Podcasts about exiles

This week, we will be studying 1 Peter 1:1-9 under the theme “Exile…and Okay.” Exiles in a world that isn't home, Christians endure temporary suffering with a living hope that can never burn, break, or fade.SERIES SUMMARY: Following Jesus makes you different. That difference most commonly and brilliantly shows up when life gets hard. Add St. Marcus as your church on the Church Center App!Fill out our online connection cardHow can we pray for you? If you'd like to leave an offering or monetary donation to our ministry please click here.

Daniel 9:1-19; Charles Johnson, Senior Pastor at RMC; the tenth sermon in the series "Daniel: Hope for Exiles."

Daniel 2

Get ready to flop on the floor this week - we'll be doing the Alligator, as mentioned in "Land of 1,000 Dances"! The first in our animal menagerie is "Alligator Meat" by Charlie Singleton & His Orchestra from 1951, which sounds like Slim Gaillard if he rocked, rather than jazzed. After dinner, enjoy "Alligator Stomp" by The Rampages - a throwback rocker from 1964. That same year, "The 100 Mile An Hour Alligator" by The P.J. Murphy Quintet captured the ferocity and energy of the titular animal in a spiffy intro number. Frat-tastic! Next, The Dynamic Kapers offer us some "Alligator Wine" to wash down the gator meat. It's an early Leiber/Stoller tune! Before they kissed you all over in the 70s, Jimmy Stokley & The Exiles warned us it was "Alligator Time." It's even more salacious than their later paean to sex! We saved the best for last with "The Alligator" by The Us Four from Louisville, Kentucky. This song has it all, dual vocals, cool percussion, an upfront organ, and koool lyrics that implore you to forget all other dances! Dance this mess around!!

2026.05.31 Elect Exiles Week 9 by Pastor Stephen Woodard

Daniel 1:1-21

Daniel 8:1-27; Charles Johnson, Senior Pastor at RMC; the ninth sermon in the series "Daniel: Hope for Exiles."

In this Bonus VIDEO! episode of "Historical Drama with the Boston Sisters," Michon and Taquiena discuss their 2026 book picks for summer reading and beyond including: *Carole Boston Weatherford's "Kin: Rooted in Hope," a multi-generational narrative in verse about her family's history (See Episode 91); *Marjorie J. Spruill's "Divided We Stand" (FX/Hulu MRS. AMERICA miniseries) which explores the women's rights movement in the 1970s (see Epsidoes 89 and 90). Other books include David McCullough's "John Adams" (HBO miniseries), Stacy Schiff's "A Great Improvisation" (FRANKLIN Apple TV miniseries),  Lawrence Hill's "The Book of Negroes" (CBC/BET miniseries), *Vanessa Riley's "Queen of Exiles" (see episode 86), and Tom Reiss' "The Black Count." This “From Page to Screen” bonus is the first full-length VIDEO podcast for “Historical Drama with The Boston Sisters®.” SUBSCRIBE to HISTORICAL DRAMA WITH THE BOSTON SISTERS® on your favorite podcast platformENJOY past podcasts and bonus episodesSIGN UP for our mailing listSUPPORT this podcast  SHOP THE PODCAST on our affiliate bookstoreBuy us a Coffee! You can support by buying a coffee ☕ here — buymeacoffee.com/historicaldramasistersThank you for listening...and/or watching!

Watch Part 2 for FREE on Patreon! Dan Allender, Brook Keels, and Chinwe Williams joined me in Minneapolis to help the church better engage mental health trends, Gen Z, trauma, anxiety, and more. Each gave a 15-20 minute talk, then they joined Preston on the couch for a panel conversation and audience Q & A that you can watch free on patreon. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In Week 4 of The Return, Jackie Glass unpacks 1 Peter 2 and challenges us to embrace our identity as God's chosen people living as exiles in the world. As we learn to trust God's provision over our need for control, we become a people who display His goodness through our lives. Be sure to reference the Sermon Reflection Guide to help you go deeper and continue the conversation throughout the week.   The Return Week 4: "Exiles Not Owners" Sermon Reflection Guide

Elect Exiles Week 8 5/24/2026 by Pastor Stephen Woodard

This week Erin M. Evans, B. Dave Walters, and Treavor Bettis are joined by Sarah Rees Brenan! They'll talk about Weird Stuff and Things That Get Left in the Draft.Special Guest:Sarah Rees Brenan (Long Live Evil, All Hail Chaos)https://www.sarahreesbrennan.com/ Join our Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/writingaboutdragons Join the Discord!https://discord.gg/MdSVsfpTzu Starring:Erin M Evans (Empire of Exiles, Brimstone Angels)https://bsky.app/profile/erinmevans.bsky.social B. Dave Walters (A Darkened Wish, Black Dice Society)https://bsky.app/profile/bdavewalters.bsky.social Treavor Bettis (Difficulty Class, Champions of Lore)https://bsky.app/profile/thetreavor.bsky.social Buy Relics of Ruin!Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Relics-Ruin-Books-Usurper-2/dp/031644104X Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/relics-of-ruin-erin-m-evans/1143299833?ean=9780316441049 Enroll in B. Dave's 14 Day Writer:https://www.theundisputedacademy.com/14-day-writer-home-page

Watch Exiles in Babylon 2026 on demand! Join my Patreon community for bonus episodes, Q&As, exclusive content, and access to the Exiles videos. Street Hymns is a battle rapper, writer, spoken word artist, and creative voice who has been part of the Exiles Conference since the very beginning. In this episode, we sit down in person to debrief the recent Exiles Conference in Minneapolis, and talk about why gatherings like this matter in today's cultural landscape.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We explore what it means for our identity as the Church to live as strangers and exiles in a foreign land, looking forward to a heavenly Kingdom, as our spiritual ancestors did before us.

Daniel 7:1-28; Charles Johnson, Senior Pastor at RMC; the eighth sermon in the series "Daniel: Hope for Exiles."

Kingdom in Exiles - The Gospel at Home - Robb & Tabitha Hibbard Hope Church

In this final exposition in our study of 1 Peter, Pastor David concludes our study as he preaches on 1 Peter 5:12-14.OUTLINE:(v12)Stand firm in the true grace;(v13)remember those elect exiles;(v14)[and] regard one another with love & peace.(v12)Stand firm in the true grace;Colossians 4:7-9,3 John 1:9-10,2 Corinthians 1:10 (CSB),1 Thessalonians 1:1,Acts 11:23; 20:24,1 Peter 1:13b,1 Peter 5:10,Romans 5:15 (CSB),(2 Cor. 12:9, Eph. 1:7, Titus 3:7, Eph. 2:8, Heb. 4:16)(v13)remember those elect exiles;1 Peter 5:13 (KJV, NET),1 Peter 1:2a (NIV),1 Peter 2:9-10,1 Peter 5:9b(v14)[and] regard one another with love & peace.John 13:34-35,(Romans 5:1-2)

