Podcasts about Bethel

The Federal Aviation Administration releases recommendations to improve air safety in Alaska. Also, the Episcopal church in Alaska will investigate its history of boarding schools in the state. And Skagway says goodbye to the last cruise ship of a shortened season.

Paul Mannion is the owner of the Green Grunion Food Truck, one of Connecticut's hottest food trucks! Mannion has wowed foodies at breweries across Connecticut and at his home base at 100 Mill Plain Road not too far from our studio in Danbury slingin his critically acclaimed San Diego-style burritos. A few years back Paul joined forces with Lisa Tassone (owner of La Zingara and Vesta Rooftop in Bethel), Chris Sanzeni and Kevin Arrington to open Broken Symmetry Gastro Brewery at the historic railroad station in Bethel. Paul is the real deal, we had a fun and wide ranging conversation that spanned close to 2 hours so we have decided to break up our conversation into another two part podcast episode! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

In today's episode, Pastor Al Dagel compares Jacob's monument at Bethel, which pointed out that God was there, to modern-day believers, who should point others to our Savior.  

Alaska's decline in COVID-19 cases stalls. Also, former Anchorage Assembly members weigh in on the current, fraught mask debate. And the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service begins its next review of polar bears' status under the Endangered Species Act.

Bread of Life is a ministry of Joel Van Hoogen and the Bread of Life Fellowship in Boise. You can tune in each weekday at 12:00 pm to listen.

Is Bethel Orthodox?

After days of fraught testimony, the Anchorage Assembly passes a mask mandate. Also, rural Alaskans ask federal fisheries managers to crack down on salmon bycatch. And the first Alaska Native woman to serve as an Alaska State Trooper retires.

With family: 1 Kings 16; Colossians 3 1 Kings 16 (Listen) 16 And the word of the LORD came to Jehu the son of Hanani against Baasha, saying, 2 “Since I exalted you out of the dust and made you leader over my people Israel, and you have walked in the way of Jeroboam and have made my people Israel to sin, provoking me to anger with their sins, 3 behold, I will utterly sweep away Baasha and his house, and I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat. 4 Anyone belonging to Baasha who dies in the city the dogs shall eat, and anyone of his who dies in the field the birds of the heavens shall eat.” 5 Now the rest of the acts of Baasha and what he did, and his might, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 6 And Baasha slept with his fathers and was buried at Tirzah, and Elah his son reigned in his place. 7 Moreover, the word of the LORD came by the prophet Jehu the son of Hanani against Baasha and his house, both because of all the evil that he did in the sight of the LORD, provoking him to anger with the work of his hands, in being like the house of Jeroboam, and also because he destroyed it. Elah Reigns in Israel 8 In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah the son of Baasha began to reign over Israel in Tirzah, and he reigned two years. 9 But his servant Zimri, commander of half his chariots, conspired against him. When he was at Tirzah, drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza, who was over the household in Tirzah, 10 Zimri came in and struck him down and killed him, in the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned in his place. 11 When he began to reign, as soon as he had seated himself on his throne, he struck down all the house of Baasha. He did not leave him a single male of his relatives or his friends. 12 Thus Zimri destroyed all the house of Baasha, according to the word of the LORD, which he spoke against Baasha by Jehu the prophet, 13 for all the sins of Baasha and the sins of Elah his son, which they sinned and which they made Israel to sin, provoking the LORD God of Israel to anger with their idols. 14 Now the rest of the acts of Elah and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? Zimri Reigns in Israel 15 In the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, Zimri reigned seven days in Tirzah. Now the troops were encamped against Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines, 16 and the troops who were encamped heard it said, “Zimri has conspired, and he has killed the king.” Therefore all Israel made Omri, the commander of the army, king over Israel that day in the camp. 17 So Omri went up from Gibbethon, and all Israel with him, and they besieged Tirzah. 18 And when Zimri saw that the city was taken, he went into the citadel of the king's house and burned the king's house over him with fire and died, 19 because of his sins that he committed, doing evil in the sight of the LORD, walking in the way of Jeroboam, and for his sin which he committed, making Israel to sin. 20 Now the rest of the acts of Zimri, and the conspiracy that he made, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? Omri Reigns in Israel 21 Then the people of Israel were divided into two parts. Half of the people followed Tibni the son of Ginath, to make him king, and half followed Omri. 22 But the people who followed Omri overcame the people who followed Tibni the son of Ginath. So Tibni died, and Omri became king. 23 In the thirty-first year of Asa king of Judah, Omri began to reign over Israel, and he reigned for twelve years; six years he reigned in Tirzah. 24 He bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer for two talents1 of silver, and he fortified the hill and called the name of the city that he built Samaria, after the name of Shemer, the owner of the hill. 25 Omri did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, and did more evil than all who were before him. 26 For he walked in all the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and in the sins that he made Israel to sin, provoking the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger by their idols. 27 Now the rest of the acts of Omri that he did, and the might that he showed, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 28 And Omri slept with his fathers and was buried in Samaria, and Ahab his son reigned in his place. Ahab Reigns in Israel 29 In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab the son of Omri began to reign over Israel, and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years. 30 And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD, more than all who were before him. 31 And as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, he took for his wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and went and served Baal and worshiped him. 32 He erected an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he built in Samaria. 33 And Ahab made an Asherah. Ahab did more to provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him. 34 In his days Hiel of Bethel built Jericho. He laid its foundation at the cost of Abiram his firstborn, and set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the LORD, which he spoke by Joshua the son of Nun. Footnotes [1] 16:24 A talent was about 75 pounds or 34 kilograms (ESV) Colossians 3 (Listen) Put On the New Self 3 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your1 life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. 5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you:2 sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming.3 7 In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. 8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self4 with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. 11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave,5 free; but Christ is all, and in all. 12 Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Rules for Christian Households 18 Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. 19 Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them. 20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. 21 Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged. 22 Bondservants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters,6 not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. 23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. 25 For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality. Footnotes [1] 3:4 Some manuscripts our [2] 3:5 Greek therefore your members that are on the earth [3] 3:6 Some manuscripts add upon the sons of disobedience [4] 3:9 Greek man; also as supplied in verse 10 [5] 3:11 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface; likewise for Bondservants in verse 22 [6] 3:22 Or your masters according to the flesh (ESV) In private: Psalm 102; Ezekiel 46 Psalm 102 (Listen) Do Not Hide Your Face from Me A Prayer of one afflicted, when he is faint and pours out his complaint before the LORD. 102   Hear my prayer, O LORD;  let my cry come to you!2   Do not hide your face from me    in the day of my distress!  Incline your ear to me;    answer me speedily in the day when I call! 3   For my days pass away like smoke,    and my bones burn like a furnace.4   My heart is struck down like grass and has withered;    I forget to eat my bread.5   Because of my loud groaning    my bones cling to my flesh.6   I am like a desert owl of the wilderness,    like an owl1 of the waste places;7   I lie awake;    I am like a lonely sparrow on the housetop.8   All the day my enemies taunt me;    those who deride me use my name for a curse.9   For I eat ashes like bread    and mingle tears with my drink,10   because of your indignation and anger;    for you have taken me up and thrown me down.11   My days are like an evening shadow;    I wither away like grass. 12   But you, O LORD, are enthroned forever;    you are remembered throughout all generations.13   You will arise and have pity on Zion;    it is the time to favor her;    the appointed time has come.14   For your servants hold her stones dear    and have pity on her dust.15   Nations will fear the name of the LORD,    and all the kings of the earth will fear your glory.16   For the LORD builds up Zion;    he appears in his glory;17   he regards the prayer of the destitute    and does not despise their prayer. 18   Let this be recorded for a generation to come,    so that a people yet to be created may praise the LORD:19   that he looked down from his holy height;    from heaven the LORD looked at the earth,20   to hear the groans of the prisoners,    to set free those who were doomed to die,21   that they may declare in Zion the name of the LORD,    and in Jerusalem his praise,22   when peoples gather together,    and kingdoms, to worship the LORD. 23   He has broken my strength in midcourse;    he has shortened my days.24   “O my God,” I say, “take me not away    in the midst of my days—  you whose years endure    throughout all generations!” 25   Of old you laid the foundation of the earth,    and the heavens are the work of your hands.26   They will perish, but you will remain;    they will all wear out like a garment.  You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away,27     but you are the same, and your years have no end.28   The children of your servants shall dwell secure;    their offspring shall be established before you. Footnotes [1] 102:6 The precise identity of these birds is uncertain (ESV) Ezekiel 46 (Listen) The Prince and the Feasts 46 “Thus says the Lord GOD: The gate of the inner court that faces east shall be shut on the six working days, but on the Sabbath day it shall be opened, and on the day of the new moon it shall be opened. 2 The prince shall enter by the vestibule of the gate from outside, and shall take his stand by the post of the gate. The priests shall offer his burnt offering and his peace offerings, and he shall worship at the threshold of the gate. Then he shall go out, but the gate shall not be shut until evening. 3 The people of the land shall bow down at the entrance of that gate before the LORD on the Sabbaths and on the new moons. 4 The burnt offering that the prince offers to the LORD on the Sabbath day shall be six lambs without blemish and a ram without blemish. 5 And the grain offering with the ram shall be an ephah,1 and the grain offering with the lambs shall be as much as he is able, together with a hin2 of oil to each ephah. 6 On the day of the new moon he shall offer a bull from the herd without blemish, and six lambs and a ram, which shall be without blemish. 7 As a grain offering he shall provide an ephah with the bull and an ephah with the ram, and with the lambs as much as he is able, together with a hin of oil to each ephah. 8 When the prince enters, he shall enter by the vestibule of the gate, and he shall go out by the same way. 9 “When the people of the land come before the LORD at the appointed feasts, he who enters by the north gate to worship shall go out by the south gate, and he who enters by the south gate shall go out by the north gate: no one shall return by way of the gate by which he entered, but each shall go out straight ahead. 10 When they enter, the prince shall enter with them, and when they go out, he shall go out. 11 “At the feasts and the appointed festivals, the grain offering with a young bull shall be an ephah, and with a ram an ephah, and with the lambs as much as one is able to give, together with a hin of oil to an ephah. 12 When the prince provides a freewill offering, either a burnt offering or peace offerings as a freewill offering to the LORD, the gate facing east shall be opened for him. And he shall offer his burnt offering or his peace offerings as he does on the Sabbath day. Then he shall go out, and after he has gone out the gate shall be shut. 13 “You shall provide a lamb a year old without blemish for a burnt offering to the LORD daily; morning by morning you shall provide it. 14 And you shall provide a grain offering with it morning by morning, one sixth of an ephah, and one third of a hin of oil to moisten the flour, as a grain offering to the LORD. This is a perpetual statute. 15 Thus the lamb and the meal offering and the oil shall be provided, morning by morning, for a regular burnt offering. 16 “Thus says the Lord GOD: If the prince makes a gift to any of his sons as his inheritance, it shall belong to his sons. It is their property by inheritance. 17 But if he makes a gift out of his inheritance to one of his servants, it shall be his to the year of liberty. Then it shall revert to the prince; surely it is his inheritance—it shall belong to his sons. 18 The prince shall not take any of the inheritance of the people, thrusting them out of their property. He shall give his sons their inheritance out of his own property, so that none of my people shall be scattered from his property.” Boiling Places for Offerings 19 Then he brought me through the entrance, which was at the side of the gate, to the north row of the holy chambers for the priests, and behold, a place was there at the extreme western end of them. 20 And he said to me, “This is the place where the priests shall boil the guilt offering and the sin offering, and where they shall bake the grain offering, in order not to bring them out into the outer court and so transmit holiness to the people.” 21 Then he brought me out to the outer court and led me around to the four corners of the court. And behold, in each corner of the court there was another court—22 in the four corners of the court were small3 courts, forty cubits4 long and thirty broad; the four were of the same size. 23 On the inside, around each of the four courts was a row of masonry, with hearths made at the bottom of the rows all around. 24 Then he said to me, “These are the kitchens where those who minister at the temple shall boil the sacrifices of the people.” Footnotes [1] 46:5 An ephah was about 3/5 bushel or 22 liters [2] 46:5 A hin was about 4 quarts or 3.5 liters [3] 46:22 Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate; the meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain [4] 46:22 A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters (ESV)

