Podcasts about Christian Church

Morning of Baptisms Dan Walter, Senior Minister

Sunday Service 1 Samuel 18:1-16 Lead Pastor Tim Davis @ Christ The King Church. A non-denominational Christian Church located in Canby, OR. (www.ctkcanby.com)

Is it Rapture or Tribulation (1) ? (audio) David Eells – 11/2/25 Is the Tribulation for You? Amos Scaggs - 08/03/2005   In a dream, I was at a computer and it was the mid-tribulation time period. I saw millions of people being destroyed and all sorts of catastrophes happening all over the world. I saw the Beast system in full swing, its leaders and commanders. I thought I had seen enough so I wanted to close the screen out. I kept clicking the “X” with the cursor 15-20 times in rapid succession but every time I would hit the “X” the screen would pop back up again. I was getting frustrated because I couldn't exit the page. Then a voice said, “You're Not Getting Out”. (So, no pre or mid-trib rapture) I had to sit there and watch the activities of the tribulation times. Needless to say, I was totally disappointed, and my heart sank because I thought I would escape the tribulation period. Regardless of what you have been taught or think, the Christian/Church will go through the seven-year tribulation period.   Revelation in Mid-Trib of Soon Coming Rapture K. H. - 06/16/2008 (David's notes in red) In a house, I was in a living room with my mother and my sister; each of us was sitting on a separate couch. I knew that it was about in the middle of the tribulation (The timing of the rest of this dream starts at this mid-trib) and we had begun to discuss when the rapture was going to happen. My mother and sister were very insistent that the rapture was going to happen very soon, whereas I was thinking there was a little more time (past the mid-trib). As I was telling them how much more time I thought we had, the Lord showed me a picture of the earth. I then saw two or three black holes forming on the earth; it was almost like the earth looked like Swiss cheese. The Lord drew my attention to a black hole forming in the Indian Ocean between Africa and Australia as I saw the earth sucking itself up into the black hole. Simultaneously, as I saw the black hole beginning to ingest all that surrounded it, I felt like I was being sucked or pulled in the opposite direction. In that moment, I knew that it was the rapture, and the peace that surpasses all understanding came over me, and the joy of being in the presence of the Lord. As I was being taken up into the clouds, I woke up suddenly and I felt the Holy Spirit come over me very strongly, and I quickly went back to sleep. During the second 3 1/2 years of the tribulation, or mid-trib, as the world is being swallowed up by the beast from hell, we shall be increasingly swallowed up by the Kingdom of Heaven and ultimately into Heaven itself at the end of the trib. Few understand that the rapture is for those who have already learned to dwell in the Kingdom of Heaven while on Earth. Mat.24:31 And he shall send forth his angels with a great sound of a trumpet (We are told the rapture will be at the last or seventh trump- the seventh year of the trib.), and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.)   Pre-Trib Rapture? Rick Sergent - 06/1997 THE LORD SPEAKS OF THE PRE-TRIBULATION RAPTURE THEORY I was working at International Truck Corporation in Springfield, Ohio. It was my lunch break. I was at my work desk and I had my bible when I heard the Lord say, “Go to Matthew 24.” I kind of pouted with Him and said I had read that chapter a zillion times. He said, “I WANT YOU TO READ IT AGAIN”. So just before I read it, the Lord said to me, “The pre-tribulation rapture theory is a false doctrine to lead my people astray, thinking they don't have to do or prepare for anything. My Church will go all the way through the tribulation. Some well-meaning teachers have taught this theory, but I have not taught them”. He also said, “This theory encourages laziness”. Then the words “Beginning of sorrows” went into my spirit. I knew what those words meant, and asked the Lord anyway, “What is the beginning of sorrows?” He did not respond to me with words, but automatically my eyes were fixed on some bold print at the bottom caption of some editorial notes of Matthew 24. In bold print were these words, “BEGINNING OF SORROWS”. I had read this many times, but never saw those words in that caption before. It was these words: “the transition of this age to the Age to come” ...severe birth pangs. I heard the Lord say, “I want you to read Matthew 24 just as it is, and do not read anything else into it”. When I did this, the Lord opened up my eyes, especially in verse 29: “after the tribulation of those days” and the coming of the Lord. I had asked the Lord to confirm this because it messed up my doctrine, and He told me my doctrine needed to be messed up! Since that time, the Lord has many times confirmed this to me in different ways and linked me to people with the same belief without me searching for such people. I also later did a term paper on the pre-, mid-, and post-trib in 2001 and found out that the pre-trib rapture doctrine first came into the Church in 1832! Watch the Hidden Manna For the End Times video series.   WORD OF REVIVAL IN TRIBULATION Rick Sergent - 5/19/07 The Spirit of the Lord was resting heavy upon me and through me as I was at my home: He said, Much of My Church cannot discern the sky. They cannot see the storm clouds coming. They are wrapped up in their visions of grandeur. Many pastors do not want to hear warnings about great troubles coming to this nation because it threatens their vision. Some do not realize that the days of calamity will bring forth a great harvest and ministry to the lost. For the Big Harvest, I will not separate from calamities and trouble times. It will go hand-in-hand together. They hope to have their vision fulfilled during a time of prosperity, but I will allow these things to happen to America, to awaken My Church, and to shake this nation to the core of its foundation. There is coming to America a “day of trouble”, but at the same time, I will pour out My Spirit upon this nation as they cry out to Me. To My remnant that is hearing Me, I am pouring into them My power and My love. I am developing My character in them. I want you to reach out to others with My love and My compassion. I am pouring these things into you, so you can pour out of yourselves, My love, My compassion, and power into others who are hurting and in need. Be prepared to disciple and mentor My newborn babies, for they cannot walk; they are fragile and need much help. They can only crawl. Help and teach them to walk on their own. Feed My sheep so they know how to feed themselves with My Word. For I have truly called you for such a time as this.   Rapture? Or Sanctification in Tribulation? Colleen Quinn - 12/22/2009 (RM and David's notes in red) In April of 1982, I was about eight months pregnant with my son, Shawn Mann, in Anchorage, Alaska. I had been praying and asking God to show me if the rapture was true or not. Shortly after that, I had this dream: I saw this huge city that was very busy with people. Out of the sky came the hand of God with a sword; He divided the city into two sections. The section on the left (goats) was much larger than the section on the right (sheep). (This is likened to God separating/sanctifying His people when they were in Egypt. The city is the world, a corporate city of nations, also called Babylon. Isa.25:3 Therefore shall the strong people glorify thee, the city of the terrible nations shall fear thee.) A dark cloud was formed over the people on the left. These people were doing horrid, unspeakable things to each other. When they saw the dark cloud above them, they started reaching up to it and eating it like cotton candy. (The Holy Spirit later showed me that a lot of the dark cloud was from the TV and computers. And MSM) The people on the left became bored with doing horrid things to each other so they started going over to the section of people on the right and doing horrible, torturous things to them. (The people on the right are all who call themselves Christians. They will all be persecuted by the world in the tribulation. History always repeats, as with Rome and the early Christians. Those who are sanctified, and have faith, will escape.) God then divided the section on the right into three more sections. The first group on the right had many more people in it than the other two groups. These people had a hard time letting go of their past lives. They wanted to get to Heaven but did not want to give up their sinful ways from their past. Because they kept looking back at their past, they all turned into pillars of salt. (They looked back to the worldly ways of Sodom, like Lot's wife, in loving the present world. Jesus likened them unto the seed that fell upon the rocky ground. The seed sprang up with life, but because it had no root, it withered.) Because they had not learned to have a relationship with Jesus, they had no power to fight off the wicked people on the left. The group on the left could not get their fill of doing horrid, torturous things to the pillar of salt people. (The “pillar of salt people” are the vast majority of all who claim Christianity but have no personal faith or understanding of the Word of God, which could protect, save, heal and deliver them. These will be the persecutors of the true saints. Mat.24:10 And then shall many stumble, and shall deliver up one another, and shall hate one another. These are the “many” or majority who, as the Laodicean church, will be spewed out of the body of Christ.) The second group had more people than the third or last group. These people appeared to have no backbone or spine. They swayed with the wind. Any doctrine that came along, they were quick to accept because, without knowing the Word well enough, they accepted whatever was preached. They were lazy and did not want to put forth effort in reading the Word or praying. (This is the church world that the righteous will leave behind. This comfy church routine of conflicting mingled doctrines, where people smile and clap for whomever and whatever is spoken across the pulpit. 2Ti 3:6-7 For of these are they that creep into houses, and take captive silly women laden with sins, led away by divers lusts, 7 ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Jas.1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.) They wanted other people (especially their pastors) to do all the work for them and loved to listen to doctrines that tickled their ears (like the all-fly-away, pre-trib rapture and the once saved always saved.) and did not call them to die to their fleshly desires. Mat.16:25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. 26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?) These people had a little bit more power than the pillar of salt people, but they still did not have the power in their lives to combat the evil that was coming on them. (These are as the churches of Ephesus, Pergamum, Thyatira and Sardis, which had a little power but were exhorted to overcome their evils in the tribulations.) The third group of people was by far the fewest in number. (This is the remnant as the Philadelphia church who are to be spared “the hour of trial ... which is to come upon the whole world”.) These people had determined in their hearts to be obedient to God no matter what the cost. They denied themselves and walked in love with others. This group was the pillars of fire. They were untouchable by the group on the left. The group on the left would try to kill and destroy this group and God would translate the pillar of fire people or put His angels around them so that they could not be harmed, at least spiritually. (Rev.12:17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.) The pillar of fire people would go back and forth, trying to help the pillar of salt people and the people with no backbones who swayed in the wind. (These will be the anointed ones of the tribulation, like the Bride and her Man-child leadership. The early church went through its tribulation, as it is written: Act.14:22 Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.) The pillar of fire people had trained themselves to listen to the voice of God and they were used as the hand of God in the last days. (Joh.10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. They know His voice, which is His Word, because they abide in His Word. 15:7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.) I saw in a dream of my son, Shawn, on 2/19/08, that he had this glow around him. Then it was like I went back in time and saw this river of fire. God was beckoning him to walk in the fire, and he was hesitant. God told him to trust Him and He would be with him in the fire. (Like the three Hebrews, Shawn was chosen to go through the tribulation fire heated seven times hotter than normal, but the Lord will be with him in the fire to burn off his bonds.) When he was in the fire, it was like he was being purified. He went through some things that were extremely hard and broke his heart. Every cell of his being ached and cried. Several times he begged God to stop, but he kept encouraging him to trust Him. He was using the fire to purify Shawn's heart. After he went through the fire walk, he had this glow around him, and when he talked to people, God would cause the scales to fall off their eyes and the plugs to come out of their ears. Their hearts were then tender to hear God, and they literally turned around and started walking in the opposite direction. (Shawn will help bring the revival of repentance and faith.) Less than a month later, Shawn's baby died in the womb. His wife became pregnant again, and as of now, 12/22/09, they have a healthy seven-month-old baby girl. (A sign of tribulation and bearing fruit through it to the end.)   Rapture Delusion Amy Methvin (David's notes in red) In a dream, I was walking alone, really sort of feeling sorry for myself in this wilderness journey that the Lord has me in. I really wanted to find some like-minded believers to fellowship with. All of a sudden, I walked up on a group of 20 or so people who were claiming that they had the “real” right doctrine on the rapture. They were telling me that the rapture was coming any minute and that I needed to join them and be ready. I thought about it for a minute and decided that it would not hurt to just listen to their point of view, seeing as I have gone down a few wrong rabbit trails before, maybe I should be open-minded and just listen. I told them that I used to be a pre-trib believer, but was now post-trib. They again excitedly told me that the rapture would come very soon. Very shortly, I felt this shaking, and we began to slowly lift off the ground. Immediately, it was dark and I could not see anything. They all started screaming, “Yippee, Wahoo! I told you, it's the rapture!!!!!!!” We were going up, but something did not seem right to me; it seemed too slow. I tried to open my eyes but I could not. (Spiritual blindness from false doctrine.) Finally, I was able to open them, but something was over my face. I reached to pull it off. It was wrapped around my whole head. It would not let go, even though I was able to pull it slightly off of one eye. It was a huge black bat!!! Terrified, I immediately knew that we were not going to heaven as the people thought, but were being taken to hell. I immediately screamed the name of JESUS. The bat disintegrated and I began to float back down to the ground. Somewhat relieved, I knew that I had to tell my husband of the deception, so I started to scream his name. As I did, I felt my heart go into cardiac arrest. I was having a massive heart attack that I don't think I was going to survive. As I lay there, I knew I had been saved from hell, but the deception was going to cost me my life. End of dream. This seems to be saying two things. Those in the strong delusion of the pre-trib rapture believe that they don't need trial and refining through tribulation to bear fruit and enter heaven. Being blinded by this demon doctrine, they will believe this all the way through the tribulation and will take the mark, not bear fruit, and end up in hell. Also, for those who find out that it was a lie too late, it will cost them their lives, for they did not prepare to endure the trial of their faith in the wilderness because they didn't think it necessary. Because of our site, many pre-tribbers have sent me their imminent pre-trib rapture revelations for years. I tell them that this is a deception, and it won't happen but even though the timing comes and goes, and I am proven correct, they send me the next imminent pre-trib rapture revelation, and it is also proven to be a lie. No matter how many times they are lied to, they continue to believe it because it permits them to live as they like and enter heaven regardless of what the Word says. This is proof that this is a strong delusion to keep them from bearing fruit. Let's examine what the Word has to say about the Rapture from our Book, Hidden Manna – For the End Times: I felt I first should share this part of my revelation in order that the rest would be sufficiently important. For now, I would like to deal specifically with the ingathering harvest of the Church and not the First-fruits. Many disagree with the term “rapture” because it is not in the Word. The Greek word harpazo, meaning “to snatch or catch away,” is translated “caught up.” Since this is what most mean when they use the term “rapture,” it is just a sectarian spirit that would have us argue over such things. So that the majority will understand, I will use their terminology. Most agree with the Scriptures that the rapture and the resurrection happen “together.” (1Th.4:16) For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven, with a shout…and the dead in Christ shall rise first; (17) then we that are alive, that are left, shall together with them be caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air…. (1Cor.15:51) Behold, I tell you a mystery: We all shall not sleep (die), but we shall all be changed, (52) in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. Notice that all the dead and all the living in Christ at this time will be changed in the same moment. Therefore, if the time of the resurrection can be proven, we will know when the rapture happens. (1Cor.15:22) For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. (23) But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; then they that are Christ's, at his coming. Notice that after Christ's resurrection, there is only one more complete resurrection of the righteous dead, “they that are Christ's, at his coming.” This is only speaking of permanent resurrections in the heavenly body. Since there is only one more complete resurrection and rapture, they must be at the very “end” or everybody who gets saved cannot be resurrected. This complete resurrection is to a spiritual heavenly life, not to a physical earthly