Podcasts about god consider

I know when we're struggling in life sometimes the first thing that comes up is doubts about God or our relationship with him. I get it! Today we're talking to author Niki Hardy–she recently wrote “God Can We Chat” – a conversation about doubts and how that can lead us to grow closer to God. -

Will God consider me a bad steward if I buy stuff I want? Is it wrong to give with the expectation that God will provide for me? And does betting on a football game go against the Bible? More Than Money favorite Dr. David W. Jones joins Art to answer financial and ethical questions. Resources:8 Money MilestonesAsk a Money Question!

When it comes to the crucifixion of Jesus, does it seem like a cruel act of God rather than a loving one? Are you appalled at how God - who professes to be perfect love - could do that to His only Son? Does your mind tend to focus on the torture, humiliation, and pain that Christ endured? Do you see Him as powerless - something you personally empathize with? When we've walked alongside victims, or been one ourselves, this is a natural perception. However, it will keep you from truly knowing God (and Jesus). Please join me as I share three interconnected, biblical truths that will help you see the crucifixion in a different light - one that doesn't dismiss the harsh reality, but embraces the entire context. --------------------    Take the Quiz: https://www.relateescape.com/quiz  Get a weekly love note from Jenn with legit biblical insights. Plus, be the first to know about exclusive offers! https://bit.ly/GodLovesMeEmail  Join the Online Community: https://www.relateescape.com/online-community Shop the Store: https://www.relateescape.com/store Follow Jenn on Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/relateescape

The son of great missionary Hudson Taylor noted of his father, “For forty years the sun never rose on China that God didn't find him on his knees.” Someone called prayer the gymnasium of the soul. When was the last time you had a good “workout”? Today, James jumps into the mysterious cooperation of the divine with the human through prayer. When and why should we do it?I. Pray When You're SufferingII. Pray When You're SmilingIII. Pray When You're SickIV. Pray When You SinV. Pray For the SaintsTalk with God: Consider your prayer life—what things consistently keep you from praying (e.g. anxiety, distractions)? Surrender them to the Lord this week.Talk with others: Invite a few friends to gather regularly to spend time in prayer together.Talk with kids: How do you use the gifts God has given you to serve your church?

Haggai is a minor prophet whose book is just two chapters. But it is packed full of a massive question: do we prioritize what God prioritizes? Hidden in this book is a call for the people of God: “Consider your ways,” Haggai says, and think about all the effort you put into all you prioritize: is it fulfilling? So much of modern life involves experiences of losses that we disguise as gains. What would happen if we reoriented our priorities with what God puts first?

A new MP3 sermon from Christ Fellowship Baptist Church is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: Hungry for God: Consider Fasting Speaker: Dr. Clint Archer Broadcaster: Christ Fellowship Baptist Church Event: Sunday - PM Date: 1/21/2024 Length: 47 min.

Message from Rev. Dr. John Yates III on November 19, 2023

Loving God is the first and the greatest commandment both in the Torah and on the lips of Jesus---4 Hear, Israel- Yahweh is our God. Yahweh is one. 5 You shall love Yahweh your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might. Deut.. 6-4f--And he -Jesus- answered, -You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.- -Luke 10-27-.--But there are questions to think deeply about. How do you command love-- How do you love an invisible God-- --1 John 4-19 gives us the key of how we can learn to love God. -We love him because he first loved us.- Why should we love him, and how shall we love God-- --Consider the love of God, and the love of Jesus for us. Knowing this through the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of spiritually dead sinners will result in our response of loving him.

I love singing God's Words back to Him. That's why Matt Maher's song "The Lord's Prayer (It's Yours)" is on my playlist! But the real joy for me was diving into Scripture inspired by this song. There's a lot we can learn from Jesus' teaching on how to pray; let's use this song to remind us of all we've learned. Follow me to Matthew 6 as we explore the context and the words of the Lord's Prayer more fully. In this episode, I discuss the following: Taking a B.I.T.E. out of Scripture – this week's Bible Interaction Tool Exercises include: Read in context Use your imagination Consult various translations Consult an outside resource Start with God Consider the opposite The Episode Guide for this week's podcast The two places in Scripture the Lord's Prayer is recorded - Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4 Approaching God's Word with an open heart to what it actually says, laying aside previous teaching or tradition Studying the Lord's Prayer in the context of the entire Sermon on the Mount and in the immediate context of Jesus' teaching on prayer Imagining yourself at the feet of Jesus as He is sharing these truths Two categories of people who prayed in a manner not consistent with how they should pray - Matthew 6:5-8 Reading Matthew 6:9 in various translations to understand Christ's instruction to "pray like this," not necessarily "pray these words" A book on prayer that leads us through Scripture's teaching on how to pray - "Lord, Teach Me to Pray in 28 Days" by Kay Arthur - Amazon Paid Link The topics this model prayer leads us through: Worship Allegiance Submission Petition and provision Confession and forgiveness Watchfulness and deliverance Back to worship   Put yourself on that mountain at the feet of Jesus. Recognize that you come to His teaching with the influence of teachers, or priests, or pastors, or “insert the name of someone you love and respect” who have come before and taught you much about what Jesus is teaching in this sermon. Be astonished at HIS teaching.   Additional Resources Lyrics to "The Lord's Prayer (It's Yours)" by Matt Maher - NewReleaseToday.com "Lord, Teach Me to Pray in 28 Days" by Kay Arthur - Amazon Paid Link Things Unseen Podcast Episode by Sinclair Ferguson - Lead Us Not Into Temptation My new favorite Bible Study Software - Logos Bible Software Affiliate Link This Week's Challenge Read or listen to Matthew 5-7 several times this week. When you have some time to interact with the text, study Matthew 6:5-15 to see Jesus' teaching on prayer. Then take the model prayer He shares and try to identify the topics. Maybe you'll come up with a different word for the topic than I shared—one you feel better represents that section of the model, and that's great. Pray to God daily using this model. I know it may feel clunky at first, and you may even want to write out your prayer each day. Don't forget to begin and end in worship, and I can't wait to hear about how your prayer life will be transformed.

Maybe your doubts don't stem from God, but stem from Jesus. He's the single most controversial character of human history. This Sunday we're asking you to consider Jesus.