EXILES | LIVING AS OUTSIDERS FOR GOD'S KINGDOM This week Brian opens 1 Peter's roadmap for living as exiles in a resistant world. Following Jesus creates real friction, new convictions, and relational pressure, and that tension is not a sign something is wrong. Using Peter's own story of cowardice turned courage through the resurrection, Brian challenges the church not to shrink back into a quiet, privatized faith. Instead, Peter's first instruction is to praise God. In the middle of suffering and loss, the Christian response is Hallelujah, anchored in God's mercy, the new birth we've been given, and the inheritance kept secure in heaven that no one can take away. Exiles is a 12-week journey through 1 Peter looking at what it means to follow Jesus in a world where we increasingly feel like outsiders. Rather than seeing this tension as a problem, Scripture shows it is the normal shape of life for those who belong to God's kingdom. As citizens of the kingdom of God, we are called to witness to His reign in the world through faithful presence, courageous love, and enduring hope. This series invites us to live as a distinct people whose lives point others to Jesus in a world that is not yet restored and made new.Scattered Exiles1 Peter 1: 3-9Brian Berger | Pastor of Life Discipleship5.17.2026

2026.05.2026 Nashua Baptist Church Elect Exiles Week 7 by Pastor Stephen Woodard

Pastor Ricky shares on 1 Samuel 26 and explains how spiritual movement is often gradual, but ultimately noticeable.

1 Peter 1: 1-5 | Living Hope For Exiles, Part 1 | 5/17/2026 | Pastor Matt Jones. We begin a brand-new sermon series through the book of 1 Peter titled Living Hope for Exiles. In a world filled with instability, pressure, compromise, and fading hopes, Peter reminds believers that our confidence is not rooted in culture, comfort, or earthly security, but in the sovereign saving work of the Triune God through Jesus Christ. In this first message, Pastor Matt shows us how God chooses His people, causes them to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Christ, secures an eternal inheritance for them, and preserves them by His power.

This week Erin M. Evans, B. Dave Walters, and Treavor Bettis answer more questions from awesome listeners like you!Join our Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/writingaboutdragons Join the Discord!https://discord.gg/MdSVsfpTzu Starring:Erin M Evans (Empire of Exiles, Brimstone Angels)https://bsky.app/profile/erinmevans.bsky.social B. Dave Walters (A Darkened Wish, Black Dice Society)https://bsky.app/profile/bdavewalters.bsky.social Treavor Bettis (Difficulty Class, Champions of Lore)https://bsky.app/profile/thetreavor.bsky.social Buy Relics of Ruin!Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Relics-Ruin-Books-Usurper-2/dp/031644104X Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/relics-of-ruin-erin-m-evans/1143299833?ean=9780316441049 Enroll in B. Dave's 14 Day Writer:https://www.theundisputedacademy.com/14-day-writer-home-page

1 Peter 2:11-25 - - Apr 24, 2016

Christina Baker Kline joins Book Gang to discuss The Foursome, a novel inspired by her family ties to the descendants of conjoined twins Chang and Eng Bunker. This week's Book Gang conversation welcomes #1 New York Times bestselling author Christina Baker Kline, whose new novel The Foursome delivers a captivating book club premise inspired by the true story of Chang and Eng Bunker. Kline's narrative follows the conjoined twins from their international stardom to settling in North Carolina, where they seek love and family, culminating in an unexpected and unforgettable love story with sisters Adelaide and Sarah. Kline invites readers into her flourishing career, where she reflects on Orphan Train's success and what's changed since she began in the 1990s. For writers and readers alike, she offers compelling advice on weathering publishing changes. In this inviting and deeply immersive conversation, we discuss:

Daniel 6:1-28; Matt Clegg, Associate Pastor; the seventh sermon in the series "Daniel: Hope for Exiles."

No one likes to feel out of place, but we've all felt that way before. In fact, as followers of Jesus, we should expect it. 1 Peter 2:11 says we live as “aliens and strangers in the world.” This means God's grace causes us to see the world we were born into differently. We're living in a wild world that grows more chaotic by the minute. But Peter's letters not only teach us how to live in this wild world; they also remind us that we are called to change it. So, get ready, because into the wild we go.

EXILES | LIVING AS OUTSIDERS FOR GOD'S KINGDOM This week Cory introduced Exiles, a journey through 1 Peter unpacking what it means to follow Jesus as outsiders in a Babylonian world. As God's elect, we are chosen for His mission. As Exiles, we are called to faithfully engage the world, not retreat from it, as living previews of His kingdom. Exiles is a 12-week journey through 1 Peter looking at what it means to follow Jesus in a world where we increasingly feel like outsiders. Rather than seeing this tension as a problem, Scripture shows it is the normal shape of life for those who belong to God's kingdom. As citizens of the kingdom of God, we are called to witness to His reign in the world through faithful presence, courageous love, and enduring hope. This series invites us to live as a distinct people whose lives point others to Jesus in a world that is not yet restored and made new.Scattered Exiles1 Peter 1: 1-2Cory Kasperson | Next Gen Pastor5.10.2026

Week 2 – May 10A Living Hope that Leads to PraiseEven through trials, our hope in Christ is alive. Join us as we learn how this living hope fuels true worship and joy.

2026.05.10 Elect Exiles Week 6 by Pastor Stephen Woodard

Pastor David continues our series with his exposition of 1 Peter 5:8-11.(VV8-9) THE CALL TO BE WATCHFUL AND FIRMMark 14:47-38,Luke 22:31-34,1 Peter 1:13,1 Peter 4:7,Matthew 4:4,Psalm 119:9, 105,2 Timothy 3:16-17,Job 1:6-12,Psalm 10:8-9,John 17:15,Ephesians 6:13,James 4:7-8,Acts 14:22Second London Baptist Confession,Chapter 1, Paragraph 1, 10(V10) THE CONFIDENCE TO ENDURE SUFFERING1 Peter 1:5-7,2 Corinthians 4:16-18(V11) [AND] THE COMFORT OF HIS DOMINION.1 Peter 4:11b,Psalm 1:5-6,Hebrews 12:1b-2

Pastor Ricky shares on 1 Samuel 25 and explains how God often chooses to sanctify his servants through surprising exile relationships.

As we dive into 1 Peter, we'll explore what it means to live as “elect exiles.” Peter—writing tobelievers who felt out of place in the world around them— doesn't start with strategies orsolutions; he starts with identity. In a culture that pressures us to conform, we too are remindedthat we belong to God and are being shaped by His work in our lives.