life which happens all the time. (24) Then [cometh] the end, when he shall deliver up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have abolished all rule and all authority and power. (25) For he must reign, till he hath put all his enemies under his feet. (26) The last enemy that shall be abolished is death. Notice that the last enemy that shall be abolished is death. The resurrection and rapture, which abolish death, are at the end when God will have abolished all rebellious rule over and in His people. They do not happen seven years before the end when the influence of the beast, the harlot, sin, and the world system still have some hold on God's people. Solomon said that every man is a beast (Ecc.3:18-19), meaning all unregenerate men are ruled by a carnal nature. The mark of the beast just identifies members of that corporate body. Of course, mature sons of God are ruled by a mind renewed with the Word of God. “The Harlot” identifies those who receive a seed or word that is not from Christ, their husband. Many of God's people are pledging allegiance to the world system rather than submitting to the Word. At this time, sadly, most of God's people fall into these categories. Therefore, the resurrection and the rapture, which abolish death, must be last, after the beast, harlot, and the world system no longer rule God's true people. (Act.2:34)…The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, (35) Till I make thine enemies the footstool of thy feet. The Lord will not come until His enemies are under His feet and His elect are completely restored. (3:20) And that he may send the Christ who hath been appointed for you, [even] Jesus: (21) whom the heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all (of God's elect) things (“things” is not in the Greek)…. When all are restored through the Tribulation, the Lord comes. Here is that one complete resurrection again. (Rev.20:4)…[I saw] the souls of them that had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus, and for the word of God, and such as worshipped not the beast, neither his image, and received not the mark upon their forehead and upon their hand; and they lived, and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (5)… This is the first resurrection. Notice that the saints who were beheaded, because they would not take the mark of the beast, are in the first resurrection. It was called first by John, who looked into the future from 96 A.D., which was after Jesus' resurrection. This clearly tells us that there is no resurrection and rapture before the Tribulation mark of the beast. Again there are many who are resurrected to a physical life but those who are resurrected to the heavenly life are forever. The second resurrection, called the second death in verse six, is after a thousand years and is for the wicked. Since the first resurrection is also the only complete resurrection of the righteous, it must be at the end of the Tribulation. If it were at the beginning, the great multitude that is purified during the Great Tribulation could not be resurrected. (Rev.7:9) After these things I saw, and behold, a great multitude, which no man could number, out of ev­ery nation and of [all] tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb…. (14)…And he said to me, These are they that come out of the great tribulation, and they washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Notice that the resurrection and rapture are after the Great Tribulation, which most agree is the last 3½ years. Jesus said He would raise up all of His people at the last day, which must also be the time of the rapture. (Joh.6:39) And this is the will of him that sent me, that of all that which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. (40) For this is the will of my Father, that every one that beholdeth the Son, and believeth on him, should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. (44) No man can come to me, except the Father that sent me draw him: and I will raise him up in the last day. Now let's be honest, “the last day” cannot mean seven years before the last day. (Job 14:12) So man lieth down and riseth not: Till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, Nor be roused out of their sleep. The resurrection cannot happen until the time when the heavens pass away. (2Pet.3:10) But the day of the Lord will come as a thief; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall be dissolved with fervent heat, and the earth and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Obviously, the heavens could not pass away or the earth burn up at the beginning or even in the middle of the seven years, or there would not be anybody here to have a tribulation! The resurrection and rapture could only be at the beginning of the last day, here called the day of the Lord, which we will see presently, is a year-long. Noah knew the Lord would come for him seven days before the flood. He was given a sign to read in his day. Some will argue that Jesus said, “Of that day and hour knoweth no one” (Mat.24:36). The tense of the verb “knoweth” is present, not future! This spoke of Jesus' day, not our day. Jesus gave us a clear type so we would know when He would come in our day when the covenant with many is made for seven years. (37) … As [were] the days of Noah, so shall be the coming of the Son of man. The days of Noah are only mentioned in Genesis seven. (Gen.7:4) For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth…. (10) And it came to pass after the seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth. God said that “after the seven days” the flood would come and they would be lifted off. We know that those in the ark of Christ will be raptured “after the seven days.” Those seven days represent the seven years of Tribulation, as we will see in many other places. The seventieth week of Daniel prophesies the Tribulation, which will be a week of years, or seven years, just as the first sixty-nine weeks proved to be weeks of years, totaling 483 years, which led to the time of Christ (Dan.9:25-26). (Dan.9:27) And he shall make a firm covenant with many for one week (Hebrew: shabua, meaning “a seven” of days or years)…. Noah's seven days also represented the seven years of the Tribulation. His tribulation preceded the flood, which also lasted for a year. It was ten days over their lunar year from the time the flood started (Gen.7:11) until the waters dried up (8:13-14). At that time, their year was a lunar year of 354 days, which God corrected with the ten extra days, bringing us up to the 365th first full day of a solar year when they stepped out of the ark. If God made the year following the seven-year solar, it stands to reason the seven years are also solar. We will see more proof. Noah's seven days also represent the seven years of the Tribulation. His tribulation preceded the flood, which also lasted for a year. From the time the flood started (Gen.7:11) until the waters dried up (8:13-14) was ten days over their lunar year. A lunar year of 12 months can be 354 or 355 days in length. This is due to the varying time it takes the moon to circle the earth, and also because the start of their lunar months was determined by new moon sightings. The lunar year during the flood was most probably 355 days, which God corrected with the ten extra days. This gives us a full 365-day solar year. If God made the year of the flood solar (representing the year of the Lord), which followed after Noah's seven days (representing the seven years of Tribulation), then it stands to reason that the seven years of Tribulation are also solar. We will see more proof of this. This last year foreshadows the wrath of God on those who persecute His people during the Tribulation. This year was also called a day. (Isa.34:8) For the Lord hath a day of vengeance, a year of recompense for the cause of Zion. Here we see that the wrath of God, also called the Day of the Lord, is also a day/year following seven days/years. Many mistake the Tribulation for the wrath, saying, “God appointed us not unto wrath” (1Th.5:9). Speaking of the Church in tribulation, Revelation 12:6 says, “the woman fled into the wilderness.” The Tribulation is a wilderness trial for the saints like the Hebrews had. As we have seen, they leave after that tribulation “at the last day” (Joh.6:40), the “day of the Lord” or “day of vengeance.” The year of wrath is God's judgment upon the wicked who were used to tribulate and purify the saints during the previous seven years. The Lord says, (Isa.63:4) For the day of vengeance was in my heart, and the year of my redeemed is come. (6) And I trod down the peoples in mine anger, and made them drunk in my wrath, and I poured out their lifeblood on the earth. Notice that the day of vengeance was also a year, the year of the redeemed, just as in Noah's day, which was after the seven days. This is a year of wrath on the wicked who have persecuted God's people. The rapture and resurrection are after the Great Tribulation, which is the last 3½ years of tribulation! Matthew 24:21 says, “Then shall be great tribulation” and verses 29-31 say, “After the tribulation of those days the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light…and they shall see the Son of man coming….and they shall gather together his elect…from one end of heaven to the other.” The corresponding verse in Mark 13:27 says, “from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.” Taken together, we see that one end of heaven is on the earth, the living, and the other is in heaven, the resurrected. We see here that Jesus is rapturing and resurrecting His elect after the Great Tribulation. After the Tribulation, the sun and moon being darkened signal the coming Day of the Lord or flood. (Act.2:20) The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the day of the Lord come, That great and notable [day]. Notice that the sun and moon are darkened after the Great Tribulation but before the Day of the Lord. Again we see that the flood follows the Tribulation. Revelation 14 is the story of the Tribulation and the Day of Wrath that follows. (Rev.14:6) And I saw another angel flying in mid heaven, having eternal good tidings to proclaim unto them that dwell on the earth, and unto every nation and tribe and tongue and people; (7) and he saith with a great voice, Fear God, and give him glory; for the hour of his judgment is come…. This hour of judgment is the hour that the ten kings of the beast rule in Revelation 17:12, which is also the last 3½ years of the Tribulation in 13:5. (9)…If any man worshippeth the beast and his image, and receiveth a mark on his forehead, or upon his hand, (10) he also shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God…. Notice that those who receive the mark during the Tribulation are threatened with the coming wrath. (11) … They have no rest day and night, they that worship the beast and his image, and whoso receiveth the mark of his name. Without taking the mark, the true saints patiently endure persecution and sometimes death in the second 3½ years. (12) Here is the patience of the saints, they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. Some saints die from refusing the mark. (13) And I heard a voice from heaven saying, Write, Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from henceforth: yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; for their works follow with them. Some die during the Tribulation and some “are alive, that are left unto the coming of the Lord” (1Th.4:15). Then we see the harvest of the righteous after the Tribulation. (Rev.14:14) And I saw, and behold, a white cloud; and on the cloud [I saw] one sitting like unto a son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. (15) And another angel came out from the temple, crying with a great voice to him that sat on the cloud, Send forth thy sickle, and reap: for the hour to reap is come; for the harvest of the earth is ripe. (16) And he that sat on the cloud cast his sickle upon the earth; and the earth was reaped. Those who do not bear the fruit necessary to be in this harvest will be in the next. After the time of that rapture/resurrection harvest, we see the beginning of a year-long harvest of the wicked through the wrath of God. (Rev.14:17) And another angel came out from the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. (19) And the angel cast his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vintage of the earth, and cast it into the winepress, the great [winepress], of the wrath of God. (20) And the winepress was trodden without the city, and there came out blood from the winepress, even unto the bridles of the horses, as far as a thousand and six hundred furlongs. This flood of wrath involves the last real worldwide war. Revelation chapters 15 and 16 explain this wrath, or Day of the Lord, more completely. There we see that “seven angels having seven plagues, [which are] the last, for in them is finished the wrath of God” (15:1). They had “seven bowls of the wrath of God” (16:1). These bowls of the year of wrath on the wicked follow the Tribulation of the saints. Jesus rebuked Israel for not seeing the sign of the time of His first coming. After all, Daniel gave them 483 years to the day of Jesus' birth, but they did not read the Scriptures any more diligently than the Christians in our day. Here we see by example that history always repeats (Ecc.1:9). Like Noah, Daniel knew when the Lord would come for him seven days before the resurrection, so why didn't the Israelites go in a pre-Tribulation rapture if there was one? Daniel tells us to the day when the rapture and resurrection are by giving a sign to be read in our day. (Dan.9:27) And he shall make a firm covenant with many for one week (a sign to be read in our day): and in the midst of the week (mid-Tribulation) he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease…. As we saw, this “week” or shabua is “a seven” of years that the beast makes a covenant for. Notice in the “midst” of this Tribulation covenant, he causes the sacrifice of the burnt offering to cease. The “midst” comes after the first 3½ years of the Tribulation, which are 1260 days according to Revelation 12:6 (Notice the numbers). “The woman fled into the wilderness…a thousand two hundred and threescore days (1260).” That would make 1260 days until the burnt offering is taken away. Then we are given another count of 1290 days until the end of the Tribulation. (Dan.12:11) And from the time that the continual [burnt-offering] shall be taken away (mid-Tribulation)…there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. Now we see that there are 1260 days before the sacrifice ceases and 1290 days afterward. That comprises the Jewish lunisolar seven years of the Tribulation, after which the saints enter the ark. Then we are given another count of 1335 days from the “midst of the week” until the resurrection. (12) Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days. (13) But go thou thy way till the end be; for thou shalt rest (die), and shalt stand in thy lot (resurrection), at the end of the days. This resurrection comes simultaneously with the rapture when the ark lifts off. There it is to the day! The 1260 days for the first 3½ years plus 1335 days past that gives us 2595 days from the time the covenant with many is made until Jesus comes for the resurrection/rapture. So, even though no man in Jesus' day knew, once the covenant begins, we will know the day. The resurrection/rapture only appears to be forty-five days after the end of the Tribulation. In Noah's account the ark left forty days after the tribulation. (Gen.7:10)…After the seven days…. (17)…the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lifted up above the earth. There appears to be a five-day difference between the days of Noah and the days of Daniel, but actually, there is none. God, who narrated Noah's account, used solar time, as we have seen, which is actual time, to typify the seven years of tribulation. However, when He gave Daniel's account, we can see that He was using their Jewish lunisolar calendar, which was necessary then to show types and shadows. This calendar was only corrected for solar time after every six years. From the writings of Moses and the prophets, we know that they, by then, had a 360-day year. Multiply this by 3½ and you get the 1260 days of the first 3½ years. They adjusted to solar time after every six years by adding a leap month of thirty days, which would make the second 3½ years 1290 days. We can see that Daniel's figure of 1290 days above for the second 3½ years takes into account a leap month. It appears that the Tribulation will start the year after a leap month, so that six years later, thirty days will be added. This would leave one more year remaining in the Tribulation, which the Jews would not have corrected for solar time by adding five days. Since the Jews only adjusted after every six years, they wouldn't add the five days after the final (or seventh) year. This is also proven by the equation: 1260 + 1290 = 2550 but 7 x 365 = 2555. The Jews were five days short of a 365-day year. However, most of the Gentiles have these five days included in every year of 365 days. With this five-day solar correction to Daniel's account, he and Noah are in total agreement. Jesus takes His saints forty days after the Tribulation, which is 2595 days after the covenant is made. There is one more calculation before we include all of this in one chart and that is the return of the Lord with His saints. (Gen.7:11) In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. (17) And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lifted up above the earth. That was when the flood started and this is when it ended with their return. (8:13) And it came to pass in the six hundred and first year…. (14) And in the second month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, was the earth dry. (15) And God spake unto Noah, saying, (16) Go forth from the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons' wives with thee. Since we have seen that the Bible says the flood of wrath is a year, this text has to agree with that. Considering that they had a 354-day lunar year at that time, if we started at the beginning of the day stated in verse 14, when the waters dried up, we would have approximately a 365-day solar year. Or, if we started at the same time on each day and they left the ark the next morning, we would have a 365-day solar year. If we subtract from the forty days that they were in the ark, we see that 325 days after the ark left, they set foot on earth (365 - 40 = 325). This brings us to day 2920 from the making of the covenant (365 x 8 years = 2920 days). On this day, as it was with Noah, the Lord appears with His wife and children. (Another symbol seen here is that the ark is Jesus in Whom the family of Noah, meaning “rest,” abided.) This is when Noah sacrificed the beasts on an altar (20) and God said He would not “again smite any more everything living” (21). This is when the Lord