Podcasts about content executive

We dive deep into new book, "I Am Human: Pain & Pleasure" by Martin Johnson, and explore the fascinating interplay between pain, pleasure, and the very foundation of who you are. Get ready to explore these mind-blowing questions: Nature vs. Nurture: How do your genes and upbringing influence your personality and drive to survive? The Pain Paradox: Is pain the enemy? Discover why pain is essential (and how its absence could lead to serious consequences. Parenting, Purpose, and the Power of Balance: Learn how pain and pleasure play a surprising role in reproduction and nurturing future generations. Modern Malaise: Why Purpose Feels Elusive: We dissect the challenges of finding meaning in today's fast-paced world. The Pain-Pleasure Spectrum: Unveil the three key states (Challenge, Threat, Neutral) that govern your experience of pain and pleasure. High Road vs. Low Road: The Motivation Myth: Ditch the comfort trap! Learn how to break free from unhealthy cycles and find sustainable motivation. You Are Not Alone: Explore the factors that shape your unique personality, even though we all share the same core needs. Building Your Worldview: What shapes your perspective on life? We delve into the forces that mold your worldview and give you tools for self-discovery. Conquer Discomfort: Feeling overwhelmed? Discover the key attributes for building resilience and overcoming challenges. The Art of Balance: Is constant comfort a recipe for disaster? Learn how to embrace healthy discomfort and create a life rich in both pleasure and growth. This episode is perfect if you're: Interested in self-discovery and personal development. Curious about the science of pain and pleasure. Looking for strategies to build resilience and overcome challenges. Feeling lost and want to reignite your purpose. A parent seeking to understand the deeper aspects of parenting. Martin's book will be widely available for purchase on Amazon starting May 13th 2024. Alternatively, register your interest directly with us here: ⁠https://trans2performance.com/pre-order⁠ Featuring: *Interviewee - Martin Johnson, CEO of Trans2 Performance & Author of I Am Human: 30 Mistakes To Success and I Am Human: Pain & Pleasure  *Interviewer - Tom Noblett, Content Executive at Trans2 Performance  Interested in being our new Senior Consultant?  Stage 1 - Send us a 3 minute video that is as bold as your spirit (provide us with a link) Let us know why you think you would be a good fit at T2 and what you love about what we do & attach a covering letter that lets us see your experience. Stage 2 - If we want to see more….. you would be invited to T2 HQ to deliver a workshop. A brief will be provided to enable you to prepare and show up in your best authentic self. Stage 3 - Final Stage - Informal interview with the CEO and Head of consulting. Applications can be sent directly to help@trans2performance.com Note: This role will be based in Hull, East Yorkshire and you would be expected to work from the office when not travelling to clients. Remote variations are not available at this time due to the amount of collaborative work we undertake.  Follow us on: * Tiktok- ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@t2_performance⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ * Instagram- ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/thet2hubcast/⁠⁠ *Youtube-⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@trans2performance/videos⁠⁠⁠⁠ * Facebook- ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/trans2performance⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ * Twitter- ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/Trans2P⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ * Linkedin- ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/9404485/⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thet2hubcast/message

How do men from various backgrounds become LCMS pastors? Rev. Harrison Goodman, Content Executive for Higher Things, and Rev. Randy Sturzenbecher, Vice President of Higher Things, join Andy and Sarah for our Set Apart to Serve Series to talk about their paths to the pastoral ministry, how pastors serve in many and various ways in the church, who encouraged them to become pastors, and how Higher Things encourages youth to consider church work through their conferences and large amount of other resources. Learn more about Higher Things at higherthings.org. Learn more about the Set Apart to Serve Initiative at lcms.org/setaparttoserve. Christ's church will continue until He returns, and that church will continue to need church workers. Set Apart to Serve (SAS) is an initiative of the LCMS to recruit church workers. Together, we pray for workers for the Kingdom of God and encourage children to consider church work vocations. Here are three easy ways you can participate in SAS: 1. Pray with your children for God to provide church workers. 2. Talk to your children about becoming church workers. 3. Thank God for the people who work in your congregation. To learn more about Set Apart to Serve, visit lcms.org/set-apart-to-serve.

August 19, 2023Today's Reading: Introit to Pentecost 12: Psalm 28:1-2, 6-7; antiphon: Psalm 28:8Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 17:1-19, Acts 26:1-23Psalm 28:7: “The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.”In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The tenses matter.  David is calling out to God for help. Present tense.  Right now.  If God won't answer him he'll die.  Present danger.  There are wicked workers of evil around him.  Present tense. He's in trouble as He prays this psalm.  Blessed be the LORD! For He has heard the voice of my pleas for mercy.  Past tense.  Before David ever cried out to God for help, the Lord had already heard.  Before they call, I will answer them, says the LORD.  The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.  Present tense.  David, surrounded by enemies and about to die, is helped.  Present tense.  The help that brings him comfort can exist even in the present tense and danger.  It isn't held out to the future.  It isn't quarantined to a time you don't need it anymore.  It's present tense.  The help David found comfort in, even surrounded by problems, was rooted not in the absence of problems but the presence of God.  God heard and worked even before the problem.  He has sent His Son to rescue you from every evil before you could ever call upon Him.  The prayers we pray are comforts, not because we need to make God work in the future to fix our present problems, but because He has already worked in the past, and His present Word reminds us of our help now.  That help lasts forevermore.  The rescue we have is eternal.  The victory we have is over the grave.  When you pray, don't think of prayer as leverage to make God work. Use those words to remember God's promises.  Everything that you're asking for has been paid for. The help that you need is from a God not far off.  The rescue that you think can't be today is already yours.  Blessed be the Lord, who has already worked to deliver us. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.We all believe in one true God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, Ever-present help in need, Praised by all the heav'nly host; All He made His love enfolds, All creation He upholds. (We All Believe in One True God, LSB 953:1)-Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.

August 18, 2023Today's Reading: 1 Samuel 16:1-23Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 16:1-23, Acts 25:13-271 Samuel 16:7: “But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.””In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Lord looks at things differently than we do.  We want might. He wants mercy.  Pastors love alliteration even more than allegory.  So when Samuel goes out to visit Jesse to see which of his sons would be the newer, better king, there's something for us to learn.  Samuel assumes the taller. The stronger.  Someone to crush Saul, who has turned evil.  Someone who would protect the people.  The Lord rejects this idea.  It's going to be David, despite all the things that make him look weak.  David's Son, yet David's Lord is no different.  The God we want help from stomps the people we hate. He cures all our diseases. He fixes all our problems.  Instead, we get the God who dies on the cross.  We're as perplexed as Samuel.  But where mercy is worked, peace follows.  We talk a lot about the theology of the cross and the theology of glory.  We know the difference between mercy and might, and which one our Lord uses.  But we often overlook which one brings peace.  A theology of glory never gives true lasting peace.  Each rescue only kicks the can down the road until the next tragedy, pain, or trial.  Each rescue isn't a chance to rejoice, but only a chance to look over your shoulder for something else.  But a theology of the cross provides a rescue that even death itself cannot destroy.  It provides the peace of knowing none of these things can separate us from the love of God which joins us in the pit to suffer, to work mercy, and to save.  Ours isn't a hope of escape from one problem at a time.  Ours is a hope of salvation that none of our problems can rob us of, whether we have them or not.  It's of a God who isn't just mighty, but loving enough to work within suffering so that suffering can become a gift, and not just something to spend our days afraid of.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.O Lord, my God, to Thee I pray: O cast me not in wrath away! Let Thy good Spirit ne'er depart, But let Him draw to Thee my heart That truly penitent I be: O God, be merciful to me (To Thee, Omniscient Lord of All, LSB 613:2)!-Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.

August 17, 2023Today's Reading: Romans 10:5-17Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 15:10-35, Acts 24:24-25:12Romans 10:17: “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. God sends His word to you so that you will believe it and be saved.  And we're still scared that Christianity is going away.  Despite the boomers telling you how full the church was “back in their day”, it's not a new problem.  One verse before the promise that faith comes by hearing is the lament of Romans 10:16, “But they have not all obeyed the gospel.” For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?””I love it when old people complain to me about things I worry about too.  Generation after generation has worried about the wellbeing of Christendom.  Generation after generation has lamented.  Generation after generation has been preserved in faith.  Because no matter how much we worry, God still sends preachers.  He still sends His Holy Spirit by His Word to call, gather, enlighten, sanctify, and keep.  The feet are beautiful because God sends them to speak salvation.  It's not your job to ascend to heaven. It's not your job to save yourself.  It's not your job to save others.  It's Jesus' job to descend.  To die. To rise. To ascend back into heaven.  To send forth the Spirit by the feet of preachers.  And to save you and many more by the hearing of that Word. Not all will believe.  That doesn't nullify the Word.  It just makes it matter more.  In a world of not enough hope, God is still speaking more.  He can't be silenced any more than He can be uncrucified.  So we hear. We believe. And we confess.  Christ Jesus saved me by His death and resurrection.  He has saved you too. The Word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.To hope grown dim, to hearts turned cold Speak tongues of fire and make us bold To shine Your Word of saving grace Into each dark and loveless place (Lord Jesus Christ, with Us Abide, LSB 585:3).-Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.

August 16, 2023Today's Reading: Luther's Small Catechism, The Lord's Prayer: First Petition Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 14:47-15:9, Acts 24:1-23Hallowed be Thy nameIn the Name + of Jesus. Amen. People misuse God's name a lot.  Not just where toes get stubbed.  Where people lie about who God is. Where people teach falsely in His name. Where people use His name as a weapon for a cause they deem more important than His will.  And yet, God's name is already holy.  You can't make God's name more holy by your prayers.  You can't make it less holy by your actions.  But we pray in this petition that God's holy name would be a gift to us.  That the name we can't sully by our sins would be the name of our redeemer.  That our redeemer wouldn't abandon us to our sins, but give us a name to call upon in every trouble, pray, praise, and give thanks.God's name is kept holy when the Word of God is taught in its truth and purity, and we, as the children of God, also lead holy lives according to it. Help us to do this, dear Father in heaven! But anyone who teaches or lives contrary to God's Word profanes the name of God among us. Protect us from this, heavenly Father!This Petition is a gift because it points to who God already is. That turns the prayer from a burden to a gift.  Now you don't have to pray for something to happen, but rejoice that it happens near you and for you. He's establishing His holy name in your life by His Holy Spirit where His Word is preached and His Sacrament administered. You can know where it is and pray that it is given to you too.  You can find comfort in receiving them.  You can find holiness brought near you.  God gives His holy name that you would find comfort in praying to Your Father in heaven, and life in His only Son. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Your name be hallowed. Help us, Lord, In purity to keep Your Word, That to the glory of Your name We walk before You free from blame. Let no false teaching us pervert; All poor deluded souls convert (Our Father, Who from Heaven Above, LSB 766:2). -Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.

August 15, 2023Today's Reading: Luke 1:39-55Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 13:1-18, Acts 23:13-35Luke 1:48: “for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;”In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Blessed are you among women To be called the mother of God by the small whispering wordAnd so much worse by those without ears to hear.The virgin shall conceive and bear abuse. But she named it all Immanuel.God with us. For the belittled and the befouled The mocked and reviled, the virgin gives a hymn.He has regard for the humiliated. who in their shame would prefer sticks and stones to words used to cause much deeper hurt He sheds precious blood and names the least of these holy.  Exalting what has been profaned,and blessing what others only curse.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Almighty God, You chose the Virgin Mary to be the mother of Your only Son. Grant that we, who are redeemed by His blood, may share with her in the glory of Your eternal kingdom; through Jesus Christ, our Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.-Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.

August 14, 2023Today's Reading: Job 38:4-18Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 12:1-25, Acts 22:30-23:11Job 38:4: ““Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding.”In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Where were you when God worked? To create. To redeem. The real question the Lord poses to Job is “Why would you think you need to be?” It's a harsh question for a reason.  After everything that Job went through, it's easy to question how a loving God could let it happen. It's easy to come up with 100 other options that involve less hurt.  The Lord doesn't take time to entertain them.  He doesn't make it a contest of ideas, but of identity. Because we have questions and ideas.  And honestly it's going to be tough to convince anyone in the midst of Job's suffering that it's totally a good idea. We still try. We treat “everything happens for a reason” like a magic spell that just makes it all ok.  Instead, Job is left with a reminder about who his God is.  Because honestly, he's not going to understand the reason.  The Lord berates Job for chapters on end for assuming he possibly could.  You are not God. You're not going to understand the reason.  You were not even there.  And that's a gift. Why would you think you'd need to be?  Did the God who did all these we don't understand and hate put Himself farther away from creation or closer? He was incarnate.  Did He put Himself farther away or closer to suffering? He took flesh to die for you.  Were you there?  Why would you measure creation by your experience of it? Why would you think you had to be at the foot of the cross to make it matter more? It's evil to measure it by your experience.  If God is only working in ways that you experience as pleasurable, when you need Him the most, He'll feel the farthest away.  He didn't abandon Job.  Thinking that way is demonic.  It's literally what Satan wanted.  Sing songs about where you were when Jesus was crucified all you want, but what matters isn't just that it happened, but it happened for you. Even if you weren't there. That it was the work of a God smarter than you. Holier than you. Who loves you.  He does things we don't understand and don't like.  But He also bears the worst of it Himself, even for the very sinners who question His motives while He does it. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Were you there when they crucified my Lord? Were you there when they crucified my Lord? Oh . . . Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble. Were you there when they crucified my Lord (Were You There, LSB 456:1)?-Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.

August 13, 2023Today's Reading: Matthew 14:22-33Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 10:1-27, Acts 22:17-29Matthew 14:24–25: “but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea.”In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It's easier to talk about the Jesus who walks on water than the Jesus who made the disciples get in the boat before the winds and waves pulled their boat from land and soaked the disciples to their bones.  The wind was against them.  Which is an understatement sort of like when someone asks you “how's it going?” and you say “OK”.  The wind was against them in the kind of way that took control of their boat from them and threatened death.  It's great that Jesus walked on water in a storm, but if you ignore the reality that He also made the disciples go out into what just might have killed them, you'll miss the point.  Both were done out of mercy.  In the middle of the night, surrounded by death, the deeper truth is that Jesus rescued the disciples from the misconception that calm is the same as peace.  When Christianity confuses calm for peace, it offers neither.   But still, so often, we want to describe our faith as a calmed storm, not a present Lord. We imagine that a thriving faith is the kind that can walk on water and not sink, but I wonder how many of the people who'd criticize St. Peter for the doubt that sunk him into the sea also took swimming lessons.  “O ye of little faith, why did you doubt?” O ye of little faith, why would you think that would stop God from working.  The disciples were anything but calm.  Peter doubted.  God still saved.  All of this is given to you so you'll stop measuring the storm, stop measuring the calm, stop measuring your faith, and start looking to your God.  Christianity is not Christians copying Jesus to walk on water.  It's Jesus pulling up sinking sinners.  He reaches down into death and pulls us back out.  He dies upon the cross for you and rises from the dead, taking you with Him. And if Christ can pull you out of the grave, go ahead and let your calm be damaged. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.-Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.Almighty and most merciful God, preserve us from all harm and danger that we, being ready in both body and soul, may cheerfully accomplish what You want done; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. 