Welcome back to another episode of the unSeminary podcast. Today we're joined by Dr. Derwin L. Gray, co-founder and lead pastor of Transformation Church. Since launching in 2010, Transformation Church has become a multi-ethnic, multi-generational movement impacting thousands locally and globally. In this conversation, Derwin tackles one of the most pressing—and often avoided—questions facing church leaders today: what are we actually multiplying? Are we forming disciples of Jesus—or unintentionally shaping people more through culture, politics, and media than through the gospel? Derwin challenges leaders to examine the deeper currents shaping their churches and to recover a bold, Christ-centered vision for discipleship. What are we actually multiplying? // Derwin raises a provocative concern: many churches are focused on growth, expansion, and multiplication—but not always clear on what is being multiplied. Are we producing disciples rooted in the gospel, or consumers attracted to experiences? He warns that without intentional focus, churches can unintentionally replicate shallow faith, cultural Christianity, or even ideological distortion. The goal of multiplication must not simply be more campuses or larger attendance, but deeper, more faithful discipleship. A discipleship crisis beneath the surface. // The issue isn't that churches lack discipleship. It's that many people are being discipled by the wrong influences. Social media, political ideologies, and cultural narratives are shaping beliefs and behaviors, often more powerfully than Scripture. This creates a “wrong discipleship” problem, where people identify as Christians but reflect values that are inconsistent with the teachings of Jesus. The challenge for leaders is to re-center discipleship around Christ, ensuring that people are being formed by the gospel rather than the surrounding culture. The danger of ideological captivity. // Derwin speaks candidly about the ways the church can become entangled in political ideologies—whether on the right or the left. He specifically critiques the rise of Christian nationalism, defining it as the fusion of the church's identity with the identity of a nation-state. This, he argues, distorts the gospel by elevating political allegiance above allegiance to Christ. At the same time, he acknowledges the influence of secular progressivism. Both extremes, in different ways, can pull believers away from the centrality of Jesus. The call is not to disengage from society, but to engage from a distinctly gospel-centered perspective. Recovering a gospel-shaped identity. // At the heart of Derwin's message is a call to rediscover what it means to be shaped by the gospel. The good news of Jesus is not merely about individual salvation—it creates a new family across ethnic, cultural, and social lines. This vision is central to Transformation Church's identity as a multi-ethnic community. Derwin emphasizes that the gospel reconciles not only vertically (between people and God), but horizontally (between people and one another). When churches lose this vision, they lose their witness in a divided world. Courageous and compassionate leadership. // Leading in this cultural moment requires what Derwin calls “courageous compassion.” Pastors must be willing to speak truth clearly while loving people deeply. This means addressing difficult issues without fear of losing people, while also avoiding harsh or divisive rhetoric. Derwin acknowledges that this approach can lead to criticism from multiple sides, but he emphasizes that faithfulness to Christ must take priority over maintaining comfort or approval. Practical steps for leaders. // For pastors who feel their churches have been shaped more by culture than by Christ, Derwin offers simple but powerful starting points: pray, repent, and refocus on the gospel. He encourages leaders to equip themselves through study and to guide their teams in rediscovering a biblical framework for discipleship. Most importantly, leaders must model what they teach, demonstrating lives rooted in Christ rather than captured by cultural narratives. A renewed vision for the church. // Ultimately, Derwin calls the church back to its prophetic voice. The church is not meant to mirror the divisions of the world but to offer a compelling alternative: a community shaped by love, unity, and truth. When the church remains rooted in Jesus, it becomes a powerful witness to a watching world. To learn more about Transformation Church and Dr. Derwin L. Gray, his teaching, and resources, visit transformationchurch.tc and derwinlgray.com. Plus, pre-order his book, It’s Time to Heal: Four God-Given Steps to Restore What Life Has Shattered. Thank You for Tuning In! There are a lot of podcasts you could be tuning into today, but you chose unSeminary, and I'm grateful for that. If you enjoyed today's show, please share it by using the social media buttons you see at the left hand side of this page. Also, kindly consider taking the 60-seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes, they're extremely helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and you can bet that I read every single one of them personally! Lastly, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, to get automatic updates every time a new episode goes live! Thank You to This Episode’s Sponsor: Portable Church Your church is doing really well right now, and your leadership team is looking for solutions to keep momentum going! It could be time to start a new location. Maybe you have hesitated in the past few years, but you know it's time to step out in faith again and launch that next location. Portable Church has assembled a bundle of resources to help you leverage your growing momentum into a new location by sending a part of your congregation back to their neighborhood on Mission. This bundle of resources will give you a step-by-step plan to launch that new or next location, and a 5 minute readiness tool that will help you know your church is ready to do it! Click here to watch the free webinar “Launch a New Location in 150 Days or Less” and grab the bundle of resources for your church! Episode Transcript Rich Birch — Hey friends, so glad that you decided to tune in to today’s episode of the unSeminary podcast. Really looking forward to this. I had a fragment of a conversation with a dear friend at the Exponential Conference and I want to have more of that today with you listening in. And this is a conversation that I know is impacting people. I think 100% of our church is in the country today. It’s something that we all are seeing. It’s impacting us. We’ve got to be thinking about this. Rich Birch — Honored to have Dr. Derwin Gray with us, incredible leader from Transformation Church. He and his wife, Vicki, co-founded the church in 2010. It’s a multi-ethnic, multi-generational, mission-shaped community community with two locations in South Carolina, as well as Church Online. He’s an award-winning author of multiple books. He’s been on the podcast in the past and is one of the people who, he’s called me out on the podcast before, and I have taken those lessons with me. And so I’m I'm hoping that happens with you today. Derwin, welcome to the show. So glad you’re here.Dr. Derwin L. Gray — Hey, man, thank you. So good to be with you.Rich Birch — No, it’s it’s honest. You know, been multiple times you’ve been on the show and I I’ve walked away being like, man, okay, Derwin just, he’s just pushed me and and got me to think different, which I really appreciate that. So for folks that don’t know about Transformation, kind of tell us a little bit about the church and give us the context you’re in, that sort of thing.Dr. Derwin L. Gray — Yeah, man. So ah my wife and I co-planted Transformation Church in 2010 in the Charlotte, North Carolina area. And so neither my wife and nor I grew up in church, and both of us came to faith in our mid to late 20s, and primarily through people at work. There was a woman at my wife’s job who shared Christ with her. I had a teammate named Steve Grant, with the Indianapolis Colts, where I played in the NFL. We called him the naked preacher because after practice, he’d dry off, take a shower, wrap a towel around his waist, and he’d share the gospel. And over five years, I came to faith. My wife came to faith before me. Dr. Derwin L. Gray — And all we knew was this. If Jesus is this incredible, this forgiving, this gracious, this is the greatest news there is in the world. And so we didn’t know what words like evangelism and discipleship meant. All we knew was this. I want to know him. I want to make him known. I want to know his word.Dr. Derwin L. Gray — And so that was in 1997, 1998. We moved to Charlotte, North Carolina to play for the Carolina Panthers, and I got injured. And so all I could do was read my Bible, rehab my knee. And the following year, both my wife and I said, you know what? I think my NFL time is done.Dr. Derwin L. Gray — What are we going to do? We don’t know. So I got an invitation to speak at a youth event to share my testimony. And I said, well, what is that? They were like, a testimony is where you share your story of how you met Christ and what what took place. So I did that. People started calling me.Dr. Derwin L. Gray — And in 1999, other Christians says, you guys need a nonprofit organization. You know, we’re like, what does that mean? So we started a ministry