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In this episode of the Just Schools Podcast, Jon Eckert engages with Ted Cockle, a colleague and educator at Baylor University. Cockle shares insights from his experiences and philosophies on what it means to be human and how to foster meaningful education. The discussion also covers the importance of relationships in student success, emphasizing that students flourish when they have supportive relationships with non-parent adults who engage in meaningful conversations about purpose and transcendence. Additionally, the conversation explores practical classroom strategies, such as creating engaging and participatory environments, and the importance of viewing knowledge as a gift to be shared. The Just Schools Podcast is brought to you by the Baylor Center for School Leadership. Each week, we'll talk to catalytic educators who are doing amazing work. Be encouraged. Connect with us: Baylor MA in School Leadership Jon Eckert: @eckertjon Center for School Leadership at Baylor University: @baylorcsl     Transcription: Jon Eckert: Hey, we're here today with Ted Cockle, a good friend and colleague who gets to teach in the leadership minor at Baylor University with me, has a great background. So Ted, thanks for being with us today. Ted Cockle: Yeah, excited to be here. Thanks so much. Jon Eckert: And could you just give us a quick 30,000 foot view of how you ended up in the office right next to mine at Baylor University teaching all different majors, leadership principles. Ted Cockle: Yeah, it's pretty wild. I usually go back to, I've always wanted to be a doctor. When I was a kid, I wanted to be a doctor. I love figuring out how stuff works and what's more complicated than the human body? And it took me a little while, but then I realized that wasn't it. I needed more complicated systems. There were more other systems to look into. I was a systems guy. I wanted to figure out all those things. Ultimately led me to start climbing the philosophical ladder. And that got me up to the most complicated and most enduring questions of what does it mean to be human and what does it mean to flourish? And so I am a doctor, as my boys remind me, not the kind that can help people. Jon Eckert: That's right. Ted Cockle: But a doctor nonetheless, helping us think through what does it mean to be human? What does it mean to flourish? I think those are inherently leadership questions and ones that I help my students explore. Jon Eckert: So I'm so grateful that you're here. We both had the experience of being at Wheaton College, me a few years before you, but that formational liberal arts education that we got there plays out in the work that we get to do with kids today. And most of our audience that listens to just schools or K-twelve educators. So what do you see as some of the key themes that you think really matter for educators to keep in mind as they deal with the practical realities of the classroom that we exist in today? Ted Cockle: Yeah, absolutely. And I think that liberal arts education really formed me. So going to Wheaton and then even the program that I did here helped really think through pulling on a number of different disciplines. And I think that's plays out in the classroom, helping students make connections, for me, that's my goal. So there's so many different specialties and so many different areas on campus in a college university setting, lots of different silos and things. I view my goal as creating a space for them to pull those threads together. So you're asking about practical implications. I just read something the other day that it was something to the effect of, I used to walk into the classroom and say, "All right, students, quiet down, quiet down. It's time for..." But now this educator was talking about how he walks into the classroom and he says, "All right, put your phones away. Let's talk." It's silent. The classroom's silent when you walk in. And I find that is often the biggest challenge that I face in the classroom is how do you get students engaged? How do you get them to think? And that's why I love thinking about those things that pull the threads together because there's an immediate need. And I love seeing that moment when laptops get folded down, iPads get turned over or turned off. Phones get put back in pockets because students' eyes are now, wait, that's a question I've been asking. So how do I start with where the student is at to help engage them with a question that they've been perhaps wrestling with but didn't know and they're like, wait, wait, wait. Yeah, no. I don't know the answer to that. I don't always get it. I definitely don't always get it. But you know it when you see it. And those are those moments that are so life-giving as an instructor. Jon Eckert: Yeah. Early childhood teacher shared this quote I share it all the time. No profession can compete with the spark between souls that occurs between teachers and students. So those sparks are what keep you coming back. Ted Cockle: That's right. Jon Eckert: What I think, I always am very clear to our K through 12 sisters and brothers that our work is way easier than theirs is. These are students that made it all the way through high school, got admitted into Baylor, chose to be in our class and are paying tuition to be there. And so when I'm complaining about the challenges of engaging students, I realize that that really sometimes falls on deaf ears in a K through 12 world where they're dealing with so many of these issues with students that aren't as formed as ours are. They haven't been able to manage some of the impulses that they have. So I'm curious if there are a couple of mindset shifts that you think are important for us to think about what it really means, because I love where you started. What does it mean to be human as an educator? That's our job is to help students think about this. So what are a couple key things that you do or you think about, the ways you think about things that help you do the things that make it meaningful for kids? Ted Cockle: Just on your point about K-12 instructors, that's honestly where I go for most of my practical advice is my brother-in-law, who's a high school English teacher, visiting his class transformed the way that I teach in the classroom, even down to a recent text exchange we had last week where he suggested doing a speed dating or speed friending idea, talking through ideas and working through things. So I implemented that and it worked great. Great conversation. So thankful for him. Shout out to Jake Krogh there on the podcast. Jon Eckert: Another Wheaton grad. There we go. Ted Cockle: Another Wheaton grad indeed. So yeah, practical shifts there. I think this can be philosophical, but it then leads into a practical implication. What is actually happening in the classroom space? How are we actually fundamentally pursuing knowledge? If knowledge, this comes from a great book that I'm super thankful for called Intellectual Appetite. What is the pursuit of knowledge? It's an appetite. We are pursuing, learning about the nature of reality. But there's two ways that we can do that. There's an ordered way of pursuing knowledge and then a disordered way of pursuing knowledge. An ordered way of pursuing knowledge recognizes that knowledge is a gift that comes from above, comes from the Lord, and we are seeking to understand and better understand his world, how he's created us, what's going on and how we make order out of chaos in this world. A disordered way of pursuing knowledge sees it as something to be hoarded, something to be garnered for myself, for my own purposes so that I can effectively be God. I'm controlling it, I'm grasping it, I'm squeezing. It's mine and my own. And then I set up barriers as to who can have access to it. That has massive implications. And that's how I start every single one of my classes the beginning of fall, what kind of classroom are we going to have here? What kind of classroom do we want to be? How do we want to be known as a class? Do we want to be hoarders of knowledge or are we wanting to be pursuing knowledge as stewards who are recognizing this is knowledge that's been passed on to us from someone else, and then we are seeking to steward it until we can pass it on to someone else. That then creates this multiplicative chain of knowledge. Me passing on knowledge does not diminish my knowledge, but enhances and expands our overall understanding of what knowledge is. Practically in the classroom this means we're going to ask hard questions. We're running towards challenging questions. We're never shying away from them. And I want students to know that, particularly in this age where I think students at times are fearful to speak up. The reason why the one-on-one interactions or group discussions work so well is because they feel a little bit safer. They're nervous in a big group setting to articulate an idea that might be controversial, but it's amazing what we can get to. By the end of the semester they'll start saying things like, Oh, this is a studious space, which is the language that this author uses for the ordered pursuit of knowledge. Studious space, is this right? Can I understand this? Am I understanding this correctly? Or Dr. Cockle, can you explain that to me for the sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth time, I still don't get it. And being willing to see them as whole persons pursuing an ordered vision of knowledge, an ordered pursuit of knowledge. So those are just some of the practical ways that I see that. That's how I handle it in the classroom, start that way. And then I remind them of that language throughout the semester. I think that's been pretty helpful. Jon Eckert: Love that, because you and I both get to teach the capstone leadership class. And so we have about 15 to 20 people in that class, they are not huge classes, but trying to get the discussion going is challenging in an ordered way. And so, one of the things I did, and we've talked about this, I did this semester because I felt I needed to do it, was we printed out all the readings for the semester. There's about 25 different authors they read. It's about a 650-page course pack. We put it in a binder and we gave it to them at the beginning of the semester and said, Hey, for this class, all you will need is the text, a pen, paper, and each other. Because we wanted the focus to be on these hard questions, these deep meaningful questions, some of which they've never wrestled with because I find one of the things that a lot of students have not done when they get to me when they're 21, 22, they haven't engaged deeply on these things because they're hard, and they haven't developed the cognitive endurance and Oh, I can just google that, or I can use AI. Well, AI is just consensus. It's not wisdom. How do we get to wisdom? And that's what we need humans for because we are made in the image of God and we can point each other toward those things. And in that relationship, there's that depth. So one of the things I love about you in your classes is you don't shy away from the hard questions, but then you also have this life-on-life perspective. I know you've been meeting with one of a great student who's a junior here at Baylor. You've been meeting with him I think every week since freshman year in a mentoring role. So talk about how you live life with students, which I think as a huge blessing as a college professor that we get to do this. But talk a little bit about how you do that outside the classroom as well. Ted Cockle: Yeah, it starts in the classroom. In the classroom, but before class, I think a lot of times we can, even us professors are focused on ourselves. We're nervous before a lecture. Yes, we get nervous still before lectures, before discussions. Is this going to go well? Is this going to be a good one? Did I prepare enough? Did I read this? Do I understand this enough before the students? And so we can be introspective, we can be using that time. We're in the classroom maybe five, 10 minutes before to shuffle around. But I've really tried to make a commitment that I'm in the classroom no later than five minutes before class and hopefully 10 minutes before, and that's time where all my files are already set up. I'm ready to go and I can focus on students. So I come in, how's it going? I know their names. I'm asking them, how was your weekend? What did you do? What made it great? What made it challenging? Or if a student is clearly in a state of a disarray or perhaps a little flustered or, "Oh, I'm only on four hours of sleep." "Oh, why?" So seeing them as humans outside of our classroom is the place it has to start. They're not just minds on sticks that come in, receive knowledge and then depart, but they're well-rounded students and whole persons. That's part of what it is to be a whole person, is that we're not just our minds, but we are everything else that's happening in our life. Jon Eckert: Which makes teaching a lot more interesting. Ted Cockle: It really does. It helps with illustrations too, because I've had a conversation with so-and-so, now I can bring this point home by illustrating something in an abstract sense in a way that doesn't reveal what's going on in their life, but can help speak directly to what's going on. Much like a sermon being given to a particular congregation at a particular moment. I think lectures in classrooms, discussions in classrooms are learning experiences that are given to a particular group at a