August 12, 2023Today's Reading: Introit to Pentecost 11: Psalm 34:4-8; antiphon: Psalm 34:1Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 9:1-27, Acts 21:37-22:16Psalm 34:7: The angel of the LORD encamps around those who I fear him, and delivers them.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The angel of the Lord is, more than sometimes, the Son of God.  Angel means messenger.  Voice. Word.  The Word of the Lord made flesh spoke even before He was made flesh.  The Son of God was at work in the Old Testament too.  The angel of the Lord who saves the poor man out of his troubles, who encamps around those who fear them and delivers them is the one who would become man to die and rise.  It doesn't just change the actor. It changes what the help looks like.  We imagine help from angels looks like spiritual war protecting us from demons.  We imagine it looks like forces unseen at work to keep us safe.  But the angel of the Lord dwells with us in our suffering to deliver us by suffering for us on the cross.  God won't be far from our cries for help in times of trouble.  But He saves us not by sending legions of angels to conquer the trouble but by bearing it Himself.  God saves us through weakness, not strength.  But that means when you look around and things are falling apart, it isn't because God has left us.  It usually just means we're looking in the wrong places.  Oh taste and see that the Lord is good.  God dwells with sinners to save today.  In communion, Jesus encamps on altars surrounded by the faithful, struggling with sin week after week. Struggling with death. Struggling with the evil one.  He gives the victory we're desperate for week after week.  He brings deliverance you can taste. His body and blood for you.  They save you.  From the sins you can't escape on your own.  From the death that looms.  From the evil one.  We eat and drink the body and blood of Jesus that forgives all your sin, brings life everlasting, and robs the devil of all his might.  That It's worth praising. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.From evil, Lord, deliver us; The times and days are perilous. Redeem us from eternal death, And, when we yield our dying breath, Console us, grant us calm release, And take our souls to You in peace (Our Father, Who from Heaven Above, LSB 766:8).-Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.

August 11, 2023Today's Reading: Acts 21:15-36Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 8:1-22, Acts 21:15-36Acts 21:24: “take these men and purify yourself along with them and pay their expenses, so that they may shave their heads. Thus all will know that there is nothing in what they have been told about you, but that you yourself also live in observance of the law.”In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Paul seems to go back and forth on little details, but makes a huge deal of them.  In some places he urges circumcision. In others he forbids it.  Sometimes he speaks about eating food offered to idols as no big deal, and today he shaves his head to show he's not down with that tomfoolery.  It's almost easier to blame it on the hypocrisy of Christians.  Today we don't talk about food sacrificed to idols, and circumcision isn't a trending topic, but can you shop at Target?  It really seems like everyone is making up their own answers, justifying them from Scripture, and condemning others even if they end up changing their minds and justifying their new answers from the same Scriptures.  There is a way to see through the haze.  First, right and wrong are defined by the 10 commandments.  Those don't change.  If the commandments are silent, for example, on food that was sacrificed to Ba'al or  Ta'arget, we ask a simple question.  What does this confess? Not just what do you intend, but what do other people see? You can fly a rainbow flag as a remembrance of God's promise to Noah, but the world will see something different.  What does this confess? That's why Paul's answer changes.  To those who would make a weapon out of the Law and use it against others, he preaches Christian freedom.  To those who would be harmed spiritually by being subject to the trends of the day, he preaches a clear distinction between faith and unfaithfulness.  When you go out into the world, can you be made unclean by anything in your Baptism? No! Jesus died for you. Daily you are washed.  Your salvation cannot be robbed by the dollar spot.  Might there come a time for some people in some places that they cannot be associated with unbelief to the point where they'll have to look elsewhere? Sure.  But in each case, the question is what does this confess? We confess Christ crucified for the forgiveness of sins and the free salvation given to sinners by His promises.  Let that be our identity.  That saves more than public declarations of boycotts. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.All who confess Christ's holy name, Give God the praise and glory. Let all who know His pow'r proclaim Aloud the wondrous story. Cast ev'ry idol from its throne, For God is God, and He alone: To God all praise and glory! (Sing Praise to God, the Highest Good, 819:5)-Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.

 August 10, 2023Today's Reading: Acts 19:1-22Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 6:19-7:17, Acts 19:1-22Acts 19:19: “And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver.”In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Magic always boils down to the same thing.  Whether it's Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter or genuine dark arts and witchcraft.  Manipulate something spiritual to affect something physical.  Poke at something you can't see to get something you can.  Which, if you think about it, is a lot like how most Christians treat prayer.  That might actually be a good way to think about this.  In the text the exorcists weren't calling out to Satan to cast out Satan. They were using the name of Jesus. They thought they knew the magic words.  It's what broke the second commandment.  Magic is evil because it's about control.  Using God's name as a magic word to get what you want (please) is evil because it's about control. The difference between magic and prayer is control.  Are you praying to a Heavenly Father who loves you for comfort in the knowledge that His will is going to be done in your life as it is everywhere else, or are you trying to manipulate something you can't see to get something you can? God's name is not something you use to get something else.  God's name is a comfort to all who trust in Him.  The difference between the exorcists and Paul's teaching about the Holy Spirit and baptizing in the triune name isn't just that Paul's stuff worked. It isn't because Paul meant it for good and the people trying to cast demons out of the sick and suffering had ulterior motives.  It's that God would not allow His name to be misused to teach people He was the same as any other spiritual force out there.  Call upon it in every trouble, pray, praise, and give thanks.  But do so knowing you have a Father in Heaven who loves you, and that any peace comes from knowing you have received the Holy Spirit and need not worry about having to do magic in the first place.  Because God is in control.  That's way better.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.O come, Thou Wisdom from on high, Who ord'rest all things mightily; To us the path of knowledge show, And teach us in her ways to go. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel! (O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, LSB 357:2)-Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.

August 9, 2023Today's Reading: Luther's Small Catechism, Table of Duties: Intro to the Lord's PrayerDaily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 5:1-6:3, 10-16, Acts 18:1-11, 23-28Our Father who art in HeavenIn the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Prayer is about comfort, not stuff.  For some reason we've come to see it the other way around.  Prayer is about making God do stuff for you.  The problem is that the second prayer is rooted in stuff and not comfort, there's never any comfort to be found until you get the stuff.  So everything becomes devoted to getting it.  Which means you have to pray more. And be more heartfelt about it. And definitely get more people to do it with you and for you so that God will help you.  Because He only helps the popular kids, right? Also, when prayer becomes about stuff and you're not getting your stuff, it's hard not to see God as the bad guy in the situation.  Some Christians even call themselves prayer warriors.  The thing is, Satan was defeated at the cross.  So, who's left to fight except God?  So Jesus teaches us to pray.  Our Father who art in heaven.  We pray as if we have a Father in heaven who actually loves us enough to take care of us.  Who calls us to ask for all things with the knowledge that the answer isn't rooted in you doing enough to earn a prize, but in Him loving you enough to take care of you.  Sometimes that means saying no.  Sometimes that means saying later. But even when you don't get what you want, even what you need, you still have a Father in heaven, and this prayer is a comfort because it reminds us of that.  The thing we need isn't everything.  You have a God who will care for you, even without it if He knows it to be best.  When prayer is about comfort, you can bring all your complaints, your worries, and even your sins to God with your petitions and know that He gladly bears them all for you.  He answers not as a vending machine would, but as a Father.  This is the greater good. Your parents don't stop being your parents because they say no to you.  You're better for being told no once in a while.  The comfort of prayer is knowing that God, who is smarter than you and holier than you, is on your side, and working in all things to care for you as a dear Father cares for His dear children. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Our Father, who from heav'n above Bids all of us to live in love As members of one family And pray to You in unity, Teach us no thoughtless words to say But from our inmost hearts to pray (Our Father, Who from Heaven Above, LSB 766:1)-Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.

August 8, 2023Today's Reading: Romans 9:1-13Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 4:1-22, Acts 16:23-40Romans 9:11: “in order that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls.”In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It's a dangerous thing to look at missions and assume you're more loving than God is.  Almost all of us have someone in our life outside of the faith.  Every single one of us is uncomfortable about it.  Even though God is the one who did the work to die and rise again to save us. Even though we cannot by our own reason or strength believe in this Jesus Christ our Lord or come to Him, we make it our “mission” to make sure someone else does.  What can we do? What can we say? How can we make them believe? Paul struggles with it, and I deeply understand his frustrations.  To Paul's people belong the promises, the Law, the worship, the covenants.  Yet not all of them are children of Abraham.  It is not as though the Word of God has failed, though.  Remember, God's purpose of election, His love for sinners, is what first drove Him to the cross.  Do you think He loves us less this side of Easter, now that the painful part is over?  All who hear and receive God's promises in faith hear because He calls.  Yes, some will hear and ignore.  Some will close their ears to the Law and the promises.  It doesn't mean God doesn't want them saved. After all, He calls them, which shows He wants them saved.  It also doesn't fall on you to fix what God supposedly did wrong.  There will be people who hate the promises, but they can't unmake them.  It isn't yours to save your friends anymore than it is Paul's.  But God wants them saved even more than you do.  Even if they hate the promises now, they can't unmake them.  So God will still proclaim, and the Holy Spirit will still work to call, gather, enlighten, sanctify, and even keep. Rest here. If there are such things as missions, recognize it is God who is at work, and simply take joy in the reality He cares about the people in your life enough to make promises to them over and over, and that His Word does not return void. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Elect from ev'ry nation, Yet one o'er all the earth; Her charter of salvation: One Lord, one faith, one birth. One holy name she blesses, Partakes one holy food, And to one hope she presses With ev'ry grace endued (The Church's One Foundation LSB 644:2).-Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.

August 7, 2023Today's Reading: Isaiah 55:1-5Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 3:1-21, Acts 16:1-22Isaiah 55:2: “Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.”In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It doesn't makes sense, but I still watch a basketball team I don't think will win and eat food I know isn't healthy.  I say money can't buy happiness, but I also say practice makes perfect, so I guess I'll try it one more time anyway.  Everyone nods sagely when we talk about the futility of these things.  Simplicity and productivity fill my feeds.  They get millions of views because all of us see through the foolishness and are convinced that if we just finally abandon the ridiculous things we cling to. our stress will go away along with it. We figure If we can't have all we covet, money must be bad, even though we thank God for the gifts it buys because we know who made it, gave it to us, and called it good in the first place.Money isn't bad, leisure isn't bad. Being more organized and less stressed isn't bad. But God won't limit Himself to where these things might theoretically exist.  If you want to measure God's presence or goodness or even just whether or not He exists based on how little stress and how much money you have, when you need God the most He'll be the farthest away. He doesn't need those things as much as you think He does. God puts Himself in poverty and chaos.  God invites in those who have no money, and all who thirst.  He makes a covenant with sinners, and promises to save, help, and redeem.  He doesn't need money or work/life balance to manage it.  He takes on human flesh and weakness, and even the human sin that looks for God where He has never promised to be found, in us getting better enough to not need Him anymore.  We find Him not living the best life, but dying the righteous death upon the cross.  It's so that if you have plenty, you can thank God, and if you don't, I'm sorry, and you're allowed to lament it, but just don't think you somehow lost God in the midst of it, or that He won't continue to care in ways that all those things you think you need could never manage. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.All depends on our possessing God's abundant grace and blessing, Though all earthly wealth depart. They who trust with faith unshaken By their God are not forsaken And will keep a dauntless heart (All Depends on Our Possessing, LSB 732:1)-Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House

August 6, 2023Today's Reading: Matthew 14:13-21 Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 2:18-36, Acts 15:22-41Matthew 14:14: “When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.”In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The feeding of the 5000 happens right after John the Baptist gets his head cut off for preaching the stuff God told him to preach.  It makes bread and fish seem like less, even if He healed a few sick people along the way.  Especially since Jesus left afterwards so He wouldn't have to do it again.  Reading about miracles in the Bible only seems to highlight the places they aren't today.  So instead of measuring God by every single problem, by everything you think you lack, look to who He is in the face of all of it.It was compassion that moved Jesus each time.  It was compassion for the loss of His friend that drove Him to the desolate places to mourn.  It was compassion for the people there that drove Him to feed the people that followed Him.  It was even compassion that drove Him away after.  When He went, it wasn't to abandon them. He carried their pains and fears and most of all their sins with Him. He wanted to do more than answer one fear after another as they arose.  He wasn't meant to be that kind of King.  He left to snuff them out completely.   His was to go into Jerusalem to wear a crown of thorns so that sinful desire and scared idolatry would not devour us, that enemies like death and the devil would be robbed of their sting. That the sinners would find mercy.  That the dead would live. That those who hunger and thirst for righteousness would be satisfied.  Even when everything looks like this.  Maybe you don't see Him still working in the middle of all your problems, but neither did the disciples surrounded by hungry mouths to feed.   In the face of fear and sorrow and a complete lack of everything needed, Jesus took bread, and after giving thanks, broke it and gave it to the disciples. 5000 were fed.  The same love, the same mercy that drove Him to care for those saints drives Him to care for you, even if He does it differently.  Today I don't see 5000 fed, but the body and blood of Jesus forgive my sins.  That does more than leave me fed once and looking for the next meal. You can have some too. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Heavenly Father, though we do not deserve Your goodness, still You provide for all our needs of body and soul. Grant us Your Holy Spirit that we may acknowledge Your gifts, give thanks for all Your benefits,and serve You in willing obedience; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. -Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.

Pastor Harrison Goodman, Content Executive for Higher Things joins us at the table this week to talk about how for-life Christians should engage the culture. He and the Y4Life team will talk about what culture is, how we interact with it, when we should stand outside of culture, and how to wade through the gray areas that culture presents. Learn more about how you can be a Gospel-motivated voice 4 LIFE at Y4Life.org.