Summary  In this episode, Dr. Peter reviews the limitations of current Catholic resources on anger, and then reviews secular resources, including interpersonal neurobiology and the structural theory of dissociation.  We examine the role of the body in anger responses, and discuss more wholistic ways of working constructive with parts that experience anger, rather than trying to dismiss anger, suppress it or distract from it.   Lead-in William Blake, A Poison Tree: I was angry with my friends; I told my wrath, my wrath did end. I was angry with my foe: I told it not, my wrath did grow.  We've all experienced anger and we've all experienced angry people  We know it's a problem.  And global data suggest that it's getting worse.   Gallup world poll from 2021: 140 countries  Did you experience the following feelings during a lot of the day yesterday? How about anger?  17% of US respondents agreed 26% of women worldwide up from 20% from 10 years ago  20% of men -- flat from 10 years ago.   Harm can come from anger Mark Twain “Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured.”  CCC 2302  By recalling the commandment, "You shall not kill," our Lord asked for peace of heart and denounced murderous anger and hatred as immoral. Anger is a desire for revenge. "To desire vengeance in order to do evil to someone who should be punished is illicit," but it is praiseworthy to impose restitution "to correct vices and maintain justice." If anger reaches the point of a deliberate desire to kill or seriously wound a neighbor, it is gravely against charity; it is a mortal sin. The Lord says, "Everyone who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment."   "Everyone who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment."  And who hasn't been angry -- including Jesus himself?.  We have got to unpack this There is so much misunderstanding about anger in the Catholic world, so much of the way that Catholics have approached anger has been limited, misinformed, and misguided When I think about why the Catholic Church in the US, in Canada, in Europe and Australia, in the entire Western World, there are many factors.   Brandon Vogt  New Stats on Why Young People Leave the Church  based on his book Return:  How to Draw Your Child Back to the Church One critical factor is that cradle Catholics, especially young Catholics do not believe that the Church can help them with their problems.  Diocese of Springfield Exit Surveys (2014)  68% – Spiritual needs not met67% – Lost interest over time Only 7% of Millennials raised Catholic still actively practice their faith today (weekly Mass, pray a few times each week, say their faith is “extremely” or “very” important) 6.5 people leave the Catholic Church for every one that joins 66% of “nones” agree that “religion causes more problems than it solves” That's why so many fall away from the Faith.  The Church doesn't seem relevant to them because she doesn't seem like she has the answers to the real issues they face. 10% of American adults are former Catholics Nearly half of those who fall away from the Church become "nones"  And another quarter become Evangelical Christians.   79% of former Catholics leave the Church before age 23.   50% of Millennials raised Catholic no longer identify as Catholic today  And it's about topics like anger -- we are not doing a good job meeting the needs that Catholics have today, human formation needs.   Intro I am Dr. Peter Malinoski, a.k.a. Dr. Peter, clinical psychologist, trauma therapist, podcaster, blogger, cofounder and president of Souls and Hearts -- but most of all I am a beloved little son of God, a passionate Catholic who wants to help you to taste and see the height and depth and breadth and warmth and the light of the love of God, especially God the Father and  Mary our Mother, our spiritual parents, our primary parents.  To really absorb your identity as a little child of God and Mary.   I want you to enter much more deeply into an intimate, personal, loving relationship with the three Persons of the Trinity and with our Lady. That is what this Interior Integration for Catholics podcast is all about, that is what Souls and Hearts is all about – all about shoring up the natural foundation for the spiritual life of intimacy with God, all about overcoming the natural human formation deficits and obstacles to contemplative union with God our Father and our Lady, our Mother  We are on an adventure of love together. And one thing, one major, big, huge thing that gets in the way of being loved by God and Mary and loving in return is anger.  Anger.   This is Episode 103 of Interior Integration for Catholics.  Interior Integration for Catholics is part of Souls and Hearts, our online outreach, check us out at soulsandhearts.com.   Anger: one of the seven deadly sins, one the lethal vices that can kill your soul.  Anger.   So much confusion about anger.  The Burden of Anger:  June 10, 2021 Catholic-daily-reflections.com The first level of sin is simply to be “angry” interiorly. The sin of anger is an interior attitude of disgust toward another. Jesus says that the consequence of having anger toward another is that you will be “liable to judgment.” Humility.  I could be wrong.    The offerings from Five Catholic writers on anger are a case in point.   The most popular book Fr. T.G. Morrow, Overcoming Sinful Anger  303 Amazon Review, mostly positive, #16  on the list of bestsellers in Catholic Theology, put out by Sophia Press in 2015 And it's not very good.  I can't recommend it.   First off, Fr. Morrow admits that he doesn't understand why people get angry We've all encountered people who explode when they feel angry. It baffles me how often the sort of anger rears its ugly head in marriages – even in allegedly Christian marriages. (p. 9).   I am often surprised to discover Christians who pray ardently, receive the sacraments regularly, we've and attend Mass daily, and yet have an anger problem. (p. 10) Presumes a homogeneous, single personality.   Easy to explain with part.   Why do people explode in anger? There are many reasons, but I think the top three are power and control, a refusal to take responsibility, and habit. (p. 13). Very simplistic view of psychology, and no consideration of neurology, traumatology,  Confusion about the causal chain in anger.  Where anger fits in a sequence of events  Little genuine interest in anger.  Anger is something to essentially get rid of.   Not much consideration of the unconscious and unconscious anger.  Acknowledges that suppressing anger is problematic, but there still is an assumption that if I'm not feeling anger, it's not there.  Disconnect.   "Irrational anger"   Very focused on the will and will training -- naïve assumptions about sympathetic arousal. Nike Spirituality -- Just do it.   Romans 7:15:  I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.   Spiritual Bypassing  Definitions John Welwood: American clinical psychologist, psychotherapist, teacher, and author, known for integrating psychological and spiritual concepts  Using “spiritual ideas, words and practices to sidestep or avoid personal, emotional ‘unfinished business,' to shore up a shaky sense of self, or to belittle basic needs, feelings, psychological wounds and developmental tasks.”  Blogger Rose Hahn:  Spiritual Bypassing: What It Is & How To Avoid It  Bypassing occurs when spiritual ideals get elevated to the realm of absolute truth in such a way that our real, lived experience is somehow denied. Rather than doing the work of healing deep wounds, we may use these ideals to deny, devalue, or avoid meeting our more human needs – such as emotional bonding, love, and esteem. In other words, rather than risk opening ourselves to real human connection, and possibly get hurt, we adopt a more enlightened, spiritual way of relating to the world that doesn't rely on human relationship.  Not a lot from a specifically Catholic perspective, but this is from Katharina, who styles herself "The Bohemian Catholic" We are supposed to uplift each other, and treat each other with love and respect - like icons of Christ, as God's creation… BUT if you find yourself trying to tell someone that their faith should keep them "happy" all the time, then you aren't helping them.  Using spiritual words, spiritual means, spiritual concepts -- all to whitewash or put a Band-Aid on significant psychological or emotional problems in the natural realm  Bypassing the natural realm and going to the spiritual realm.   Essentially saying -- You should not feel this way.  Which is what Fr. Morrow is saying.  He promises to "I will offer some ideas, which I consider quite novel, on how to avoid angry explosions." (p.4) Tips So, as a first step in overcoming passive-aggressive anger keep reminding yourself that you want to be a Christian, and therefore you can't take revenge anymore. (p. 9).  First, take the time to calm down and figure out why you're angry…. One of the tactics often recommended is to count to ten before deciding what to do. (p. 20).  Better still, say a short prayer before acting. The next step is to ask yourself if your angry feeling is been caused by something significant. Most angry fights in marriage are caused by trifling things. (p. 20).  Or perhaps use humor to make your point.(p. 20).  Offering your angry feeling as a sacrifice is not suppressing it but doing something with it. It is making a bad situation into a beneficial one. That is what it means to embrace the cross. (p. 23-24).  If we can forgive others, we can pull the rug out from beneath our anger most of the time. Unforgiveness is the main culprit behind anger. (p. 25).  … Refocus your thoughts away from the things that made you angry to some very positive thoughts. For example, thank God for the beautiful weather for the ability to read or buy things you need. (p. 30).  I often encourage people with an anger problem to daily for humility. It works. (p. 36).  Chapter 7: Thanking God, praising God  Consider your future. One key way to change her behaviors to work on in your mind just what your life will be like if you don't change your angry behavior. (pp. 72-73)  If you struggle with an anger problem write on an index card all the negatives of continuing your anger and read that list several times a day. (p. 74).   Fr. Joseph Esper, Saintly Solutions to Life's Common Problems  99 reviews on amazon.  #138 in Roman Catholicism.  2001 Book -- First Chapter is on anger.   St. Thomas of Villanova: "Dismiss all anger and look into yourself a little." (p. 7) "St. Francis de Sales advises that, to avoid the sin of anger, you must quickly ask God to give peace to your heart when you're angered and then turn your thoughts to something else. Don't discuss the matter at hand or make decisions or correct other person while you're angry. When a person angers you, St. Francis advises, consider the person's good qualities rather than the words or actions you find objectionable." (p. 7) When we have to speak to someone with whom we are angry, we should first pray for the Lord's guidance and help. It's often more effective to speak in terms of asking favors, rather than making demands or giving orders…" (p. 5-6) ...rehearse possible responses and evaluate which ones which might help you. (p. 7) Tommy Tighe St. Dymphna's Playbook: A Catholic Guide to Finding Mental and Emotional Well-Being 2021 book,  #57 in Christian Pastoral Counseling, 66 reviews, mostly positive.   Doesn't discuss anger.  Discusses irritability as a symptom of depression and resentment as a problem in relationships "However, the more I have experienced depression in my own life and in my work as a clinician, the more I have seen the symptoms of irritability and anger is predominant features of depression." (p. 13).  That's one way, not the only way.   So often depression results from  Recommendations "…go for a walk, take some time to meditate, watch or read something that lightens our mood. (p. 13)  "Keeping a diary of our emotions and reactions to those emotions is a great place to start… Look back on a situation, slow it down, and examine what exactly happened….We might ask ourselves: What is it that has led to my irritability? Is it because I'm depressed and trying to stuff that feeling down rather than address it? What am I thinking in that situation? (p. 15).  "We draw this all out on paper, examine what was really behind our emotional response, and then explore ways of thinking that will restructure our reactions and response. And we write these down! Simply thinking about these things isn't going to help. The whole point is to get them out of our head and onto paper so that we can work them out. Consider it an emotional "show your work" kind of exercise." (p. 15).  Then, after a really brief introspective process, we can catch that the real reason for our irritability is our depressed mood, and we can interject coping skills for depression to stave off our irritability. (p. 16).  Changing the focus of our thinking is key when we try to battle against depression and irritability that inevitably rears its ugly head. You've probably heard people suggest keeping a gratitude list to help you feel more positive, much along the same lines as St. Paul's advice. It works. (p. 18).   Steps in the process Visualize yourself from the perspective of compassionate observer.  Notice from the outside whole feelings xare upsetting you and how they are reflected in your appearance.  Try to let the warm feeling of compassion and desire to help arise within you.  Say to yourself: "It is understandable that you feel that way. You are experiencing a natural response to depressing thoughts. But I'm going to help you."  Visualize putting your hand on your shoulder or hugging yourself to soothe and comfort yourself. Give yourself a friendly smile.  Think about if there are other things you want to tell yourself that would energize and encourage you to cheer up.  Taking time to say those things. When you feel it is appropriate, begin saying goodbye to yourself and remind yourself that you come back anytime you want. (p. 16-17). For resentment: Active listening  Tommy Tighe: to fend off resentment, we have to communicate with things are important to us and why. We can't expect our partner to read her mind. We have to tell them the things we value, what things we have grown to expect in relationships because of our past experiences and we have to tell them why. (p 113)   Rhonda Chevrin Taming the Lion Within: 5 Steps from Anger to Peace 2017  16 ratings  is a Catholic author, international speaker and Professor of Philosophy. She is the author of over 60 books concerning the matters of Catholic thought, practice and spirituality,  Take a secure thought -- use your imagination to think of ways out of annoying or enraging situations   Avoid exceptionality.  Accept the averageMove your musclesHumor is your best friendF.I.S.T.  Feelings, Impulses, Sensations, Thoughts:  What it signifies is that we can control our immediate impulses and sensations when hurt or frustrated, but if we control our thoughts we can control her impulses.Put your mental health firstPeace over power:  Many times you can't win, and it doesn't matter if you lose.  It's not worth the effort to put up a fight.  They are not doing it to you; they're just doing it! – Much is not done on purposeNot a 911  Not everything is an emergency,.Be Group minded Anger at GodForgiveness  Fr. Spitzer Angry with God? Here's Fr. Spitzer's Advice on How to Overcome Anger God understands your anger.  Don't dwell on it.  Don't go there.   Choose instead to: Three step process in the YouTube clip Angry with God:   Stop comparing to the way you once were.   Stop comparing yourself to others.   Stop having expectations for your suffering.   Offer it up.  Stop the questioning.   Saints' behaviors  Meg Hunter-Kilmer - published on 09/28/17Aleteia September 28, 2017, What We Probably Don't Know about St. Jerome Is Just What We Need to Know St. Jerome was known to carry around a stone that he would hit himself with every time he lost his temper.     If these are helpful to you, great.  I don't want to put up roadblocks.  Might be helpful to many people.   As a Catholic psychologist, I am not comfortable recommending any of these Catholic sources Very simplistic view of psychology, and no consideration of neurology, traumatology,  Confusion about the causal chain in anger.  Where anger fits in a sequence of events  Little genuine interest in anger.  Anger is something to essentially get rid of.   Very focused on the will and will training -- naïve assumptions about sympathetic arousal.  And they don't get that anger has a protective function -- to protect us against shame.  Not one of those sources connects anger to shame.  And that's the primary connection we need to understand if we want to resolve anger, not just try to shoo it away.   What are we talking about when we discuss anger -- let's get into definitions of Anger Focused on vengeance secondary to a desire -- more than an emotion.   Written discussions of anger in the western canon go back as far as fourth-century BC in Greece when the philosopher Aristotle (384-322 B.C.) argued that anger is a rational and natural reaction to being offended and thus is closely associated with reason. In the Rhetoric (1991, p. 1380) he defined anger as “a belief that we, or our friends, have been unfairly slighted, which causes in us both painful feelings and a desire or impulse for revenge.” 1907 Catholic Encyclopedia:  Anger:  The desire of vengeance. Its ethical rating depends upon the quality of the vengeance and the quantity of the passion. When these are in conformity with the prescriptions of balanced reason, anger is not a sin. It is rather a praiseworthy thing and justifiable with a proper zeal. It becomes sinful when it is sought to wreak vengeance upon one who has not deserved it, or to a greater extent than it has been deserved, or in conflict with the dispositions of law, or from an improper motive. The sin is then in a general sense mortal as being opposed to justice and charity. It may, however, be venial because the punishment aimed at is but a trifling one or because of lack of full deliberation.  Likewise, anger is sinful when there is an undue vehemence in the passion itself, whether inwardly or outwardly. Ordinarily it is then accounted a venial sin unless the excess be so great as to go counter seriously to the love of God or of one's neighbor.   CCC 2302  By recalling the commandment, "You shall not kill," our Lord asked for peace of heart and denounced murderous anger and hatred as immoral. Anger is a desire for revenge. "To desire vengeance in order to do evil to someone who should be punished is illicit," but it is praiseworthy to impose restitution "to correct vices and maintain justice." If anger reaches the point of a deliberate desire to kill or seriously wound a neighbor, it is gravely against charity; it is a mortal sin. The Lord says, "Everyone who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment."  Contradiction that aggression (or vengeance) and anger have to go together  Lot of research to tease about anger and aggression: Ephesians 4:26:  Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger   APA Dictionary of Psychology: an emotion characterized by tension and hostility arising from frustration, real or imagined injury by another, or perceived injustice. It can manifest itself in behaviors designed to remove the object of the anger (e.g., determined action) or behaviors designed merely to express the emotion (e.g., swearing). Anger is distinct from, but a significant activator of, aggression, which is behavior intended to harm someone or something. Despite their mutually influential relationship, anger is neither necessary nor sufficient for aggression to occur.  Psychologist Paul Ekman. (1999). Basic emotions. In T. Dalgleish & M. J. Power (Eds.), Handbook of cognition and emotion (pp. 45–60). John Wiley & Sons Ltd  Due to its distinct and widely recognizable pattern of face expression, anger has always been included in the repertoire of basic emotions.   Benefits of Anger  Farzaneh Pahlavan Multiple Facets of Anger: Getting Mad or Restoring Justice?  Chapter 3:  The Neurobiology of RAGE and Anger & Psychiatric Implications with a Focus on Depression Daniel J. Guerra1, Valentina Colonnello and Jaak Panksepp As a basic emotion, anger emerges early in life and has a unique adaptive function in motivating, organizing, and regulating behavior. No other emotion can match the consistency and vigor of anger in mobilizing high-level energy and sustaining goal-directed activity. Anger serves a variety of regulatory functions in physiological and psychological processes related to self-defense as well as to interpersonal and societal behaviors. Through socialization processes, it plays an important role in the development of personality and individual differences in responding to environmental challenges, which can be more or less adaptive.  (p. v).   Aristotle:  Aristotle: Nichomachean Ethics: It is easy to fly into a passion – anybody can do that – but to be angry with the right person into the right extent and at the right time and with the right object in the right way – that is not easy, and it is not everyone who can do it  In themselves passions are neither good nor evil. They are morally qualified only to the extent that they effectively engage reason and will….It belongs to the perfection of the moral or human good that the passions be governed by reason. CCC 1767  CCMMP: Catholic-Christian Meta-Model of the Person  DMU Paul Vitz, William Nordling, Paul Craig Titus.    p. (294)  to remain in the virtuous middle ground requires being disposed to a righteous anger that will stand up to injustice, and use a good measure of anger in ways that are corrective of the evil, preventive of further injustice, and indicative of a balance to mean between extremes. Emotions are good when, as reactions antecedent to reasoning, they make us conscious of reality and prepare us for a more complete reaction and moral action. Emotion and choice then serve moral flourishing (e.g., when we have an appropriate spontaneous reaction of anger at injustice). Second, emotions are good as felt reactions that also follow the intellectual evaluation of the situation. Emotions can be expressive of rational decisions. Emotions can thus participate in our life of reason and will (Gondreau, 2013). For example, when we choose to rectify and injustice, a balanced expression of anger can help us to act decisively will being restrained enough that we do not overreact. Through a righteous or just expression of anger, we entered rectify injustice, will finding a just and rational mean between excessively weak or exceedingly strong emotional displays. (p. 650). Emotions are viewed as informing people about their cares and concerns. To prepare the body for action, directing our thoughts to ways that will appropriately address the issues at hand. They can signal and manipulate other people in ways that suit the person's emotional needs (Parrott, 2001). Being disconnected from emotional experience, therefore, means being cut off from adaptive information (Pos et al., 2003). (pp. 650-651). Digression into justification of secular sources Question may arise, "OK, Dr. Peter, as you already noted, anger has been recognized for a long time, going all the way back to Aristotle and way before that in Sacred Scripture.  You emphasize that you are a Catholic psychologist, so why are you even looking at these secular sources like the American Psychological Association? There is a lot about anger in Scripture, in the Church Fathers and the saints about anger in the spiritual life.   Discalced Carmelite Abbott Marc Foley in his excellent book The Context of Holiness: Psychological and Spiritual Reflections on the Life of St. Therese of Lisieux "One…misconception is that the spiritual life is an encapsulated sphere, cloistered from the realities of daily living….we have only one life composed of various dimensions.  Our emotional life, intellectual life, social life, work life, sex life, spiritual life are simple ways of speaking of the different facets of our one life.  (p. 1).  We have one life.  One life.  We don't have a spiritual life that is separate from our emotional life.  We have one life.  If we are angry, that affects our whole life.   The Church herself encourages us to look to all branches of knowledge and glean what is best from them in order to live our one life better.  From the CCC, paragraph 159  "Though faith is above reason, there can never be any real discrepancy between faith and reason. Since the same God who reveals mysteries and infuses faith has bestowed the light of reason on the human mind, God cannot deny himself, nor can truth ever contradict truth." "Consequently, methodical research in all branches of knowledge, provided it is carried out in a truly scientific manner and does not override moral laws, can never conflict with the faith, because the things of the world and the things of faith derive from the same God. The humble and persevering investigator of the secrets of nature is being led, as it were, by the hand of God in spite of himself, for it is God, the conserver of all things, who made them what they are." And from the Vatican II document, the Pastoral Constitution of the Church in the Modern World, paragraph 62 reads:  In pastoral care, sufficient use must be made not only of theological principles, but also of the findings of the secular sciences, especially of psychology and sociology, so that the faithful may be brought to a more adequate and mature life of faith. Remember that we are embodied beings -- we are composites of a soul and a body. The 17th Century Philosopher Rene Descartes' popularized what is called mind-body dualism.  Mind-body dualism is the idea that the body and the mind operate in separate spheres, and neither can be assimilated into the other.  And that is false.  Demonstrably false in a lot of ways, be we so often assume it to be true.  We have one life.   In the last several years we are realizing just how much of our mental life and our psychological well-being is linked in various ways to our neurobiology -- the ways that our nervous systems function.  And the relationship between our embodied brain and our minds is reciprocal -- each affects the other in complex ways that we are just beginning to understand.  In other words, brain chemistry affects our emotional states.  And our emotional states and our behaviors affect brain chemistry.  It's not just our minds and it's not just our bodies and it's not just our souls -- it's all of those, all of what makes me who I am, body, mind, soul, spirit, all of it.   And since Scripture, the Early Church Fathers, the Catechism and so on are silent on neurobiology, neurochemistry, neurophysiology and so many other areas that impact our minds and our well-being, as a Catholic psychologist I am going to look elsewhere, I'm going to look into secular sources.  I just don't think it's reasonable to expect the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops or the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in the Vatican to be experts in these areas -- it's not their calling, it's not their expertise.  St. John of the Cross in his  Prologue of Ascent of Mt. Carmel: "I will not rely on experience or science…[but] I will not neglect whatever possible use I can make of them.  Fr. Marc Foley, OCD : The Context of Holiness:  As St. Thomas wrote of St. Augustine's use of Platonic philosophy in the Summa: "whenever Augustine, who was imbued with the doctrines of the Platonists, found in their teaching anything consistent with the faith, he adopted it and those things which he found contrary to the faith he amended." (ST I, q. 84,a. 5) p.4 And St. Thomas himself drew on so much of Aristotle's thought in his writings, bringing it into his body of work.   Abbot Marc Foley.  In short, we should never swallow the school of thought whole; we should sift the wheat from the chaff, separate truth from falsehood. p.4 We want the best from all sources.   Emphasis on biological processes:   From Heidi Crockett Anger Management with Interpersonal Neurobiology  Discussed Interpersonal Neurobiology at length in  Episode 92 of this podcast Understanding and Healing your Mind through IPNB In interpersonal neurobiology, anger as an emotion is viewed from the perspective of cognitive neuroscience. And cognitive neuroscience states that cognition and emotion are dynamically combined with physical arousal. When anger is induced as an emotion in humans, it can unconsciously affect physiological and neural resources. Affective states of anger are subsequently expressed in the brain as well as the body, and these neural and physiological changes can influence the cognitive processes. Many studies and resources have been expended on studying the emotions of happiness, sadness, and fear, which align with psychopathological states of hypomania, depression, and anxiety. Kathy Steele, Suzette Boon, Onno van der Hart:  Treating Trauma-Related Dissociation: A Practical, Integrative Approach:  Anger is an affect to derived from activation of the sympathetic nervous system, geared to energize the body for maximum effort to fend off perceived danger. Psychologically, it protects from awareness of vulnerability and lack of control, and therefore from shame. And fight mode, we are all primed to perceive cues of danger rather than cues of safety and relational connection. In such a heightened state of arousal, it is easy to misunderstand the intentions of others. (p.332). Polyvagal theory and anger  A critical period for experience-dependent development of the feelings of safety during early infancy: A polyvagal perspective on anger and psychometric tools to assess perceived safety  Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience July 2022 article   Andrea Poli, Angelo Gemignani, Carlo Chiorri and Mario Miccoli Brief primer here on some neurology.  Don't worry.  I will keep it simple.   Neurons are specialized cells that receive and send signals to other cells through fragile and thin cellular extensions called axons. Myelination:   a membrane or a sheath around the axons on neurons.   Myelinated axons often have a larger diameter Myelinated axons are insulated Myelination allows for much faster transmission of electric impulses Presence of safety during the critical period (first year of life).   Decreased unmyelinated/myelinated cardioinhibitory fibers ratio in adulthood Ventral Vagal complex is able to have a greater impact on reducing the Sympathetic Nervous System arousal -- decreasing anger  VVC is able to have a greater impact on reducing Dorsal Vagal Complex fear and shutdown responses -- the freeze response.   Greater capacity for self-regulation.   Absence of safety during the critical period  Increased unmyelinated/myelinated cardioinhibitory fibers ratio in adulthood Ventral Vagal complex has a lesser impact on reducing the Sympathetic Nervous System arousal -- less able to decrease sympathetic arousal, including anger  VVC has a lesser impact on reducing Dorsal Vagal Complex fear and shutdown responses -- less able to reduce the freeze response.   Less capacity for self-regulation.   Dampened VVC activity reduces the capacity of adaptive inhibition of SNS and DVC (Dorsal Vagal Complex), and emotional self-regulation. Hence, environmental detection of unsafety cues may preferentially trigger SNS-mediated anger in order to avoid DVC-mediated immobilization with fear. Young children exposed to five or more significant adverse experiences in the first three years of childhood face a 76% likelihood of having one or more delays in their language, emotional or brain development. (6) As the number of traumatic events experienced during childhood increases, the risk for the following health problems in adulthood increases: depression; alcoholism; drug abuse; suicide attempts; heart and liver diseases; pregnancy problems; high stress; uncontrollable anger; and family, financial, and job problems. (6) 7 ways childhood adversity changes a child's brain Donna Jackson Nakazawa Acestoohigh.com website September 8, 2016 Epigenetic Shifts  gene methylation, in which small chemical markers, or methyl groups, adhere to the genes involved in regulating our stress response, and prevent these genes from doing their jobs.  Size and Shape of the Brain stress releases a hormone that actually shrinks the size of the hippocampus, an area of our brain responsible for processing emotion and memory and managing stress.  Chronic neuroinflammation can lead to changes that reset the tone of the brain for life   Brain connectivity:  Dr. Ryan Herringa, neuropsychiatrist and assistant professor of child and adolescent psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin, found that children and teens who'd experienced chronic childhood adversity showed weaker neural connections between the prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus. Girls also displayed weaker connections between the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala. The prefrontal-cortex-amygdala relationship plays an essential role in determining how emotionally reactive we're likely to be to the things that happen to us in our day-to-day life, and how likely we are to perceive these events as stressful or dangerous. Including anger.   Wiring of the brain and nervous system matter -- they matter a lot Brain activation in anger  Distinct Brain Areas involved in Anger versus Punishment during Social Interactions  Olga M. Klimecki, David Sander & Patrik Vuilleumier Scientific Reports 2018. 25 men fMRI study anger induced in an in inequality game designed to be unfair.   In the present study, we found that the intensity of experienced anger when seeing the face of the unfair other was parametrically related to activations in amygdala, STS (superior temporal sulcus), and fusiform gyrus (related to facial recognition). The STS has been shown to produce strong responses when subjects perceive stimuli in research areas that facial recognition   Farzaneh Pahlavan Multiple Facets of Anger: Getting Mad or Restoring Justice?  Chapter 3:  The Neurobiology of RAGE and Anger & Psychiatric Implications with a Focus on Depression Daniel J. Guerra1, Valentina Colonnello and Jaak Panksepp Rage emerges when specific environmental stimuli arouse the neural circuitry of the RAGE system. Even if the anger-thoughts and the related expression are modulated and regulated by higher cortico-cognitive areas, the human basic circuitry of anger is still subcortical. Since the early description of rage in decorticated cats (Dusser De Barenne, 1920) and dogs (Rothmann, 1923) and their responses to inoffensive stimuli, it was clear that the rage expression is i) dependent on subcortical areas, i.e. the ancient regions play a crucial role more than the higher neocortical regions; ii) independent of an intact cortex. p. 11  Among the higher limbic regions of this network, the medial nucleus, the basal complex, and central and lateral nuclei of the amygdala play a key role in the modulation of RAGE.  p. 1   All this happens far away from the frontal cortex in the limbic system of your brain.   Kathy Steele, Suzette Boon, Onno van der Hart:  Treating Trauma-Related Dissociation: A Practical, Integrative Approach   Why of Chronic anger.   Anger is the primary emotion of the "fight" defense.  When (parts of) the patient become stuck in this defense, anger becomes chronic.  Thus, the first intervention is safety.  332 As long as a fight reaction remains unresolved, anger will remain chronic. (p.332).  Almost no one seems to understands that anger is a defense against fear and shame.  It's a way of trying to protect oneself.   There are several reasons that anger and hostility become chronic in dissociative patients. First, patients typically have been severely invalidated, ignored, heard, betrayed, and sometimes even tortured over extended periods of time, while helpless to stop it. In itself, this is enough to generate enormous rage in anyone as part of the naturally occurring fight defense. Second, as children, patients often had little to no help in learning how to regulate and appropriately express normal anger, much less how to cope with it. Often it was unacceptable for many patients to express any kind of anger as children, while the adults around them were uncontained and highly destructive with their anger. Others had no limit set on their angry behaviors. (p. 330). Angry dissociative parts are feared and avoided internally by most other parts, particularly those that function in daily life. After all, angry behaviors toward self and others may interfere with functioning in a variety of personal and social ways. An ongoing vicious cycle of rage and shame ensues internally: the more patients avoid their angry and destructive dissociative parts, the angry these parts become, and the more they shame other parts and are shamed by them. (p. 331). … Angry parts have a deep shame and are highly defended against the strong belief that they are very bad. Their defense is reinforced by the shame of patients that such parts of themselves even exist. These parts of the patient are terrified of attachment to the therapist and you the relationship is dangerous, mainly because they are afraid that the therapist will never accept them. (p. 331-332). Whether the anger is part of a fight response or not, it is often a secondary emotion that protects the patient from feelings of sadness, extreme powerlessness, shame, guilt, and loss. (p. 333).  (add grief) Parts of the patient that developed  controlling-punitive strategies will be angry with others to get what they need,  while those that have controlling-caregiving strategies will punish themselves for being angry or having needs. (p. 333).  This is often the case in hostile parts such as those of self-injure or encourage other parts to self-harm, prostitute themselves, abuse drugs or alcohol, or engage in other self-destructive behaviors. They are often stuck in destructive and harmful behaviors that are an "attack self" defense against shame. (p.333). Finally, the rage of the perpetrator is often an embodied experience from which patients cannot yet escape without sufficient realization and further integration. Some dissociative parts imitate perpetrators internally, repeating the family dynamics from the past with other parts in a rather literal way. (p.333). "Getting the anger out" is not really useful, as the problem is that the patient needs to learn how to effectively express anger verbally rather than physically, and in socially appropriate and contained ways, so the patient can be heard by others. It is less the fact that patients express anger, but how they do so and whether that expression allows him to remain grounded in the present, to retain important relationships, and to avoid being self-destructive. (p. 334). Expression of anger is not necessarily therapeutic in itself. It is how (parts of) the patient experience and express it that is important; whether it is within a window of tolerancex in a socially appropriate and safe. Therapist must learn when expression of anger is therapeutic and when containment of anger is more helpful. (p. 334). Working with anger an angry parts (p.335). Take the time to educate the patient as a whole about the functions of anger and angry parts. Although they may seem like "troublemakers," they can be understood as attempting to solve problems with ineffective or insufficient tools.  Encourage all parts of the patient understand, accept, and listen to angry parts, instead of avoiding them.  Make efforts to understand what provokes angry parts. There are many potential triggers.   Not direct quotes Do all parts feel the same way as the angry part?  If not, can those parts listen to and accept angry parts perspective?  Would the angry part be willing to listen to the other internal perspectives?  Invite other parts to watch and listen if possible.  Can set limits with the angry part  the angry part and all parts need to learn that healthy relationships do not include punishment, humiliation, or force  Use titration, helping the person experienced as a small amount of anger will remain grounded in the present   Parts and imitate a perpetrator often literally experience themselves in our experienced by other parts as the actual perpetrator. Thus they understandably induce fear and shame within a patient as a whole, and sometimes fearing the therapist. (p. 345). The functions of perpetrator-imitating parts are (1) protect the patient against threats of the perpetrator, which continue to be experienced as real in the present; (2) defend the patient against unbearable realizations of being helpless and powerless as a child, (3) re-enact traumatic memories from the perspective of the perpetrator, as mentalize by the child; (4) serve as a defense against shame through attacking the patient and avoiding inner experiences of shame; (5) provide an outlet for the patient's disowned sadistic and punitive tendencies; and (6) hold unbearable traumatic memories. (p. 346). Suzette Boon, Kathy Steele, Onno van der Hart 2011 book  Coping with Trauma-Related Dissociation: Skills Training for Patients and Therapists Destructive expressions of anger include persistent revenge fantasies or actions, hurting self or others, "taking it out" on innocent people (or animals), or destruction of property. (p. 265).  Dissociative parts of a person that are stuck in anger may experience this feeling as vehement and overwhelming, often without words. They may have irresistible urges to act aggressively and have great difficulty thinking and reflecting on their feelings before acting. Angry parts have not learned how to experience or express anger and helpful ways. There are two types of anger dissociative parts. The first are parts that are stuck in a defensive fight mode, ready to protect you. Their anger at original injustices may be legitimate and naturally accompanies a tendency to strike out and fight, which is an essential survival strategy. However, such parts have become stuck in anger, unable to experience much else. They rigidly perceived threat and ill-will everywhere and they react with anger and aggression as their only option of response. Although these parts of you may not yet realize it, anger is often a protection against vulnerable feelings of shame, fear, hurt, despair, powerlessness, and loss. The second type of angry part may seem very much like the original perpetrator. They imitate those who hurt them in the past, and they can be experienced internally as the actual perpetrator. This experience can be particularly frightening, disorienting, and shameful. But be assured this is a very common way of dealing with being traumatized. In fact, although these parts may have some similarities to those who hurt you, they also significant differences: they are parts of you as a whole person, who is trying to cope with unresolved traumatic experiences. (p. 267)   Tips for coping with anger (p, 269 to 271) recognize how to make distinctions among the many gradations of anger, from mild irritation to rage, so that you can intervene more rapidly.  Understand your tells around anger, which may include a tight or tense feeling in your body, clenched jaw's or fists, feeling flushed or shaky, breathing heavily, heart racing, a feeling of heat, a surge of energy.  Empathize with her angry parts, recognizing they have very limited coping skills, and very limited vision. They've been shunned by other parts, left alone with their hurt, fear, shame, in isolation. This does not mean you have to accept their impulses toward inappropriate behavior  Once you start feeling some compassion toward these parts you can begin to communicate with them, listening with an intention, with curiosity to understand what lies underneath the anger  Angry parts have a strength, that they could transferred to use and more positive ways  Become more curious about why anger is happening.  Try creative and healthy nonverbal ways of expressing your anger, such as writing, drawing, painting, making a collage  Physical exercise may help as an outlet for the physical energy generated by the physiology of anger  Work on understanding your anger, by reflecting on it, rather than just experiencing it, being immersed in it. You might imagine observing yourself from a distance, and getting curious about why you feel the way you do.  Give yourself a time-out, that is, walk away from the situation if you're getting too angry. Counseling to 10, or even 200 before you say or do something you might regret later.  Calm breathing may help  Listen to each part of you, about what might help that part with anger. You can have in her conversations with parts of yourself about anger and how to express it. Small and safe ways to express anger can be negotiated that are agreeable to all parts of you  Watch safe people in your life and seal they handle their own anger. Do they accept being angry? Are they are respectful and appropriate with her anger? Are there particular strategies that they use that you could practice for yourself?  Healthy anger can get positive strength and energy. It can help you be appropriately assertive, set clear boundaries, and confront wrongs in the world. Anger can pave the way to other emotions, leading to the resolution relational conflicts.  We learn the most common triggers of your anger. Once you learn these triggers, you can be more aware when they occur and more able to prevent an automatic reaction of anger. Establish intercommunication among parts of yourself to recognize triggers and negotiate possible helpful strategies to cope with them rather than just reacting.  You can try allowing yourself to experience just a small amount of anger from another part of yourself: a drop, a teaspoon, 1% or 2%. In exchange you can share with angry parts feelings of calm and safety.  Inner safe spaces can be very helpful for childlike parts that feel terrified   My parts Feisty Part-- defends against shame -- Melancholio.   Good Boy  Challenger  Creative-distracting me.   Closing Mark your calendars.  Next Live Experience of the IIC podcast will be on Friday, January 13, 2023 from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM Eastern time on Zoom (repeat) -- All about Anger -- dealing with your anger.  Going beyond what books can do.  Experiential exercise.  Links to register have gone out in our emailed Wednesday Reflections.  Can get the link on the IIC landing page as well, SoulsandHearts.com/iic  December 28, 2022  Reflection at soulsandhearts.com/blog  From Rejecting to Embracing Aging Reach out to me Crisis@soulsandhearts.com  Conversation hours:  cell is 317.567.9594 conversation hours 4:30 PM to 5:30 PM Eastern Time Every Tuesday and Thursday.   Resilient Catholic Community -- you do not have to be alone.   Why a deep intimate personal relationship with God our Father, Mary our Mother -- spiritual parents   By claiming our identity as beloved daughters and sons of God the Father and Mary our Mother. Identity is freely given.   How By dealing with the natural level issues we have, the human formation issues we have that have spiritual consequences.  Grace perfects nature  So many spiritual problems have their roots in the natural realm, in human formation.   If this kind of exercise is helpful to you, we have nearly 100 of them in the Resilient Catholics Community.   120 Catholics like you already on board, already on the pilgrimage -- just had 47 apply for the December 2022 cohort, excited to get to know our new applicants.   Closed December 31 -- wait list should be up soon for the June 2023 Cohort.   Get to know your own parts Get to love your own parts If interested, contact me.   Crisis@soulsandhearts.com 317.567.9594 conversation hours 4:30 PM to 5:30 PM Eastern Time Every Tuesday and Thursday.    