City and tribal leaders in Skagway agree to an archaeological study at the site of a former boarding school. Also, new affordable housing is set to open in Anchorage's Spenard neighborhood. And it's looking like another La Niña this winter.

Mark and Matt welcome collegiate angler, Tristan McCormick.  The Bethel angler will discuss his season and earning a spot in the 2022 Bassmaster Classic.  Check it out.

Conservative officials pressure the state Pharmacy Board to fill Ivermectin prescriptions. Also, Anchorage's chief equity officer believes mayor Bronson fired him illegally. And a 6.9 earthquake struck near Chignik early Monday morning.

Seth Dahl @sethdahl was a long-time children's pastor at Bethel in Redding Ca. Now he is ministering in Texas with Seth Dahl Ministries. In this episode, we talk about Spirit-Led Parenting. > How to apply discipline while removing punishment > How to maintain your connection with your children > How to listen to the Holy Spirit as a Parent in your parenting decisions For more on Seth please go to: https://sethdahl.com/ Follow on Instagram @sethdahl

Genesis 22

“Bethel Assembly Week 1 with Julie Stoll”. The post Bethel Assembly Week 1 with Julie Stoll appeared first on Bethel Assembly of God - Carrington, ND.

Clint Wright continues the series titled "The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob."

Bulletin: Sunday October 10, 20218:00 a.m. - Worship with Communion9:15 a.m. - Adult/Teen Bible Study & Children's Sunday School10:30 a.m. - Worship with CommunionAll are welcome.UPDATED COVID-19 PROTOCOLS - Updated July 1, 2021Visit our YouTube channel — Click the red “subscribe” box, and then click on the “bell” next to that box to receive Live Streaming notifications. You must be logged into YouTube to activate these features.Visit our Sermon Archive at: www.zlcb.org/sermonsOld Testament Reading – Amos 5:6–7, 10–15Seek the LORD and live, lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and it devour, with none to quench it for Bethel, O you who turn justice to wormwood and cast down righteousness to the earth! . . .They hate him who reproves in the gate, and they abhor him who speaks the truth. Therefore because you trample on the poor and you exact taxes of grain from him, you have built houses of hewn stone, but you shall not dwell in them; you have planted pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink their wine. For I know how many are your transgressions and how great are your sins— you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe, and turn aside the needy in the gate. Therefore he who is prudent will keep silent in such a time, for it is an evil time. Seek good, and not evil, that you may live; and so the LORD, the God of hosts, will be with you, as you have said. Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice in the gate; it may be that the LORD, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.Epistle Reading – Hebrews 3:12–19Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. As it is said,“Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.The Holy Gospel according to St. Mark, the tenth chapter.As [Jesus] was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.'” And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

In this sermon, Landon speaks about the danger of the religious spirit. 

During the current sermon series “We Believe”, Pastor Andy will be walking us through the 10 theological convictions of our faith covered in the book "Evangelical Convictions". The book is available as a free audio download at...