May 27, 2023Today's Reading: John 14:15-21Daily Lectionary: Numbers 20:22-21:9, Luke 20:45-21:19John 14:15: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments”In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Jesus said, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my commandments”.  Faith, of course, is presupposed.  I guess that's good…we assume Christians believe.  But also, when we take faith for granted, all that's really left to talk about is what we want to come out of it.  We assume the most important part of what Jesus said, then leave all of the stress on something that wasn't ever given to carry the weight.  We focus on the word keep.  We assume it's ours to carry as obedience and call it proof we love God. The problem, of course, is that when this is our hope, our lack of obedience can really only be proof we hate Him.  Don't presuppose faith.  See it for what it is.  The gift of the Holy Spirit. Pentecost celebrates that.  God wants to speak and give good gifts to sinners.  He sends the Spirit to bring faith, to bring to remembrance the teachings of Good. Not just to know them.  To remember them. To love them. To treasure them.  That's what keep means.  Keep isn't measured in obedience but in love.  Love what the world loves not.  Love the cross and all it brings.  Love the place God puts to death all evil and saves you from yourself.  Love the life He gives that only comes on the other side of the tomb, but already belongs to you in your Baptism. And so love the commandments too, as they paint a picture of the Lord who saved you by fulfilling them in your stead and then dying that you would live.  In the promise Jesus makes, you who love the Lord do treasure His words.  The word speaks and it shapes us. Each day it forgives, and each day it ties us to the great promise He makes us. The promise we cling to and keep because we love Him who has first loved us.  Rise. Let us go from here. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Almighty and ever-living God, You fulfilled Your promise by sending the gift of the Holy Spirit to unite disciples of all nations in the cross and resurrection of Your Son, Jesus Christ. By the preaching of the Gospel spread this gift to the ends of the earth; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.-Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Jonathan Lackey is an LCMS seminarian.Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.

May 26, 2023Today's Reading:  Luke 20:19-44Daily Lectionary: Numbers 20:1-21, Luke 20:19-44Luke 20:25: He said to them, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.”In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Do you think stamping Caesar's face on a coin makes it not God's anymore? It isn't just whether or not this is God's coin. It's whether or not this is God's Caesar.  The Pharisees saw Caesar as something ungodly that came about by the will of men, not God.  They saw tribute to him as worship to an idol.  Maybe to those who saw him as a god, it was, but isn't that the problem?  This isn't about the coin. It's about the face.  Is this God's Caesar, or is this Caesar independent of God, and a god himself? It's the same today. This guy who you don't like and doesn't agree with your beliefs is in charge.  He's still not God. Even if some people worship him.  Do you think God doesn't work there anyway?  Do you think that's not God's creation raised up to the office of president? If God puts someone in the office, He will work there. Even if it's messy. Even if the person put there is sinful.  Even if the person put there is ungodly. The thing that is God's is the authority to establish leaders, and the promise to work through them and their institutions.  The tax paid can be called theft. It might not be so far from it.  But render unto God the power and will to work good among thieves.  He saved you by dying in-between two of them.  Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's.  He has authority given by God.  Render unto God what is God's.  He has the will to work good through sinful men and the faithfulness to make His promises worth clinging to.  It makes the questions of church and state easier.  If it's against God's 10 commandments, call it sinful.  If God is risen from the dead, expect Him to work good through sinners.  That good won't be measured in their sins becoming socially acceptable, but in God forgiving sinners by His death on the cross and His day by day working of blessings that should not be able to thrive in a field of so much sin.  Yet here we are.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Let us recall that in our midst Dwells Christ, His only Son; As members of His body joined We are in Him made one. (Where Charity and Love Prevail, LSB 845:5)-Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Jonathan Lackey is an LCMS seminarian.Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.

May 25, 2023Today's Reading: Luke 20:1-18Daily Lectionary: Numbers 16:41-17:13, Luke 20:1-18Luke 20:4: “was the baptism of John from heaven or from man?””In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Who is running the verbs?  Who is doing the thing? It changes baptism. Not just because the Pharisees were afraid of upsetting the crowds, but because if all we have is a bath of good intentions, the waters never get less muddy. Pledge yourself to Jesus all you want.  But take an honest look at yourself and what you're pledging each time you have to redo it because you screwed the last one up.  Do you think God really wants you to pledge Him that? Do you think God really wants your best intentions and the excuses for all the sins that lead you to having to do it in the first place? But if John's Baptism comes from heaven, maybe it means something that Jesus climbed down in those muddy waters too.  God works something in your Baptism. Forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation.  He climbs down from heaven to collect not your good intentions but your sins.  He gathers up not your promises to do better, but your past and all your excuses, carries it with your future ones too each step to a cross to bleed and die for you to save you.  Baptism is what God would do for you.  It now saves you. The Pharisees didn't understand this.  So Jesus won't tell them why He preaches either.  It isn't just whether or not Jesus should be allowed to speak in the house built upon His name and promises.  It's what He would say there.  Does the Gospel Jesus preached actually forgive sins, or is it just a call to try harder and come up with a new life plan?  Who is running the verbs? Who is doing the thing?  If all you want from Jesus is a chance to prove you can do better, you'll miss out because the answer isn't so tricky.  God has authority in His creation.  And God wishes to save sinners.  So when God works in His church, it isn't actually about you. It's for you. It isn't about your works or your gifts or your intentions or your life changes.  It's about salvation given freely to sinners. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.This miracle of life reborn Comes from the Lord of breath; The perfect Man from life was torn; Our life comes through Christ's death. (This Is the Spirit's Entry Now, LSB 591:2)-Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Jonathan Lackey is an LCMS seminarian.Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.

May 24, 2023Today's Reading: Luther's Small Catechism Ten Commandments: The Ninth CommandmentDaily Lectionary: Numbers 16:23-40, Luke 19:29-48You shall not covet your neighbor's house.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.  In mercy, God will even guard your heart.  There's already a commandment about not taking what's yours.  You shall not steal.  You shall help your neighbor improve and protect his possessions and income.  We covered this.  But your heart can trespass too.  It can go where it ought not go.  Even the pagans recognize the shortsightedness of materialism.  Spending all day on Amazon and ignoring what you've been given is foolishness.  That doesn't make the things we would covet sinful. It means that our hearts will do sinful things with them.  We usually call it greed.  Greed seeks more than God already graciously gives at the expense of others.  And greed creates problems with the extra it acquires.  To quote the hymnist, “More money, more problems.”So God gives us a commandment to guard our hearts.  Because greed is an ugly beast to slay.  It looks at the world and the possessions within it as a zero-sum game instead of a heap of gifts given by a merciful Father.  And God would rather your heart be fixed on Him who gives what we don't deserve, then keeps on giving it even though everything in the world is falling apart, all just to make you a little more comfortable than you deserve on the beach with one set of footprints because He had to drag you kicking and screaming the whole way into the resurrection because you think your sandcastle is what really matters even though the tide is going to take it by tomorrow anyway.  Thou shall not covet.  Because where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.  Set not your heart on greed, which would take from others, but on God who would only give in mercy.  It isn't just instructions to follow for a happier life.  It's a joy that the Jesus who died to forgive you all your sins, even forgives your heart.  Your heart is forgiven too.  The greed that you hide and the greed that you don't is forgiven by Jesus.  He numbers it among the 10 commandments He fulfills and the 10 He daily and richly forgives. So count it as a joy that God cares about your heart so much that He'd guard it, redeem it, and seal it for salvation.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.“You shall not crave your neighbor's house Nor covet money, goods, or spouse. Pray God He would your neighbor bless As you yourself wish success.” Have mercy, Lord! (These are the Holy Ten Commands, LSB 581:10)-Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Jonathan Lackey is an LCMS seminarian.Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.

May 23, 2023Today's Reading: 1 Peter 4:12-19, 5:6-11Daily Lectionary: Numbers 16:1-22, Luke 19:11-281 Peter 4:13: “But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.”In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Peter calls suffering a blessing.  I wish he wouldn't.  It isn't just how much it hurts.  It's the question of why.  Because a loving God sends some suffering for good.  And also, the devil prowls about like a roaring lion seeking to devour Christians.  Working havoc.  And suffering. It makes the suffering God sends hard to pick out from the suffering the devil brings.  And highlights the question.  Why?  We try to parse the source of the suffering. We try to parse the reason.  When all along, this is simply a call about where to take it.  We take suffering to Jesus, who joins us in it.  It's going to hurt down here.  Be ready.  Some of it will come from the devil.  Some of it will come from God.  Some of it will come as the consequences of your own sins and sins others commit. And in the middle of it all, you won't understand where it comes from. You'll just pray it will go away.  You won't understand why it's happening, be it divine plan, satanic attack, or simply human stupidity.  But even if you do, it usually won't be worth the trade to you. We have a bigger problem with suffering than God does.  That's evident.  Not just because it's too common or because it  hurts, but chiefly in the fact that suffering is how God saves you.  He suffers for you.  God dwells in suffering first.  He died on the cross to save you, not just from the attacks of the devil, but from the consequences of your own sins.  So that you could do more than hope that this world too full of suffering might get a little better.  He places Himself into suffering so that you can be placed into the resurrection and a world without it.  God dwells in suffering first.  His glory is revealed there.  Glory is a presence word.  It means that God is actually there.  God suffers for you on the cross and works good there.  When we are close to suffering, we are close to where God works salvation. That's a blessing.  When we suffer, we join ours to Him who has already conquered it and we look past the cross to the empty tomb, that we would know suffering isn't all there is, it's just the rocky path already paved smooth by Jesus for your salvation. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.O LORD, let us who suffer according to Your will entrust our souls to a faithful Creator while doing good. Amen. -Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Jonathan Lackey is an LCMS seminarian.Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.

May 22, 2023Today's Reading: Acts 1:12-26Daily Lectionary: Numbers 14:26-45, Luke 18:35-19:10Acts 1:16: ““Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus.”In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. What do you say at the funeral of a friend? Judas was numbered with them. Spent 3 years with them. Ate, laughed, and cried with them.  Then he killed himself.  This isn't just a turning point towards the calling of Matthias, the 12th 2.0.  It's a loss over what to say in the face of something so awful.  Sometimes there just aren't' words. The heavy-handed law to anyone considering Judas' end might look at how they don't know what to say.  Look at how much work is still left to be done, but now by another.  Look at how little is fixed by this.  There is a field devoted to the tragedy that will never be the same to everyone left. It's so easy to put a better construction on things than they rightly deserve.  Find a reason.  Peter doesn't do that.  He points to the fulfillment of the scriptures, which don't deny Judas his sin, but also provide the answer.  The scripture had to be fulfilled.  And it was.  Jesus was betrayed, crucified, and risen.  He ascended to sit upon the throne.  It's not what Judas' sin allowed. It's what God insisted would happen, even for sinners like Judas.  Hope can draw near and exist even when there aren't words to talk about what happened.  There is forgiveness, life, and salvation for all who believe.  Don't excuse away actions. Cling to the word of God.  That endures to life, even when yours fall short.Trust in the baptism that saves sinners.  God saves through faith, even battered and broken.  Then, when you look back to Judas, it can be more than a cautionary tale.  If you look at the darkest funerals you stumble across, they can be stories of commending a fallen brother to the mercy of God, and a chance to look forward to seeing God who saves the sinners still at work in your life and to life everlasting. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.O LORD God, Dear Father in Heaven, give to us the Lamb in the midst of the throne to be our shepherd, that He will guide us to springs of living water, and will wipe away every tear from our eyes. Amen.-Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Jonathan Lackey is an LCMS seminarian.Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.

 May 21, 2023Today's Reading: John 17:1-11Daily Lectionary: Numbers 14:1-25, Luke 18:18-34John 17:11: “And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.”In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Why does it feel so good to lament the decline of civilization? It seems like a solid 80% of the conversations I have with Christians involve some sort of complaint about the world. Why does it feel so good to think there's nothing we can do about it but say “I told you so” in the face of calamity?  Maybe it's because quitting feels easier. Or because when we are powerless to circumstance, it might be our problem but at least it's not our fault.  Even with Christ who is risen from the grave, Christians aren't just sad but despondent.  Hopeless. That's worse than sad. Sadness can keep fighting. Keep struggling. But when there's no hope, when the world is insurmountable, why bother? Hopelessness creeps into every part of life.  Relationships feel broken and unfixable.  Anxieties pile up and can't be conquered. Illnesses are terminal and can't be cured.  This is what giving up feels like.  And it feels good. Despondency feels good. Complaining about the world feels good. If you couldn't have won anyway, you can be dragged into the same sins you lament in the world, the same culture you decry, but with a superior attitude and “I told you so” on your lips. Despondent people build altars to their own emptiness and turn the church into something that looks like it's dying too.  Do you know how pitiful it is to quit something the Lord has already won the victory over?  Repent of your hopelessness. Repent of your politics and the despair they bring you.  Hear Jesus pray a prayer for glory and fully expect it to be answered by the Father with a cross. Know that this cross is for you. To forgive you your sins. To save you from a world destined to decay.  Cling to the resurrection and the promise it yields.  Nothing that falls apart won't be put back together.  Christ died on the cross to save sinners.  To save you.  To save those in the world.  The world itself may fall apart. But you are already rescued, as surely as He is risen.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.O King of glory, Lord of hosts, uplifted in triumph far above all heavens, leave us not without consolation but send us the Spirit of truth whom You promised from the Father; for You live and reign with Him and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  -Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Jonathan Lackey is an LCMS seminarian.Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.