Paul commands us to give thanks in everything---But we ask ourselves, even in the bad things----The answer is, yes, in EVERYTHING give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you---This verse follows right after Paul's previous commandment to pray without ceasing.--We may very well be giving thanks for the things that we have fervently prayed to God to deliver us from- Those two positions are in nowise contrary to each other.--In Corrie Ten Boom's book, she describes her younger sister Betsy exhorting her to give thanks to God for the fleas that infested their barracks in the Nazi concentration camp. Corrie grudgingly conceded that God's Word did command them to give thanks for the fleas. Later, they found out that the prison guards wouldn't enter the barracks because of the fleas, which meant that they could pray and carry on Bible studies and teach the Gospel to their miserable fellow captives. God had a good purpose in giving them fleas, to protect against the cruel godless prison guards, and to promote His Word among the prisoners.--No doubt it is God's will that we give thanks in everything, and yet we should also give thanks because whatever God has brought our way, even the bad things, are according to His Will for us, and ultimately are for our good.--We ought to be thankful because whatever befalls us is the will of God---Consider the things that Jesus was thankful for.--He often gave thanks for the food. When He fed the five thousand in the wilderness with five loaves and two fishes, He gave thanks to His Father.--Think of it- the very One Who created all things, nevertheless gave thanks for the food-