and His saints return to sacrifice the armies of the beasts of the nations (Rev.19:11-18). The Lord called this “a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel” (Eze.39:17). Thus, we are given the signs to read in our day that from the time the covenant is made, unto the coming of the Lord for His saints, is 2595 days and His return with His saints is 2920 days. The above figures of two witnesses, Noah and Daniel, let us know that God included no fractions of .24 in the 365-day year. The Jewish solar correction from 1260 to 1290 for six years changed their 360-day year in Daniel's account to 365 days just as in Noah's account. Why no fraction? We just had proof that judgments can affect the rotation of the Earth, changing the number of days in a year. The earthquake on December 26, 2004, off the west coast of northern Sumatra in the Indian Ocean, was said by scientists to have tilted the Earth by an extra 2.5 centimeters and sped up the rotation by some three microseconds, and much greater, and more frequent earthquakes are coming. We are told in Scripture that the earth will be struck by meteors and that it “shall stagger like a drunken man” (Isa.24:20). These kinds of judgments could easily slow the rotation. This would lengthen the days but shorten the number of days in a year, possibly by .24. I am sure this will bring to some minds Jesus' words. (Mat.24:22) And except those days had been shortened, no flesh would have been saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. The primary meaning of this is that God's elect leave in the ark before the end, shortening the number of days for the “elect's sake” but not for the wicked. Perhaps there is a secondary symbolic meaning here as well. Another objection that some might have is that 1260 days does not bring us to a perfect “midst of the week.” The Hebrew word used here for midst is chatsi, and it's not used in the Bible to mean “perfect center.” “And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed…And the sun stayed in the midst of heaven” (Jos.10:13), “take me not away in the midst of my days” (Psa.102:24), “the Mount of Olives shall be cleft in the midst” (Zech.14:4). See what I mean? However, 1260 days does bring us to the “midst” of the lunar days in this week. It also brings us between the lunar and solar corrected days. We see conclusively that the saints will be here for forty days of the wrath, although they are not in the wrath, for they are in the ark, which also represents fully abiding in Jesus. (1Th.5:9) For God appointed us not unto wrath, but unto the obtaining of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. The Passover was a type of this forty-day preservation in the spiritual ark. The Passover and the Ark are both the last judgment before the saints leave Egypt as a type of the world. The Lord said to me, “During that last forty days there will be a corporate, Psalm 91, Passover of the curse for the saints.” We hear from many that the Lord will come “as a thief in the night” (1Th.5:2) in a pre-Tribulation rapture of the Church. After the judgments on Egypt (a type of the world), Israel was freed to leave at midnight (Exo.12:29-31), which is also when the wise virgins left (Mat.25:6). Then, as in Noah's Day of the Lord, the Egyptians were killed by a flood at the Red Sea. Midnight for an overwhelmingly Gentile Church is the end of one day and the beginning of a new day, the Day of the Lord, when the world is destroyed. Let us see when the thief comes. (1Th.4:16) For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven, with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first; (17) then we that are alive, that are left, shall together with them be caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. (5:1) But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that aught be written unto you. (2) For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. Here we see that the Lord's coming in the Day of the Lord is as a “thief,” but when is that? (2Pet.3:10) But the day of the Lord will come as a thief; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall be dissolved with fervent heat, and the earth and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Peter tells us plainly that the thief comes not at the beginning of the Tribulation but when the earth is burned up in the last Day of the Lord! (11) Seeing that these things are thus all to be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in [all] holy living and godliness, (12) looking for and earnestly desiring the coming of the day of God, by reason of which the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? We are not told to look for a secret pre-Tribulation rapture, but to live holy lives to escape the wrath of God when heaven and earth will be destroyed. (13) But, according to his promise, we look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. Noah lived a holy life, went through the seven days/years and escaped at the beginning of the wrath, and came down on a new earth, for the first earth was destroyed by the flood. Everything will happen according to type. (1Cor.10:11) Now these things happened unto them (Israel) by way of example (Greek: “figure or type”); and they were written for our admonition (Christians), upon whom the ends of the ages are come. God will finish His born-again creation on this morning of the seventh millennial day as He did with the natural creation. (Gen.2:2) And on the seventh day God finished his work which he had made…. This morning of the seventh millennium is the seventh day for “one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (2Pet.3:8). A morning of a thousand-year day could be years instead of hours. However, we are told that the city of God will be saved from the raging nations and the melting earth “at the dawn of morning,” which narrows the time down considerably. (Psa.46:5) God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God will help her, and that right early (Hebrew: “at the dawn of the morning”). (6) The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved: He uttered his voice, the earth melted. What we will now prove is that early at the dawning of the seventh millennium, after seven years of tribulation, at the seventh or last trump, with a great shout, the saints will enter the heavenly New Jerusalem. For proof of this, consider these promises and the type that follows. As we have seen, “the Lord himself shall descend from heaven, with a shout” (1Th.4:16), and “we shall all be changed…at the last trump” (1Cor.15:51- 52). Notice that “all” will be changed at the “shout” of the “last trump.” In an attempt to make a pre-Tribulation rapture fit, some have adopted the oxymoron that there are two last trumps. However, in Revelation 10:7 the only last trump, which is the seventh, is the time in which “is finished the mystery of God.” (Rev.11:15) And the seventh angel sounded (last trump); and there followed great voices in heaven (saints), and they said, The kingdom of the world is become [the kingdom] of our Lord…. (16) And the four and twenty elders… worshipped God, (17) saying…thou hast taken thy great power, and didst reign. (18) And the nations were wroth (Tribulation), and thy wrath came (Day of the Lord or flood), and the time of the dead to be judged (resurrection), and [the time] to give their reward to thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and to them that fear thy name, the small and the great; and to destroy them that destroy the earth. The last trump is the time when the Lord takes personal possession of the world, His saints are brought to heaven and given their reward, and the wrath of God is poured out on the nations who are left. Therefore, the last trump rapture is at the end of the Tribulation, in the beginning of the flood of God's vengeance, the Day of the Lord! (Isa.34:8) For the Lord hath a day of vengeance, a year of recompense for the cause of Zion. The apostate (fallen away) Christians will not escape this wrath any more than the apostate Jews escaped the wrath in 70 A.D., when the true people of God fled to the mountains, a type of the rapture. The unripe figs will be cast down at this time (Rev.6:13) and the lukewarm spewed out of the body of Christ (Rev.3:16) to partake of God's wrath. Let's see more proof of when this last trump shout comes. Look at a type, which is fulfilled on the morning of the “seventh day,” representing the morning of the seventh thousand-year day, which is where we are now. Joshua, which is Hebrew for Jesus, brought the saints out of the wilderness, representing the end of the Tribulation. Here, the Israelites came to the city of Jericho. Like heaven, it was an impenetrable fortress for mere man to enter. This was the first city of the Promised Land, representing the New Jerusalem. Here, they compassed the city “seven times.” “Times” are used for years of tribulation in Revelation 12:14,6. “A time (one year), and times (two years), and half a time (half a year)” were “a thousand two hundred and threescore days” or 3½ years. While compassing the city “seven times” they blew “seven trumpets,” representing the seven trumps of the seven years of Tribulation and resurrection/rapture. Then the saints gave a “great shout” and the wall separating them from the New Jerusalem fell. The falling of the wall represents the falling of the flesh as the saints receive their new bodies to “go up” into their Promised Land. Here it is: (Jos.6:4) And seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark (before the coming of the Lord): and the seventh day (seventh millennium) ye shall compass the city seven times (seven-year tribulation), and the priests shall blow the trumpets (seven trumpets of tribulation, resurrection/rapture). (5) And it shall be, that, when they make a long blast with the ram's horn (the last trump), and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall go up every man straight before him (saints raptured around the world). From clear Biblical chronology, we have come to the beginning of the seventh thousand-year day from Adam. According to this type we are now on the threshold of the seven years and seven trumpets of tribulation, before entering the heavenly New Jerusalem with a great shout. Later this is repeated in the text but the timing is narrowed to “early at the dawning of the day.” (15) And it came to pass on the seventh day (seventh millennium), that they rose early at the dawning of the day (that is where we are now!), and compassed the city after the same manner seven times: only on that day they compassed the city seven times (the Tribulation). (16) And it came to pass at the seventh time (end of the Tribulation), when the priests blew the (seven) trumpets, Joshua (Hebrew: “Jesus”) said unto the people, Shout; for the Lord hath given you the city. From this, you can clearly see that the rapture will come early at the dawning of the seventh millennium, after seven years of tribulation, at the seventh or last trump, with a great shout, as the saints enter the New Jerusalem. The Feast of Trumpets has long been thought to be the time of Jesus' return for His saints, even by the pre-Tribulation rapture multitudes. (Lev.23:24) Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, shall be a solemn rest (Sabbath) unto you, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation (Hebrew: “rehearsal”). This feast is a rehearsal for the rapture/resurrection, which also happens after the “blowing of (seven) trumpets” during the previous seven years. It is fulfilled on a Sabbath, which represents the seventh thousand-year Sabbath day. It is also fulfilled on the first day of the seventh month, which at least says that spiritually it will be very early on the seventh thousand-year day. However, the rapture/resurrection could also physically happen on the first day of the seventh Hebrew month, Tishri, which is our September/October. This feast is celebrated with joy and solemnity. During the daily prayer service, a ram's horn or shofar is sounded, representing the last trump. Jewish - the seven days of the creation of the world, and it is a day when God takes stock of all of His creation. Likewise, on that anniversary, God could finish His born-again creation by taking the saints early on the morning of the seventh thousand-year day. Rosh Hashanah means “head of the year” in Hebrew. The Jews believe that God's judgment on this day determines the course of the coming year. This turns out to be true spiritually, for the rapture/resurrection is a judgment that determines who will go through that year called the Day of the Lord. In order to see this timing in the feasts of Israel, I want to share with you a wonderful revelation that the Lord gave me. There are four types seen in Israel's experience that give the timing for the coming days: their Time in Egypt; their Time in the Wilderness; and two types of their Time in the Promised Land. These tell the end time story of the last eight years. Earlier in the Hidden Manna book, I shared what I call the Panoramic View, in which these types tell one consecutive story when laid end to end. The people of God were saved from bondage to the Egyptians, the old man, and were baptized in the sea. Then they were tried in their wilderness tribulation to prove who would go to the heavenly Promised Land. In this view, it is clear that the people of God will not jump from Egypt to the Promised Land of heaven without going through the wilderness, as pre-tribbers believe. These four types in Israel's experience can also be seen in what I call the Parallel View, which is another fulfillment of the last eight years for the Church. Let me explain each individual type first and then we will see them in parallel. 1) [The Time in Egypt] – The judgments come upon the world in the Tribulation, as they did in Egypt, and then the saints escape to heaven as the wicked die in the flood of wrath at the Red Sea. 2) [The Time in the Wilderness] – The saints are tried in their wilderness tribulation and then escape to the heavenly Promised Land. 3) [The Time in the Promised Land] – In the Tribulation the spiritual man, as the Israelite was, will be highly motivated and empowered to take the “sword of the Spirit, which is the word” (Eph.6:17) and conquer the carnal man in the Promised Land of his own life or soul. (2Cor.4:16)…Though our outward man is decaying, yet our inward man is renewed day by day. As the old carnal man is conquered we become the heavenly land of rest, bearing the fruit of the spiritual man. (1Cor.3:9) For we are God's fellow-workers: ye are God's husbandry (Greek: “tilled land”), God's building. (Isa.5:7) For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel…. If we walk by faith in the promises, then we take the land, and if not, then the old man takes it back and the fruit is corrupted. (Mal.3:11) And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast its fruit before the time in the field (world), saith the Lord of hosts. (12) And all nations shall call you happy; for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of hosts. Carnal Christians can lose their fruit in this world and never fully enter the kingdom. As they submit to the carnal man he wins the battle for their Promised Land, and Christ in them, Who is the spiritual man, will be crucified again. (Heb.6:4) For as touching those who were once enlightened and tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit, (5) and tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the age to come, (6) and [then] fell away, it is impossible to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. (7) For the land which hath drunk the rain (of the Word) that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them for whose sake it is also tilled, re­ceiveth blessing from God: (8) but if it beareth thorns and thistles, it is rejected (Greek: “reprobated”) and nigh unto a curse; whose end is to be burned. Those who do not take seriously the command to drive the carnal man's lusts of the flesh from their land will be reprobated. 4) [The Time in the Promised Land] – While physical Israel had a physical Promised Land, spiritual Israel, the Church, has a spiritual Promised Land. And while the land of this world will be destroyed, the spiritual land of the life of the righteous will be healed, for like their Lord, their “kingdom is not of this world” (Joh.18:36). (2Chr.7:14) If my people, who are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. In the Tribulation, the saints first conquer their flesh so that their personal Promised Land is healed. Then they become in totality the spiritual man. These, as those who go in the ark, are God's heavenly land of rest, for “Noah” in Hebrew means “rest.” As Noah went through the seven days in type, the righteous will conquer themselves in their tribulation. After the Tribulation at the last trump, the world itself becomes their physical Promised Land. (Rev.11:15) And the seventh angel sounded; and there followed great voices in heaven, and they said, The kingdom of the world is become [the kingdom] of our Lord, and of his Christ…. (Mat.5:5) Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. When this world also becomes the saints' kingdom, then they can conquer the enemies in the earthly Promised Land. The wicked will be under their feet in judgment just as it was with Noah. (Mal.4:3) And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I make, saith the Lord of hosts. In the Parallel View, these four types tell one complete story of the last eight years of the Tribulation and Day of the Lord. Imagine making three transparencies of these three types and laying them on top of one another so that all three can be seen at one time. In this way, we can see the full end time story. As the judgments fell upon Egypt so they will fall on the world in the Tribulation of the saints. During this time, the saints will be sanctified by driving the carnal man from the Promised Land of their lives so the kingdom of heaven is fully manifested in them. Then, in the rapture/resurrection, they fully enter the kingdom and conquer the wicked in the Promised Land of this world in the Day of the Lord's wrath. We see from all of the types that there is no pre-Tribulation-all-fly-away rapture. God's plan is to manifest His character of patience, faith, hope, love, and perfection in the saints through the Tribulation trials. (Rom.5:3)…We also rejoice in our tribulations: knowing that tribulation worketh stedfastness; (4) and stedfastness, approvedness (character); and approvedness, hope: (5) and hope putteth not to shame; because the love of God hath been shed abroad in our hearts…. (Jas.1:2, Numeric) Count it all joy, my brethren, when ye fall into manifold temptations (trials); (3) knowing that the proving of your faith worketh patience. (4) And let patience have [its] perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, lacking in nothing. Taking the people of God out of this world, when they are unsanctified and unregenerate, would defeat God's purpose.