April 8,  2023Today's Reading: Matt 27:57-66Daily Lectionary: Ex 13:17-14:9, Heb 7:1-22Matthew 27:59–60: “And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock. And he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away.”In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Bible isn't much on the in-between.  We have Christmas, then nothing until Jesus' Ministry. No teenage Jesus. We get the cross and resurrection. Then some stuff about the last day.  But not much in the middle, where we spend every day. So people write books to try and fill in the gap. We're stuck in between Easter and the Last Day. And the in-between is where all my problems and sins and trials live. I think Easter vigil is for this.  Christ is dead and buried. He will rise tomorrow. But how do we feel today? Diet sad? Lowkey happy? What do we do in between? The Creed defines it for us in four words. He descended into hell. This was the in-between of the cross and resurrection. And even then, Jesus proclaimed the victory to the spirits in prison. Jesus kicked down the doors to hell. The cross was a real victory over the power of Satan, over the power of death. The reality was then, even before the triumph of Easter.  We live in the in-between, waiting, but the victory is already won. The devil still exists. But he lost. You still have sins, but they're forgiven. You still have trials, but you're a saint, a member of the host of heaven, waiting for the resurrection. You're tied to it today. Because Jesus who died is risen. Our Life is in between the already and the not yet, but we have the victory even now. Just as we know what's coming tomorrow, we know for ourselves too. Christ is risen. We will rise. The in-between is already answered. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Christ Jesus lay in death's strong bands For our offenses given; But now at God's right hand He stands And brings us life from heaven. Therefore let us joyful be And sing to God right thankfully Loud songs of alleluia! Alleluia! (Christ Jesus Lay in Death's Strong Bands (LSB 458:1)- Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Jonathan Lackey is an LCMS seminarian.Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.

April 7,  2023Today's Reading: John 18:1-19:42Daily Lectionary: Ex 12:29-32, 13:1-16, Lam 5:1-22, Heb 6:1-20, Psalm 22In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Everybody's made the joke about “Good” Friday.  Good for us. Bad for Him. It's not just of boomers, but of the devil. Satan can never undo what was finished when Jesus died to save you. So he tries to twist it, whispering that this sacrifice might not be good in Jesus' eyes. That you should feel guilt when you look at the cross.  Look at the suffering our Lord endured because you sinned.  Could you really meet His eye there? Satan tries to work guilt from the cross Jesus willingly bore to bring you comfort. He didn't die on the cross so you would feel bad about it. He died to forgive you.  Yes. He hurt for you. He hurt because of you. Why's that bad? Not just good for us, but for Him too. He was willing to drink of this cup to the dregs for you. He rejoiced to see this hour where you were saved. If you want to feel guilt, look to the Law, look to the Word of God whom you say you love and then disregard so quickly, look to the people you hurt, look to the damage you do to yourself even though God calls you precious. See the damage your sin has done, the things you've broken. Sin is bad. It breaks stuff. Feel bad about that, but when you feel guilty that Jesus suffered and died for you, it's really only guilt that someone would dare to love you that much. That's a value question that you don't get to decide. God shows your value. More than silver or gold. Holy precious blood. Innocent suffering and death. This is what you are worth. This is how priceless you are. You are worth that much. It was Love that put Him there for you, and yes it hurt, yes it's graphic, but He said it Himself, if this is how to save His beloved, He will go, not just against His will, but even gladly.  Good Friday wasn't just good for you and bad for Jesus. It was good for Him too, because He got to do for His beloved that which He was given to do. He got to love you, because love looks like something. Not just a feeling. An expression.  A sacrifice. Love looks like this. And Jesus loves you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Here we have a firm foundation, Here the refuge of the lost: Christ, the Rock of our salvation, Is the name of which we boast; Lamb of God, for sinners wounded, Sacrifice to cancel guilt! None shall ever be confounded Who on Him their hope have built. (Stricken, Smitten, and Afflicted, LSB 451:4)- Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Jonathan Lackey is an LCMS seminarian.Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.

April 6,  2023Today's Reading:  Matt 26:17-30Daily Lectionary: Ex 12:1-28, Lam 4:1-22, Heb 5:1-14, Psalm 31Matthew 26:26–28: “Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Communion is actually the true Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ under the bread and wine, instituted by Christ Himself for us Christians to eat and drink.  Like...really. Jesus' blood. Same blood that flowed down from His hands and side on the cross. For you. Drink it. Seriously. We have to admit that's off putting. When the funny looking pastor in funny clothes holds it up and says "the peace of the Lord be with you always" he's showing you where peace comes from. It's not in the air. It's not in each other. It's in the bread that is His body.  These words "Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins" show us that in this Sacrament forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation are given us through these words. If you eat Jesus' Body and drink His Blood your sins will be forgiven and you will have life and salvation. Not symbolically. The cardboard-tasting thing called bread and bottom shelf wine are the most precious gifts in all of creation. Eat and drink them and you'll have everything God has to give you. It's so hard to believe that the Holy Spirit has to do it for you. It still leads people to recoil. It's ridiculous. Invite someone to church, and see how quickly the Communion talk feels like more of a burden than a gift. But Communion is not an excuse. It's not a burden. It's not something we need to reason away or struggle to justify. It's an answer. A gift. A hope given for us to cling to in the darkest of days for the worst parts of us. This is for sinners. This is for you, full of jealousy, guilt, shame, rage, and sin. We don't get fixed by ignoring reality, cramming in a room for a meal and pretending everything is OK when it isn't. We're saved by the God who feeds us with His body and blood. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Be Thou my consolation, My shield, when I must die; Remind me of Thy passion When my last hour draws nigh. Mine eyes shall then behold Thee, Upon Thy cross shall dwell, My heart by faith enfold Thee. Who dieth thus dies well. (O Sacred Head, Now Wounded, LSB 449:4)- Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Jonathan Lackey is an LCMS seminarian.Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.

April 5,  2023Today's Reading: Luke 22:1-23:56Daily Lectionary: Ex 10:21-11:10, Lam 3:1-66, Heb 4:1-16Luke 22:46: “and he said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation.””In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.The Garden of Gethsemane is where I brought every idea of what my life should be like, then stared dumbfounded as they were dashed to pieces in front of me.The Garden of Gethsemane is where I came to the painful realization that my life was not turning out according to plan.I think that's what it's there for. It forces us to be honest about our weaknesses. Peter wandered into Gethsemane with hopes of steadfastness, promising to never abandon, let alone deny his Lord. He came with a sword, ready to cut ears off for Jesus. Before the rooster crowed, that all fell apart. Judas came with schemes to profit. By the end of the weekend, he died broke and alone. Mark showed up just not wanting to do anything stupid to embarrass himself. He accidently ran away naked. All of the disciples entered Gethsemane with zeal and daydreams of God's wonderful plan for their lives. They were ready to seize every great thing they were sure He had planned. Then they all fell asleep. Twice.The Spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.The Garden of Gethsemane is where we find that out. But none of them came to the garden alone. Jesus was there all along, praying through sweat and tears of blood. “Thy will be done.” God's will is done in Gethsemane. It always is.God's will is done among us also. The Garden of Gethsemane isn't where God walks me from where I am to where I want to be. It's where my quest for power like Peter, love of money like Judas, sheer stupidity in the face of reality like Mark, and laziness like all the sleeping disciples are called exactly what they really are. Sin.Yet, Jesus abides in the Garden of Gethsemane for sinners. For me, for you. For when everything falls apart, and for us who broke it. Christ willingly walked down the only path left to Him. He died for the sake of the people. For us. To forgive our selfish sins that condemn us. To bear God's wrath Himself in order to save us. He will drag us out of our sins, through Gethsemane to the cross, and all the way to the Resurrection on Easter morning. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.What language shall I borrow To thank Thee, dearest Friend, For this Thy dying sorrow, Thy pity without end? O make me Thine forever! And should I fainting be, Lord, let me never, never, Outlive my love for Thee. (O Sacred Head, Now Wounded, LSB 449:3)- Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Jonathan Lackey is an LCMS seminarian.Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.

April 2,  2023Today's Reading: Matt. 27:11-66 Daily Lectionary: Ex 8:1-32, Heb. 1:1-14Matthew 27:54: “When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!””In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Palm branches are for victory. Jesus rode into town to the palm leaves thrown down by the crowd who today yells hosanna, save us, but will yell crucify in a week. The first to lay them down were the apostles who couldn't be prouder to find him a donkey to ride only to deny Him three times like Peter.  Marching in the parade are the ones who fought each other over who the greatest is and wrote books with subtle snubs against their neighbor like John, or as he insists on calling himself, the apostle whom Jesus loved for the whole book just to annoy Peter. Like brothers and sisters in Christ who nurture petty grudges claiming superiority is more important than reconciliation in Christ. I can't help but wonder if the insurrectionist Barabbas would have been there, prison notwithstanding, because the idea of a religion that addresses politics before souls is all too appealing in a world where you don't get your way, even if it does completely miss the point. The traitor Judas was there, and since he was introduced as “the one who would betray Him”, we can save ourselves the trouble of having to be concerned for his fall. After all, there are sinners, and then there are sinners, and it's easier to just write those kinds of souls off as object lessons to the rest of us. In case it escaped your notice, we're the same kind of sinners that populated Jerusalem years ago. This is the heavenly band for whom He rode into Jerusalem. His disciples did not understand these things at first.  We still struggle with them too. So we're shown Jesus glorified on the cross. It was for them. He died for Peter and Judas. He died so the criminal Barabbas could escape death. He died for the Pharisees.  For all. For you. We lay down palms of victory. Palms are for winners. It doesn't look like much until you see them waved in heaven. Behold the glorious band. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Almighty and everlasting God, You sent Your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, to take upon Himself our flesh and to suffer death upon the cross. Mercifully grant that we may follow the example of His great humility and patience and be made partakers of His resurrection; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. - Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Jonathan Lackey is an LCMS seminarian.Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.

April 1,  2023Today's Reading:  Introit for Holy Week Ps. 24:7-10; antiphon: Ps. 118:26Daily Lectionary: Ex 7:1-25, Mark 16:1-20Psalm 24:8: “Who is this King of glory? The LORD, strong and mighty, the LORD, mighty in battle!”In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. I can see why the crowds who gathered to cry Hosanna missed it.  Hosanna.. Save us. And He does. But we measure might differently than God does. The crowds went looking for war horses. Rebellion. Jesus rode a donkey into town to die. We know the schtick about strength being made perfect in weakness. But a little might now and then still sounds…not terrible. These devotions are always the same.  I love the forgiveness of sins, but it's still in the back of my mind.  Why can't the LORD go do battle with Alzheimers and ALS and cancer and everything else wrong? He does. We just don't see it until the Resurrection. In Christ, cancer has claimed 0 lives.  In the cross, God remembers us even where we forget. We are engraved on the palms of His hands. On the last day, we'll leap out of wheelchairs and tear out the oxygen tubes and run and not be weary. But today, the crowds cry Hosanna and still mean more than God intends to give. And it's heartbreaking to hear the words “not yet” in the face of the things that are killing us.  So Jesus rides into Jerusalem and doesn't address the crowds. There aren't words or explanations that will make the reasons behind our desperate prayers hurt less. Which is sort of why He rides into town, in might to die on a cross. Hurting is harder than not hurting. Jesus doesn't ride into town to not hurt. Instead, He is mighty enough to suffer for you. For your desperate prayers that defy “not yet”, Jesus promises it is finished. He dares us to imagine the same.  You are mighty because in Him you are now strong enough to suffer. You are already bound to the victory, so you don't need a path around the pain to get there. He makes you mighty. Might like the Lord's doesn't kneel to afflictions of today. It kneels to the God who drags us through them with all the same unstoppable force that drove Him through the crowds who cried Hosanna. Save us. He did. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Ride on, ride on in majesty! In lowly pomp ride on to die. O Christ, Thy triumphs now begin O'er captive death and conquered sin. (Ride On, Ride On in Majesty, LSB 441:2) Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Audio Reflections Speaker: Jonathan Lackey is an LCMS seminarian.Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.

March 31,  2023Today's Reading:  Daily Lectionary: Ex. 5:1-6:1, Mark 15:33-47Mark 15:34: “And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?””In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It's the commemoration of St. Joseph, but the Bible story is Jesus. It's the wrong story, except it's not. Joseph is a story about descent and then resurrection to save his people. It's Jesus.  It's Jesus when He is turned on by His brothers and left for dead. It's Jesus when God works this for good. It's Jesus when Joseph points to a savior in dreams, because the dreams are about the real Savior, the Christ. It's Jesus when Joseph becomes a prisoner unrighteously. It's Jesus when he becomes a servant. It's Jesus when all this sin committed against an innocent man is somehow worked to save the same sinners. It's Jesus when he is at last restored.  The crucifixion is the story of all of scripture. It points to the redemption of sinners in so many ways. We remember Joseph, the Patriarch, because he was a forerunner of his Savior, our Savior, the Savior of all the world who was betrayed and mocked, condemned to bear the cross for you.  Where it looked as if God had forsaken Joseph, as years passed by, God was at work. Where it looks like God has forsaken you, remember. We are not the Christ anymore than Joseph was. Joseph was not forsaken. Jesus was. He is the fulfillment of the things Joseph's life only pointed to. When you feel far from God, abused, and cast aside, understand this is the image of your Savior, but God is not far off. He is very near, because it is here that He fulfilled all of these things and did them for you.  We have a God who not only works good out of evil, as He did in the life of Joseph, and chiefly in the suffering and death of His Son, but we have a God who promises not to be far off when evil is at hand.  That's where He draws closest so that He can save. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Down through the realm of darkness He strode in victory, And at the hour appointed He rose triumphantly. And now, to heav'n ascended, He sits upon the throne Whence He had ne'er departed, His Father's and His own. (Christ is the World's Redeemer, LSB 539:3) Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.

March 30,  2023Today's Reading:  Daily Lectionary: Ex 4:19-31, Mark 15:16-32Exodus 4:21–23: “And the LORD said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the miracles that I have put in your power. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go. Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the LORD, Israel is my firstborn son, and I say to you, “Let my son go that he may serve me.” If you refuse to let him go, behold, I will kill your firstborn son.'””In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. This is somehow more uncomfortable than the next verses where Moses' wife throws a child's foreskin on his feet.  God told Moses he was going to harden Pharaoh's heart and kill firstborn kids. It leaves us struggling to find goodness in God. It seems to lend the attacks of internet atheists that much more credibility. God kills people.  A lot of the problem is that we start the same way Pharaoh does. With ourselves. We see ourselves in this world in terms of what's ours. We see the world in terms of our rights.  Rights are a government word rooted in the Law. God doesn't give rights. He gives gifts. He promises to Moses, a sinner, not only forgiveness of sins, but freedom. It's not that He chooses some and condemns others. It's that He chooses and refuses to let anyone lay claim to His redeemed. The LORD takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but He will not let the life of the wicked rob you of His promises.  Right and wrong seem to have different flavors depending on what side of the argument you're on. Not just here. Always. So instead, look to the nature of God. He simply IS good. The gifts that He gives are good too, because they're of Him. Even in the midst of terrible and painful realities, God does not turn back, but bears it Himself for us. He gave His own Son to fulfill even this demand. God gives good gifts to sinners. The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, but everything He does is a gift. Even when these gifts are abused. Even when they eventually break. But even your life is a gift from God. And when He takes you in death, that's a gift too, because He gave His Son upon the cross to grant you resurrection. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.What God ordains is always good: He never will deceive me; He leads me in His righteous way, And never will He leave me. I take content What He has sent; His hand that sends me sadness Will turn my tears to gladness. (What God Ordains Is Always Good, LSB 760:2) - Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.