With family: 1 Kings 13; Philippians 4 1 Kings 13 (Listen) A Man of God Confronts Jeroboam 13 And behold, a man of God came out of Judah by the word of the LORD to Bethel. Jeroboam was standing by the altar to make offerings. 2 And the man cried against the altar by the word of the LORD and said, “O altar, altar, thus says the LORD: ‘Behold, a son shall be born to the house of David, Josiah by name, and he shall sacrifice on you the priests of the high places who make offerings on you, and human bones shall be burned on you.'” 3 And he gave a sign the same day, saying, “This is the sign that the LORD has spoken: ‘Behold, the altar shall be torn down, and the ashes that are on it shall be poured out.'” 4 And when the king heard the saying of the man of God, which he cried against the altar at Bethel, Jeroboam stretched out his hand from the altar, saying, “Seize him.” And his hand, which he stretched out against him, dried up, so that he could not draw it back to himself. 5 The altar also was torn down, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign that the man of God had given by the word of the LORD. 6 And the king said to the man of God, “Entreat now the favor of the LORD your God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored to me.” And the man of God entreated the LORD, and the king's hand was restored to him and became as it was before. 7 And the king said to the man of God, “Come home with me, and refresh yourself, and I will give you a reward.” 8 And the man of God said to the king, “If you give me half your house, I will not go in with you. And I will not eat bread or drink water in this place, 9 for so was it commanded me by the word of the LORD, saying, ‘You shall neither eat bread nor drink water nor return by the way that you came.'” 10 So he went another way and did not return by the way that he came to Bethel. The Prophet's Disobedience 11 Now an old prophet lived in Bethel. And his sons1 came and told him all that the man of God had done that day in Bethel. They also told to their father the words that he had spoken to the king. 12 And their father said to them, “Which way did he go?” And his sons showed him the way that the man of God who came from Judah had gone. 13 And he said to his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.” So they saddled the donkey for him and he mounted it. 14 And he went after the man of God and found him sitting under an oak. And he said to him, “Are you the man of God who came from Judah?” And he said, “I am.” 15 Then he said to him, “Come home with me and eat bread.” 16 And he said, “I may not return with you, or go in with you, neither will I eat bread nor drink water with you in this place, 17 for it was said to me by the word of the LORD, ‘You shall neither eat bread nor drink water there, nor return by the way that you came.'” 18 And he said to him, “I also am a prophet as you are, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the LORD, saying, ‘Bring him back with you into your house that he may eat bread and drink water.'” But he lied to him. 19 So he went back with him and ate bread in his house and drank water. 20 And as they sat at the table, the word of the LORD came to the prophet who had brought him back. 21 And he cried to the man of God who came from Judah, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Because you have disobeyed the word of the LORD and have not kept the command that the LORD your God commanded you, 22 but have come back and have eaten bread and drunk water in the place of which he said to you, “Eat no bread and drink no water,” your body shall not come to the tomb of your fathers.'” 23 And after he had eaten bread and drunk, he saddled the donkey for the prophet whom he had brought back. 24 And as he went away a lion met him on the road and killed him. And his body was thrown in the road, and the donkey stood beside it; the lion also stood beside the body. 25 And behold, men passed by and saw the body thrown in the road and the lion standing by the body. And they came and told it in the city where the old prophet lived. 26 And when the prophet who had brought him back from the way heard of it, he said, “It is the man of God who disobeyed the word of the LORD; therefore the LORD has given him to the lion, which has torn him and killed him, according to the word that the LORD spoke to him.” 27 And he said to his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.” And they saddled it. 28 And he went and found his body thrown in the road, and the donkey and the lion standing beside the body. The lion had not eaten the body or torn the donkey. 29 And the prophet took up the body of the man of God and laid it on the donkey and brought it back to the city2 to mourn and to bury him. 30 And he laid the body in his own grave. And they mourned over him, saying, “Alas, my brother!” 31 And after he had buried him, he said to his sons, “When I die, bury me in the grave in which the man of God is buried; lay my bones beside his bones. 32 For the saying that he called out by the word of the LORD against the altar in Bethel and against all the houses of the high places that are in the cities of Samaria shall surely come to pass.” 33 After this thing Jeroboam did not turn from his evil way, but made priests for the high places again from among all the people. Any who would, he ordained to be priests of the high places. 34 And this thing became sin to the house of Jeroboam, so as to cut it off and to destroy it from the face of the earth. Footnotes [1] 13:11 Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate; Hebrew son [2] 13:29 Septuagint; Hebrew he came to the city of the old prophet (ESV) Philippians 4 (Listen) 4 Therefore, my brothers,1 whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved. Exhortation, Encouragement, and Prayer 2 I entreat Euodia and I entreat Syntyche to agree in the Lord. 3 Yes, I ask you also, true companion,2 help these women, who have labored3 side by side with me in the gospel together with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life. 4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness4 be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 What you have learned5 and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. God's Provision 10 I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. 11 Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. 12 I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. 13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me. 14 Yet it was kind of you to share6 my trouble. 15 And you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only. 16 Even in Thessalonica you sent me help for my needs once and again. 17 Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit.7 18 I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. 19 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. 20 To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen. Final Greetings 21 Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me greet you. 22 All the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar's household. 23 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Footnotes [1] 4:1 Or brothers and sisters; also verses 8, 21 [2] 4:3 Or loyal Syzygus; Greek true yokefellow [3] 4:3 Or strived (see 1:27) [4] 4:5 Or gentleness [5] 4:9 Or these things— 9which things you have also learned [6] 4:14 Or have fellowship in [7] 4:17 Or I seek the profit that accrues to your account (ESV) In private: Psalms 95–96; Ezekiel 43 Psalms 95–96 (Listen) Let Us Sing Songs of Praise 95   Oh come, let us sing to the LORD;    let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!2   Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;    let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!3   For the LORD is a great God,    and a great King above all gods.4   In his hand are the depths of the earth;    the heights of the mountains are his also.5   The sea is his, for he made it,    and his hands formed the dry land. 6   Oh come, let us worship and bow down;    let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!7   For he is our God,    and we are the people of his pasture,    and the sheep of his hand.  Today, if you hear his voice,8     do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah,    as on the day at Massah in the wilderness,9   when your fathers put me to the test    and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.10   For forty years I loathed that generation    and said, “They are a people who go astray in their heart,    and they have not known my ways.”11   Therefore I swore in my wrath,    “They shall not enter my rest.” Worship in the Splendor of Holiness 96   Oh sing to the LORD a new song;    sing to the LORD, all the earth!2   Sing to the LORD, bless his name;    tell of his salvation from day to day.3   Declare his glory among the nations,    his marvelous works among all the peoples!4   For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised;    he is to be feared above all gods.5   For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols,    but the LORD made the heavens.6   Splendor and majesty are before him;    strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. 7   Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples,    ascribe to the LORD glory and strength!8   Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;    bring an offering, and come into his courts!9   Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness;1    tremble before him, all the earth! 10   Say among the nations, “The LORD reigns!    Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved;    he will judge the peoples with equity.” 11   Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;    let the sea roar, and all that fills it;12     let the field exult, and everything in it!  Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy13     before the LORD, for he comes,    for he comes to judge the earth.  He will judge the world in righteousness,    and the peoples in his faithfulness. Footnotes [1] 96:9 Or in holy attire (ESV) Ezekiel 43 (Listen) The Glory of the Lord Fills the Temple 43 Then he led me to the gate, the gate facing east. 2 And behold, the glory of the God of Israel was coming from the east. And the sound of his coming was like the sound of many waters, and the earth shone with his glory. 3 And the vision I saw was just like the vision that I had seen when he1 came to destroy the city, and just like the vision that I had seen by the Chebar canal. And I fell on my face. 4 As the glory of the LORD entered the temple by the gate facing east, 5 the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court; and behold, the glory of the LORD filled the temple. 6 While the man was standing beside me, I heard one speaking to me out of the temple, 7 and he said to me, “Son of man, this is the place of my throne and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the people of Israel forever. And the house of Israel shall no more defile my holy name, neither they, nor their kings, by their whoring and by the dead bodies2 of their kings at their high places,3 8 by setting their threshold by my threshold and their doorposts beside my doorposts, with only a wall between me and them. They have defiled my holy name by their abominations that they have committed, so I have consumed them in my anger. 9 Now let them put away their whoring and the dead bodies of their kings far from me, and I will dwell in their midst forever. 10 “As for you, son of man, describe to the house of Israel the temple, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities; and they shall measure the plan. 11 And if they are ashamed of all that they have done, make known to them the design of the temple, its arrangement, its exits and its entrances, that is, its whole design; and make known to them as well all its statutes and its whole design and all its laws, and write it down in their sight, so that they may observe all its laws and all its statutes and carry them out. 12 This is the law of the temple: the whole territory on the top of the mountain all around shall be most holy. Behold, this is the law of the temple. The Altar 13 “These are the measurements of the altar by cubits (the cubit being a cubit and a handbreadth):4 its base shall be one cubit high5 and one cubit broad, with a rim of one span6 around its edge. And this shall be the height of the altar: 14 from the base on the ground to the lower ledge, two cubits, with a breadth of one cubit; and from the smaller ledge to the larger ledge, four cubits, with a breadth of one cubit; 15 and the altar hearth, four cubits; and from the altar hearth projecting upward, four horns. 16 The altar hearth shall be square, twelve cubits long by twelve broad. 17 The ledge also shall be square, fourteen cubits long by fourteen broad, with a rim around it half a cubit broad, and its base one cubit all around. The steps of the altar shall face east.” 18 And he said to me, “Son of man, thus says the Lord GOD: These are the ordinances for the altar: On the day when it is erected for offering burnt offerings upon it and for throwing blood against it, 19 you shall give to the Levitical priests of the family of Zadok, who draw near to me to minister to me, declares the Lord GOD, a bull from the herd for a sin offering. 20 And you shall take some of its blood and put it on the four horns of the altar and on the four corners of the ledge and upon the rim all around. Thus you shall purify the altar and make atonement for it. 21 You shall also take the bull of the sin offering, and it shall be burned in the appointed place belonging to the temple, outside the sacred area. 22 And on the second day you shall offer a male goat without blemish for a sin offering; and the altar shall be purified, as it was purified with the bull. 23 When you have finished purifying it, you shall offer a bull from the herd without blemish and a ram from the flock without blemish. 24 You shall present them before the LORD, and the priests shall sprinkle salt on them and offer them up as a burnt offering to the LORD. 25 For seven days you shall provide daily a male goat for a sin offering; also, a bull from the herd and a ram from the flock, without blemish, shall be provided. 26 Seven days shall they make atonement for the altar and cleanse it, and so consecrate it.7 27 And when they have completed these days, then from the eighth day onward the priests shall offer on the altar your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, and I will accept you, declares the Lord GOD.” Footnotes [1] 43:3 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Vulgate; most Hebrew manuscripts when I [2] 43:7 Or the monuments; also verse 9 [3] 43:7 Or at their deaths [4] 43:13 A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters; a handbreadth was about 3 inches or 7.5 centimeters [5] 43:13 Or its gutter shall be one cubit deep [6] 43:13 A span was about 9 inches or 22 centimeters [7] 43:26 Hebrew fill its hand (ESV)