If you took a poll of ten thousand people, and asked them how they cope with a big change on their life, I'd guess about 99 hundred would say, “not too well”. We all want a smooth existence, but that just isn't always the case. As we wrap up our study of Acts chapter seven today, we see again that It was a tumultuous time. The Christian Church was in its infancy, and the status quo was being threatened. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/621/29

Welcome to the JCC podcast! Join Jenny, MK, and Bucky as we talk about the calling of the body of Christ to bear fruit. Let's talk about following God's plan and finding His purpose in our lives!

Wednesday Service Luke 24:25-27 Lead Pastor Tim Davis @ Christ The King Church. A non-denominational Christian Church located in Canby, OR. (www.ctkcanby.com)

This week, Kris Chayer will be discussing what it means to trust, rely, and fully depend on The Holy Spirit in our day to day lives, with his message entitled “Who Are You Depending On?”We are so blessed you're joining us for this message.LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and SHARE!

The Good And Beautiful God part 9: How to Make a Pickle - Brenden Lang, Teaching & Residency Minister

This statement of faith in the Apostle's Creed is a wonderful comfort.You can find a transcript of this video and over 900 more devotions like this one on our website at PeaceDevotions.com.If you find value from these devotions we'd encourage you to support our ministry. You can support us by praying for our pastors, sharing and commenting on our videos, or by donating at https://peacedevotions.com/donateConnect with us on social media, our website, or get these emailed to your inbox.Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PeaceDevotions/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/peace_devotions/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2pFo5lJV46gKmztGwnT3vAWebsite: https://peacedevotions.com/Email List: https://peacedevotions.com/emailYou can also add Peace Devotions to your Flash Briefing on Amazon Echo Devices.https://peacedevotions.com/echo/

Sunday Service 1 Samuel 17 Guest Speaker Ken Harvey @ Christ The King Church. A non-denominational Christian Church located in Canby, OR. (www.ctkcanby.com)

In this message by Pastor Dobbs, he ministers part 1 from Matthew 24:13 on the importance of enduring to the end so that one can be saved. One lesson that Jesus taught us all is that we must endure to the end if we want to be saved and the ultimate gift is salvation. Scripture: Matthew 24:13 - But he who endures to the end shall be saved. Hit the notification bell so that you do not miss our most recent video. From your mobile device, to sow a financial seed into the ministry you may visit us at occvr.org and click the menu tab to locate the donate button. The donate button will provide two options for online giving. You may utilize “Text To Give” in which you will text “give” to the phone number 770-692-2225 to setup your monthly gift or one time financial gift. The additional method for online giving is simply click on the paypal “donate” button. Thanks to our generous partners in ministry, we are able to continue spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ with our local and foreign outreach ministries. For further information on Overcomers Christian Center including address, service times, and other information please visit occvr.org. Also you may visit us at the following: Facebook: @occvr Podcast: The Overcomers

In this message by Pastor Dobbs, he ministers part 1 from Matthew 24:13 on the importance of enduring to the end so that one can be saved. One lesson that Jesus taught us all is that we must endure to the end if we want to be saved and the ultimate gift is salvation. Scripture: Matthew 24:13 - But he who endures to the end shall be saved.

“Therefore Go In Authority” from Christian Church at Minden by Greg Lee. Released: 2025. The post Therefore Go In Authority appeared first on Christian Church at Minden.

On a weekend highlighting the persecution of Christian Church, the sermon aligns with others speaking on the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. Scripture: Hebrews 10:32-39

This weekend we will be celebrating "All Saints" weekend. The Christian Church has, for centuries, focused on the Holy Christian Church on November 1st. This includes both the saints whom the LORD has called out of this world as well as the saints who continue to fight the good fight of faith in this present life. We will be looking at both aspects of the Holy Christian Church in our worship this weekend. Hymn 463 is a beautiful description of the Holy Christian Church through both the Church Triumphant and the Church Militant. The believers (saints) who have gone before us, leave an example for us in who are fighting the battle today. Their faith is an encouragement to us in both their victories and in their suffering. The Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 6:12: "Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses." The hymnwriter described the unity of all believers in Christ by faith when he writes:  O blest communion, fellowship divine, We feebly struggle, they in glory shine; Yet all are one in Thee, for all are Thine. Alleluia! David states in Psalm 22:4-5: "Our fathers trusted in You; They trusted, and You delivered them. They cried to You, and were delivered; They trusted in You, and were not ashamed." This is our confidence as well. We too can trust in the LORD, and be certain of the victory that Jesus has won for us. That is why Paul could encourage young Timothy: "You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ" (2 Timothy 2:3). We are engaged in a great battle as Christians. At times the fight is fierce and at times it feels like it will never end. "But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 15:57). Worship with us this weekend as the LORD assures us of the victory HE has won for His saints through Jesus, and as we are encouraged for remaining faithful, true and bold in the faith of faith! 

Wednesday Service 1 Samuel 16:14-23 Lead Pastor Tim Davis @ Christ The King Church. A non-denominational Christian Church located in Canby, OR. (www.ctkcanby.com)

The Good And Beautiful God part 8: God Transforms - Dan Walter, Senior Minister

Welcome to our Audio Podcast "Curious Kids Faithful Answers". Where one of Our Faith Leaders is asked questions by our Youth seeking Faithful Answers.This week we ask Our Senior Associate Minister Rev. Meredith Onion (meredith@wscongo.org) a question that curious kids are wondering about. Question this episode are:If we are a Christian Church, why do you welcome people of all other religions?Why was First Congo built in Western Springs?Are you a Curious Kid with Questions? Click the link below to submit your questions online with your parents' permission.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Curious Kids, Faithful Answers Podcast - First Congregational Church of Western Springs⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠If you are new to our faith community and are interested in learning more, please go to⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Welcome to First Congo Online - First Congregational Church of Western Springs

You are gifted by God! What are we supposed to do with these gifts? Pastor Steven teaches on abandoning fear, timidity, and comparison; and confidently embracing our God-given gifts and putting them to work for His purposes in serving one another.

What does it mean to set your mind on things above? How does peace influence our decisions? And what does God's love look like in everyday life?In this message, Pastor Paul teaches from Colossians 3, exploring how a heavenly mindset shapes the way we think, decide, and love. Discover how Christ's peace can guide your choices and how His love transforms the way we live each day.This message is a part of a series called "Highlights". Throughout this series we make our way through books of the Bible and take some time to teach on things we feel the Lord is highlighting along the way!Love Church is a Christian Church community based in Menomonie, WI with a desire to experience & express the love of God. Join us in person Sundays at 10am!

Guest Minister Chris Marere joins us to share about the state of the Church in Nigeria, not taking for granted the opportunities we have in the United States, and a powerful word encouraging us to get up and move into God's call and promises for our lives. Dr. Chris is the founder of Agape Ministries, Inc. He and his wife, Esther, have four children and live in Warri, Delta State, Nigeria, where he serves as the senior pastor of the Agape World Outreach Headquarters Church.Love Church is a Christian Church community based in Menomonie, WI with a desire to experience & express the love of God. Join us in person Sundays at 10am!

If you've ever felt discouraged by people crushing your dreams or wondered whether you're pursuing your own agenda instead of God's purpose, this sermon will give you clarity, direction, and hope for moving forward in faith.

This week, Ron Messelink wraps up our Colossians series, with his message All Supreme and All Sufficient: Part 5.We are so blessed you're joining us for this message.LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and SHARE!

This week, Lisa Chayer continues to teach on our Colossians series, with her message All Supreme and All Sufficient: Part 4.We are so blessed you're joining us for this message.LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and SHARE!

Part 11.  The Return of Jesus An intensive look at the Christian Church down the ages, providing powerful messages for our own times.  Many church members know little or nothing about the story of Christianity between the New Testament period and today.  They therefore may not realise how much they have been influenced by traditions developed during that time. These can have both a negative and positive benefit. Negative, because ‘those who forget history are condemned to relive it'. Most of the mistakes we make and errors we fall into have happened before and we can learn from our forefathers to avoid them. Positive, because we have such a rich heritage it would be folly to ignore. We can draw inspiration and examples from the spiritual giants who went before us and, after all, we can look forward to meeting them personally in glory.

The grind behind the glory. Welcome To BARAH MINISTRIES Al Gleason Guest Teacher Good morning! Welcome to Barah Ministries...an intimate, local Christian Church with a worldwide impact. My name is Al Gleason, and I will be teaching today. Thank Pastor Rory Clark for sharing... for full notes: http://www.barahministries.com/index.php?proc=lsn&sf=v&tid=1968

Sunday Service 1 Samuel 16:1-13 Lead Pastor Tim Davis @ Christ The King Church. A non-denominational Christian Church located in Canby, OR. (www.ctkcanby.com)

In this message by Pastor Dobbs, he ministers from Matthew 24:13 on he who endures to the end will receive the ultimate deliverance, the ultimate protection, and the ultimate prosperity which is to be with Jesus throughout eternity. Scripture: Matthew 24:13 - But he who endures to the end shall be saved.

In this message by Pastor Dobbs, he ministers from Matthew 24:13 on he who endures to the end will receive the ultimate deliverance, the ultimate protection, and the ultimate prosperity which is to be with Jesus throughout eternity. Scripture: Matthew 24:13 - But he who endures to the end shall be saved. Hit the notification bell so that you do not miss our most recent video. From your mobile device, to sow a financial seed into the ministry you may visit us at occvr.org and click the menu tab to locate the donate button. The donate button will provide two options for online giving. You may utilize “Text To Give” in which you will text “give” to the phone number 770-692-2225 to setup your monthly gift or one time financial gift. The additional method for online giving is simply click on the paypal “donate” button. Thanks to our generous partners in ministry, we are able to continue spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ with our local and foreign outreach ministries. For further information on Overcomers Christian Center including address, service times, and other information please visit occvr.org. Also you may visit us at the following: Facebook: @occvr Podcast: The Overcomers

“Equipped In Authority” from Christian Church at Minden by Greg Lee. Released: 2025. The post Equipped In Authority appeared first on Christian Church at Minden.

Wednesday Service 1 Samuel 15:1-35 Lead Pastor Tim Davis @ Christ The King Church. A non-denominational Christian Church located in Canby, OR. (www.ctkcanby.com)

In this inspiring episode of I Am Refocused Radio, SAT-7 USA President John Paul Cerniglia shares insights from his 32-year journey in global missions and leadership across 45 countries. With experience spanning renowned organizations such as Operation Mobilization USA, Habitat for Humanity International, and CARE USA, John brings a powerful perspective on generosity, faith, and transformation. He discusses SAT-7's mission to strengthen the Christian Church throughout the Middle East and North Africa, empowering believers to serve their communities and impact culture through faith-based media. Listeners will be encouraged by John's heart for ministry, his leadership philosophy rooted in listening and spiritual growth, and his vision for expanding SAT-7's reach and impact in some of the world's most challenging regions.https://www.sat7usa.org/Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/i-am-refocused-radio--2671113/support.Thank you for tuning in to I Am Refocused Radio. For more inspiring conversations, visit IAmRefocusedRadio.com and stay connected with our community.Don't miss new episodes—subscribe now at YouTube.com/@RefocusedRadio

Description: Life is spinning faster and faster and yet God calls us to "Be still and know" that He is God. He is calling us to intentionally pause and pursue Him. Join the whole gang as we talk about it and hopefully help you establish the rhythm of slowing down!

The Good And Beautiful God part 7: God is Self Sacrificing - Parker Loghry, Creative & Teaching Minister

Part 10. The Future. Tribulation, Rapture, The Millennium An intensive look at the Christian Church down the ages, providing powerful messages for our own times.  Many church members know little or nothing about the story of Christianity between the New Testament period and today.  They therefore may not realise how much they have been influenced by traditions developed during that time. These can have both a negative and positive benefit. Negative, because ‘those who forget history are condemned to relive it'. Most of the mistakes we make and errors we fall into have happened before and we can learn from our forefathers to avoid them. Positive, because we have such a rich heritage it would be folly to ignore. We can draw inspiration and examples from the spiritual giants who went before us and, after all, we can look forward to meeting them personally in glory.