called One Heart at a Time. I would travel and speak. She would organize everything. We served at our church. Well, the longer we did that, we saw incredible fruit, but we also saw that wherever I would preach, it was ethnically segregated. It was it was really weird, right?Dr. Derwin L. Gray — I’m like, wait a second. America is integrated, but the church is basically segregated. And so I began to ask questions and I got lousy answers. But as we read the Bible, it was like the early church was Jews and Gentiles. That’s what it was. It was a multi-ethnic church. Jesus not only forgave sins, but he created a family with different colored skins. Not only is that the future of the church in Revelation 7:9, but that’s the present reality of the church that intrinsic to the gospel is ethnic reconciliation. What good would it be Jesus forgives you but don’t love your brother and sister? So the cross is vertical and horizontal. Dr. Derwin L. Gray — So we were frustrated. And then we just sense God say, well, you can criticize or you can create. And so ultimately that led to planting Transformation Church in the south area of Charlotte, North Carolina, where actually physically in what’s called Indian Land, South Carolina, and our other campus is in Lake Wiley, South Carolina, but it’s really the greater Charlotte area.Dr. Derwin L. Gray — And our church is more ethnically diverse than our community. And I want to be very, very clear. One of the reasons why we are ethnically diverse is because of the good news of Jesus. Like I explained, Jesus not only forgives sins, but he creates a family with different colored skins. And so for us, ethnic unity in Christ not only enhances our discipleship, but it enhances our witness to a looking and watching world which is filled with so much division. Dr. Derwin L. Gray — And over the last 16 years, God has done miraculous things. We’ve seen 9,000 people come to faith, thousands be baptized. God has given us massive influence. We also have what’s called the Multi-Ethnic Church Roundtable, where we’ve equipped 800 leaders from around the world to do gospel-centered multi-ethnic ministry. We’re also in the process, Leon’s Crump and I, of launching what’s called the Promise Collective, which is going to be an intentionally multi-ethnic gospel-centered church planting network.Dr. Derwin L. Gray — So a lot of wonderful things are taking place. And we think it’s pretty cool that God planted us in the state of South Carolina where the first shots of the Civil War were fired. And God has used this church here to influence not only the church in America, but even around the world. Rich Birch — Yeah, absolutely Dr. Derwin L. Gray — So we’re grateful.Rich Birch — Well, I, yeah, there’s I respect you on so many levels. And, and, you know, they these issues around being a multi-ethnic church are, you know, at the core of that. And just to respect you on for lots of what you’ve done. and And we ended up at this in this conversation, just to kind of bring everybody up to speed, we ended up in this conversation at Exponential that I leaned forward as just declaring my, ah you know, a little bit about me for folks that are listening in. So I am Canadian, don’t hold it against me.Rich Birch — But I’ve served mostly American churches in the churches I work with. And most of the 95% of the listeners of this podcast are in the States. I was in the States for a bunch of years. And that may become a little more obvious as we’re talking here why that’s why I’m talking about that context. But one of the things in this conversation that I heard you, the question you asked, which made me lean forward and then where it kind of unfolded from there is you asked the question, what are we actually multiplying? Exponential is obviously the global conference for multiplication, but you were pushing us to think about what are we actually multiplying? What is the the core of that? Can you unpack that for us?What were you thinking of when we started talking about that that day?Dr. Derwin L. Gray — Yeah, sure, sure. Just to provide either even a little bit more context is it was a gathering of of very large churches. Rich Birch — Right.Dr. Derwin L. Gray — And the question is what’s going well, what’s not going well? And so typically in those types of rooms, I like to listen. And so as I was listening, I was hearing no disrespect, but a lot of the same.Dr. Derwin L. Gray — And so I kind of waited for everybody to to finish what they were saying. And I said, here’s something that Transformation Church does well, is we are equipping our people to stand against secular progressivism and Christian nationalism. And I said, what are we exactly multiplying? Because the state of the church the United States America is not good. It’s not healthy. It is divided. In many cases, it is it’s mean. Shallow theology, not loving our neighbors as God commands us to be loved. Dr. Derwin L. Gray — So so my question was, are we just putting up more boxes for consumers to come in and consume because we have good music, good human-centered preaching. You know, we’re not going to mess with your idols. We’re not going to topple your idols at all. And yeah, you can invite your friends when we get more campuses. Because if that’s just what we’re doing, don’t sign me up for that. I don’t I don’t I don’t want any parts of that. That’s how we got to where we are now. And so you as a Canadian, here in America, the witness of the church is not very good. Like when I talk to people who are unbelievers, I have to untangle…Rich Birch — Right.Dr. Derwin L. Gray — …politics from the gospel because unfortunately there’s been an unholy wedding, particularly on the far right with aspects of Christianity, which has distorted and deformed. I think the secular progressivism is pretty easy to see, but I think the Christian nationalism is a lot harder. Dr. Derwin L. Gray — Now, let me define what I mean by that. So first of all, Loving your country is a good thing. That’s called loving your neighbors. You love yourself. So my fourth grandfather, Moses Davis, fought for the Union, the colored cavalry of Virginia… Rich Birch — Wow. Dr. Derwin L. Gray — …against the treasonous Confederate whatever it was. So in my blood is patriotism for my nation. America’s my home. But to love my neighbors, I love myself means not only do love America, but I love the entire world. And then as a Christian, we have a global body that we love. There are more followers of Jesus of color outside of America than the United States of America.Dr. Derwin L. Gray — Now, what do I mean by Christian nationalism? This is what I mean. Christian nationalism is the attempt to fuse the identity and mission of the church with the identity and power of a nation state, treating the nation as a primary vehicle of God’s purposes rather than seeing God’s kingdom as a global Jesus-centered reality that transcends all nations.Dr. Derwin L. Gray — By that definition, Christian nationalism is a heresy. Because it basically says, if you don’t think like us, you can’t be a follower of Jesus. And so you’re adding to the works of Christ. And so Christian nationalism has infiltrated much of what I would say the majority culture, Caucasian church in America. Not all, but a lot. Where Christians, what what it means to follow Jesus has turned into a far right, almost authoritarianism versus, no, no, you have the right to vote in the United States of America. But as Christians, we don’t have a right to idolize nor demonize those who vote differently than us.Dr. Derwin L. Gray — I’m not sure Americans know this, but most people in the world are not Republican or Democrat. Rich Birch — Right.Dr. Derwin L. Gray — So if you say your faith is based on what you vote for, you’re adding to the work of Christ.Rich Birch — So, so Derwin, I appreciate you. So I’ve not heard a lot of people talk about this. This seems to be, I don’t know, it seems like something happened post COVID and the church in general, there was this like shakeup in the church in general where, you know, lots of people ended up in different places and it was like, we’ve become more divided than ever before. And I do think that there’s a significant dividing line at or close to what you’re talking about here, that it’s like, there’s a, there’s a new voice around Christian nationalism that seems to be gaining influence. Is that, is that, is that ah a false perception or is that the way you see it as well?Dr. Derwin L. Gray — No, you are 100% right. And it is a well-orchestrated, well-funded plan. With social media and the rise of social media influencers, paid propagandists can go on and infuse their propaganda into people immediately.Dr. Derwin L. Gray — And here’s and here’s the thing. Populism does not require much intellect. All it requires is somebody to be angry at who’s taking from you. So the more divided we are as people, the more the oligarchs have power and the money that they make.Dr. Derwin L. Gray — They own the social media. They own the algorithms. I mean, for goodness sakes, Elon Musk promised people a million dollars to vote in Pennsylvania for the election. How is that even legal? Right. Rich Birch — Right.Dr. Derwin L. Gray — So people are being inundated. Like we have family members that don’t even talk to each other anymore because they have red hat or a blue shirt, right? And so it has been in increasingly