about] had brought me into the area of the princes of my people [the king's retinue]. 13 [I began to flee, but they called to me] Return, return, O Shulammite; return, return, that we may look upon you! [I replied] What is there for you to see in the [poor little] Shulammite? [And they answered] As upon a dance before two armies or a dance of Mahanaim.” Song of Solomon 6:12-13 AMPC The Shulammite is hungry to know the King, who is the Good Shepherd. She's so caught up in knowing Him that she doesn't realize the power that has come through her, in their love. As the daughters of Jerusalem go after her to behold her beauty, the Shulammite asks them “what is there to look at.” Their response is that when we see you, we see the dance of Mahanaim, which means THE DANCE OF TWO ARMIES. In other words, the love relationship you have with the King, has given you the authority of two armies. That is the power of prayer and the gift of prophecy. One can send a thousand to flight, but two can send ten thousand to flight. This gift of prophecy encourages you and others, bringing a fresh anointing of the Lord's hope and future. (See Jeremiah 29:11-13) Where is it that you or someone you know needs hope? Seek God and desire to prophesy! [i] Strong J. (1890) Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Abingdon Press. Strong's Concordance Greek word # 4152 “gift” [ii] Strong J. (1890) Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Abingdon Press. Strong's Concordance Greek word # 4394 “prophecy” [iii] Strong J. (1890) Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Abingdon Press. Strong's Concordance Greek word # 3619 “edify”

As we celebrate the life of Christ, we can be assured that the Kingdom of Heaven is real. Jesus made this Kingdom known, as He proclaimed, "Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand." Where in your life do you need the assurance of the Kingdom of Heaven?   ****   Welcome to Celebrating God's Grace, A Women World Leader's Podcast, I'm your host Robin Kirby-Gatto. Thank you for joining us today as we celebrate God's grace, in our lives, in our ministry, and around the world. I pray you have an amazing weekend, celebrating the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Today's message is titled: The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand! Jesus' ministry began with the message “Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 4:17) It wasn't happenstance that most of His parables and teachings were on the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus wanted God's sons and daughters to know their true home, and to be confident of God's plan for their lives on earth. In Matthew 11:10-13 Jesus emphasizes the power of this kingdom. 10 “This is the one of whom it is written, Behold, I send My messenger ahead of You, who shall make ready Your way before You. 11 Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. And from the days of John the Baptist until the present time, the kingdom of heaven has endured violent assault, and violent men seize it by force [as a precious prize—a share in the heavenly kingdom is sought with most ardent zeal and intense exertion]. 13 For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied up until John.” (Matthew 11:10-13 AMPC) Jesus distinguishes that something shifted with John the Baptist's appearance. It was since the days of John that the Kingdom of Heaven endured violent assault. Why is that? John the Baptist prepared the way of the Lord, proclaiming the message, “Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” in Matthew 3:2. To better understand this, I love to look at a scripture in the Old Testament. “The Israelites shall pitch their tents by their companies, every man by his own camp and every man by his own [tribal] standard.” (Numbers 1:52 AMPC) Israel had twelve tribes, whom Moses led through the wilderness. God gave him specific instructions that when the twelve tribes pitched up their tent, they were to place it by the tribal standard. A standard is a banner or flag. This can be compared to the Olympics where every athlete stands by their nation's flag. The root Hebrew word from which standard comes is dâgal pronounced daw-gal' and means “to flaunt, i.e. raise a flag, to be conspicuous, to set up with banners.” [i] I absolutely love the Paleo Hebrew script, which is the writing system found in the Canaanite language, otherwise known as the Old Hebrew. These letters of the Old Hebrew are symbols, that when put together create a word picture, and give such depths of appreciation to what is written in the Old Testament. The three Hebrew letters that compose standard, are Dalet, Gimel, and Lamed. Dalet is the ancient symbol of a door and means to enter and pathway. Gimel is the ancient symbol of a camel and in the positive means to lift up. Finally, Lamed is the ancient symbol of a cattle goad, which looks like a shepherd's staff with a prick in the curvature, and means tongue, control, and authority. Therefore, the word picture in the Old Hebrew for standard, is THE DOOR IS LIFTED UP INTO WHICH YOU ENTER AND BRINGS AUTHORITY. Just wow! Listen to that word picture again. The Door is lifted up, into which you enter, and brings authority. Is this not a beautiful picture of Christ on the Cross! In John 12:32 Jesus said that if He is lifted up, He will draw all men to Himself. Jesus also says in John 10:9 that He is the Door, and if anyone should enter, they would be saved and go in and out and find pasture. John the Baptist knew that Jesus was the Son of God, baptizing Him in the Jordan River to fulfill all righteousness, and saw the Holy Spirit come upon Christ like a dove. John's whole life was set aside to look for Jesus and prepare others for His coming with the message of repentance. Repent means to turn from your ways, having a change in heart and mind. John saw something others couldn't see. Because I'm a visual person, I learn best when I can see and picture something. As I read Numbers 1:52 about the tribes pitching a tent by their tribal standard, I couldn't help but think of John as “the standard.” Jesus said about John that the greatest born among women is John, but even the least in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than John. The Lord showed me that John was the STANDARD, as Jesus proclaimed the greatest born among women. John proclaimed in a conspicuous manner about Christ Jesus being the Son of God! He was merely a conspicuous flag sounding the message of Christ's coming. What blessed me even more is that I saw Jesus Christ as the Tent pitched by the standard, THE DOOR TO HEAVEN, where all could enter the Kingdom of Heaven, and find pasture. The pasture represents a place for the soul to rest. This is grace. One of the things I love about Matthew 11:12, and the Kingdom of Heaven suffering violence, is the gift of grace we've been given to perceive heaven. You don't need special glasses to recognize the Kingdom of Heaven. God has fearfully and wonderfully made you, that on a special receptor in your body, the G Protein-Coupled Receptor, He placed the ability within your body to see, hear, taste and smell. What's even more phenomenal is that these senses inside of the body, from the neck down, regulate your organs. You apprehend this as “feelings,” where you feel God's presence. As we receive salvation in Christ Jesus, we have a special rest for our soul, which is known in Hebrews 4 as the Seventh Day Rest. God's rest produces confidence and assurance in your soul to boldly run to the throne of grace to obtain mercy for your need. This is the Kingdom of Heaven. God's grace giving us mercy, for us to know He is near. The Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence, and it is the violent that take it by force. This visual of the Greek word for violence will cause you to see this verse in a new light. The Greek word for violence is biázō pronounced bee-ad'-zo and means, “to force, TO CROWD ONESELF, to be seized, press, and suffer violence.” [ii] What I love about this particular Greek word is the root word from which it comes, which is bíos pronounced bee'-os meaning, “life, present state of existence, livelihood, good and living.” [iii] This is the Greek word from which we get the English word bio. When someone gives their bio, they're saying all the things about themselves that prove THEY EXIST! They identify who their family is, and what accomplishments they've made in life. Therefore, as we look at Matthew 11:12, where the Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence and the violent seize it by force, what we see is that THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN CROWDS US! IT BRINGS US LIFE! Whose life? The Life of Christ, that He lived in His body! The very life we celebrate today that has given us grace, to walk in God's peace, no matter the circumstance! Close your eyes and imagine with me. You're walking barefoot on a gravel trail leading you through an orchard of trees with all kinds of fruit. The aroma and freshness of the sweet ripeness of the fruit draws you into the middle of the orchard. You're now still, feeling green grass under your feet, with a hint of dew. You inhale, taking in the moment. Suddenly, you feel a brush on your face, then on your arms and hands. You open your eyes and find every fruit tree in the orchard now surrounding you, crowding your space. This is what the Greek word for violence means, HEAVEN IS CROWDING YOU! This is the thing. When we're not in the rest of God, leaning entirely on Him, we get distracted to heaven's presence. Luke 17:20-21 tells us that heaven is planted in our hearts. The Word of Truth, Who is Jesus, brings the reality of the Kingdom of Heaven as we live on this earth. And as great as John was, because of Grace, he who is least in the Kingdom of Heaven is GREATER THAN JOHN. This is the power given to you and I. We can enter through the Door into a Kingdom that Lifts us up into an authority we've never known, no matter what! Bad days, crises, and catastrophic events don't affect the Kingdom you and I are from. It exists and is real. This kingdom allows us to find peace in each moment of our day. Over the past two weeks, I've gone through two major crises in my family. At times I thought I would lose it and was overwhelmed. But this is the beauty, I put my eyes on Christ Jesus and the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of Heaven, and I found peace and rest for my soul. Amid these crises, I had my sixth month mammogram from a finding in September, which showed calcifications had returned inside of one of my breasts. I had an operation two and a half years ago for a breast lumpectomy, where a biopsy of calcifications at that time set my doctor on high alert and put me in the high percentile for breast cancer. Thank goodness they did the lumpectomy and after tests, found the cells were benign. Because of this I must go to a special clinic yearly, doing two visits a year, for a mammogram and ultrasound. However, when they find something, they then move you to two mammograms and ultrasounds a year. I was dealing with the two crises at the time of this mammogram and thought, “God, please bring me a God report.” The prior week's notification, reminding me of my appointment, immediately sent dread into my heart. My skin was super thin, so to speak, from the other crises. However, I took a deep breath and put my eyes on Christ and instead heard the Lord speak to my heart, “Robin, refuse to be afraid,” and OH MY I was lifted into grace. I had a boldness of faith, and I said to myself, “NO MATTER WHAT I REFUSE TO BE AFRAID!” Then came the day of the mammogram. They took me into the room to get my robe on and do my first round of pics. The radiologist technician then returned me to my room and told me to stay in my robe, in case the doctor wanted more. I sat there waiting about 10 minutes, and she walked back in and said, “She wants me to get more pictures.” My knees got jittery. I was doing the special mammography in the room in which I had a biopsy years before. I responded as she prepped me, “is this bad news?” She looked at me and assured me it was common. I went through the process telling myself to breathe. I sat back in the room, and she told me to keep my robe on, in case they wanted more pictures. I waited for what had to be another 20 minutes. Thoughts went through my mind that they might see something more with the calcifications, and I wanted to burst into tears. Then suddenly, a thought entered my mind, “what if they cannot find anything.” Heaven crowded me. I was standing in the orchard feeling the fruit trees press up against me. I then said, “NO MATTER WHAT I WILL NOT BE AFRAID!” I was in green pastures. I found rest for my soul. The nurse came in and told me to change, and that the doctor would meet with me. I got up to change, when she immediately came back and said, “don't change yet, the doctor wants to do an ultrasound.”  I took a few deep breaths. She brought me into the ultrasound room, where I waited for a while, wondering what she would say. Then after 20 or so minutes the doctor walked in and patted me on the arm and said, “When you come here it is always something.” I looked at her puzzled. She then said, “We cannot find the spots anymore, their gone. I don't know what happened.” OH, MY GOODNESS LADIES! I WANTED TO CRY FOR JOY! HEAVEN INVADED MY SPACE, I RECEIVED GRACE, BEING PAINTED IN THE GOODNESS OF GOD'S MERCY! The release date of this podcast is falling on the Jewish calendar of the 16th of Nisan, which is the day we celebrate the Resurrection of Christ. Passover begins the evening of the 14th of Nisan on the Jewish Calendar, which was this past Wednesday. What an amazing time to consider the grace of our God, which has been given through Christ Jesus. Where is it you need the power of the Kingdom of Heaven? Just breathe, stand still, and smell the fruits of a Kingdom that is near you, crowding you!   [i] Strong J. (1890) Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Abingdon Press. Strong's Concordance Hebrew Word # 1713 “banner” [ii] Strong J. (1890) Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Abingdon Press. Strong's Concordance Greek word # 971 “violence” [iii] Strong J. (1890) Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Abingdon Press. Strong's Concordance Greek word # 979 “life”

