Podcasts about closing prayer

In this episode, Diana's special guest Jake Doberenz, founder of Theophany Media and host of the Creatively Christian podcast, shares his expertise on effective Bible study. The discussion covers essential principles of biblical interpretation, the importance of studying scripture in community, and approaches to understanding difficult passages. Listeners are also guided on selecting appropriate Bible translations and utilizing various online resources, ensuring a comprehensive and balanced approach to scripture study. The episode concludes with a prayer for listeners' spiritual journey and their engagement with the scriptures. Bio: Jake Doberenz isn't one thing. He identifies as a polymath, a Renaissance man, or a multipotentialite–one interest or specialty can't contain him. But enough of the third-person. I am a writer, speaker, minister, and creative thinker living in Oklahoma City, OK with my wife Samantha. My most significant role is the founder and president of Theophany Media, a Christian education company dedicated to helping Christians engage with culture through new media. I have earned my Master of Theological Studies at Oklahoma Christian University, the same place I earned my Bachelor's degree in Bible with a minor in Communication Studies. I also worked at my alma mater as a Resident Director and Bible TA. I write fiction and nonfiction in a variety of mediums, including poetry, short stories, books, stage plays, academic essays, and devotionals. I also venture out into other mediums, like podcasts and video. My favorite topics of choice to discuss and write about (though always changing) include: creating Christian art, helping people understand the Bible better, Christian identity, theology of social media, use of humor in faith messages, superheroes and theology, and a Christian response to culture. If you want to see his progress, achievements, and appearances sign up for the newsletter so you'll never miss an update! website: Home – Jake Doberenz 00:00 Introduction and Sponsor Message 00:47 Welcome to the Podcast 01:44 Introducing the Guest: Jake Doberenz 02:43 Jake's Background and Interests 05:56 Jake's Teaching Journey 10:46 Bible Study for Abuse Survivors 13:25 Choosing the Right Bible Translation 18:42 Understanding the Bible Without Knowing Greek or Hebrew 21:34 Basic Rules of Bible Interpretation 25:43 Embracing Uncomfortable Bible Stories 26:47 Using Jesus as a Lens for Interpretation 30:54 The Importance of Community in Bible Study 34:14 Red Flags in Spiritual Leadership 37:02 Recommended Bible Study Resources 41:33 Exploring Different Perspectives 44:58 Connecting with the Speaker 46:29 Closing Prayer and Final Thoughts   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/ Jake Doberenz [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. Hey there, everybody. Come on in, set for a spell. How are you guys doing? I appreciate your support in listening to the podcast, and I hope that you are enjoying some really encouraging words and practical things for you to do your own Bible study and read the word of God for yourself. We have a new guest on the show now I'm very familiar with his podcast, creatively Christian. I've been on his podcast. His show has a few different interviewers. And so [00:02:00] Andrea Sandifer, who you guys know that was on the show, she interviewed me on her show. And our guest today, Jake Doberenz, the man behind that podcast, he is a funny guy. He likes to bring humor from the Bible. And I've been reading his blog and following his newsletters. And his Facebook group. So I thought he would be a great addition to the podcast , and I think you're gonna love him. I'm gonna tell you a little bit about him. He has a lot of interest here, so here we go. Jake, Doberenz isn't one thing. He identifies as a polymath, a renaissance man or a multipotentialite. One interest or specialty, can't contain him. So he [00:03:00] says of himself, but enough of the third person. I'm a writer, speaker, minister, and creative thinker, living in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. My most significant role is the founder and president of Theophany Media. A Christian education company dedicated to helping Christians engage with culture through new media. I have earned my Master of Theological studies at Oklahoma Christian University, the same place I earned my bachelor's degree in Bible with a minor in communication studies. I also worked at my alma matter as a resident director and bible ta. I write fiction and nonfiction in a variety of mediums, including poetry, short stories, books, stage plays, academic essays, and [00:04:00] devotionals. I also venture out into other mediums like podcasts and video, my favorite topics of choice to discuss and write about. Although always changing, include creating Christian art, helping people understand the Bible better. Christian identity, theology of social media, use of humor in faith messages, super heroes and theology, any Christian response to culture. So this is gonna be awesome. So I hope that you enjoy my conversation with Jake Doberenz. Please welcome to the show, Jake Doberenz. Thanks for coming on today. Sure thing, anytime. I'm glad to be here. I really enjoyed being on your [00:05:00] podcast, A creatively Christian, and Andrea interviewed me and then she was on my podcast and I follow your Facebook group and get your. Very humorous email newsletter. And so I thought you were the perfect fit to come on to the podcast. And you're a bible geek like me, and you have a different perspective on life. In the Bible, you find humor in the Bible, which a lot of people don't find the Bible very funny. So welcome to the show. Yeah, I'm glad to be here providing some humor and quite possibly even some wisdom and intelligent comments. We'll see if we get to that part. So you haven't been on the podcast before, so. Tell the folks a little bit about yourself and your family. Okay? Yeah. Always a fun question because where do you [00:06:00] start? Where do you end? But yeah. I am in Oklahoma City right now. I'm an Oregon native and got stuck in Oklahoma. Stuck sounds too negative, but I got planted here. That sounds better. I got my bachelor's degree in biblical studies with a minor in communication studies. I have a Master's of Theological studies and for a while I was kind of going down the Bible professor route. That was gonna be my thing. And it's not like completely off the table right now, but it is not my chief kind of path anymore because there are not a lot of jobs in that area and there's a lot of different things there that make it quite challenging. A lot of schooling, a lot of debt for maybe not so much reward, but we'll see what the future brings. I am still flexing my desires to write and teach. That has always been what I wanted to do, even when the subject changed, even when it [00:07:00] was cat psychology or whatever, I always wanted to write and teach and so I'm still doing that in in different ways. I'm certainly still using my degrees, even though I'll be going into teaching middle school geography this year. Ooh, kind of a new adventure. Add some more skills and weird things on my resume. That's kind of how I do it. So geography. Cool. I think that's me. Yeah. Yeah. That's very brave. Middle school, that particular age, did you pick the age group you were teaching or did they just kind of throw you in there? I applied to high school and middle school. I wasn't going to do anybody under middle school and the high school jobs never called me back. And the, I got some different offerings on the middle school side of thing, so I said, okay, that's what you want me to do. God, I will walk into this wilderness. And then they gave me some kind of choices between, and I chose sixth grade specifically, so I'll be with, with sixth graders. [00:08:00] They, uh, we still have some childlike heart and wonder. They're not so jaded like they get when they're a little older, but they're just mature enough where you can start to get a little more serious. So good age. Hmm. I liked sixth grade. It was a good year. We'll be praying for you either way, because that's a lot of work and mm-hmm. But geography's cool. I like Bible geography. Ever since I went to Israel in 2019. How different reading the Bible is when you've been to those places. Have you been to Israel? I haven't. No, I haven't. Yeah. If you're into geography, you would really love going to Israel for obvious reasons, of course, but geography, it just makes the Bible come alive when you've been to the place where Jesus put legion into the herd of pigs and over the cliff. Sure. And I've been to that cliff, and so you can see it now in your head. It's awesome. Or you've been on the Sea of [00:09:00] Galilee and you can actually imagine Jesus walking on the water and because been in the boat. So, yeah, I'm just getting into being interested in geography right now. There you go. Yeah. Cool. What would you say is your particular specialty as far as Bible goes? Yeah. I did my master's thesis on Paul's view of spiritual formation, specifically from one Corinthians chapter three, verse three. Four, just around there. So that's a very specific kind of thing. Most of my training has actually been more on the New Testament side. Specifically Paul, I've done a lot of more academic work with the use of children as a metaphor in the Bible. I've done work with that in both Paul and the Gospels. Sexuality in the New Testament has been something I've kind of explored. [00:10:00] Nowadays though, I have more of theological interests and I'm asking some different kinds of questions. You don't divorce theology from the Bible, but they're just different kinds of questions and different kinds of, and ways and sources for that. But in terms of Bible, yeah, a lot of studying Paul and a lot of thinking about sort of how he makes arguments and specifically like in that thesis, it was all about how he used this metaphor about. Being an infant in Christ, what does all that mean? And how does that reflect how we grow as people? And so I've gone down those kind of rabbit trails a lot my my day. That's really interesting. A Paul's usually a favorite Bible character. Most people, though you can, you never go wrong with the Apostle Paul now. So today we're talking about Bible study for abuse survivors. And reason why we're doing this is because when we've gone through abuse, usually there's some spiritual [00:11:00] abuse involved and we want to distance ourself from God because we've experienced that spiritual abuse and that affects our relationship with God. And a lot of people once they leave or get out of the abuse. Then they're like, okay, I don't wanna read the Bible, I don't wanna pray, and I don't wanna go to church anymore. I don't trust anybody. But I'm trying to encourage on this podcast to come and if you have questions, let's talk about the questions. So, so I've kind of answered my own question, why should we study the Bible for ourselves? But what would you say to that or add to that? Yeah, I think what I would add to that is that, um, one thing that our teachers or pastors or scholars don't have is that they're not you. You are yourself and you come with your experiences and you come [00:12:00] with your own personality and identity, and you are gonna often pick up things that other people might miss, or you're gonna just sort of focus on things more realize as a thread of a theme or something like that. We, we shouldn't come to the Bible biased necessarily, or with too many preconceived notions. 'cause then the text starts to say what we want it to say. That's not what I'm saying. But we do bring ourselves to the text and we have to admit that like, I'm not reading this in a vacuum. I'm reading this because of who I am and what I've experienced and all these things like that. And I think that's really powerful. And I think the Bible is, it's strong enough to take it. Like it's not about pulling whatever meaning you want from it, like I said, but it is about seeing things that are hidden in this multi-layered onion like text here that has so much stuff in it that we can't expect. Even a really smart [00:13:00] guy to just know everything. So yeah, we gotta study the Bible for ourselves. We gotta do our own digging and our own reading. See what we can find. Yeah, I like that answer. Bringing yourself to the table that's. Different than what somebody else would bring to the table. So let's start with something everybody asks about. When it comes to Bible study, you go to the bookstore and you're trying to pick out a Bible, and there's a gazillion different Bible versions out there, and too many versions, in my opinion. Which one do I pick? Does it matter? At the end of the day, it probably doesn't matter. There are those that are better than others, and I'm the term better here. You can use that in different ways. I'm using the term better as in. More accurate to the text, although, hey, we are translating language here. [00:14:00] Translation is an art, not a science, which makes us a little uncomfortable. We can still get that meaning across. You're a, you're an artist and you're a creative. You can still communicate accurately and faithfully even through a song or something like that. And so in the same way, translation is a little bit of an art form and there are people that have to choose certain words, and I think this means that. So yeah, there are some that are more quote unquote scholarly and others that are more paraphrased, like the message, or it's something like the amplified Bible that is just trying to sort of squeeze some more possible meaning out there by becoming like glorified the Sorut. So you got some different options. Most readings are probably not gonna hurt you, at least. As long as you understand like kind of what's going on here. I know in the past the King James has had the word unicorns in it and that that threw some people off and then later we're like, actually we should have translated that. Like Gazelle was not supposed to be translated unicorn. So [00:15:00] okay, we can get some things here that might throw some people off, but as long as we kind of give some grace to the translators, something like the King James is older and we have some different data. We have some older manuscripts that we're pulling from now. So yeah, it's gonna be a little bit more closer to what the originals were saying kind of thing. So yeah, there are those considerations, but I don't think you're gonna make or break your faith if you read the ESV over the NRSV or something like that. Yeah, well I came from a camp that, uh, they were very definitive in what Bible you should read and which ones you should not read and Sure. And they were very dogmatic in that I've changed my stance since then. Because I've actually dug into that sort of thing that okay, you, so you're saying that most of the mainline translations out there, we will still get the main [00:16:00] point of what Bio was trying to say. Right. Yeah, I don't know any that are too left field and crazy or something like that. There are versions, like, I could be wrong about this, but I think the Jehovah's Witness has versions of the Bible that seem to play a little fast and loose with some things and have cut out some different stuff. So obviously I wouldn't necessarily recommend that for Christians. The only other thing I would say is make sure a bunch of different people were involved. Most translations are. Large groups of people. And then you have things like I mentioned the message that Eugene Peterson did, it was just him, but he wasn't necessarily trying to make a definitive thing. That's more of a paraphrase translation, which is like a devotional rather than something to study. So there are just different uses for all these different things. There are, I could go into the weeds. My dad used to own a Christian bookstore. Oh. And so you have your thought for thought translations and then you have your word for word. And [00:17:00] some people think word for word is better because it's more accurate. But the thing, the problem is the Bible might literally say X, but when we translate that word to today, it makes no sense because language is weird like that. And then so the thought for thought is going to be more of an interpretation, but they're trying to say, okay, but what this is trying to say is this and, and here's a thought that you can digest and that makes sense to you. So it's just kind of what you want, but thanks to the internet. In fact, on another screen here, I have pulled up Bible gateway.com. That's what I use a lot. You can look through all sorts of different translations and compare and contrast. If I really wanted to study with more than one, it's legal in most states, so go for it. It's funny you mentioned the message because that was my first Bible when I got saved. My okay friend that I met in high school, I told her I had gotten saved and I didn't have a Bible, and she gave me the message, which [00:18:00] was her Bible, and I loved it. Oh yeah. I highlighted that thing and Oh yeah. And I just tore it up with underlining and I couldn't wait to read it. And then of course you get to Bible college and they tear it out of your hands, so yeah. But yeah, I like the ESV today. I have. A really nice archeology study Bible I bought and I've, I've read the King James most of my Christian life. And switching to another translation was really eye-opening. All this different stuff that I hadn't seen before just popped out, like I didn't know the Bible said that. Wow. It's pretty neat. So along the same lines, do we have to be a Greek and Hebrew scholar to understand the Bible? I hope not because I struggled through Greek and barely made that alive, and so languages are not my strong [00:19:00] suit. Uh, but I think the answer is of course, no. You don't have to be. It depends on what kind of study you're doing, and I probably should have mentioned that earlier, but there's a way to look at the Bible in an academic, scholarly way, and there are some Christians that. Think that's wrong or bad? I don't think it's bad. It's just one way to look at it. When I am in scholarship, when I'm writing this college paper, I am, I have to kind of slice and dice it and I'm doing a work that an atheist could do. It's that kind of work. But then there's another way to look at the Bible that is much more pastorally or for spiritual formation, the kind of thing that treats the text as sacred that an atheist can't do. So if you're doing the academic work, it really helps to know the words because you're trying to get as precise as possible and getting into there. But luckily for us, other people have done the work for us and we have these English translations, so woo. You don't need to know Hebrew and Coin a Greek and [00:20:00] a little bit of Aramic and like Daniel or whatever. Like we don't have to know that because somebody else has done the work for us. And I mentioned already like. There's a lot of people involved in a Bible translation, not just one guy. It's, a lot of people have done this work and they've argued and yelled at each other and come to some conclusions to say, this is the best we can do right now. This is what we got. So, yeah, we don't have to, we don't have to be language PS so, woo. Lucky. Yes. Yeah. I mean, I'm a language geek. I love languages. Personally, I speak two languages besides English, but I haven't taken any Greek or, or Hebrew, maybe someday, but they didn't cover that in my Bible college. But it's good that we already have the tools online that, hey, this is a translation for that word in. There's really no, no real argument about it is there along mainline denominations. Yeah. Most people probably aren't gonna tell you. You have to know all those languages unless somebody there. There are groups of people that would say [00:21:00] the only inspired text of the Bible is the actual original Greek and Hebrew. And so our English translations are not inspired. But that's a minority view. That's not super common. Yeah. Yeah. The most people can understand. The inspiration still comes through, even when it's translating different languages. The word of gods for the whole world, not just those that can speak actually dead languages that nobody speaks today like Latin. Yeah. So now we're gonna get into the nitty gritty here. Okay. When we are sitting down with our Bible and we're deciding to. Study a passage of scripture or maybe a book. What are some basic rules of interpretation? Now we use the fancy big word hermeneutics, but like the basic ones that you really shouldn't ignore in order to. Do a proper Bible study. This is one that gets definitely drilled [00:22:00] into in Bible school and in other contexts, but it's that actual, it's a word context like context is key. Context is king, and one of the best things we can do is zoom out. So if we're looking at a particular scripture. Like one verse, we zoom out to the chapter. Those headings or whatever aren't like God inspired or whatever, but they're helpful to kind of see what the flow of things are. Then we can zoom out to the book level and sometimes zoom out to the biblical level and things like that. But that is always key. Sometimes we get into trouble thinking that the Bible is just like, the whole thing is like Proverbs, where everything's just disconnected and you got these good one-liners and they're fun and they're good zingers, but most of it is some kind of story or, and Paul, I mentioned that being some of my background, Paul's letters are arguments they build on top of each other, and so you can see if we're trying to look at something wild like. One [00:23:00] Corinthians 14 or something, we can understand it because by just kind of going a little backwards and Oh, okay. So that's always really important. And a lot of times authors in the Bible will also tell us kind of their themes and tell us what they really want us to get across. The gospel of John, for instance, is written so that we may believe Luke talks about writing in a, an orderly account of things. So we