particular time for a particular reason. And that's why AI can't be a professor. That's why AI can't be teachers. The teaching occupation, teaching profession is unique and it requires humans interacting with other humans in humanly ways. So now I've lost the thread of your question, but, no mentorship, life on life. So then those often lead to follow-up conversations. Students will pop in always asking the follow-up conversation, how's it going? What's going on? What are your thoughts on the class even? Giving them opportunities to evaluate and push back. Some of my classes, I require time for them to come into office hours to get to know them. I know you do that as well. I've got a teaching vocation class this semester. We're dealing with some pretty big issues about what it means to be human and what it means to flourish. Go figure. And I want them to come in and we're going to talk about it. So I've had a couple of those meetings and I've got a couple more coming up in the next couple of weeks. I can't begin to tell you how fun it is to dive deep into those conversations in a one-on-one setting would make it easy. There's hospitality involved. I've got tea and coffee and hot chocolate, whatever they're wanting to drink, maybe some cookies or something. And we're having a conversation. It's not about a grade, it's about the ideas. So I think that's a huge part of it, and my topic lends itself to that. But other topics can as well, whether you're a math teacher, a physics teacher, or whatever. Jon Eckert: Well, because we are humans, so one of the things that we've been able to do over the last 15 years is have students into our home. And Jake, you're a brother-in-law and students for years at Wheaton and now at Baylor where they come in Sunday for lunch and they see our family and whatever status it's in. And we have plenty of food. I'm cooking, so it's one of six meals, but there's always plenty. And our kids that have grown, we now have a 2018 and 15-year-old. They've had college students that are a few steps ahead of them in our home for 15 years. And so it's not just, I think sometimes students think that teachers are just doing things for them, but we get great benefit from the relationships we have with students. So Tavis, the student that you meet with, he is a huge blessing. I had him in our leadership capstone class. And so it's not just a one-way relationship where we're pouring into a student and we get nothing back. It's this reciprocal learning that we know our content, but seeing it through their eyes and the way they apply it to their context enriches the understanding. And that's why in my classroom where I said, all you need is the text in each other and this, you don't need devices in here. It wasn't a, we're not going to have in a punitive way. You have this rich humanity right here that'll allow you to understand these texts and these big ideas better if we're focused in that way. So again- Ted Cockle: That's brilliant- Jon Eckert: ... I always say we have the best jobs in the world. Ted Cockle: Oh yeah. Jon Eckert: Because this is amazing. We get to tackle these questions. This is our job to tackle these questions. Ted Cockle: And the joy after years, Tavis is a junior, he's still a student, and I had him as a student, but now I view him almost more as a friend than anything. That's the primary identity that he's grown into. And we swap stories about fun movies that we've been watching, and then we'll talk about vocation and calling and meaning and purpose. And I'll share about things that I'm thinking about. He's sharing things he's... It's friendship. It was founded on intellectual friendship and community that then leads to full on. Jon Eckert: One of the things I wanted you to spend a little bit of time talking about, because you've worked on this instrument for K through 12 schools looking at faith formation in schools. So talk a little bit about the way you think about that. I think a little bit differently than a lot of the formation tools that are out there. We have, it's very difficult to observe what's happening internally in someone. Ted Cockle: That's right. Jon Eckert: So faith formation is challenging. So talk a little bit about how you think about that with K through 12 and even in college students, because I know you do a lot of thinking about this. Ted Cockle: Yeah. I'll start in saying you can't map the Holy Spirit. A friend of mine- Jon Eckert: Good caveat. Ted Cockle: Yes, a friend of mine is, he's a mechanical engineering guy, and he's telling me these stories about integrating faith with learning. And his primary one is that after decades and decades in technology and all these things, we still can't map the wind. And he goes, "I think that's the perfect image right there," because the spirit is like the wind. We cannot map it, we can't trace it. We can draw close to it. We get closer to the root, but we can't map it. We don't know where the wind is going to go. And I love that image. And yet I think we can get closer and closer to the root. What I mean by that is we often, when looking at faith, we start particularly in the K-12 spaces, we start with exemplars. We have models of what we'd like our graduates to be like, graduate profiles. They're this. They've got this virtue and that virtue, and they're exemplifying faith. They're reading their Bible every day. And these are wonderful visions of things to aim for. And we should hold up exemplars. Exemplars inspire us to be like them. So I love that. But it can't stop there, because oftentimes those exemplars are known for either their belief or their behavior. And we're seeing faith evaluated on the base of their cognitive ascension to particular doctrines, important, or their ability to produce particular fruits, particular behaviors, particular practices of the Christian faith. Also very important. But the reality is our beliefs in our head, our behaviors in our hand, they come from somewhere. There's something closer to the root. A good tree bears good fruit. It's not that the fruit makes the tree good. In scripture the tree is always the source of the fruit. The good tree bears the good fruit. So we need to be careful of the direction here because our behaviors could be, as one scholar writes, Paul Tripp, he writes, we could staple fruit to a tree, but stapling a plump apple to a dead tree does not make that tree come alive. So what if the faith practices that we're upholding is exemplary or measuring as an indicator of faith are actually just being fruit stapled, the right thing, but for the wrong reason. What happens? We've missed it then. Or what if they have the right knowledge, but again, for the wrong reason, maybe they have a disordered pursuit of knowledge and it's hoarding it and it's saying, look how amazing I am. I know all these theological truths, or look how amazing I am. I serve all these different things, but they're missing the key posture that's there. And so, one of the things I've been thinking about, and one of the things that we've been trying to wrestle with and think through is could we measure something that's a little bit closer to the root, so to speak, closer to the trunk of the tree that's bearing good fruit? And I think the answer there is the heart. How can we measure the affections of a student? Now that's hard to do. It's a latent reality. Again, we're not mapping the spirit. You can't do that. But I think we can begin to get a semblance of understanding a student's posture. And we can do this in college. We can do this in K-12 settings. And we've done it by trying to ask how are they identifying? A lot of the psychological research is using matters of salience, things that are front of mind. If it's front of mind, it's part of the way that you're seeing yourself. It's part of the way that you're identifying yourself. It's part of the narrative identity that you are taking on as you begin to develop your sense of who you are. So if faith and identifying with the Christian narrative is close to their mind and salient, then it's often going to be close to their heart. Those things that are close to our heart are usually the things that we talk about most. They are indicators of deeper senses of desire that are the source of motivation. So when we're talking about faith formation in a school setting, I think we need to be careful not to just focus on belief, not to just focus on behavior and not just to focus on the heart, but how can the three of those work together in tandem to know the good, to love the good, and to do the good. Knowledge, the head, love, the heart, do, the hands. Jon Eckert: Love that. Love that. Well, we're going to move into what's front of mind for you now- Ted Cockle: Sure. Sure. Jon Eckert: ... which is our lightning round. So we generally ask for word, phrase, or sentence about a question that I will ask at random, which you've not been prepared for. So we'll start with this one. What's your favorite book you've read in the last year? I know you're always reading, but what's your favorite book that it just pops to mind? What's front of mind? Ted Cockle: Front of mind is probably the book Character Gap by Christian Miller. He talks about this idea that perhaps we're not as good as we think we are, and perhaps we're not as bad as we could be. We often live more often. We often live more often. Good. That's clear. We often live somewhere in that character gap, as he calls it. So what do we do? Jon Eckert: What's his background? Is he a- Ted Cockle: He's a psychologist at Wake Forest. Jon Eckert: All right, all right. Hey, that- Ted Cockle: Yeah. Great Christian guy. Jon Eckert: ... sounds fascinating. Sounds fascinating. All right. Worst piece of advice you've ever received as an educator or a scholar? Ted Cockle: Let's see. Jon Eckert: Or as a dad or as a husband, you can go anywhere with this. Ted Cockle: Worst piece of advice in the academic setting I think is probably just survive. Jon Eckert: Okay. That's bleak. Ted Cockle: It's a little bleak. It's like, well, it's going to be so hard and you're going to do all these things. And rather than being proactive and thinking about what might lead to flourishing. Jon Eckert: That's good. Best piece of advice you've ever either given or received. Ted Cockle: Yeah. Rest in Christ. Jon Eckert: Good reminder. That's a lot better than survive. Ted Cockle: Yes, indeed it is. And I think it comes back to what I was talking about earlier where a lot of times we're focused in on ourself, but when we're resting in Christ, we are free from the preoccupation of the self. So the advice is a reminder for me always. And it's one that I'm constantly reminding myself to look up for my own naval gazing and see who needs the good works that the Lord's prepared for me. Jon Eckert: So we get to work with 18 to 22 year olds in general, what makes you most concerned about our students that are 18 to 22? Ted Cockle: We taught on ethics today. I asked the question, how do you know what's good? Crickets. How do you know and begin to evaluate what's good? They didn't have any answers. When I put them into small groups, still didn't have any answers. When I drummed up, I don't know if that's a proper term, but when I started asking, dredging for answers, it was things like the law, what people tell you, what you feel. Jon Eckert: That's what happens when you're in an unmoored society that's lost touch with what truth is, and especially truth in love. And it's very hard to exist in any kind of way because you live in this individualized relativistic, what's right for me may not be right for you. And so if that's the heuristic, you're in trouble. What makes you most optimistic? Ted Cockle: Oh, the fact that there are good people having good conversations with students. I think the number one thing that continues to be a determining factor of a student succeeding and flourishing in life, in college, is whether or not they have a relationship with somebody who's not their parent. And when in that relationship, they have conversations about meaning and purpose when they talk about transcendent things, this continues to be the number one indicator of a student flourishing, working towards success. All the numbers, students are often finding this in church settings. They're finding this in teachers, they're finding this in coaches. So the fact that there are people pouring into students all around the world, that gives me hope. Jon Eckert: Yeah, the number two factor, according to Gallup in K through 12 education that indicates student engagement is I have an adult who makes me excited about the future. And that's it. It's those questions because we all have them. Ted Cockle: Totally. And I think sometimes we think it's more complicated than that. We want a new intervention, we want a new idea. We want the silver bullet. But you know what? It's showing up day after day and having a conversation, just saying, how are you doing today? And if the opportunity arises, sometimes it does. Students having a tough day, you can ask that next question. And then the next one and the next one. Probably then you're going to start talking about things of meaning and purpose. Jon Eckert: And it's not always convenient at the time that works best for you. In fact, it almost never is. Ted Cockle: Often not indeed. Jon Eckert: But thank you for taking the time to show up and talk today. Appreciated the conversation. Appreciate all you do, Ted. Ted Cockle: Yeah, it's my joy. Thank you so much for having me.    