Paul commands us to give thanks in everything---But we ask ourselves, even in the bad things----The answer is, yes, in EVERYTHING give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you---This verse follows right after Paul's previous commandment to pray without ceasing.--We may very well be giving thanks for the things that we have fervently prayed to God to deliver us from- Those two positions are in nowise contrary to each other.--In Corrie Ten Boom's book, she describes her younger sister Betsy exhorting her to give thanks to God for the fleas that infested their barracks in the Nazi concentration camp. Corrie grudgingly conceded that God's Word did command them to give thanks for the fleas. Later, they found out that the prison guards wouldn't enter the barracks because of the fleas, which meant that they could pray and carry on Bible studies and teach the Gospel to their miserable fellow captives. God had a good purpose in giving them fleas, to protect against the cruel godless prison guards, and to promote His Word among the prisoners.--No doubt it is God's will that we give thanks in everything, and yet we should also give thanks because whatever God has brought our way, even the bad things, are according to His Will for us, and ultimately are for our good.--We ought to be thankful because whatever befalls us is the will of God---Consider the things that Jesus was thankful for.--He often gave thanks for the food. When He fed the five thousand in the wilderness with five loaves and two fishes, He gave thanks to His Father.--Think of it- the very One Who created all things, nevertheless gave thanks for the food-