Are there areas in your soul in desperate need of God's grace in relation to trauma? Learn, with Robin Kirby-Gatto, how Jesus Christ came to heal us in the fractured places of the soul.   ***   Welcome to Celebrating God's Grace, A Women World Leader's Podcast, I'm your host Robin Kirby-Gatto. Thank you for joining us today as we celebrate God's grace, in our lives, in our ministry, and around the world. Today's Title is: “God can heal the trauma that fractures your soul.” 17 “This was in fulfillment of what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah, 18 Behold, My Servant Whom I have chosen, My Beloved in and with Whom My soul is well pleased and has found its delight. I will put My Spirit upon Him, and He shall proclaim and show forth justice to the nations. 19 He will not strive or wrangle or cry out loudly; nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets; 20 A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering (dimly burning) wick He will not quench, till He brings justice and a just cause to victory.” (Matthew 12:17-20 AMPC) Jesus Christ, the Son of God, gives us Eternal Life, delivering us from sin. Not only does He deliver us from sin, He heals us of the trauma that is the result of sin. This prophecy from Isaiah 42:1-3, is recorded in the Gospel of Matthew. God has literal meaning of His word, as well as revelation richly applicable to our individual lives, of which this passage is one. I get into detail greatly on the issue of trauma in my upcoming book “The Forbidden Fruit, The Spiritual Disease,” where God reveals that the effects of sin are the impression of trauma. The acronym God gave me for “traumas” is Terror, Rejection, Abandonment, and Unloved Massively Announcing Shame. As a former psychotherapist, I saw the symptoms of trauma overabundantly in outpatient psychiatry. Presently, in my ministry work of health and wellness coaching, this is the most prevalent issue, in which I navigate my clients. We don't realize that even in the smallest way, we have an undercurrent of emotion, generally in those four areas, of terror, rejection, abandonment, and unloved, speaking within our body, causing us to react to things we've misinterpreted in life. Two symptoms of trauma I want to address are hypervigilance and being paranoid. Hypervigilance means that your super aware of things in your environment and you're getting ready to fend off a perceived violation that might come through a circumstance or through another person verbally, passive aggressively or physically. No one is immune from trauma in this fallen world. Adam and Eve were the first ones to experience this, as they were banished from the Garden of Eden as a result of eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, bringing about spiritual death, where sin entered mankind. (See Genesis 3:1-24) Sin separated mankind from God. From this act, sprang emotions unfelt before, reeling through Adam and Eve's bodies, of terror, rejection, abandonment and unloved cloaking them in shame. They tried desperately to cover themselves in fig leaves, hyper aware that something had changed. God hadn't changed, He still loved them. What changed was that sin separated mankind from God, where Adam and Eve now felt terror, rejection, abandonment and being unloved. Because of Christ Jesus and the power of Grace, we are freed from the impression of trauma. This is what the prophecy from Isaiah, recorded in the Gospel of Matthew is about. “20 A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering (dimly burning) wick He will not quench, till He brings justice and a just cause to victory.” (Matthew 12:20 AMPC) The bruised reed and smoldering wick, represents the soul that's experienced trauma. God provides a backdrop in which we can view the bruised reed and smoldering wick and its meaning, through the Hebrew words, which compose it. Bruised comes from the Hebrew word râtsats pronounced raw-tsats' meaning, “TO CRACK IN PIECES, break, bruise, crush, discourage, and oppress.” [i] Thus, the bruised reed represents the person whose life seems to be falling apart or is at the point of a nervous breakdown. I don't know about you, but I've had many opportunities in life, where I've felt like this. You must realize when this comes upon your person, it is only the “cracked” or fragmented parts of your soul, speaking and bleeding over into your entire body, overtaking you for the moment. You must stop and breathe, acknowledging GRACE! To provide an analogy I want to use the spelling of the Hebrew word for bruised, which is r.a.t.s.a.t.s. Let me say it one more time, R.A.T.S.A.T.S. Now I'm not a wordsmith by any means, but I cannot help but to see things in the Hebrew words, which my husband, Rich, calls “Robinisms.” I couldn't help but see RAT-SATS. This might not mean anything now but just wait. We live in an old apartment, which we love, built in the early 1900s in downtown Birmingham, Alabama in the historic garden district. We have three parks in the area, where many more old buildings stand, occupied by tenants who can appreciate the character of the old architecture. I feel like I'm living the HGTV House Hunters International life, except nationally. We've lived here for six years, and it wasn't until just a month ago, that we experienced a mouse issue in the place. Thank goodness it was a mouse and not a rat. Well, that mouse had a friend later, so it became mice. Although they were cute, they were unnerving as from time to time, they would come out and run across the kitchen floor, and eventually one was in our bedroom. Me being the wife that I am and knowing my husband, I tried to keep it on the down low as much as possible. Because of my work, I couldn't help but hear the mice in the apartment. I am a proficient writer, having written 70 plus workbooks, and now 14 books. My father jokingly says, years from now that he'll ask me what I'm doing and I'll respond, “I'm writing a new book.” Along with being a writer, I minister and do health and wellness coaching, all from our apartment. While writing, I could hear something moving in the kitchen for a few days and would get up and down over and over to see if I could find what it might be. Eventually, I discovered a mouse, and contacted the property management to deal with the issue. One was caught, and I let out a sigh of relief, only to find out two days later there was another one. The second one I saw scurrying across our bedroom floor, which was caught later. I cleaned our kitchen as though we were moving out, dismantling little boroughs of collected paper bags which might seem inviting for a critter. As well as getting into the nook and crannies, where I moved all the items in the kitchen, and then swept and mopped the floor. I'm grateful it was mice and not rats. Rats are bigger and very aggressive, compared to mice. I've heard stories of people that had to deal with rat infested homes, and it's not good. So, imagine if you had a rat sitting in your house and refusing to leave. No matter what, you couldn't get it out. That's what the effects of sin do, by leaving the impression of trauma. You might not have committed an act, but someone else committed an act against you. Regardless of who committed the act of sin, for which you've forgiven, you still have its impression in the form of trauma, which has made you hypervigilant on a matter or even paranoid. God's grace delivers us from this issue. He brings the power of His Word of Truth, where His Spirit of Truth, reveals His love, driving out the fear that was brought on by it. We see this in 1 John 4:18. 18 “There is no fear in love [dread does not exist], but full-grown (complete, perfect) love turns fear out of doors and EXPELS EVERY TRACE OF TERROR! For fear brings with it the thought of punishment, and [so] he who is afraid has not reached the full maturity of love [is not yet grown into love's complete perfection].” (1 John 4:18 AMPC) The bruise of the enemy, inflicted by sin, is trauma, the rat in our soul, gnawing at places in which we feel we'll never be healed. God's love makes us whole driving all terror out! The Greek word for fear is phóbos pronounced fob'-os meaning, “to be put in fear, alarm or fright, be afraid, and terror.” [ii] This is also where the word phobia comes from. Thus, God deals with the bruises on our soul, where we've acquired phobias. The dim wick represents a little flicker of a flame on a candle, barely burning. The Hebrew primary root word for dim is kâhâh pronounced kaw-haw' meaning, “to be weak, to despond, to grow dull, darken, be dim, fail, and faint.” [iii] This gives the picture of someone barely hanging onto life, who's hopeless. Jesus brings hope to the hopeless through His love, which is grace, lifting the weary traveler up onto the Highway of Holiness in Isaiah 35:8, where no unclean thing or beast can walk. No terror can tread on Love's path. The saint is bathed in the pure love of the Cross of Christ Jesus and what He has done, to know the power of His resurrection. That power is our inheritance. (See Ephesians 1:17-20) There is a process in working out our salvation as in Philippians 2:12, in fear and in trembling. That process is to know the grace of God that has come through Christ Jesus, so that although we've asked for forgiveness and have forgiven others, we must address our issue in getting past some things. The effects of sin have traumatized us in some fashion, which has left us feeling stuck, and possibly hopeless. The first step in addressing the area of trauma, is recognizing that you're feeling it in some form, whether it be terror, rejection, abandonment or unloved. This is prominent at times, where you might be triggered by what some says or does. You feel like a little girl lifting her hands, who longs to be picked up by her daddy and kept in his long embrace. This fractured part of the soul is where trauma dwells and needs to be healed by grace. One of my favorite stories, which I've taught in my books, is about the ruby. I teach God's scriptures with all the sciences, unfolding understanding of truth. When I taught on precious stones, in the series of God's Fire Wall Healing of the Soul, I taught on Job 28 and on the precious stone, the ruby. In Job 28, the prophet is grappling with his own trauma, which he's felt during his trial, where he's crying out for wisdom in the dark (dim) place, inside of a mountain. Sitting in darkness, Job's led to pull back a piece of the mountain, allowing the light to shine in, and he discovers himself sitting amid sapphires and other precious stones. How beautiful is that? We don't realize the precious blessings of God's truth that's made known to us in the darkest trials in our lives. When I studied and taught on rubies during the gemology and archeology I employed with scripture, it blew my mind. Did you know that a perfect ruby is rare. That's right. Isn't that surprising? Most rubies have what gemologist call “fractures.” Little fractures make their paths through the stone, which might cause a regular person to discard it. Fortunately, there's a process to make the imperfect fractured ruby, perfect. Oil is poured into the fractured parts of the ruby, that's then put into an oven heated at 500 degrees. Once done, the ruby is brought out, where the oil has baked into the fractures, and it is then made perfect. This process is called “healing,” where the fractured places in the ruby have now been healed. 500 represents grace for us, and is such a testament to the trials, which expose the areas of trauma in which we need healing. Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, doesn't discard us or break us, He sweeps us up in the Love of God, bringing the display of the Father's love for us. Where is it you need healing from past trauma? Let the Lord's love pour into your heart, overflowing within your mind, as you know the power of healing, grace.       [i] Strong J. (1890) Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Abingdon Press. Strong's Concordance Hebrew word # 7533 “bruised” [ii] Strong J. (1890) Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Abingdon Press. Strong's Concordance Greek word # 5401 “terror” [iii] Strong J. (1890) Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Abingdon Press. Strong's Concordance Hebrew word # 3544 “dim”

Sunday, March 5 10:00 a.m. Worship Service Thy Kingdom Come Lenten Series on the Lord's Prayer By the Rev. Dr. Agnes W. Norfleet _________________________________________________ Prelude: "The Seven Last Words and Triumph of Christ” Music: Pamela Decker, 2018. Music: ©2018 Wayne Leupold Editions, Inc. All rights reserved. Sung Response: Be still and know that I am God. Text and Music: John L. Bell, 1989. Text and Music: ©1989 WGRG, Iona Community (admin. GIA Publications, Inc.) Anthem: “Kyrie” from Requiem Music: Maurice Duruflé, 1947; rev. 1961. Music: ©1948 Editions Durand, Paris (a div. of Universal Music Publishing Group, Inc.) All rights reserved. Hymn: All Who Love and Serve Your City Text: Erik Routley, 1966. Music: The United States Sacred Harmony, 1799; harm. Carlton R. Young, 1964. Text: ©1969 Stainer & Bell, Ltd. (admin. Hope Publishing Company). Music Harm: ©1965 Abingdon Press (admin. The Copyright Company). Reprinted and streamed with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-716211. All rights reserved. Offertory Anthem: Notre Père Music: Maurice Duruflé, 1976. Music: ©1978 Editions Durand, Paris (a div. of Universal Music Publishing Group, Inc.) All rights reserved.

10:00 a.m. Worship Service Mystery on the Mountain By the Rev. Dr. Agnes W. Norfleet _________________________________ Hymn: Swiftly Pass the Clouds of Glory Text: Thomas H. Troeger, 1985. Music: George Henry Day, 1940. Text: ©1985 Oxford University Press, London. Music: ©1943, 1961, 1985 Church Pension Fund. Reprinted and streamed with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-716211. All rights reserved. Anthem: O Nata Lux ©2018 St. James Music Press. Reprinted and streamed with permission by St. James Music Press, license #7158. All rights reserved. Hymn: What Wondrous Love Is This Text: American folk hymn, c. 1811. Music: Walker's Southern Harmony, 1835; harm. Carlton R. Young, 1965. Music Harm: ©1965 Abingdon Press (admin. The Copyright Company). Reprinted and streamed with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-716211. All rights reserved. Offertory Anthem: For Everyone Born Music: Traditional Spiritual; arr. Moses Hogan (1957-2003). Music: ©2002 Hal Leonard Corporation, Winona, MN. Reprinted and streamed with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-716211. All rights reserved. Postlude: “Sortie” from Triptych for Transfiguration Music: Richard Webster, 2005. Music: ©2005 Augsburg Fortress. Reprinted and streamed with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-716211. All rights reserved.

Be set free of the stinking attitude of unforgiveness. Enjoy the fullness of life, as you let go of the thoughts of how others have hurt you.  **** Welcome to Celebrating God's Grace, A Women World Leader's Podcast, I'm your host Robin Kirby-Gatto. Thank you for joining us today as we celebrate God's grace, in our lives, in our ministry, and around the world. Today's Podcast is titled, “Forgive” Jesus states in the Lord's Prayer “And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us [who has offended us or done us wrong]. And bring us not into temptation but rescue us from evil.” (Luke 11:4 AMPC) No one likes wearing clothes with body odor. As for me, my sensitive nose permits me to smell things at such strength that it is like a superpower. If I were a superhero today, I would be the Super Sensitive Woman. All kidding aside, it is difficult for me to wear a top, if it has any bad odor. It's nothing but a distraction in my day. Although, it's something invisible to the eye, my brain is constantly aware, as the olfactory receptors of my nose, transmit the information of the odor to my brain, signaling the fact that my top stinks. Now, I don't go around telling people that my top stinks, rather I keep that information to myself. However, when I'm at home and around my husband, I inform him that I must change my top because it smells so bad, to which he replies, “I don't smell anything.” He doesn't have the super sensitive smeller I have. Unforgiveness in the heart can smell like the top with an offensive odor. Sooner or later, something happens in our lives, to make us aware of our stinking thinking about a person or situation. If you're super sensitive to the smell of unforgiveness, you do something promptly about the matter, seeking to forgive. Jesus addressed this invisible offense of the heart in the Lord's prayer, as unforgiveness. We are forgiven our sins, as we have forgiven others their sin. This awareness of needing to forgive is God's grace. “Aware” means to have knowledge about a situation or a fact. The word from which it is derived, is the Germanic word “ware,” which is pottery, as well as the manufacture of articles for sale. This is obvious in the kitchen mostly, where we have cookware, silverware, glassware, tableware, etc. I like to envision cookware, tableware, and glassware as containers for food and drink. However, imagine if those vessels were instead memories within our heart and mind, which we clung to, about what others have done that has hurt us. It would be no different than cooking a gourmet meal with rotten food, offensive to the pallet and nose. Eighty percent of “taste” comes from your olfactory receptors (smell). If we wouldn't eat such a meal, we surely wouldn't invite guests over to partake either. The Greek word for “forgive” is aphíēmi pronounced af-ee'-ay-mee and means, “to forgive, lay aside, let go, and to send away.” [i] The word from which this comes apo, means “off and away.” When my top smells of body odor, I get it off as soon as possible, and put it in the laundry basket, away from my nose. Again, I credit that response to my super senses, where I cannot get any work or activities done in my day, since the stench of the smelly top has my attention. Likewise, when we deal with unforgiveness quickly, it's like taking the smelly top off and putting a fresh clean one on. Unless someone had super senses like me, they couldn't perceive it. But imagine if I didn't use deodorant for days and got around others. Not only would it be constantly on my mind of how bad I smell, and interfere with my ability to fellowship, other people would smell the body odor, as well. I experienced this last year, when my husband, Rich, and I drove up to Virginia to celebrate his sister-in-law's sixtieth birthday. We made it a two-day trip to get there, and I was beyond excited, having found a brand-new dress that was normally over $200 for only $35. Moreover, I had stunning shoes to add that extra-bling, rose gold pumps, with matching rose gold stones. In addition, we had bought Rich a brand-new suit, with shiny black dress shoes. We haven't dressed this nice since our wedding day in 2001. Little did I know, that in all my packing, I did not pack my deodorant. Ok, I could get by with using my husband's deodorant, if need be, for this trip, so problem solved. However, I later found out because I had packed so hurriedly that I couldn't find my husband's deodorant or the toothpaste. This was a double whammy. On top of this, we were exhausted, having woke up 3:30 am on Thursday to get to our half-way destination, and then at 4 am on Friday to make our final trek to attend the surprise party. Well one thing was for sure, if someone were to smell my breath or my underarms, they would be surprised by the awful smell. Rich and I arrived at the party exhausted, unable to find his deodorant, which is fine for my husband, because as he says, he glistens, and doesn't sweat. I on the other hand, am like Niagara Falls when the temperature rises above 75. Not only did we not find the deodorant, but the toothpaste, as well, leaving me with bad breath. Unfortunately, I didn't have my regular breath mints in my purse, either. So, get this, I looked the best I have in years, in the most beautiful black sequin gown, stunning shoes with bling, and matching jewelry. However, the whole time I was at the party, I kept my arms tight by my side, and my hand over my mouth. I wanted to really enjoy the celebration, but I was so distracted by my bad breath and stinky underarms. The whole time there, Rich and I kept asking people if they had a mint or something, and no one did. We went for 2 days without brushing our teeth and finally bought some toothpaste from the gas station, only to find our toothpaste packed in my makeup bag, later. While at the party, going through my head was “I hope no one else has the super senses that I do and can smell me.” Instead, if I would have brought my deodorant and toothpaste, I would be carefree, laughing and having fun with all the family. Things that we hold onto from our past towards others can be likened to us not wearing deodorant or brushing our teeth. Imagine on top of not having toiletries for proper hygiene, if we ate rotten food, which then wreaked through our pours, all the while building up in the mouth as super bad breath. We would be unbearable to be around. That's how it is when we have unforgiveness. Our rotten attitude makes it hard for others to be around us. Because we've not the super senses to perceive that our attitude stinks from unforgiveness, it's built up, and been like days without brushing our teeth or taking a bath. Now imagine further, if we haven't brushed our teeth or taken a bath in years. The grace of Truth given through Jesus Christ, was to remove the stench of sin from mankind, where we would be in right standing with the Father, without spot or blemish, because of the atoning work of Christ on the cross. He nailed the debt of our sins to His cross. (Colossians 2:14) That experience of the forgiveness of our sins, comes as we forgive others. Forgiveness means to let go. We must let go of the things we've held onto about others, and the way we might dwell on how they've hurt us. It's the stinking clothes that distract our hearts and minds, keeping us from enjoying life. God taught me that anytime I dwell on something negative that someone has done to me, that it is satan accusing them in my head. He then has me say, “I break agreement with the accuser of the brethren, In Jesus' Name.” What circumstance do you need to let go of, and who do you need to forgive? Take this opportunity to be free of stinking thinking, and cling to the work of the Cross of Christ Jesus, receiving forgiveness for your sins.       [i] [i] Strong J. (1890) Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Abingdon Press. Greek word # 863 “forgive”