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With family: 1 Kings 12; Philippians 3 1 Kings 12 (Listen) Rehoboam's Folly 12 Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king. 2 And as soon as Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard of it (for he was still in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon), then Jeroboam returned from1 Egypt. 3 And they sent and called him, and Jeroboam and all the assembly of Israel came and said to Rehoboam, 4 “Your father made our yoke heavy. Now therefore lighten the hard service of your father and his heavy yoke on us, and we will serve you.” 5 He said to them, “Go away for three days, then come again to me.” So the people went away. 6 Then King Rehoboam took counsel with the old men, who had stood before Solomon his father while he was yet alive, saying, “How do you advise me to answer this people?” 7 And they said to him, “If you will be a servant to this people today and serve them, and speak good words to them when you answer them, then they will be your servants forever.” 8 But he abandoned the counsel that the old men gave him and took counsel with the young men who had grown up with him and stood before him. 9 And he said to them, “What do you advise that we answer this people who have said to me, ‘Lighten the yoke that your father put on us'?” 10 And the young men who had grown up with him said to him, “Thus shall you speak to this people who said to you, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you lighten it for us,' thus shall you say to them, ‘My little finger is thicker than my father's thighs. 11 And now, whereas my father laid on you a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke. My father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.'” 12 So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king said, “Come to me again the third day.” 13 And the king answered the people harshly, and forsaking the counsel that the old men had given him, 14 he spoke to them according to the counsel of the young men, saying, “My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke. My father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.” 15 So the king did not listen to the people, for it was a turn of affairs brought about by the LORD that he might fulfill his word, which the LORD spoke by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat. The Kingdom Divided 16 And when all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king, “What portion do we have in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. To your tents, O Israel! Look now to your own house, David.” So Israel went to their tents. 17 But Rehoboam reigned over the people of Israel who lived in the cities of Judah. 18 Then King Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was taskmaster over the forced labor, and all Israel stoned him to death with stones. And King Rehoboam hurried to mount his chariot to flee to Jerusalem. 19 So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day. 20 And when all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, they sent and called him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. There was none that followed the house of David but the tribe of Judah only. 21 When Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin, 180,000 chosen warriors, to fight against the house of Israel, to restore the kingdom to Rehoboam the son of Solomon. 22 But the word of God came to Shemaiah the man of God: 23 “Say to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the people, 24 ‘Thus says the LORD, You shall not go up or fight against your relatives the people of Israel. Every man return to his home, for this thing is from me.'” So they listened to the word of the LORD and went home again, according to the word of the LORD. Jeroboam's Golden Calves 25 Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and lived there. And he went out from there and built Penuel. 26 And Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the kingdom will turn back to the house of David. 27 If this people go up to offer sacrifices in the temple of the LORD at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn again to their lord, to Rehoboam king of Judah, and they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah.” 28 So the king took counsel and made two calves of gold. And he said to the people, “You have gone up to Jerusalem long enough. Behold your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.” 29 And he set one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan. 30 Then this thing became a sin, for the people went as far as Dan to be before one.2 31 He also made temples on high places and appointed priests from among all the people, who were not of the Levites. 32 And Jeroboam appointed a feast on the fifteenth day of the eighth month like the feast that was in Judah, and he offered sacrifices on the altar. So he did in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves that he made. And he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places that he had made. 33 He went up to the altar that he had made in Bethel on the fifteenth day in the eighth month, in the month that he had devised from his own heart. And he instituted a feast for the people of Israel and went up to the altar to make offerings. Footnotes [1] 12:2 Septuagint, Vulgate (compare 2 Chronicles 10:2); Hebrew lived in [2] 12:30 Septuagint went to the one at Bethel and to the other as far as Dan (ESV) Philippians 3 (Listen) Righteousness Through Faith in Christ 3 Finally, my brothers,1 rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you. 2 Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. 3 For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God2 and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh—4 though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law,3 blameless. 7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Straining Toward the Goal 12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. 16 Only let us hold true to what we have attained. 17 Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. 18 For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself. Footnotes [1] 3:1 Or brothers and sisters; also verses 13, 17 [2] 3:3 Some manuscripts God in spirit [3] 3:6 Greek in the law (ESV) In private: Psalm 94; Ezekiel 42 Psalm 94 (Listen) The Lord Will Not Forsake His People 94   O LORD, God of vengeance,    O God of vengeance, shine forth!2   Rise up, O judge of the earth;    repay to the proud what they deserve!3   O LORD, how long shall the wicked,    how long shall the wicked exult?4   They pour out their arrogant words;    all the evildoers boast.5   They crush your people, O LORD,    and afflict your heritage.6   They kill the widow and the sojourner,    and murder the fatherless;7   and they say, “The LORD does not see;    the God of Jacob does not perceive.” 8   Understand, O dullest of the people!    Fools, when will you be wise?9   He who planted the ear, does he not hear?  He who formed the eye, does he not see?10   He who disciplines the nations, does he not rebuke?  He who teaches man knowledge—11     the LORD—knows the thoughts of man,    that they are but a breath.1 12   Blessed is the man whom you discipline, O LORD,    and whom you teach out of your law,13   to give him rest from days of trouble,    until a pit is dug for the wicked.14   For the LORD will not forsake his people;    he will not abandon his heritage;15   for justice will return to the righteous,    and all the upright in heart will follow it. 16   Who rises up for me against the wicked?    Who stands up for me against evildoers?17   If the LORD had not been my help,    my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence.18   When I thought, “My foot slips,”    your steadfast love, O LORD, held me up.19   When the cares of my heart are many,    your consolations cheer my soul.20   Can wicked rulers be allied with you,    those who frame2 injustice by statute?21   They band together against the life of the righteous    and condemn the innocent to death.322   But the LORD has become my stronghold,    and my God the rock of my refuge.23   He will bring back on them their iniquity    and wipe them out for their wickedness;    the LORD our God will wipe them out. Footnotes [1] 94:11 Septuagint they are futile [2] 94:20 Or fashion [3] 94:21 Hebrew condemn innocent blood (ESV) Ezekiel 42 (Listen) The Temple's Chambers 42 Then he led me out into the outer court, toward the north, and he brought me to the chambers that were opposite the separate yard and opposite the building on the north. 2 The length of the building whose door faced north was a hundred cubits,1 and the breadth fifty cubits. 3 Facing the twenty cubits that belonged to the inner court, and facing the pavement that belonged to the outer court, was gallery2 against gallery in three stories. 4 And before the chambers was a passage inward, ten cubits wide and a hundred cubits long,3 and their doors were on the north. 5 Now the upper chambers were narrower, for the galleries took more away from them than from the lower and middle chambers of the building. 6 For they were in three stories, and they had no pillars like the pillars of the courts. Thus the upper chambers were set back from the ground more than the lower and the middle ones. 7 And there was a wall outside parallel to the chambers, toward the outer court, opposite the chambers, fifty cubits long. 8 For the chambers on the outer court were fifty cubits long, while those opposite the nave4 were a hundred cubits long. 9 Below these chambers was an entrance on the east side, as one enters them from the outer court. 10 In the thickness of the wall of the court, on the south5 also, opposite the yard and opposite the building, there were chambers 11 with a passage in front of them. They were similar to the chambers on the north, of the same length and breadth, with the same exits6 and arrangements and doors, 12 as were the entrances of the chambers on the south. There was an entrance at the beginning of the passage, the passage before the corresponding wall on the east as one enters them.7 13 Then he said to me, “The north chambers and the south chambers opposite the yard are the holy chambers, where the priests who approach the LORD shall eat the most holy offerings. There they shall put the most holy offerings—the grain offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering—for the place is holy. 14 When the priests enter the Holy Place, they shall not go out of it into the outer court without laying there the garments in which they minister, for these are holy. They shall put on other garments before they go near to that which is for the people.” 15 Now when he had finished measuring the interior of the temple area, he led me out by the gate that faced east, and measured the temple area all around. 16 He measured the east side with the measuring reed, 500 cubits by the measuring reed all around. 17 He measured the north side, 500 cubits by the measuring reed all around. 18 He measured the south side, 500 cubits by the measuring reed. 19 Then he turned to the west side and measured, 500 cubits by the measuring reed. 20 He measured it on the four sides. It had a wall around it, 500 cubits long and 500 cubits broad, to make a separation between the holy and the common. Footnotes [1] 42:2 A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters [2] 42:3 The meaning of the Hebrew word is unknown; also verse 5 [3] 42:4 Septuagint, Syriac; Hebrew and a way of one cubit [4] 42:8 Or temple [5] 42:10 Septuagint; Hebrew east [6] 42:11 Hebrew and all their exits [7] 42:12 The meaning of the Hebrew verse is uncertain (ESV)

The Anchorage Assembly hears another long night of testimony over a proposed mask mandate. And Alaska legislators are in their fourth special session, with no sign of progress. Also: The University of Alaska Fairbanks is getting the famous "Into the Wild" bus ready for exhibit.

Ep.65 Music and the Lord's Day Worship   Music is certainly a gift from God, but when it comes to which music we sing in worship, there can be some questions as to what is or is not suitable for worship. Do we play Hillsong, or Bethel, or Elevation? Or are there standards that should be met when choosing which songs we use in worship? In this episode, Nathaniel and Ekkie discuss critical considerations for worship and give practical examples when considering music in church.