have some of these statements that if we zoom out a little bit, oh, okay, we can make sense of this in light of that. And so different things like that. But we could go all day into the hermeneutics and then the other fancy word, X of Jesus and that kind of stuff. But at the end of the day, a tool anybody can use is something I learned in elementary school when there was a hard word. It was called rat read around the text. Read around the text. Ooh, that's the acronym there. And that just helps us understand, wait, what is going on? What does Paul mean when he says this? Why is [00:24:00] this guy saying this in judges? Let's take a look. What else is going on here? So it's just a great tool that anybody can use be if they can just zoom out a little bit and read the rest of the Bible and the rest of the passage. Everybody gives a different answer to that question. Now, obviously when we read the Bible, we come upon these passages or some of the stories that are either difficult to understand or it's a topic that we don't wanna deal with. It's really hard to swallow. Like a lot of times it's the genocide passages, of course. Mm-hmm. And or similar things like that. What do we do when we encounter those passages? Yeah. There are also passages that are sometimes called, and the genocide fits into this, but passages called texts of terror. A lot of passages about different abuse situation, and [00:25:00] I won't go into all of those, but I'm sure a lot of us can come up with some things that mm-hmm. Can be triggering in the Bible that seem just really messed up and stuff like that. So I think what's important, first of all is we recognize the, the gut feeling, the awkwardness talk to the beginning about how I see humor in the Bible and I do, I think there are some things in the Bible that we should laugh at. It's actually hilarious. Tell us about what Jonah gets swallowed by a big fish. That's funny. You should be laughing. And it's hilarious that he wants this city destroyed and he's supposed to be a prophet of God and he's not doing his job description and stuff like that. So like. When it's funny, we should laugh and when it's not funny, when it's uncomfortable, we should be okay being uncomfortable. I, I remember when I did college ministry for a time, we talked about the story of, oh man, I can't remember if it's Eli, I think it's Elijah. [00:26:00] And when they make fun of him for being bald and he calls these, she bears to attack these 40 youths, and he, this kid would kid could not get over it. He's like, why is this in the Bible? This is ridiculous. And I just tried to help him. Yeah, let's feel that first. Let's feel that, oh boy, we got some emotions here. So step one, I think it's totally okay to feel those things and then we can do some digging. Again, it's that zooming out. Let's look at the context here. Let's look what's going on there. A lot of times I think some of these texts of terror or uncomfortable texts, um. Sometimes they're not as bad when we look at it through maybe a historical lens or something, but sometimes we can't just justify them really nice and neatly, like some of the stuff about genocide. So ultimately, I have to go back to Jesus because. Jesus is the ultimate expression of God. It is the best [00:27:00] lens into the divine that we've ever seen. It's through this person of Jesus. And so sometimes we got to use our Jesus magnifying glass and look over the scripture and say, that's awkward. I don't like that very much. This makes me, this triggers me. This is, uh, but we put Jesus over and say, but through Christ, we don't have to live like that. We can recognize that there. There are plenty of examples of what not to do in the Bible. Jesus calls us to a different way and Jesus shows us that some things that maybe people thought were really godly and divine at certain points were not. So at the end of the day when things make us uncomfortable, I say feel it. But then ultimately, let's just go back. What does Jesus say? And if Jesus words are kind of. Don't seem to jive with this other crazy stuff going on here. Let's just, let's follow Jesus over some of this, [00:28:00] this other uncomfortable things. Hmm. So it's probably not a satisfying answer, but that's kind of like the point, like we try too hard sometimes to wrap everything in a pretty bow, but sometimes we just can't. With the Bible, the Bible is complicated and that's what makes it powerful. It's not always so neat and tidy and doesn't always make you feel good. It is a like Christ. It is both human, fully human and fully divine. And in that there's some awkward tension. There are some, there are human emotions and human things that that bleed through the divine pages of scripture. I appreciate the honest answer and yeah, I think that was a great answer. It was just reading through the patriarchs and wow, you just wrap your head around how much they messed up. And that's not how God wanted us to live. That's just an example of God just lets [00:29:00] everybody see how these people messed up. But still, God used them in a mighty way. God still gave them grace and forgiveness and love and mercy. I was just on Twitter and that's a dangerous place is Christian Twitter. Oh my goodness. And there was a big thread about some people, they didn't believe that Jesus was the same God as the God of the Old Testament. They cut the line because they thought Jesus over here in the New Testament, his attribute seems so different than. The God of the Old Testament. I don't necessarily agree with that, but that was an interesting concept. That's how they dealt with those horrible stories. I'm just gonna just trust in Jesus and just believe in Jesus and throw everything else away. Yeah. That's a heresy in the second century that, um, yeah. You know, unfortunately haven't quite gotten rid of completely, but is that's what that's called still alive and, [00:30:00] yeah. Oh, that's what you call it. Okay. There's your little fun little historical theology trivia, but yeah, there's probably a word for it. But that goes into my next question is how do you study the Bible and read it and make sure that you're not slipping into some heretical teaching, because I personally know some people that they believe some stuff that's way off base that nobody else. And mainline Christianity believes in, but they're like quoting Bible verses and taking them outta context. How do we avoid going down that path? Yeah, yeah. I had a youth minister who used to joke that if you wanted to, he could justify kicking babies across the room from scripture. Like that was just his wild example because yeah, people can kind of justify the whole gambit of things. So I think now we talked about why it's important to study the Bible for yourself. [00:31:00] At the same time though, I think this living, breathing scripture. Is something that we must read through community. You can do your own work, do your own prep, but ultimately the Bible belongs to all of us. And so we need to read in community. And that can mean your pastors and teachers and your scholars. It can also mean your neighbor and your friend and your kids and your mom and your cousin from a couple states away. But it can also mean dead people, not like seance or whatever, but like, um-ing, you know, read these old preachers and read the church fathers and the church mothers and like, we got 2000 years of Christian history here. There's some wild stuff, but there's some good stuff too. So I say we read scripture in community and you come to your own conclusions. Don't just copy paste whatever Mr. X, Y, Z says, but. What do they [00:32:00] think? And when we start looking at, oh, Christians have kind of seemed to think this for a long time, probably a direction we should lean in. I don't know. I guess people could be wrong, but the way the spirit works I think is a lot of times through community. And it's a way to check, it's a checks and balance for ourselves. So I think that sometimes we can get a little, a little wild with our own interpretations, but we bring in other people. What do you think? Did you see this too? Is this accurate? Is this, does this fit in with historical context of first century Palestine? Or whatever kind of questions you want to ask community. So that's flesh and blood people, but that's also books and podcasts and all sorts of things. I just think we're made to be together. And honestly, when I studied Paul's view of spiritual formation for my thesis, I didn't get to dive into it too much, but what I kept coming across is spiritual formation is not a. You on your own [00:33:00] kind of thing. It is something that happens with people who are this great cloud of witnesses that is cheering you on and it's helping you out. So I think that's a great way to kind of check, check ourselves, and then of course, use your brain. Let's be logical here that scripture probably not actually talking about America because it was written 3000 years ago. I don't know. Thank you. Um, so, so stuff like that, we gotta use our brains. Yeah. I like when you talk about community, because I think, and I've seen this before people go off the rails, is that they're isolating themselves. Mm-hmm. They don't wanna go to church because they don't trust, they don't trust people that they've been hurt. But even if we can't drag ourselves to church just yet in our healing process, yeah. There are other ways to create community and checks and balances. So that's a really good point. We really don't want [00:34:00] to be that guy that started his own denomination on a couple bible verses. Yeah, we got plenty of denominations. I think we're set for a little bit, so let's just chill out for now. Yeah, that's crazy. So like if we're in a community, we're under our Bible teacher or a pastor or Sunday school class, what would be like a red flag that would put your antennas up? Hey, you may wanna check this out for this preacher teacher saying is not a good thing. Are there any like red flags that you would look for? I think arrogance is definitely a big red flag. Ooh, good one. And that is how you get into spiritual, spiritually abusive situations. Definitely. And what I mean by arrogance is people that are not willing to be corrected, not willing to admit the wrong, not willing to learn. I was privileged to have professors where I was getting my Bible degrees. People with [00:35:00] PhDs from the prestigious British universities who would listen to student comments and be like, that's really interesting. Or, heard it like that. Tell me more about that. And one of my Hebrew Bible professors spoke like nine languages. Most of those are dead ones. And still he's curious to know what these 20-year-old college students are thinking. Which is wild because he is way smarter than us. But he is. These guys were adopting this posture of, I can learn from anybody here. I want your perspective. And I could be wrong. We gotta have some things where we have a firm foundation and where we don't sway. We absolutely have to have those. There are some people these days that I think sort of lean too heavily into the wishy-washy. It depends on the day, what I'm feeling, cafeteria style Christianity. We can't do that. But we also can't go over here where it's, I figured it out when I was 30 years old, when I was 40 years old, and now I'm like, [00:36:00] done. I'm done learning. Got it right. I to be the only one to get it right. And that's how denominations start, right? Ooh, everybody else got it wrong all the time. Now I'm right. So that's dangerous. So let's learn from people who are themselves. Learners who are willing to be challenged and to ask questions and wanna know your take on things. I know from being in ministry settings that oftentimes I am the guy with the more Bible degrees than most people in the room. But then there'll be these 70-year-old church ladies who have lived this and they've been in the Bible their whole life. I can learn from them. Mm-hmm. They have something to say, even though they've never read the text in Greek. They have something to add to the conversation. Mm-hmm. So we need to be learners. I love that. That is so awesome and so very true. The Holy Spirit speaks to each of us individually and gives us different [00:37:00] lessons and we can share those lessons. Now, you as a scholarly person, you must have some favorite resources that you use to study the bible. Can you recommend some specific resources that are maybe easy to use? Yeah, there's a couple websites, Bible gateway, I mentioned that already. They have. Some free commentaries and bible encyclopedias and things kind of on the sidebar there. So as you're looking to scripture, you could glorify and study Bible or have access to chunks from different commentaries. And for a while, while I was doing some more preaching, I actually did the paid, there's a kind of a paid version that it was like five bucks a month or something really cheap like that. It just got access to more things so I can have the scripture here and then all my resources next to it. And that was handy. Bible hub.com is also another one. [00:38:00] Um, that one's especially good if you do wanna look at the language stuff, knowing that you're not a scholar, you can say, but what is that Greek word? And you can click on it and it will show you the definitions, show you other places in scripture it's used. You can kind of get a feel for that. So that's a really good one for people who are not, who don't know the languages or. Like me who always needed help with my Greek homework or something like that. So yeah, those come to mind. But man, like we are, we at our fingertips. There's a lot of good stuff out there. A lot of bad stuff, no doubt. But there are podcasts and all sorts of books and there's just, there's a lot of good stuff there. Wouldn't even know where to begin, just sort of thinking broadly. But I think Bible gateway, Bible hub, easy. Anybody can access those for free. And you don't necessarily need a giant library or really expensive commentary sets 'cause they're really expensive. Yeah. That's why my parents get me one commentary for my birthday and [00:39:00] for Christmas each year. And so in 50 years I'll have the full set or whatever. That's not true. That's, it'll actually probably be. I can't do the math however it takes to get 66 books. But anyway. Wow. All I had in bible college that we were allowed to have is Matthew Henry commentary, which is kind of on the dry side. Yeah. Most Bible professors would pass out hearing you say that. It's not bad stuff, but bad, but it's not, it's not easy to read it's thing, let's just say. Yeah. And we were allowed to read Weirs, BE'S books. It's a pretty good series about where I came from. John MacArthur's commentaries were like hearsay. Oh, okay. The Baptist didn't like the, at least the churches that I was in, they didn't like MacArthur's stuff, but, and I had the actual strong concordance. I still own that's, yeah, sure. So sort of a free way to get that, besides if you don't want to get a giant [00:40:00] volume. Yeah. I like to read the physical books too. Sure. Nothing, not knocking the physical. But yeah, if people are on a budget, yeah, people are on a budget and you can't go and buy those big, huge coffee table books. Or if you're near a Christian university, see if you can get a library card that's, they have tons of stuff. I can walk in there and there are a whole shelf of like Genesis commentaries or whatever. It could be information overload. But also I can, I'll pick up a couple different volumes of different perspectives and I'll read what they each have to say about the verse or chapter I'm dealing with and I can kind of synthesize a conclusion. And that's how you do it. Yeah. I'll also mention, I, we were allowed to. Listen on the radio, Jay Vernon McGee and yeah, he was definitely expository. He [00:41:00] would go verse by verse and go through the entire Bible verse by verse, which I thought was really good. And I don't agree with everything he said, but that's the way I learned a lot of stuff was through verse by verse radio program back in the day. Mm. I'm dating myself, aren't I? It's all good here. All good. No, we talked a lot about a bunch of different stuff. Is there anything about Bible study that we didn't talk about that you would like to mention? I know there's so much, uh, yeah, I just touched on it a little bit, but I kind of wanna bring it back. Look at different views than yours. If you are really charismatic, then look at something that's not quite charismatic, or if you are. I won't go. I'll skip all those differences. You know what? You are read some of the stuff that's a little different. Stuff that challenges you. That's how we grow. That's how we grow, [00:42:00] is to hear something a little different. And the thing is, you're not required to believe it. Right. You can just read it and at least know what they're saying. I know in my Christian upbringing, and not necessarily I was intentional, but I only knew my side of the argument. Or if I knew somebody else's argument, it was this straw man version that was just not accurate. And then I, you go to the big wide world and be like, oh wait, there are lots of different views. And those people are actually smart and they have things to say about this, but somebody else is the opposite and they're also a smart person. What's going on? It's just good to expose ourselves to different things. In most cases we could, we, you can choose your own boundaries and things like that. Mm-hmm. It doesn't mean if you're studying something in the Old Testament, you have to read the Jewish and the Muslim and the Mormon view of what. It doesn't mean you have to go there, but just check out some different things. Have your favorite commentaries. Do it, but every once in a while [00:43:00] peek into your, your local heretic and see what they have to say. I dunno, maybe not a heretic, somebody who's a little different. You, you, your istic. Yeah. Our last guest was talking about Calvinism and stuff, but yeah, doesn, excellent suggestion because I definitely was in my own camp for many years until I got out of my abusive situation and started looking into other views and I have since changed nothing major. I didn't change any major views, but I realized that okay, there are other Godly people. Now I see they can use scripture to defend their position too. And there's a little bit of wiggle room in there for sure. Sure. For different viewpoints. I went and did a study and looked at somebody else's view on a tertiary argument. Sure. Tertiary doctrine. It's not a doctrine of the faith, but [00:44:00] something that's very important and it's like, okay, I'm not gonna be judgmental. And that was hard for me to change my viewpoint. Yeah, yeah. But they gave me really great scriptural evidence. So yeah, that's kind of a sideline, but you made excellent point. But anyway, I appreciate you sharing all this valuable information and your view, viewpoint, and it's fascinating. Everybody has different answers for these questions. I've asked everybody the same questions. Right. And they're all giving me different answers, which I think that's very helpful. Oh yeah. Yeah. Very helpful. Yeah, getting people exposed to different things and again, like I am me and you are you, and we're different. And that's the point. Like we all come together with our different focuses and our different backgrounds and knowledge, and together we are the body of Christ. Amen. And that's beautiful. So tell the folks [00:45:00] how people can connect with you and you have resources and maybe if they wanna play stump the Bible teacher, they can email you. Yeah, you can find that all about me@jakedobern.com. D-O-B-E-R-E-N-Z as in zebra. And that's kind of my home base on the interwebs. If you do jake dovers.com/email, you can get on my email list that was mentioned earlier where I talk about. Funny stories from my life that have spiritual points, and I bring out spiritual points from that. And yeah, you can definitely contact me through social media or email, and that's all on my website there. So I'll let you track me down and tell me how wrong I am and all of that kind of stuff. That's fun. It comes with the territory, so totally okay with that. And then lastly, I do a bunch of work with Christian creatives, with Fiani [00:46:00] Media, and as was mentioned, I produce the Creatively Christian podcast. So I would love for you to check that out if that's kind of your thing, if that's your area. Yeah. You guys have a real great variety of guests on that show. It's not just one particular kind of art. You guys represent a lot of different ones, which is fun. Oh yeah. And we're trying to get more variety all the time. Awesome. Now. I don't usually have guests pray on the show, but would you pray for our listeners in their journey in the scriptures? Of course. Let's go ahead and pray. Heavenly God, we come to you in prayer on this podcast episode and we ask that whoever's listening now in the future, in a couple years, where wherever we are, that, that we can be receptive to how you speak to us through scripture and through our [00:47:00] communities that help us see scripture. Let the spirit guide us as we dive into this sacred but sometimes confusing and complicated documents. Lord, I ask that you give us the wisdom to be able to rightly divide your word and to remain faithful even when our own preferences might wanna lean in a different direction. Lord, thank you so much for the ministry of this podcast. We pray that people continue to have healing and continue to find themselves in a better place, both in the world and with you spiritually. In Jesus' name, amen. Amen. Thank you so much for coming on the show. God bless you. Sure thing. God bless you. Thank you for listening to the Wounds of the Faithful Podcast. If this episode has been helpful [00:48:00] to you, please hit the subscribe button and tell a friend. You could connect with us at DSW Ministries dot org where you'll find our blog, along with our Facebook, Twitter, and our YouTube channel links. Hope to see you next week.