Paul commands us to give thanks in everything---But we ask ourselves, even in the bad things---The answer is, yes, in EVERYTHING give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you---This verse follows right after Paul's previous commandment to pray without ceasing.--We may very well be giving thanks for the things that we have fervently prayed to God to deliver us from- Those two positions are in nowise contrary to each other.--In Corrie Ten Boom's book, she describes her younger sister Betsy exhorting her to give thanks to God for the fleas that infested their barracks in the Nazi concentration camp. Corrie grudgingly conceded that God's Word did command them to give thanks for the fleas. Later, they found out that the prison guards wouldn't enter the barracks because of the fleas, which meant that they could pray and carry on Bible studies and teach the Gospel to their miserable fellow captives. God had a good purpose in giving them fleas, to protect against the cruel godless prison guards, and to promote His Word among the prisoners.--No doubt it is God's will that we give thanks in everything, and yet we should also give thanks because whatever God has brought our way, even the bad things, are according to His Will for us, and ultimately are for our good.--We ought to be thankful because whatever befalls us is the will of God---Consider the things that Jesus was thankful for.--He often gave thanks for the food. When He fed the five thousand in the wilderness with five loaves and two fishes, He gave thanks to His Father.--Think of it- the very One Who created all things, nevertheless gave thanks for the food-