Today's podcast is a meditation and retelling of 1 Samuel 8-10.   Introduction How disappointing for God. He had chosen this nation, and had a special relationship with them, promising nothing but blessings galore (Deuteronomy 28), if only they would obey Him. He always intended to lead them personally, through one judge as His liaison. He knew they wouldn't be faithful to Him, but I doubt that made it any less heartbreaking when time and time again, the people abandoned Him and worshipped false gods. He was covenant-bound to withdraw from them when this happened, leaving them open to the enemy to steal, kill, and destroy. When they'd had enough finally, the people would cry out and God would send the deliverer who was to be their next judge—whoever was the best option He had at the time.   Samuel had been one of the good judges, and perhaps it wouldn't have ended as it did if his sons had been like him. It is strange that Samuel thought his sons would succeed him though, since God's judges were never meant to be a dynasty. Presumably Samuel also knew of his son's shortcomings.    It's very clear in this story that God didn't think a king was a good idea, and took it as a personal rejection (Hosea 13:11). Yet He granted what the people wanted anyway. It's interesting how often in Old Testament stories God gives the people what they demand, even though He knows it isn't for the best. God chose to make creatures with free will, and because of it, God rarely gets His first choice. I'm thinking of the story of Balaam: God told him not to go with Balak's messengers the first two times he asked. Balaam should have left it at that, instead of pressing God to give in! But, Balaam wanted financial gain, just as the Israelites wanted to govern themselves rather than having to rely on God. Moses also permitted divorce, even though Jesus said that wasn't God's first choice either (Matthew 19:8). God gave the people what they asked for, consequences and all.   At the same time, I have to wonder whether the Israelites' desire for a king was somehow premature. Saul reigned for forty years, Acts 13:21, and David began to rule when he was thirty years old, just after Saul's death, 2 Samuel 5:4. That means David wasn't even born until the tenth year of Saul's reign, though God began to look for a “man after His own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14) in the second year of Saul's reign. Saul's beginning was certainly less than illustrious, and we can see seeds of the cause of his downfall, insecurity and fear of man, from the very beginning. It almost seems like Saul was just a placeholder, until David was old enough to be anointed and trained up in the “school of hard knocks,” as it were, to become ready for the throne.    That said, it's interesting how God used natural circumstances (Saul's father lost his donkeys and had sent him and a servant to look for them) to bring Saul and Samuel together. Samuel's prophetic insight to set aside the best cut of meat, expecting Saul to show up the next day, surely primed Saul to accept Samuel's proclamation that he would become king. God knew that a man like Saul wouldn't just believe such a word; he would need to be convinced. Then Samuel gave him a number of other confirmatory events to look for in the subsequent seven days, so that he would be ready for the big “reveal” of the man God had anointed a week later. Unfortunately, Samuel's presentation fell flat when their new king was literally hiding among the baggage. Presumably his absurd behavior was why some of the men of Israel despised him. Shortly after this, God used an attack from their enemies as a means to galvanize Israel to fight under Saul's leadership (1 Samuel 11). Thus Saul redeemed himself, earning a new and better coronation.    Yet only a year later, in the second year of Saul's reign, Saul disobeyed God for the first time, causing God to proclaim through Samuel that God would take the kingdom away from Saul and give it to a “man after His own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14). A decade or so later, after Saul again disobeyed, God formally rejected Saul as king. Saul's response to this was interesting: he asked Samuel to at least continue to honor him before the people (1 Samuel 15:30), indicating what really mattered to him. He wanted the honor and respect of men, not God (Proverbs 29:25). This was exactly why God chose David instead.    Fictionalized Retelling:    I couldn't help wondering, in the quiet of night, whether it was all my fault.  The Lord had never told me that the position of judge should be hereditary, nor had it ever been so in Israel's history. Yet I'd had it in my mind since my sons were born that as soon as they were old enough, they could share my load. I suppose I had this idea because Eli had practically raised me, and the priesthood was hereditary.  Eli's sons had turned out poorly too, though. I don't know why I thought that would be a good model to follow.  Yes, I did know. I had wanted to believe it.  I wanted the latter part of my life to be easier than the first part had been, but I also had a romanticized ideal of sharing what mattered most to me with Joel and Abijah. I was so focused on this goal that I failed to see—I refused to see—the men my sons had become, just as Eli had done. The elders of Israel all assembled before me one day and shouted their accusations from all directions.  “Look, you're an old man, and your sons aren't following in your footsteps!” one called. Old? I winced inwardly. I was barely sixty—but I was certainly tired, after forty-eight years of ministry. I felt old.  “They cheat us!” another of the elders cried. “They'll rule in favor of whoever bribes them the most!” These words struck me like a blow. I'd seen this tendency in my sons from their youths. I didn't think either of them had ever heard from the Lord. Secretly I had worried that they did not truly fear Him, but I'd hidden those fears even from myself. Now, here was the proof. “Appoint a king to rule us, just like every other nation!”  I cannot vouch for my expression when I heard this demand. I was not a man given to tears, but after all I had done for them—after devoting forty-eight years to judging these people, delivering them from the Philistines and bringing them back to true worship of the Lord, they had rejected me. Their words felt like a personal betrayal. “I will bring your request before the Lord,” was all I could manage before I retreated from them, slamming the door to my home in their faces.    I'd continued in prayer from then until now, on my knees in the temple before the Lord. It was now past midnight, but the Lord never spoke according to my timeline.  “Go ahead and do what they're asking,” came the Lord's whisper at last. “They are not rejecting you. They are rejecting Me as their King.”  I swallowed, somehow both saddened and soothed to hear that the Lord felt exactly as I did.  “From the day I brought them out of Egypt until this very day they've been behaving like this, leaving Me for other gods. And now they're doing it to you.” I nodded. “I know they have, Lord,” I murmured, “they are a stubborn people. I don't know what they think a king is going to do for them that a judge won't do.” But as soon as I'd said this, I realized I did know. The judge acted in the position of Moses, constantly returning for the Lord's direction before every decision, both militarily and in government. The king would not be in such communion. He would do as he thought best, without need to consult the Lord. He would be dependent upon human wisdom, though—and because of this, he would probably be even more prone to corruption than my sons were.  “Let them have their own way,” the Lord said. “But warn them of what they're in for. Tell them what they're likely to get from a king.” I knew enough of how kings of neighboring nations behaved to be able to guess what He meant, but He gave me a vision of it anyway.  When the Lord's vision finished, I rose, feeling desolate. I wasn't entirely sure if I was now sharing in the Lord's own heartbreak, or because my own vision for the latter part of my life had been destroyed, or because I had been forced to confront my sons' corruption. I splashed water on my face and went to my own home, walking the dark, empty streets illuminated only by moonlight. I always imagined that the Lord Himself walked beside me on these moonlit strolls. Tonight, I needed the company.  The next morning I sent for Joel and Abijah. I told them first what the people had said, so that they could get their own initial outrage out of the way before they encountered the news publicly. It went precisely as I had imagined it would. Joel sulked and turned stony and silent. Abijah threw a fit, shouting, throwing, and breaking things.  “What are we supposed to do now, then?” he demanded. “You raised us to be Israel's judges!”  “That was my own fault,” I sighed heavily. “You both have other skills—Joel, you have some knowledge as a farmer, and Abijah, you can work for your brother—” “Work for my brother?” Abijah ranted, “it's his fault the elders of Israel rejected us! He's the cheater!”  Joel leapt to his feet, and the boys almost came to blows in a pattern they had repeated hundreds of times since they were children. I always inserted myself between them to force them apart, if I was present at the time. If not, someone got bloody. I played my role again now, but felt too tired to engage with their accusations.  “The elders will assemble to hear the word of the Lord in one hour,” I told them. “It would be seemly if you were both present and in one piece. If you are not… well. That will be your choice.” Then I turned and walked away, ignoring their shouts and protests.  My sons did not appear with the elders in front of the temple an hour later, to my sorrow but not to my surprise. To do so would have required a measure of humility I knew they did not possess. If they had, we might not be in this situation in the first place. “This is the way the kind of king you desire would operate,” I called out to the people in warning once they quieted down. “He'll take your sons and make soldiers of them—cavalry, infantry, regimented in battalions and squadrons. He'll put some to forced labor on his farms, plowing and harvesting, and others to making either weapons of war or chariots in which he can ride in luxury. He'll put your daughters to work as beauticians and waitresses and cooks. He'll conscript your best fields, vineyards, and orchards and hand them over to his special friends. He'll tax your harvests and vintage to support his extensive bureaucracy. Your prize workers and best animals he'll take for his own use. He'll lay a tax on your flocks and you'll end up no better than slaves. The day will come when you will cry in desperation because of this king you so much want for yourselves. But don't expect God to answer.” The elders in the front row cried out, “We will have a king to rule us!” Another voice rose above the clamor of agreement, adding, “Then we'll be just like all the other nations. Our king will rule us and lead us and fight our battles!” My heart felt so heavy. Didn't they know that until now, God had fought their battles for them? Yet they wanted a leader they could see.  