Rock guitar virtuoso Jeff Beck died on January 10, 2023, in East Sussex, United Kingdom at the age of 78 from bacterial meningitis. David Crosby, famous tenor voice, song writer, and member of the rock group, “Crosby, Stills, and Nash” and once in a while Young, suddenly died on January 18, 2023,at the age of 81. This is a reflection on what their passing. Even if you don't know who these people were, it will be a good challenge for you to reflect on your life and the opportunities before you in 2023. Rockers We Lost in 2022 | https://loudwire.comRick Beato's YouTube show “Jeff Beck 1944-2023 R.I.P.” Variety article on David Crosby's death. “The Unshakeable Kingdom and the Unchanging Person. “ by E. Stanley Jones on Abingdon Press, C 1972. pages 31 & 36."Other Things with... " YouTube ChannelCut & Paste Personal Invitation to invite your friends to check out “gwot.rocks” podcast: I invite you to check out the podcast, “gwot.rocks: God, the World, and Other Things!” It is available on podcast players everywhere! Here is the link to the show's home base for all its episodes: http://podcast.gwot.rocks/ (Ctrl+click to follow the link) LIFE HELPSDONATE You can help support this podcast by clicking our secure PayPal account. For donation by check, make payable to Transform This City, P.O. Box 1013, Spring Hill, Tennessee, 37174. “gwot.rocks” is a ministry of Transform This City. gwot.rocks home page Transform This City Transform This City Facebook gwot.rocks@transformthiscity.org Thank you for listening! Please tell your friends about us! Listen, share, rate, subscribe! Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Christian StandardBible®, Copyright © 2016 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. ChristianStandard Bible® and CSB® is a federally registered trademark of Holman Bible Publishers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The little things in your life matter. The information you carry within your heart and mind can influence the way you see things. Grow with Robin Kirby-Gatto in your understanding of what might be hindering you from seeing the little things that you need to implement, to make your life better. ****** Welcome to Celebrating God's Grace, A Women World Leader's Podcast, I'm your host Robin Kirby-Gatto. Thank you for joining us today as we celebrate God's grace, in our lives, in our ministry, and around the world. Today's Podcast is titled, “The Little Things Matter.” “Who [with reason] despises the day of small things? For these seven shall rejoice when they see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel. [These seven] are the eyes of the Lord which run to and fro throughout the whole earth.” (Zechariah 4:10 AMPC) Set to the invisible clock of the New Year, our expectations rise with the hope that specific things will happen. Some people make a list in their journal, while others put it on a piece of paper held by a magnet on their fridge. Zerubbabel knew this well, as he was now rebuilding the second Temple of the Lord. He'd already laid the foundation, but because of the distractions in his life, he, along with the rest of the Jews, put the rebuilding of the Temple to the back of his mind. The distractions continued until the Lord sent two prophets, Zechariah and Haggai, to redirect the focus of His people. Trying to reach a goal can be daunting at first. However, more is going on than meets the eye. What's really occurring beneath the surface, is the soul feels deficient in completing the task. Inadequacy whispers to us like a familiar friend, until we realize, it's not a friend at all. Surely this is how Zerubbabel, the rightful governor over Judah, must have felt. In 2003, the book of Zechariah reeled me in like a fish. I was drawn to the incredibleness of the prophet's supernatural encounters, as well as the tasks God gave him, to redirect the people to fulfill their God given destiny. This book topped all fictional books I'd read, except this was true. I wonder if it might be how, one feels today, watching a science-fiction movie, over the top surreal, and captivating. I read chapters one through four, over and over for years, and found myself continually pausing on Chapter 4, at the rebuilding of the Lord's Temple, and this governor of Judah, Zerubbabel. Chapter 4 seemed like a cipher to be decoded, and I was intent to spend as much time as necessary on it, which has now turned into two decades, in deciphering bits and pieces here and there. Each time I think that I cannot get anymore revelation of this chapter, the Lord surprises me, and opens my understanding even more to His scripture. In 2021, God had me write the book Mindfulness the Mind of Christ, which unpacks more about Zerubbabel's struggle in Zechariah 4. He had me study Information Theory, which is basically the science of communication, such as phones, internet, conversations, and the like. Scientists from AT&T (Bell Telephone Laboratories) in the late 1920s were behind this field of science. One of them was Harry Nyquist, who was the leading scientists to contribute to what is known today as Information Theory. One of the major concepts of Information Theory, is the means by which to protect the communication of information.[i] You and I are carriers of information. We carry it in the form of our neurons, where memories are encoded, as well as in a particular receptor in the body, the G Protein-Coupled Receptor, which stores memories at the cellular level. Amazingly enough, what you and I know to be our emotions, are what the leading research Dr. Candace Pert, along with other scientists, proved to be the “molecules of our emotions,” they are experiences of unpacked memories, or can I say “information.” You've heard the saying about being in a relationship, where you don't need to bring any “old luggage” in with you. The meaning of that saying is best understood, by not bringing in old information from past relationships, which might affect the present one. We're constantly bringing in old information from prior relationships, jobs or places we've lived, that might influence our present reality. This happened to Zerubbabel. Israel had been in captivity a long time, and now they were not only given freedom, but given the means by which to build a Temple for the Lord. Their prior information of the Babylonian captivity was interfering with their interpretation of the message of God. This is where the prophets Zechariah and Haggai come in. They were the Error Correction Code, messengers who were sent by God to protect the message. The Error Correction Code has a special element used in protecting information, which is redundancy. You know how you usually don't like people being redundant when they say the same thing over and over, which you might find yourself being that way, well in Information Theory, it's a good thing. Redundancy in the Error Correction Code allows the same message to be said this way, that way, this way, and that way. Prime examples of this are when people say two words that mean the same thing, such as “exact same,” “merge together,” and “adequate enough.” The two words used commonly together have the same meaning. Exact and same have a common meaning, you don't need the two used together. We see the same pattern with “merge together,” and “adequate enough.” These are phrases of redundancy. Southerners aren't the only ones guilty of this; I've heard it from people in the north, as well. For example, one might say, “That is the exact same shirt I bought.” You don't need “exact and same” together, just use one or the other. This might be easier to relate to Information Theory, with the long trips that parents take, where their children in the backseat ask, “are we there yet?” Imagine that phrase translated into different languages, said over and over an entire trip. That's like the Error Correction Code, the same thing is being said, just in different translations. However, the whole purpose is to protect the message. Jesus did this in the Gospel, as He would tell His disciples what He was going to teach them, and then use a parable, and later explain what the parable meant. Jesus on purpose was redundant about the message of truth He was teaching at the time. The purpose of the Error Correction Code is to protect the message by being unequivocally redundant, so that anything contrary to the message would stick up like a sore thumb. This is what the power of the Word of God does, it comes into our mind and body as information, to protect us against the lie of the enemy, where all information that is contrary will be obvious. The information of Zerubbabel's prior captivity moved inside of his members, encoded in the form of memories in his neurons and receptors. He might have felt deficient and discouraged, unqualified to rebuild the Temple. However, those whispers of inadequacy were his old luggage, past information, that was now sticking up like a sore thumb, in the overwhelming task God called him. He was with the first wave of Jews led out of exile, now given the task of rebuilding the Temple of the Lord. Talk about a New Year's goal, that tops them all! God sent the prophet Zechariah to redirect Zerubbabel, by the simple message, “who despises the day of small beginnings.” This phrase became the Error Correction Code for Zerubbabel to build the Temple of the Lord. Every task, no matter how small, appears like a larger task to someone else. It's all relative. Balancing the checkbook might be easy for an eighteen-year-old but ask a four-year-old to do it. Likewise, each of us has a task, a goal, that someone else might not have, but can feel mountainous and overwhelming. The Hebrew word for small beginnings is qâṭân pronounced kaw-tawn' and means, “least, less, little, small, etc.”[ii] I love the ancient Hebrew symbols before the Babylonian captivity, which almost look like caveman drawings. This ancient Hebrew was what the first five books of the Bible were written. Each of the Hebrew Aleph-Bet letters were a symbol, that had meaning, and when put together create a “word picture.” For me, these word pictures created by the ancient Hebrew symbols, amplify the meaning of a Hebrew word. If we peer at the ancient symbols here and their meaning, it will make this message simple, of knowing the message of God for your life, and walking in it. The Hebrew letters that compose “small beginnings,” are Qoph, Tet and Nun. Already I'm delighted as I see the meaning of these three letters together. Qoph is the ancient symbol of a sun on the horizon, as well as the back of a head, and means “rising, follow, behind, and least.” Tet is the ancient symbol of a snake surrounding a rock and means, “to surround.” Then Nun is the ancient symbol of a fish in the water swimming and means, “life and activity.” Therefore, the Hebrew letters for “small beginnings,” compose the word picture, THE LEAST THING THAT SURROUNDS YOU IS LIFE! Do you see the small gifts of your life, given to you by God? Furthermore, the prophet Zechariah instructed Zerubbabel with the cipher that followed “who despises the day of small beginnings,” with “these seven shall rejoice” when they saw the plummet (plumbline) in Zerubbabel's hands. A plumbline in the ancient days, looks like a string attached to a weight of some sort, something made of stone or metal. Thus, the “small beginning” was for Zerubbabel to return to picking up the string with a weight on it. By holding up this string, “these seven will rejoice.” These seven here are a metaphor for the seven-fold dimension of Holy Spirit revealed in Isaiah 11:2, of the fullness of Holy Spirit that would rest on Jesus Christ. The seven-fold dimension of Holy Spirit represents the different facets of Holy Spirit that serve a purpose. You might be a mother, wife, daughter, friend, and worker. Each one of those facets are still you, which serves a purpose for each role. Likewise, Holy Spirit is identified as The Spirit of the Lord, Wisdom, Might, Counsel, Understanding, Knowledge and The Fear of the Lord. Each facet serves a purpose. For example, the Fear of the Lord keeps us from sin. Thus, Zechariah the prophet was encouraging Zerubbabel, with the fact that GOD'S HOLY SPIRIT WAS REJOCING, over just a little string with a weight that the governor held in his hand. It was the smallest thing that caused God to rejoice; He knows that it takes the small task to lead up to the “finishing task.” What is it that you have as a goal for this year? Is it to grow spiritually, then read an extra verse and set more time to prayer. Is it to be better physically, then implement walking three days a week for twenty minutes and a good eating lifestyle. Is it to be a better wife, then make sure you really listen to your husband, and pray for him. Is it to be a better mother, make sure you live in the moment with your children, so you don't regret passing those moments up. Is it to be a better daughter? Enjoy your parent while you have them, knowing that one day they won't be here. Is it to be a better worker? Then look to where you can add God value to others in the office. It's the little things that keep you on task, as the old information of your deficiency is removed, where you've made room for the truth, to recognize the Life God has given you, that surrounds you, the good and perfect gifts from the Father of Lights! [i] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communication_theory#Information_Theory [ii] Strong J. (1890) Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Abingdon Press. Hebrew word # 6996 “small”