March 29,  2023Today's Reading:  Luther's Small Catechism – Ten Commandments - Third CommandmentDaily Lectionary: Ex 4:1-18, Mark 15:1-15Remember the Sabbath Day by keeping it holy. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. God wasn't tired after making everything. The Sabbath isn't a chance to parrot God catching His breath. The focus on abstaining from work on the Sabbath day misses the point.  The point of the Commandment is in the word holy.  You will not be holier by sitting on the couch eating junk food.  Jesus insists the Sabbath was created for man, not man for the Sabbath because this day was not given as a measuring stick for you to prove yourself to God by…doing nothing.  It only serves to prove how sinful we are that we somehow fail at even doing nothing to the point that the Pharisees would pick at each other and even our Lord.  Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.  So instead of looking to your works, look to something actually holy.  Look to Jesus. The Sabbath day won't become holy to you who are unholy in your sins.  There's nothing you can do to make the day holy.  It's like trying to clean a table with a dirty rag.  The Sabbath day becomes holy for you when you're exposed to something holy.  The Sabbath day becomes holy to you when you do not despise preaching or God's Word, but hold it sacred and gladly hear and learn it.  Go to church.  Receive God's gifts.  He insists a day be set aside to make you holy.  The reason God set aside the seventh day wasn't because He was tired. It was so God could spend time with you. Our rest is found in receiving the Word and Sacraments that take away our sins and leave us holy.  It's also why we celebrate the Sabbath on the first day, not the seventh.  This is the day Jesus rose from the grave.  This is the day a holy God conquered unholy sin and death.  It isn't about the day.  It's about the gifts.  He gives you His Body and Blood to eat and drink.  He gives you His Word, promising peace, forgiveness, and joy.  He sets aside time and insists you join Him so that you would not remain in your unholiness and sin, but that He would dwell with you to cleanse you and bring you with Him to the last great day when the sabbath rest will be unending.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.“You shall observe the worship day That peace may fill your home, and pray, And put aside the work you do, So that God may work in you.” Have mercy, Lord! (“These are the Holy Ten Commands” LSB 581:4)- Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.

March 28,  2023Today's Reading:  Hebrews 9:11-15Daily Lectionary: Ex 2:23-3:22, Mark 14:53-72Hebrews 9:15: “Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.”In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. A covenant is a promise God makes with us.  Is the first covenant made in the garden with two trees? Eat from one, not the other? Is it made with Abraham, who believed and it was counted to him as righteousness? Moses, who gave the instructions for the shedding of the blood of goats and calves for the forgiveness of sins? The text talks about dead bulls so I can take a guess, but the last verse leaves options. There just hasn't been a promise God has made to a people who haven't turned around and sinned. And for what it reveals to us about Him, I'm grateful.  It isn't just that all the dead bulls pointed to a dead Jesus. It's that Jesus died for us. The ones who have been given the promise who turned around and transgressed against the Lord. Like Adam. And Abraham. And Moses. And Peter. And every other saint until the last great day when sins are left behind as we enter the resurrection.  Ours is the God who makes promises to sinners, then fulfills what we are unable to do. A covenant isn't a two party deal when it comes to God. He keeps both ends. So when we find a church full of sinners, a generation of Christians who look like they tear down more than they build, a label that fits all too well on the Christians that leave you frustrated, understand that Jesus makes them promises too. He shed His blood for them, and for you too. For forgiveness for every place we transgressed in the first place. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.But Christ, the heav'nly Lamb, Takes all our sins away; A sacrifice of nobler name And richer blood than they. (Not All the Blood of Beasts, LSB 431:3)- Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.

March 27,  2023Today's Reading: Ezekiel 37:1-14Daily Lectionary: Ex 2:1-22, Mark 14:32-52Ezekiel 37:4: “Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.”In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. This story isn't just Ezekiel. It's every pastor of every church, called out into a valley full of sinners cut off from one another. Addicts with secrets and not-so-secrets. Monsters.  Victims. Bones. You see it in the gossip that runs rampant in churches, in anxiety and anger, depression and fear, suffering and death. We are the valley of dry bones. And someone told us that Christian soldiers are supposed to march. The hymn might be lying. So your pastor preaches sermons. A few of us are actually good enough to make you feel better for an hour or two after church. But does it really get better? Can these bones live? O Lord, You know. I don't.  I can tell you what His word says, but can't make you believe it. I can tell you a sin is wrong, but can't break your addiction to it. I can give names to every sin in Ten Commandments, but it won't make them hurt less. But God tells the prophet, unsure of what to do or say that it's really pretty simple. Preach the Word.  Know who your God is. He is Jesus, who opens your grave and makes you live. That's a promise given to dry bones whether or not they're afraid, whether or not they're sinners, whether or not they even draw breath. God's Word still preaches and the dying still live. Because it's measured in Him, not the Valley.  Peace isn't a lack of problems or a perfect church. Peace isn't a handle on your life and a morality that doesn't look at the Ten Commandments and find only hypocrisy.  Peace is a present God, speaking life to the dying, speaking hope to you.  The church doesn't call us simply to strive to climb out of the valley where the bones are. It promises Jesus joins us and makes us, even us, live. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Like a mighty army Moves the Church of God; Brothers, we are treading Where the saints have trod. We are not divided, All one body we, One in hope and doctrine, One in charity.  Onward, Christian soldiers, Marching as to war, With the cross of Jesus Going on before. (Onward Christian Soldiers, LSB 662:2)- Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.

March 26,  2023Today's Reading: John 11:1-45Daily Lectionary: Ex. 1:1-22, Mark 14:12-31John 11:21: “Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. I think John made sure to get this in the story not to leave us with a bad impression of Martha marked on one of the hardest days of her life. I think it's to give us the words to speak on our own. Its bitterness and genuine anger rolled up in a confession of the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting. It isn't just an accusation. It's a recognition. It doesn't ignore the problem because of Jesus. But it doesn't dismiss it either. Something wrong happened. God could have stopped it. There will be a resurrection someday. But today, hope feels far off. Because we tend to root hope in the answer to prayers, not the God answering them.  Hope is a Lazarus who didn't die. Hope is a Lazarus who will rise on the last day. But that leaves hope very far away when he's four days in the tomb and rotting. It might be worth noting that throughout this entire story, every time the followers of Jesus presume to know His plans, they're wrong. Every time they put their hope in something He can control, but not in Him, it falls apart. Because hope is not found in God answering prayers. Hope is found in God. Where God is, there is hope. And Jesus draws near to dead Lazarus.  He could have stopped it. He could have chosen not to go into Jerusalem to die. He could have chosen to punish sinners for insolence and impoliteness…and you know…sin. Instead, His will is done as absolutely done, confounding the imaginations of everyone. So maybe hope in Jesus, not what you think He'll do. Hope is not measured in anything other than the presence of Jesus. Everything else is turned upside down. The body should never have died. The dead body should stink. And in all of it, hope is measured in something else. Jesus is near.  Which may be why He gives us His Body and Blood in church. So that hope can be measured in more than “Did I get what I wanted?” or “Did I die and go to heaven and on the last day rise?”. It's measured in “Is Jesus here for me?” and the answer is Yes. Amen. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Almighty God, by Your great goodness mercifully look upon Your people that we may be governed and preserved evermore in body and soul; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. - Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.

March 25,  2023Today's Reading:  Luke 1:26-38Daily Lectionary: Gen 49:29-50:7, 14-26, Mark 14:1-11Luke 1:28–29: “And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.”In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Two angels visited young women. One was evil. The other good. Both made promises of greatness. One promised a life of freedom, hidden knowledge, and independence.  The other promised a cross. One pointed to something that would be so easy to take. The other spoke of something all but impossible. One offered options. The other never gave the young woman a choice.  If you were to ask the world which was good and which was evil, the answer would be near unanimous, but it was the evil angel Satan who spoke lies to Eve promising independence from God, knowledge of good and evil, and whispered of “free will” right within her grasp. Gabriel told the truth. You shall conceive and bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus – He shall save His people from their sins. As crazy as it sounds, nothing will be impossible with God. There is no choice. No free will. This is your blessing. The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.  Therefore the child to be born will be called holy. The Son of God.The Annunciation marks just one pregnancy until Christmas, almost always in the middle of lent. They're as joined together in the grand narrative as the two angels. The tree of the garden revealed sin. It was always meant to be answered by the tree of the cross that reveals salvation. The cross lets us call evil, evil and good, good. It lets us acknowledge our sin, and in repentance, be not afraid. Nothing is impossible with God. That's not for you to do. It's for Christ to do for you. Even the part where we acknowledge our sin, and in repentance, be not afraid. He will descend from heaven to become a fetus, born of a virgin and walk the road to the cross to undo death itself and then rise again just to save you. This isn't just an arbitrary connection. It's the presence of hope among so much that seems strange, terrifying, and upside down. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.O Lord, as we have known the incarnation of Your Son, Jesus Christ, by the message of the angel to the virgin Mary, so by the message of His cross and passion bring us to the glory of His resurrection;through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. - Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.

March 24,  2023Today's Reading:  Daily Lectionary: Gen 47:1-31, Mark 13:24-37Mark 13:37: “And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.””In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Stay awake. It's ominous. It reads like a threat that isn't even all that veiled. It leaves us looking to the Lord returning on the last day to catch us, not to save us. It's actually not because of how it's written. It's because of us.  It's because when we hear the Lord is near, it brings to the surface everything we don't want Him to be around to confront. We expect the Lord to show up to judge the living and the dead in great power. But there's a missing word there. But He promises to come in great glory too. So remember the hour in which the Son of Man was glorified.  It was the cross. Jesus bore it for you to forgive you all your sins. The Lord returns on the last day with the same glory. It's mercy in action, applied to save you. He shows up with great power, the ability to rescue you from all that is in decay down here, even yourself, and glory as of the Son of God who loves to save sinners. So stay awake. It's not a call to avoid being caught off-guard, but to remain faithful. Hopeful. And even that He does for you. In Word and Sacrament, God calls you out of sleep. Awake o sleeper. Rise from death, and Christ will shine on you. The last day is not a trap, but a blessed hope of all Christians, because here we join our Lord, at last, to fully see our freedom from sin and death. He has already delivered us in our Baptism. He has promised to keep us to that last great day. To remain awake is to cling to these promises. To pray, come Lord Jesus, with all the Church, and to know our future, and count it as a joy. Why would we flee that to hide from the pains of this world in vice and sin and darkness? We are called to stand firm against them knowing we don't need to hide. We don't need to self-medicate. We are given, every week, the medicine of life in the Body and Blood of Jesus. Stay awake. Gather around the gifts. It's a call God makes to all. Let more sinners join us in the mercies of Christ made new every day. Let more find peace that endures to the last. Stay awake, because even now you have Christ.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.For us Christ lived, for us He died, And conquered in the strife; Awake, arise, go forth in faith, And Christ shall give you life (Awake, O Sleeper, Rise from Death (LSB 697:4)- Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.

March 23,  2023Today's Reading:  Ephesians 5:8-14Daily Lectionary: Gen 45:1-20, 24-28, Mark 13:1-23Ephesians 5:14: “for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.””In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Shine light on everything. If it's of the light, it will reflect. If it's of darkness, it will flee. It's a simple approach to life that will guide so many decisions. If you feel like you have to hide what you're doing, you probably shouldn't do it. If you feel like it needs to be a secret, what are you afraid of? If it is good and of the light, it will be known for what it is. It sounds so simple. It gets so messy.  Because the world hides their sins. Honestly, we do too. We hide so much in the words, “I a poor miserable sinner” we want nobody to know.  We bury so much in our pasts. In our secrets. In our hearts.  I understand why.  But Paul promises that the thing that becomes visible in light isn't just our misdeeds. It's Christ.  He calls the sleeper to wake. He promises to shine, even on those who sleep under death, which only comes from sin.  Shine light on everything. Because Jesus forgives your sins. All of them. The hidden ones are not yours to keep secret. They're Christ's to leave buried under the cross.  For every burden we shelter in our hearts that should belong to the light, Paul implores us, not simply to behave and not drink too much.  He calls us to let the Light of the World confront our sins because He does so in order to call us out of the burdens they bring. It doesn't mean shouting your secrets from the rooftops. But it means we have a place to bring the darkness in us. Expose it to the light and watch it flee. Our sins are brought to the Light of the World and forgiven where the Light of the World conquers death even as the sun is blotted from the sky. Light shall dwell in darkness, and the darkness shall not overcome it.  Let the light shine even where we hide our sins. Let them be forgiven. Not hidden. Not excused. Atoned for. Walk as children of light.  That means take your sins to Jesus. It is pleasing to the Lord. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Lo, on those who dwelt in darkness, Dark as night and deep as death, Broke the light of Thy salvation, Breathed Thine own life-breathing breath. Alleluia, alleluia! Praise to Thee who light dost send! Alleluia, alleluia! Alleluia without end! (Thy Strong Word, LSB 578:2)- Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.

March 22,  2023Today's Reading:  Luther's Small Catechism – Ten Commandments: Second CommandmentDaily Lectionary: Gen 44:1-18, 32-34, Mark 12:28-44You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Ask ten strangers what they think about Christianity. They'll tell you. You'll hear some heartbreaking stuff. You'll hear about a hateful God who despises the sinners who don't sin like the rest of us. You'll hear about a deadbeat God who abandoned His kids to a world of suffering.  Worse, you might just hear about a perfect God, who reserves Himself for the ones who earn His love.  The Almighty who answers the prayers of the popular kids who get strangers to pray for them or the rich kids who give money to church.  This is what happens when we break the Second Commandment.  The Second Commandment isn't chiefly about what bad words you say when you stub your toe. Those are still bad, but worse still is when we teach falsely about who our God is.  When we attach lies to His name. It's called false doctrine. It matters. Millions of people know the name Jesus. They just think He's a liar.  When we attach God's favor to our works, it's a sin. When we teach about a far away God, it's a great evil. Every single time, the cross is diminished. The mercy won there for you and for all the world there is hidden behind lies. God calls us not to misuse His name.  God doesn't give you His name only to tell you not to use it. Don't misuse it. He wants you to have it.  Pray. Praise. Give thanks. Remember who your God is. Remember what He's done for you. For all. Pray as if it were true. Praise Him for never being far off, but always being in the midst of suffering to bear it Himself upon the cross. Give thanks that He would not save only the wealthy or the popular, but the least of these, the sinners. Us. The Second Commandment matters because it's actually worth knowing you have a God who loves you. You have a God who won't stand back from your misery or from your sin. He wants you to use that name. Call upon me in your day of trouble, and I will rescue you”, says your God.  “Come to me all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”  That's worth remembering rightly. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.“Do not My holy name disgrace, Do not My Word of truth debase. Praise only that as good and true Which I Myself say and do.” Have mercy, Lord! (These are the Holy Ten Commands, LSB 581:3)- Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.