For Jesus Followers, Fasting, with Food, Will Symbolize a Victory Over Oneself and Solidify a Personal Relationship with God MESSAGE SUMMARY: In the early Christian Church, which was under great stress and constant physical danger, God's direction and blessing was needed. Therefore, fasting was considered by Church leaders as a key element of their communion with God when they needed both His direction and blessing, as we find in Acts 14:23: “And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.". As a challenge, "consider the food issue" in your life, especially when you need God's direction in your life, because food has such a stronghold on us. Fasting and tithing can significantly deepen your personal relationship with God because fasting is not easy; but success in fasting, especially with food, can symbolize your victory over yourself and solidify your commitment to your personal relationship with God.   TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, Sabbath rest is truly an unbelievable gift! Thank you that there is nothing I can do to earn your love; it comes without any strings attached. As I close my eyes for these few minutes before you, all I can say is, thank you! In Jesus' name, amen.    Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 133). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT. If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! Luke 11:13 SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Matthew 4:1-2; Matthew 6:16-18; 2 Samuel 12:15-17; Psalms144:1-15. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “The Interior Life – Maintenance of the Inner Man -- Part 6: The Spirit” at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/    DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Sunday Service 1 Samuel 15:1-23 Lead Pastor Tim Davis @ Christ The King Church. A non-denominational Christian Church located in Canby, OR. (www.ctkcanby.com)

In this message, Pastor Dobbs ministers from James 5:11 on the blessing of endurance. James 5:11 tells us that those that endure are counted as blessed. The text references Job as one who persevered and in the end received what was intended for him. I believe we are blessed for enduring. and we will receive the blessing that is intended for us. Scripture: James 5:11 - Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.

In this message, Pastor Dobbs ministers from James 5:11 on the blessing of endurance. James 5:11 tells us that those that endure are counted as blessed. The text references Job as one who persevered and in the end received what was intended for him. I believe we are blessed for enduring. and we will receive the blessing that is intended for us. Scripture: James 5:11 - Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful. Hit the notification bell so that you do not miss our most recent video. From your mobile device, to sow a financial seed into the ministry you may visit us at occvr.org and click the menu tab to locate the donate button. The donate button will provide two options for online giving. You may utilize “Text To Give” in which you will text “give” to the phone number 770-692-2225 to setup your monthly gift or one time financial gift. The additional method for online giving is simply click on the paypal “donate” button. Thanks to our generous partners in ministry, we are able to continue spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ with our local and foreign outreach ministries. For further information on Overcomers Christian Center including address, service times, and other information please visit occvr.org. Also you may visit us at the following: Facebook: @occvr Podcast: The Overcomers

This week we will be considering the confidence that we have in the one true God. We will study in particular the confidence that He gives us in the privilege of prayer. But "prayer" to any god is not really prayer. Only prayer addressed to the one and only God is true prayer. Our final hymn will emphasize the nature of that one true God, in whom we have absolute confidence and to whom we pray. This is hymn 541, O Blessed Holy Trinity in The Lutheran Hymnal. This hymn by Lutheran pastor Martin Behm, is both a prayer to the true God AND and confession of who that true God is. The hymn is based primarily on the Aaronic and Pauline blessings of the Old and New Testament. These blessings highlight the nature of what the Christian Church has called the "Triune" God. Both of these blessings bring out the three-fold nature of the true God. The Aaronic blessing (the blessing given to Aaron in the Old Testament) states: "The LORD bless you and keep you; The LORD make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace." (Numbers 6:24-26). The Pauline blessing (the blessing used by the Apostle Paul) says: "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen" (2 Corinthians 13:14). The stanzas of Behm's hymn develop and utilize these two Bible verses and what they tell us about God. He is three in person, but one in essence. The Triune God is Father and Maker, Son and Redeemer, and Holy Spirit and Comforter. This God has created and preserves us, protects us, instructs and cheers us, and illuminates and keeps us in the faith.  The hymn, which was written just under a hundred years after the start of the Reformation, also draws from and beautifully incorporates Luther's Morning Prayer in stanza 2. Luther wrote: In the name of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen. I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept all harm and danger away from me last night; and I pray that You would also protect me today from sin and every evil, that my life and all my behavior may please You. Into Your hands I entrust my body and soul and everything else. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the devil may have no power over me. Amen. There is inestimable value in knowing the true God and having absolute confidence in His power, love and mercy. There is joy in our ability to come to the true God in prayer, knowing that He can and will answer according to our need and His will for us. We worship and serve a wonderful God! Join us this weekend to be assured of that confidence and to blend our voices together to sing praise to Father, Son and Holy Spirit for all that our God does, has done and will do for you! 

Wednesday Service 1 Samuel 14:24-52 Lead Pastor Tim Davis @ Christ The King Church. A non-denominational Christian Church located in Canby, OR. (www.ctkcanby.com)

What does the Bible teach about the nature of Church? Are there certain non-negotiable essentials that all of us, as Christians, must believe about the Church in order to call ourselves Christians? Are there any over-arching principles that God has given us to help us live as a community of God? J. Warner discusses the essential doctrinal truths related to the “Communion of Saints”. 

This week, Ben Craymer continues to teach on our Colossians series, with his message All Supreme and All Sufficient: Part 3.We are so blessed you're joining us for this message.LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and SHARE!

Our second John of Series 17 has been better known, and profoundly revered, in the eastern half of Christianity than in its western (Roman) half, though both halves esteem his life of holiness and brilliance as a pastor and speaker and writer, designating him a Doctor of the Church. He was so designated in the year 1568 with three other giants of holiness and intellect: St. Basil the Great (239-379 CE) St. Gregory of Nazianzus (330-390 CE) St. Thomas Aquinas, OP (1225-1274) About St. John Chrysostom we find remarks such as: “But at the center of his being is a dynamic and courageous faith that deserves to be praised. And feared. The fact is, John's life and preaching not only inspire, they also convict. There was a fire in John's gut; he loved Jesus Christ and had little patience with Christians who did not lay every ounce of body, mind, and soul at Jesus' feet. As much as I'm drawn by his spiritual fire, I have to admit, I'm hesitant to get too close lest I get singed.” (Mark Galli in 1994) And in the learned Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, 4th edition: “He is, furthermore, among the fathers of the church, the one who has best understood the difficulties, the trials of an authentically lived Christian life, whether in the monastery or in the world. His apostolic activity took place in the middle of a society which was not at all in harmony with the demands of Christianity. Despite everything, his message, with its charge of love for God and of love for people, has reached even us today in light of its gospel message.”(Malingrey & Zincone in 2014)We will get to know John through a series of seven sermons (388-389CE) that he preached on the biting parable of Jesus recorded in Luke16:19-31 - about a rich man and about a grindingly poor man who cowers at his front door, Lazarus by name. Welcome to the Night School.

Renue Healthcare https://Renue.Healthcare/ToddYour journey to a better life starts at Renue Healthcare. Visit https://Renue.Healthcare/Todd Bulwark Capital https://KnowYourRiskPodcast.comBe confident in your portfolio with Bulwark! Schedule your free Know Your Risk Portfolio review. Go to KnowYourRiskPodcast.com today. Bizable https://GoBizable.comUntie your business exposure from your personal exposure with BiZABLE.  Schedule your FREE consultation at GoBizAble.com today. Alan's Soaps https://www.AlansArtisanSoaps.comUse coupon code TODD to save an additional 10% off the bundle price.Bonefrog https://BonefrogCoffee.com/toddThe new GOLDEN AGE is here!  Use code TODD at checkout to receive 10% off your first purchase and 15% on subscriptions.LISTEN and SUBSCRIBE at:The Todd Herman Show - Podcast - Apple PodcastsThe Todd Herman Show | Podcast on SpotifyWATCH and SUBSCRIBE at: Todd Herman - The Todd Herman Show - YouTubeJesus Cannot Bless Christian Nationalism. Jesus DOES Want Christian Governance. Here's the difference…Episode Links:Pastor of a "Christian Church" says TUSA Christian alternative Superbowl is a bad thing, we need to unite around Bad Bunny (lyrics and shows are extremely Sexual and Demonic). Why would the Pastor say this? Because, he lectures on the danger of White Christian NationalismYouTuber David Wood went to Dearborn Michigan. He exposes Christians aren't allowed to distribute any material to Muslims but Muslims can distribute and convert Americans to IslamA young man challenged the shape-shifting con artist named Vivek Ramaswamy on his faithJustin Giboney of the (&) Campaign talks about Christian Nationalism in a way that reveals he doesn't understand what Christian Nationalism is.Rev McGruder Friendship says maternal morality rates in the country is proof that white leaders are trying to intentionally kill black people . "They don't care about our bodies. That mean they don't intend for us to live. That means that they can cut us off at the very beginning. They don't intend for our lives to have substance and meaning." From Rev. Dr. David Malcolm McGruder Executive Pastor of Friendship-West Baptist Church. Sermon link here

The Good and Beautiful God part 6: God Is Holy Brenden Lang, Teaching & Residency Minister

Sunday Service 1 Samuel 14:1-23 Lead Pastor Tim Davis @ Christ The King Church. A non-denominational Christian Church located in Canby, OR. (www.ctkcanby.com)