**Anti-Semitism Bill Article: https://blazingpress.com/house-gop-passes-controversial-bill-labeling-certain-christian-scriptures-as-antisemitic/ **Thank you for supporting this ministry, I lovingly refer to as "The Little Green Pasture." Click here: PayPal: http://paypal.me/JoanStahl **Please prayerfully consider becoming a ministry partner: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/joaniestahl **Contact Email: jsfieldnotes@gmail.com **Subscribe to me on Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/c-534183 **Subscribe to me on Bitchute: I have been having trouble with the link so just go straight to https://www.bitchute.com/ and typing "Joanie Stahls Field Notes" in the search bar. Thank you! There is a clear call for many people of the Lord to be His Servants of the Night. You may never know them because they are living private lives. They get up in the first earliest hours of the night. Like Jesus who, "Arose in the morning a great while before day, and went out into a solitary place and there prayed." No one knows what time that was, but we know it was "a great while before day." We also know that we are in the night season of this church age, and it getting even darker rapidly. Yet there are those whose holy fires at night are ever burning upon their prayer altars, and never let them go out. Like David who said in Psalm 130:5-6: "I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope. My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning." Great Christian persecution is fast tracking and it is imperative that His word be hotly burning in your hearts. There may be a time where simply owning a Bible will put you behind bars. Two verses in the bible have now been lawfully criminalized, and are now illegal with the threat of prosecution. What is next? Be ready. Get that living word into your hearts, forsake this world and it's empty void. Many lives all around will soon be dependent on you having the ready-word in you. You will be the carrier of the eternal word that will ultimately save them, bring healing, comfort, deliverance and salvation. "I note that some whom I greatly love and esteem, who are, in my judgment, among the very choicest of God's people, nevertheless, travel most of the way to heaven by night." ~ Charles Spurgeon --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/joanie-stahl/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/joanie-stahl/support