March 21,  2023Today's Reading:  Isaiah 42:14-21Daily Lectionary: Gen 43:1-28, Mark 12:13-27Isaiah 42:21: “The LORD was pleased, for his righteousness' sake, to magnify his law and make it glorious.”In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Everyone always talks about God's patience like it has no end.  We want things now. He's content to wait until the right time. Isaiah disagrees. He paints a picture of the LORD so eager to act that, like a pregnant woman, He can hold back no longer so He screams, gasps, and pants.  It isn't just a picture of God's eagerness to punish the wicked. It's an image of His need to forgive you.  Each day of creation that passed by before the Lord bore the cross for the world was not time spent reading a book or whatever patient people do. It's time. It's now. The LORD is so ready to forgive He angry screams.  Because He sees what it looks like down here. He's not content with the suffering, the dying, or the sin and the evil that brings it.  He's not content to see a few carve out relatively comfortable lives in a world this dark. He's not content to see the faithful strive with morality only to fall ill and die. It's because our best isn't good enough. It isn't good enough to fix what's wrong down here. The law doesn't show us how to behave. It shows us how things are supposed to be. And they're not.  So the LORD magnifies the law. Shows us what things are supposed to look like. Jesus. Because anything less than Jesus' perfection isn't enough. The law upheld outwardly by the most moral isn't enough. He magnifies the law on His servant, Jesus. The law is shown, finally, in its fulfillment.  Jesus is glorified.  He dies on the cross undoing sin's wages. Forgiving you. The Father sees the cross and becomes deaf and blind to your sin. It's on Jesus now.  It has to be, because the LORD can't stand to see it on you. So, with a cry of pain mingled with joy and relief, even as a pregnant woman screams.  It is finished. Darkness is turned to light. Your sin is forgiven. The death of the faithful is undone.  And we can look at how things are supposed to be as a promise of God to restore them, not a standard to live up to.  We can look to Jesus and find hope. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.The Gospel shows the Father's grace, Who sent His Son to save our race, Proclaims how Jesus lived and died That we might thus be justified. (The Gospel Shows the Father's Grace, LSB 580:1)- Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.

March 20,  2023Today's Reading:  John 9:1-41Daily Lectionary: Gen 42:1-34, 38, Mark 12:1-12John 9:2: “And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?””In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The disciples find a man born blind. They ask a reasonable question.   Whose fault is it?  There has to be someone to blame. Sometimes you can find fault.  The Ten Commandments paint a picture of how things are supposed to be. All of us fall short of this standard.  Sin breaks stuff. Sometimes that's my fault. Sometimes it's yours. Sometimes the sin that breaks stuff is just so ground into the dust that there's no way to figure out who to blame, short of Adam. He brought sin into the world. He passed it through DNA to the blind man and his parents, to you and me. If you want to assign blame for misery, there's no shortage of it. But there's no help there either.  So when the disciples ask Jesus who to blame, He doesn't answer the way they want. He answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.” Jesus wants more for us than wandering around in darkness finding blame to sling on each other like mud.  There's no help in that pit. There's no comfort. There's nothing but darkness, dust, and death. There's wisdom here. The law shows us our sin. Sometimes we can learn from that and aim for better, but when we can't find a commandment being broken, stop. If you can't find a place to learn, leave. Don't play in that pit. You only get covered in the same darkness.  He points to Himself. He doesn't explain this man's blindness in a way that makes us feel better about it.  There is no feeling better about it. Even knowing who to blame doesn't fix anything.  He points to Himself, and in doing so He addresses the real problem the disciples have. They called him Rabbi. Teacher. That's what folks call Jesus in the Bible when they want to make clear they don't think He's the God He claims to be.  Where is God visible in all this?  They wanted a teacher to explain away what's wrong and learned nothing. Rather, Jesus heals the man and shows where God really makes Himself known. In the darkness, working mercy. It's ugly, but God reveals Himself in the darkness, in the spit and the mud. In the suffering and death. On the cross.  For the sinners and the ones marked by it. For you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.O Lord God, let us ever find you working in darkness to bring us light, mercy, and healing, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. - Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.

March 19,  2023Today's Reading:  Matt. 2:13-15, 19-23Daily Lectionary: Gen 41:28-57, Mark 11:20-33Matthew 2:13: “Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.””In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Joseph's fiancé was pregnant. He knew it wasn't his child. People talked about it. Legend puts him a lot older than Mary. Old enough people talked about that, too. I wonder what he dreamed about before God-given warnings took over his nights.  “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”  “Rise, flee to Egypt.  Remain there until I tell you. Herod is about to search for the child to destroy him.”  I'm guessing “abandon everything and flee to Egypt to protect the kid someone else fathered with your wife” might not have been on the 5 year plan. Joseph disappears before Jesus begins His ministry.  It would be easy to remember him for his patience, selflessness, and sacrificial care for Mary and Jesus.  It would even be possible to mark him as one taken advantage of by those looking for a patron saint to represent their own feelings of insecurity and insufficiency. It might be best, though, to remember him only so far as the Scriptures do. He was the guardian of Jesus. The Husband of Mary. Faithful. In worry, he was near Jesus. In trial, near Jesus. Until death, near Jesus. Immanuel means God with us. Joseph is marked as one who was near to Jesus because Jesus was near to him. There are plenty of fathers and husbands marked for doing the right thing, and plenty more for feeling bitter about not getting enough attention. Joseph is simply the one near Jesus, and being near Jesus is enough. We remember Joseph as we can now see each other. Near to Jesus, hearing His promises and believing them, that even if we disappear from the story, we will ever be near Jesus in eternity. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Almighty God, from the house of Your servant David You raised up Joseph to be the guardian of Your incarnate Son and the husband of His mother, Mary. Grant us grace to follow the example of this faithful workman in heeding Your counsel and obeying Your commands; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.- Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.

March 18,  2023Today's Reading:  Introit for Lent 4 Ps. 27:4-6; antiphon: Ps. 25:15Daily Lectionary: Gen 41:1-27, Mark 11:1-19Psalm 25:15: “My eyes are ever toward the LORD, for he will pluck my feet out of the net.”In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. As a pastor, when the Lord promises rescue, I secretly get scared. I've been around cancer that isn't healed.  Paralytics that still can't walk. Addicts who relapse. I've heard poor sinners' desperate words and joined them in their litanies. God still said no. And I'm afraid He'll do it again. I'm embarrassed. Of my lack of faith. But also, a little bit of Him. It's easier to preach about a God who's miracles work more like a vending machine. The 27th Psalm is for my fear and shame. David shows us where to look in days of trouble. We look for rescue in the things of this world. God promises it in His house. The shelter is in the House of the Lord.  The victory is given where the sacrifices are. It isn't just a “look on the bright side, one day you'll go to heaven” platitude.  It's a question of which is stronger. The prayers I've wanted to be answered were rooted in a fear God wouldn't help. He already has.  The temple is where He gives the victory. Forgiveness that relapse can't undo. Salvation that isn't measured in remission. Resurrection that accident and age can't cripple.  The things we're so afraid of can't actually hurt us here. We are gathered in a fortress that stands as a shield against everything else. It's a question of where God works. Of how He answers prayers. The desperate litanies are met by a Jesus already risen from the grave, promising us the same. Look at where Jesus is, not where you're afraid He won't be. He's in your church, giving good gifts of victory over all you're so afraid of.  In a world where everything falls down, David pleads to be found in the house of the Lord.  Because it will be left standing afterwards, even as Christ is risen. Sometimes I'm afraid God will say no. Joy isn't found in the fear and the shame of it. So God lifts me up out of it and sets me on the rock, that is Christ. In Him, in His death and resurrection, I have a yes already given for me, and for you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Why spend the day in blank despair, In restless thought the night? On your Creator cast your care; He makes your burdens light. (Rejoice, My Heart, Be Glad and Sing, LSB 737:3) - Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.

March 17,  2023Today's Reading:  Mark 10:32-52Daily Lectionary: Gen 40:1-23Mark 10:45: “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.””In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Patrick tends to get belittled. Faithful teaching about the Holy Trinity is truncated to a 3 leaf clover or maybe a satirical youtube video in select circles. His time in Ireland is reduced to fables and jokes about snakes being driven into the sea.  In reality, Patrick was kidnapped when he was 16 and enslaved for 6 years before escaping the country of Ireland where he was brought only to return to preach the forgiveness of sins in Christ Jesus to the very nation that took Him from His family and made him a slave. He was a fierce defender of the Triune God to a culture set against the idea. Somehow, it's easier to imagine a God who helps the faithful drown snakes than a God who is glorified in suffering. James and John want to sit at either side of Jesus in the hour of triumph. They don't know what they're asking for. That hour is the cross. Those seats are reserved for two thieves.  Sinners go looking for power. Jesus reveals Himself in mercy. The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve. Patrick not only confessed the Triune God, but preached to the sinners Christ died for, assuming the role of servant even to those who held him captive. There's a reason. Stories of glory only help the powerful, and I guess the ones who hate snakes.  There's no help for the sinners or the ones without a great escape story. When we go looking for power, only the devout end up glorified, never the sinners.  When Jesus works mercy, even thieves can be saved, and all of us join Christ in the humility of the cross  that we would be raised with Him in glory. This is a Christianity with room for sinners, with room for the lowly, with room for you. Your faith is not measured in the great works you accomplish but in the sins Christ forgives. All of them. The snake's head was crushed at the foot of the cross where your salvation was won, whether or not you chased the rest out of a country. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.I bind unto myself today The pow'r of God to hold and lead, His eye to watch, His might to stay, His ear to hearken to my need, The wisdom of my God to teach, His hand to guide, His shield to ward, The Word of God to give me speech, His heav'nly host to be my guard. (I Bind unto Myself Today, LSB 604:3)- Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.

March 16,  2023Today's Reading:  Daily Lectionary: Gen 39:1-23Genesis 39:23: “The keeper of the prison paid no attention to anything that was in Joseph's charge, because the LORD was with him. And whatever he did, the LORD made it succeed.”In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Whatever Joseph did, the Lord made it succeed. Joseph, of course, being the guy wrongfully imprisoned. But, like, really successfully. I wonder if Moses smirked as he wrote this stuff. If it wasn't for this verse, we could have an inspiring “when life gives you lemons” peptalk. Roll with the punches. Make the best of it. But this happened because the LORD was with Joseph. This is the Lord's definition of success, too. I'd rather be a normal guy lots of people ignore than the second most important person in prison.  It might be something to consider before quoting an out-of-context Bible verse about God having a plan for your life. I'm not saying He doesn't. I'm saying you might not like it. The Lord doesn't measure success by power over this world, but by salvation within it. The Lord measures success by the cross.  Joseph isn't a story of rolling with the punches, but of a son being cast down and raised up to save His people.  Joseph's story begins with a robe, a pit, and jealous betrayal and ends with a meal that sustains a people dying in a world of not enough. Success isn't measured in power, but in the Lord moving among sinful people to work mercy and salvation where there should be none. It looks like Christ coming down from heaven to walk the road to the cross to bear your sins and die, only to rise and send forth the Holy Spirit to deliver this salvation to you in a meal of Holy Communion. Jesus being in control of the nation of Israel without bearing the cross for her is no success at all.  And for you, the Lord doesn't mark success in wealth or power or the things of this world that pass away, but by keeping you in faith now, through death, and unto the same resurrection. Look to the Word for that. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Come, Thou incarnate Word, Gird on Thy mighty sword; Our prayer attend. Come and Thy people bless, And give Thy Word success, And let Thy righteousness On us descend. (Come, Thou Almighty King,, LSB 905:2)- Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.

March 15,  2023Today's Reading:  Luther's Small Catechism – Ten Commandments: First CommandmentDaily Lectionary: Gen 37:1-36, Mark 10:1-12We should fear, love, and trust in God above all thingsIn the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Idols are good things. The money you love more than God isn't evil. The love of it is. The people we value more than God are the neighbors He gave you. The power you trust more than God isn't sinful to have. It's sinful to use it selfishly. It's foolish to think it will save you eternally.  That's the point. An idol is a part of creation we worship instead of the creator. That stuff isn't God. It can't save you.  Not even when you put the name Jesus on it. That's my favorite trick. I name all my idols Jesus. Jesus wants me to be successful. Happy. Rich.  At least that's what I tell myself. You can see it go wrong in two ways. First, the Scriptures never promise Jesus wants you to have those things. Second, if Jesus is only a means to an end, the end is your real god. Not Jesus. Idolatry is like getting a Christmas present and saying thank you to the present instead of the person who gave it to you. It's not just rude. It misses the greatest thing about presents. Someone loves you enough to give you something. That's the real gift. Idolatry takes for granted the love of the Savior and trades it in for things that moth and rust destroy. None of the things we fear, love, and trust in will be around for eternity. None of them can get you to eternity either. But Jesus already has.  It's the other side of the First Commandment coin. If God says, “You shall have no other gods”, what He also means is that He insists on being God to you. For you. He insists on being the one you trust in above all because He is trustworthy. He insists on being the thing you fear above all because His wrath consumes in a way nothing in this world can express. He insists on being what you love above all things because to see God is to see the source of all good things, and know He insists on giving them to you.  Idols aren't bad things. They're good gifts from God that blind us to the giver. He insists you have good things so fiercely that He gives them even to idolaters like you, then forgives you, saves you from your idols, and even from yourself by the cross that becomes our treasure.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.“I am alone your God, the Lord; No other gods shall be adored. But you shall fully trust in Me And love Me wholeheartedly.” Have mercy, Lord!  (These are the Holy Ten Commands, LSB 581:2)- Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.