In this episode, Diana  is joined by guest Ken Keys, PhD, President of CRG and an expert on leadership, wellness, and life purpose. They discuss Ken's difficult upbringing, including the trauma experienced by his parents and his own battles with depression and suicidal thoughts. Ken shares his journey to discovering his purpose, the importance of emotional intelligence, and the impact of finding forgivingness and letting go of past trauma. The episode also highlights actionable steps for personal growth and emphasizes the importance of surrounding oneself with supportive and positive influences. 00:00 Introduction and Sponsor Message 00:47 Welcome to the Podcast 01:20 Diana's Personal Update 02:06 Practicing Gratitude 03:40 Introducing Today's Guest: Ken Keys 04:48 Ken Keys' Background and Career Journey 05:53 Ken's Family and Upbringing 08:42 Challenges and Lessons from Dairy Farming 16:20 Ken's Struggles with Depression and Wellness Journey 19:46 Traumatic Experience and Forgiveness 28:20 Family Dynamics and Emotional Growth 30:52 The Decline of Reverence for God 31:13 The Impact of Media on Society 31:54 Personal Reflections on Family and Intimacy 32:36 Journey Back to Faith 33:49 Discovering a New Christian Community 35:01 Embracing Ministry and Leadership 36:37 The Importance of Personal Style in Ministry 38:57 Overcoming Family Expectations 41:27 Judgment and Acceptance in Christian Life 46:27 The Influence of Associations 55:23 Final Thoughts and Actionable Steps www.kenkeis.com/faithful for your free gift   Website: https://dswministries.org Subscribe to the podcast: https://dswministries.org/subscribe-to-podcast/ Social media links: Join our Private Wounds of the Faithful FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1603903730020136 Twitter: https://twitter.com/DswMinistries YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxgIpWVQCmjqog0PMK4khDw/playlists Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dswministries/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DSW-Ministries-230135337033879 Keep in touch with me! Email subscribe to get my handpicked list of the best resources for abuse survivors! https://thoughtful-composer-4268.ck.page #abuse #trauma Affiliate links: Our Sponsor: 753 Academy: https://www.753academy.com/ Can't travel to The Holy Land right now? The next best thing is Walking The Bible Lands! Get a free video sample of the Bible lands here! https://www.walkingthebiblelands.com/a/18410/hN8u6LQP An easy way to help my ministry: https://dswministries.org/product/buy-me-a-cup-of-tea/ A donation link: https://dswministries.org/donate/ EP 7 Guest Ken Keis Living On Purpose [00:00:00] Special thanks to 7 5 3 Academy for sponsoring this episode. No matter where you are in your fitness and health journey, they've got you covered. They specialize in helping you exceed your health and fitness goals, whether that is losing body fat, gaining muscle, or nutritional coaching to match your fitness levels. They do it all with a written guarantee for results so you don't waste time and money on a program that doesn't exceed your goals. There are martial arts programs. Specialize in anti-bullying programs for kids to combat proven Filipino martial arts. They take a holistic, fun, and innovative approach that simply works. Sign up for your free class now. It's 7 5 3 academy.com. Find the link in the show notes. Welcome to the Wounds of the Faithful Podcast, brought to you by DSW Ministries. Your host is singer songwriter, speaker and domestic violence advocate, [00:01:00] Diana . She is passionate about helping survivors in the church heal from domestic violence and abuse and trauma. This podcast is not a substitute for professional counseling or qualified medical help. Now here is Diana. Hi everybody. How are you guys doing today? I hope you are well. It is a beautiful day outside. Fall isn't even here yet it seems. But my garden. We got to harvest some of our food. We ate some green beans and snap peas and ate some strawberries from my garden. We're just waiting for the tomatoes to ripen. But it's really exciting when you start eating from your own garden, you didn't even think it was going to survive. And with the change of seasons [00:02:00] here, and Thanksgiving is coming up, holidays are coming up. I didn't really do a Thanksgiving podcast, but we want to be thankful. It's hard to be thankful this year, isn't it? Was a huge dumpster fire, and it's probably not all gonna go away you know, January 1st , I'm sure isn't gonna magically disappear, but, um, we have to practice the art of being thankful and grateful for what we have. Make a list, and I know it's hard, just the littlest things that you see during the day. Hey, I have the song on the radio I heard, and it was such a blessing to me. Or like, me, I had a harvest this week. Or, oh, the weather is so beautiful or. My kid got an A on his spelling. Just the little things, just make a [00:03:00] list and go back to those lists. And I'm not one of those positive thinker people. I'm not, I have to work at being positive. I like being around positive people because that lifts me up. My husband is naturally positive and he lifts me up. Right now. He's going through a hard time with his medical stuff and I have to lift him up when I'm having a bad day, he has to lift me up. But we try and practice gratefulness even in the little things. So I hope that encourages you during this holiday. I'm not gonna do a big holiday podcast. Today I have a guest with me today and he's going to talk about, when you feel like, your life doesn't feel like it has meeting you don't have any fulfillment, you're trying to get outta the hole you're in. Maybe you got outta a domestic violence situation and you don't know how to fulfill your [00:04:00] dreams. You don't know how to take that step and work towards your ideal life. Well, this next guest is going to help you do that, to leave the drama behind and find out, which parts of your personality you were born with, which ones you probably need to get rid of, or which ones you can develop further. How you're able to adapt to other people's behavior. Approach your interactions with confidence instead of fear. Find out what makes other people tick. How to handle misunderstandings and defensiveness. How do you handle your triggers? Hey, we've all got drama that we need to leave behind. We wanna move forward, right? So I'm going to read his bio here. Ken Keys PhD President of CRG is a global expert on leadership, wellness, behavioral assessments, and life purpose. [00:05:00] In 28 years, he has conducted over 3000 presentations and invested 10,000 hours. In consulting and coaching. Ken Keys is considered a foremost global authority on the way assessment strategies and processes. Increase and multiply success rates. He's co-created CRGs proprietary development models and has written over 4 million words of content for 40 business training programs and 400 plus articles. His latest book, the Quest for Purpose, a Self-Discovery Process to Find It and Live It. So please welcome Ken Keys. Thanks so much, Ken Keith, for coming on the show. Appreciate it. Well, well it's great to be hanging out with you. Tell us about your self, your upbringing, and your family. Did you come from a [00:06:00] successful family? Well, um, I am a third generation, uh, in Canada. So my grandparents, all four came from Hungary between the first and second World War as immigrants. And then they settled here. I'm about an hour east of Vancouver, Canada, so that's where I make my home. And so I actually grew up on a dairy farm. After uh, high school I went to agricultural college, came back to work on the farm, but pretty well a few months in dad and I were ready to beat each other into a pulp. 'cause we really didn't get along. Both of us wanted to be in charge and dad was kind of of the European mindset, just do what I say. I'll only tell you and criticize you. When you screw up. I'm never going to affirm you or. Do something positive 'cause that might go to your head. Aw. And so I, you know, after a couple of years I left the farm, I went and worked in agricultural fields as first, uh, for the Department of Agriculture. Then as a [00:07:00] feed sales rep, uh, for agriculture company. My diploma is a nutrition and genetics, so I was really a nutritionist to dairy cattle farmers. And then I actually started my own farm across the street. Which was fine, I could do my own thing. And then the late eighties, I got into this industry as a sales trainer. So I bought a franchise in the sales training. I said, what a na natural transition, uh, closed down my dairy farm. And then that was the beginning of this. Now when we're recording this, 32 years later, I said, where did that go? Uh, and, you know, three or four books, the author of 12 psychological assessments presented 3000 times somewhere around the world. Uh, authored 4 million words of content. You know, it's an interesting story and journey. And of course, I'll link in my, uh, face story here in a minute as well. So now this, it is. 32 years doing what I'm doing. And the company that I own was founded in 1979 by a professor at a Christian university. He wanted to create a, uh, create an assessment that was [00:08:00] different, better, more improved than Disc Myers-Briggs true colors, way back in 1979. And so he created the tool, the personal style indicator. I got connected to that company in 1990 and then bought it nearly 20 years ago. So we're now, you know, doing business in 12 languages, 30 countries around the world. And all our tools are built on a Christian worldview view, but we equally serve, you know, like Boeing mm-hmm. Or companies of that nature, or Ford or Chrysler as we do Ministries. And we just say, we're just here to help develop people. And then my purpose in life is to help others to live, lead, and work on purpose and to help them to realize their potential. So that's really been our focus for the last three decades. Well, you talk about the cows and I don't think I've ever milked a cow and well, it is 24 7, and I think that was one of the things that happened. I think, and here's my. Encouragement and challenge for those people that are listening, watching this show today [00:09:00] is I got up one morning with my dairy herd and I asked myself this question, if I was doing this same thing 20 years from now, would that be okay? And I said, no, no, no, no, no. I can't be doing that. And I always knew I was to be a speaker. Even when I was 16, I was speaking in front of groups, MCing groups asked to do that kinda work. Uh, I never thought I would be an author because my grade nine teacher said, well, I wouldn't amount to anything because I couldn't read or write. And it was discovered when I did my master's degree that I was dyslexic. So the invention of the computer when I went to school, I'm young, just to let you know, but when I went to school, there weren't, there weren't computers. The program word wasn't there to help me understand or see the words, uh, words that I was misspelling. And the reality is, is that, so I have mispronounced some words, so what doesn't matter, you know, get over it. And that led me to being a writer, which no way you [00:10:00] would've ever convinced me that was gonna be something that I would do almost more of than any single item in my lifetime. So here we are. And now just really trying to, you know, live his purpose and to help encourage other people to live theirs and to be anchored in that. Wow. Research shows. Diana is that when you're out there and engaging in nature, it actually feeds your soul. It does. So, even the research of kids that live in the countryside are healthier than those mm-hmm. That live in sterile environments in a condo, you know, in a 50 story building. I'm not here to judge you because you live in a condo. I'm just saying the reality is the health stats show that when you're out and about and you're just kind of in nature, your immunity strengthens, but so does your core soul because you're out there with nature and hey, that was designed that way. Absolutely. I think it's kept me sane. I liked being outside. I liked going out there and fussing over [00:11:00] my plants. Well, it's in, it's always interesting me to quote unquote live off the grid. And what I mean by that is just being a property that doesn't require utilities from third parties and things like that. But I'd live close to the town or city. There is a lot of effort and work, and one of the reasons that I did stop dairy farming was the 24 7 obligation, 365 days a year. I mean, you never have a day off in a dairy farmer's environment. Now, I appreciate the values that I learned, tenacity, persistence it doesn't matter what the weather's doing. I remember one time where it was very cold. One February. It was rare for where we live, but all the pipes and everything were frozen. Well, it took me four hours of fighting just to thaw all the pipes out so I could milk my cows. And just going back in the house and watching TV wasn't an option. It had to be done. So no matter, you know, what your personality or personal style is or anything like that, those character [00:12:00] traits were entrenched in me or developed in me in that persistence, uh, growing up. So that, you know, that's part of what I bring into it. I'm not. Mm-hmm. Uh, I was thankful for growing up in that environment, but it wasn't something that I was meant to do going forward. So you mentioned your father, but you also said that your mom, had some abuse in her childhood Hmm. Would you, be willing to elaborate on that? Sure. You know, it's interesting. I grew up in quote unquote a Christian home. Mm-hmm. But it wasn't really because my grandparents were Presbyterian in their background. No judgment. Anybody has that background. I grew up in the Presbyterian church. My brother and I were the youth, so that was, they were the only ones that were attending. But what I didn't see in my family was really the relationship with Christ. Mm. It was a cognitive thing, it was a cerebral thing. It was a duty, but it wasn't really an experience. It wasn't a relationship whatsoever. And of course, later on, I sort of [00:13:00] left the church. I can tell you my spiritual story here in a bit. But as a result of that, my dad was 16 years of age when his dad died of an unknown causes. He was on the farm, so he was forced to quit school in grade eight or nine to take over the farm with his mother. Now, his eldest brother was working off the farm, but also was helping on the farm, and a year later died of an unknown. As well. So here his father dies and then, you know, the next year before he is almost 17, his eldest brother that he looked up to died as well. Oh. And then my grandmother, where I was one of the, I wasn't the eldest male, but in that culture, you know, males just seemed to be, that was important to grandma. So I was the first born in Elst male farm. Grandma was pretty good with me, but she had a critical spirit. And so that spirit then led into my dad. My dad's way of dealing with that trauma was [00:14:00] to say nothing, just really be quiet. Mm-hmm. And the culture, the Hungarian culture also was one of non-emotional. I mean, you didn't share your feelings, you didn't share what was going on. You didn't share your heart. And even though my dad was on the board of the church, an elder. I never saw him pray. I never really see him have this relationship. He believes in God, you know, is he saved? I don't know. I mean, it's hard to know just for the viewers. I'm an ordained pastor now, so, this is kind of a full circle for me. And then my mom, grew up in as an, as a teenager with a father who was abusive when he was drinking. So an adult child of an alcoholic is kind of the process. So he, later on, , he straightened up. However, there was one night, my understanding from the story, I wasn't around yet where grandpa came home and then, was, beating on the kids and grandma got a knife and says, you touch him again, I'll kill you. Mm. And so that was kind of the environment that my mom grew up in. Now, grandpa, [00:15:00] later on when I knew him, I never knew that part of him. He was able to get his binge drinking under control. His English was broken, but we had a great relationship. He passed away sooner, and then grandma was left. Grandma was a critical spirits to my mom. So my mom now as we record, this is 86, going on 87 soon, and, I think she worries for the entire planet. I think her self-worth as far as she still has not processed this value set. So she plays the victim card extensively. And then as far as my environment for my dad, giving compliments, providing compliments just never happened. So he is 88 at the time of recording this and I'm 60. And I do not recall ever him telling me that he loves me. Aw. I just not now, does he? Yes, he does. But to verbally say that I love you just doesn't happen. I could go to his place though. And say, [00:16:00] dad, I need to borrow your truck. I need to borrow tools. Always, yes. Never says no to being helpful, but to be able to have that emotional connection and to articulate it is not something he learned. I think he did the best that he could with what he knew. So same with my mom. So I don't, I'm not bitter with them now. I'm obviously disappointed. But what it led to for me in my teenage years, when I came back from college, so I was 19 years of age, I think when I finished college, I started when I was younger is, I was suicidal. Hmm. So I sat there on the farm, here I'm arguing with my dad. I want to take it over, but he won't include me in any decisions. This is the, it's my way of the highway. There was no relationship per se, it was just a dictatorship. Mm-hmm. And then talking about deeper things that never happened, at home, when I got in some trouble with a girl, in my younger years, I wanted to share that with my mom, and she just started to criticize me. So it told me [00:17:00] never share anything with my mother that I'm dealing with as far as those pieces. So I sat there and I really said, is life really worth it? And for those of you that have been through trauma or whatever, suicide is really calling out, suicide is a hopelessness. It's a mm-hmm. Where you believe in that moment that not being here would be far less painful than being here. And first of all, it's alive, the enemy. So if we think about John 10, 10 is that the enemy comes to, kill, steal, and destroy or whatever that order is, and. And so he wants you to, take your own life because then you know what, your impact for the ministry is not gonna be there. Your impact for others is not gonna be there. Well, obviously I didn't take my life, but I thought about it and I had those components or considerations Later on in life, about a decade later, I was diagnosed asmatic depressive. And so I went on an antidepressant called Lithium, and it was my friend of mine, [00:18:00] actually out of Dallas, Texas. And she was a psychologist and she said, Ken, you're not a depressed person. There's something else biologically going on with you. And so we, I, at my insistence, did a glucose tolerance test, found out I was hypoglycemic. I wasn't depressed at all. Yeah. So what that had to do was around my blood sugar levels. So one of my passions now in life is I love to develop the whole person. And we have 12 assessments in our company from personality, but we also have an assessment on wellness and stress. And as a, I consider myself, a wellness expert. Mm-hmm. Because I don't believe that we need to rely on external people for my health. And so a lot of times people get into trouble where they don't take care of themselves. So mm-hmm. It's very difficult to be alive and functional and be a spiritual, , lion when you are fatigued, when you have no [00:19:00] energy. So, uh, I say fatigue makes cowards of us all. I wasn't the person who said I was another person who had started that. So I started to look at how can I take care of myself? Make sure you get the sleep, make sure for the most part you eat right, that you do things right. A lot of times as individuals, we don't take care of ourselves, and then we wonder why we're lethargic or we can't focus or we can't concentrate. And