We can't thank you enough for your support of Making the Leap! We're celebrating 100 episodes with a fresh new look and a terrific guest. Dan McCubbin not only leads his own church and Christian school - but since he was 19 years old, Dan has been a consultant to dozens of Christian schools across the country. Those just beginning and those who are struggling to stay afloat. What are the common threads successful Christian schools share, and what are some of the pitfalls? When you hear Dan's passion and fire still burning to grow God's Kingdom through Christian education, we believe you'll find encouragement and an energized new focus for your family's future. Plus, for you long-time MTL listeners, some familiar faces drop by to wish us a happy 100th episode! Follow Making the Leap on Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube.  You can also sign-up for our newsletter or send us an email hello@makingtheleappodcast.com.To learn more about the Herzog Foundation, visit HerzogFoundation.com. Like and follow us on Facebook, X, and Instagram, or sign up to receive monthly email updates. 

Hi Guys! Ricky Pope here and this week on the Christian Nerds Unite Podcast, I am joined by E. Stephen Burnett of Lorehaven.com. We talk Christian Fantasy and book publishing. Plus scripture and nerdy news.Check out Lorehaven.comCheck out the Christian Nerd HQ Podcast Network! Episodes from member podcasts release Monday through Friday! Follow @ChristianNerdHQ on all the social networks!Monday: Christian Nerds Unite PodcastTuesday: Tatooine Sons: A Pop Culture PodcastWednesday: Fangirling Over JesusThursday: The Reverend and the ReprobateFriday: Speaking NerdyThe video version of our podcast can be found hereMy Microphone - Electro-Voice RE20Join our ParteonSome of the links are affiliate links meaning at no additional cost to you I may earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

From the early days of the American Republic to the present, Christian jurists have played pivotal roles in shaping American law, drawing inspiration from their faith. Figures like Roger Williams, John Cotton, Mary Ann Glendon, and Antonin Scalia, among others, have left enduring marks on our jurisprudence through their remarkable lives and legal contributions rooted in Christianity.The Heritage Foundation and the Project on Constitutional Originalism and the Catholic Intellectual Tradition (CIT) are delighted to host Mark David Hall, author of Great Christian Jurists in American History, and Judge Kyle Duncan of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit as they explore the profound influence of Christian jurists on American law. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Andrew Hyatt, writer and director of The Blind, an origin story of Duck Dynasty's Phil Robertson, joins us to discuss the process of how his new film came to be, how to infuse Christian stories with gritty realism without sacrificing their religious integrity, and how aspiring filmmakers can succeed within the entertainment industry.  Exclusive discount for my listeners! https://genucel.com/Klavan #TheBlind #PhilRobertson #DuckDynasty 

Jesus is coming back. He will reign as King. One day, everything will be as it really should. Scripture reading: Psalm 96.10-13 For more content like this, join me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/revgeorgepenk See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Preached by Lady Pastor Felicia Joseph at Sunday Service Held at Royal Grace Chapel, Lagos, Nigeria on 27th Of Sept 2023.