This episode is sponsored by the Cozy Earth! Click here to get your luxurious Cozy Earth products for up to 20% off! Give yourself the gift of comfort this year! In this episode, we dive into a heartfelt discussion with Bryan and Bonnie Pue about the intersection of faith, sexuality, and relationships. They explore the theology of sex, the impact of cultural narratives, and practical ways to live out the gospel in everyday life. You won't want to miss it! Watch the episode on YouTube!! Resources: Divine Romance by Gene Edwards Awkward by Bonnie Pue Union website @unionmovement ⁠⁠Join Unite & Ignite ⁠⁠ Want more from Kingdom Sexuality? Come hang out! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook Group⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Approximate Episode Timestamps  Introduction and Welcome - 00:00 Special Guests Introduction- 02:30 Discussion on Sexuality and Marriage- 05:00 The Union's Mission and Ministry- 10:00 Theology of Sex- 15:00 Cultural Perspectives on Sexuality- 20:00 Sex as Worship- 25:00 Historical Context of Sexuality- 30:00 Practical Ways to Live the Gospel- 35:00 Discussion on Parenting and Sexuality- 40:00 Final Thoughts and Closing Prayer- 45:00 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Elijah confronts 450 prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel in one of the Bible's most dramatic showdowns!

Most of us wouldn't drink from a dirty cup — but we still expect God to pour fresh blessings into unclean vessels. In this message, Eric challenges a hard truth: freedom doesn't remove contamination — instructions do. God isn't withholding His presence. He's protecting it. This sermon unpacks why so many people feel free but still stuck, how impatience, insecurity, overthinking, jealousy, and strife quietly contaminate our lives, and why immediate obedience is often the reset we're praying for. If you're asking: “Why am I still stuck?” “Why does it feel like God isn't answering?” “What am I missing in this season?” This message is for you.

Fear is not from God — and it was never meant to control your life.In this GUTS Church Sunday service, Pastor Bill Scheer delivers a powerful, Scripture-filled message on defeating fear, anxiety, and depression by renewing the mind and standing on God's Word. Teaching through practical steps and biblical truth, this message reveals how fear takes control, how faith breaks it, and why the believer is called to live from peace, confidence, and authority.Drawing from Psalm 23 and John 10, this service unpacks the role of Jesus as the Good Shepherd and the promise that nothing can snatch believers from the Father's hand. Through worship, teaching, and a strong healing and faith activation moment, this message calls people to go on the offensive against fear and walk in the victory Jesus already secured.GUTS Church exists to help people win — in faith, family, health, and purpose.SubscribeConnect With UsCHAPTERS:00:00 — Welcome + Setting the Direction for the Service05:06 — Fear, Anxiety, and the Battle of the Mind10:15 — Replacing Fear With Faith (Not Denial)15:22 — Trusting God Through Obedience20:00 — Psalm 23: The Shepherd's Peace and Protection25:00 — John 10: Nothing Can Snatch You Away30:42 — Prayer for Healing, Families, and Freedom36:03 — Closing Prayer & Dismissal

When you need a word from the Lord but feel like you can't hear Him, what do you do? In this episode of the Jaime Luce Podcast, I spend time in 2 Kings chapter 3 looking at what it really means to hear God's voice when emotions are loud and the pressure is high. Through the story of Elisha and three kings facing a desperate situation in the wilderness, we see why positioning ourselves in God's presence matters more than rushing for an answer. I talk about: Why emotional noise can block spiritual clarityWhat Elisha teaches us about waiting on GodHow worship, stillness, and patience prepare us to hear God clearlyThe difference between urgency and obedienceWhy slowing down is sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do If you've been praying for direction and feel stuck or overwhelmed, this episode will help you understand how to quiet your soul and create space to hear what God is saying. Take time to listen, reflect, and wait on the Lord with me as we learn how to hear His voice without fear.