This is a first for us: we recorded this bonus episode on location at a gathering we hosted in Austin, Texas! You'll hear from eleven amazing leaders and practitioners of physical and digital ministry, or “phygital” as we've now learned to say. These pioneers in digital ministry will share their experiences, questions, and ideas for what the digital space makes possible for formation. From designing apps that reach younger generations to exploring virtual reality in the Metaverse, and so much more, this episode is interesting, informative, and inspiring! In this episode, we discuss: What formation is and what the digital space makes possible? (3:20)Three experiences of digital ministry: worship, an app, and campus ministry (18:38)Experiments in the Metaverse and the possibilities of virtual reality (34:36)Ethics and digital ministry (44:37)Reaching the unchurched or dechurched in digital space (51:54)Quotes:“I think the church is supposed to be the one making that clarion call to adventure for people to accept and then we're supposed to equip them along the way to launch them back into the world they came from so they can awaken others. … All the things that happen along the way take us from walking towards Jesus to walking with Jesus.” -Christian WashingtonThere's an app that you can download that actually wakes you up inside of a homeless person's tent. It starts with 360 degree recording of a real person's tent being arrested and dragged out of her tent. Then it fades to black and then you open up in a virtual environment, it's still her tent, but you can reach out and grab her mug, and then it plays an audio story of where the mug came from. You can pick up her journal and flip through it, or you can pick up her family photo and it flashes back to a memory of her and her family. It's immersive, empathy building storytelling where you take somebody and transport them into somebody else's life, experiencing what other people are going through and building empathy across people groups.” -Dan BrackenBios of GuestsRachel BillupsRachel Billups is a visionary, leader, speaker and author. Currently she serves as Senior Pastor at New Albany United Methodist Church, New Albany/Columbus, Ohio. Rachel draws on her love of people and passion to explore new venues for ministry and mission. Rachel is an ordained Elder within the United Methodist Church and holds a Bachelor's Degree in Bible/Religion and History from Anderson University and a Master of Divinity Degree from Duke Divinity School. Rachel is a popular speaker for national gatherings and has recently authored BE BOLD: Finding Four Fierce published by Abingdon Press. You can find her on social media at: @rlbillups.Dan BrackenDan has been on staff at Ginghamsburg Church since 2006, where he serves as Ginghamsburg's communication director. Dan also leads the Ginghamsburg Design Studio, the church's in-house creative media resourcing team where he practices all aspects of communication – video production, graphic design, social media, website development, app creation, creative storytelling, marketing and wayfinding.Phil DiekePhil is a Deacon in the North Texas Conference, currently serving as the Associate Pastor of Discipleship and Digital Ministry at White Rock UMC in East Dallas. He chairs the Board of Church and Society for the North Texas Conference, is a facilitator for Project Unity's Together We Dine, sits on the Executive Board of Texas Impact and the Leadership Council for Faith Forward Dallas. Phil believes technology, like human nature, has the potential to do good and all kinds of harm in this...

Bishop Julius C. Trimble is the Resident Bishop of the Indiana Area of the United Methodist Church.Bishop Trimble has the personal mission to encourage all people with the love of Jesus Christ to rise to their highest potential. It is his commitment to his personal mission that led Bishop Trimble to create the “To Be Encouraged” Podcast along with co-host Rev.Dr. Brad Miller. Bishop Trimble says, “I am compelled by Jesus to share with you an encouraging word or two about Jesus, theology, the Bible, the pandemic, the environment, racism, voting rights, human sexuality, and the state of the United Methodist Church.” To Be Encouraged with Bishop Julius C. Trimble is to be published weekly and is available at www.tobeencouraged.com and all the podcast directories.https://www.inumc.org/bishop/office-of-the-bishop/Special Guest in Episode 038 is Iowa Annual Conference Bishop Laurie HallerBishop Laurie Haller was elected on ballot 13 at the 2016 North Central Jurisdictional Conference on Thursday, July 14, 2016.Bishop Laurie Haller served in the Michigan area from 1982 to 2016. She was serving as senior pastor of First United Methodist Church in Birmingham in the Detroit Annual Conference when she was elected to the Episcopacy on July 14.Bishop Haller is a prolific writer whose essays and articles have appeared in the Michigan Christian Advocate, Worship Arts, United Methodist Reporter, Ministry Matters, UM Insight, the United Methodist News Service Daily Digest, MIConnect, and Faith in Action.Her blog "Leading from the Heart" is available here: https://www.lauriehaller.org/Bishop Haller is married to Rev. Gary Haller, retired senior pastor of First United Methodist Church in Birmingham, Michigan. They have three children and two grandchildren.Bishop Haller's 2015 book, Recess; Rediscovering Play and Purpose, is available through Cass Community Publishing House, (https://tictail.com/s/ccpublishinghouse).Bishop Haller published a second book in 2020 called Wandering into Grace; A Journey of Discovery and Hope. It is published by Abingdon Press and is available from Cokesbury. (www.cokesbury.com)Part 1 of this interview with Bishop Laurie Haller will be available at this link: https://tobeencouraged.com/episode/038

Bishop Julius C. Trimble is the Resident Bishop of the Indiana Area of the United Methodist Church.Bishop Trimble has the personal mission to encourage all people with the love of Jesus Christ to rise to their highest potential. It is his commitment to his personal mission that led Bishop Trimble to create the “To Be Encouraged” Podcast along with co-host Rev.Dr. Brad Miller. Bishop Trimble says, “I am compelled by Jesus to share with you an encouraging word or two about Jesus, theology, the Bible, the pandemic, the environment, racism, voting rights, human sexuality, and the state of the United Methodist Church.” To Be Encouraged with Bishop Julius C. Trimble is to be published weekly and is available at www.tobeencouraged.com and all the podcast directories.https://www.inumc.org/bishop/office-of-the-bishop/Special Guest in Episode 038 is Iowa Annual Conference Bishop Laurie HallerBishop Laurie Haller was elected on ballot 13 at the 2016 North Central Jurisdictional Conference on Thursday, July 14, 2016.Bishop Laurie Haller served in the Michigan area from 1982 to 2016. She was serving as senior pastor of First United Methodist Church in Birmingham in the Detroit Annual Conference when she was elected to the Episcopacy on July 14.Bishop Haller is a prolific writer whose essays and articles have appeared in the Michigan Christian Advocate, Worship Arts, United Methodist Reporter, Ministry Matters, UM Insight, the United Methodist News Service Daily Digest, MIConnect, and Faith in Action.Her blog "Leading from the Heart" is available here: https://www.lauriehaller.org/Bishop Haller is married to Rev. Gary Haller, retired senior pastor of First United Methodist Church in Birmingham, Michigan. They have three children and two grandchildren.Bishop Haller's 2015 book, Recess; Rediscovering Play and Purpose, is available through Cass Community Publishing House, (https://tictail.com/s/ccpublishinghouse).Bishop Haller published a second book in 2020 called Wandering into Grace; A Journey of Discovery and Hope. It is published by Abingdon Press and is available from Cokesbury. (www.cokesbury.com)Part 2 of this interview with Bishop Laurie Haller will be available at this link: https://tobeencouraged.com/episode/039

One of the great ironies of the Christian religion is that the person Christians worship isn't a Christian. Jesus was born, raised, and died a Jew. He might even find it odd that an entire new religion grew up out of his short life and painful death. He is without question, the most popular person to have ever walked the earth. But what do we really know about this first century Galilean? If we are honest, not much. He was born to humble parents under sketchy circumstances, he grew to become an itinerant preacher and wisdom teacher. The poor loved him, drunks drank with him, and sex workers called him friend. Some believed him a prophet, others thought he was the Messiah. The religious elite saw him as a threat and the Roman Empire eventually murdered him as a political revolutionary. But what cannot be questioned about the historic Jesus is his Jewish identity. He was rooted in first century Judaism. He celebrated the Jewish festivals. He went on pilgrimage to the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem, he taught in the Synagogue. He was a miracle worker and mystic. If you grew up in the church, Jesus was presented as the first Christian, a man who dedicated his life to dismantling Judaism in route to founding a new religion. But this view is not only historically inaccurate, it fails to account for Jesus' Jewish identity. In this erudite episode, scholar Amy-Jill Levine helps Christians and Jews understand the "Jewishness" of Jesus so that our appreciation of him deepens and a greater interfaith dialogue can take place. Levine's humor and informed truth-telling provokes honest conversation and debate about how Christians and Jews should understand Jesus in the modern world. How have we gotten him right? How have we gotten him wrong? What might we learn about him by remembering and studying his Jewish identity? What would Jesus have believed about hell, sexuality, women, and the Bible in his first century Jewish context?We've all met Jesus before. Or, have we? Meeting Jesus as a first century Jew just might change not only how you see yourself, but your faith tradition as well. BioAmy Jill Levine (“AJ”) is Rabbi Stanley M. Kessler Distinguished Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies at Hartford International University for Religion and Peace and University Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies Emerita and Mary Jane Werthan Professor of Jewish Studies Emerita, at Vanderbilt. Her publications include The Misunderstood Jew: The Church and the Scandal of the Jewish Jesus, Short Stories by Jesus: The Enigmatic Parables of a Controversial Rabbi; six children's books (with Sandy Sasso); The Gospel of Luke (with Ben Witherington III, the first biblical commentary by a Jew and an Evangelical); The Jewish Annotated New Testament (co-edited with Marc Brettler), The Bible With and Without Jesus: How Jews and Christians Read the Same Stories Differently (with Marc Brettler), The Pharisees (co-edited with Joseph Sievers), and thirteen edited volumes of the Feminist Companions to the New Testament and Early Christian Literature. Along with Introduction to the Old Testament for the Teaching Company, her Beginner's Guide series for Abingdon Press includes Sermon on the Mount, Light of the World, Entering the Passion of Jesus, The Difficult Words of Jesus, Witness at the Cross, and Signs and Wonders. The first Jew to teach New Testament at Rome's Pontifical Biblical Institute, an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the first winner of the Seelisberg Prize for Jewish-Christian Relations, AJ describes herself as an unorthodox member of an Orthodox synagogue and a Yankee Jewish feminist who works to counter biblical interpretations that exclude and oppress.If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating and a review

Podcast #8 Population Health Equity: Crucial and Complicated Sanne asks Dave why a paper he worked on for three years “Thinking Clearly, Speaking Frankly about Health Equity” was never published…and whether the many complications of population health equity can detract from crucial action. ****Attach the Unpublished Draft Kindig Paper “Thinking Clearly and Speaking Frankly about Health Equity: Good and Fair Population Health” References: Asada Y, Whipp A, Kindig D, Billard B, Rudolph B. 2014. Inequalities in Multiple Health Outcomes by Education, Sex, and Race in 93 US Counties: Why We Should Measure Them All. Int J Equity Health 13:47. https://doi.org/10.1186/1475-9276-13-47 Kindig D, Lardinois N, Chatterjee D. 2016. Can States Simultaneously Improve Health Outcomes and Reduce Health Outcome Disparities? Prev Chronic Dis 13:160126. http://dx.doi.org/10.5888/pcd13.160126 Kindig D, Lardinois N, Asada Y, Mullahy J. 2018. Considering Mean and Inequality Health Outcomes Together: the Population Health Performance Index. Int J Equity Health 17:25. DOI 10.1186/s12939-018-0731-2. Givens ML, Kindig D, Inzeo PT, Faust V. 2018. Power: The Most Fundamental Cause of Health Inequity? Health Affairs Blog Feb 1. https://www.healthaffairs.org/do/10.1377/forefront.20180129.731387/full/ Gundersen G, Pray L. 2009. Leading causes of life: five fundamentals to change the way you live your life. Abingdon Press, Nashville Tennessee.

Bishop Grant J. Hagiya is a graduate of Claremont School of Theology and Pepperdine University, as well as the author of the book, Leadership Kaizen, published by Abingdon Press in 2013. As a Bishop, he has served as the episcopal leader in the Greater Northwest area, and now in the Los Angeles area. Prior to his election to the episcopacy, he served as the Los Angeles District Superintendent, Executive Director of the Center for Leadership Excellence, and as a faculty member at Claremont School of Theology.Audio Podcast, Transcription, and Discussion Questions - http://www.WhereDoWeGoUMC.com

The Reading of the Will By the Rev. Franklyn C. Pottorff Download the bulletin here: https://www.bmpc.org/sermons/worship-bulletins/1261-sunday-july-31-2022-10-00-a-m-bulletin-1/file Prelude - Variations on a Norwegian Folktune Music: Edvard Grieg, 1875; arr. Bjarne Sløgedal, 1971. ©1971 Harald Lyche & Co., Musikkforlag, Oslo, Norway. All rights reserved. Hymn - Here in This Place Text and Music: Marty Haugen, 1979. Text and Music: ©1982 GIA Publications, Inc. Reprinted and streamed with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-716211. All rights reserved. Response - Take, O Take Me As I Am Text and Music: ©1995 WGRG, Iona Community (admin. GIA Publications, Inc.) Reprinted and streamed with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-716211. All rights reserved. Hymn - All Who Love and Serve Your City Text: Erik Routely, 1966. Music: The United States Sacred Harmony, 1799; harm. Carlton R. Young, 1964. Text: ©1969 Stainer & Bell, Ltd. (admin. Hope Publishing Company). Music Harm: ©1965 Abingdon Press (admin. The Copyright Company). Reprinted and streamed with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-716211. All rights reserved. Offertory Anthem - O Give Thanks Text: The Psalms. Music: Joseph Corfe; arr. James Kirkby. ©2014 St. James Music Press. Reprinted and streamed with permission by St. James Music Press, license #7158. All rights reserved. Hymn - God of Our Life Text: Hugh Thomson Kerr, 1916, alt. Music: Charles Henry Purday, 1860, harm. John Weaver, 1986. Text: ©1928 F.M. Braselman, ren. 1956 Presbyterian Board of Christian Education. (admin. Westminster John Knox Press). Music Harm: ©1990 Hope Publishing Company. Reprinted and streamed with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-716211. All rights reserved. Doxology - Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow Text: ©1989 Hope Publishing Company. Music Harm: ©1998 Hope Publishing Company. Reprinted and streamed with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-716211. All rights reserved.