effective. But here’s the thing, Rich, that’s so wild to me. The admin the the Trump administration greenlit the FDA approval of an abortion pill. And I don’t hear any evangelical saying anything about it.Rich Birch — Right. Right.Dr. Derwin L. Gray — And even when you look at the Supreme Court now saying states can choose whether you do abortion or not, that’s pro-choice. You know, what used to be the Republican Party, small government, family values, those things are way gone. Rich Birch — Right. Right.Dr. Derwin L. Gray — And so not only has Christian nationalism changed like, or not only has this current administration changed what the Republican Party was, but in many cases, it’s changed even so much of the church. And it is wild to listen to people in 2016 who said one thing, who say a totally different thing now.Rich Birch — Yeah.Dr. Derwin L. Gray — It’s hard.Rich Birch — Well, yeah. And I so I think the thing you’ve, you’re putting a finger on and it’s, I appreciate you being willing to talk about and unpack it is there’s definitely like a broader cultural conversation that’s happening around these issues. That is for sure. We’re seeing that. And that’s having an impact on our ability to disciple the people in our churches or our people are being discipled by social media, by the algorithm, by YouTube And that can create or is creating a discipleship crisis in many of our churches. How do you try to find the line between those two to say, hey, we’re going to talk about the discipleship stuff… Dr. Derwin L. Gray — Yeah. Rich Birch — …without getting dragged in on the you know the exterior? How do we how do we draw those lines in a way that makes sense?Dr. Derwin L. Gray — Yeah. Yeah. So, so, so what I would say is we don’t have a discipleship problem. We have a wrong discipleship problem. Rich Birch — Okay, that’s good. Dr. Derwin L. Gray — Because somebody is making students out of somebody.Rich Birch — Right, sure.Dr. Derwin L. Gray — And so are we becoming students of Jesus? that’s That’s the issue. And so what I say is this, how a person votes, that’s their conscience. But how do you treat the people who don’t vote like you? Dr. Derwin L. Gray — So for example, research shows black Americans are more socially conservative, more biblically committed than white Americans. But 90%, I’m sorry, but black American Christians, but black American Christians, 90% vote for Democrats. So how can you be more socially conservative, more biblically committed, but you vote for Democrat?Dr. Derwin L. Gray — Well, because they don’t take everything that’s in the Democratic Party, just like most people who voted for Trump don’t take everything with him. And so we have to give each other the latitude and the grace. And there’s also pro-life Democrats. And not everybody who voted for Trump is evil. Not everybody who votes Democrat is evil. But the powers that be want us divided. Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s true. Dr. Derwin L. Gray — And when I and when I talk to my friends from Canada, when I talk to my friends that are pastors from around the world, Norway, different parts of Europe, Australia, England, and they’re going, what has happened to you guys?Dr. Derwin L. Gray — I can tell you what’s what’s taken place is our faith is being distorted and driving it is fear and hatred.Rich Birch — Yeah. So I would echo that. The joke I’ve made, both with American leaders and leaders from other parts of the world, is there is a segment of the body of Christ that seems very angry about the love of God. Like they’re and they’re very fearful. Like it’s all it’s all anger and fear driven. And I don’t know whether, and it probably is related to the algorithms, but like we’re hearing from these people so much more than, than we used to. It used to be an echo chamber of people that lived in so much fear, but now it’s just out there. It seems to be in, in our, you know, in our feeds all the time.Dr. Derwin L. Gray — Yeah, what used to be on the fringes is now on the main street, right? And so we need to re-gospel ourselves. We need a greater commitment to Christ. So, for example, life in the womb is precious and sacred. That’s not conservative. That’s gospel. That’s biblical.Dr. Derwin L. Gray — Caring for the dignity of undocumented people in America is not liberal. That’s gospel. Wanting border control is not conservative. That is understanding that a nation has to have borders to flourish. Dr. Derwin L. Gray — Believing that marriage is between a man and a woman, we believe that’s biblical. But loving and respecting LGBTQ people is not liberal. Loving my neighbors as I love myself. And if I have any hope of anybody ah coming to Jesus, they’re not going come to Jesus because I’m yelling at them and I’m angry. I’m going to love them and pursue them just like we’ve done here at our church.Dr. Derwin L. Gray — And so I feel like what we’ve done in in in the church is we’ve taken a 250 year old country called America. And then specifically the last 10 years, we’ve made that the hermeneutic to understand the gospel.Rich Birch — Yeah, right.Dr. Derwin L. Gray — We’ve made that the lenses that we look through to determine the gospel. Whereas what I’m saying, let’s go back to the text. Let’s go back to the early church, the book of Acts, Paul’s letters, the gospels. That’s where our faith comes from. Dr. Derwin L. Gray — Like I have lobbied on Capitol Hill with Republicans and Democrats about immigration reform. We need border security, but we can also secure the dignity of human beings, especially human beings who are undocumented and don’t have a record against them. Right. So there has to be a process to have strong borders, but also to hold to people’s hearts.Dr. Derwin L. Gray — But but at the end of the day, right at the end of the day, we are people of the Lamb, not the elephant or the donkey.Rich Birch — So good. So good. So what’s the hardest part about leading in a church that really refuses to be captured by either side? I feel like there’s pressure on from both political parties to they, you know, I think somewhere along the line, they realize, wow, there’s a lot of power in these churches. And how do we you know, how do we kind of infiltrate or how do we gain that? What’s it like to lead a church that’s trying to, that’s refusing to be captured by both sides is wants to keep Jesus ahead. What does that cost? How is that, you know, what are some of the pressures of that? What have been some telltale signs for you as you’ve led at Transformation in this front?Dr. Derwin L. Gray — Yeah, um i would i would I would say, Rich, sometimes I’ll get a critical email and a eventually those people will leave. But but but but for the most part, I mean, we’re 16 years in, it’s our ethos, it’s our character. People know who we are. They know why we are. And so like we’re flourishing, we’re growing. It’s beautiful. Dr. Derwin L. Gray — There’s a matter of fact, I got some messages earlier today just saying, hey, thank you. Like I was just about done with Christianity and I found Transformation Church, right? I mean, this Jesus, you’re this is what I want to be a part of. So I think respecting and loving all people, even though you disagree with them. And the thing that I said, I did a series in 2024 in the fall before the election on on the Beatitudes.Dr. Derwin L. Gray — And my whole thing was how you vote is up to your conscious. How you treat people is not up for debate. We’re called to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. And so in our church, I’m sure we got people all over the political spectrum. I’m a registered independent myself.Dr. Derwin L. Gray — But something that I think really landed well with our people is this: 99.9% of all followers of Jesus for 2,000 years and even now have never voted Republican and have never voted Democrat.Rich Birch — Right. Right. That’s good.Dr. Derwin L. Gray — Our faith is in Christ and Christ alone. And America is what’s called a constitutional republic democracy. It is not a theocracy. It is governed by a constitution, not the Bible. And so, yes, I want believers in place not to do some kind of spiritual Sharia law, but to make sure that the Constitution is upheld, which gives life and liberty and justice, not for some, but for all.Rich Birch — What would you say, you know, I’ve often thought around this, these, this issue and we’re kind of related issues. I have to think back to Billy Graham and I think like, man, we don’t know what, don’t what he’d be doing today. Like what would, I’ve heard this story that and in the fifties he gathered a group of what at the time, they you know they self afflicted they gave themselves the title of fundamentalist and they said, hey, we gotta stop calling ourselves fundamentalist because that word is so loaded in our culture. It feels like evangelical is like that today. Dr. Derwin L. Gray — Yeah.Rich Birch — It is when people ask me, are you evangelical? I’ll say, well, it depends on what you mean by evangelical because it has so much freight behind it. Do you think there is a place for kind of a broader discussion? How, how can we continue to try to create a middle here that where people can actually try to shed these, like you say, the Lamb and the donkey and, or the, the, the elephant and the donkey and, and focus on the Lamb. How do we do that going forward? How do we create those kinds of places where