Do as they say, I heard the Lord whisper to me. Make them a king. I took a deep breath and cried, “The Lord has heard you! Go home, each of you to your own city.” They dispersed slowly, and I stood there on the temple steps until the last of them had gone. Last of all, I wandered away.  “Who, Lord?” I asked aloud once I was alone. “What man is there in Israel whom You would trust with such power?” I heard no response that day, nor the next, nor the day after that. This silence, I knew, and the wait, were the very reasons why the people wanted a king in the first place. Hearing from the Lord was unpredictable. His timing was His own. I knew enough of Him to wait in peace, but the elders tended to fret in the silence, wanting to take matters into their own hands. A king would do just that.  About a week later, the Lord finally spoke to me.  “This time tomorrow, I'm sending a man from the land of Benjamin to meet you. You're to anoint him as commander over my people Israel. He will free my people from Philistine oppression. I have heard their cries for help.” “Huh,” I replied aloud. “Benjamin?” It was the smallest of the tribes, ever since the concubine incident several generations earlier which had almost wiped them out. I'd have expected the Lord's anointed to come from any tribe but that one.  The next day was a local sacrifice in the land of Zuph, where I lived. Tradition held that I should go and bless the people's sacrifice to the Lord so that they could eat of it. Since the Lord had told me I would meet His anointed before the sacrifice would occur, I told the people to set aside the best portion of the sacrifice and give it the following day to the one I indicated to them. The day of the sacrifice, I went my way up to the high place, and stopped just as I exited the city. Two men approached: one was clearly a servant, and the other was a sight to behold. He was taller than any man of Israel I had ever seen, powerfully built, and had a head of thick dark hair and a full beard. He practically radiated with health and beauty.  He's the one, the man I told you about, the Lord said to me. He is the man who will reign over my people.  Though I had previously been heartbroken when the people asked for a king, I'd gotten used to the idea in the intervening week of silence from the Lord. Now, the moment I beheld this incredible specimen of a man, I felt a throb of pride, almost as if he were my son.  The man approached me directly. “Pardon me, but can you tell me where the Seer lives?” “I'm the Seer,” I told him. “Accompany me to the shrine and eat with me. In the morning I'll tell you all about what's on your mind, and send you on your way.” Then in a flash of insight, the Lord revealed to me why they were here and what concerned them. “By the way, your lost donkeys—the ones you've been hunting for the last three days—have been found, so don't worry about them. At this moment, Israel's future is in your hands.” The magnificent man looked thunderstruck. “But I'm only a Benjaminite, from the smallest of Israel's tribes, and from the most insignificant clan in the tribe at that,” he stammered. I was struck by the strange contrast between his looks and his manner. “Why are you talking to me like this?” I regarded him, but despite the temptation to reveal all now, I obeyed the prompting of the Lord.  “I will tell you in the morning,” I reiterated, and let the way to the high place for the feast.  When we arrived and found that all the people were already assembled, I gestured for the man, whose name turned out to be Saul, and his servant to take their seats among the people. I noticed how the people stared at him in awe, yet Saul did not seem to notice. Presumably he'd grown used to the stares over a lifetime.  I pulled the cook aside and whispered, “Bring the choice cut I pointed out to you, the one I told you to reserve.”  The cook looked slightly bemused, but did as I had asked, and brought out the thigh, placing it before Saul.  “This meal was kept aside just for you,” I announced to Saul, loudly enough that all who were assembled could hear. “Eat! It was especially prepared for this time and occasion with these guests.” Saul looked terribly embarrassed, but after a feeble protest or two, he eventually did as I had bid him. The rest of us took our portions of the sacrifice from what was left. We all ate and drank merrily before the Lord, and then Saul and his servant returned with me back to my house. I prepared a bed for them in the top of the house cooled by the breeze, and slept little that night myself.  At daybreak I called to Saul, “Get up and I'll send you off.” I offered them breakfast, and walked with them to the outskirts of the city, but then at last told Saul, “Tell your servant to go on ahead of us. You stay with me for a bit. I have a word of God to give you.” After my promise the day before, and also my strange behavior at the feast, Saul had evidently been expecting this. He simply nodded to his servant, who sped up while we hung back.  When the servant was far enough ahead that Saul and I were alone, I withdrew from my cloak a flask of anointing oil, and gestured for Saul to kneel before me. He did so, and I poured the oil over his thick black hair until it ran down his beard. He looked astonished, as I took his face in my hands, kissing him on both cheeks.  “Do you see what this means?” I proclaimed, “God has anointed you commander over his people. This sign will confirm God's anointing of you as king over his inheritance: After you leave me today, as you get closer to your home country of Benjamin, you'll meet two men near Rachel's Tomb. They'll say, ‘The donkeys you went to look for are found. Your father has forgotten about the donkeys and is worried about you, wringing his hands—quite beside himself!' Leaving there, you'll arrive at the Oak of Tabor. There you'll meet three men going up to worship God at Bethel. One will be carrying three young goats, another carrying three sacks of bread, and the third a jug of wine. They'll say, ‘Hello, how are you?' and offer you two loaves of bread, which you will accept. Next, you'll come to Gibeah of God, where there's a Philistine garrison. As you approach the town, you'll run into a bunch of prophets coming down from the high place, playing harps and tambourines, flutes and drums. And they'll be prophesying. Before you know it, the Spirit of God will come on you and you'll be prophesying right along with them. And you'll be transformed into a new person! When these confirming signs are accomplished, you'll know that you're ready: Whatever job you're given to do, do it. God is with you! Now, go down to Gilgal and I will follow. I'll come down and join you in worship by sacrificing burnt offerings and peace offerings. Wait seven days. Then I'll come and tell you what to do next.”  Saul stared at me in mute amazement as I said all of this; I could almost see his brain spinning as he tried to process all that I had said. I gestured for Saul to rise to his feet, which he did as if in a daze. I marveled once again, now that he was right next to me, at what a tower of a man he was. Then I patted him on the back to give him the indication to get going and to catch up with his servant.  Seven days later, I called all the people together at Mizpah. I was excited: today was to be the great day of the Lord's unveiling of the people's king. My sons, once again, were conspicuously absent—sulking, no doubt—but I did not let this bother me. I wondered if, after the Spirit of the Lord had come upon Saul, I would even recognize him as the timid man I had met on the road.  When all the people were assembled, I stood up and spoke to all of them as I had weeks ago spoken to the elders.  “This is God's personal message to you: ‘I brought Israel up out of Egypt. I delivered you from Egyptian oppression—yes, from all the bullying governments that made your life miserable. And now you want nothing to do with your God, the very God who has a history of getting you out of troubles of all sorts. And now you say, ‘No! We want a king; give us a king!' Well, if that's what you want, that's what you'll get! Present yourselves formally before God, ranked in tribes and families.” I wanted to maximize the impact of this ceremony—not just announce Saul as the king, but to really give the moment the build-up it deserved. When I chose the tribe of Benjamin, I heard the whispers. They were my own reaction, and Saul's as well. I waited for the whispers to subside, and then announced, “Tribe of Benjamin, now arrange yourselves by families!” They did so, and I frowned—Saul was a head taller than all the men of Israel. I should have been able to spot him easily. Where was he? Yet I felt the Lord lead me to the family of Matri, so I chose them. The men of the family came forward, and I scanned the lot of them, searching for the face I expected.  “Saul, son of Kish, is the man!” I cried out, with rather less impact than I had hoped. “But where is he?”  I felt the Lord draw my attention to a pile of baggage brought by their tribe, since they had to come from all over Israel for this ceremony. I heard the Lord say to me, he's right over there—hidden in that pile of baggage. I felt a wave of—dread? embarrassment?—but I walked toward the pile of baggage with my head held high, gesturing for some of Saul's own family to help me move the bags one by one. I uncovered Saul's chagrined face, which was bright red, as well it should be.  “Get up,” I hissed. “Fortunately for you, not everyone in Israel has a good view of this ridiculousness!”  Saul crawled out from under the pile in which he'd been hiding, and brushed himself off. I pulled him up to the raised area from which I had been speaking, and added under my breath, “Head high, and for goodness' sake, try to look like a king!” Then I cried to the people, trusting that Saul's extraordinary looks would be the first thing they would notice, “Take a good look at whom God has chosen: the best! No one like him in the whole country!” “Long live the king!” the people cried out, their voices joining together and rising in a crescendo. “Long live the king!”  That was a good start. I hoped it meant the story of the baggage wouldn't spread, but as I left, I overheard the whispers.  “Deliverer? Don't make me laugh!”  “How can this man save us? He hid himself at his own coronation!”  “What a marvelous leader he must be!”  I closed my eyes but chose not to rebuke them on Saul's behalf. He would have to do that himself.  He was Israel's leader now, after all—not me. 