How do you connect with God in nature? Today we will talk about three ideas on how you can do this and incorporate a little more peace into your life. This is the second in our series of connecting to God. Episode Discussion PointsStory of my husband kayaking out on a lake in the early morning and feeling a peace and such a release of stress. 3 Ideas for Connecting with God Through Nature 1. Stand BarefootAn https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/wellness/could-walking-barefoot-on-the-grass-improve-your-health-the-science-behind-grounding/2018/07/05/12de5d64-7be2-11e8-aeee-4d04c8ac6158_story.html (article in the Washington Post) a few years ago showed research on how standing barefoot in the grass can “improve sleep, reduce pain, decrease muscle tension and lower stress.” How I have felt such peace when I have stood on the beach. A college health professor has encouraged his students to go and stand barefoot when they are feeling stressed (and it actually works). 2. Slow Down & CommuneExamples in the scriptures: Jesus going out into the wilderness to pray and commune with His Father, Moses going up into a mountain to talk to God “Consider the lilies of the field.” Luke 12:27—take time to slow down and look at the details of the world around you. See and notice God in the world around you. 3. Use All Your Senses & Give ThanksDisconnect from the busyness of the world and think about what you are seeing, feeling, hearing and experiencing in nature around you. Give thanks to God for what you see, touch, smell, hear Story of me enjoying a peaceful moment giving thanks to God as I sat under a tree at Bryce Canyon. “There is beauty to be found in every part of God's creations.” Call to ActionSay a prayer in nature sometime this week, be thankful and feel of God's love and peace. Download the 7 Ways to Connect with God infographic https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/j1t4k6 #tamarakanderson #storiesofhopeinhardtimes #podcast #hope #God #hardtimes #nature #connecttoGod #peace #prayer #barefoot #senses #gratitude TranscriptionYou can find the transcription of today's episode here: https://www.tamarakanderson.com/podcasts/3-ways-to-connect-with-god-in-nature

The Real Men Check In is a quick way to help you start your week off on the right foot, in the right way - as a husband, father, and leader. Every Monday, Joe Martin shares personal insights, encouragement, and support that will move you beyond “church” to “real change.”  To make sure you don't miss a Check-In or interview episode, make sure you "Stay Connected" by signing up for updates and our Man-to-Man eNewsletter at http://www.RealMenConnect.com   Also, help us transform the lives of even MORE MEN for God's glory by leaving us a helpful REVIEW on iTunes: http://tinyurl.com/rmcpodcast and SHARING this podcast with your friends. Are you stuck? Want to go to the next level in your marriage, career, business, or ministry?  Then maybe it's time you got a coach. ALL CHAMPIONS have one. Let me coach you to help you strengthen your faith, improve your marriage, spiritually lead your family, achieve more, balance your time, grow your ministry, or even stop an addiction. Click here for details: http://www.RMCfree.com Also join us on: Join the Real Men 300: http://www.RealMen300.com Facebook Group: http://www.realmenuniversity.com/ Facebook: @realdrjoemartin YouTube: http://www.RealMenTraining.com Instagram: @realdrjoemartin Twitter: @professormartin

In life we are faced with struggles, insecurities, challenges, hardships, wars, confusion, trials and tribulations that are not necessarily the author of the “Devil” but strategically ordained by “God” to Consider Us for “Double” this is episode titled Can God Consider You for Double will illustrate, encourage, empower, and equip you with the necessary strategies to utilize when you are being Considered by God for Double

Sign-up for my free 20 day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are co-workers in God's service; you are God's field, God's building. By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person's work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames. (1 Corinthians 3:8-15)Today's passage is one of the richest on the topic of work in all of Scripture. We could spend weeks unpacking these eight verses, but this morning, I just want to focus our attention on three things.First, ”the quality of each person's work” will one day be tested by God. Work matters greatly to God as it is a means of glorifying him and serving others. Thus, we ought to strive to do our work exceptionally well and in accordance with his commands.Second, this passage makes clear that there are varying rewards tied to how we work in this life. Verse 8 says this plainly: “each be rewarded according to their own labor.” Which work will be rewarded? The work that “survives” the “fire” of God's judgment. Paul lists six building materials in this passage: three that would survive a “fire” (gold, silver, and costly stones) and three that would not (wood, hay, and straw). The question then becomes, what sort of work is considered “gold, silver, [and] costly stones?” The quality work we do in accordance with the commands of our “foundation…which is Jesus Christ.” In the words of New Testament scholar N.T. Wright, “What we do in Christ and by the Spirit in the present is not wasted.”But, while Paul makes clear that we will all receive varying rewards based on how we work today, he is also careful to ensure we don't turn this into a false gospel, which brings me to the final thing I want us to see this morning: Regardless of whether or not our work will “burn up” or be rewarded, “the builder…will be saved.” One day, God will test our work and reward us accordingly. But as those trusting in Jesus Christ for the atonement of our sins, our souls have already been judged and our entrance into God's eternal kingdom is irrevocably secure. While rewards will vary, our statuses as co-heirs with Christ are equal.May that ultimate security lead us to be ambitious for doing excellent, God-glorifying work today!

Questions about whether God considers a divorced couple to still be married and whether one can vote for a national political candidate who is openly transgender. Since remarriage after a divorce is considered adultery, does this imply that God considers the couple to still be married? Could you support and vote for a national political candidate who was most aligned with your political views but was openly transgender?

Our culture often ignores or discounts the value of older people. What does God have to say about older people? Join Jameson as he examines the Scriptures to see if God considers gray hair honorable. Visit our website: www.scatteredabroad.org and remember to subscribe to our email list. "Like" and "share" our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/sapodcastnetwork Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_scattered_abroad_network/ Subscribe to our YouTube channel: The Scattered Abroad Network Contact us through email at: thescatteredabroadnetwork@gmail.com. If you would like to consider supporting us in anyway, please reach out to us through this email. Don't forget about our sponsorship/giveaway for the month. Head on over to our joint podcast (Scattered Abroad) and find out what you need to do in order to win.

Our culture often ignores or discounts the value of older people. What does God have to say about older people? Join Jameson as he examines the Scriptures to see if God considers gray hair honorable. Visit our website: www.scatteredabroad.org and remember to subscribe to our email list. "Like" and "share" our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/sapodcastnetwork Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_scattered_abroad_network/ Subscribe to our YouTube channel: The Scattered Abroad Network Contact us through email at: thescatteredabroadnetwork@gmail.com. If you would like to consider supporting us in anyway, please reach out to us through this email. Don't forget about our sponsorship/giveaway for the month. Head on over to our joint podcast (Scattered Abroad) and find out what you need to do in order to win.

James 1:20 says to count it all joy when we are faced with troubles. Do we? Job is our prime example. An extremely wealthy man who was held in high esteem, Satan tried to convince God that he was a fraud, that if things got really bad he would curse God. After suffering four major catastrophes Job's response was not to complain but to worship God. Then he was afflicted with boils and his wife said he should just curse God and die. Still he did not sin and three friends came by to give him silent comfort. Close friends are important.