In this heartfelt end-of-year episode, Brooke is joined by her husband Brett for a powerful reflection on the milestones, challenges, and "only God" moments of 2025. Together, they share emotional stories from both their family life and the Live Out Loud community, including the release of Brooke's international bestselling book, deep personal healing, and the meaningful impact of their nonprofit initiatives. Through unscripted questions, the couple opens up about loss, breakthrough, gratitude, and the importance of faith through every season. Filled with genuine vulnerability, uplifting encouragement, and a closing prayer over listeners, this episode will inspire you to reflect on God's faithfulness in your own life as you prepare to step boldly into the new year. Timestamps: 

Summary: God calls us to remember His faithfulness on purpose so we can face the future with courage and confidence.Title: Stones of TestimonyDate: 12/28/25, 10am, Sunday SermonSpeaker: Pastor Daniel HahnApproximate Outline:00:00 - Welcome and Year-End Reflection03:10 - Crossing the Jordan07:45 - Remembering on Purpose12:40 - Strength for the Future17:55 - Sharing Testimony22:30 - Invitation to Remember26:10 - Closing Prayer and Vision

The Enduring Power of the Christmas Story: A Message of Love and Hope The main focus this week is on the Christmas story, delving into its historical and spiritual significance. The narrative discusses the humble and unexpected beginnings of Jesus Christ's birth, highlighting the roles of Mary, a teenage girl, and shepherds, societal outcasts at the time. Jeremy emphasizes the contrast between earthly power and Christ's message of love, humility, and service. The story's enduring nature is seen as a testament to its profound impact on humanity, offering hope, joy, and a powerful reminder of God's proximity to us. The message concludes with a prayer, expressing gratitude for the story of Jesus and its ongoing influence in our lives. 00:00 Welcome and Announcements 00:41 Christmas Service Schedule02:13 The Advent Journey 02:57 The Exhaustion of Christmas 03:57 The Strange Traditions of Christmas 05:54 The Enduring Story of Jesus 09:24 The Legacy of King David 13:30 Mary's Role in the Christmas Story 17:32 The Shepherds' Announcement 20:29 The Subversive Nature of Christmas 23:56 The Light of the World 26:55 The Enduring Power of the Christmas Story 31:09 Closing Prayer and Reflections

Pastor Krissy Miles opens this message by addressing the confusion and division of today's culture, particularly as amplified through social media and current events. She calls believers to practice true discernment, explaining that truth is not found merely in information or words, but in people who are genuinely submitted to Jesus—the person of truth. Even those who speak Scripture, she warns, may not truly be aligned with Christ if their lives are not marked by humility and obedience.Transitioning into the Christmas season, Pastor Krissy introduces the theme “The Messianic King,” part of The Miracle of Christmas series. She addresses the topic of Israel, highlighting the shared spiritual heritage between Christians and Jews while affirming the Christian belief that Jesus is the promised Messiah foretold in the Old Testament. Drawing from the Apostle Paul, she emphasizes the call to love the Jewish people and to desire their salvation.The message centers on the Road to Emmaus in Luke 24, where two disciples walk with the resurrected Jesus without recognizing Him. Pastor Krissy explains that Jesus is not hidden by God, but unrecognized because of doubt and disappointment. She connects this to modern believers, showing how discouragement and unbelief can blind us to God's work in our lives.As Jesus opens the Scriptures, Pastor Krissy highlights how the Law and the Prophets point to Him, referencing Old Testament passages from Daniel, Ezekiel, Haggai, and Zechariah that foretell a spiritual and eternal kingdom fulfilled in Christ. The message culminates in the breaking of bread, where the disciples finally recognize Jesus—a moment Pastor Krissy connects to communion and the Passover, revealing Jesus as the true Passover Lamb.Key Themes:Spiritual Discernment in a Noisy CultureTruth Found in Lives Submitted to JesusJesus as the Promised Messianic KingIsrael and God's Redemptive PlanThe Road to Emmaus (Luke 24)Doubt, Disappointment, and Spiritual BlindnessJesus Revealed Through the Law and the ProphetsThe Kingdom of God: Spiritual and EternalThe Son of Man in ScriptureCommunion, Passover, and FulfillmentUpdated Timestamps:0:20 – Introduction & Discernment3:20 – The Call for Spiritual Discernment5:00 – The Messianic King & Israel8:00 – The Road to Emmaus (Luke 24)13:20 – Confusion & Disappointment16:00 – Jesus Explains the Scriptures20:00 – Recognizing Jesus in the Breaking of Bread21:20 – Doubt vs. Faith28:20 – Daniel's Vision of the Kingdom30:20 – Old Testament Prophecies Fulfilled32:20 – The Kingdom of God Has Come34:20 – The Unshakable Kingdom36:20 – The Son of Man Revealed38:20 – Communion & Passover54:20 – Application & Call to Faith65:20 – Closing Prayer & Christmas Blessing

Pastor Krissy Miles opens this message by addressing the confusion and division of today's culture, particularly as amplified through social media and current events. She calls believers to practice true discernment, explaining that truth is not found merely in information or words, but in people who are genuinely submitted to Jesus—the person of truth. Even those who speak Scripture, she warns, may not truly be aligned with Christ if their lives are not marked by humility and obedience.Transitioning into the Christmas season, Pastor Krissy introduces the theme “The Messianic King,” part of The Miracle of Christmas series. She addresses the topic of Israel, highlighting the shared spiritual heritage between Christians and Jews while affirming the Christian belief that Jesus is the promised Messiah foretold in the Old Testament. Drawing from the Apostle Paul, she emphasizes the call to love the Jewish people and to desire their salvation.The message centers on the Road to Emmaus in Luke 24, where two disciples walk with the resurrected Jesus without recognizing Him. Pastor Krissy explains that Jesus is not hidden by God, but unrecognized because of doubt and disappointment. She connects this to modern believers, showing how discouragement and unbelief can blind us to God's work in our lives.As Jesus opens the Scriptures, Pastor Krissy highlights how the Law and the Prophets point to Him, referencing Old Testament passages from Daniel, Ezekiel, Haggai, and Zechariah that foretell a spiritual and eternal kingdom fulfilled in Christ. The message culminates in the breaking of bread, where the disciples finally recognize Jesus—a moment Pastor Krissy connects to communion and the Passover, revealing Jesus as the true Passover Lamb.Key Themes:Spiritual Discernment in a Noisy CultureTruth Found in Lives Submitted to JesusJesus as the Promised Messianic KingIsrael and God's Redemptive PlanThe Road to Emmaus (Luke 24)Doubt, Disappointment, and Spiritual BlindnessJesus Revealed Through the Law and the ProphetsThe Kingdom of God: Spiritual and EternalThe Son of Man in ScriptureCommunion, Passover, and FulfillmentUpdated Timestamps:0:20 – Introduction & Discernment3:20 – The Call for Spiritual Discernment5:00 – The Messianic King & Israel8:00 – The Road to Emmaus (Luke 24)13:20 – Confusion & Disappointment16:00 – Jesus Explains the Scriptures20:00 – Recognizing Jesus in the Breaking of Bread21:20 – Doubt vs. Faith28:20 – Daniel's Vision of the Kingdom30:20 – Old Testament Prophecies Fulfilled32:20 – The Kingdom of God Has Come34:20 – The Unshakable Kingdom36:20 – The Son of Man Revealed38:20 – Communion & Passover54:20 – Application & Call to Faith65:20 – Closing Prayer & Christmas Blessing

Doing the right thing is easy—until it costs you something. In this sermon from Matthew 1:18–25, we take a closer look at the quiet, courageous obedience of Joseph and what his story teaches us about true righteousness. Faced with fear, uncertainty, and potential shame, Joseph chose compassion over self-protection and obedience over convenience. This message challenges common assumptions about righteousness and invites us into a faith that protects the vulnerable, makes room for others, and reflects the heart of Jesus—even when it comes at a personal cost. In this episode, you'll explore: Why righteousness is more than rule-keeping How obedience often requires personal sacrifice What Joseph teaches us about protecting others How “God with us” transforms strangers into family Why the church is called to restore gently, not shame publicly Whether you're wrestling with a difficult decision or seeking to live out your faith more faithfully, this sermon offers encouragement and clarity for following God when the path is hard. Scripture Reading: Matthew 1:18–25 Episode Timestamps 00:00 – Introduction: Making Room for God's People 03:20 – When Doing Right Starts to Cost You 07:30 – Rethinking Righteousness 11:45 – Scripture Reading: Matthew 1:18–25 14:00 – Righteousness Protects the Vulnerable 19:30 – Quiet Obedience and Costly Compassion 24:10 – Costly Obedience Makes Room for Others 29:00 – Fear, Calling, and Trusting God 33:40 – Obedience Means Taking Responsibility 38:30 – God With Us Turns Strangers into Family 43:00 – The Church as Family, Not a Crowd 48:20 – Application: Claim Someone This Week 52:10 – Restoring Gently, Not Shaming Publicly 56:00 – Final Challenge and Closing Prayer  

**Thank you for supporting this ministry, I lovingly refer to as "The Little Green Pasture." Click here: PayPal: http://paypal.me/JoanStahl **Please prayerfully consider becoming a ministry partner: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/joaniestahl **Contact Email: jsfieldnotes@gmail.com **Subscribe to me on Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/c-53418 For many, the weeks between Hanukkah and Christmas are filled with festive lights and celebration—but for many others, it is the heaviest, most emotional time of the year. ​In this message, we reflect on a tragic moment that occurred on the first day of Hanukkah at Bondi Beach, Australia. What was meant to be a day of joy and community became a day of mourning due to an unthinkable act of violence. It serves as a stark reminder that even in seasons of celebration, darkness can feel overwhelming. ​But the story doesn't end in the dark. ​ We discuss why the "darkest evil" cannot extinguish the Light that entered our world. We believe that Jesus Christ is the Light of the whole world—the richest gift ever given and the true Hope for every person, regardless of their circumstances. If you are struggling to find joy this season, this message is for you. ​ In this video, we cover: ​The reality of "holiday grief" and emotional weight. ​Honoring those lost at Bondi Beach. ​How the Light of Christ offers a hope that the world cannot take away. We want to hear from you: If you are walking through a "dark night" this holiday season, please know you are not alone. Whether you are mourning a loss, feeling the weight of the world, or simply need someone to stand in faith with you, we invite you to reach out. Subscribe: Join our community for more messages of hope and truth. ​Share this video: You never know who in your circle is struggling in silence today. ​A Closing Prayer for the Season: ​"Lord, we lift up every heart reading this or watching this message. We especially remember those affected by the tragedy at Bondi Beach—families whose lives were changed on a day meant for light. We acknowledge that for many, this season feels more like a shadow than a celebration. We ask that Your Presence would meet them in the quiet, heavy moments. We thank You that Jesus is the Light that the darkness cannot overcome. We pray that Your peace, which passes all understanding, would guard our hearts and minds. May the Hope of the World shine brightly in our lives today. Amen." “You will find as you look back upon your life that the moments when you have truly lived are the moments when you have done things in the spirit of love.” ― Henry Drummond Christmas grief, Hanukkah 2024, Bondi Beach tragedy, finding hope in darkness, Jesus is the Light, holiday depression, spiritual encouragement, religious message, light of the world, Bondi Beach attack, hope in tragedy, Christmas message 2025, Hanukkah reflection, overcoming evil with good. ​ ​

Pastor Sean reflects on recent tragedies, including a tragic murder case and various shooting incidents, contrasting with the joyous Christmas season. Sean offers a compassionate perspective on the events, urging listeners to be peacemakers and to find solace in the true meaning of Christmas—the birth of Jesus Christ.00:00 Introduction and Christmas Greetings00:35 Family and Holiday Plans00:49 School Christmas Program Highlights01:54 Sports Talk: Bears vs. Packers03:20 Tragic News and Political Commentary09:16 Acts of Heroism Amidst Tragedy12:17 Being Peacemakers in Troubling Times18:17 Christmas Message and Church Events22:22 Closing Prayer and Final Thoughts

Pastor Sean reflects on recent tragedies, including a tragic murder case and various shooting incidents, contrasting with the joyous Christmas season. Sean offers a compassionate perspective on the events, urging listeners to be peacemakers and to find solace in the true meaning of Christmas—the birth of Jesus Christ.00:00 Introduction and Christmas Greetings00:35 Family and Holiday Plans00:49 School Christmas Program Highlights01:54 Sports Talk: Bears vs. Packers03:20 Tragic News and Political Commentary09:16 Acts of Heroism Amidst Tragedy12:17 Being Peacemakers in Troubling Times18:17 Christmas Message and Church Events22:22 Closing Prayer and Final Thoughts

Discover the overlooked heart of Christmas in this powerful sermon from Pastor Brandon. While holidays bring warmth, traditions, and songs, the true point of Christmas is salvation – Jesus came to save us from our sins, not just to bring good feelings.Based on Matthew 1:18-25, this message explains why we can't save ourselves through "good person theology," how the virgin birth and Jesus' name reveal God's grace, and why salvation is a free gift through trust in Christ alone.Key takeaways:-Christmas isn't about earning God's favor – Jesus does 100% of the saving.-God interrupts our failure with grace.-Stop trying to be your own savior; trust Jesus for rest and new life.Timestamps:- Welcome & Introduction to Salvation in Christmas- Why Holiday Feelings Fall Short- Reading Matthew 1:18-25- Good Person Theology vs. Gospel Grace- The Meaning of Jesus' Name & Virgin Birth- Grace Interrupts Failure- Emmanuel: God With Us- Our Need for Salvation Today- Communion & Closing Prayer