Alaska doctors say they're worried about a difficult winter in pediatric hospital wings. Also, a Ketchikan resident discovers more racist vandalism near a school. And two birds that nested in Alaska have been tracked to the area of an oil spill off the coast of California.

Proper 22 First Psalm: Psalms 131–133 Psalms 131–133 (Listen) I Have Calmed and Quieted My Soul A Song of Ascents. Of David. 131   O LORD, my heart is not lifted up;    my eyes are not raised too high;  I do not occupy myself with things    too great and too marvelous for me.2   But I have calmed and quieted my soul,    like a weaned child with its mother;    like a weaned child is my soul within me. 3   O Israel, hope in the LORD    from this time forth and forevermore. The Lord Has Chosen Zion A Song of Ascents. 132   Remember, O LORD, in David's favor,    all the hardships he endured,2   how he swore to the LORD    and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob,3   “I will not enter my house    or get into my bed,4   I will not give sleep to my eyes    or slumber to my eyelids,5   until I find a place for the LORD,    a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.” 6   Behold, we heard of it in Ephrathah;    we found it in the fields of Jaar.7   “Let us go to his dwelling place;    let us worship at his footstool!” 8   Arise, O LORD, and go to your resting place,    you and the ark of your might.9   Let your priests be clothed with righteousness,    and let your saints shout for joy.10   For the sake of your servant David,    do not turn away the face of your anointed one. 11   The LORD swore to David a sure oath    from which he will not turn back:  “One of the sons of your body1    I will set on your throne.12   If your sons keep my covenant    and my testimonies that I shall teach them,  their sons also forever    shall sit on your throne.” 13   For the LORD has chosen Zion;    he has desired it for his dwelling place:14   “This is my resting place forever;    here I will dwell, for I have desired it.15   I will abundantly bless her provisions;    I will satisfy her poor with bread.16   Her priests I will clothe with salvation,    and her saints will shout for joy.17   There I will make a horn to sprout for David;    I have prepared a lamp for my anointed.18   His enemies I will clothe with shame,    but on him his crown will shine.” When Brothers Dwell in Unity A Song of Ascents. Of David. 133   Behold, how good and pleasant it is    when brothers dwell in unity!22   It is like the precious oil on the head,    running down on the beard,  on the beard of Aaron,    running down on the collar of his robes!3   It is like the dew of Hermon,    which falls on the mountains of Zion!  For there the LORD has commanded the blessing,    life forevermore. Footnotes [1] 132:11 Hebrew of your fruit of the womb [2] 133:1 Or dwell together (ESV) Second Psalm: Psalms 134–135 Psalms 134–135 (Listen) Come, Bless the Lord A Song of Ascents. 134   Come, bless the LORD, all you servants of the LORD,    who stand by night in the house of the LORD!2   Lift up your hands to the holy place    and bless the LORD! 3   May the LORD bless you from Zion,    he who made heaven and earth! Your Name, O Lord, Endures Forever 135   Praise the LORD!  Praise the name of the LORD,    give praise, O servants of the LORD,2   who stand in the house of the LORD,    in the courts of the house of our God!3   Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good;    sing to his name, for it is pleasant!14   For the LORD has chosen Jacob for himself,    Israel as his own possession. 5   For I know that the LORD is great,    and that our Lord is above all gods.6   Whatever the LORD pleases, he does,    in heaven and on earth,    in the seas and all deeps.7   He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth,    who makes lightnings for the rain    and brings forth the wind from his storehouses. 8   He it was who struck down the firstborn of Egypt,    both of man and of beast;9   who in your midst, O Egypt,    sent signs and wonders    against Pharaoh and all his servants;10   who struck down many nations    and killed mighty kings,11   Sihon, king of the Amorites,    and Og, king of Bashan,    and all the kingdoms of Canaan,12   and gave their land as a heritage,    a heritage to his people Israel. 13   Your name, O LORD, endures forever,    your renown,2 O LORD, throughout all ages.14   For the LORD will vindicate his people    and have compassion on his servants. 15   The idols of the nations are silver and gold,    the work of human hands.16   They have mouths, but do not speak;    they have eyes, but do not see;17   they have ears, but do not hear,    nor is there any breath in their mouths.18   Those who make them become like them,    so do all who trust in them. 19   O house of Israel, bless the LORD!    O house of Aaron, bless the LORD!20   O house of Levi, bless the LORD!    You who fear the LORD, bless the LORD!21   Blessed be the LORD from Zion,    he who dwells in Jerusalem!  Praise the LORD! Footnotes [1] 135:3 Or for he is beautiful [2] 135:13 Or remembrance (ESV) Old Testament: 2 Kings 23:4–25 2 Kings 23:4–25 (Listen) 4 And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest and the priests of the second order and the keepers of the threshold to bring out of the temple of the LORD all the vessels made for Baal, for Asherah, and for all the host of heaven. He burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron and carried their ashes to Bethel. 5 And he deposed the priests whom the kings of Judah had ordained to make offerings in the high places at the cities of Judah and around Jerusalem; those also who burned incense to Baal, to the sun and the moon and the constellations and all the host of the heavens. 6 And he brought out the Asherah from the house of the LORD, outside Jerusalem, to the brook Kidron, and burned it at the brook Kidron and beat it to dust and cast the dust of it upon the graves of the common people. 7 And he broke down the houses of the male cult prostitutes who were in the house of the LORD, where the women wove hangings for the Asherah. 8 And he brought all the priests out of the cities of Judah, and defiled the high places where the priests had made offerings, from Geba to Beersheba. And he broke down the high places of the gates that were at the entrance of the gate of Joshua the governor of the city, which were on one's left at the gate of the city. 9 However, the priests of the high places did not come up to the altar of the LORD in Jerusalem, but they ate unleavened bread among their brothers. 10 And he defiled Topheth, which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, that no one might burn his son or his daughter as an offering to Molech.1 11 And he removed the horses that the kings of Judah had dedicated to the sun, at the entrance to the house of the LORD, by the chamber of Nathan-melech the chamberlain, which was in the precincts.2 And he burned the chariots of the sun with fire. 12 And the altars on the roof of the upper chamber of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and the altars that Manasseh had made in the two courts of the house of the LORD, he pulled down and broke in pieces3 and cast the dust of them into the brook Kidron. 13 And the king defiled the high places that were east of Jerusalem, to the south of the mount of corruption, which Solomon the king of Israel had built for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Sidonians, and for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. 14 And he broke in pieces the pillars and cut down the Asherim and filled their places with the bones of men. 15 Moreover, the altar at Bethel, the high place erected by Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, that altar with the high place he pulled down and burned,4 reducing it to dust. He also burned the Asherah. 16 And as Josiah turned, he saw the tombs there on the mount. And he sent and took the bones out of the tombs and burned them on the altar and defiled it, according to the word of the LORD that the man of God proclaimed, who had predicted these things. 17 Then he said, “What is that monument that I see?” And the men of the city told him, “It is the tomb of the man of God who came from Judah and predicted5 these things that you have done against the altar at Bethel.” 18 And he said, “Let him be; let no man move his bones.” So they let his bones alone, with the bones of the prophet who came out of Samaria. 19 And Josiah removed all the shrines also of the high places that were in the cities of Samaria, which kings of Israel had made, provoking the LORD to anger. He did to them according to all that he had done at Bethel. 20 And he sacrificed all the priests of the high places who were there, on the altars, and burned human bones on them. Then he returned to Jerusalem. Josiah Restores the Passover 21 And the king commanded all the people, “Keep the Passover to the LORD your God, as it is written in this Book of the Covenant.” 22 For no such Passover had been kept since the days of the judges who judged Israel, or during all the days of the kings of Israel or of the kings of Judah. 23 But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah this Passover was kept to the LORD in Jerusalem. 24 Moreover, Josiah put away the mediums and the necromancers and the household gods and the idols and all the abominations that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, that he might establish the words of the law that were written in the book that Hilkiah the priest found in the house of the LORD. 25 Before him there was no king like him, who turned to the LORD with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses, nor did any like him arise after him. Footnotes [1] 23:10 Hebrew might cause his son or daughter to pass through the fire for Molech [2] 23:11 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain [3] 23:12 Hebrew pieces from there [4] 23:15 Septuagint broke in pieces its stones [5] 23:17 Hebrew called (ESV) New Testament: 1 Corinthians 12:1–11 1 Corinthians 12:1–11 (Listen) Spiritual Gifts 12 Now concerning1 spiritual gifts,2 brothers,3 I do not want you to be uninformed. 2 You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led. 3 Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit. 4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills. Footnotes [1] 12:1 The expression Now concerning introduces a reply to a question in the Corinthians' letter; see 7:1 [2] 12:1 Or spiritual persons [3] 12:1 Or brothers and sisters (ESV) Gospel: Matthew 9:18–26 Matthew 9:18–26 (Listen) A Girl Restored to Life and a Woman Healed 18 While he was saying these things to them, behold, a ruler came in and knelt before him, saying, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.” 19 And Jesus rose and followed him, with his disciples. 20 And behold, a woman who had suffered from a discharge of blood for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, 21 for she said to herself, “If I only touch his garment, I will be made well.” 22 Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And instantly1 the woman was made well. 23 And when Jesus came to the ruler's house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion, 24 he said, “Go away, for the girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. 25 But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose. 26 And the report of this went through all that district. Footnotes [1] 9:22 Greek from that hour (ESV)

Sen. Lisa Murkowski says she won't cross party lines to vote to increase the debt ceiling. Also, an Anchorage pastor knows he should get a COVID-19 vaccine but can't bring himself to follow through. And a mom in Petersburg gets a difficult diagnosis for herself and her daughter.