Ruth 1:16-17/Deuteronomy 31:6/ Joshua 1:9/Isaiah 43:2/ Hebrews 13:5

I love songs that sing Scripture word-for-word. Elevation Worship does just that with their song "The Blessing." It takes us straight to Numbers 6 where we have an opportunity to really soak in God's Word.     Let's meditate on Scripture this week as we hide God's Word in our hearts through song. On this week’s episode I discuss: Taking a B.I.T.E. out of Scripture - this week's Bible Interaction Tool Exercises include: Meditate on Scripture Complete a word study Start with God Consider the opposite The 30 Day Music Challenge - ACCEPT THE CHALLENGE HERE The call in Scripture to meditate on God's precepts - Psalm 119:15 If you know how to worry, you know how to meditate The blessing given by God in Numbers 6:22-27 Focusing on God first as we ponder this blessing The origin of this blessing was from the desire of the LORD to bless His people  The benefits of the blessing are dependent upon the characteristics and actions of the LORD Noticing all of the references to speaking Recognizing that priests were to speak the blessing Pondering the fact that believers in Christ are a royal priesthood - 1 Peter 2:9-10 How the favor and protection spoken in this blessing is repeated in 2 Thessalonians 3:3 Picturing the shining face of God leaned over in favor and unmerited grace Considering the opposite of God's face turned toward us - Isaiah 59:1-2 The blessing of being a people belonging to God   Additional Resources Lyrics and chords - Worship Together "The Blessing" by Elevation Worship - Living Room Session - YouTube Weekly Challenge This week's challenge doesn't include a lot of Scripture reading. It does, however, require your undivided attention as you meditate on the words of the blessing given to Aaron and his sons to speak over God's people in Numbers 6. It will be easy for you to commit the words of this blessing to memory if you haven't already. Just sing along with Elevation Worship as they render Scripture as a song in "The Blessing."

We are to love one another as children of God, but if we do not love one another can we say that we are children of God- Consider the text and see what kind of relationship you manifest, of God or of the evil one. We are to rather manifest that which of God that we may show ourselves ans children of God.

Jesus said, “Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am among them.”Matthew 18:19-20Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! It is like the precious oil on the head, running down on the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes! It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion! For there the Lord has commanded the blessing, life forevermore.Psalm 133“One of you shall chase a thousand, but two of you shall chase ten thousand...”Deuteronomy 32:30GOING DEEPER:As believers in Christ, we are all called to be united in Him. How has the COVID-19 virus made this easier or harder? God answers our prayers in many ways, and not always in the ways we want. Describe a time when your prayers were answered. Describe a time when they were not answered. Were you grateful for the "unanswered" prayers? How regular or developed is your prayer life? Do you pray alone, with family, friends, or your LifeGroup? Have you seen a shift in your prayer life during this season of COVID-19? If yes, in what way? How can your LifeGroup help you take a next step in developing a stronger prayer life?How do your earthly relationships impact your relationship with God? Consider their impact on a negative or positive scale. Read Psalms 133.

One-third of the world population is presently on lockdown; they are restricted by their own governments and kept (by force if necessary) from gathering together in groups. Though infection rates from the coronavirus seem to vary from region to region, one thing is common to all—everyone is suffering in one way or another. But did you know that suffering can be a good thing in the hands of a good God? Consider four truths: This teaching is from our series Topical with Skip Heitzig from Calvary Albuquerque.

One-third of the world population is presently on lockdown; they are restricted by their own governments and kept (by force if necessary) from gathering together in groups. Though infection rates from the coronavirus seem to vary from region to region, one thing is common to all—everyone is suffering in one way or another. But did you know that suffering can be a good thing in the hands of a good God? Consider four truths: This teaching is from our series Topical with Skip Heitzig from Calvary Albuquerque.

On today's wonderful episode, I'm speaking with the lovely and talented April Jurgensen, author of ... The Orphan's Abba: Stories from Orphan Care That Reveal God's Love for You Fueled by a relentless passion for children and justice, April Jurgensen is the founder and executive director of The Boaz Project, Inc., a non-profit organization that inspires and equips leaders around the globe to care for orphans in their own communities. For 19 years, she has impacted vulnerable children by addressing their physical, spiritual and educational needs. Between trips to visit the children who've stolen her heart, April seizes opportunities to write and speak about them. She brings the experience and insight from more than 100 international trips to her messages. Do you ever feel like God is distant, disapproving, or disconnected from your daily life? Do you feel a deep sense of emptiness where you desire spiritual fervor? Do you long for a more personal relationship with your heavenly Father? When April founded The Boaz Project to minister to orphans, she didn't realize they would rock her theology, shed new light on Scripture, and revive her heart. In The Orphan's Abba, April shares inspiring stories from over 100 international trips to visit orphans and translates her experiences into powerful spiritual takeaways. Your faith will be bolstered as you experience God's love for you through the lens of orphan care. This book invites you to: Uncover the deliberate ways God relentlessly pursues you See yourself as God sees you-Discover how to ensure God hears your prayers Understand how you can comfort the heart of God Consider how obedience to God changes you Get ready to unveil a portrait of God's heart for all, painted in the light of His love for the orphan in this episode of the Daily Authors Podcast with April Jurgensen ... By the way, if you are ready to share you story and write your book, go to Write a Book University to get a free 4 lesson video course to help you on your book writing journey ...

It should be taken for granted that God is visionary, and speaking about him should inspire vision. Before saying anything else - we need to have this in our own hearts! That’s the reason we have times of quiet with God - even on a Sunday morning! It is possible to speak on love, prayer and even the cross without really talking about God. One of the most frequent pieces of advice I give young speakers is to talk more about Jesus.  I have benefited recently from reading the short booklet, “Living in the vision of God” (http://www.dwillard.org/articles/individual/living-in-the-vision-of-god) by Dallas Willard. This teaching tip is too short to do justice to his brief but masterful exposition of how vision goes astray. However, I would quote him about the significance of a God vision: “The love of God, and only the love of God, secures the vision of God: keeps God constantly before our mind.”  Why is this so important? Willard again: “Vision of God secures humility. Seeing God for who he is enables us to see ourselves for who we are. This makes us bold, for we see clearly what great good and evil are at issue, and we see that it is not up to us to accomplish it, but up to God - who is more than able. We are delivered from pretending, being presumptuous about ourselves, and from pushing as if the outcome depended on us. We persist without frustration, and we practice calm and joyful non-compliance with evil of any kind.” Perhaps the key Scripture in this regard is from Proverbs:     “Trust GOD from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for GOD’S voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track. Don’t assume that you know it all. Run to GOD! Run from evil!” (Proverbs 3:5–7 MESSAGE) How do we prepare a lesson with a healthy focus on God? Consider asking these questions, or at least some of them as you prepare your lesson, and as you review it. Questions: What does this passage reveal above God’s character / heart? What inspiring aspect of God is highlighted by this lesson? What am I saying about God that is unique to him? Is God’s love for me/the world clear in this lesson? Is God the core of this lesson? How does this lesson inspire a God-vision? What do you think about these questions? What helps you to keep God at the centre of your lessons? Do you think I’m over-egging the point here? Please add your comments on this week’s topic. We learn best when we learn in community.  Thank you for listening to this recording. You can find more teaching tips here and on the YouTube teaching tips playlist (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLssKYNRlLIE_A3ckUf7NrtJEqNVbft98J) .  Do you have a question about teaching the Bible? Is it theological, technical, practical? Send me your questions or suggestions. Here’s the email: malcolm@malcolmcox.org (mailto:malcolm@malcolmcox.org) . If you’d like a copy of my free eBook on spiritual disciplines, “How God grows His people”, sign up at my website: http://www.malcolmcox.org (http://www.malcolmcox.org/) .  Thanks again for listening. Have a terrific Tuesday, and a wonderful week. God bless, Malcolm  mccx, Malcolm Cox, Watford, Croxley Green, teaching, preaching, spiritual disciplines, public speaking, corporate worship, Sunday Sample, Corporate Worship Matters, Tuesday Teaching Tips, Quiet Time Coaching, coaching, coaching near me, coach, online coaching, saviour, quiet time, devotion, God, Jesus, Pray, prayer, malcolm’s, cox, vision, Dallas Willard, 

Scripture used: Isaiah 6:1-5, Mark 8:34, Revelation 4:8, Psalm 19:1-2 Quote: "Worship isn't about as the enter. Worship is about God. So perhaps a truer measure of worship isn't how we feel but how we made God feel. God is at the enter of our worship. May the answer to what makes 'good' worship requuires the question, 'Was God pleased by our worship?' And we know what pleases God: a humble and pure heart, worship without agenda or reservation." Luz, Honest Worship, p.18 Notes: Transcendent Worship: -Worship begins and ends with God - Consider the holiness of God The danger of a narcissistic culture Intentionally engage Worship is happening all around us Begin Sundays with worshipful music

Faithful and Fearless: Lesson 5/Day 2 Esther 4:1-9 #dwellingrichly #lmccwomen #biblestudy While Susa and 127 other provinces were in fear and fasting for God to deliver them from their fate, where was God? While Mordecai was messaging, Esther and Hathach were explaining it all, where was God? Consider that question right now as you think about the trial you are going through. Where is God when we’re panicking like the Jews in Persia? Where is He when we’re mourning like Mordecai? Clueless like the king? Distressed like Esther? Is He drumming His fingers waiting for all the people and circumstances to come together? Is He holding out until we pray the right prayer? Fast enough? Mourn loudly enough? I don’t think so. I think God is right there with us in the panic, the mourning, the fasting, and fear. David wrote, “The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry. When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted    and saves the crushed in spirit.” He is not far. He’s close. He’s ready. Trust and wait for his timing. While you wait, it’s ok to mourn, cry, even fast. Beg for His favor, plead with Him to bring your answer, and trust Him to do it according to His will. Be sure to join me for the next day in our “Faithful and Fearless” lesson! The Dwelling Richly community Bible study meets at La Mirada Christian Church every other week: Mondays, 6:30pm or Tuesdays, 9:30am, February 5-April 30, 2019 Register online http://www.LMCCWomen.Eventbrite.com When you share, use our hashtags: #LMCCWomen #DwellingRichlyBibleStudy DOWNLOAD THE STUDY: https://www.jennifergrichmond.com/dwelling-richly-bible-study/ F O L L O W: https://www.Instagram.com/jennifergrichmond https://www.YouTube.com/c/jenniferrichmond https://www.Facebook.com/jenniferrichmondblog Share any prayer requests in the comment section below! M Y C H U R C H: http://lamiradachurch.com/ B I B L E: Bible App: https://www.bible.com/app