Adam Hamilton is the founding pastor of the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas. He grew up in the Kansas City area, earned a B.A. degree in Pastoral Ministry from Oral Roberts and a Master of Divinity Degree from Southern Methodist University, where he was awarded the B'nai B'rith Award in Social Ethics. He was named one of the “Ten people to watch in America's spiritual landscape” by Religion and Ethics Newsweekly. For his work in racial reconciliation Adam was awarded the Martin Luther King, Jr. Legacy Award. Named United Methodist Person of the Year for 2012 by the United Methodist Reporter for his leadership within the United Methodist Church. He's received numerous other awards for community service. Hamilton launched Church of the Resurrection with his wife and two children in 1990. It has since grown to over 20,000 adults and children in 2018 under his leadership. Today the church is the largest United Methodist Church in the United States with an average weekend attendance of over 12,000. The congregation has a three-fold focus: Connecting with thinking people and inviting them to become followers of Jesus Christ, engaging in acts of justice and mercy in the community, and working to renew the United Methodist Church. Adam has written over 25 books, published by Abingdon Press and Harper Collins, and Convergent, including: · When Christians Get it Wrong · Seeing Gray in a World of Black and White · The Way: Walking in the Footsteps of Jesus · Making Sense of the Bible · Revival · Unafraid: Living with Courage and Hope in Uncertain Times Adam and LaVon have been married over 35 years and have two adult daughters and a granddaughter.

Sometimes we can get so caught up in the everyday routines and busy schedules that we fail to take the time to slow down and truly connect with our families. In today's episode, Barb speaks with special guest and friend, Amberly Neese, about how we can start creating meaningful moments with our families by pressing in, building up, and prioritizing connection over perfection. This is an episode you won't want to miss!   RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE amberlyneese.com The Belonging Project: Finding Your Tribe and Learning to Thrive   ABOUT OUR SPECIAL GUEST Amberly Neese is a popular speaker/teacher, comedian, author, and all-around encourager dedicated to helping you become the joyful person you were created to be. She helps people like you experience the freedom found in meaningful relationships with God and others. Her bible study, “The Belonging Project: Finding Your Tribe and Learning to Thrive” was released in May 2020 by Abingdon Press. Amberly is a featured speaker for the Aspire Women's Events and the main host and female comedian for Marriage Date Night, two popular Christian events that tour nationally. She and her husband have two teenagers and live in Prescott, Arizona, where they enjoy the great outdoors, the Food Network, and all things Star Wars.

Sunday, June 26, 2022 Sermon: Created for Prophetic Community by the Rev. Dr. Agnes W. Norfleet Download bulletin here: https://www.bmpc.org/sermons/worship-bulletins/1246-sunday-june-26-2022-bulletin/file ________ Prelude - Praeambulum and Harmonies Volantes Music: Erzsébet Szönyi ©1958 Editio Musica Budapest Zeneműkiadó Kft. Hal Leonard Corporation/Universal Music Publishing Group. All rights reserved. Response – Take Me as I Am Text and Music: John L. Bell, 1995. Text and Music: ©1995 WGRG, Iona Community (admin. GIA Publications, Inc.) Reprinted and streamed with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-716211. All rights reserved. Hymn - God the Sculptor of Mountains Text: John Thornburg, 1993, alt. Music: Amanda Husberg, 1995. Text: ©1993 John Thornburg. Music: ©1996 Abingdon Press (admin. The Copyright Company)Reprinted and streamed with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-716211. All rights reserved. Offertory Anthem - How Can I Keep From Singing? Music: Traditional Quaker hymn; arr. Mark Schweizer. ©2014 St. James Music Press. Reprinted and streamed with permission by St. James Music Press, license #7158. All rights reserved. Doxology - Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow Text: Brian Wren, 1989. Music: Geistliche Kirchengesäng, 1623; harm. Hal H. Hopson, 1998. Text: ©1989 Hope Publishing Company. Music Harm: ©1998 Hope Publishing Company. Reprinted and streamed with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-716211. All rights reserved. Postlude: Presque Dasant Music: Erzsébet Szönyi ©1958 Editio Musica Budapest Zeneműkiadó Kft. Hal Leonard Corporation/Universal Music Publishing Group. All rights reserved.

10:00 a.m. Sunday Worship Service. For Safety in the Streets Sermon by the Rev. Dr. Agnes W. Norfleet Download bulletin: https://www.bmpc.org/sermons/worship-bulletins/1240-sunday-june-12-2022-10-00-a-m-bulletin/file Response - Take, O Take Me As I Am Text and Music: John L. Bell, 1995. Text and Music: ©1995 WGRG, Iona Community (admin. GIA Publications, Inc.) Reprinted and streamed with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-716211. All rights reserved. Anthem - O Love, How Deep Text: Thomas á Kempis (15th cent.), trans. Benjamin Webb, 1852. Music: Everett Titcomb, 1952. Text and Music: ©1952 The H.W. Gray Co., Inc., agents for Novello & Co., London. Reprinted and streamed with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-716211. All rights reserved. Hymn - O Day of Peace Text: Carl P. Daw, Jr., 1982. Music: C. Hubert H. Parry, 1916; harm. Charles H. Webb, 1987. Text: ©1982 Hope Publishing Company. Music Melody: ©1916, 1944, this arr. ©1977 Robertson Publications (admin. Goodmusic Publishing, Ltd.). Music Harm: ©1989 The United Methodist Publishing House (admin. The Copyright Company). Reprinted and streamed with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-716211. All rights reserved. Offertory Anthem - Have ye Not Known: Ye Shall Have a Song Text: Isaiah 40:21, Isaiah 30:29. Music: Randall Thompson, 1936. Text and Music: ©1936, renewed ©1963, E.C. Schirmer Music Company Inc., a division of ECS Publishing Group. Reprinted and streamed with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-716211. All rights reserved. Hymn - All Who Love and Serve Your City Text: Erik Routley, 1966. Music: The United States Sacred Harmony, 1799; harm. Carlton R. Young, 1964. Text: ©1969 Stainer & Bell, Ltd. (admin. Hope Publishing Company). Music Harm: ©1965 Abingdon Press (admin. The Copyright Company). Reprinted and streamed with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-716211. All rights reserved. Doxology - Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow Text: Brian Wren, 1989. Music: Geistliche Kirchengesäng, 1623; harm. Hal H. Hopson, 1998. Text: ©1989 Hope Publishing Company. Music Harm: ©1998 Hope Publishing Company. Reprinted and streamed with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-716211. All rights reserved.

  Charlie Baber is the author and illustrator of Wesley Bros Comics, a weekly web-comic featuring Methodist founders John and Charles Wesley as themselves in today's world. In 2019 his comics were collected and published by Abingdon Press as Submitting To Be More Vile: The Illustrated Adventures of John and Charles Wesley.  He is currently illustrating an on-going weekly series called A History of Incompatibility, following historical events surrounding the developments of the divides in the church over LGBTQ inclusion.  He loves life in Chapel Hill, NC where he works as a full-time youth minister as an ordained deacon in The United Methodist Church. His life in comics began as a 13-year-old comic strip artist for the Richmond Times-Dispatch, but a call to ministry put his comic work on hold for a few years. He enjoys biking with his partner and two kids, studying queer history and theology, and mint juleps on the hammock on a lazy summer afternoon. Connect with Charlie Wesley Bros Comics www.wesleybros.com. Facebook   www.facebook.com/wesleybroscomic  Become a patron  www.patreon.com/wesleybros  

Today I would like to give pointers for understanding Jesus' parables. I consider the parable to be one of the greatest of all teaching devices, and a legacy of the Greatest Teacher. I will end this episode by sharing a non-Biblical parable. One little detail to understand is that the word ‘parable' (Greek paraboles) had a wider meaning than we normally think of in English, and you may see this sometimes in the New Testament. In English, we normally think of a parable as a story that points to some deeper meaning. However, as an example, the word ‘parable' is used for a one-sentence figurative teaching in Mark 7:17 where it refers back to Jesus' statement in verse 15:  GW “Nothing that goes into a person from the outside can make him unclean. It's what comes out of a person that makes him unclean.” In verse 17, the disciples ask Jesus to explain that ‘parable'.  With that footnote, I want you to know that I will really just be talking briefly about what we normally think of as parables, the story type. In the episode notes, I give links to more complete and scholarly information than what I will present to you. In particular, I recommend viewing the 6 minute video from bibleproject.com entitled The Parables of Jesus. Also in the episode notes, I have links to both a video and a good summary about Interpreting Parables by Bob Utley.   ======= Bob Utley's Special Topic page on Interpreting Parables:http://www.freebiblecommentary.org/special_topics/parable_interpretation.html Bob Utley's video on Luke 15:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f76EvjGy7Jw Don't miss the cool video from BibleProject.com! Title: The Parables of Jesus   I appreciated the original thinking and humorous examples in this short article:https://www.1517.org/articles/understanding-jesus-parables =======   As I was thinking about what to mention to you, I was reading a historically-interesting commentary by Christopher Wordsworth from 1856, and I almost stumbled into a common error in interpreting parables, which is thinking of them as allegories. An example of this is Luke chapter 15, where we have the parable of the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, and the Lost Son. Wordsworth gives an allegorical interpretation, assigning an identity to all the characters. In this case, the shepherd is Christ, who searches for his lost sheep. That's not too bad. But seeing the woman who loses one of her coins as a picture of the church, is definitely stretching things. Similarly in the Parable of the Lost Son, the father is interpreted as God, the younger son as the Gentiles who repent, and the older son as the Jews.  One of the things that leads people to take an overly allegorical approach to the parables has to be Jesus himself, in his foundational teaching about the parables found in Mark 4, Mat. 13, and Luk. 8. In Jesus' explanation of the Parable of the Sower, He might almost contradict my last point about allegorical interpretation. It just happens that the Parable of the Sower (also called the Parable of the Different Kinds of Soil) has clear allegorical elements (the birds, path, rocky soil, etc), whereas for many other parables it doesn't help to seek an allegorical identity for the various participants. A second thing that is unusual in the Parable of the Soils is that it has clear multiple teaching points, whereas most parables have a single, simple point. I have mentioned all this heavy stuff to bring us around to this simple point: When we get too fancy in our interpretation of parables, we tend to miss the main point, which is to ask, “How does this apply to me?” The cool thing about parables is that Jesus intended them to be multi-purpose. People who were ready to believe in Jesus would get one interpretation, and the religious leaders criticizing Him would understand Jesus' meaning very differently. Both groups got a correct interpretation, as Jesus intended, even though the interpretations were different.  This propensity of parables to be interpreted differently has a plus side and a negative side. On one hand, we must remember that parables are not good for determining doctrine. Let's not decide the timing of Jesus' second coming based on parables, but some of the parables clearly illustrate something about Jesus' second coming. The plus side is that the Holy Spirit may use Jesus' parables to say something very pointedly appropriate for you. I have been amazed that in the Parable of Different Kinds of Soil I sometimes find that I am dangerously close to living amongst thorns, way too concerned with the cares of this life. But in a few months when I come across the parable again, I find that I have moved over to the rocky soil, meaning that I might glibly say that I love God's Word, but on that day if I am honest, I have to admit that my roots are dangerously shallow. Another illustration of a personal application for me is this, which I don't think I have ever shared with anyone before: When I read the story of the prodigal son, I am reminded that I acted like the prodigal son, when I was young and thoughtless, by asking for part of my inheritance early. I didn't realize that this was tantamount to wishing my father dead. How this must have hurt him! I wish I could tell him how sorry I am that I ever did that. Don't look to parables for decisions about moving to another city, quitting your job, or selling your house. That's not what I mean by a personal application.  Finally, here are three final pointers: Understanding the context and the audience Jesus was speaking to is key to understanding what Jesus was saying. You can see a progression in Luke's Gospel that leads from more general parables about the Kingdom of God, to Jesus' identity as the king who will return, and to whom everyone will give an account. Look to see if the Gospel writer or Jesus himself tells what He was driving at. And also take note of any surprising twist in the story. Such twists often give an important clue to the meaning. Let me illustrate that idea of a surprising twist found in some parables. One of my favorite booklets that we printed to display our translation in Indonesia is a collection of 25 parables. If I am in Indonesia, I like to have that booklet handy in my bag. There was one devout Islamic taxi driver that took me to my home at least six times. Because of frequent traffic jams in Jakarta, a 20 minute trip can take two hours on bad days. So I started reading the parables to him. He was interested, and it was way better than trying to debate with him about our religions. After many of the parables he would say, “OK, yeah. I think we Muslims could agree with that one.” That continued until we got to the Parable of the Vineyard owner in Matthew 20. That's the one where the vineyard owner gives all the workers the same pay for a full day's work, even though some workers only worked for one hour. He responded, “What?! He did that? That's crazy. That's unfair!” This gave me an opportunity to talk about God's kindness. We call it grace. God wants to be generous with us, because none of us can manage to earn our salvation. God designed this counterintuitive situation so that all glory would go to our Savior, and none would go to us. As I will not be living in the same place in Jakarta when I go back (in July 2022), it is not likely that I will take that route again with the same taxi driver. It is not appropriate for me to share his name. But you can join me in praying for that taxi driver that I read parables to. To give you a chance of hearing a parable for the first time (like Jesus' followers had), I'll read The Innovator by G. Williams Jones, from his book with the same name, published by Abingdon Press, copyright 1969.  The complete name of the book is The Innovator and Other Modern Parables. Announcement: If anyone knows of any of the heirs of G. William Jones, please ask them to contact me. May the Lord bless you ‘Real Good'! Phil