those kinds of conversations can continue to happen?Dr. Derwin L. Gray — Yeah, you know, so let me answer the first question first is when I preached in Norway a few years ago, the people said, thank you for being so evangelical. And it had nothing to do with politics. So the term evangelical comes from the Greek word, which means good news. So it’s never meant to be a political voting block. Rich Birch — Right.Dr. Derwin L. Gray — It’s never meant to be an ethnicity. It is good news people. So in Europe, I say I’m evangelical because it goes well. Here in America, I say I am shaped by the gospel. I’m a Christian that’s shaped by the gospel. Rich Birch — That’s good language.Dr. Derwin L. Gray — I love God and I love my neighbors. I love myself. So I think we have a fundamental gospel problem in the American church. If you simply think the good news is Jesus died for your sins, now you don’t go to hell, then your discipleship is going to be very reductionistic. It’s going to be very individualistic.Dr. Derwin L. Gray — So the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, his ascension and then sending the Spirit, is not only do we spend eternity with him, but as brothers and sisters, we’re equally righteous, equally redeemed, equally the temple of the Holy Spirit, equally God’s children. So if all those things are true equally, then by definition, we are the body of Christ. So if you hurt, then I hurt, but we don’t think that way.Rich Birch — Right.Dr. Derwin L. Gray — So we have to change the way we think. Paul says in Philippians 2.3, do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but consider others better than yourselves. Verse five is “for you have the mind of Christ”. And so what we’ve been able to do here at Transformation Church is really move people deeper to the gospel. If you listen to one of my messages, you will hear gospel. That’s why we are the way we are. And the gospel challenges idols.Dr. Derwin L. Gray — When President Obama was president, I would get emails, “Oh you must be a Republican.” And then when President Trump, “You must be a Democrat.” I’m like, no, I’m an independent, but I’m called to be prophetic and to equip us to not be captivated by the zeitgeist…Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s good.Dr. Derwin L. Gray — …the spirit of the age. When the church loses her prophetic witness, we’ve lost everything.Rich Birch — That’s good.Rich Birch — Yeah, that that that names something that you put a finger on there, on something that I’d love you to unpack a little bit more. How do you do that as a pastor? Because I’ve seen you do that consistently. It’s like, how how do we be that prophetic voice, speak with clarity to ultimately point people back to Jesus, not be captured by just the winds of the day?Dr. Derwin L. Gray — Be courageously compassionate. Rich Birch — That’s good.Dr. Derwin L. Gray — Be courageously compassionate. I believe, you know, so I have, I have, I have talked to pastors who lead churches that may be, you know, center a little bit left. And well, if I talk about this issue too much, people may leave. Then I’ve heard other people like, well, if I talk about about this, the MAGA people may leave. And it’s like, well, Are you concerned about people leaving or are you concerned about honoring the call that God has given you? Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s good. Dr. Derwin L. Gray — And one day you have to face him and you’re going to say, well, you know, what Lord, I was afraid people were going to leave. Like you can be courageous and compassionate simultaneously.Rich Birch — That’s good.Dr. Derwin L. Gray — So I, there are people on both sides of the aisle that passionately and deeply love Jesus, but have different perspectives politically. Now, Christian nationalism, that is a whole different species that that has to be lovingly challenged. And my job at Transformation Church is to equip our people and to be a shepherd because there are false prophets and wolves that are coming.Rich Birch — There’s a ton here. I really appreciate that. For a pastor that’s listening in today that’s thinking, man, I look at my people and I think maybe I they have been discipled more by cable news than by scripture. And I maybe haven’t done everything I could could have done. I haven’t been clear with compassion. I’ve just been, I’ve just kind of let this happen. What would you say some of the first steps that you would say for a for a leader like that?Dr. Derwin L. Gray — Yeah, pray, repent, pray, repent. Take your elders and your staff through a book by Preston Sprinkle called “Exiles in Babylon” or the book by Michael Byrd and N.T. Wright. Both of them deal with you know how to be a faithful witness in this time of political division. But before you go out and share, make sure that you are equipped. But also choose not to be partisan.Dr. Derwin L. Gray — Rich, the Epstein Files is one of the biggest cover-ups in American history. We’re talking about precious kids who were taking advantage of. And I mean, where is the prophetic voice that this is wrong, regardless of who’s in it? This is wrong and it demands justice. We as God’s people are going to be held accountable to equip this. Like, this is serious. Like, I’ve heard people say, well, there’s bigger problems in the world. No, there’s not.Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s good. Derwin, this has been fantastic. I want to point people towards, you’ve got a new book that’s coming out. That’s like like a huge left-hand turn here, but just looking at it, I think this could is is connected, obviously, to what we’re talking about in today’s conversation. It comes out this fall.Rich Birch — It’s called it’s a time or “It’s Time to Heal: Four God-Given Steps to Restore What Life Has Shattered”. Tell us a little bit about this book, and I and I want to get people to you know actually pre-order this thing.Dr. Derwin L. Gray — Yeah, man. So basically the last seven years, what I have seen from followers of Christ is we’re the walking wounded. We are, we are just stuck. We have allowed our traumas, our histories, our pains, our failures, the way we’ve been hurt to keep us in a position of hurt. And we’ve just circled and circled. And then, a lot of preaching deals with behavior modification and doesn’t get to the root. And so I’ve just been like, you know what, God, I want to help God’s people. Right. And it starts with helping myself.Dr. Derwin L. Gray — And what I do is I really take a theology of who we are in Christ. I take neuroscience and psychology and marry them in spiritual formationRich Birch — Love it.Dr. Derwin L. Gray — And it’s by far the best book that I’ve ever written. I can’t wait for people to see the endorsements from people like Dr. Daniel Amen, Craig Groeschel, Christine Caine. It’s by far the most important book I’ve ever written and the best book I’ve ever written. And I believe that it can really help people heal. Like really understanding that trauma gets in our nervous system. It’s not just think harder, do more. Like we have to learn how this is embodied inside of us. Dr. Derwin L. Gray — And so, man, it transformed me writing it. And what I do is I walk the people through an acronym. The the book is in four parts and the acronym HEAL. H stands for honest about what what happened. E, expect hard. A, accept what happened and L, live from love, not for love. And I share some incredible stories in there. And so, yeah, I’m really, really looking forward to people healing.Rich Birch — Well, yeah, I would encourage people to, we’ll link to that in the show notes and all that. But I think it’s connected in that I think I think the extremes on both ends politically, they’ve picked up on kind of the pain in the zeitgeist. And they’ve they’ve said, hey, the solution is is is the other side is the enemy and we got to do something to tear them down. And we know that just won’t work. At the end of the day, it’s Jesus transforming our lives. It’s him restoring us to who we are. And I think this could be a great tool for folks as they’re wrestling with that. So I’m excited for that book to come out. Looking forward to that. And we’ll we’ll link to all that. Rich Birch — Any kind of final words as we wrap up today? I really appreciate you unpacking this a bit more and taking some time to, you know, kind of let us chat a little bit about it.Dr. Derwin L. Gray — Yeah, two thoughts. Jesus said in Matthew 5:44 and 45, bless those who persecute you. And I said, love your enemies. And then Jesus said, you will know my disciples because they love one another. Refuse to let anger and hatred and division guide you.Rich Birch — That’s good. So good. You said two things. You had two you that and one other thing.Dr. Derwin L. Gray — Well, yeah, it was it was Matthew 5 and you’re on…yeah.Rich Birch — Oh, I see. Right, right, right. Yep. Okay. That’s good. Nice. Where if people want to track with you or with the church, where do we want to send them online? Just as we wrap up today’s call conversation.Dr. Derwin L. Gray — Yeah, just go to derwinlgray.com, derwinlgray.comRich Birch — Nice. That’s great. Dr. Derwin, I just want to honor you. You’re an incredible leader. Thank you for being here today and helping us think through these issues. Thank you.Dr. Derwin L. Gray — Thank you, my friend.Rich Birch — Take care.Dr. Derwin L. Gray — Appreciate you.