Glory to the Newborn KingWhat if Christmas is more than a tradition—and actually an invitation?In this message, Daniel Sumoge explores the deeper meaning behind Christmas by unpacking the lyrics of “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” and the familiar story from Luke 2. Rather than focusing on the holiday's surface-level customs, this sermon looks at why the birth of Jesus was announced as good news for all people—bringing peace in the middle of fear, hope in the middle of uncertainty, and a Savior who comes close to humanity.Whether you've celebrated Christmas your whole life or are still curious about what it's really about, this message invites you to slow down, listen, and consider how the story of the newborn King still speaks into our lives today.00:00 Welcome and Introduction00:31 The Meaning of Christmas02:02 Understanding the Message of 'Hark the Herald Angels Sing'03:21 The Birth of Jesus: A World-Changing Event05:47 The Angel's Message: Fear Not13:14 Responding to the Newborn King14:48 Preparing for Communion16:41 Closing Prayer and ReflectionsClick here to donate to the programClick here for more sermonsOC Church of Christ

What if the preparation you do now determines the purpose you walk in next? In this timely and challenging message, Pastor George Sawyer reminds us that God works on His calendar, not ours, and December is not a time to coast, but a season to prepare. It's not June. It's not too late. God is still positioning hearts, healing wounds, and aligning lives for what's ahead in 2026.Drawing from Luke 1, this message unpacks Mary's encounter with the angel and the power of a surrendered “yes” to God. Through personal testimony and biblical insight, Pastor Sawyer shows how restoration, obedience, and preparation are often the doorway to God's greatest assignments. You'll be challenged to examine your readiness, embrace God's timing, and trust that His promises unfold in the fullness of time.If you're seeking clarity, direction, or renewal as a new year approaches, this message will help you align with God's plan and prepare your heart for what He is ready to release.00:00 – Why December Matters for God's Plan02:09 – Testimony of Healing and Personal Restoration05:38 – Why God Restores Before He Assigns06:40 – Preparation Precedes Purpose08:07 – Mary's Encounter with the Angel (Luke 1)13:48 – Understanding God's Timing and Calendar22:48 – Free Will and God's Divine Plan25:46 – Choosing to Say Yes to God26:04 – The Fullness of Time in God's Promise27:51 – Mary's Yes and Its Lasting Impact28:18 – Joseph's Dilemma and Divine Direction30:22 – Purity, Obedience, and Preparation33:03 – Grace, Restoration, and Requalification34:56 – The Role of the Holy Spirit37:55 – Mary and Elizabeth: Power of Godly Community40:17 – Surrounding Yourself with the Right People42:39 – Preparing Your Heart for God's Promise46:12 – Closing Prayer and Worship

If you feel stretched too thin, it's not because you're weak—it's because you're carrying weight God never told you to carry alone. In this message, we unpack why overworking isn't faithfulness, why burnout is often a warning, and how God's strategy for rest includes delegation, clarity, and shared responsibility. Using Matthew 11 and Exodus 18, this sermon exposes a hard truth: Overworking can be disobedience disguised as responsibility. If you're overwhelmed, exhausted, or trying to do everything by yourself—this is your reset. Key themes in this message: Why rest is a real strategy, not laziness “Make your load lighter” (God's leadership principle) Delegation without guilt Why capable people matter How clarity eliminates confusion

You ever zoom in on something and instantly regret it?That's how most men judge themselves—by the tiny, imperfect tiles of their worst days.But God isn't looking at one moment.He's painting a masterpiece.In today's video, I'm breaking down the Mosaic Principle:Why you feel stuck, how shame keeps you zoomed in, and how God restores your energy by shifting your focus from self to Christ.We're talking about:• why missed workouts, snoozed alarms, and bad weeks don't define you• how eternity reframes your identity• self-focused vs Christ-focused living• how shame, guilt, and condemnation blind you to your calling• the psychology of identity formation (CBT + NLP)• and the 5 Mosaic Questions that will restore your vision and consistencyIf you're ready to stop judging yourself by your worst moments and start seeing yourself the way God sees you—this message is going to hit home.

Are you living powerlessly when God has given you rivers of living water? Pastor Jerry Dirmann reveals how to activate the flow of the Holy Spirit through speaking, praising, worshiping, and praying in tongues. This life-changing message will ignite your Spirit-filled walk.In this powerful sermon, you'll discover:- The difference between salvation and baptism in the Holy Spirit (Acts 19:1-6)- How to "turn on" the flow of the Spirit daily through speaking and worship- Why praying in tongues is for ALL believers, not just some (1 Corinthians 14)- The nine manifestations of the Spirit and how they flow through you (1 Corinthians 12:7-11)- Practical steps to move from powerless Christianity to Spirit-empowered living- The power of the flow: rivers of living water coming out of your heart (John 7:38)Pastor Jerry systematically unpacks Scripture (Galatians 5:16-17, John 4:13-14, John 7:37-39, Ephesians 5:18-19) to show that God doesn't want you to live a silent, passive Christian life. The Holy Spirit is a fountain inside you waiting to be released. This message will confront, activate, and empower you to walk in the fullness of what Jesus bought for you.This is part of our "Swimming in Overflow" series on the Holy Spirit at The Rock Church.TIMESTAMPS0:00 - Introduction: The Power of the Flow5:20 - Galatians 5:16-17: Walk in the Spirit vs. the Flesh12:15 - John 4: Living Water as a Fountain Within You18:30 - John 7:38: Rivers of Living Water Flowing Out28:45 - "As the Scripture Has Said" - Believing Jesus God's Way38:10 - Acts 19: Salvation vs. Baptism in the Holy Spirit46:50 - The Flow: Speaking in Tongues and Prophesying49:25 - 1 Corinthians 12: Nine Manifestations of the Spirit56:00 - Word of Knowledge Testimony: The Power of the Flow59:50 - Ephesians 5:18: Be Filled with the Spirit - SPEAKING01:03:45 - Turn It On! Activating the Flow Daily01:08:20 - Practical Application and Lifestyle Adjustments01:12:00 - Closing Prayer and ActivationABOUT THE ROCKThe Rock is a multi-campus, multi-language Foursquare church in Orange County, California, with one mission: building solid lives that build solid lives. We're passionate about making disciples who make disciples through our Jesus Disciple method and house church networks.Weekend Services: Sundays at 8am, 9:30am & 11:30amSenior Pastors: Jerry & Kimberly DirmannVisit: www.gototherock.comCONNECT WITH THE ROCKSubscribe for weekly sermons: www.YouTube.com/@gototherockFill out a Connect Card: https://form.jotform.com/200927752854159Give online: https://pushpay.com/g/therockJesus Disciple Network: www.therocknetwork.comMedia Library: www.therocknetwork.mediaGET BAPTIZED IN THE HOLY SPIRITIf you've never spoken in tongues or been baptized in the Holy Spirit, this belongs to you - Jesus bought it for you. Pray right now: "Holy Spirit, fill me. I want everything Jesus died to give me. I receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit and the gift of tongues. Activate the flow in me today." Then open your mouth and begin to speak, thank God, praise Him, and let the flow begin!SHARE YOUR TESTIMONYIf this message activated the flow of the Spirit in your life, share your testimony in the comments below! We want to hear how God is moving.#HolySpirit #BaptismInTheHolySpirit #SpeakingInTongues #PrayingInTheSpirit #SpiritFilledLife #PastorJerryDirmann #TheRockChurch #PentecostalTeaching #CharismaticChristianity #RiversOfLivingWater #MakingDisciples #FoursquareChurch

The weekly adult Sunday School class at OAG taught by long time teacher, Mrs. Jeanie Davis.** Edited to remove personal information shared in the class and extended pauses **Title: Hark: Paying Attention to the Word Made FleshSummary: The message traces the meaning of “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” into the Gospel of John, emphasizing Jesus as the eternal Word, the light for everyone, and the call to live and share that light through love and testimony.Approximate Outline:00:00 - Welcome & Christmas Song Introduction02:45 - History of “Hark the Herald Angels Sing”06:20 - Prayer & Setting the Heart08:40 - Why the Book of John Matters11:30 - John the Beloved Disciple14:20 - Love, Fear, and the Cost of Following Jesus17:00 - The Word in John Chapter 120:30 - Light for Everyone & Power of Testimony23:20 - Living in the Light & Closing Prayer

Good morning! Are you ready to explore how Christians can discern spirits and hear God's voice? Join us as Pastor Josh speaks on practical steps to understanding the gifts of the Holy Spirit and learning how God communicates through your spirit. Discover insights from the Bible, including examples from Israel's history and powerful lessons on faith, peace, and scriptural alignment. This inspiring message dives into the spiritual discernment tests and how you can recognize God's guidance in your daily walk with Him. Tune in now to deepen your faith, grow in understanding, and embrace your spiritual gifts. Don't miss this encouraging word that will empower your ministry and strengthen your connection with God. Please subscribe and join us today for more life-changing messages! #christianfaith #faithhealing #biblewisdom #giftoffaith #spiritualgifts CHAPTERS: 00:00 - Intro 01:03 - Avoiding Ignorance 02:08 - Discerning of Spirits 10:24 - Peace Test for Guidance 11:51 - Scripture Test for Truth 12:20 - Fruit Test for Authenticity 15:17 - Testing the Spirits 18:55 - Gift of Faith Explained 24:15 - Working of Miracles 27:35 - Gifts of Healings Overview 38:30 - Understanding Prophecy 42:12 - Closing Prayer

Thankfulness unlocks joy, strength, faith, and breakthrough — and Elder Jason Law lays out a biblical roadmap to live full, not drained.In this Guts Sunday Service message, learn how thankfulness leads to God's presence, miracles, and a life of contentment.In this powerful message, Jason teaches:• Why “life is full” is more than being busy — it's gratitude • Thankfulness as the protocol into God's presence (Psalm 100)• How Jesus used thankfulness before multiplying food • The Lazarus story — and how thankfulness preceded the miracle • Why only one leper returned with gratitude (Luke 17)• How thankfulness and faith work together (Sozo vs physical healing)• The chain reaction: Thankfulness → Presence → Joy → Strength → Breakthrough• Why praise is a weapon and how to use it from any season• How coveting steals joy and how contentment restores it• The difference between fullness and busyness• Living thankful in trials, marriage, finances, and future plans• A transparent story of healing, faith, and a literal ankle miracle • Contentment as great wealth (1 Tim 6:6)• How thankfulness protects you from depression and oppression• How giving expresses thankfulness and trust in God• A strong salvation moment about choosing joy and choosing JesusThis week, Pastor Jason challenges us to:Eat the fat. Drink the sweet. Help someone else. Live full. Stay thankful. Stay strong.Subscribe + Share this message with someone who needs joy and strength today.Connect with us — Guts Church.00:00 – “Life Is Full”: Opening Story00:32 – Leading World Compassion & Global Ministry01:09 – Discovering Thankfulness in a Full Life01:45 – Thankfulness Is the Doorway Into God's Presence02:28 – Feeding the 5,000: Jesus Gives Thanks First03:36 – Multiplication Begins With Thanksgiving04:14 – Lazarus: Thankfulness Before the Resurrection05:16 – Thankfulness Triggers Miracles05:41 – Luke 17: The Ten Lepers06:24 – Only One Returned to Thank Jesus07:09 – Thankfulness as a Lifestyle, Not a Week07:40 – “Your Faith Has Healed You”: Sozo Explained08:16 – Thankfulness Activates Salvation & Faith08:57 – Remembering Builds Thanksgiving09:39 – Personal Story: The Longboard & the Ankle10:35 – X-Ray to X-Ray: A Literal Healing Miracle11:02 – How Thankfulness Awakens Faith11:45 – Thankfulness Expressed in Praise12:15 – Praise as a Weapon in Every Season13:03 – Thanking God for What Hasn't Happened Yet (Torah)13:40 – Sacrifice of Praise When Life Is Hard14:12 – Being Thankful IN All Circumstances14:44 – Nehemiah: From Exile to Rebuilding15:22 – When They Read the Word: Conviction & Weeping15:46 – “Stop Crying—Celebrate”: Joy Is Holy16:29 – Joy Is Strength: The Roadmap17:12 – Protecting Joy Through Thankfulness17:53 – The Enemy Uses Lack of Gratitude to Oppress18:24 – Matthew 6: Your Eye Determines Your Light19:28 – Eve & The Garden: Losing Sight of What We Have20:27 – Driven in His 20s–30s: Striving Vs. Thankfulness21:23 – Restructuring Life to Live Present & Thankful22:00 – How Thankfulness Strengthens Family Life23:00 – How Joy Strengthens Marriage, Family, Business23:27 – Thanksgiving Challenge: Eat, Drink, Help Others23:54 – The Second Expression of Thankfulness: Giving24:37 – What God Asks at the Judgment Seat25:18 – Faithfulness, Not Hard Work, Is What God Honors26:28 – Thankfulness Keeps the Right Perspective27:10 – Contentment: The Wealth Money Cannot Give28:02 – The Two Ditches: Covetousness & Apathy29:00 – Contentment Is Peace With Responsibility29:56 – Thankfulness → Joy → Strength → Fruitfulness30:20 – Closing Prayer for Joy & Breakthrough31:11 – Chains Break When We Praise32:18 – Salvation Prayer: Turning Toward Jesus

ATTEND OUR VIRTUAL 2-DAY EVENT FOR 90% OFF & LEARN TO LAND BIG CLIENTS AS AN EXPERT: https://www.speakyourwaytocashlive.com/rewindEver been excited about an opportunity that looked like a sure thing—until it wasn't? In this powerful and transparent episode, Ashley Kirkwood breaks down what it really feels like when rejection hits... hard. She shares how a promising traditional publishing deal—one backed by a celebrity agent and warm industry relationships—ultimately fell through after months of hopeful conversations. If you've ever felt entitled to a win that didn't come, or wondered how to keep going when discouragement sets in, this is for you.