Preached by Lady Pastor Felicia Joseph. Sunday Service Held at Royal Grace Chapel, Lagos, Nigeria on 24th Of Sept 2023.

Brian Autry explains that “great” Christian leaders must decrease so Jesus can increase.

Accidentally never posted: This is part 2 of 7 in our short episode series on Great Christian Thinkers. This episode covers the Theologian Origen.  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/incontexttheology/message

Psalms 107:35-38 — What is unique about the Bible's teaching on salvation? Many religions and philosophies present ways that people can be saved from death and enjoy everlasting peace. In this sermon on Psalm 107:35–38 titled “The Great Christian Salvation,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones teaches that the Christian's faith stands apart from all these other worldly teachings because in the holy Scriptures is found a salvation that is wholly miraculous. Becoming a Christian is a miracle of God in that He transforms what is dead and lifeless into a living and breathing new spiritual being. This new birth is impossible according to nature, but with God all things are possible. This message of salvation as an act of God means that it is only by grace that anyone can be saved. Salvation is wholly of God, and therefore it is wholly of His grace. Christians are not called to understand the miraculous nature of God's acts, but are called to believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who has come and died for sinners. They are called to believe so that they may be saved. This is the most important message that anyone can hear because it is the only true message of salvation.

“Not every fearful decision I've made has been bad, but most of my bad decisions have been based in fear.”  –Andrew McCarthy In this episode of Deviate, Rolf and Andrew talk about the two halves of Andrew's professional life - acting and travel writing - and his transformative first journey on the Camino de Santiago in 1994 (2:00); Andrew's decision to return to the Camino after the pandemic with his 19-year-old son Sam, what it was like to walk for days at a time with Sam, and how being in the 1980s "Brat Pack" affected Andrew's sense of self (11:30); how Sam's attitude toward the walk changed over the course of the journey, and how Andrew knew he might be able to write a book about the experience (22:00); audience questions, including writing advice, what Sam thought of the book, and how travel can expand your view of the world (28:00). Andrew McCarthy (@AndrewTMcCarthy), who rose to fame as a teen actor during the John Hughes 80's era, is a television director and writer of such books as The Long Way Home and Brat. His newest book is Walking with Sam: A Father, a Son, and Five Hundred Miles Across Spain. Notable Links: Andrew McCarthy on travel (Deviate episode) Andrew McCarthy Proust questionnaire (Deviate episode) Pretty in Pink (1986 teen romantic comedy-drama) Lowell Thomas Awards (travel writing competition) John Hughes (American filmmaker) Molly Ringwald (American actress) Camino de Santaigo (pilgrimage route in Spain) Off the Road, by Jack Hitt (book about the Camino)) St. James the Great (Christian apostle) Oliver! (coming-of-age musical) Souvenir, by Rolf Potts (book) Brat Pack (cohort of 1980s teen actors) "Hollywood's Brat Pack" (1985 New York article) Kansas (1988 film) The Deviate theme music comes from the title track of Cedar Van Tassel's 2017 album Lumber. Note: We don't host a “comments” section, but we're happy to hear your questions and insights via email, at deviate@rolfpotts.com.

 Audio recordingSermon manuscript:Today I would like to speak with you about why Pentecost is a great Christian festival. Pentecost is one of the three great Christian festivals. Christmas and Easter are the other two. Among these three, there is a tendency for Pentecost to be overshadowed. Every Christian knows the meaning and importance of Christmas. It's when the Son of God was born as a baby boy. Every Christian knows the meaning and importance of Easter. It's when the Son of God defeated death. Because he lives, those who believe in him will live also. Folks are probably not as aware of the meaning and importance of Pentecost. So what is the meaning and importance of Pentecost? You heard about the events of Pentecost in our second reading. There was a mighty rushing wind. Something like tongues of flame appeared above the heads of the disciples. They were able to speak in such a way that people could understand them even though they spoke a different language. What they spoke about were the “mighty works of God.” Then the Apostle Peter stood up before the crowd of Jews, many of whom were hostile to him and to Christ. At least some of those in the crowd had been involved in crucifying Jesus. Prior to Pentecost the disciples had been so afraid of these Jews that they had been hiding behind locked doors, and Peter had denied that he knew the Lord three times. After the coming of the Holy Spirit, Peter and the other disciples speak plainly and courageously. They no longer fear what man can do to them, because they know that God is for them. Many of these disciples are going to keep on preaching that Jesus is Christ and Lord until they are eventually put to death for it. You can see, therefore, that the Holy Spirit changes the disciples. He gives them faith that Jesus Christ is their Lord. He gives them love, joy, peace, and his other fruits. He gives them courage to say things that are true, good, and right, even though the powers of darkness gnash their teeth and start plotting their revenge. So the meaning of Pentecost is that the Holy Spirit is given to the disciples; he is given to the Christian Church. The importance of Pentecost is that the Holy Spirit causes people to believe in Jesus as the almighty king who saves sinners. The Holy Spirit additionally gives Christians spiritual gifts. Without Pentecost, and without the coming of the Holy Spirit, Jesus's work of salvation would lie in the dust. It would not be known. It would not be believed in. It would not spring forth into life and growth. The Holy Spirit causes life by applying what Jesus has done. The Holy Spirit brings to completion Jesus's work of making us holy. Because of its great importance, Pentecost deserves its place as one of the three great Christian festivals. It is just as important for our salvation as Christmas or Easter. And yet, despite my best efforts, I wouldn't be surprised if I have failed to create any great love for this festival in you. There's something about this festival that doesn't capture the imagination like Christmas or Easter. Maybe it's the stories and the customs. Maybe Pentecost just isn't grand enough, impressive enough. After all, the main thing that Pentecost seems to accomplish is talking. Talking can be awfully boring. So maybe if we were God we would do things differently. What if instead of causing the disciples to speak about Jesus as the Christ, as the great King, the Holy Spirit would make lightning come out of our fingertips? Or maybe he could make our eyes be like lasers, cutting through steel and stone. Then everyone in the world would be terribly impressed with us. Or what if we could just have some of those miracles that we read about in the Bible? What if we could heal people? What if we could raise the dead? Or if all of this is too much trouble, what if we could just speak in tongues like they did on Pentecost? That sounds like it would be a lot more interesting than listening to a sermon like the one I am speaking to you today. It seems like these unusual things would make the church grow too. People might come from far and wide if we could drum up a little razzle dazzle instead of all this talking. But all of this “I would do it differently if I were God” talk sounds familiar. I'd like to compare it to the complaining that the Israelites did in the wilderness. When God led them out of Egypt they eventually ran out of food so that they grew hungry. So each day God gave them their daily bread with the manna that would come with the morning dew. At first, they were happy enough with it. Eating manna was a lot better than starving to death. It didn't taste too bad either. It was sweet and nutty. Each morning it came like clockwork. Eventually, though, they got sick of it. They actually say, “We loathe this worthless bread. If only we could go back to Egypt. Sure, we were slaves in Egypt, but at least we'd get a cucumber or some garlic every once in a while instead of always having this miserable manna.” Whenever I read about the Israelites in the wilderness I am always struck by how we are just like them. If anything, though, we Christians are worse than them. The manna that we have as Christians is a much higher and better thing than what the Israelites ever had. Our manna is Jesus. Pentecost gives us Jesus. Jesus speaks about how our bread as Christians is better than any manna that the Israelites ever ate. Jesus says to the Jews, “Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. I am the bread which comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die.” Jesus then says, “I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he shall live forever; and the bread also which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh.” Some of the Jews who were listening to Jesus grumbled at his teaching. Some of you might be inwardly grumbling too: “What is this mumbo jumbo? How can Jesus give his flesh for the life of the world? How does that even work?” But it is not hard to understand what Jesus is claiming. You might not agree with what Jesus is claiming or see how it is possible, but the words are clear. Jesus is greater, better, more life giving than the manna. Whoever eats of him has eternal life. What Jesus is speaking about is the Gospel, the good news. This is what is extraordinary about Pentecost. These words about Jesus are what was spread abroad by the power of the Holy Spirit beginning at Pentecost. The Gospel is greater than any sign or miracle we might read about in the Bible. As Jesus says, he gives eternal life. This Gospel is among us. And let me briefly mention the Sacraments which are also among us with the power of the Holy Spirit. We are given baptism. The Scriptures tell us that this baptism unites us with Christ. By this baptism we die with Christ and we rise with Christ. By this baptism we are born again by the water and the Spirit so that we may see the kingdom of God. Again, you might grumble inwardly and say, “What is this mumbo jumbo? How can water do such great things?” But that's your problem. You aren't believing his words. You aren't appreciating what he says. And on the night when Jesus was betrayed he gave us disciples his body and blood. He says, “This is my body which is given for you.” He says, “This cup is the New Testament in my blood which is shed for you for the forgiveness of your sins.” I didn't say those words. Jesus says them. Again you might inwardly groan and say, “I hate this worthless bread. Church is so boring. Communion only makes it longer. Where's the razzle dazzle?” Such a reaction doesn't surprise me because we are just like the Israelites. They, too, grumbled. They, too, failed to understand what God was doing. They, too, would have done things differently if they were God instead of the Lord. Despite their faithlessness, though, God was faithful. Jesus prayed from the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” I think we could apply those words to ourselves if we are at all lackluster about what is given to us at Pentecost. We know not what we do if we think Pentecost and the works of the Holy Spirit's church are just words—just a bunch of talking. Sure, there is talking, but what magnificent talking it is if you will only believe it! For example, Jesus says in our Gospel reading, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink! Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'” Wow. Again, in the portion of Scripture we were referencing earlier, Jesus says: “He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life; and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I abide in him.” Magnificent. The only way that anyone can fail to appreciate these words or to regard them as worthless is through unbelief. Unfortunately, there is nothing that comes easier or more naturally to us than unbelief, just as it came so easily and naturally to the Israelites too. If I were God I'd have given up a long time ago and moved on, but God is long-suffering, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. God doesn't change either. The manna that he kept sending down upon the Israelites day after day was just as sweet and nutty as it ever was regardless of whether the Israelites loved it or loathed it. So it is also with the work of the Holy Spirit, the greatness of Pentecost. It is just as forgiving, cleansing, healing, sanctifying, and eternal-life-giving as ever. It is not God or his promises that need to change. What needs to change is our faith in the stupendous things that God says and does through his Holy Spirit in his church with the Gospel. There will always be those who will say, “We loathe this worthless food.” Not everybody was converted even on Pentecost as you heard. There were some there who said, “These disciples have had a little too much grape juice.” So it is also among us. It is not hard to find people who have so many other things that they would rather be doing than listening to a talk about Pentecost. They are so preoccupied with the cares, concerns and pleasures of life that the work of the Holy Spirit in his church is about the furthest thing from their minds. May it not be so with you. Even if heaven and earth were to pass away, Jesus's words will never pass away. They will always do what they promise. They will always bless those who believe in him.