Welcome to Day 2854 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom. Day 2854 – Wisdom Nuggets – Psalm 122:1-9 – Daily Wisdom Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2855 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2855 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Wisdom-Trek: The Song of Ascent – Stepping Through the Cosmic Gates In our previous episode, we walked the treacherous, dusty trails of Psalm One Hundred Twenty-One. We learned to lift our eyes away from the high places, where the pagan cultures worshiped their rebel gods, and fix our gaze entirely upon the Maker of heaven and earth. We discovered the profound comfort of the Guardian who never slumbers, and never sleeps. We realized that, even when the journey is steep, and the wilderness is infested with dark, spiritual forces, the Lord Himself is our protective shade, guarding our souls as we come and go. Today, the long, arduous journey up the mountain pass finally yields its greatest reward. We have arrived. We are exploring the third song in this pilgrim collection: Psalm One Hundred Twenty-Two, verses one through nine, in the New Living Translation. The dust of the road is still on our boots, but the danger of the wilderness is now behind us. The traveler has transitioned from the vulnerability of the open, contested terrain, into the ultimate, secure fortress of the Most High God. Let us step through the gates, and experience the joy of the cosmic center. The Invitation and the Arrival (Reads Psalm One Hundred Twenty-Two: verses one and two NLT) I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord.” And now here we are, standing inside your gates, O Jerusalem. The psalm opens with a beautiful, retrospective memory of an invitation. The psalmist remembers the exact moment back in his hometown, perhaps out in the distant, hostile territories of Meshech or Kedar, when his fellow Israelites turned to him and said, “Let us go to the house of the Lord.” Notice his reaction. He says, “I was glad.” This is not the mild, polite happiness of receiving a dinner invitation. This is a profound, soul-deep relief. To understand this joy, we must view the geography through the lens of the Divine Council worldview. The world outside of Jerusalem was heavily influenced by the fallen, rebel spirits—the elohim who demanded worship from the disinherited nations. Living out in the countryside meant living in contested territory, constantly battling the oppressive, chaotic atmosphere of the pagan culture. But the “house of the Lord” was different. Jerusalem was the cosmic mountain. It was the intersection of heaven and earth, the literal footprint of Yahweh's throne room in the human realm. When the invitation came to go up to Jerusalem, it was an invitation to leave the oppressive domains of the rebel gods, and return to the safe, centralized headquarters of the Creator. It was a call to come home. Then, in verse two, the memory shifts to the breathtaking present reality: “And now here we are, standing inside your gates, O Jerusalem.” Imagine the sheer, physical relief of this moment. After days, or even weeks, of sleeping with one eye open, guarding against bandits and predators, the pilgrim finally steps over the threshold. The massive, reinforced gates of the city close behind him. The wilderness is shut out. The anxiety of the journey instantly evaporates, replaced by the overwhelming, sensory experience of the holy city. He is standing securely within the boundary lines of God's protected domain. The Architecture of Unity and the Gathering of the Exiles (Reads Psalm One Hundred Twenty-Two: verses three and four NLT) Jerusalem is a well-built city; its seamless walls cannot be breached. All the tribes of Israel—the Lord's people— make their pilgrimage here. They come to give thanks to the name of the Lord, as the law requires of Israel. As the pilgrim stands inside the gates, he looks around, marveling at the architecture of his surroundings. He declares, “Jerusalem is a well-built city; its seamless walls cannot be breached.” Other translations render this, “Jerusalem is built as a city that is bound firmly together.” This is not just a compliment to the local stonemasons. In the ancient world, a city with seamless, tightly bound walls was a fortress that could withstand the most brutal siege. But there is a deeper, spiritual metaphor at play here. The physical stones of the walls reflect the spiritual unity of the people standing within them. This unity is beautifully described in verse four: “All the tribes of Israel—the Lord's people—make their pilgrimage here.” Remember the story of the Tower of Babel. When humanity rebelled, God confused their languages, divided them into seventy nations, and scattered them across the earth, placing them under the authority of the lesser spiritual beings. Babel was the ultimate act of division, and scattering. But here, in Jerusalem, we see the glorious reversal of Babel. Instead of being scattered into chaos, the scattered tribes of Israel are magnetically drawn back together. They converge from the north, the south, the east, and the west, ascending the mountain to become one unified, seamless people again. The tribes leave their separate, localized identities behind, and they bind themselves firmly together within the walls of the holy city. And what is their unified purpose? “They come to give thanks to the name of the Lord, as the law requires of Israel.” They do not gather to celebrate their own military achievements, or to build a monument to their own greatness, as the rebels did at Babel. They gather for the sole purpose of expressing profound, collective gratitude to the Name of Yahweh. The Name represents God's reputation, His character, and His supreme, unrivaled authority over the Divine Council. By giving thanks to His Name, the unified tribes are actively testifying to the surrounding, pagan nations that Yahweh alone is the True King of the cosmos. The Thrones of Cosmic Justice (Reads Psalm One Hundred Twenty-Two: verse five NLT) Here stand the thrones where judgment is given, the thrones of the dynasty of David. The pilgrim's eyes move from the defensive walls of the city, to the ultimate center of authority: “Here stand the thrones where judgment is given, the thrones of the dynasty of David.” In the biblical worldview, true justice is the foundation of cosmic order. In Psalm Eighty-Two, God holds a trial in the midst of the Divine Council, condemning the rebel gods because they judge unjustly, show partiality to the wicked, and fail to defend the weak and the fatherless. The spiritual rulers of the darkness have corrupted the earth with their chaotic, abusive legal systems. But Jerusalem is designed to be the absolute antithesis of that corruption. Here, inside these seamless walls, stand the thrones of David. God entered into an eternal covenant with David, promising that his dynasty would represent Yahweh's righteous rule on earth. These thrones are not places of exploitation, tyranny, or self-serving power. They are the seats of tsedeq—true, restorative, unbending righteousness. For the weary pilgrim, who has just spent months living in the unjust, chaotic territories of the world, seeing these thrones brings immense comfort. He knows that here, in the cosmic center, the oppressed will find a fair hearing. The marginalized will be protected. The wicked will be held accountable. The thrones of David are the earthly guarantee that the Creator has not abandoned His universe to the lawless forces of chaos. The Weaponized Prayer for Shalom (Reads Psalm One Hundred Twenty-Two: verses six and seven NLT) Pray for peace in Jerusalem. May all who love this city prosper. O Jerusalem, may there be peace within your walls and prosperity in your palaces. Having soaked in the beauty, the unity, and the justice of the city, the psalmist transitions from observation, into active, targeted intercession. He issues a command to his fellow pilgrims: “Pray for peace in Jerusalem. May all who love this city prosper.” The Hebrew word for peace is our familiar, heavy, and profound anchor word: Shalom. He asks us...