we do that with our kids. So I, you know, this body is a temple. We have a responsibility to take care of it. So that's why we've been working in all these different areas. And then one other. And then we're talking about trauma. And I haven't, I've only shared this very few times on podcasts and I don't, not that it's a secret. I actually share this story in my book, the Quest for Purpose. Mm-hmm. Which I am actually going to give everybody a copy of this at the end of the show. Right. Wow. So we are gonna be able to give you a free download of that book. But in the book, in 1982, I was actually [00:20:00] dating my high school sweetheart. So it was the person that I took to my prom. She was a couple years younger than me. And on December 13th, 1982 the police officer showed up at my home and said, we'd like to interview Ken. Now I happen to be out in town with my brother at that time, and there wasn't cell phones that we personally had. So when I got that, they said it's very urgent that Ken come to the station as soon as he gets home. I'm curious. I don't know what this is about. I am also nervous. I'm a little bit fearful. I'm having nervous energy and trying to crack jokes when I get to the police department. Yeah. So I get into one of these interview rooms that are just like, the TV says steel chairs, bricks, security, glass. One person in the room, TV cameras recording you. And I say, you know, what's this about? And the officer says, we have a reason to believe that you are, dating or a boyfriend of Carol Ann Repel. And I said, yeah, well that's true. And he said, well, she was murdered last [00:21:00] night. Oh. And so, what are you talking about? And I was one of the second last people to talk to her, and I had been chatting with her on the phone. She was a individual who was gifted and skilled and wanted to be the first female fighter pilot in the Canadian forces. So she was late at night at her employer's location, which was at the airport, and the janitor made a sexual advance to her that went wrong and then beat her to death. Oh, so that's, I'm being interviewed for this. They're asking about it and it came to learn. They didn't know who did it. It was a mystery for months, but they had their suspicions, but they had no proof. And eventually they, charged somebody who I knew, he had been hired as a security guard for some youth group work that we had done. At that moment, that day, I went to work. I said, I'm like, I was complete denial. Just [00:22:00] what is going on on this thing? She was 22 years of age, Diana. Mm-hmm. Maybe going on to 23. So we've all had our situations or stories. It took me years later where I did a process, called emotional freedom Technique. You can agree with it or not, but it was a Christian who created it. I was drenched in sweat, just processing all the. Emotional sort of luggage and baggage that came out of that stuff through the process we did. It was, you just call it very, very intense counseling, if you wanna call it that. And, so we, but I still needed to kind of move forward. I was thankful for the relationship with her. I was angry, upset, but certainly in denial for not months but years, because of that event and when it occurred. There. And then being a person of interest is, has its own dynamics. Oh, so they thought it might have been you? Well, there was that consideration. Now I had a, alibi. I was actually with my parents that night when this [00:23:00] occurred. So that, I mean, I lived alone. I was a single guy, so it was just happenstance, the Holy Spirit protecting me mm-hmm. From any kinda suspicions. But really they were trying to figure out who did it. And I was a witness to, that by being one of the last people to talk to her alive. Hmm. And now, you know, when we're recording, this is many, many years later, almost 40 years later, uh, but still it has sort of an emotional tag that goes with that. So all of us have had things that happen. My encouragement is, is no matter what, because I mean, you're in your podcast trying to help people go through trauma. You always have a choice about what you're gonna do with it. And as a trained counselor. A lot of times in the past, counseling was always about processing your past. I disagree with that. Is that we need to look to our future. Mm-hmm. You know, Carolyn Lee's research on, you know, you know who turned on, who switch off your brain and switch on your brain. Her [00:24:00] books really talks about what you focus on. Gets more on more of it. So if I go in counseling and just relive the event and relive the event and relive the event, well I haven't moved you forward. Forward. So I'm not denying its issues or what's going on or that it happened, I'm just denying it's hold in your future. So this is around forgiveness. I had to forgive the guy who killed her. Mm-hmm. Because, uh, you know, the old story, everybody has heard this, if you've been in any front of any servant, is that unforgiveness is like you taking the poison and wanting the other person to live. Right. We've all heard that. Yes. Well, we just need to be reminded of that to, I wasn't obviously agreeing with the heinous act. He did, but I had to forgive him so that I would be free in that his heinous act wouldn't be affecting me, plus my family and everybody else around me as well. So, uh, I don't think you knew that story was coming, Diana. Actually, I did. I [00:25:00] read your blog. Oh, you did? You did. Oh, well, you're one of the few. So, uh, and when I do my normal podcast, I don't mention this for very often, but you know, the Holy Spirit has lifted me up, been there beside me in that. It's not him who did this. You know, I can rely on him to be able to kind of build me up. And in fact, I have to, I mean, if we're going through life, we're just gonna have stuff happen. Mm-hmm. It's just part of the dynamic of living in a broken world. Yeah. It definitely is a fallen world. Yeah. I'll swing around back to what you said about forgiveness. Did the, murderer, go to prison or did he think of that? Yeah, he was eventually caught. What they did is they knew who he was, but they didn't, you know, DNA was kind of, just in its infancy stages then in 1982. So, what they did is they set up a sting operation and then they had somebody, you know, where people wear wire and they're recording what's being [00:26:00] said. There was some, someone in his life that he had semi revealed that he was involved with this. And so they knew that, but they couldn't prove anything. So then they set up this sting and then it went from there. And then once he sort of confessed in this, sting operation with this person, then it went to downhill from there. Yes, he was, I think his time, I think he's like in life, in prison for life. So was it easier to forgive that you saw some justice for your girlfriend, or did that not really matter? It's so long ago. I'm not sure if I recall if I was thinking either way, but mm-hmm. But I think finding the person who did it was important just for safety matters. Mm-hmm. And curiosity and just, you know, who was it that did this? I, knowing the person to a certain degree, I mean, because we had hired him and had interactions with him. He wasn't a hundred [00:27:00] percent there, if you know what I mean. Oh, okay. Just so, I don't wanna use the word simple, but I use the word just not a hundred percent. You know, the elevator didn't go a hundred percent to the top. And I think it was not planned. I believe that it was just a sexual advance go bad, and he went to a point of no return, that she's gonna say something, I'm gonna get into trouble. And the only way to stop this is to end her life. Mm-hmm. And I believe that's what occurred and what happened. So he was single, he was in his thirties. Mm-hmm. Uh, and you know, a lot of sexual predators are kind of in that category. I don't know if he was or wasn't. I don't know. And there was no other charges in other parts of his life. But that's kind of how that unfolded. Ian, you know, at this point, I'm obviously very, very sad. She was an amazing girl. And being my grad prom date had sort of a. Not sort of had a significance sort of in my history, in my life as well, but I was just thankful that justice was [00:28:00] done and those things were discovered. And I'm just saying to those people at watch who are listening, that, you know, no matter what happens, we have these choices to be able to move to the next level. I mean, I'm thankful Diana, for your ministry and Ministries like you that help people to kind of bridge that gap from where they are to where they need to do or some of the work that we do as well. So, you know, example is my parents, my mom mm-hmm. Still has not processed this adult child of alcoholic. Her behavior is around it. Mm-hmm. In interesting enough, my sister who is in her fifties, and I hopefully she doesn't watch this, is you know, some of the tendencies are there too. Like, I know my parents won't watch it. But you know, if one of my family members watch it, is that, that worry side, that anxiety side that gets passed down? Yes. Now and obviously my depression side came out of that family dynamic. Mm-hmm. And then with my dad, never saying, never having a compliment. I think he just emotionally was unable to do it. Mm-hmm. Now, what's [00:29:00] really fun is my kids are 25 and 24 now, and they're very developed and skilled individuals. My wife Brenda, is a school teacher, so we're both in the professional development fields. Mm-hmm. And for their age. The kids are amazing. Of course, parents are biased about this, but they really mess with grandpa and grandma now. Oh. So my daughter will go in there, grandpa, we really, really, really love you. We really do. Just waiting to see if he'll say anything. And then he'll go, so he'll mumble and then he'll kind of be embarrassed. He'll look down. And it's not that he doesn't have any emotions, but the kids kind of know that. And they just, because grandparents can't mess with their grandkids that way. And then my son will do the same thing with them. And so from that point of view, we've just loved on them, accepting them for where they're at. I feel badly for them that they haven't been able to brace everything that they could. You know, when we're in the stressful situation, we are in the world right now. They have just taken the [00:30:00] worry of the whole world upon their shoulders. Right? You know, God's very clear in his word. Fear is from the enemy. Mm-hmm. You know, it doesn't mean stupid, but there's not one scripture that I'm aware of unless you want to correct me, Diana, that says, you know what? Being fearful a little bit's. Okay. Everything is fear. Not Well, you know, God says, he gives you fear so you don't jump off the edge of a cliff or, bungee jump off of Well, I have bungee jump, but I hear what you're saying is that, that fight or flight, yeah. That's a healthy fear. It keeps you from doing something really stupid. Mm-hmm. But, and then when we get into the scripture, you know, fear fear of the Lord is really a reverence for 'em if you get into the Greek and the Hebrew. Mm-hmm. Is that it's reverence for them and it's honoring of them. And in that's part of the problem in the global society right now. There's no fear of him. There's no reverence for God anymore. No. And so it's a godless society in many ways. That's why people are acting out when you take [00:31:00] God out, then you get these situations where people are spiritualists and they really are acting on their own. And the enemy is controlling them. Mm-hmm. Exactly. And their flesh. Yeah. Well, for sure. And if it's not modeled for you and we teach that in our development factors model that as an observer, as a child of the relationships around you, that's all you know to do. Yeah. And of course we think that life is around social media, that it's around podcasts like this, but there was none of that. Mm-hmm. Back 50, 60 years ago. And in fact, the TV was just even coming in and some of the examples there, and most of the examples were way more wholesome. Yeah. And loving back then. I think the. The most amount of violence was on gun smoke. Uh, I love that show. Of course. I mean, those of us that are older, remember that one? That was great. So part of what, you know, I wanna encourage the listeners [00:32:00] is, people do the best that they can with what they know. My mom has told me that she loves me, but it's kind of an awkward thing. It's a thing that she does there. If I say that I love her, then she would say, well, me too. Um, but not everybody is that way. And then you talk about intimacy. We used to joke with my parents that said, how do we exist? You guys never touch each other. Like, how did it even happen? Like, was it an accident while you were sleeping or something? So we used to just, we joked about that because there was zero. Intimacy between them. And but I think that again, was cultural and that was part of it. Now, when we think about ministry and spiritual life, and again, the, hopefully this reaches people and it touches your heart for the I went to a church that really nice people, but the services were equivalent to a funeral. Oh yeah. And then the other one is, is when you have the theology and the mindset that you do in that group, they were one of the, some of the most miserable people [00:33:00] that I knew, and this was the Christian Church. I said, well, why would I wanna be part of this? Right. 16, 17, 18, 19, I really fell off and I was crazy, wild and everything. Went to college found out that, uh, man, I could buy four cases of beer for 20 bucks back there in the province of Alberta. And the drinking age was 18 and that's what I was. And so it was a crazy time for me. But then when I got into my later years of my twenties, 26, 27, I was invited to a Bible study by a friend of mine and I said, I don't know. Like I always knew God was there. Mm-hmm. But I really didn't wanna have anything to do with him. I wasn't vile. There was some people that were violent. I was just disinterested in Christian people. Mm-hmm. The number one reason that I left the church were Christians. Yep. At least in my head. But I was around 25, 26 and I went to this Bible study and that this friend of mine, he had, it was a business owner and he had it one Saturday a month. And I walked in this room and [00:34:00] here are these Christians telling jokes and having fun. And it says those two things don't coexist with being a Christian. So he is having fun, he is telling jokes, he's enjoying himself. It wasn't a legalistic pet. And abyss. I said, what? And so all of a sudden my eyes were started to open up and then the spirit, oh no man, the spirit's gonna come. I might even cry. But he came to me because he had me tagged for this kinda work, right? Is he says, Ken, it's not about you and them, it's about you and me. Mm-hmm. So when we have issues with other people, it's always about going vertical. People will always disappoint you. And then his other, his next word to me was clear. He says, and Ken, when were you? Perfect. So none of us are perfect. And so, you know, some of the most judgmental people I've ever met were, have been in the Christian environment, right. That legalistic kind of side. And I said, okay, fine. [00:35:00] Now moving towards it. And that's when I was baptized in a friend's pool, I think it was 28 years of age, and started to go on this journey. And then later on started doing more work for Ministries and said, you know what? I really want to hone my, ministry side and decided to. Take additional biblical studies. Mm-hmm. And then be ordained actually through a friend of mine who, he has a pastor of a church, but he also is one of our associates. 'cause we license other people, around the world to use our tools to serve their community. So this pastor was using it to serve his team and all his team members were going through it. And he also was doing community outreach. And he says, no, we'll, Andor and you. Ordain you under our, CEEC banner. So there's probably about 4,000 kind of interdenominational groups that are under this banner, and that's why I'm ordained under that. I think, I don't know if I mentioned this in the podcast we were together yesterday, or the session yesterday, is I don't ever see myself being quote unquote a pastor of [00:36:00] a church, but doing extended ministry, helping people in ministry and leadership. I've, done a lot of retreats for leadership mm-hmm. For denominations because I can bring the expertise as a leadership in professional development consultants and well as a consultant to bear with the ministry context. And so it's just adding, and that's where I love actually doing the work. We have a local church, one of the larger ones, and the youth minister is a friend of mine. He also does apologetics. And so what we started to do is do his leadership group on our personality. I have a book called, why Aren't You More Like Me? Mm-hmm. And every once or twice a year, we would do retreats for those youth leaders that were 18 to 30 years of age. And in that moment I said, you know what? God has created us uniquely, but also perfectly for the assignments that he has for us in life. It's our responsibility to figure out [00:37:00] what that is. So, Dr. Pastor Randy, would get up front and he would say, next to accepting Christ. He says, I think this is one of the most important things you could learn, because every single person on this planet has a personal style. Other people call it a personality. Mm-hmm. And you are gonna bring that to bear in everything you do, every relationship you touch, every work piece, and responsibility you do. And it's not right, it's not wrong. You are uniquely created for the purposes that he has for you and the plan he has for you and the assignments he has for you and every. Personality or personal style has related strengths and stuff. Challenges, I guess. So I need to be responsible for that. I have, if I didn't have the strengths and tenacity that I was naturally born with, no way, I would've had the fortitude or resilience to overcome some of the things that this company's been through and some of the things that have been in front of me in my life. Wow. On the other hand, you don't want me to [00:38:00] be the auditor of your ministry books 'cause I'll just say it close enough because I absolutely. I might have an MBA, but I really dislike the minute details. I'm really an idea person, even though I've written 4 million words. The words are through ideas to influence people to improve their lives. Mm-hmm. To write a textbook on trigonometry is, I need him to come here and I'm gonna go to heaven quicker. I'm never gonna write. So part of those of you that are watching our ability to say no is equally important as our ability to say yes. Mm-hmm. So our responsibility as individuals, as believers say, everybody says, okay, the're great commission to share his word with other people. Okay. But where doing what for you? So that is the bigger question for us individually, to say, where does he want you to go? What does he want you to do? And you know, if I would've followed the [00:39:00] cultural pressures, I'd still be on the dairy farm. Mm-hmm. With my. Two brothers. And so my youngest brother has taken over the dairy farm and now his son is looking at taking over and his son has got a son. So now you're talking five or six generations. That's great. That's fine. But that's not what I am called to do. So my encouragement is, if you're watching this, there's two things. First of all, don't let the pressures of the past and other people's expectation drive you. Really only a Holy Spirit can lead you. Mm-hmm. And some close advisors that have wisdom and insights or even a word of knowledge for you that you wouldn't know that's driven from the Holy Spirit, not from here. The second one is that is true for you and you're a parent, or you're a significant other, or you're a partner. Why wouldn't you honor that uniqueness of the people around them as well? A friend of mine who's a believer, who was part owner of the company that I now own a hundred percent and I, but I've known him for 40 years. He, when we first got involved with this, he