The weekly adult Sunday School class at OAG taught by long time teacher, Mrs. Jeanie Davis.** Edited to remove personal information shared in the class and extended pauses **Title: You Are God's Masterpiece: Hope, Revival, and Running the Race WellSummary: A message on God's restoring grace, the believer's identity as His masterpiece, the call to bold hope and prayer, and the challenge to finish the Christian race with strength and expectation.Approximate Outline:00:00 – Opening Prayer and Introduction02:50 – The Masterpiece Story05:05 – You Are God's Masterpiece07:10 – Precious in God's Eyes09:35 – Paul's Letters and Identity12:00 – Chosen by God14:15 – Confidence, Hope, and Prayer17:05 – The Call to Intercession19:40 – Revival and Expectation22:10 – Running the Race Well25:20 – Final Exhortation and Closing Prayer

Summary: Believers are called to urgently participate in God's mission by opening their lives to others, reflecting God's grace, and actively reconciling people to Him.Title: No Time To WasteDate: 11/16/25, 10am, Sunday SermonSpeaker: Pastor Jeff BoothApproximate Outline:00:00 – No Time to Waste04:48 – The Call to Go Out09:22 – The Banquet and the Broken14:10 – Counting the Cost18:55 – The Ministry of Reconciliation23:40 – Grace That Changes Us28:15 – Opening Your Table33:05 – Real-Life Stories of Transformation38:20 – Living the Mission Daily42:30 – Closing Prayer & Invitation

We all have names that, when mentioned, stir up old wounds and unresolved tension within us. These names are attached to stories—stories of offense, betrayal, or deep hurt. If we don't learn how to move forward, these wounds can imprison us, affecting our present relationships and even our walk with God. The story of Louis Zamperini, a man who endured unimaginable suffering as a prisoner of war and then found himself trapped in bitterness and hatred, powerfully illustrates the destructive power of unforgiveness. His journey to freedom began not when his circumstances changed, but when he encountered the grace and forgiveness of Jesus Christ. Only then was he able to forgive those who had wronged him, and in doing so, he found true freedom.Forgiveness is not natural; it is supernatural. Our instinct is to seek justice, to make others pay for what they've done. But the gospel flips the script. Jesus teaches us that the forgiveness we receive from God is meant to flow outward to others. This is not a suggestion but a command for those who follow Christ. Paul, writing from prison, reminds us in Ephesians that our identity as forgiven people should shape the way we relate to others. We are called to “get rid of all bitterness” and to forgive “just as God through Christ has forgiven you.” This is not about minimizing the pain or pretending the offense didn't happen. Rather, it's about recognizing the depth of our own need for forgiveness and the immense cost Jesus paid to cancel our debt.Forgiveness is not forgetting, excusing, or instantly restoring trust. It is not the same as reconciliation, nor does it remove consequences. Forgiveness is a decision—a choice to release the right to collect a debt that is genuinely owed. Sometimes, this is a process that must be repeated as old wounds resurface. At times, wisdom calls us to overlook minor offenses; at other times, we must have hard conversations, always with humility and a desire for restoration, not vindication.Ultimately, forgiveness is about freedom—freedom for the one who forgives. Jesus endured the cross, absorbing the cost of our sin, so that we could be set free. As we grasp the depth of what we've been forgiven, we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to extend that same grace to others. This is the path to healthy relationships, spiritual maturity, and true freedom in Christ.Youtube Chapters[00:00] - Welcome[01:30] - The Story of Louis Zamperini[04:54] - Encountering the Gospel and Forgiveness[08:04] - The Challenge of Forgiving the Unrepentant[10:31] - Forgiveness Does Not Erase the Past[13:10] - Jesus' Teaching on Forgiveness[14:40] - Forgiven People Become Forgiving People[18:05] - Paul's Letter to the Ephesians: Context[20:21] - Grieving the Holy Spirit with Bitterness[23:48] - Taking Out the Trash: Removing Bitterness[25:15] - Kindness, Compassion, and Forgiveness[28:17] - The Vertical and Horizontal Dimensions of Forgiveness[33:30] - The Cost of Our Forgiveness[35:47] - Jesus' Suffering and the Depth of Our Need[42:30] - What Forgiveness Is (and Isn't)[48:41] - Boundaries, Consequences, and Reconciliation[51:18] - Forgiveness Is Not a Feeling or Contingent on Apology[56:26] - Overlooking Offenses and When to Confront[59:58] - The Freedom of Forgiveness and Invitation to Respond[62:42] - Closing Prayer and BlessingSermon Notes:https://www.bible.com/events/49521262

Jesus came not just to comfort, but to conquer. From 1 John 2:28-3:10, Pastor Tim unpacks how Christ destroys the works of the devil and invites us to live from victory, not for it. Abide in Jesus. Purify your heart. Practice righteousness. Phoenix Bible Church is a church in the heart of the city of Phoenix, Arizona. We desire to engage culture, uphold truth and love people. In a world where life can be heavy and confusing, we want to cover the hard truths - with grace. This is difficulty and messy - and so are we - but the love of Jesus meets us in our mess. Our rhythm is to gather to worship on Sunday and then scatter during the week to love, live and lead together. We are imperfect people moved by the perfect love of Jesus. Come as you are. Experience His love. #LoveMoves Time Title 0:00 Intro Story – The Scorpion and Protection Through Love 2:50 Main Idea – God Destroys What Harms Those He Loves 3:11 Text Reading – 1 John 2:28 – 3:10 6:06 Point 1 – How the Devil Works 10:02 The Enemy's Strategy – The Satanic Lullaby 12:02 God's Affection and Protection 14:22 Two Camps – Children of God or Children of the Devil 15:42 Who the Devil Is and How He Accuses 18:22 Temptation and Accusation Cycle 22:08 Point 2 – How Jesus Destroys the Devil 24:41 Through His Life, Death, and Resurrection 25:43 Through His Return – The Victorious King 28:01 No More Sin, Evil, or Pain 28:22 How We Partner – Abiding, Purifying, Practicing 30:16 Jesus Fights for You 31:47 Practice Victory Daily 35:20 Closing Prayer and Call to Confession ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Website https://phoenixbiblechurch.com Connect with Phoenix Bible Church https://phoenixbiblechurch.com/connect

What happens when life completely falls apart, when you lose hope, faith, and even the will to get out of bed? My guest today, Melanie Cox, has lived that story. From battling thyroid cancer and infertility to deep depression, Melanie hit rock bottom, but that's where she discovered the overwhelming love and faithfulness of God.In this raw and faith-filled episode, Melanie opens up about her journey from despair to divine restoration. You'll hear how God met her in her darkest season and turned her heartbreak into a beautiful testimony of hope, healing, and purpose.We talk about her new devotional, “You Have to Know,” a guided journey that reminds you who God is and who you are in Him. Whether you're feeling stuck, anxious, or unworthy, this conversation will remind you that you are seen, loved, and chosen.Chapters:[00:00] Podcast Preview[01:19] Topic and Guest Introduction[03:26] The Story Behind “You Have to Know”[06:10] The “Stolen Toaster” Lesson: Obedience to the Holy Spirit[09:10] Childhood Trauma and Breaking Generational Patterns[11:34] Depression, Infertility, and Losing Faith in God[15:19] A Miracle Pregnancy and God's Faithfulness[18:30] Power of Words: Speaking Life Over Yourself[21:09] Raising Strong Daughters in Truth and Identity[27:17] Encouraging Women to Pursue Their God-Placed Dreams[29:09] God as the Multiplier: Offering Your “Five Loaves and Two Fishes”[32:50] Where to Get the Book “You Have to Know”[35:42] A Closing Prayer of Hope and Freedom[36:25] Resources and Final ThoughtsResources mentioned:"You Have to Know" on AmazonMelanie Cox WebsiteInstagram: @itsmelaniecoxJoin My Visibly Fit 7-Week Accelerator ProgramConnect with today's guest:Melanie Cox is a vibrant wife, mom of five, and first-time author whose life is a living message of faith, freedom, and fierce love. Married for over 30 years and rooted in Southern California, she leads multiple companies—Cox Family Funding, EMC Property Management, and Monarch Real Estate Holdings—all while rescuing horses bound for slaughter and raising her extraordinary family.This debut book is the message of her heart—the one she was born to share. Melanie is passionate about helping others break free from the lies of the enemy and step into the truth of who God says they are: deeply known, fully loved, and completely seen. Whether she's speaking on marriage, finances, freedom, or faith, she brings both depth and joy to every conversation.She laughs loudly, lives adventurously, and starts every morning declaring, “Thank You, God—today is my best day ever.” Known for her honesty and humor, Melanie is not trying to build a platform—she's just here to point people back to the heart of God.P.S. If you're just checking out the show to see if it's a good fit for you, welcome!If you're really serious about becoming Visibly Fit, you'll get the best experience if you download the worksheets available at https://wendiepett.com/visiblyfitpodcast.

The weekly adult Sunday School class at OAG taught by long time teacher, Mrs. Jeanie Davis.** Edited to remove personal information shared in the class and extended pauses **Title: Pressing In, Pressing On, and Holding On: Finding Joy and Purpose in God's PathSummary: A reflection on trusting God's direction over personal plans, rejecting legalism, and pursuing a deeper walk with Christ through focus, obedience, and perseverance.Approximate Outline:00:00 - Frances Brooke's Story02:05 - “My Goal Is God Himself”03:18 - When God Changes Our Path04:40 - Beginning Philippians 306:05 - Warning Against Legalism07:55 - Paul's Former Credentials09:14 - Counting It All as Loss10:40 - Righteousness Through Christ12:05 - Pressing In to Know God13:45 - Pressing On Toward the Goal15:32 - Forgetting the Past17:05 - Hold On to Your Progress18:35 - Closing Prayer

Theme: From Defeat to Victory — Obedience, Judgment, and God's Longsuffering Pastor Matthew continued his series on the book of Joshua, focusing on chapter 8, where Israel returned to face Ai—the place of their previous defeat. The sermon unfolded three key themes: restoration through obedience, understanding God's justice, and the call to overcome through repentance and faithfulness. Returning to the Place of Defeat After Israel's failure at Ai (caused by Achan's sin), God instructed Joshua to go back: “Do not be afraid nor dismayed. Take all the people of war with you… I have given into your hand the king of Ai.” (Joshua 8:1) Pastor explained that God often sends us back to the place of defeat — not to relive shame, but to redeem it through obedience. “When you go back in the power of Christ and the Word of the Lord, you can't lose.” God gave new instructions: this time, the spoils of Ai would belong to Israel. The principle: “The first fruits belong to God; the rest He blesses for you.” Lesson: God is fair and faithful — He doesn't take to deprive but to teach trust and honor. The Strategy of Obedience Joshua followed God's detailed battle plan: Set an ambush behind Ai while Joshua and the main army pretended to retreat. Once the enemy was drawn out, the ambush rose, took the city, and set it on fire. When the enemy looked back and saw the smoke, Israel turned and struck them down (v. 19–22). Pastor emphasized how God is a God of detail: “If we would listen long enough, God would tell us exactly what to do. But we've become a drive-thru culture—no patience, no waiting.” Application: Faith follows God's word precisely. Victory is not random — it comes through listening, waiting, and acting on divine instruction. Renewal of Covenant After Ai was destroyed, Joshua built an altar at Mount Ebal, offered burnt and peace offerings, and read all the words of the Law before the people (Joshua 8:30–35). This marked a spiritual renewal — a recommitment after failure. Pastor's takeaway: “They renewed their covenant because someone thought it was okay to steal from God. Never steal from God — He owns everything.” He reminded that God's ownership and our stewardship are central to understanding His commands. God's Justice and Longsuffering The message turned theological as Pastor explored why God ordered the destruction of Ai: God owns everything and has all knowledge. When judgment comes, it's because a people or person has exhausted God's grace. Using Genesis 15:16, he explained that the Amorites' “iniquity was not yet full” — God's patience always precedes judgment. He compared this to modern examples: “God knew when Saddam Hussein's time was up. When a man's cruelty or sin reaches its limit, God says, ‘That's enough.'” Scriptural anchors: 2 Peter 3:9 – “The Lord is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” Romans 1 – How rejecting truth and embracing sin leads to delusion and depravity. Revelation 2:18–29 – The church of Thyatira and “Jezebel,” who was given time to repent of immorality. Core Message: “When judgment comes, it's never sudden — it's the result of mercy refused.” Sexual Immorality and Idolatry — The Downfall of Nations Pastor linked Israel's ancient idolatry to modern culture: Sexual immorality causes more destruction than drugs and alcohol combined. Every society that normalizes it must invent idols to justify sin. The last straw before national judgment is not immorality itself but idolatry — worshiping false gods that excuse disobedience. “If I'm going to live against God's Word and refuse to repent, I'll find a god that makes me feel okay about it.” He warned that America faces similar danger: “The nations that forget God will be turned into hell.” Mercy, Repentance, and Overcoming Despite these warnings, Pastor underscored that God still offers mercy: Even Jezebel was given time to repent — showing the depth of God's compassion. “No one is as long-suffering as God. When judgment finally comes, it's because He's exhausted Himself trying to reach us.” Quoting 1 John 1:9, he assured: “If you confess your sins, He is faithful and just to forgive you.” He then linked this to Jesus' message to the seven churches in Revelation: “To him who overcomes…” (Greek: nikao / neo — to gain victory). The word is the root of “Nike,” meaning to prevail — symbolizing the believer's call to overcome through repentance and obedience. Application: Set yourself up to succeed spiritually — not to fail. “The strongest Christians aren't the ones who can endure anything; they're the ones who know their weaknesses and guard against them.” He gave practical examples: The man freed from alcoholism who changed his route to avoid temptation. The believer who moved his computer into the living room to avoid secret sin. “Don't set yourself up to fail — paristano means to ‘position yourself to succeed.'” Closing Prayer and Reflection Pastor closed by reminding: God's mercy is real, but so is judgment. We must renew covenant, walk in holiness, and guard our hearts. “Be kind to yourself, be honest before God, and stay the course.” He led the congregation in the Lord's Prayer, ending with worship and thanksgiving for God's mercy and truth. Core Message God is long-suffering but just. He gives space to repent, but not forever. Victory follows obedience, repentance, and humility. Set yourself up to succeed — abide in His Word and overcome.