Service: Fifth Sunday of Easter, May 3, 2026Preacher: Rev. David BuchsLocation: Grace Lutheran Church, Little Rock, Arkansas

Aliens and Exiles 1 Peter 2:1-12 The Fifth Sunday of Easter  Sunday, May 3, 2026 The Rev Andrew DeFusco, Rector Church of the Redeemer, Nashville, TN www.Redeemer-Nashville.net

Daniel 5:1-31; Matt Clegg, Associate Pastor at RMC; the sixth sermon in the series "Daniel: Hope for Exiles."

Welcome to X Is For Comics: Classic! Its time to close out this era of X-Men! Join Nico & TK as they read through the first of four Millennial Vision collections – this one focusing on the X-Men just before the New X-Men era featuring the X-Men as…robots, dogs, villains, and more?! This is a very unusual title, featuring some one-of-a-kind stories – one of which that even introduces the Exiles (kinda sorta). Find out more about the origin of Nocturne (the daughter of Nightcrawler and the Scarlet Witch) plus so much more! Read along with X-Men: Millennial Visions (2000) – it's all this and more on an all new X Is For Comics!

Week 1 Join us as we begin our new series, Worship as Exiles, walking through 1 Peter. Discover how God has chosen and set us apart to worship Him—even in a world that doesn't share our faith.Give: https://thebridgechurch.org/give#WorshipAsExiles #1Peter #Faith #IdentityInChrist #SundayService #TheBridgeChurch

2026.05.03 Elect Exiles Week 5 by Pastor Stephen Woodard

This week Erin M. Evans, B. Dave Walters, and Treavor Bettis answer questions about Your Story's Hot Sister, Radio Dramas, and Too Many Twists.Join our Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/writingaboutdragons Join the Discord!https://discord.gg/MdSVsfpTzu Starring:Erin M Evans (Empire of Exiles, Brimstone Angels)https://bsky.app/profile/erinmevans.bsky.social B. Dave Walters (A Darkened Wish, Black Dice Society)https://bsky.app/profile/bdavewalters.bsky.social Treavor Bettis (Difficulty Class, Champions of Lore)https://bsky.app/profile/thetreavor.bsky.social Buy Relics of Ruin!Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Relics-Ruin-Books-Usurper-2/dp/031644104X Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/relics-of-ruin-erin-m-evans/1143299833?ean=9780316441049 Enroll in B. Dave's 14 Day Writer:https://www.theundisputedacademy.com/14-day-writer-home-page

Welcome to Walking the Way. My name is Ray, and I really want to say thank you to everyone for listening in as we continue to explore what it means to have a regular rhythm of worship. CreditsOpening PrayerRay BorrettBible verseJeremiah 29:7Thought for the dayRay BorrettBible PassageJeremiah 29The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.Prayer Handbookprayer handbook WTW 2026.pdfSupporting Walking the WayIf you want to support Walking the Way, please go to: https://ko-fi.com/S6S4WXLBBor you can subscribe to the channel: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/walkingtheway/subscribeTo contact Ray: Please leave a comment or a review. I want to find out what people think and how we make it better.www.rayborrett.co.ukwalkingthewaypodcast@outlook.comwww.instagram.com/walkingtheway1@raybrrtt

Welcome to Walking the Way. My name is Ray, and I really want to say thank you to everyone for listening in as we continue to explore what it means to have a regular rhythm of worship.  CreditsOpening PrayerPsalm 100Bible verseJeremiah 27:22Thought for the dayRay BorrettBible PassageJeremiah 27The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.Prayer Handbookprayer handbook WTW 2026.pdfSupporting Walking the WayIf you want to support Walking the Way, please go to: https://ko-fi.com/S6S4WXLBBor you can subscribe to the channel: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/walkingtheway/subscribeTo contact Ray: Please leave a comment or a review. I want to find out what people think and how we make it better.www.rayborrett.co.ukwalkingthewaypodcast@outlook.comwww.instagram.com/walkingtheway1@raybrrtt

Following the invasion, the return of political exiles "frozen in time" created a divide with local Iraqis who viewed them with suspicion. The Americans' decision to disband the Iraqi army fostered a massive security vacuum, enabling the rise of the patriotic resistance led by former officers, quickly complicated by the arrival of foreign jihadis. The Abu Ghraibscandal and predatory militias like the Mahdi Army further radicalized the population, dragging the country into a sectarian quagmire. (3)1930 BAGHDAD

Jesus' resurrected power is in our lives now. Even though we are not yet bodily resurrected, Christians are, according to Ephesians 2, raised with Christ and knowing the power of his resurrection. What does that mean? What does it mean to live that kind of life? What kind of life should we live now in light of the resurrection of Jesus?  Let's look at 1) how we're supposed to live as Christians, 2) the test by which we know whether we're living that way, and 3) the power by which we can live that way. This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on May 11, 2014. Series: Following Jesus. Scripture: 1 Peter 1:1-2. Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.