The Real Men Check In is a quick way to help you start your week off on the right foot, in the right way - as a husband, father, and leader. Every Monday, Joe Martin shares personal insights, encouragement, and support that will move you beyond “church” to “real change.”  To make sure you don't miss a Check-In or interview episode, make sure you "Stay Connected" by signing up for updates and our Man-to-Man eNewsletter at http://www.RealMenConnect.com   Also, help us transform the lives of even MORE MEN for God’s glory by leaving us a helpful REVIEW on iTunes: http://tinyurl.com/rmcpodcast and SHARING this podcast with your friends.  Are you stuck? Want to go to the next level in your marriage, career, business, or ministry?  Then maybe it’s time you got a coach. ALL CHAMPIONS have one. Let me coach you for the next 21-Days to help you strengthen your faith, improve your marriage, spiritually lead your family, achieve more, balance your time, grow your ministry, or even stop an addiction. Click here for details: www.CoachMeDrJoe.com Also join us on: Download Our APP:  iPhone or Android Join the Real Men 300: http://www.RealMen300.com Facebook Group: http://www.realmenuniversity.com/ Facebook: @realdrjoemartin Instagram: @realdrjoemartin Twitter: @professormartin

Integrating God's Word into your lifestyle and learning what it is to leave a Biblically based inheritance to your offspring...

Spend some time in prayer giving thanks for the wonder and awe you find in God’s presence and work. Read Isaiah 9:6 Consider the word wonderful. Wonderful is not common. It is not casual. Something wonderful is unusual, surprising, and shocking. Our wonderful God gave a child to Abraham’s wife Sarah long after she was unable to have children. Our wonderful God rescued His people from captivity in Egypt. Our wonderful God sent His son amongst us as one of us. In what ways have you personally experienced our wonderful God? Consider the word counselor. To counsel is to provide a plan, a new way of thinking, a new will. Counsel is everywhere. Think about all the different counsels we are given each and every day. The Lord’s counsel is eternal and mysterious. He knows what we do not. God’s will is centered is God’s love. Neither of these can be taken away. How have you experienced the counsel of the Lord? Consider the manger A birth in an unlikely place, acknowledge by common shepherds. Unusual, centered in love, and life changing. Christ enters. In what practical ways does the coming of Christ impact your life daily?

Luke 8:49–51—Just, but not Fair Lesson 1: ______________ the _________________________ the Lord puts in your life (Luke 8:43, 5:19, 12:13, 8:23; Mark 1:35-37, 10:47; Pro 16:9, 19:21; Isa 14:24).  Lesson 2: ________ __________ couldn’t be close to everyone (Luke 8:51; John 16:5-7; Luke 9:28; Mark 14:32-36). Lesson 3: The Lord isn’t ________, but He is ________ (Exo 34:6-7; Num14:18; Rom 3:26).   Family Worship Guide Memory Verses: Prov. 6:22-23 Day 1: Read Luke 8:40-56 and discuss: What was Jairus’s situation? Look for details that explain why he did what he did, while considering how odd his actions must have appeared. Now, consider yourself. Are you desperate for Jesus? If so, what would you point to as evidence? If not, why not? Day 2: Read Luke 8:40-56 and discuss: What might have Jairus thought about the woman who “interrupted” Jesus? What impact would the woman’s healing have had on Jairus? Consider the way God has worked in the lives of people you know. How has God’s work in others impacted your life? Be specific. Day 3: Read Luke 8:40-56 and discuss: What does it reveal about the person who complains that “God isn’t fair”? What does it reveal about how they view themselves in comparison to God? Consider 2-3 biblical responses to such a person. Apply these to yourself, too - especially the next time you are tempted with this thought. Pray for those who lead, feed, and care for the flock, and their families (Col. 4:3, 2 Thess. 3:1): Pastor Doug and Jesse Studt Pray for these church members/families (1 Tim. 2:1, Eph. 6:18, Col. 1:9): Steve & Tammy Martel, Andy & Wendy MacFarlane, Don & Sharee MacKay, D.J. & Molly Malinowski, Peggy Mars Pray for “kings” and those in authority (1 Tim. 2:2): Local: Woodland Police ; State: State Rep. Jim Walsh; Nation: Senator Patty Murray Pray for the Gospel to Spread Among All Peoples (Matt. 9:37-38): Those we directly support: Rick Terrazas (Rock of Ages), An Unreached People Group: Makassar (Muslim, in Indonesia)

The Apostle Paul says that there is power in the gospel. How is the gospel the power of God? Consider these words: salvation, redemption, deliverance, resurrection, eternal life. Those are powerful words! Let’s think together about why Paul makes this declaration and what it means for us today.

How is the journey of encounter with God? Consider the structure of Solomon's worship in 2 Chronicles 5-7. The call (5:2) and gathering (5:3-6a) are seen in 5:2-6. The confession or assurance (5:6b) and absolution are seen in 2 Chronicles 5:11-13. Then there is an offering or consecration (5:11) and 6:1-11 is the thanksgiving. "And he said, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who with his hand has fulfilled what he promised with his mouth to David my father, saying . . ." There is also a petition (6:12-21). We read in Solomon's prayer of dedication, "If a man sins against his neighbor and is made to take an oath and comes and swears his oath before your altar in this house, then hear from heaven and act and judge your servants, repaying the guilty by bringing his conduct on his own head, and vindicating the righteous by rewarding him according to his righteousness." (6:22-23) and also Instruction (6:22-42) and Communion (7:4-9). Blessing and Praise is found in 7:1-3 and Communion in 7:4-9. The dismissal is found in 7:10. In summary, there is a Call (5:2), Gathering (5:3-6a), Confession/Assurance (5:6b), (Absolution)Offering/Consecration (5:11), Thanksgiving (6:1-11), Petition (6:12-21), Instruction (6:22-42), Blessing and Praise (7:1-3), Communion (7:4-9), and Dismissal (7:10).Consider the structure of worship in Isaiah's encounter in Isaiah 6:1-8. Consider that we read in John 12:43, "Isaiah said these things because he saw his glory and spoke of him." This structure in Isaiah is: the Call (6:1), Adoration (6:1-4), Confession (6:5), Absolution (6:6-7), and Sending (6:8).Consider the structure of Eschatological worship in Revelation 4-21. The Confession is seen in 5:1-5. The pattern is the Call (4:1),Adoration (4:2-11), Confession (5:1-4), Assurance (5:5-7), Thanks/Praise (5:8-15), Word Opened (6-19:5), Communion (19:6-10), Royal Supers (11-21), and Benediction (22:21).

Lesson Six of You Asked For It

Explore that the Christian message is that good works do not save you. Consider that total depravity means we are cut off from God and His will and truth. We then rely on our own innate capacities. Good works are not the basis for our salvation. Consider Saul of Tarsus. In Galatians 1: 15-16 Paul says, "But when the one who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I could preach him among the Gentiles . . ." Paul knew that even through the depths of his depravity he had been predestined by God for a purpose. Consider that predestination is not a badge of superiority. Our whole life, however bad, is part of God's purpose. In Ephesians 3:8 Paul tells us, "To me—less than the least of all the saints—this grace was given, to proclaim to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ..." Our life has a purpose and it is God who gives us a sense of purpose. Are we being obedient to God? Consider that any life lived in the presence of God will be a kind of predestination. Matthew 6:20 tells us, "But accumulate for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal." And 1 Corinthians 13:12 reminds us, "For now we see in a mirror indirectly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, just as I have been fully known." Our faith does not depend on sight or how we feel.

Explore that Justification can be seen as something objective or it can be seen as subjective as a provision for us tailored to our needs. In Christ, we are accepted without being changed. This is the heart of Martin Luther's teaching. Luther had been previously taught that there was no difference been sanctification and justification. Changing into what you were not before was the precondition to justification. The Church became divided between those who achieved sainthood and those who had not. The aim of the Christian life was to become one of the elite. The biblical concept is not that the saints are an elite group in the Church but that every Christian is a saint. It is obvious that the Church is full of sinners. Explore what Luther described as "simul justus et peccator" which means, "at the same time just and sinner" or what is called, "a justified sinner". What is a sinner? Consider that being justified and sinner at the same time is a paradox. The transformation of our life is a work in progress. Luther teaches us that justification is finished. Either we are guilty before God or we are not. Consider that we are guilty but have been acquitted. Luther taught that justification is acceptance. Romans 8:15 tells us, "For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, 'Abba! Father!'” We are adopted by grace, not entitlement. What is faith? Faith is a gift of God. The Holy Spirit works in our heart to implant faith in God. Why is faith sufficient for justification? Saving faith is entering into a new kind of relationship with God in Christ. Luther teaches us that we cannot know Jesus without being related to Him. Consider that faith is union with Christ. The Holy Spirit brings to us the reality of justification. Once we are children of God, can we cease to be children of God? Consider that the fruit of justification is good works from our sanctification rather than the cause. Luther taught that good works flow naturally from conversion.

What does it mean to be hungry for God? Consider the weightiness of this question as our guest preacher from Grace Downtown, Rev. Mike Park takes us through the Beatitudes. We are reminded that the Beatitudes are not a checklist for us to get into the Kingdom but are Kingdom values those of us already in the Kingdom should be striving towards.