Join Pastor Lucas Miles as he continues his series on “The Pagan Threat.” In this powerful message, Pastor Lucas clarifies that the threat is not individual pagans, but the broader effort to replace the Christian Gospel in society with alternative ideologies rooted in secularism and Marxism. He explains how these movements often use the Hegelian dialectic to introduce radical ideas under more socially acceptable terms, ultimately seeking to erode the foundations of biblical truth. Drawing from Scripture, including the account of the Tower of Babel, Pastor Lucas explores the spiritual and historical roots of humanity's rebellion against God and warns against the rise of self-deification—when individuals place themselves in the position of God, defining morality and truth on their own terms.Pastor Lucas also exposes how “soft paganism” has subtly crept into the modern church, through practices like the Enneagram and through attitudes that judge others in ways that only God can. Throughout the message, Pastor Lucas addresses three major challenges facing Christians today: doubts about the goodness of God, the church's role in justice, and the exclusivity of Christianity. He explains that questioning God's goodness lies at the heart of rebellion, that the failures of the church do not invalidate the truth of the Gospel, and that salvation is found only in Jesus—yet God's love is revealed in giving humanity the dignity of choice.Key Themes:The real “Pagan Threat"The use of the Hegelian dialecticRebellion and self-deification“Soft paganism” in the modern churchDoubting God's goodnessThe church's role in justiceThe exclusivity of ChristThe call to discernment and truthTimestamps:01:22 - What is the Pagan Threat?02:11 - Marxism, Hegelian Dialectic, and Cultural Shifts04:36 - Tower of Babel & Rebellion Against God07:20 - Cancel Culture and the “Hive Brain”08:23 - Self-Deification and Worship of Self09:31 - Soft Paganism in the Church11:09 - The Enneagram and Occult Influences13:12 - Why Deception is So Effective14:01 - Three Main Challenges to Faith15:36 - Doubting the Goodness of God18:54 - The Problem of Evil & God's Character22:41 - The Church's Role in Justice28:09 - The Exclusivity of Christianity51:42 - Closing Prayer & Invitation

Join Pastor Lucas Miles as he continues his series on “The Pagan Threat.” In this powerful message, Pastor Lucas clarifies that the threat is not individual pagans, but the broader effort to replace the Christian Gospel in society with alternative ideologies rooted in secularism and Marxism. He explains how these movements often use the Hegelian dialectic to introduce radical ideas under more socially acceptable terms, ultimately seeking to erode the foundations of biblical truth. Drawing from Scripture, including the account of the Tower of Babel, Pastor Lucas explores the spiritual and historical roots of humanity's rebellion against God and warns against the rise of self-deification—when individuals place themselves in the position of God, defining morality and truth on their own terms.Pastor Lucas also exposes how “soft paganism” has subtly crept into the modern church, through practices like the Enneagram and through attitudes that judge others in ways that only God can. Throughout the message, Pastor Lucas addresses three major challenges facing Christians today: doubts about the goodness of God, the church's role in justice, and the exclusivity of Christianity. He explains that questioning God's goodness lies at the heart of rebellion, that the failures of the church do not invalidate the truth of the Gospel, and that salvation is found only in Jesus—yet God's love is revealed in giving humanity the dignity of choice.Key Themes:The real “Pagan Threat"The use of the Hegelian dialecticRebellion and self-deification“Soft paganism” in the modern churchDoubting God's goodnessThe church's role in justiceThe exclusivity of ChristThe call to discernment and truthTimestamps:01:22 - What is the Pagan Threat?02:11 - Marxism, Hegelian Dialectic, and Cultural Shifts04:36 - Tower of Babel & Rebellion Against God07:20 - Cancel Culture and the “Hive Brain”08:23 - Self-Deification and Worship of Self09:31 - Soft Paganism in the Church11:09 - The Enneagram and Occult Influences13:12 - Why Deception is So Effective14:01 - Three Main Challenges to Faith15:36 - Doubting the Goodness of God18:54 - The Problem of Evil & God's Character22:41 - The Church's Role in Justice28:09 - The Exclusivity of Christianity51:42 - Closing Prayer & Invitation

As we enter this season leading up to Thanksgiving, Pastor Bart invites us into a journey of intentional gratitude—25 days of cultivating a thankful heart. Gratitude is not something that comes naturally to us; it's a spiritual discipline, a choice we make daily, especially when life is hard. Paul's words in 1 Thessalonians remind us to “be thankful in all circumstances,” not for all circumstances, but in them. This is God's will for us in Christ Jesus. Over these next weeks, we invite you to memorize this truth together, practice daily thanksgiving, and share our gratitude with others, both in our homes and as a church family.But gratitude is not just a seasonal exercise; it's a way of living that transforms how we walk through suffering. We live in a world that is groaning—creation itself is frustrated, our bodies break down, and pain is a reality for all of us. Paul, writing to the suffering believers in Rome, uses the metaphor of childbirth: pain and groaning are real, but they point to a coming joy. The gospel doesn't promise a pain-free life; in fact, following Jesus often brings its own cost. Yet, the gospel gives us a new perspective on pain. We are not just waiting for heaven as disembodied spirits; we are promised a future of resurrection, new bodies, and a restored creation. This hope is not just for someday, but it shapes how we endure today.In the meantime, we are not left alone. The Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness, intercedes for us when we don't have words, and walks with us through every groan and sigh. God is at work, even in the mess, redeeming and orchestrating all things for our good—not just for our comfort, but to conform us to the image of Jesus. We have a choice in our suffering: to become bitter or to be transformed into grateful, hope-filled people. Communion is our reminder that even Jesus, facing betrayal and suffering, gave thanks. So, whatever you're facing, choose gratitude. Trust that God is with you, that your pain is not wasted, and that a day is coming when all things will be made new.Youtube Chapters[00:00] - Welcome[01:57] - The Call to Gratitude: 1 Thessalonians[03:56] - Memorizing Scripture Together[05:25] - Practicing Intentional Gratitude[07:29] - Sharing Gratitude with Others[09:05] - The Gospel and Transformation[10:11] - Childbirth as a Metaphor for Suffering[14:45] - Suffering in the Early Church[19:18] - The Gospel's Impact on Everyday Life[21:45] - Heirs with Christ: Suffering and Glory[24:18] - Wrestling with Pain as God's Children[37:08] - Creation's Groaning and Future Hope[42:21] - The Promise of New Bodies[52:11] - The Holy Spirit's Help in Weakness[56:20] - God's Good Purposes in Our Pain[59:01] - Communion: Giving Thanks in Suffering[62:52] - Closing Prayer and Worship

This week, Andrew continues our “Who We Are” series by focusing on one of our core values: We Value All Generations. Drawing from Paul's letters to Timothy and Titus, this message reminds us that the church is meant to be a family — not divided by age, but united in love and purpose.

Lesson 82 of Heart Dive's Heartbeat of God and HEART WORK, where we are finding how God's heart beats throughout His Word, so we can find Him in the world. Today we are studying Joshua 1-4 in the Old Testament.HEART WORK PDF: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mciGdV7PV1uAEWD6JGbu4pdZVmT9Frbg/view?usp=sharingVISIT OUR SHOP: heartdiveshop.com2024 videos: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdqyC_w_7Gwgd93fCHH-OZdxB3fYuPXIW&si=nvsUzGRu71ISQ8bsFREE RESOURCES: https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/mobile/folders/1Tvms_gB-OWMum61DiCXvFV8R8jKXpIVIMy Bible Notes: https://heartdive.org/daily-notes-with-kanoe/2025 Digital and Print Planners: https://heartdiveshop.com/ Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/shop/kanoegibson/list/1ED3COSB79TAQ?ref_=aipsflistLOGOS Software affiliate link: http://www.logos.com/heartdiveFree Reading Plan and Daily Newsletter sign up: http://heartdive.org/newsletterLink to recommended Bibles: https://heartdive.org/recommendations/ Support the Ministry: https://heartdive.org/support/ 

Join Dan Stribling in this powerful Christian sermon on spiritual discernment in a noisy world, drawn from 1 John 4:1-6. In "The Voices Whispering Lies," Dan explores how to test spirits, spot false prophets, and overcome the spirit of the Antichrist amid daily media chaos, social feeds, and misleading voices. Perfect for believers seeking biblical guidance on faith, truth, and error in 2025.Discover practical tips on filtering voices like TV, radio, YouTube Shorts, and TikTok that influence your beliefs. Dan shares real examples, from Marshall Applewhite's Heaven's Gate cult to modern figures like Abdullah Hashem, emphasizing Christ-centered testing: Does it confess Jesus Christ in the flesh?Key takeaways: True faith examines before trusting; earnestness isn't truth; overcome through God's greater Spirit. Remember whose you are—belong to God and reject the world's noise.Timestamps:00:00:32 - Opening Question: How Many Voices Do You Hear Daily?00:00:49 - Exploring Voices in Your Morning Routine and Media00:02:30 - The Overwhelming Noise of Social Media and Advertising00:03:41 - Voices in the Early Church: A Timely Parallel00:05:20 - Scripture Reading: 1 John 4:1-6 on Testing Spirits00:06:29 - Warning: Don't Believe Every Spirit or Voice00:07:55 - The Test: Spiritual Discernment Like Vetting Gold00:09:49 - Historical Context: Dokimaja and Greek Influences00:11:39 - Real-World Example: Marshall Applewhite and Heaven's Gate Cult00:13:13 - Modern Example: Abdullah Hashem's False Claims00:15:10 - The Core Test: Confessing Jesus Christ in the Flesh00:17:20 - Rejecting Gnosticism: No Cherry-Picking the Gospel00:20:12 - Understanding the Spirit of the Antichrist00:22:52 - Jesus' Warning: Recognize False Prophets by Their Fruits00:24:35 - Overcoming Voices: He in You Is Greater00:28:07 - Belonging to God: Victory in Rejection00:30:35 - Analogy: Listening to the Coach Amid the Crowd00:33:50 - Weekly Challenge: Discern Voices in Your Life00:34:57 - Closing Prayer and Benediction from JudeIf this sermon on spiritual discernment, false prophets, and biblical truth resonates, like, comment your biggest takeaway, and subscribe for more inspiring Christian messages from Dan Stribling. Share with someone navigating faith in a noisy world! #SpiritualDiscernment #FalseProphets #1John4 #ChristianSermon #FaithIn2025

Summary: Heaven is a real, physical home prepared by Jesus that gives believers unshakable hope, comfort, and courage.Series: HeavenTitle: Part 1: A Real PlaceDate: 10/12/25, 10am, Sunday SermonSpeaker: Pastor Tom Van KempenApproximate Outline:00:00 - Setting Our Minds on Heaven03:45 - Misconceptions About Heaven07:20 - Jesus' Promise of a Real Place11:10 - Comfort in Grief and Hope Beyond Death15:45 - Heaven Conquers Fear20:00 - The Reality of Our Heavenly Home24:30 - What Our New Bodies Will Be Like29:10 - Purpose and Joy in Heaven33:00 - Jesus the Way to Heaven36:45 - Invitation and Closing Prayer