We conclude our series on Great Christian Thinkers with the Swiss theologian Karl Barth. But don't worry, he was really smart even if he spelled Carl wrong. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/incontexttheology/message

Episode 115.5 // Friday Faith Followup   How does the Bible play into your home life? Is it a centerpiece, or an afterthought?    If you want to build great Christian family relationships, you have to start with God's Word. In today's episode, we'll take a look at 4 important Bible verses to help us understand godly wisdom for building great family relationships.   Grab the free journaling prompts below to help you dig into these Bible passages, and let's take a look at how to wisely build our homes.   hugs & blessings, Jess   * * * * *  Want more?  You'll find everything for Christian family life at www.LoveYourPeopleWell.com. ✔️ Freebies - including the new journaling prompts! ✔️ Devotionals - including the new Building A Home of Godliness and Joy! ✔️ Faith ✔️ Marriage ✔️ Parenting ✔️ Emotions ✔️ Communication And don't forget to subscribe to the podcast, leave a written review (hopefully a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review!), and share the link to today's episode with a friend who could use some encouragement. Find this episode on the blog here! Prayer requests? Questions? Topics you want me to cover? Email me at jessica@loveyourpeoplewell.com.  . .. ... and don't forget: I am a licensed therapist, but the podcast and resources from Love Your People Well LLC are not professional or personal advice. Some of my links may be affiliate links and I may earn a small commission if you purchase through my link. Read my disclaimers here. ✨ Grab tons of resources and biblical encouragement today at www.LoveYourPeopleWell.com ✨   

Episode 115 // Today, I'm outlining 4 key questions that EVERY mom needs to have a good answer for. Honestly, whether you're a Christian mom, a stay-at-home-mom, a new mom, or a tired mom (...we all are…) these questions are worth thinking through.    Consider these questions with me today, and together we'll build great Christian family relationships. We're continuing our deep dive into Proverbs 14:1, and these questions will begin to point you toward how to wisely build your home and family life.   Ready, friend? Let's dive in.   hugs & blessings,  Jess * * * * *  Want more?  You'll find everything for Christian family life at www.LoveYourPeopleWell.com. ✔️ Freebies - including the new journaling prompts! ✔️ Devotionals - including the new Building A Home of Godliness and Joy! ✔️ Faith ✔️ Marriage ✔️ Parenting ✔️ Emotions ✔️ Communication And don't forget to subscribe to the podcast, leave a written review (hopefully a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review!), and share the link to today's episode with a friend who could use some encouragement. Read this episode on the blog here! Prayer requests? Questions? Topics you want me to cover? Email me at jessica@loveyourpeoplewell.com.  . .. ... and don't forget: I am a licensed therapist, but the podcast and resources from Love Your People Well LLC are not professional or personal advice. Some of my links may be affiliate links and I may earn a small commission if you purchase through my link. Read my disclaimers here. ✨ Grab tons of resources and biblical encouragement today at www.LoveYourPeopleWell.com ✨

Part 6 of 7 in our series on Great Christian Thinkers. This episode is about Friedrich Schleiermacher, who was a German theologian and largely considered the founder of modern Protestant theology. Bonus points to the listeners who can spell his name without cheating. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/incontexttheology/message

Thank you Ted Lasso, Drew Timme breaks the record, a board game review and let's talk Christian music.

Jane and I met Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter once, but I think we, and other Americans, knew him long before that.  These are my reflections on the life of a great American. This includes his election as governor, Camp David, Panama Canal, his personality, and especially issues of race and racism. It also includes his books, and especially An Hour Before Sunrise, his book on growing up in small town Georgia, and the nature of racial issues. 

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Join us as we explore things that we see Christians saying and doing on their social media platforms. We look at the many negative aspects of social media for Christians today, and how it is playing a role in the world today. 

Part 5 of 7 in our series on Great Christian Thinkers. This episode is on Martin Luther. Maybe you've heard of him? --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/incontexttheology/message