Today I would like to give pointers for understanding Jesus' parables. I consider the parable to be one of the greatest of all teaching devices, and a legacy of the Greatest Teacher. I will end this episode by sharing a non-Biblical parable. One little detail to understand is that the word ‘parable' (Greek paraboles) had a wider meaning than we normally think of in English, and you may see this sometimes in the New Testament. In English, we normally think of a parable as a story that points to some deeper meaning. However, as an example, the word ‘parable' is used for a one-sentence figurative teaching in Mark 7:17 where it refers back to Jesus' statement in verse 15:  GW “Nothing that goes into a person from the outside can make him unclean. It's what comes out of a person that makes him unclean.” In verse 17, the disciples ask Jesus to explain that ‘parable'.  With that footnote, I want you to know that I will really just be talking briefly about what we normally think of as parables, the story type. In the episode notes, I give links to more complete and scholarly information than what I will present to you. In particular, I recommend viewing the 6 minute video from bibleproject.com entitled The Parables of Jesus. Also in the episode notes, I have links to both a video and a good summary about Interpreting Parables by Bob Utley.   ======= Bob Utley's Special Topic page on Interpreting Parables:http://www.freebiblecommentary.org/special_topics/parable_interpretation.html Bob Utley's video on Luke 15:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f76EvjGy7Jw Don't miss the cool video from BibleProject.com! Title: The Parables of Jesus   I appreciated the original thinking and humorous examples in this short article:https://www.1517.org/articles/understanding-jesus-parables =======   As I was thinking about what to mention to you, I was reading a historically-interesting commentary by Christopher Wordsworth from 1856, and I almost stumbled into a common error in interpreting parables, which is thinking of them as allegories. An example of this is Luke chapter 15, where we have the parable of the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, and the Lost Son. Wordsworth gives an allegorical interpretation, assigning an identity to all the characters. In this case, the shepherd is Christ, who searches for his lost sheep. That's not too bad. But seeing the woman who loses one of her coins as a picture of the church, is definitely stretching things. Similarly in the Parable of the Lost Son, the father is interpreted as God, the younger son as the Gentiles who repent, and the older son as the Jews.  One of the things that leads people to take an overly allegorical approach to the parables has to be Jesus himself, in his foundational teaching about the parables found in Mark 4, Mat. 13, and Luk. 8. In Jesus' explanation of the Parable of the Sower, He might almost contradict my last point about allegorical interpretation. It just happens that the Parable of the Sower (also called the Parable of the Different Kinds of Soil) has clear allegorical elements (the birds, path, rocky soil, etc), whereas for many other parables it doesn't help to seek an allegorical identity for the various participants. A second thing that is unusual in the Parable of the Soils is that it has clear multiple teaching points, whereas most parables have a single, simple point. I have mentioned all this heavy stuff to bring us around to this simple point: When we get too fancy in our interpretation of parables, we tend to miss the main point, which is to ask, “How does this apply to me?” The cool thing about parables is that Jesus intended them to be multi-purpose. People who were ready to believe in Jesus would get one interpretation, and the religious leaders criticizing Him would understand Jesus' meaning very differently. Both groups got a correct interpretation, as Jesus intended, even though the interpretations were different.  This propensity of parables to be interpreted differently has a plus side and a negative side. On one hand, we must remember that parables are not good for determining doctrine. Let's not decide the timing of Jesus' second coming based on parables, but some of the parables clearly illustrate something about Jesus' second coming. The plus side is that the Holy Spirit may use Jesus' parables to say something very pointedly appropriate for you. I have been amazed that in the Parable of Different Kinds of Soil I sometimes find that I am dangerously close to living amongst thorns, way too concerned with the cares of this life. But in a few months when I come across the parable again, I find that I have moved over to the rocky soil, meaning that I might glibly say that I love God's Word, but on that day if I am honest, I have to admit that my roots are dangerously shallow. Another illustration of a personal application for me is this, which I don't think I have ever shared with anyone before: When I read the story of the prodigal son, I am reminded that I acted like the prodigal son, when I was young and thoughtless, by asking for part of my inheritance early. I didn't realize that this was tantamount to wishing my father dead. How this must have hurt him! I wish I could tell him how sorry I am that I ever did that. Don't look to parables for decisions about moving to another city, quitting your job, or selling your house. That's not what I mean by a personal application.  Finally, here are three final pointers: Understanding the context and the audience Jesus was speaking to is key to understanding what Jesus was saying. You can see a progression in Luke's Gospel that leads from more general parables about the Kingdom of God, to Jesus' identity as the king who will return, and to whom everyone will give an account. Look to see if the Gospel writer or Jesus himself tells what He was driving at. And also take note of any surprising twist in the story. Such twists often give an important clue to the meaning. Let me illustrate that idea of a surprising twist found in some parables. One of my favorite booklets that we printed to display our translation in Indonesia is a collection of 25 parables. If I am in Indonesia, I like to have that booklet handy in my bag. There was one devout Islamic taxi driver that took me to my home at least six times. Because of frequent traffic jams in Jakarta, a 20 minute trip can take two hours on bad days. So I started reading the parables to him. He was interested, and it was way better than trying to debate with him about our religions. After many of the parables he would say, “OK, yeah. I think we Muslims could agree with that one.” That continued until we got to the Parable of the Vineyard owner in Matthew 20. That's the one where the vineyard owner gives all the workers the same pay for a full day's work, even though some workers only worked for one hour. He responded, “What?! He did that? That's crazy. That's unfair!” This gave me an opportunity to talk about God's kindness. We call it grace. God wants to be generous with us, because none of us can manage to earn our salvation. God designed this counterintuitive situation so that all glory would go to our Savior, and none would go to us. As I will not be living in the same place in Jakarta when I go back (in July 2022), it is not likely that I will take that route again with the same taxi driver. It is not appropriate for me to share his name. But you can join me in praying for that taxi driver that I read parables to. To give you a chance of hearing a parable for the first time (like Jesus' followers had), I'll read The Innovator by G. Williams Jones, from his book with the same name, published by Abingdon Press, copyright 1969.  The complete name of the book is The Innovator and Other Modern Parables. Announcement: If anyone knows of any of the heirs of G. William Jones, please ask them to contact me. May the Lord bless you ‘Real Good'! Phil

The Rev. Dr. Pamela Lightsey is the Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs, and Associate Professor of Constructive Theology at Meadville Lombard Theological School. Prior to her appointment, Dr. Lightsey served as Associate Dean of Community Life and Lifelong Learning, Clinical Assistant Professor of Contextual Theology and Practice at the Boston University School of Theology.Dr. Lightsey brings a special mix of life experience and professional proficiency to the position. Following service in the US Army and work as a civil servant, she received her academic and theological training at Columbus State University (BS), Gammon Seminary of the Interdenominational Theological Center (M.Div.) and Garrett-Evangelical Theological School (PhD). After ordination, she served first as a United Methodist congregational pastor and then as a theological school educator, scholar and administrator. Throughout her vocational life, she has been a leading social justice activist, working with local, national and international organizations focusing primarily on the causes of peacemaking, racial justice and LGBTQ rights.Her publications include the book, Our Lives Matter: A Womanist Queer Theology (Wipf and Stock), "He Is Black and We are Queer" in Albert Cleage Jr and the Black Madonna and Child (New York: Palgrave Macmillan), “Reconciliation” in Prophetic Evangelicals: Envisioning a Just and Peaceable Kingdom (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company), and "If There Should Come a Word” in Black United Methodists Preach! (Abingdon Press).Follow FTE on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for alerts on new episodes.

Most of us can readily identify with having a love-hate relationship with the Institution of the Church. Gil Rendle's latest paper, Jacob's Bones: On the Church's Institutional Future, addresses our ambivalence head-on and offers a distinction that is a gamechanger. He states, “Institutions are not organizations that house values. Institutions are values and disciplines that need organizations to bring their gifts to the people.” Listen to this week's episode of Igniting Imagination as we dig deeper into this conversation with Gil. We hope it sparks a new imagination in you around the vital work of identifying the core truths, values and practices that reside at the center of what it means to be the Church today.   QUOTES “We still have this internal knowledge that there is something of great purpose in what we're doing by forming a family. There is something of great purpose in what we're doing in forming a marriage or in being part of a religious community or seeking democracy or wanting to serve the common good. This is going back to fundamentals that reside pretty deep in us.” -Gil Rendle [31:55] “The younger an institution is or the younger an expression of an institution is, the  easier it is because the closer it lives to its purpose.” -Gil Rendle [32:59]   TIMESTAMPS [00:00] Intro [01:06] The purpose of talking about purpose [05:10] Meet Gil Rendle [06:24] Host's reactions to this conversation [11:32] About Jacob's Bones: On the Church's Institutional Future  [15:17] Institution as a construction of a social reality [19:43] Problem-solving instead of discernment [24:31] How leaders shift from problem-solving mode to discernment mode [30:08] What we're experiencing [34:47] What giving Gil hope for the future of the Church [37:32] Outro   RESOURCES & RELEVANT LINKS Read Gil Rendle's publication “Jacob's Bones: On the Church's Institutional Future” for free on our website here. In the intro, Blair references this article from Fortune: 2022 Will Be A Year of Continuing Transformation by Alan Murray and David Meyer Read Lisa Greenwood's monograph about God's Mixed Ecology: The Changing Spiritual Landscape here. New Feature: Transcripts for this Season's Episodes We will have transcripts for each of our episodes this season. Visit our website to download this week's transcript. We hope these additional resources will help you share these conversations with your friends, colleagues, and leadership teams to spark the spirit within you, your organization, and “ignite imagination!” This podcast is brought to you by the Leadership Ministry team at TMF and Wesleyan Investive. Leadership Ministry connects diverse, high-capacity leaders in conversations and environments that create a network of courage, learning, and innovation in order to help the church lean into its God-appointed mission. Subscribe to our Leadership Ministry emails here. If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts / iTunes?   Gil Rendle's Bio Dr. Gil Rendle is a retired Senior Vice President and part-time consultant with The Texas Methodist Foundation in Austin, Texas and an independent consultant working with issues of change and leadership in denominations. Rendle has an extensive background in organizational development, group and systems theory, and leadership development. He has consulted with congregations on planning, staff and leadership development, and issues of change. He is well known for his work with middle judicatory and national denominational offices and staff as they wrestle with denominational and congregational change. He is the author of ten books, a contributor to four books, and the author of numerous articles and monographs. His most recent books include Journey in the Wilderness: New Life for Mainline Churches (2010) and Back to Zero: The Search to Rediscover the Methodist Movement (2011) both published by Abingdon Press and Doing the Math of Mission: Fruits, Faithfulness and Metrics (2014) and Quietly Courageous: Leading the Church in a Changing World (2018) both published by Rowman & Littlefield. Rendle is a resident of Pennsylvania where he lives with his wife, Lynne.

Recent times have put a spotlight on the inequities, systems of oppression, and deep divisions in our society. Much has been written that acknowledges and describes the divides, but there has been little practical information on what can be done. In this conversation, Brian Allain and Adam Thomas, editors of the book How to Heal Our Divides, talk about why they believe healing our divides is possible, ways that churches and leaders can facilitate healing in their communities, and steps privileged persons often overlook when seeking healing. Brian Allain founded and leads Writing for Your Life, a resource center and conferences for spiritual writers, which includes the Publishing in Color conference series, intended to increase the number of books published by spiritual writers of color.  Brian also founded and leads the teams that produce Compassionate Christianity and How to Heal Our Divides. Previously Brian served as Founding Director of the Frederick Buechner Center where he led the launch of Mr. Buechner's online presence and established several new programs and strategic partnerships. Brian has developed and led spiritual writers conferences at Princeton Theological Seminary, Drew Theological Seminary, Western Theological Seminary, the University of Southern California, Belmont University, New Brunswick Seminary, and several churches. He led the publishing effort for the book Buechner 101: An Introduction to Frederick Buechner, in collaboration with Anne Lamott, and also the book How to Heal Our Divides. All of this is a second career, coming after business and technology leadership in high-tech. Brian has an MBA from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, where he was designated a Palmer Scholar, their highest academic award. You can learn more about Brian here and here. Adam Thomas wears many hats: pastoring an Episcopal Church in southeastern Connecticut, editing and designing books for independent writers, writing fantasy novels, podcasting about Jesus and nerdy stuff, and playing lots of Dungeons and Dragons. Adam published four books and curricula with Abingdon Press from 2011 to 2014 (Digital Disciple, Letters from Ruby, Converge: Who is Jesus?, and Unusual Gospel for Unusual People). When the twins were born in 2014, he switched to writing fantasy. You can find hundreds of sermons on wherethewind.com, several fantasy novels on adamthomas.net, and his podcast, The Podcast for Nerdy Christians at nerdychristians.com or wherever you download your podcasts. The Future Christian Podcast is a production of Torn Curtain Arts and Resonate Media.