March 14,  2023Today's Reading:  Romans 5:1-18Daily Lectionary: Gen 35:1-29, Mark 9:33-50Romans 5:8: “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Spiritual warfare is easier when it's us against the devil, but I am a sinner.  The problem is me. It's the devil who would have you think the only enemies are outside of yourself and outside of our walls. In true spiritual warfare, there is no us against them. There is only Jesus for sinners. WE were the enemies of God. Not the world. Not the devil. Us. So Jesus died for you. Your sins are forgiven. So are your enemies'. The devil lost.  Now, the battleground is your conscience. It's more than “this isn't how it's supposed to be”. It's “I'm not how I'm supposed to be.”  I haven't done enough. I haven't trusted enough.  Spiritual warfare is the devil pointing away from the cross where Christ already won the victory for you. Christ was crucified. Christ is risen. But I'm still scared. I'm still struggling. I'm still sinning. Even if all the problems in the world went away, I'd still be stuck with me. This is where the devil fights.  So Jesus wages war for your conscience and your soul both. He fights back against the accusations of the evil one. “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.” For you. The free gift is not like the trespass. The free gift is not found in the Law that accuses and shows what's wrong.  It's in the Gospel that reconciles enemies. “Now you are reconciled to God through the death of His Son.”  I am a sinner Jesus died for. No, I haven't done enough. I haven't trusted enough. I haven't fought hard enough. But Jesus has. Now there is grace given to sinners that reconciles us to God and so reconciles us to each other. If you can't see past the picture the law would paint of your enemies and of yourself, your spiritual warfare is simply to receive the Gospel. Receive pardon and mercy. Receive forgiveness, life, and salvation that unite us to the victory already won when Christ burst from the tomb. That unites us even to each other. We are the enemies that were reconciled to God together. We are the sinners Jesus died for. We are the baptized. We are brothers and sisters in Christ. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Preserve Your Word and preaching, The truth that makes us whole, The mirror of Your glory, The pow'r that saves the soul. Oh, may this living water, This dew of heav'nly grace, Sustain us while here living Until we see Your face. (Preserve Your Word, O Savior LSB 658:4)- Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.

March 13,  2023Today's Reading:  Ex. 17:1-7Daily Lectionary: Gen. 29:1-30, Mark 9:14-32Exodus 17:7: “And he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the quarreling of the people of Israel, and because they tested the LORD by saying, “Is the LORD among us or not?””In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Moses is tired of the people complaining and fighting.  So the Lord tells him to hit a rock with a stick to shut them up.  The Bible is full of uncomfortable things about Jesus. He rose from the dead.  It's easier to paper over the miracles and teachings that don't jive with common morals today.  But when you take Jesus out of the book, it gets even weirder.  Nobody tells the story of water from a rock to prove a political point or win an argument online.  This doesn't demonstrate kindness unless you squint.  It's easier to complain about the world that's falling apart than recognize they're only asking the same questions Israel did of old.  Is the LORD among us or not? Because it doesn't really look like He is.  They asked that to the guy who ripped the sea in half and marched them through on dry ground while a pillar of fire watched.  They saw.  Society asks it surrounded by death and tragedy.  And we ask because people won't stop being sinners.  It's funny how we want their miracles, and they want our comforts, but we both manage to ask the same questions about God. It's almost like the real problem isn't how the world looks, but the sinful state of our hearts. So Jesus answers. Not in temper tantrums but in promises. The Bible makes more sense if Jesus is always in the center of it.  There is a rock, from whose side comes living water, struck to put an end to the sinful rebellion of God's people, and that rock was Christ. He was struck. He was beaten. He was crucified and pierced for you, and from His side comes life giving water. The Lord was among His sinners to save them. It hasn't changed. It's been fulfilled. It answers the worry of the people not by setting them apart from the things they're afraid of, but by forgiving their sins, our sins, so that life can be more than just an escape from the thing that isn't the real problem. There can be hope in Him who has already saved. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Yet, O Lord, not thus alone Make me see Your passion, But its cause to me make known And its termination. Ah! I also and my sin Wrought Your deep affliction; This indeed the cause has been Of Your crucifixion (Jesus, I Will Ponder Now LSB 440:3) - Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.

March 12,  2023Today's Reading:  John 4:5-26Daily Lectionary: Gen 27:30-45, 28:10-22, Mark 9:1-13John 4:10: “Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.””In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. This lady's a sinner.  She has to work herself up every time she goes out in public.  She hears what she is whenever she goes out.  She's not Jewish enough. Not married enough. She would rather not go out to that well anymore.  How can I not come back here anymore?  She actually confesses it.  Give me the water so I don't have to get more.  I don't want to have to come here anymore.  I don't want to be what they stare at.  I don't want to be what they talk about. I don't want to be the object lesson to nice little boys and girls anymore.  Jesus asked for water and never got any.  He asked after her husband and never got an answer either.  Jesus asks after everything she needs and never gets it.  She can't give it.  Sin is still sin.  It breaks stuff.  Salvation did come from the temple of the Jews, but Jesus is there to do more than correct her about her church-going habits and get her married.  He's there to give.  He doesn't wait until she feels appropriately sorry.  Her biting answers toward Jesus say plenty about how she really saw herself.  He just starts promising living water to bitter sinners.  He's so blunt that the rest of us get uncomfortable too.  There's no condition. It's here. It's free. We'd like to imagine it's because Jesus isn't being as polite as we imagine, but really it's deeper.  The whole conversation points out a truth we'd rather not see.  Nobody's saved by measuring their shortcomings, whether they be the sins acceptable by the public or not.  We're saved by Jesus, the rock.  We're saved by the living water that comes from His pierced side.  He shows up. He dies. He saves.  And it's for you too.  There are no conditions. It's free. For the sins you hide away, for the statistics you've become on purpose or on accident, for your guilt, for you, peace. Jesus died for you. Your sins are forgiven. You are baptized. You have the living water promised. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.O God, whose glory it is always to have mercy, be gracious to all who have gone astray from Your ways and bring them again with penitent hearts and steadfast faith to embrace and hold fast to the unchangeable truth of Your Word; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.- Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.

Keith Quinn graduated from Harvard with a B.A. in American and English Literature. He has been an executive producer, content strategy consultant, and head of scripted content. Currently, he is the founder of Engine Room Media, a company that helps creators achieve their full potential, fueling growth with resources for content creation, subscriber acquisition, and audience and IP maximization. You can connect with Keith through Linkedin and learn more about his company EngineRoom Key points include: 00:42: Journey into media after Harvard 16:27: Revenue in content creation 23:34: Content creators to back

On this episode of The Webby Podcast we sit down with special guest Jasmyn Lawson, who is a Content Executive at Netflix and a cultural media strategist. Centering on a passion for tech, media, and culture, Jasmyn has led a career dedicated to amplifying and championing Black stories made by Black creatives. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nitya Chambers, SVP of Content/Executive Editor at Lonely Planet joins Marketing Matters to talk about travel trends, innovation in travel, hot spots and Lonely Planet's Best in Travel, their iconic annual run-down of essential experiences that was just released!

Today's Reading: Introit for the 20th Sunday after TrinityDaily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 31:1-29; Matthew 19:16-30Psalm 48:1 The Lord is righteous in all he has done to us, for we have not obeyed his commandments. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Lord is righteous in all he has done to us, for we have not obeyed his commandments. It's not reassuring.  You deserve everything that you get.  The blame you sling at others. The excuses you craft for yourself.  It all melts away under the Lord's justice.  He didn't just see it. He acts righteously in response.  You deserve this. The sinner recoils.  We think we know what righteousness looks like.  But we can only seem to measure it in “better than us.”  The Lord won't belittle the word righteousness to mean “didn't mess up as bad as you.”  Righteousness isn't a state for Him.  It's an action.  If you spend every moment flinching away from God out of fear of punishment, you'll miss it too.  If the Lord was simply “fair” in what He has done to us, we'd be in hell.  All of us are doing way better than we deserve.  The Lord is righteous in all He has done to us.  He has redeemed us.  Righteousness was a verb.  He made you Righteous too. It fills the mouth of the psalmist.  Glorify Your name, O Lord; and deal with us according to Your great mercy.  We have not obeyed the Lord's commandments, so He has crucified us with Jesus in our baptism. And He has raised us, free, forgiven, and holy.  It's what righteousness looks like.  Not just better than someone else, but wholly without sin.  Jesus isn't content being without sin Himself.  He wraps you up in the same.  So that righteousness isn't an action for you. It's a state.  You are baptized. You are righteous.  You are the one who has received mercy.  You don't earn it. You don't do it. You receive it. You are it.  You are righteous. Mercied. Forgiven.  Loved.  Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised.  We can spend our days rejoicing in God's steadfast love that takes action and shape.  It bears the cross for you, and makes you into one who doesn't need to hide from God, but can rejoice in His judgments.  He has judged the Son that you would be judged righteous.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.It brings the Savior's righteousness To robe our souls in royal dress; From all our guilt it brings release And gives the troubled conscience peace. (The Gospel Shows the Father's Grace, LSB 580: 3)-Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane BamschStudy Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.

Today's Reading: Genesis 28:10-17Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 27:1-26; Matthew 17:14-27Gen. 28:12. And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it!In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Jacob goes camping.  Finds a nice spot.  Lays his head on a rock and looks up at the stars.  It sounds kind of nice.  Peaceful.  Put it on Instagram.  It's the chunk of our lives we want others to see.  Never mind the rest.  Jacob is “camping” because he stole from his brother out of his own father's hand and his brother is literally trying to kill him.  His father's heart is broken.  His mother put him up to it.  Dad's health is failing, so when Jacob left, stealing the blessing, he isn't sure he'll ever see him in this world again.  But that picture of him laying there looking up at the stars looks good. Millions of people do the same thing.  We hide the ugly. If we're so afraid of each other knowing, do you really want a God who looks down on you and sees it all? How is that comforting?  I'm not sure I want to be fully known. But it feels like heaven is a long way from here, and God, I need some help.  So God won't just look down on us from heaven.  He doesn't even just drop a ladder down for us to climb out of the pit we dug for ourselves in our sin.  He becomes the ladder. Heaven is not so far away.  Jesus doesn't just connect heaven and earth.  He's the location of heaven.  Heaven is wherever Jesus is.  And Jesus descends to this world for you. To pull you out of the pit and take your place. To die for sinners and grant you His life.  You are forgiven.  All your sins are bled for.  All the things you hide. God doesn't just see. He saves.  Church isn't a place to pretend things are fine.  It's a place to take your sins because God will meet you there to forgive them all.  In the Name + of Jesus. AmenIn a wat'ry grave are buried All our sins that Jesus carried; Christ, the Ark of Life, has ferried Us across death's raging flood. (Water, Blood, and Spirit Crying, LSB 597:2)-Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane BamschStudy Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.

Today's Reading: Matthew 9:1-8Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 25:17-26:19; Matthew 17:1-13And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” (Matthew 9:2b)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Time and time again, the same story plays itself out.  Disaster. Fear. Despair. Frustration. Christians pray. Things are still a mess.  Never mind the questions of “why did this happen?”  Those questions don't get asked when you still can't catch your breath. These days, we ask “What happens now?”  We know God answers prayer, but sometimes the medicine we ask for isn't the medicine we're given.  Sometimes God doesn't seem too concerned with what we want to talk about.  Folks bring a paralyzed man to Jesus for a reason.  He needs help.  Jesus looks upon him with compassion.  Sees his troubles.  He can't walk. He can't care for himself. He can't care for his family.  So He says to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.”  But what happens now? He still can't walk. We google what's wrong with us and ask for the cure we're sure will help.  Oddly enough, they still send doctors to medical school.  Your doctor shouldn't just give you what you want, but what actually addresses what's wrong with you.  Jesus takes aim at the deadliest disease first.  Sin. It's a condition. A disease. A cancer that won't be tamed by eating better or trying harder.  It brings death and all its trappings.  All the sins you commit and all the ones you hide are symptoms of what's really wrong.  So that gets cured first. Jesus bears the cross for you.  To forgive you all your sins.  He dies.  He rises.  Because death and all its trappings are undone.  The rest follows when the time is right.  Sometimes that's soon, and answers the question “what happens now?”  Sometimes that's the last day and we can't answer “when”.  But we can know that it's coming.  Your healing was already paid for by the cross. Already shown in the empty tomb.  And that does help with “What happens now?”  Now, we gather around Jesus, the source of strength and healing.  Sometimes we have to carry each other for a while.  But we know where to take what's wrong.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Ev'ry wound that pains or grieves me By Your wounds, Lord, is made whole; When I'm faint, Your cross revives me, Granting new life to my soul. Yes, Your comfort renders sweet Ev'ry bitter cup I meet; For Your all-atoning passion Has procured my soul's salvation.  (Jesus, Grant That Balm and Healing, LSB 421:4)-Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane BamschStudy Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.

ScareTrack - Halloween at Drayton Manor / Interview with Danielle Nicholls (Senior Content Executive)   Mikey interviews Danielle Nicholls, the Senior Content Executive at Drayton Manor. They discuss the PUMPKIN SMASH BASH daytime event for children, NIGHT AT THE MANOR - The Ultimate Scare Experience for visitors aged 14+ and their annual Fireworks Spooktacular.   Follow Drayton Manor Insta: @draytonmanor FB: /Drayton Manor Twitter: @DraytonManor ...................................................................................................................... BUY YOUR TICKETS HERE: https://www.draytonmanor.co.uk/ ......................................................................................................................   Visit our website here: https://scaretrack.co.uk Watch our latest ScareCam vlogs: https://youtube.com/scaretrack ScareTrack merchandise can be found here: https://www.fleshnmetal.com/scaretrack     Check out Haunted Attractions Network: https://hauntedattractionnetwork.com/   Social Media Facebook.com/ScareTrack Instagram- @scaretrack Twitter- @scaretrack Snapchat- scaretrack     *Logo/Photo property of DRAYTON MANOR  *All views expressed are of the individual host/guest.

Welcome to Revenue Champion's sixth episode of Demandism. Where Cognism marketing leaders Alice De Courcy, Liam Bartholomew and Fran Langham give actionable tactics behind executing a demand generation first strategy that delivers month on month marketing revenue growth. This episode of Demandism focuses on content distribution and features a special guest, Binal Raval, SEO & Content Executive and mastermind behind Cognism's social channels. Alice, Liam, Fran and Binal discuss scaling your company LinkedIn, paid video ads, distribution in demand generation and more.