says, [00:40:00] Ken, my son's really. He's not gonna amount to anything. He's the laziest kid I've ever met. But what he was saying, because my friend is a driven entrepreneur like this guy at 70 works 12 hours a day, six days a week, even now, and you can't stop him. And that's just who he is. It's the fabric of who he is. He was a dairy farmer as well, so you, he's already got that in his gene. His son, who was not really lazy, was just extremely easygoing. So his style was just Dad, no chill. Just chill. Dad, whatever. You know what he is now? Pediatric doctor. Aw. So, sometimes we go there and we judge people and we say, you're not gonna melt to anything. You're lazy. You shouldn't be doing this. And in fact, God had a calling for, his name is John. To be a doctor and think about his nature. He's caring for kids, he has a heart for kids, he has the temperament for kids, he loves on them as a doctor. And then [00:41:00] gifted on that, what a better place to be now. The relationship between father and son have never been better as part of it. You know, as you think about this, how can we create a space, a safe space for individuals like you or me to go on this journey of discovery with me, not because of what I say or don't say, but together so that I can help you realize your potential. And one of the things that is, um, I do still kind of get a little miffed at how Christians can put other people down for certain reasons. Absolutely. Or just people in general. I had a point, and now it's gone. It'll come back to me here in a moment. But part of this is that. We don't want to be judging people about their direction and putting them down for certain directions. Mm-hmm. Because now what we're doing is we're spilling our fear into their space. The reality is the enemy will bring people around you to discount you. We even talked about that yesterday in [00:42:00] the, Christian business owners call. Mm-hmm. Is that the enemy wants to discount your worth. Yes. If I go, I have zero people says, Ken, you still get nervous speaking in front of groups. I says, never. Never. If it's a thousand people, 2000 people, 3000 people, I love it. I'm energized. You ever get nervous? Getting on a show? Never does not happen. However, if I'm asked to preach in front of a church, then the worthiness, the enemy comes after me and says, Ken, do you know who you are? What gives you the right to speak about Christ's righteousness in front of these people? And so my, so I want to call it wisdom mm-hmm. To individuals, is that the enemy wants to discount that, there's a big difference between confidence and arrogance is that we wanna be confident in who he is. And yes, he has asked me to share his word with others in the context, and I've done preaching for people online and in services at churches, [00:43:00] and then also led, you know, Ministries through our work and leadership and personality and wellness and all these things. But I'm still working on this thing where the enemy wants to attack this. Who do you think you are? Hmm. When he called out Moses, when Moses says, well, I'm not equipped for this. We use the, scripture from Gideon. I'm the weakest of my clan. Why? Why choose my me? And I started to think about that. Think about all the people that God chose. To lead and be in front. Half of them are murderers. I mean, I'm being demonstrative, but Right. So, hello. That didn't exclude them. Then you have this Pharisee who is killing Christians on the weekend, who wrote nearly half of the New Testament. Absolutely. What are you talking about? Because he's trying to demonstrate to you, me and everybody watching the transformational nature of his spirit and that there is nothing that's not [00:44:00] possible if you're in his will and following it. I will never, in spite of all, like you were talking off air about these, I'll call it new age kind of positive thinking stuff. Mm-hmm. I will never be a basketball player. It's just not gonna Me neither. At five nine. It is not gonna happen. It's just, I can have all the goals in the world. I can visualize all I want. It's just not going to happen. But if it's in the context of his will, and here's the other responsibility. As believers, it's your responsibility to find out what that will is. Where does he want you to go? And again, to be really careful, be really cautious to only get feedback from those people who are trusted advisors that know the spirit. Oh, I know what I was gonna say earlier is my family, when I decided to leave my sales job to start my own sales training, even then my parents said, my dad said to me, why would you leave a company that gives you a free [00:45:00] car? And then they give you lunches. Two, what a what an idiot you are to leave that job, to start this training business. Well, that company, by the way, three or four years later, went bankrupt. So that was kind of a little get back at your dad moment there. And they sort of fine. But that's how people are thinking. They're well-meaning they're trying to protect you. But don't absorb their fear. Don't let their doubt come into your space. Sometimes you have to be extremely guarded about I'll call it the unbelief of others around you. When Jesus didn't chastise the disciples very often, but he chastised them about fear in the boat and the water. Mm-hmm. But he also chastised their unbelief when they couldn't heal the crippled individual who was come on, help me with the word Diana. Possessed. And they said, what? Why couldn't we cast out the devil? They said, because of your unbelief. So [00:46:00] sometimes we need to make sure that we guard ourselves and be around those people that really are there with us, Diana, on that side, I'm getting a little preachy now instead of just a podcast on those. I love it. I love it. But my, and we talk a lot about boundaries that you have to have boundaries, physical boundaries, as well as mental boundaries. Who are you hanging out with? Who are you allowing to influence you? That's super important. Oh, and in fact, I was talking about this on another, podcast just this morning that I was on, is that, the research is clear who you associate with matters, and the proof is, is that your five closest associates will be the highest level of influence. In other words, if we look at your five closest friends, I can almost predict. With certainty what you are going to be like, how you're gonna think, how you're going to act, because you're constantly influencing each other. Now I remember, and I know you're almost getting close to the end of the show, but one of my [00:47:00] colleagues, not a believer, but very wise guy, Dr. Marshall Goldsmith, one of the top coaches in the world, wrote the book Triggers and What Got you here won't get you there. And I was at an invite only event in New York with him and 20 or 30 other people in the coaching industry. And one of the things he stated, and this is so true, especially people with trauma and they have family, is that a lot of times you want to go to a new level. So Diana, you're going to a new level, you're doing the podcast, you're doing this ministry, you're growing, I'm growing. Your past, the people that you grew up in high school or the people that know you or your family, they wanna keep you where you were. They don't want to you to go where you're going. So an example is when I got my doctorate degree, we had a family dinner and it was kind of a celebration. And one of my family members said to me with almost with the stain, we are never calling you doctor. Hmm. And part of it is that they knew me for who I was 30 years ago. [00:48:00] And then of course I left the farm. I went on my own started to develop relationships and connections with amazing people around the world. Is that some, not that I'm better than them, but I am different. And so I don't really share what I do with my family members. And that's what Marshall was teaching in his group is that sometimes who you become doesn't fit the people that you used to hang out with. It doesn't mean you don't hang out with them. You just limit that you are being with your family. Diana, what are you doing? He says, well, I'm doing ministry work and I'm running a podcast and just really helping people to overcome trauma. And that's it. That's all it's done. We don't talk about the great people we met or 'cause what happens is you're seen as being arrogant and who do you think you are rather than colleagues where you're just sharing your excitement about this growth. Oh yeah. I had relatives come up to me 'cause they heard me, I was a guest on somebody else's podcast. Oh, she can't do that. You know, she's gonna hurt somebody. She's not a licensed counselor. She's not this, she's not that. [00:49:00] And I have had training. I get considerable training. I'm not a licensed counselor, but the program that I follow, was written by a trauma counselor and a theology professor. So that's called Mending the Soul, by the way. Mm-hmm. Anyway, yeah, they're definitely, we're all already people telling me, well, you shouldn't be doing that. Who are you? You're not some, super professional girl. You're just Diana, you're just an abuse survivor. That's all you are kind of thing. So, yeah. Well, what happens a lot of times is envy can come in, jealousy can come in. They wanna still contain you and me to who we were, but it's also still their perception is true with, one of my family members where, they go on, oh, you, you're always this person that talks too much. That's what my dad said to me when I was a teenager. And of course he was putting me down for my style and what I do. And it was interesting because even though he [00:50:00] says, Ken, you talk too much and put me down for my style. I was the person that asked to be m Mc of banquets when I was 16 and 17 years of age because I would be quick on my feet, I'd be able to have a responsiveness. And I also took. The responsibility of being an mc of a banquet. Seriously, because have you ever been to these banquets that's run by volunteers where you have just a terrible mc and they ruin the night? Oh yeah. Well, the opposite. I said, no. I take this as a profession. Mm-hmm. And recently, interesting enough, in spite of sort of the history, my dad has a group called The Pioneers, which are elderly people have been in our community for, 60, 70, 80, 90 years. And they asked me to be the mc. And so then I've done it for two years. They won't hold it this year. And people come and said, how are you able to do that? Because the people that were doing it before were on the board. They were, dementia was already setting in and they were trying to lead this banquet and it was just a [00:51:00] disaster, nice people. But they were way out of their element and they shouldn't have been MCing it. Here's a family trying to contain, you said, who do you think you are? Put you down for talking yet. It's my profession. It's what I do. I've been paid or have conducted 3000 presentations around the world in the last 32 years. Hello? What? Like, help me out here and just like your family, my dad is, just really unsure about what I really do. If I say I'm doing some speaking or training for like Chrysler, well, he gets that, but producing psychological tools and assessments and all the other work, like we were talking around purpose. No, they, they wouldn't get it. So part of, you know, all of that story from both of us for the viewers and listeners is that it's okay to move on, but also you don't have to share your new life with your old life. Yeah. And that you can be that person for them, but guard your [00:52:00] future sort of, expounding about what you're gonna do and writing these books and creating these e-course and all that kind of stuff, they don't care. They're not there. So it's interesting because my wife and I, when we go to family events we talk about emotional intelligence and we talk about interpersonal intelligence and we talk about self-awareness. But one of the things we do at family events, we, we have a game. We say, could we go all night with 20 people in the room with three hours a time? We're not a single person will ask us a question about us and we can do it multiple times. So we go to an event and Diana, how are you doing and what's new at the ministry? And, how's the family doing? And I heard you went on this trip, a gifted conversationalist is a person who asks questions, right? But what we note is that nobody asks myself or my wife a question. Now, there's the odd occasion where it does occur. It does happen, but it's extremely [00:53:00] rare. So people like to talk about themselves. So we might say, well listen, we're thinking about going to Hawaii. Oh, we went to Hawaii two years ago and we're over here. And all of a sudden they're telling a story, which is all about being self-centered about their trip to Hawaii two years ago. And we just shared what, where we're going to Hawaii. They didn't ask about where you're going, when you're going, who's going? No. They went on to their own. This is a conversational skillset that most of the population does not have. And by the way, for those of you watching play the game. Go out there and, don't talk about yourself. If somebody talks about something, make sure you respond to it, but then transition back to a question and see if you can go all night without anybody asking a question about yourself. And then here's the other one. Don't be offended by it. Give it up. Offense is a choice. You know, we talked about trauma and we talked about forgiveness, but being offended is also a choice. Mm-hmm. Dr. David's Burn's work around, trauma, if you've ever read his book feel good [00:54:00] is, I mean, it's got about 500 pages at four point font. Is that my response is always a choice. Yes. And even Dr. Gottman in his work around relationships is that once I get over 100 beats per minute non-athletic, I'm no longer rational. Well, that's where we have trauma. We have abuse, we have crazy things that happen. One of our number one constituents, we serve as law enforcement. So, Dr. Anderson, who founded the company, was a criminology professor. And then one of my co-authors, Dr. Mitch dti, teaches law enforcement officers emotional intelligence. What's the most dangerous situation for law enforcement to go into domestic dispute? Yes. Why? Because people are irrational. Mm-hmm. So I've let myself get ramped up. I'm now biologically I'm no longer in control of my emotions. Mm-hmm. And now I will say and do things that will regret. Now I'm completely [00:55:00] outta control. I mean, there was this situation that happened in Palm Springs a couple, two, three years ago where there was abusive situation carrying on. The officers broke up, the couple started to contain him, and then she got a gun out and killed both officers. Oh. So that's why officers in these environments, they said you have to watch your back because it's completely. Unpredictable as part of it. So I mean, there's obviously lots of things that we've covered today in the show and we've gone for our 55 minutes. Anything else, Diana, that you wanted to maybe poke your head into before we close? Well, we could go down a whole bunch of rabbit trails on a lot of things that you said. You said so many great nuggets. But maybe for our listeners, perhaps. Give like a list of actionable things that they can do right now. Now just before I do it, so that we don't miss you, I have a gift for everybody. Yes. And [00:56:00] so I'm gonna give you access to the e-copy, Of my the Quest for Purpose book in the get that is go to my speaker site, which is Ken Keys, K-E-N-K-E-I s.com/faithful. You'll in that hidden URL and of course you'll be able to put it in the show notes, Diana as well. Mm-hmm. Is that you'll be able to go there and then download the e version of the book. What I am sometimes shocked at is that I give away this book is that the amount of people who don't. Opt in to get the book. It is a roadmap, a step-by-step process to get clear about who and what and where, and what you should be doing in your life and all components. And now it's gonna take work, it's gonna take time, but where are you gonna be in six months if you don't do it? So, uh, it's there. I spent six months going through this process with my coach, Mike McManus, you know, driving three hours each way when it wasn't pertinent. So when I think about actionable steps, [00:57:00] and you think about people's lives, first of all, if you don't have a purpose in life, then your purpose is to find your purpose. And so that becomes the focus, rather than trying to say, I better be doing this, or I just take a breath. Allow yourself time and space. I've noticed that the Holy Spirit is never frantic. He is on time and he is moving forward, but he is never Fran frantic. And so, chaos is not from him. So just be peaceful, be quiet, and start paying attention and asking yourself this question, if you are doing what you're doing right now in all contexts of your life 20 years from now, is that okay? And if you say no, then that obviously infers change. So what is it that you're gonna move towards? Don't freak out. Don't try to do it all. I mean, if I'm trying to be a marathon runner this morning and then I said, I'm gonna run and do a marathon tonight, I'm gonna be dead. Just, I gotta [00:58:00] train for it. Yep. So life is the same way. The other one is for us and our resources, is that there's all different ways to get to clarity. So we have assessments and they're all learning assessments. So a values assessment, a self-worth assessment, a personality assessment we have a self-worth one I might have mentioned that already. And so all of those become puzzle pieces to create the clarity. The other one, Diana, is, is get a group that's gonna support you, look around and don't judge the five closest friend, but say are the five closest friends in a space that are gonna help you to go where you need to go. And sometimes one of my mentors used to say, you know what, Ken? Sometimes you need to fire clients. He says, why? He says, you've outgrown them. The client that you're serving now is not the client that you started with five years ago. So you know, like my fees and what I do is completely different than what it was 15 years ago. So [00:59:00] now start paying attention to that. And then the other thing is, is that life takes effort. If you get finish watching the show and do nothing and do no action steps, then you're gonna have the same thing tomorrow. So what are the steps that you can take? Start moving towards it, download the book. It's got a complete roadmap. And the other thing we'll make sure that my contact information is there, Diana, is that if people have questions, reach out, I'll respond as, as best as I can in the time that's allotted there. But I'll respond to you to be able to say, Hey, how can we help you or call you and your ministry? Mm-hmm. And some of the coaching that is available there. So that'll get you started. And again, don't try to do it all overnight. Just take one step at a time. The research shows is that if you try to three things at wants to change it, you have about a 15% likelihood of implementing it and a 75% success rate if it's just one thing. So one thing at a time, progress forward and keep listening to Diana's podcast. [01:00:00] And that should be the other step that they do too. Right. Wow, this was so awesome. I cannot wait to read that book and I hope that our listeners will download the book and get busy reading it and putting those things into practice. We will probably have to have you back again in the future because I can just tell you have so much more to share with us to help anytime to be able to serve and support and, you know, go granular in some of these other areas that we can talk about. For sure, anytime, Diana, So today, just choose one thing, one small thing to get you closer to your healing goals. God bless. Thank you for listening to the Wounds of the Faithful Podcast. If this episode has been helpful to you, please hit the subscribe button and tell a friend. You could connect with us at DSW Ministries dot org [01:01:00] where you'll find our blog, along with our Facebook, Twitter, and our YouTube channel links. Hope to see you next week.