IntroductionToday, we are diving deeper into the miracle of the Incarnation. What were the effects of the Incarnation on Christ and on us? How did the world fundamentally shift 2,000 years ago?! If you have not yet listened to part 1 of this two-parter, I highly recommend beginning there. I went over some fairly deep theology of what the Incarnation means and what the Hypostatic Union of the divine and human natures of Christ in one Divine Person is.The Fittingness of the Incarnation According to AquinasSt. Thomas Aquinas asks a series of really cool questions about the Incarnation in question 1 of the third part of the Summa. In this section, he focuses entirely on what he calls the “fittingness” of the Incarnation. When Aquinas speaks of fittingness, he is juxtaposing this term with necessity. In other words, is an event or action in theology strictly necessary or simply fitting? In the first two questions, he explores this query..Is it fitting for God to become incarnate?First, Aquinas asks: “Is it fitting for God to become incarnate?” We know that God is good; this is one the realities of His essence. God exists and He is the truth, the good, the beautiful, and the ground of being itself. Aquinas argues that because of His great and perfect goodness, He desired to share His goodness in the highest manner possible to His creature. So, St. Thomas concludes that it is “manifest that it was fitting that God should become incarnate (ST III, q. 1, a. 1, co.)” Was it necessary for the restoration of the human race?Even though it is a tremendous mystery that God would condescend to become one of us, it was fitting because of His great goodness. But what about necessary? “Was it necessary for the restoration of the human race?” asks Aquinas. He answers that:“What frees the human race from perdition is necessary for the salvation of man. But the mystery of Incarnation is such; according to John 3:16: ‘God so loved the world as to give His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him may not perish, but may have life everlasting.' Therefore it was necessary for man's salvation that God should become incarnate (ST III, q. 1, a. 2, s.c.).”So, because of the sin of Adam and Eve, it was necessary that God should become incarnate. As God, He can reconcile us to Himself; as Man, He can do so on our behalf!If there had been no sin, would God have become incarnate?This leads to St. Thomas' next question: “If there had been no sin, would God have become incarnate?” This question is one of my favorites to contemplate. It was actually the topic of a great conversation for me and my coworkers at lunch a couple weeks ago. In Romans, St. Paul shows us that all men were made sinners through the disobedience of Adam and it was through the one Man, Jesus Christ, that many will be made righteous. In the first letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul says: “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive (1 Cor. 15:22).” Jesus Christ is, thus, the “new Adam” or the “second Adam.” As St. John Henry Newman wrote in his hymn “Praise to the Holiest in the height”:“O loving wisdom of our God!When all was sin and shame,A second Adam to the fightAnd to the rescue came.”It is clear that Scripture teaches that the reason for the Incarnation is the sin of Adam. So, how does Aquinas answer this question: “If there had been no sin, would God have become incarnate?” He says,“... the word of Incarnation was ordained by God as a remedy for sin; so that, had sin had not existed, Incarnation would not have been. And yet the power of God is not limited to this; even had sin not existed, God could have become incarnate (ST III, q. 1, a. 3, co.).”Whether God became incarnate in order to take away actual sin, rather than to take away original sin?God could have become incarnate, even in the absence of human sin. But, as it is, Adam did sin and the incarnation allowed for the stain of original sin to be washed away. But what about personal sin, or as the Church calls it: “actual sin.” St. Thomas asks: “Whether God became incarnate in order to take away actual sin, rather than to take away original sin?”He answers directly that the principle reason for the incarnation was to take away original sin. But he adds:“It is certain that Christ came into this world not only to take away that sin which is handed on originally to posterity, but also in order to take away all sins subsequently added to it; not that all are taken away (ST III, q. 1, a. 4, co.).”Whether it was fitting that God should become incarnate in the beginning of the human race?On the next question: “Whether it was fitting that God should become incarnate in the beginning of the human race?” Aquinas has a lot to say, but we can summarize it thusly:“... God became incarnate at the most fitting time; and it was not fitting that God should become incarnate at the beginning of the human race (ST III, q. 1, a. 5, s.c.).” Whether Incarnation ought to have been put off till the end of the world?In God's timing, the incarnation was unfitting to happen right after the sin of Adam and Eve, but St. Thomas asks “Whether Incarnation ought to have been put off till the end of the world?” He answers:“It is written (Habakkuk 3:2): ‘In the midst of the years Thou shalt make it known.' Therefore the mystery of Incarnation which was made known to the world ought not to have been put off till the end of the world (ST III, q. 1, a. 6, s.c.).”Put simply: the incarnation happened exactly when and where was best, in God's Providence and with His perfect knowledge and planning.The Effects of the Incarnation on Christ HimselfThe Incarnation of Christ was fitting and necessary for the salvation of man. But what were the effects on Christ Himself? First, we can think of our own body and soul. We are limited and finite. We have inclinations to sin and imperfections. We are sinful and sorrowful. We are intrinsically good and capable of wonderful things, by God's grace. But we are also capable of great evil. As we discussed last time, the human nature of Jesus Christ is perfect and perfectly subordinate to His Divinity. He is incapable of sin and acts in the perfection for which mankind was originally made. What does that look like? Perfection. Living in accord with the Will of the Father, perfectly. What is possible? The great St. Athanasius, discussing the Incarnation, says this: “And, in a word, the achievements of the Saviour, resulting from His becoming man, are of such kind and number, that if one should wish to enumerate them, he may be compared to men who gaze at the expanse of the sea and wish to count its waves. For as one cannot take in the whole of the waves with his eyes, for those which are coming on baffle the sense of him that attempts it; so for him that would take in all the achievements of Christ in the body, it is impossible to take in the whole, even by reckoning them up, as those which go beyond his thought are more than those he thinks he has taken in. Better is it, then, not to aim at speaking of the whole, where one cannot do justice even to a part, but, after mentioning one more, to leave the whole for you to marvel at. For all alike are marvelous, and wherever a man turns his glance, he may behold on that side the divinity of the Word, and be struck with exceeding great awe (Athanasius, On the Incarnation, 54.4-5).” The Incarnation is a Miracle and our Blessed Lord is the perfect Man. He shows us what God intended from the beginning for mankind. So, let us take a moment to zoom in: what effects did the Incarnation have on the human body and human soul of Christ?On the Body of ChristJesus Christ had a human body, as we do. He knows our human limitations and is like us. In Hebrews 4:15, we hear: “We have not a high priest, who cannot have compassion on our infirmities: but one tempted in all things like as we are, without sin.” Before His Resurrection from the dead, the Body of Christ was subject to all the bodily weaknesses caused by original sin, which we are all subject: He experienced hunger, thirst, pain, fatigue, and death. These are all natural results of human nature which He assumed. There are a couple of things in the body, however, which Christ did not necessarily experience. It is possible that He had no bodily deformities (until His Passion) and never got sick. St. Athanasius persuasively argues this by saying that it would be “unbecoming that He should heal others who was Himself not healed (P.G., XX, 133).”On the Human Soul of ChristWhen speaking of the human soul of Christ, there are a few areas worth mentioning: His intellect, will, sanctity, and likes and dislikes. In the WillJesus was entirely sinless. Thomists following after St. Thomas Aquinas, as well as Francisco Suarez, and the Society of Jesus all argue that sin is incompatible with the Hypostatic Union. It is safe to assume that this is the case simply on the merits of Dominicans and Jesuits being in agreement (just a joke). Those following the teaching of Duns Scotus say that the sinlessness of Christ is not due to the Hypostatic Union but due to a special Divine Providence similar to the way that it is impossible for the blessed in Heaven to sin.No matter which theological avenue you take, it is an article of faith, to be held definitively, taught at the Council of Ephesus, that Christ never sinned. Jesus Christ is a Divine Person and God cannot turn away from Himself.We also want to take great care to acknowledge the total liberty of Christ, in His human will. After the Incarnation, the will of Christ remained. If this were not the case, then in the matter of death, Christ could not have merited nor satisfied the justice of God for us. St. Thomas Aquinas not only believed in the total liberty of the human will of Christ, but he also provided seventeen different explanations for why this is true!In the IntellectLet us now turn to the human intellect of Christ. Every time the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord comes around, I brace for the incredibly ridiculous homilies in which the deacon or priest (or God, help us, bishops) explain that it was at this moment that Christ realized His mission. They hold that it was at the Baptism of the Lord, when the Spirit descends like a dove, that Christ receives His anointing, grace, and His mission. I want to say unequivocally that this is heretical and nonsensical garbage. The soul of Christ was endowed with the Beatific Vision from the beginning of its existence. For the first moment in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary, when the Hypostatic Union came into being, the human soul of Christ beheld the Godhead in its fullness.Like Adam and Eve, Christ had infused knowledge. God the Father revealed many things to Jesus in His humanity all at once, as needed. He also acquired human knowledge through His senses and imagination. The human soul of Christ had a beginning and is not, therefore, infinite as God is infinite. But by the grace of union, His human soul (intellect and will) was most perfect and embraced the widest range possible. Sanctity of Christ From the first moment, in the Hypostatic Union, Jesus Christ enjoyed the grace of union. As St. Augustine teaches:“When the Word was made Flesh then, indeed, He sanctified Himself in Himself, that is, Himself as Man in Himself as Word; for that Christ is One Person, both Word and Man, and renders His human nature holy in the holiness of the Divine nature (Augustine, In Johan. tract. 108, n. 5, in P.L., XXXV, 1916).”St. John also tells us in the prologue of His Gospel that the Word was “full of grace (Jn. 1:14).” And, so, in the human soul of Christ, there was a fullness of sanctifying grace. This is the same grace of the sacraments that we receive at our Baptism and in each of the seven sacraments. Likes and Dislikes In the Hypostatic Union, Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man. This glorious union, however, does not deprive the human soul of Christ of the human reality of likes and dislikes. There were certain foods that Jesus preferred. He likely had a favorite game or sport, a favorite joke or turn of phrase, a favorite way to recline at a table that He found most comfortable, and the list goes on. We see in the Gospels that Christ was angry, fearful, sad, happy, and experienced the sensible affections of hope, desire, and joy. After all, He is like us in all things but sin. His likes and dislikes, however, were under complete control by His human will subordinated perfectly to His divine will. The God-Man and the “Communication of Idioms”How we speak about Christ matters, if we are to avoid error. Our words will never fully penetrate the deep mysteries of the Person of Jesus Christ, but there are certain ways of phrasing things that are just plain wrong. In the last part of this two-parter, we discussed a few different Christological heresies that can serve as an illustration of this.How then can we speak about the interaction of deity and humanity in the Divine Person of Jesus Christ? The Church gives us the concept of the communicatio idiomatum (Latin: communication of properties or communication of idioms). There are difficulties that require such a convention. What properties belong to Jesus in His human nature? What properties belong to His divine nature? Is it possible that these properties are shared or mingled between the two natures?Jesus did many things physically which are attributed to His divine power. For example, He healed the sick, forgave sins, walked on water, changed water into wine, and rose from the dead. Though Jesus Christ, the God-man did all of these things, because of the communicatio idiomatum, we can safely say that God did all these things. God healed the sick. God walked on water. God changed water into wine. We are not saying that the properties of Christ's divinity become the properties of His humanity, or vice versa; they are already deeply united by grace. But we rightly say these things because Jesus Christ, even in His humanity, is a Divine Person. So, whatever is affirmed of the Divine Person, the Son of God, the Word made Flesh, Jesus Christ, after the incarnation, in His human or divine natures is attributed to the one Person. This is why St. Ignatius of Antioch referred to the “blood of God” and the “suffering of God.” God the Father has no blood nor did God the Spirit suffer, but the Eternal Word of God, God the Son, assumed Flesh. This is why we can rightly say that Mary is the Theotokos (the God-bearer) rather than merely the Christotokos (the Christ-bearer).There is an excellent summary of the “rules” of the communicatio idiomatum on encyclopedia.com, of all places. You can check that our here, if you are interested in reading further.  The Adoration of the Humanity of ChristThe Greek word dulia refers to veneration. This is the type of respect that is due to the saints and angels on account of their holiness and closeness to God. The next step up is hyperdulia; this is the preeminent veneration and devotion due to the Blessed Virgin Mary as Queen of Heaven. Finally, we arrive at true worship and adoration, in Greek: latria. Latria is due to God alone. In fact, giving latria to anyone other than God would be the grave sin of blasphemy. The Catholic Encyclopedia explains:“The human nature of Christ, united hypostatically with the Divine nature, is adored with the same worship as the Divine nature. We adore the Word when we adore Christ the Man; but the Word is God. The human nature of Christ is not at all the reason of our adoration of Him; that reason is only the Divine nature (CE).”We do not worship the human nature of Jesus Christ. Yet, we affirm that because of the Hypostatic Union, the divinity and humanity of Christ cannot be separated. And, most importantly, there is only one Person in Jesus Christ, which is the Divine Word of God. So, according to the whole Person rather than the parts, we truly adore Jesus Christ, the God-man, with all the devotion, love, and worship due to Almighty God! Effects of the Incarnation on UsFinally, we come to the big question, for us: why did the Word of God become Flesh? How did the Incarnation affect us? In Order to Save UsFirst, as we acclaim in the Nicene Creed: “For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven; by the power of the Holy Spirit, he came incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and was made man.” The Word became Flesh for us “in order to save us by reconciling us with God (CCC 456).” Jesus Christ atoned for the sins of the world, both original and personal, though He Himself was without sin. He did this in our place as the Son of Man and He did this perfectly as the Son of God.St. Gregory of Nyssa, one of the Eastern Church Fathers, explains:“Sick, our nature demanded to be healed; fallen, to be raised up; dead, to rise again. We had lost the possession of the good; it was necessary for it to be given back to us. Closed in the darkness, it was necessary to bring us the light; captives, we awaited a Savior; prisoners, help; slaves, a liberator. Are these things minor or insignificant? Did they not move God to descend to human nature and visit it, since humanity was in so miserable and unhappy a state (St. Gregory of Nyssa, Orat. catech 15: PG 45, 48B.)?”That We Might Know God's LoveSecond, the Son of God incarnated that we might know God's love. As St. Thomas Aquinas taught, it was fitting that God should become man in order to show us the depths of His love and the heights of His goodness. The Incarnation is a tremendous miracle and mystery. The fact that Almighty God, containing all things and yet uncontained Himself, became a baby. He depended on the love and care of His Holy Mother and St. Joseph. In His unfathomable humility, the Lord shows us the lengths God was willing to go to in order to bring us back from sin and death. Of course, we see His loving action on full display, bearing the Cross for our sakes. “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends (John 15:13).”To Be Our Model for HolinessThird, Jesus Christ, the Word made Flesh, shows us the model for holiness. By His holy example, we can follow Him in all things, Who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. There is an old blessing that speaks of discipleship: “May you be covered in the dust of the Master.” By following so near to Jesus, we are covered in the dust which His holy feet kick up as He leads us. If we listen to His holy words and holy example, we will be beckoned closer to sharing eternal life with Him in Heaven. To Make Us Partakers of the Divine NatureSt. Peter begins his second letter in this way:“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire (2 Peter 1:3-4).”The chief of the Apostles reveals to us another reason why the Word became Flesh. He came to make us “partakers of the divine nature.” As St. Irenaeus said,“For this is why the Word became man, and the Son of God became the Son of man: so that man, by entering into communion with the Word and thus receiving divine sonship, might become a son of God (St. Irenaeus, Adv. haeres. 3, 19, 1: PG 7/1, 939.).”The great St. Athanasius put it even more succinctly: “For the Son of God became man so that we might become God (St. Athanasius, De inc. 54, 3: PG 25, 192B.).” And lest we think that this notion is peculiar to the first millennium, St. Thomas Aquinas said, “The only-begotten Son of God, wanting to make us sharers in his divinity, assumed our nature, so that he, made man, might make men gods (St. Thomas Aquinas, Opusc. 57, 1-4.).”Receiving Sanctifying GraceThe primary means of receiving sanctifying grace in our soul and sharing in the divine nature is through the Sacrament of Baptism. We enter the sacramental life through the door of Baptism and God comes to dwell within us as in a Temple. We receive an infusion of the divine life and have the theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity operative in our soul. This initiation, begun in Baptism, is perfected and strengthened in the Sacrament of Confirmation. Our initiation is complete when we receive the Lord's own Body and Blood in the Holy Eucharist, the Sacrament of sacraments. The same Flesh born of Mary, the Word of God Incarnate, comes to us under the veil of a sacrament at Holy Mass in what looks like bread and looks like wine. But this is no ordinary food. It is the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ who desires to make Himself our supersubstantial bread and come into intimate communion with us. This foretaste of Heaven leads us as a pledge of future glory to our eternal home. The Incarnation goes beyond the cave in Bethlehem, beyond the home in Nazareth, beyond the Temple in Jerusalem, beyond the wood of the Cross, and beyond the empty grave. In the Sacraments, especially the Holy Eucharist, the Incarnation is extended. Just as we are body and soul, the Lord commanded that His Church should be visible and invisible. Our invisible God has taken on visible Flesh. So too, the Church celebrates in sensible signs the invisible wonders of God's overwhelming grace. The most amazing part of all of this is that He invites us to respond and take part in these saving mysteries and realities. Praise be to God for such a gift!I will end with the words of Pope St. Leo the Great:Christian, remember your dignity, and now that you share in God's own nature, do not return by sin to your former base condition. Bear in mind who is your head and of whose body you are a member. Do not forget that you have been rescued from the power of darkness and brought into the light of God's kingdom.If you have enjoyed this post in the slightest, please consider sharing it with your friends and family on social media, text, or email! Thank you! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit willwrightcatholic.substack.com