Andi Purewal is a Journalist and Content Executive for one of the biggest boxing channels, Boxing Social.  We talk about: - Culture & Upbringing - Journalism Journey - Building Relationships Without Burning Bridges - Jake Paul / Social Media Boxing - Clickbait Culture - Football Journalism - Boxing Landscape - & More! Andi's Socials:   Twitter - https://twitter.com/andipurewal  KultureKast Socials:   LinkTree - https://linktr.ee/thekulturekast    Intro Music By K Atwal Music:   Website - https://www.katwalmusic.com/         Please Like Comment & Subscribe, it would really help us out! Follow the socials to keep up to date!

For this episode, Randi and the SeriesFest team traveled to Berkeley, California for a special live taping on the University of California campus. Our special guest, Terry Washington, brought his unique perspective on both the television and music industry to the students, staff, and audience. This special program is presented in partnership with Xfinity.Having grown up in the industry, Terry Washington inherently has a passion for music and entertainment. That passion has led him to manage and oversee tours around the world with platinum recording artist like Chris Brown, Eric Benét, and The Fugees. He has produced films in remote locations and managed the legacy of music and fashion icons. He is known for his creative visualization, ability to stay connected to trending media platforms and a rolodex for which CEOs would pay millions. His skill set has translated into lasting management in the entertainment industry for over 20 years.

Ricky Purdy, Director of Lettings at Dawsons, chats with Suzy Lycett, Content Executive at Goodlord, about Welsh lettings market trends, Welsh legislation, and how the South Wales-based agency has adapted its approach during the pandemic. For more news, views, and insights on the lettings industry, visit us at goodlord.co/newsagent. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How can you make your lettings agency the best it can be? Goodlord's Senior Content Manager, Andrea Warmington, and Content Executive, Suzy Lycett, discuss Goodlord's latest e-book, How to maximise your agency's potential. You can download the e-book - also available as an audiobook - at https://info.goodlord.co/how-to-maximise-your-agencys-potential. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Andi Purewal is a Content Executive for Boxing Social and a Football writer for BirminghamLive.co.uk. You can follow  Andi on Twitter @AndiPurewal. Support us: ftwrbrand.com/collections/the-last-round

Want to learn how to start your own podcast? If you're thinking about finally launching your podcast, but you're worried about technology, you're suffering from imposter syndrome, you don't know what to talk about or you simply don't have the time, this podcast is for you. If you already have a podcast and still have those challenges or want to launch another, this podcast is for you! We'll be using the framework provided in https://www.podcastsuccessacademy.com/ (our Podcast Launch Accelerator course) to cover everything from choosing your podcast name and identifying your ideal listener to recording, editing and distributing your podcast, as well as giving you extra insights you won't find anywhere else! Every episode will have a podcast launch milestone that we'll work towards together, and no episode is longer than 15 minutes, so it's super easy to follow along with at your own pace even if you're short on time. And don't worry, https://www.podcastsuccessacademy.com/ (you can access all of this content plus more for free in the Podcast Success Academy).  What can you expect from this podcast? I'm your host, Rachel, Content Executive at Captivate. It's my job to help podcasters like you start, launch and grow your podcasts using free education and resources. Over the course of this series, I'll be joined from time to time by special guest Mark Asquith, CEO and co-creator of Captivate, who'll lend his expertise and advice. Over the next 8 episodes, we'll be sharing the strategies, mindsets and steps to help you design, build, produce and run a successful, sustainable podcast with zero jargon or guesswork. How can you get the most out of this podcast? There's a few ways.  https://www.captivate.fm/cribsheet/ (Make sure you've downloaded your free podcast launch crib sheet.) All of the episodes in this podcast mirror the checklist so you can follow along and apply your own ideas as we go. By the end, you'll have a full, detailed podcast planned out, recorded and ready for launch.  https://www.podcastsuccessacademy.com/ (Enroll on our Podcast Launch Accelerator course at podcastsuccessacademy.com). It's completely free and includes over 5 hours of bitesize video tutorials, resources and recommendations to complement this podcast. https://www.facebook.com/groups/podcasttips (Get involved in the Facebook community for live office hours every week.) Remember, you're never alone in this process! Join the Podcast Launch Accelerator course to unlock access to our international community of beginner and pro podcasters, as well as live weekly office hours with the Captivate team. Get answers to your questions instantly, as well as vital peer support, feedback and advice from real podcasters like you. Find out just how easy it is to start your own podcast and follow along with us to set up a growth-ready show using the steps we'll take together. Listen in and let's launch a podcast!

In this episode, we're going to talk about the four big, common problems that stops a lot of podcasters from starting a podcast and how you can overcome them. Everyone launching a podcast faces these obstacles, and it's easy to get round them - you just need to know how. Maybe you'll recognise some of these challenges yourself and by sharing them today, we'll help you to finally overcome them and get your podcast started. I'll be joined by my special guest, CEO & co-founder of Rebel Base Media, and owner of podcast hosting platform Captivate.fm, Poductivity, Podcast Websites and of course, Podcast Success Academy! This episode's milestone: Now we've got to our milestone for this episode which is to pick a launch date. Why are we doing this first? What you need is accountability - we need a date to focus on that we can work towards and aim for. So, head to https://www.captivate.fm/cribsheet/ (page 3 of your Podcast Accelerator crib sheet), grab a Sharpie and write a date down! What can you expect from this podcast? I'm your host, Rachel, Content Executive at Captivate. It's my job to help podcasters like you start, launch and grow your podcasts using free education and resources. Over the course of this series, I'll be joined from time to time by special guest Mark Asquith, CEO and co-creator of Captivate, who'll lend his expertise and advice. Over the next 8 episodes, we'll be sharing the strategies, mindsets and steps to help you design, build, produce and run a successful, sustainable podcast with zero jargon or guesswork. Find out just how easy it is to start your own podcast and follow along with us to set up a growth-ready show using the steps we'll take together. Every episode will feature a podcast launch milestone to work towards so you can build your podcast with us at a pace that suits you. Listen in and let's launch a podcast! How can you get the most out of this podcast? There's a few ways.  https://www.captivate.fm/cribsheet/ (Make sure you've downloaded your free podcast launch crib sheet.) All of the episodes in this podcast mirror the checklist so you can follow along and apply your own ideas as we go. By the end, you'll have a full, detailed podcast planned out, recorded and ready for launch.  https://www.podcastsuccessacademy.com/ (Enroll on our Podcast Launch Accelerator course at podcastsuccessacademy.com). It's completely free and includes over 5 hours of bitesize video tutorials, resources and recommendations to complement this podcast. https://www.facebook.com/groups/podcasttips (Get involved in the Facebook community for live office hours every week.) Remember, you're never alone in this process! Join the Podcast Launch Accelerator course to unlock access to our international community of beginner and pro podcasters, as well as live weekly office hours with the Captivate team. Get answers to your questions instantly, as well as vital peer support, feedback and advice from real podcasters like you.

In this episode, we're getting into the fun details - we're going to design our podcast. This is a really fun step, where your podcast will start coming together properly as you start to piece together all the exciting ideas you've had and form it into something concrete. What do we mean by ‘designing' a podcast? Let's talk through the steps. I'll be joined by my special guest, CEO & co-founder of Rebel Base Media, and owner of podcast hosting platform Captivate.fm, Poductivity, Podcast Websites and of course, Podcast Success Academy. This episode's milestone: Head to pages 5-6 of your https://www.captivate.fm/cribsheet/ (Podcast Accelerator crib sheet)! Get thinking about your listener avatar and XYZ statement as a foundation for designing the rest of your podcast. With these details in mind (and it doesn't have to be perfect the first time, just something to focus on!), it'll be so much easier to plan content, design cover art/choose music, market our podcast and find sponsorship down the line.  What can you expect from this podcast? I'm your host, Rachel, Content Executive at Captivate. It's my job to help podcasters like you start, launch and grow your podcasts using free education and resources. Over the course of this series, I'll be joined from time to time by special guest Mark Asquith, CEO and co-creator of Captivate, who'll lend his expertise and advice. Over the next 8 episodes, we'll be sharing the strategies, mindsets and steps to help you design, build, produce and run a successful, sustainable podcast with zero jargon or guesswork. Find out just how easy it is to start your own podcast and follow along with us to set up a growth-ready show using the steps we'll take together. Every episode will feature a podcast launch milestone to work towards so you can build your podcast with us at a pace that suits you. Listen in and let's launch a podcast! How can you get the most out of this podcast? There's a few ways.  https://www.captivate.fm/cribsheet/ (Make sure you've downloaded your free podcast launch crib sheet.) All of the episodes in this podcast mirror the checklist so you can follow along and apply your own ideas as we go. By the end, you'll have a full, detailed podcast planned out, recorded and ready for launch.  https://www.podcastsuccessacademy.com/ (Enroll on our Podcast Launch Accelerator course at podcastsuccessacademy.com). It's completely free and includes over 5 hours of bitesize video tutorials, resources and recommendations to complement this podcast. https://www.facebook.com/groups/podcasttips (Get involved in the Facebook community for live office hours every week.) Remember, you're never alone in this process! Join the Podcast Launch Accelerator course to unlock access to our international community of beginner and pro podcasters, as well as live weekly office hours with the Captivate team. Get answers to your questions instantly, as well as vital peer support, feedback and advice from real podcasters like you.

In this episode, we're getting started with podcast technology and building our first podcast ‘stack'. Why is podcast technology so daunting in the first place?! People get overwhelmed with options, there's the doubt that comes with spending money, everyone has opinions on what the best kit is. The takeaway is: you don't have to spend tons of money getting the highest quality equipment available. In the beginning, you should focus on creating quality content, growing your listenership and making it sound as good as you can. For more guidance and video demos of all the equipment we talk about here, head to page 13 of your Podcast Accelerator crib sheet for all the info and links you need! What can you expect from this podcast? I'm your host, Rachel, Content Executive at Captivate. It's my job to help podcasters like you start, launch and grow your podcasts using free education and resources. Over the course of this series, I'll be joined from time to time by special guest Mark Asquith, CEO and co-creator of Captivate, who'll lend his expertise and advice. Over the next 8 episodes, we'll be sharing the strategies, mindsets and steps to help you design, build, produce and run a successful, sustainable podcast with zero jargon or guesswork. Find out just how easy it is to start your own podcast and follow along with us to set up a growth-ready show using the steps we'll take together. Every episode will feature a podcast launch milestone to work towards so you can build your podcast with us at a pace that suits you. Listen in and let's launch a podcast! How can you get the most out of this podcast? There's a few ways.  https://www.captivate.fm/cribsheet/ (Make sure you've downloaded your free podcast launch crib sheet.) All of the episodes in this podcast mirror the checklist so you can follow along and apply your own ideas as we go. By the end, you'll have a full, detailed podcast planned out, recorded and ready for launch.  https://www.podcastsuccessacademy.com/ (Enroll on our Podcast Launch Accelerator course at podcastsuccessacademy.com). It's completely free and includes over 5 hours of bitesize video tutorials, resources and recommendations to complement this podcast. https://www.facebook.com/groups/podcasttips (Get involved in the Facebook community for live office hours every week.) Remember, you're never alone in this process! Join the Podcast Launch Accelerator course to unlock access to our international community of beginner and pro podcasters, as well as live weekly office hours with the Captivate team. Get answers to your questions instantly, as well as vital peer support, feedback and advice from real podcasters like you.

In this episode, we're going to talk about the software that you need to record, edit and distribute your podcast. These will be the final pieces to your podcasting ‘tech stack'. What are the essential apps and software that all beginner podcasters need? Here are the answers so you can make the best decision for your podcast right away. For video demos and more information, head to page 14 of your Podcast Launch Accelerator crib sheet! What can you expect from this podcast? I'm your host, Rachel, Content Executive at Captivate. It's my job to help podcasters like you start, launch and grow your podcasts using free education and resources. Over the course of this series, I'll be joined from time to time by special guest Mark Asquith, CEO and co-creator of Captivate, who'll lend his expertise and advice. Over the next 8 episodes, we'll be sharing the strategies, mindsets and steps to help you design, build, produce and run a successful, sustainable podcast with zero jargon or guesswork. Find out just how easy it is to start your own podcast and follow along with us to set up a growth-ready show using the steps we'll take together. Every episode will feature a podcast launch milestone to work towards so you can build your podcast with us at a pace that suits you. Listen in and let's launch a podcast! How can you get the most out of this podcast? There's a few ways.  https://www.captivate.fm/cribsheet/ (Make sure you've downloaded your free podcast launch crib sheet.) All of the episodes in this podcast mirror the checklist so you can follow along and apply your own ideas as we go. By the end, you'll have a full, detailed podcast planned out, recorded and ready for launch.  https://www.podcastsuccessacademy.com/ (Enroll on our Podcast Launch Accelerator course at podcastsuccessacademy.com). It's completely free and includes over 5 hours of bitesize video tutorials, resources and recommendations to complement this podcast. https://www.facebook.com/groups/podcasttips (Get involved in the Facebook community for live office hours every week.) Remember, you're never alone in this process! Join the Podcast Launch Accelerator course to unlock access to our international community of beginner and pro podcasters, as well as live weekly office hours with the Captivate team. Get answers to your questions instantly, as well as vital peer support, feedback and advice from real podcasters like you.

Champions Speakers Agency's Celebrity Content Creator, Sophie Wheeldon, joins Coruzant Technologies for the Digital Executive podcast. She shares how her hard work, ambition, and continual improvement is launching her career into success.Champions Speakers Agency:https://champions-speakers.co.uk

In the first of our Scottish Premiership Season Preview Podcasts, Seán McGill talks to Oliver Birch, Content Executive at Read Celtic, about how the champions are looking as they look to secure a historic tenth league title in a row. Oli gives his thoughts on Celtic's pursuit of a new goalkeeper, the side's tactical shape, and the immense pressure the players will be under this campaign. He also gives his prediction as to whether this Celtic side can etch its name into immortality with 10-in-a-row. You can follow Oli on Twitter @OliBirch1 and you can find Read Celtic @ReadCeltic or readceltic.com. Don't forget to follow us on Twitter @ENRGSport and find us online at enrgsport.net. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts for more season previews and other great shows from ENRG Sport!