Vice President of Leadership Ministry and host Rev. Lisa Greenwood welcomes guests Rev. Rachel Billups and Rev. Matt Rawle to discuss disruptive trends impacting churches. Drawing from recent articles about 2022 trends by Carey Nieuwhof, Joe Park, and Thom Rainer, the three discuss how multi-access is here to stay, the shift to more decentralized power, the role of authority, giving permission to play, less givers giving more…and so much more! This engaging conversation will surely ignite your imagination for what God may be inviting you to consider in your context this year and beyond.    See our show notes for an invitation to email us your reflections from today's topic for a chance to win a copy of Gil Rendle's book “Quietly Courageous.”   QUOTES “As we're moving forward, even myself, I have to let go of the fear of what I know and step into something I don't know.” -Rev. Rachel Billups [07:14] “That's the beauty of a church in a community is that we're not going anywhere. Even if you disappoint us, even if you walk away, even if you don't join my church and leave, you're still in the neighborhood, and it's still my job to love you and serve you.” -Rev. Matt Rawle [31:26]   TIMESTAMPS [00:00] Intro [02:55] Permission to play [08:24] Transformation is in the hands of God [10:02] Influence over authority [13:20] Three marathons…  [18:59] Less will give more [24:11] Lessening the generation gap [29:03] Community focus is more important than ever [37:05] Outro   RESOURCES & RELEVANT LINKS Three Articles on Trends Today's episode references 1) Carey Nieuwhof's 12 Disruptive Church Trends that Will Rule 2022, 2) Joe Park's Seven Trends to Watch in 2022, and 3) Thom Rainer's Ten (Very Different) Church Trends for 2022.   Email and Enter a Drawing for a Free Book What trends are you noticing? We'd love to hear from you! Email Lisa (lgreenwood@tmf-fdn.org) your reflections on trends and we'll enter your name into a drawing for a free copy of Gil Rendle's book “Quietly Courageous.” We'll pick three names next Wednesday (2/16)   Posts Related to Today's Episode  Matt Rawle's recent blogpost “The Center of Nine” expands on what he shares in our conversation, including the “Three Covid Marathons” he sees and his thoughts on what it means to “Abide.” Dan Bracken is a member of Rachel Billups's team at Ginghamsburg Church and wrote this piece about their first steps into ministry in the metaverse.    New Feature: Transcripts for this Season's Episodes We will have transcripts for each of our episodes this season. Visit our website to download this week's transcript. We hope these additional resources will help you share these conversations with your friends, colleagues, and leadership teams to spark the spirit within you, your organization, and “ignite imagination!”   This podcast is brought to you by the Leadership Ministry team at TMF and Wesleyan Investive. Leadership Ministry connects diverse, high-capacity leaders in conversations and environments that create a network of courage, learning, and innovation in order to help the church lean into its God-appointed mission. Subscribe to our Leadership Ministry emails here. If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts / iTunes?   Matt Rawle's Bio: Matt is the Lead Pastor at Asbury United Methodist Church in Bossier City, Louisiana and a graduate from the LSU School of Music and Duke Divinity School. He is an international speaker who loves to tell an old story in a new way, especially at the intersection of pop culture and the church. Matt is also the author of The Heart that Grew Three Sizes, The Grace of Les Misérables, What Makes a Hero?, The Faith of a Mockingbird, Hollywood Jesus, The Salvation of Doctor Who, and The Redemption of Scrooge. He and wife Christie have four awesome kids: Isabelle, Annaleigh, Cecilia, and Robert.   Rachel Billups' Bio: Rachel Billups is a visionary, leader, speaker and author. Currently she serves as Senior Pastor at Ginghamsburg Church multi-campus ministry in Tipp City/Dayton Ohio. Rachel draws on her love of people and passion to explore new venues for ministry and mission.  Rachel is an ordained Elder within the United Methodist Church and holds a Bachelor's Degree in Bible/Religion and History from Anderson University and a Master of Divinity Degree from Duke Divinity School. Most days you can find Rachel reaching out – praying online, hosting Open Table gatherings in her home or enjoying moments with husband Jon and their four loves: Adeline, Christopher, David and Sarah. She also might be cheering for those Duke Blue Devils and The OSU Buckeyes.  Rachel is a popular speaker for national gatherings and has recently authored BE BOLD: Finding your Fierce as well as co-authoring Down to Earth: Hopes and Fears of all the Year Are Met in Thee Tonight and Sent: Delivering the Gift of Hope at Christmas – all published by Abingdon Press. You can find her on social media at: @rlbillups.

Jennie and Dianne are joined by special guest Casper Johnson as they revisit one of Diane's favorite cemeteries, Greenwood Cemetery in Cañon City, Colorado. They will begin with a brief history of the cemetery and then continue with the tragic story of Joe Arridy, a gentle man with an intellectual disability who was wrongly convicted and executed for a crime he never could have even begun to commit. Join us for Joe's Ordinary, Extraordinary story and how it has helped to reshape the justice system. (Warning: this episode does contain conversation regarding rape, sodomy, and murder. While we do not give explicit details of the events, they are important to this story and may make some listeners uncomfortable.)Resources used to research this episode include:Colorado Prisons, Museum Of. "HISTORY OF THE COLORADO PRISON MUSEUM ." https://prisonmuseum.org/. 26 Jan. 2016. prisonmuseum.org/history/. Accessed 23 Jan. 2022.News Staff, WSBTV.com. "Local Girl Scout spearheads effort to clean up Forsyth County cemetery ." https://www.wsbtv.com/. 23 Jan. 2022. www.wsbtv.com/news/local/forsyth-county/local-girl-scout-spearheads-effort-clean-up-forsyth-county-cemetery/U564NRUJR5BCRBIUXOUTBW23QY/. Accessed 24 Jan. 2022.Newman, Victoria. Woodpecker Hill Tales of Cañon City's Infamous Inmates. 3rd ed., 2007. Cañon City, Museum of Colorado Prisons, 2015.Fremont County Historical Society. Cemeteries of Fremont County, edited by Margaret Stiles. Fremont County Tourism Council, 2016.Friends of Joe Arridy. (n.d.). Retrieved January 25, 2022, from http://friendsofjoearridy.com/Harmon, T. (2014, February 27). 75-year-old case still compelling today. Pueblo Chieftain. Retrieved January 25, 2022, from https://www.chieftain.com/story/news/2014/02/27/75-year-old-case-still/985033007/Mitchell, K. (2016, May 4). Inmates' thorny histories call out from their graves in Cañon City. The Denver Post. Retrieved January 25, 2022, from https://www.denverpost.com/2011/04/06/inmates-thorny-histories-call-out-from-their-graves-in-caon-city/Owens, D. (2016, August 17). Arc and Robert Perske has passed. The Arc of Illinois. Retrieved January 25, 2022, from https://www.thearcofil.org/arc-and-robert-perske-has-passed/Perske, R. (1995). Deadly innocence? Abingdon Press.Perske, R. (2009). Joe Arridy, “the happiest man who ever lived on death row.” Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 47(5), 390–394. https://doi.org/10.1352/1934-9556-47.5.390Perske, R. (2011). Colorado Governor pardons Joe Arridy. Meridian. Retrieved January 25, 2022, from https://meridian-allenpress-com.aurarialibrary.idm.oclc.org/idd/article/49/3/192/1529/Colorado-Governor-Pardons-Joe-ArridyPrendergast, A. (2011). Joe Arridy was the happiest man on Death row. Westword. Retrieved January 25, 2022, from https://www.westword.com/news/joe-arridy-was-the-happiest-man-on-death-row-5118031

CLICK HERE to listen to episode audio (4:36).Sections below are the following: Transcript of Audio Audio Notes and Acknowledgments ImagesA Question about Freezing Water and Animals Sources Related Water Radio Episodes For Virginia Teachers (Relevant SOLs, etc.). Unless otherwise noted, all Web addresses mentioned were functional as of 12-3-21. TRANSCRIPT OF AUDIO From the Cumberland Gap to the Atlantic Ocean, this is Virginia Water Radio for the week of December 6, 2021.  This revised episode from January 2018 is part of a series this year of winter-relatedepisodes. SOUND – ~8 sec That's the sound of ice on Claytor Lake in Pulaski County, Va., during a January day in 2018.  The sounds set the stage for a freezing-water episode written for Virginia science students in early elementary school, that is, about kindergarten to third grade. You're about to hear two kinds of mystery sounds.  When you do, see if you can answer this riddle: How are the two kinds of sounds the same, but also different?  Here are the sounds. SOUNDS – ~10 sec If you guessed that both sounds were water being put into a glass, you're right!  But the first sound was water as a liquid, while the second was ice, or water frozen into a solid. Now here are two more kinds of mystery sounds.  Try again to guess what they are. SOUNDS – ~8 sec Those were sounds of liquid water flowing in a creek, followed by pieces of ice on the creek's edge breaking off and splashing into the flowing water.  Just like a freezer can turn liquid household water into ice cubes, winter weather can often stay below 32 degrees Fahrenheit long enough to freeze some of the water on land or in a pond, creek, river, or even the ocean.  And there are many words for different kinds of ice in those places, like anchor ice, flake ice, needle ice, pancake ice, and sea ice. Let's try one more pair of mystery sounds, this time about ice safety. SOUND – ~7 sec Any guesses about what you heard?  The first was small rocks bouncing on an ice-covered pond, but the second was that pond's ice breaking and sinking.  That's a reminder that thin ice can hold pebbles, but ice has to be solid and at least about four inches thick to hold people, and ice thickness can be different in different spots.  Ice is never 100-percent safe, according to natural resource experts from Minnesota, where they have plenty of experience with ice-covered water.  But even with thin ice, it's safe—and fun—to stand on the bank and see how far a pebble can bounce!SOUND – ~3 sec – Pebbles bouncing on ice-covered pond. We close with about 45 seconds of music for freezing water.  Here's “Ice Dance,” by Torrin Hallett, a student at the Yale School of Music.MUSIC – ~47 sec – instrumental. SHIP'S BELL Virginia Water Radio is produced by the Virginia Water Resources Research Center, part of Virginia Tech's College of Natural Resources and Environment.  For more Virginia water sounds, music, or information, visit us online at virginiawaterradio.org, or call the Water Center at (540) 231-5624.  Thanks to Stewart Scales for his banjo version of Cripple Creek to open and close this episode.  In Blacksburg, I'm Alan Raflo, thanking you for listening, and wishing you health, wisdom, and good water. AUDIO NOTES AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This Virginia Water Radio episode revises and replaces Episode 408, 1-15-18. The Claytor Lake ice sounds were recorded at the Sloan Creek inlet of the lake, near Draper in Pulaski County, Va., on January 6, 2018. The stream ice sounds were recorded at Toms Creek in Heritage Park in Blacksburg, Va., on January 11, 2015. The sounds of pebbles bouncing on an ice-covered pond and the sound of thin ice breaking were recorded at the Heritage Park pond in Blacksburg, Va., on December 28, 2012, and January 13, 2013.  Thanks to passer-by Sam for help in recording the sounds of rocks bouncing on ice. “Ice Dance” is copyright 2020 by Torrin Hallett, used with permission.  Torrin is a 2018 graduate of Oberlin College and Conservatory in Oberlin, Ohio; a 2020 graduate in Horn Performance from Manhattan School of Music in New York; and a 2021 graduate of the Lamont School of Music at the University of Denver.  He is currently a graduate student at the Yale School of Music.  More information about Torrin is available online at https://www.facebook.com/torrin.hallett.  Thanks very much to Torrin for composing the piece especially for Virginia Water Radio.  This music was used previously by Virginia Water Radio in Episode 556, 12-21-20, on how organisms survive freezing temperatures. Following are other music pieces composed by Torrin Hallett for Virginia Water Radio, with episodes featuring the music.“A Little Fright Music” – used in Episode 548, 10-26-20, on water-related passages in fiction and non-fiction, for Halloween; and Episode 601, 10-31-21, connections among Halloween, water, and the human body.“Beetle Ballet” – used in Episode 525, 5-18-20, on aquatic beetles.“Chesapeake Bay Ballad” – used most recently in Episode 604, 11-22-21, on Canvasback ducks.“Corona Cue” – used in Episode 517, 3-23-20, on the coronavirus pandemic.“Flow Stopper” – used in Episode 599, 10-18-21, on “Imagine a Day Without Water.”“Geese Piece” – used most recently in Episode 440, 10-1-18, on E-bird.“Lizard Lied” – used in Episode 514, 3-2-20, on lizards. “New Year's Water” – used in Episode 349, 1-2-17, on the New Year. “Rain Refrain” – used most recently in Episode 559, 1-11-21, on record rainfall in 2020.“Runoff” – in Episode 585, 7-12-21 – on middle schoolers calling out stormwater-related water words.“Spider Strike” – used in Episode 523, 5-4-20, on fishing spiders. “Tropical Tantrum” – used most recently in Episode 580, 6-7-21, on the 2021 Atlantic tropical storm season preview.“Tundra Swan Song – used in Episode 554, 12-7-20, on Tundra Swans.“Turkey Tune” – used in Episode 343, 11-21-16, on the Wild Turkey.  Click here if you'd like to hear the full version (1 min./11 sec.) of the “Cripple Creek” arrangement/performance by Stewart Scales that opens and closes this episode.  More information about Mr. Scales and the group New Standard, with which Mr. Scales plays, is available online at http://newstandardbluegrass.com. IMAGES Ice on Claytor Lake in Pulaski County, Va., January 6, 2018.Patterns in ice formed on a shallow drainage channel in Heritage Park, Blacksburg, Va., January 11, 2015Air pockets under ice on a drainage channel in Heritage Park, Blacksburg, Va., January 11, 2015. A QUESTION ABOUT FREEZING WATER AND ANIMALS All living things have water on their inside.  So, if a wild animal is exposed to freezing temperatures in winter, why doesn't the water inside its body freeze? Here are two possible answers.  For more information, please see references in the Sources section below. 1.  Some animals—birds and mammals—can generate their own heat, and they have fur, feathers, or other coverings to hold in the heat (like people have clothes).  Body fat also helps hold in heat. 2.  In many living things—for example, certain fish and frogs—the water-based fluids inside cells contain biochemicals that act as natural anti-freeze, preventing ice formation and damage to the cells. SOURCES American Museum of Natural History, ‘Three Phases of Water,” online at https://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/water-h2o-life/blue-planet/three-phases-of-water/. Margaret Waring Buck, Where They Go in Winter, Abingdon Press, Nashville, Tenn., 1968. Iowa State University, “How Woody Plants Survive Extreme Cold,” March 1, 1996, online at http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/hortnews/1996/3-1-1996/brr.html. Lake Superior-Duluth Streams.org, “Ice Terminology,” online at http://www.lakesuperiorstreams.org/understanding/iceterms.html. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, “Ice Safety,” online at http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/safety/ice/index.html; see particularly “General Ice Thickness Guidelines,” online at https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/safety/ice/thickness.html. Dan Tinker, “These Animals Don't Care That It's Freezing Outside,” December 14, 2013, National Wildlife Federation Blog, online at http://blog.nwf.org/2013/12/these-animals-dont-care-that-its-freezing-outside/. Phys.org, “Living organisms need antifreeze to survive in the cold,” February 18, 2013, online at https://phys.org/news/2013-02-antifreeze-survive-cold.html; and “Why fish don't freeze in the Arctic Ocean,” August 25, 2010, online at https://phys.org/news/2010-08-fish-dont-arctic-ocean.html. Brian Rohrig, “Chilling Out, Warming Up: How Animals Survive Temperature Extremes,” ChemMatters Online Oct.-Nov. 2013 (American Chemical Society), online at http://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/resources/highschool/chemmatters/past-issues/archive-2013-2014/animal-survival-in-extreme-temperatures.html. VocabularySpellingCity.com:“Kindergarten Science Vocabulary,” online at https://www.spellingcity.com/kindergarten-science-vocabulary.html;“First Grade Science Vocabulary,” online at http://www.spellingcity.com/first-grade-science-vocabulary.html;“Second Grade Science Vocabulary,” online at https://www.spellingcity.com/second-grade-science-vocabulary.html;  and“Third Grade Science Vocabulary,” online at https://www.spellingcity.com/third-grade-science-vocabulary.html.The site also has vocabulary for other grade levels and other subjects. Sarah Zielinski, “Eight ways that animals survive the winter,” Science News (Society for Science & the Public), January 22, 2014, online at https://www.sciencenews.org/blog/wild-things/eight-ways-animals-survive-winter. For More Information about Ice Sounds NPR's Skunk Bear (science channel on YouTube), “The Star Wars Sound of Singing Ice,” 3 min./3 sec. video online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OC7_zpyqCrU. RELATED VIRGINIA WATER RADIO EPISODES All Water Radio episodes are listed by category at the Index link above (http://www.virginiawaterradio.org/p/index.html).  See particularly the “Weather/Climate/Natural Disasters” subject categories. Following are links to several other winter-related episodes, including episodes on some birds that reside in Virginia typically only in winter (listed separately).  Please note that some of these episodes are being redone in late 2021 and early 2022; in those cases, the respective links below will have information on the updated episodes. Frost – Episode 597, 10-4-21. Ice on ponds and lakes – Episode 404, 1-22-18 (especially for grades 4-8).Ice on rivers – Episode 406, 2-5-18 (especially for middle school grades).Polar Plunge®for Special Olympics – Episode 356, 2-20-17.Snow physics and chemistry – Episode 407, 2-12-18 (especially for high school grades).Snow, sleet, and freezing rain – Episode 461, 2-25-19.Snow terms – Episode 300, 1-25-16.Surviving freezing – Episode 556, 12-21-20.Winter precipitation and water supplies – Episode 567, 3-8-21.Winter weather preparedness – Episode 605, 11-29-21.Water thermodynamics – Episode 195, 1-6-14. Bird-related Episodes for Winter Audubon Christmas Bird Count – Episode 294, 12-14-15.American Avocet – Episode 543, 9-21-20.Brant (goose) – Episode 502, 12-9-19.Canvasback (duck) – Episode 604, 11-22-21.Common Goldeneye (duck) – Episode 303, 2/15/16.Green-winged Teal (duck) – Episode 398, 12-11-17.Grebes (Horned and Red-necked) – Episode 233, 9-29-14.Loons – Episode 445, 11-5-18.Fall migration –