Subject: "Great Christian" Speaker or Performer: Pastor Joshua Morrison Scripture Passage(s): Matthew 22:35-40; Acts 8:36-37 Date of Delivery: November 14, 2022 If we are going to be obedient to God, then we must be committed to God.

Subject: "Great Christian" Speaker or Performer: Pastor Joshua Morrison Scripture Passage(s): Matthew 22:35-40; Acts 8:36-37 Date of Delivery: November 14, 2022 If we are going to be obedient to God, then we must be committed to God.

We'll be doing some shorter episodes with a quicker survey of an important figure, event, or idea. In this episode, Linley provides a brief overview of the Apostle Paul. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/incontexttheology/message

This is part 4 of 7 in our short episode series on Great Christian Thinkers. This episode covers Thomas Aquinas. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/incontexttheology/message

Sunday Evening Sermon

This is part 3 of 7 in our short episode series on Great Christian Thinkers. This episode covers the Theologian St. Augustine of Hippo. 354 AD to 430 AD. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/incontexttheology/message

A new MP3 sermon from Presbyterian Reformed Church of RI is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: On the Great Christian Law of Reciprocity Between Man and Man Subtitle: Chalmers Audio Library Speaker: Thomas Chalmers Broadcaster: Presbyterian Reformed Church of RI Event: Audio Book Date: 8/29/2022 Bible: Matthew 7:12 Length: 44 min.

Thanks to a friend for the information. Jerry Jenkins and Tim Lahaye were the writers of the Left Behind Series.. my sincerest apologies..Ed was a prolific writer and professor of eschatology.

Do you have a friend, family member, or colleague who's a new believer? You must be excited to see them start their new chapter with Christ. The Stoicess suggests you welcome them to the Christian faith with a nice gift to help them stay connected to God. Listen to the Stoiciess'' thoughts.https://stoicmatchmaker.com

We have slowly drifted during the last 100 years away from the time tested ways of doing things to the strange and new. It has been a complete failure. Curtis talks about how we need to RESET our families and churches back to the way God intended them to be. Our actions can help change things dramatically for the future. To subscribe, go to: www.AgendaWeekly.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/curtisbowers/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/curtisbowers/support

For generations the radicals on the Left have made plans about how they were going to change America from within. They have been incredibly successful. We have tried to resist their advances, but never really put together an offensive plan of our own on how we were going to take back ground. The World Economic Forum has plans for a "Great Reset" by 2030. It's about time we started making our plans for 2030. This episode is the first in a 3 part series on what our "Christian Reset" could look like. One thing is for sure if we don't change what we have been doing the last 50+ years, they will win. To subscribe and get all our weekly resources, go to: www.AgendaWeekly.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/curtisbowers/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/curtisbowers/support

Bible News Radio is a production of Heart Tug International. Check out www.hearttug.org for more information. Email Stacy at stacy@biblenewsradio.com with questions or comments. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/biblenews/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/biblenews/support

Bible News Radio is a production of Heart Tug International. Check out www.hearttug.org for more information. Email Stacy at stacy@biblenewsradio.com with questions or comments. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/biblenews/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/biblenews/support

St. John Bosco and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton presented lessons of love and gentleness to the most vulnerable of children. Their gentle instruction inspired their respective countries through the many thousands of pupils who would be taught by the communities they founded.

Great crowds? Published books? Fame? What credentials make a Christian successful? God measures greatness differently. I have seen it so in Central Asia.

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Joining us today in the Teacher's Lounge is Jamison Coppola, director of Government Affairs at the American Association of Christian Schools, policy and op-ed writer in various publications, and veteran K12 & Higher Education administrator. We dive into what makes a good Christian school tick, why some seem to lag behind, and a step-by-step approach to developing a quality Christian education program. Check out the book mentioned in the episode, Good to Great. For other great education articles, op-eds, interviews, and other content, head over to www.TheChalkboardReview.com! Chalkboard Review, 2021.

Welcome to our very first profile on a Great Christian Person! We are beyond honoroed to be joined in-studio by the Godfather himself, Indian missionary and pastor, David Rajan. He shares his life story of how God has and is working in his life, and the work he is doing in India. For more information on how to support the work David and his missionary partners are doing in India and Sri Lanka, shoot us an email at goodchristianpod@gmail.com and we would love to help you join this work.

As promised, today on Grace and Peace Radio Anthony and Amy discuss (mostly free!) audiobook resources for Christian audiobooks. Audible.com Hoopla Digital/OverDrive - Check with your local public library Tablet readers and apps have built in narration tools Hearing impaired narration in MacOS Preview for pdfs CCEL.org, Project Gutenberg (Gutenberg.org), and ChapelLibrary.org (CL is also avail as free Kindle and iBooks resources) have free books and resources that can be read aloud in the above apps. RevivedThoughts.com podcast SermonAudio.com ESV Bible app FaithComesByHearing.com Bible.is app YouTube - Aneko Press https://youtube.com/c/Anekopress - Amy Carmichael books - Puritan Reformed Books https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzOwqed_gET1LMZlDNOqxx58LREHCiLsD Christian Sermons and Audio Books YT Channel https://youtu.be/KJ5xx_82xCM “Christian Audiobook” Podcast by Joshua Koura - podfaded but has Thomas Watson “All Things for Good” (Thomas Watson - All Things for Good - F…) and Richard Sibbes “The Bruised Reed” (Richard Sibbes - The Bruised Reed - FULL) Grace and Peace, Anthony & Amy Get the Book! JesusChangedEverythingbook.com  Web: GraceandPeaceRadio.com Facebook: @GraceandPeaceRadio Twitter: @GracePeaceRadio Store: GraceandPeaceRadio.com/shop Support: Paypal.me/graceandpeaceradio Email: show@graceandpeaceradio.com Grace and Peace Radio is honored to be part of the Society of Reformed Podcasts and the Christian Podcast Community, and SermonAudio.com. Like what you hear on Grace and Peace Radio? Now you can easily leave a review on your favorite podcast site. Just go to http://www.graceandpeaceradio.com/love!

As promised, today on Grace and Peace Radio Anthony and Amy discuss (mostly free!) audiobook resources for Christian audiobooks. Audible.com Hoopla Digital/OverDrive – Check with your local public library Tablet readers and apps have built in narration tools Hearing impaired narration in MacOS Preview for pdfs CCEL.org, Project Gutenberg (Gutenberg.org), and ChapelLibrary.org (CL is also avail as free Kindle and iBooks resources) have free books and resources that can be read aloud in the above apps. RevivedThoughts.com podcast SermonAudio.com ESV Bible app FaithComesByHearing.com Bible.is app YouTube – Aneko Press https://youtube.com/c/Anekopress – Amy Carmichael books – Puritan Reformed Books https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzOwqed_gET1LMZlDNOqxx58LREHCiLsD Christian Sermons and Audio Books YT Channel https://youtu.be/KJ5xx_82xCM “Christian Audiobook” Podcast by Joshua Koura – podfaded but has Thomas Watson “All Things for Good” (Thomas Watson – All Things for Good – F…) and Richard Sibbes “The Bruised Reed” (Richard Sibbes – The Bruised Reed – FULL) Grace and Peace, Anthony & Amy Get the Book! JesusChangedEverythingbook.com  Web: GraceandPeaceRadio.com Facebook: @GraceandPeaceRadio Twitter: @GracePeaceRadio Store: GraceandPeaceRadio.com/shop Support: Paypal.me/graceandpeaceradio Email: show@graceandpeaceradio.com Grace and Peace Radio is honored to be part of the Society of Reformed Podcasts and the Christian Podcast Community, and SermonAudio.com. Like what you hear on Grace and Peace Radio? Now you can easily leave a review on your favorite podcast site. Just go to http://www.graceandpeaceradio.com/love!

What is Easter? Being thank you for the resurrection of Jesus Christ. You can cancel the traditions, but you can't cancel the cause. Easter during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Prayers for all who are on the front lines. "Resurrecting" Elevation Worship Music (all rights reserved to Elevation Worship) Reading and meaning of Psalm 18: 2-3. John Hagee "Seven people who can't be save." Check it out on Youtube. Great Christian movie to watch for free on Amazon Prime "Let there be light." Now is the time to watch it with the family. "Red Letter" music by Crowder (all rights reserved to Crowder) --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jackd-up-93-wny-crew/support