Summary: Love sees worth in every person and acts with compassion that breaks barriers and reflects the heart of Jesus.Series: The Dream TeamTitle: Part 7 - A Picture of LoveDate: 10/5/25, 10am, Sunday SermonSpeaker: Pastor Tom Van KempenApproximate Outline:00:00 - Opening and Personal Story03:45 - The Question of Love07:22 - Who Is My Neighbor?10:45 - Love Sees Inherent Worth16:05 - The Priest and Levite Pass By20:25 - Everyone Is a Masterpiece24:00 - Love Grows Slowly28:45 - Love Drives Out Fear32:40 - Love Dismantles Prejudice37:15 - Love in Action40:20 - Closing Prayer and Dream Team Invitation

In this episode of the Called to Lead podcast, Heather brings back the popular series 'Ask the Expert' featuring Rob Sperry, a top coach and expert in the direct sales space. Rob shares his journey in network marketing, starting from his early successes and struggles to becoming a global leader and author of multiple books. The discussion covers valuable advice for newcomers, seasoned experts, and those facing challenges in their network marketing careers. Rob emphasizes the importance of taking action, maintaining high energy, and leveraging personal strengths. The episode concludes with a prayer for listeners, highlighting the show's commitment to faith and personal growth. 00:00 Introduction and Excitement for the Episode 00:46 Meet Rob Sperry: Impact and Background 02:46 Rob's Journey in Network Marketing 05:52 Advice for Newcomers in Network Marketing 09:52 Guidance for Experienced Leaders 14:18 Encouragement for the Discouraged 19:07 Rob's Resources and Final Thoughts 22:06 Closing Prayer and Gratitude Episode Resources/References: ・Texting with Project Broadcast ・Easily Edit Your Videos + Podcast ・Get 50% off Stunning Emails ・Advent Reading Plan ・Bible App Connect with Heather: Called to Lead Telegram Community HeatherKBurge.com heatherkburge@gmail.com You can also text (912) 405-8912 any of these keywords to learn more: CONNECT (to stay in touch on all the things) PODCAST (to get a direct link to the Called to Lead Community)

A government shutdown is upon us. Our voices have been heard—Senator Dick Durbin declines the award from Cardinal Cupich. And Pete Hegseth goes unfiltered in his fiery address to senior military leaders. All this and more on the LOOPcast!00:00 Welcome to the LOOPcast 02:50 Ave Maria Mutual Funds04:42 Charity Mobile 06:02 GOV Shutdown 19:58 Home Title Lock 21:51 Sen. Durbin Backs Out of Award41:35 Good News52:32 Ezra and Ta-Nihasi Coates: A window into the Minds of the Left1:06:40 Twilight Zone1:19:46 Closing Prayer 1:20:38 Interview with Convicted Home Title Thief Matthew CoxThe professionals at Ave Maria Mutual Funds have a morally responsible investment philosophy that's aligned with Catholic teaching. Start your morally responsible investment journey today by calling 1-866-AVE-MARIA or by visiting here: https://avemariafunds.com/Loopcast This podcast is sponsored by Charity Mobile! New customers can get a free phone after instant credit, plus free activation and free standard shipping, when they switch to Charity Mobile with promo code LOOPCAST at https://www.charitymobile.com/loopcast. Protect your equity with Home Title Lock's exclusive Million Dollar Triple Lock Protection, now for just $1 for 60 days when you use promocode LOOP60! Click here: https://www.hometitlelock.com/looper to learn more! EMAIL US: loopcast@catholicvote.org SUPPORT LOOPCAST: www.loopcast.orgSubscribe to the LOOP today!https://catholicvote.org/getloop   Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-loopcast/id1643967065 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/08jykZi86H7jKNFLbSesjk?si=ztBTHenFR-6VuegOlklE_w&nd=1&dlsi=bddf79da68c34744 FOLLOW LOOPCast: https://x.com/the_LOOPcast  Tom: https://x.com/TPogasic Erika: https://x.com/ErikaAhern2  Josh: https://x.com/joshuamercer All opinions expressed on LOOPcast by the participants are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of CatholicVote.Schwartz Investment Counsel, Inc., a registered investment adviser established in 1980, serves as investment adviser for Ave Maria Mutual Funds. The Adviser invests in securities only if they meet the Funds' investment and religious requirements, and as such, the returns may be lower or higher than if the Adviser made decisions based solely on investment considerations. The Funds' method of security selection may or may not be successful and the Funds may underperform or outperform the stock market as a whole. All mutual funds are subject to market risk, including possible loss of principal. The Funds' investments in small and mid-capitalization companies could experience greater volatility than investments in large-capitalization companies. AVEWX invests in foreign securities and securities issued by

Contact us. We'd love to serve youGive financially to support the work of helping pastors thriveWrite a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify Resources(04:05) Setting the Context (07:28) Biblical Foundations (10:42) Internal Pressures on Pastors (13:22) Understanding Congregational Dynamics (18:36) External Pressures (21:14) Rooting Out Fear of Man (28:51) Pastoral Advice for Future Crises (33:24) Practical Approach to Addressing Sensitive Topics (35:12) Closing Prayer

Contact us. We'd love to serve youGive financially to support the work of helping pastors thriveWrite a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify Resources(04:05) Setting the Context (07:28) Biblical Foundations (10:42) Internal Pressures on Pastors (13:22) Understanding Congregational Dynamics (18:36) External Pressures (21:14) Rooting Out Fear of Man (28:51) Pastoral Advice for Future Crises (33:24) Practical Approach to Addressing Sensitive Topics (35:12) Closing Prayer

In this episode, Angel explores the concept of 'sacrifice of praise' amidst life's challenges. She emphasizes the importance of glorifying God, especially during difficult times, and shares personal testimonies of how praise has transformed her life and relationships. Drawing on biblical examples, particularly King David, she illustrates how praise serves as a powerful weapon against despair and a means to access God's peace and presence. The conversation culminates in a call to choose life through praise, encouraging listeners to embrace their faith and trust in God's goodness. Like, share and rate this episode so together, we can share God's hope and healing to a hurting world! Contact me personally at: info@angelhdavis.com or instant message me on IG @Angel H Davis, I'd love to hear from you. Chapters:00:00 Introduction to Sacrifice of Praise01:49 Understanding Praise and Its Importance04:22 Personal Testimonies of Sacrifice06:14 The Power of Praise in Distress09:58 King David's Example of Praise11:47 Benefits of Sacrifice of Praise15:58 Choosing Life Through Praise18:53 Closing Prayer and Encouragement

Jimmy Kimmel has been fired, and the left has lost their mind. Is this the end of free speech? Next, the Times released a report which states that the right is more politically violent than the left. Pope Leo XIV gives an interview, Januarious' blood is liquified, and the LOOPcast is attacked by the National Catholic Reporter for being “nominally Catholic?” All this and more on the (really Catholic) LOOPcast!Nazareth Organics is a Catholic family-owned natural skincare company that handcrafts tallow balms and serums with high-quality, wild-crafted, and organic ingredients. Find them at https://nazareth-organics.com and use code LOOPCAST at checkout for a 10% discount. Follow them on Instagram and Facebook at: @nazarethorganicsProtect your equity with Home Title Lock's exclusive Million Dollar Triple Lock Protection, now for just $1 for 60 days when you use promocode LOOP60! Click here: https://www.hometitlelock.com/looper to learn more!TIMESTAMPS:00:00 – Welcome back to the LOOPcast!02:03 – Nazareth Organics03:31 – Jimmy Kimmel fired19:19 – Is this Free Speech?32:20 – Home Title Lock34:33 – Is the right more violent?42:56 – Good News48:51 – Interview with Pope Leo1:02:13 – Twilight Zone1:14:01 – Closing Prayer

Summary: A call to live with thanksgiving, deeper revelation, and resurrection power so the church can walk in unity and impact the world.Series: Ephesians - Unstoppable: The Life you Were Made To LiveTitle: Part 2 - Christ In MeDate: 9/17/25, 6:30pm, Wednesday Bible StudySpeaker: Pastor Jeff BoothOutline:00:00 - Introduction & Series Context05:15 - Thanksgiving for One Another10:42 - The Power of Prayer & Unity16:30 - Living with an Attitude of Gratitude22:08 - Wisdom and Revelation from the Spirit29:33 - The Power of Christ in Us36:20 - Final Takeaways & Closing Prayer

In this episode, Erika and Josh discuss the recent tragedy in Charlotte, NC, and ask the question: How do we raise our kids to be Good Samaritans? The annual jobs report receives yet another revision – did Joe Biden really make new jobs? A British street artist takes a stand, and a Church is named after Carlo Acutis. Finally, will there be Gen-Z babies? All this and more on the LOOPcast!The professionals at Ave Maria Mutual Funds have a morally responsible investment philosophy that's aligned with Catholic teaching. Start your morally responsible investment journey today by calling 1-866-AVE-MARIA or by visiting here: https://avemariafunds.com/LoopcastProtect your equity with Home Title Lock's exclusive Million Dollar Triple Lock Protection, now for just $1 for 60 days when you use promocode LOOP60! Click here: https://www.hometitlelock.com/looper to learn more!EMAIL US: loopcast@catholicvote.org SUPPORT LOOPCAST: www.loopcast.orgApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-loopcast/id1643967065 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/08jykZi86H7jKNFLbSesjk?si=ztBTHenFR-6VuegOlklE_w&nd=1&dlsi=bddf79da68c34744FOLLOW LOOPCast: https://x.com/the_LOOPcast Tom: https://x.com/TPogasicErika: https://x.com/ErikaAhern2 Josh: https://x.com/joshuamercerAll opinions expressed on LOOPcast by the participants are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of CatholicVote.00:00 – Welcome back to the LOOPcast!01:15 – Ave Maria Mutual Funds03:48 – Charlotte Stabbing Recap23:32 – Home Title Lock25:25 – Josh final thoughts on Charlotte/ RANT38:00 – Good News41:27 – Twilight Zone55:24 – Closing Prayer

Father Dave and Deacon Bob come to this episode with heavy hearts, reflecting on the recent church shooting in Minnesota. They share Archbishop Bernard Hebda's moving words of hope, grapple with the reality of evil, and talk about the call to persistent prayer. It's a sobering reminder of the world's brokenness—and of the hope Christians cling to when sorrow feels overwhelming.  Yet, even in hard weeks, these two help listeners find joy and laughter: Notre Dame heartbreak, Ohio State bragging rights, Alabama's shocking stumble, the NFL's opening buzz, Taylor-and-Travis engagement memes, and even the joyfully bizarre antics of the Savannah Bananas.  They also pause to look back on five years of They That Hope—from pandemic beginnings to Deacon Bob's ordination and Franciscan University's bold “Step in Faith” initiative—grateful for the unexpected gift of sharing life and faith through this podcast. As the show nears its final stretch, listeners are invited to share their favorite memories. Through it all, the reminder is the same: true hope isn't found in scores or headlines, but in Christ who never abandons his people.    Highlighted Sections  (00:00) From Heartbreak to Hope  The episode opens with Father Dave and Deacon Bob holding space for the deep grief caused by the Church of the Annunciation shooting in Minnesota and offer prayers for the victims.  (01:21) Football Woes, Memes, and Bananas  Notre Dame loses, Ohio State gloats, Alabama falls to an unranked team, and the NFL season is about to kick off. Along the way, the guys joke about Bill Belichick's off-field drama, laugh through Taylor-and-Travis engagement memes, and tip their hats to the always-entertaining Savannah Bananas.  (12:03) Five Years, Countless Laughs (and a Few Tears)  With the podcast coming to a close, Father Dave and Deacon Bob rewind to its pandemic origins and how simple recorded conversations grew into a ministry of encouragement. They reflect on their friendship, their ministry together, and the joy of bringing hope and humor into uncertain times.  (20:33) Bob's Ordination Flashbacks & Dave's Bold Moves  Deacon Bob shares how COVID unexpectedly deepened his vocation and shaped his path to the diaconate. Father Dave remembers Franciscan University's “Step in Faith” initiative and the surprising blessings that flowed from those bold decisions.  (26:26) Standing in Prayer Amid Tragedy  Returning to the heartbreaking story from Minnesota, the hosts emphasize intercession when words fall short, the nature of evil, share the archbishop's words of hope, and why the Christian response is always prayer, action, and steadfast hope in God.  (35:01) Closing Prayer and Listener Memories  A prayer for Minnesota and an invitation for listeners to share favorite moments from the show.    Resources Mentioned  Archbishop Bernard Hebda Statement — press conference remarks after Minnesota tragedy  The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis – referenced in reflection on evil  Step in Faith initiative – Franciscan University program launched during COVID  Savannah Bananas– proof that baseball is better with dancing umpires  "How Can We Not Pray?” — Father Dave's Washington Examiner op-ed on the reality of evil and prayer  In Person episodes with Heather Khym and Ryan Anderson — two recent interviews Father Dave did on Faith and Reason.  

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