For the video, click here: https://youtu.be/Pljp8ADr-W0Today I take a brief look at Early American Cotton Mather's beliefs regarding Christianity. Topics covered in the supernatural; the Trinity; Jesus as truly God and truly Man; Salem Witch Trials and a brief biography of this "flawed hero" who wrote some 450 books in colonial America SOURCES:Mark G. Toulouse and James O. Duke, Sources of Christian Theology in America. Abingdon Press, 1999. Harry Blamire, "The Christian Mind: How Should a Christian Think?" (1963)Milk for Babes. Drawn Out of the Breasts of Both Testaments. Chiefly, for the Spiritual Nourishment of Boston Babes in Either England: But May Be of Like Use for Any Children (1646): https://tinyurl.com/mendez-milk4babes Megan Mulder, "Magnalia Christi Americana," by Cotton Mather (1702): https://zsr.wfu.edu/2011/magnalia-christi-americana-by-cotton-mather-1702/The History of Printing in America, 1874,https://tinyurl.com/mendez-cottonmatherHugh Ross, Improbable Planet, www.bakerpublishinggroup.com/books/improbable-planet/350992Plain Preaching — Puritan Evangelism https://www.ligonier.org/posts/plain-preaching-puritan-evangelismCotton Mather: https://tabletalkmagazine.com/posts/who-was-cotton-mather-2019-10/

Have you ever questioned God's faithfulness? This episode is for you. God's Steadfast Love is there even when we change. He invites us with open doors and open arms. He is living water and refreshment for our soul. Gina Duke is an award-winning author, speaker, strategy coach, and podcast host of the Gina Duke Show. She is the Christian author of Abingdon Press's book Organizing Your Prayer Closet that introduces the gift of structured prayer journaling. Gina helps Christian women grow in faith, order, and influence as leaders in both ministry and the marketplace. She is a content provider for iDisciple, Jennifer Rothschild's Womensministry.net, and Proverbs31 Ministries' latest devotional, Hope When Your Heart is Heavy. Shownotes>> https://www.findingfaithabove.com/blog-main/disappointed-with-god-what-does-it-mean-to-return-to-his-steadfast-love-with-gina-duke _______________________________________________________________________________ Carrying a load of baggage? Are you almost jealous of people you see who have faith and you, well, just don't? Are you ready to Get faith, Live Faith, and one day, Give Faith? It‘s time to unload the old and start your God-purpose life! ＞＞https://www.findingfaithabove.com/work-with-me＜＜  _______________________________________________________________________________ Inspiration, Art, and Community https://www.findingfaithabove.com _______________________________________________________________________________ Join the Community! We now have a Facebook group where magical things happen- Lives, prayers, transformation! You are invited!! ＞＞＞ https://www.facebook.com/groups/findingfaithabovechristianwomen _______________________________________________________________________________ Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts "I love Shelby and the Finding Faith Above podcast."

Welcome to episode thirty-eight of New Creation Conversations. In today's conversation I am joined by a long-time friend and very significant theologian, Dr. Hans Boersma. Hans and I got to know one another well twenty-something years ago when we spent a summer together at Calvin College studying and writing about eschatology with Miroslav Volf. A few years later essays from both of us were used in a book edited by John Sanders entitled Atonement and Violence: A Theological Conversation (published by Abingdon Press).Hans has gone on to have an amazing career as a prolific and internationally noted theologian. He has written over a dozen books on subjects like the patristics, the atonement and sacramental theology. Hans taught for several years at both Regent College and Trinity Western University in Canada. More recently he has been named Chair of the Order of St. Benedict Servants of Christ Endowed Professor of Ascetical Theology at Nashotah House – a unique Anglo-Catholic Seminary formed in Benedictine practices in Wisconsin.Some of our conversation centers around Han's most recent book – published by IVP Academic Press – entitled Five Things Theologians Wish Biblical Scholars Knew. There is a companion book that goes with it – written by a previous podcast guest, Scot McKnight, entitled Five Things Biblical Scholars Wish Theologians Knew. I have learned a great deal from Hans across the years – especially related to the theology of the patristic and medieval ages and the richness of sacramental theology. He always invites me to think more deeply and more broadly about the reality of Christ in our midst. So thankful for Hans and his commitment to Christian scholarship. And I'm thankful to get to bring this conversation to you. Here's my conversation with Dr. Hans Boersma.

Episode: Proverbs is one of the most misunderstood books in the Old Testament. It’s often treated as a self-help guide or as a collection of promises. Dominick Hernández challenges us […] The post Dominick Hernández – Pathways to Wisdom first appeared on OnScript.

Episode 7: Julie Gwinn, The Seymour Agency What criteria determines whether a writer seeking traditional publication should pitch their project in the Christian or General Marketplace? Vice President and Agent with The Seymour Agency, Julie Gwinn, discusses that question and more, including platform target numbers, and her ideal author. The inside scoop from a respected literary agent with a multifaceted background in the publishing world. Julie Gwinn most recently served as Marketing Manager for the Christian Living line at Abingdon Press. Before that, she served as Trade Book Marketing Manager and then Fiction Publisher for the Pure Enjoyment line at B&H Publishing Group, a division of LifeWay Christian Resources.She was awarded Editor of the Year and Agent of the Year finalist by the American Christian Fiction Writers and is a member of  AAR, RWA and ACFW.Julie has more than 25 years of public relations and marketing experience and has worked in marketing for several Nashville nonprofit organizations, including the Tennessee Association for the Education of Young Children, the Nashville Area Red Cross, and the YWCA. She puts that marketing expertise to use in working with her authors.Julie is actively looking for diverse voices in both fiction and non-fiction and is currently looking for romance, mystery/true crime, historical  and speculative/fantasy novels. In nonfiction she is looking for self-help, lifestyle, motivational and sports related books.As of January, Julie’s query process has changed. She is no longer accepting email queries and has started using Query Manager to manage this part of the business. Please visit her Query Manager portal at the link below where you will find instructions on the process and how to upload your materials. The Seymour Agency This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ginnyyttrup.substack.com

On this episode we will consider violence in Anchorage and how we all might be part of making our city a more safe and peaceful place with our guests: Victoria Shanklin: Executive Director, Victims For Justice. Tammie Willis:  Violence Prevention and Education Coordinator, AWAIC. Melissa Burke: Pastor, Entrepreneur, Artist and Founder of Worship and Justice Movement. Resources Used to Make this episode: Alaska Dispatch News, 2017, ‘Alaska Dispatch News poll: Crime', Alaska Daily News, 18 January, 2017, viewed 19 February 2019, from https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/2017/01/18/alaska-dispatch-news-poll-crime/ https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/crime-courts/2019/01/01/in-anchorage-28-people-died-by-homicide-this-year/ https://www.facebook.com/notes/anchorage-police-department/update-1st-to-3rd-quarter-crime-data/10157935678014335/ https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/crime-courts/2020/09/08/anchorage-homicide-rate-drops-significantly-so-far-this-year-as-police-say-most-types-of-crime-are-trending-downward/ https://www.adn.com/opinions/editorials/2020/01/04/near-record-homicides-in-anchorage-show-little-public-safety-progress/ Boots, M.T., 2016, ‘Anchorage is on track to break the record for most homicides in one year. What is going on?', Alaska Daily News, 3 September, 2016, viewed 19 February 2019, from https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/crime-courts/2016/09/03/anchorage-is-on-track-this- year-to-break-its-annual-homicide-record-whats-going-on/ Volf, M., 1996, Exclusion and Embrace: A theological exploration of identity, otherness, and reconciliation, Abingdon Press, Nashville, p.98.

Success Made to Last with Dr. Lynette Reed from Expectations 2 Reality.   My mission is to help people and organizations feel more connected to the world around them and the relationships that are most important to them. I believe that when your expectations and reality connect you will see an increase in personal self-awareness, improve relationships with others, and expand your understanding of how humanity impacts the world. Dr. Reed is a writer, researcher, and facilitator with an emphasis on helping to create and maintain community in organizations. Dr. Reed has mentored people from a variety of organizations to include businesses, not for profit organizations, schools, allied health agencies, Chambers of Commerce, governmental entities, and churches. She has taught courses on world religion and world cultures and also continuing education courses approved by the American Planning Association for ethics, HRCI, and team building/leadership training sessions approved by the Texas Education Agency for continuing education of teachers, superintendents, and school board members. Her current literary contributions include an executive summary paperback titled, Fixing the Problem, Making changes in how you deal with challenges, as well as book contributions, syndicated articles, and guest radio appearances, and a series of children's books with Abingdon Press. She is also a co-founder and board member of the Institute for Soul-Centered Leadership at Seton Cove. Her academic background includes a Doctor of Ministry in Spirituality, Sustainability, and Inter-Religious Dialogue and a Master of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/success-made-to-last-legends--4302039/support.

Heather speaks with an exceptional guest on today's episode: her very own career mentor Pamela Clements. Pamela is a legend in the publishing world, having worked at some of the biggest names in book publishing, inducing Thomas Nelson, Hachette, and Abingdon Press. Heather and Pamela share how their personal relationship began and evolved and the power of Pamela's influence on Heather's career trajectory. They discuss empowering your team through compassionate leadership, being a female colleague in a male-dominated industry, how to navigate job changes and stepping up in your career, and being grateful for new opportunities when you lose an old one. Whether you are content in your current job or looking for the next right thing, we hope that Pamela's wise words will be a gift to you during this uncertain season. 

Today we’ll talk with The Stream’s John Zmirak, on his predictions for the midterm elections and why Democrats keep returning to the Clintons and Lindsey Dennis, author of “Buried Dreams: From Devastating Loss to Unimaginable Hope” (Abingdon Press).See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Voices In My Head Podcast Episode #285: "Shame Off You" with guest Denise Pass   On this episode of Voices In My Head we welcome Denise Pass.Denise Pass is an author, an award-winning CCM recording artist, a songwriter, an accomplished blogger, speaker, worship leader, and host of the Black and White Podcast. She is the author of 31 days to Hope Reinvented and today we are discussing her latest book, Shame Off You: From Hiding To Healing which released on August 21st through Abingdon Press. For more from Denise Pass, visit these links:Website https://denisepass.comBlack and White Podcast: https://blackandwhitepodcast.org/Shame Off You Web Site: https://shameoffyou.life/    Blessings,Rick Lee Jameswww.RickLeeJames.com  This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rickleejames.substack.com/subscribe

Julie Solomon is a New York Times Best-Selling Publicist, brand manager, and blogger. She's worked with firms like Thomas Nelson, Press Here Publicity, and Abingdon Press. Her work at Thomas Nelson Publishers included publicity efforts on the record-breaking book, Heaven is for Real, which has sold over 10 million copies worldwide. Julie cofounded OMG! Publicity, which begin her entrepreneurial career. The company focuses on managing publicity campaigns for authors, bloggers, entrepreneurs, and creative new product launches. OMG Publicity was soon able to gain renowned clients including Devon Franklin, Meagan Good, Emily Maynard, Max Lucado, Simon & Schuster, Harper Collins Publishing and others to manage growth of their brand. In this episode you will learn how to make smart transitions in life and business, how to follow and grow from your fears, the importance of self- awareness and how you can use it to help identify your strengths and weaknesses, and the secret building long term influence.