Interpreting and understanding God's word can seem daunting and overwhelming. In this week's podcast, I share a message I spoke on a Sunday night at Bethel about how to understand the Scriptures and how we have been given the Holy Spirit to help us! One of the most important things we can do as a believer is have a relationship with the Word of God and seek to understand what God is saying. God is inviting you to know Him as the author and provide an understanding of His word. I pray that as you listen to this message that there would be a new passion ignited in you for the word of God!

Sen. Dan Sullivan proposes a hardline approach to regulating teens' use of social media sites like Facebook. Also, a local reporter delves into the unseen deaths of the unhoused in Anchorage. And Tom Kizzia returns to McCarthy to mine stories for his latest book.

On this month's episode of The 252, Chris, Chris, and Sam look back at the Tokyo Olympics (and ahead to Beijing 2022 and Paris 2024), talk about the mental health of athletes, and interview Bethel alum Matt Moberg, a Minneapolis pastor who serves as a chaplain for the Minnesota Timberwolves.

In this episode, our guest Carrie Bee, the author of Paradise Bound https://www.amazon.com/Paradise-Bound-Carrie-Bee/dp/1628387254), shares her experience on the effects of shunning for the better part of her life by her parents. Despite being their only child, they are more devoted enforcing Watchtower policies than having a relationship with their daughter. They have also chosen not […]

The Dunleavy administration has released few details on extensive cyberattacks on state government. Also, the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation's top executive asks whether trustees are committed to the corporation's independence. And a theater company in Skagway prepares for a season when tourists return.

Jay Pathak is the Lead Pastor of the Mile High Vineyard and Danielle Pathak is the Spiritual Formation and Staff Pastor. Jay and Danielle planted Mile High Vineyard, a family of neighborhood churches in 2001. They grew up in Columbus, OH and started attending the Columbus Vineyard as teenagers, where they began leading in ministry very young. Jay has a BA in Philosophy from Ohio State University, is a graduate of Vineyard Leadership Institute, served on the Vineyard executive team for 5 years and is the national director elect for Vineyard USA. He is also the co-author of The Art of Neighboring. Danielle has a BA in Human Development and Family Studies from Ohio State University, also attended Vineyard Leadership Institute and holds a certificate in Spiritual Direction from Sustainable Faith and one in Spiritual Formation and Leadership from the Transforming Center in Chicago. Jay and Danielle have been married since 1998 and they have two beautiful daughters, Jasmine and Sofia. In the first of this two-part episode of The Ferment you'll meet Jay and Danielle up close and personal! They each share their stories of coming to faith and learning how to trust the Lord's leading regarding their future, both as a couple and as people in ministry. Danielle speaks about her process of sorting through deeply engrained hurts relating to women in ministry, and Jay tells some stories about being pastored well…and not so well. You won't want to miss this opportunity to get to know our new national leadership, and make sure you come back for part two next week!   Show notes: Mile High Vineyard https://www.milehighvineyard.org Socials Instagram @thefermentpodcast Twitter @fermentcast TikTok @vineyardworship

Genesis 20

Dr. Mark Kuykendall continues the series "The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob."

ONE THING “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” – A.W. Tozer During the current sermon series “We Believe”, Pastor Andy will be walking us through the 10 theological convictions of our...

Out-of-state healthcare workers settle into hospitals in Alaska. And Alaskans participate in a day honoring the troubled history of Indigenous boarding schools. Also: How and why some trees lose their leaves.

In this episode, we will discuss the issues with how Jehovah’s Witnesses indoctrinate their children to believe that the Watchtower teachings are from Jehovah and they are the only true religion. Despite many children choosing not to get baptized, their lives are extremely impacted by their upbringing. Unfortunately, we never get to hear the experiences […]

David Kaye is founding partner & operations manager of Nod Hill Brewery located off Route 7 in Ridgefield, Connecticut. Since opening in 2017 Nod Hill has been thriving, churning out some of the most delectable offerings of beers in the state. Chef Jeff Taibe is a friend of the show and returning guest from episode #46. Jeff is the owner of Taproot Restaurant in Bethel, CT as well On the Fly Food Truck. This year, Nod Hill and Jeff Taibe joined forces to bring joy to the masses and along with the recent opening of the Nod Hill bier garten, we covered it all! I mean who doesn't love a conversation about incredible beer and delicious food with two the best guys around! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

RTD2: With the next series of Doctor Who wrapping up the tenures of both the star, Jodie Whittaker, and its showrunner, Chris Chibnall, it was announced that the 2023 series will herald the return of the showrunner who brought the show back from the wilderness in 2005, Russell T Davies. Our hosts discuss the possibilities––and drawbacks––of this announcement. RELEVANT LINKS: "The Lost Trophy." The Diana Jones Award, The Diana Jones Award Committee. "Russell T Davies to Return as Doctor Who Showrunner." Doctor Who.tv, BBC Studios, 24 September 2021. Where Cascina Caradonna, face model for the character of "Dina" in The Last of Us, Part 2, sees her face for the first time in her playthrough of the game: RELEVANT EPISODES: "Teasing the Difference" (05 June 2015): Where D. Bethel discusses playing The Last of Us, the game that came with his purchase of this Playstation 4. INFO: Visit our website at forallintents.net and leave your thoughts as comments on the page for this episode. Join our Facebook page Social: Andrew - Twitter & Instagram, D. Bethel - Twitter & Instagram Find Taylor on Twitter and Instagram Subscribe to our YouTube channel. Subscribe to and review the show on the iTunes store or on Spotify.

Another night of emotional testimony as Anchorage debates a mask mandate. Meanwhile, study after study has shown the masks work to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. And Southeast fishermen command record prices for Dungeness crab.

This week, we continue our series on why people are leaving the church and deconstructing of rebuilding their faith. In this episode, lead pastor, Kevin Meyer has a conversation with two experts-Justin Jeppesen and Peter Kapsner-who teach young adults at

What does it mean to serve through your church? Bethel's Outreach Director, Angie Hufford shares all about service in light of Ephesians 4:17-24.Resources and a transcript for this podcast can be found at bethel.ch/podcasts. You can learn more about the 1% Life at bethel.ch/one-percent, as well as download the 1% Life curriculum and find the 1% Life reading plan.Connect with us online at bethel.ch, by emailing podcasts@bethel.ch, or find us @bethelchurchwa on Instagram and Bethel Church WA on Facebook

Hundreds of out-of-state doctors and nurses begin arriving in Alaska to help fight COVID-19. Also, frontline workers in the pandemic welcome news of vaccine booster shots. And a Juneau café with dark magic vibes has helped heal its owner.

AnnouncementSeptember 27, 2021 FOR ELDERS COVID-19 Vaccinations and Respect for Superior Authorities: Out of concern andlove, we are sharing the following important information. (1 Cor. 12:25) As a result of theongoing pandemic, secular authorities in an increasing number of lands are mandating orstrongly encouraging that their citizens be vaccinated for COVID-19. The recent GoverningBody updates […]

In this episode Costi Hinn takes us on a deep dive into the topic of divine healing and weighs some of the more prominent views of healing against Scripture. He lovingly challenges listeners to make sure that God's word is informing their view on healing, rather than human ideas. This episode will not please extremists who say that God never heals, nor will it please those who insist that it is always God's will to heal. Click here to order Costi's new book titled, More Than a Healer.

Glen Yoder is a musician and songwriter, husband and father, and the worship pastor at Vineyard Campbellsville in Campbellsville, KY. Born in an Amish community that his family left during his childhood, Glen was raised in the hills of Kentucky and came of age on the streets of the world. His formative years were spent somewhere between his Amish roots, the folk music of his home in the hills and the indie-rock soundtrack of the streets of Lexington, KY. From Central America to South Africa, Glen traveled with his friends to far-flung corners, settling in the heart of Kentucky to write songs tinged with sadness and outlined with hope. In this episode of The Ferment, Glen and Adam talk about Glen's journey into music and skateboarding as a boy and how they served him as portals to a new world as his family was leaving the Amish community. They also continue the conversation of worship versus secular music and Glen shares about his process of songwriting with his writing partner and how you balance creating art with having a family and a full life. This conversation catches Glen right in the middle of the gestation of his new record, so stay tuned for more details on the future release from his band, Always Endless.   Show Notes: Glen's Instagram @glenyoder   Socials: Instagram @thefermentpodcast Twitter @fermentcast TikTok @vineyardworship  

  Pr. Chris Rosebrough of Fighting for the Faith Fighting for the Faith